Tele Tone Tricks - Ask Zac 196 

I’ve learned to love the neck pickup on my Tele. Thanks to you and your knowledge.

Rolling the tone back transforms at the molecular level a maple 'board into a rosewood one. Science. Really interesting lesson Zac!

Just when I think I’m done with the tele and might go “Modern” you always put out a lovely video and remind me why I love the Tele so much and jump right back into her arms 😂.

Campilongo is the master of all of this.

Here's a "duh moment" tip i learned from a guy years ago. Always play "opposite day" when choosing a guitar or exploring its capabilities. First, he said to choose a song where rhythm was recorded on the neck pickup and lead on the bridge... then reverse it and make it work. The drill is to stick with it until you use all the bag of tricks you know to find the bag of tricks you don't know, like : pickhand position, tone/volume knob settings, coil tap/coil split, anything... but don't switch back until you've got it. He told me he learned that tip from an old bar room player in Austin, Texas, in the early 70s. The guy had 2 guitars, a Fender Esquire and a Gibson LP Special with 1 pickup as a backup. It was all he needed to get all the sounds most of us get with the selector switch.

Excellent tips and tricks. Years ago, I used the fake flanger trick while doing a cover of Joe Walshs' Rocky Mountain Way.

That flangeresque technique is very fun; I've heard that in a few Roy Buchanan songs recently although I learned it from Dave Evans aka The Edge on U2's 'New Year's Day' and Steve Stevens on the intro to Billy Idol's 'White Wedding'. If you really want a different sound to your playing, play it with a ukulele pick; to me it's not only softens but it does wonders when using both pickups, especially if it's strung with flats and tweaking the tone pot as well.

Amazing video thanks for sharing +. Love these type of short tips and tricks. Goes to show you can literally play anything on a Tele.

Thanks for this mate. Loved this episode and learned a lot! I remember when I first rolled the tone off a Tele bridge pickup. It was a revelation to me. Teles are the one guitar I always seem to find so intuitive and responsive when it comes to that tone pot

Thank you for the awesome content, Zac! I really enjoy the videos and indulging in the Tele madness. I am a tele guitar player. Your channel brings me much joy and knowledge.Thank you.

When he played fast as you on the NECK and said that was like the record I was like this guys off his rocker. Then I went and re-listened to the record. 😂😂 spot on as always Zac that was really cool. Great video!

Those who dial their tone control back a bit are the guitarists who play for the band/for the mix. Those who have the tone always at 10 are the guitarists that need to hear themselves play while the rest of the band is secondary.

Great tips. And I love that your videos stay really organic, with whatever interesting things you have going on or think up. i.e. not sticking to a hard-and-fast formula. Keep it up!

Curious if you have tried Fenders new Cobolt Chrome Tele pickups? I bought a set recently and they have a very unique tone.

Zac tele sounds great thanks for the demo..

Great show. Thanks for

Hey Zac, thank you for all your tips! I just installed "zac" wiring in a tele build I finished recently. Makes it so easy to switch between great tones.

Hey Zac, always with such simple but beautiful musical ideas for the Tele. Also your song recommendations are great. Keep rolling!

You know I had moved my tele's tone pot to behind the volume pot 50s Gibson-style, but I've been thinking I need to move it to the bridge lug on the switch like you do. Only, it occurs to me . . . I like blending the neck pickup out a bit on the les paul middle position instead of rolling off the bridge tone. So, what if it's possible to have that instead of a tone knob for the tele bridge? So, normal modern switching, but blend instead of tone on the back position. Middle position is still both full out, front position is still neck pickup full out, but now the bridge has a whole spectrum of sound rather than gradius of blanketry. I think I made those words up, but I bet you know what I mean. So do you think it's possible?

watch ya got there in butterscotch, 52 of some kind ? great channel just discovered it :) and subscribed

Essential info! I learned the tone roll-off thing from the guy in the picture over your right shoulder. Unlocked the secret of many of those Stax guitar sounds.

I just got a Tele, so this video came at the perfect time - thanks so much for these tips!

Zac I wish there was a video compilation of all your cool video licks haha, they always have very good meat to them😅

Can’t You Hear Me Calling (Live @ The Roxy) Pete does the flanger style harmonics at the end of the guitar solo before handing off to the fiddle. Mystery Train (Live @ The Roxy) Pete uses the flanger harmonics all over the solo. He also does some killer volume swell train whistles!! Great video Zac!

Turning a knob. What a concept!

I still hate the Tele neck pickup.😂 LOL

More Dwight/Pete stuff!

Microphonic pickups actually sound great in my experience!

Superb as Always!

Thanks for your effort brother tele lover ✊

Hi Zak. I have a question. I put my capo on the 4th fret to do the Lady Antebellum song "Need you Now" in my cover band but when I bend the B string up in the chorus the string moves under the capo so the spacing between the strings changes a bit so it feels weird and the guitar's also then also out of tune. If I tighten the capo more that in itself puts the guitar out of tune and the B string still moves under the capo when I bend it up anyway. Could you imagine what I could do to solve this problem? Thanks Dave

That guitar sounds AMAZING. What pickups and what amp/pedals?

Zack I love your videos and your a killer player. Can I ask you your opinion on Nash guitars? I heard they are the real deal and better than Fender Custom Shop

Aren’t all tele neck pups microphonic ? Everyone I had, you tap on the pick guard and it’s loud af in the amp

Is that a Bose stereo and do you use it? I’m just gonna say that you’re a valuable tone connoisseur of telecasters. I’ve learned quite a bit. Thanks ❤🎉

About 20 years ago I was at a music store talking to the salesman who went to GIT. He was taking about how great an SG jr sounded (that was going on clearance) and I mentioned that it seemed limited with only one pickup. He demonstrated all the different sounds you could get by adjusting the volume and tone knobs. I still have the guitar.

I just installed a 4-way in one of my Teles. P1= B&N in series, P2= Bridge only, P3= B&N in parallel, P4= Neck only. Tone pot only works on Bridge P2.

11:00 How could someone not use the tone controls? Just with the basic Tele with ungraduated Tone & Vol. reduced to say, 10 different levels, plus the 3-way pickup switch, we have 10^2 x 3 = 300 different settings. I have a basic Fender amp which has 6 x 12-graduated controls plus a 2-way Fat switch. This gives us another 12^6 x 2 settings, = 5,971,968, which x 300 from the guitar gives 1,791,590,400 possible combinations. Just let that sink in! And, as Zac says, that doesn't include pick location, angle, velocity, attack, stroke angle, and more. The world of sound is your oyster, and it is practically limitless.

Thanks for the cool tips Zac, always a pleasure hearing your insights. I personally like using the tone knob on just about all of my guitars when it comes to the bridge pickup. For the sounds I like best, I keep the treble knob pretty high on my amps and sometimes as a result, the bridge pickup can be a bit too pokey 🙂 The tone knob can tame it to be just right.

Have a Squire Classic Vibe FSR Custom Baritone Tele...really need to play it more than I do. Many thanks for all the many wonderful and informative videos Zac !

Oh…The BARGE of things I’ve “borrowed” from Leventhal… As usual Zac, weapons grade wisdom. Thanks bunches.

Zach are you coming to Adam Levy at Nelson’s Drum shop on June 5th? If so I’ll bring my tele so you can check out my weird guitar! I’ll be in town a couple days

I always found the Tele bridge PU too Trebly . I been rolling the treble off most of the time on the bridge Pup but if I play in the middle or neck , I roll it back. In the last couple years Ive been picking way back near the bridge to make certain parts stick out. Even with my acoustics I do that.

Maybe I’m just hanging with the wrong crowd, but I don’t hear Dwight Yoakam getting his due in conversations of great country players the way he does on my fiancee and I’s van's radio. Love that stuff.

Such a GREAT video. So many tone ideas in just one video. You are DA MAN Zac!

You sounded excellent Zack. Most entertaining video. Thank you for posting👍.

11:00 - This is what makes a Telecaster what it is. Full wack is great.🤘But Leo gave you controls for a reason. Thanks, Zac.

Still a Strat guy but that Tele is creeping up inside my heart more and more every day!!! Even when I play my same lame blooz crap 💩 I play it so differently when I switch over to the Telecaster. As far as Tele toanz, while I will always love and weaponize the bridge, my go-to has come to be the middle switch position with both pups engaged and the tone on about 8 and the volume around 7. Wow. Add to that a Klon circuit and some slapback and trem and look out 👀!

Don't forget the Rev was on the short list of comedians Carlos Mencia stole from according to Rogan too. And again whenever Rogan brought his name up people would then reply "who?"

I remember Playing Fast as You at almost every gig back when, I always played it as an AC-DC style It rocked. 500 Miles. Oh hell I burst into tears now days when I hear it.

Nice! I will try this near the bridge/neck pickup idea. My Tele tone has improved much since I had my tech disconnect the tone knob from the neck [Dimarzio Twang King] and center [1980's Don Lace] single coils, which you talked about a while back, Zac.

Man. This is a great lesson. But I'm still struggling between a Squier bass vi and a Squier paranormal offset tele

Sounds awesome Zac. I use a lot of these same techniques and pick up selection with my rock playing. It makes a big difference with how I want the tone to come across.😊

Consistently brilliant. Thanks Zac. Great that you focused on the neck pickup too, something that I’m using more and more of over the years.

Thanks for the Rosanne Cash recommendation. It's a great album now on my playlist.

By the by, I have been LOVING the tele mod you did a while back (we talked about it but I don't expect you to remember such things!). No tone control on the neck and rolling the bridge back a hair so they feel more balanced. It is gold, sir-

Do you still have and use your headstrong amp?

Great lesson ... Strat or Tele - I almost always begin with the tone control rolled a little back, then you can get a little more bite if you need and softer if you want too ... BB king worked his controls all the time as far as I remember - in the middle of a song too ...

You've truly impressed me-well done!

I always have my tone knob rolled back some (8 to 10 olock) then you always have some extra bright tone if you need it but set up my amp, eq and pedal tone with the tele tone knob rolled down some. Never have it all the way bright by default. I Only have my vol knob at most ever half way up or slight less by default as well. Then you got extra if you need it but set my pedals up accordingly. Don't want the OD too muddy.

Thanks for the tips! Leventhal’s a great picker!

Wow,I think you’re right on that “Fast as You”tone.

Could you do a video like this but showing you would play tiger by the tail and how you get the sound

Thanks for that lick, I'll be working on it!

Nice video as always Zac. Now, show us how Redd gets his tone 😁

The way you play guitar is so laid back and casual I really dig it. Great vid sir 🔥

I really use my tone controls with the Tele and the Strats here.

Thanks Zac! Hey - some friendly feedback that it would be very helpful if you framed your shot so we can see your pickup selection switch. That way we can tell what pickup configuration you’re using. Appreciate it!!

10-52's on a Tele. You're welcome.

Zac you are Mr telecaster very interesting vid

Pretty partial to the middle myself..

Zach really enjoyed this and all your videos! Is part of getting Pete Anderson‘s tone nailed a lot to do with that heavily modified deluxe he used? With the mid range mod and Transformers and all the other stuff.

I loved this. Thank you 😊

hows the shimmering sound made ?

Didn’t know that, thanks Zach!

thanks Zac, always so relaxing and informative!

Man that Tele sounds great

zac, when you say, "roll the tone back", are you coming from having your tone setting all the way open to "10"?

Smooth playing! Cool guitar; what is it? Obviously a Tele but is it a reissue, Custom Shop, etc? Love the color.

great tone tips, zac. man, i really dig your playing .. .

Great Tele tips, much appreciated! And I had no idea Pete Anderson was playing Strat on that album...amazing.

Thanks for the lesson.

Great!

Aloha Zac#

Great tips Zac. Thanks.

Mahalo Zac!

Badasss

Thanks!

I almost never have the tone control all the way up on a Tele back pickup… Unless I’m feeling onry! 😂 Great video dude, thanks!

I’ve learned the best way to get good tone out of your Tele is to use your volume knob. Too bright? Roll it off a bit. Too clean? Turn it up. Who needs a neck pickup anyway.