The absolute best part of this weeks episode is the truly honest shared joy Dan has for Mick. It's so easy to be caught up in ourselves, but there's no guile or jealousy, just sheer happiness for a good friend. That lends a great vibe to this video.. It's a very faith in good people feeling. Congrats Mick on the lovely guitars, and thank you both for an enjoyable hour.
I agree, its a blessing Dan is so open and enthusiastic! I do find it irksome that it can be a bit cagey in the other direction for things Dan is more enthusiastic about.. just different dispositions I guess, but the show holds together anyway :)
Absolutely! I love how they’re such different players and react differently in behaviour! Mick has a decent poker face when something is good. Dan on the other hand can’t hold it in! He gets so excited!!! Why I love watching these videos!
The 61 strat is timeless and has the frequencies that benchmark the strat sound. Everytime it gets played it's just so 'right'. The clarity is next level and you just dont hear that clarity in the CS or Blue. The 70s strat to me is the one to use for clean sound because it has a different kind of clarity but mainly a sweetness that none of the others have I think it's a certain magic in the bass range and the upper upper mids (lower treble lol). You are a lucky lucky boy mick and you deserve it. 👍
You know what is so cool about strats, especially those vintage ones, they sound like the pickups pickup every little thing that's going on when you strike the string, so you get a very clear and detailed sound. And that in turn leads to the personality of the individual player being able to come through the guitar, SO FREAKING COOL!!!
@@ThatPedalShow as I stated above, I’d love to give Blue Strat a home. It’s a lovely instrument. Just isn’t finically viable for me right now. Someone will come along and enjoy owning that guitar. Either that, or time to get a glass case and retire it. Still a work of art.
@@ThatPedalShow Can you clarify a bit the settings on Deluxe Reverb? Before 38:52 and after. Are you removed the bright cap on Vib channel? Speaker the same? Your DRRI sounds every time better and better.
I know I'm late to the party, but the Custom Shop strat (Copper, as I like to call him) is the one that stands out to me. I'm working on a very boring spreadsheet right now and I only look up when Copper is played.
Blue just always has my heart, whether I’m hearing with my eyes, or mick’s just so comfortable playing blue, that everything just sounds like he’s feeling it a bit more, it just sounds right to me
This one is a long time coming and well worth the wait! There is just something about how the '61 takes overdrive that is absolutely magical! It seems to carry that caving in sound with a grace that the others can't. So happy you got your vintage Strat, it was needed!
First off, I can't tell you how happy I am you finally own the 61. And listening to you play that Strat...HOLYMUTHER that is the tone of the Gods! And YOU ARE WIELDING IT! Kudos to you Mick and thanks for sharing this incredible journey.
I could literally watch you guys play and compare Strats for days and days. Love these episodes! I still love Blue the most. Maybe because the other ones are completely unattainable for a hack like me.
The BEST thing is seeing Mick rediscover his joy of playing a little. Like you guys are fond of saying, if the gear inspires you to play more…this surely does. I haven’t heard you stretch out like that for awhile. ❤️
Awesome episode, much love for the Strats. Went through a somewhat similar Strat journey myself going from an American Standard I swapped pickups on, to a vintage '59 which I sold later. Bought an SVL to try and replace it as well as a Silver Sky, both of which I eventually sold to buy back the '59 from the person I sold it to. It is now 'my' Strat and not going anywhere even with the crazy prices they can command right now.
Dan’s face when you first connected the ‘61 to the “higher” gain rig said it all. Unbelievable sound. Congrats Mick on attaining “the promised land”, and especially on having the gumption (and the support) to go for it (it can be terrifying financially to be in that situation, but it’s plainly worth it!) We all can only hope to someday meet “the one” (or three ;-) and have the opportunity, presence of mind and financial capacity to hold on to it. Hope you enjoy these singularly awesome instruments for many years to come - I know we TPS faithful will vastly enjoy hearing them on a weekly basis. Cheers!
I’m in love with these videos - 2 intelligent, articulate man sharing their RADIATING PASSION for their instruments. Keep’em coming!! Cheers from Texas lads🤠
It is weird. I’m not a strat person, have tried several times to like them, but never quite bond with them. So this episode for me is not about tone or the guitars. But man, is so rewarding seeing Mick happy for the entire show. Glad for you!! Enjoy your well deserved guitars!
I literally know 7 people who always wanted a Strat, yet after they bought one, sold it shortly after. When I see rock players say, "I need a Strat", I tell most of them, "go play a Tele, and thank me later". I love my Strat, but it is not a versatile as my Tele.
It's SO, SO hard to find one you bond with (even AS a Strat person!), but when you do, it really is next-level. I've played *SQUIER* Teles that have made me like curse being "a Strat guy" bc they give up the goods so easily, but I'm still stubbornly thinking thoughts like, "OK, my Strat gets a bridge saddle upgrade next, then upgraded output jack..." bc sometimes those Strat stars just align, ya know.?. Fingers perpetually crossed 🤷♂ lol
20 years ago had some extra cash and got a 2001 strat ultra, hated it! Then in 2007 bought a beautiful 70s RI strat, hated it (sounded dead). Then recently, grabbed a 2022 American Performer body w/ orig Yosemite PU's and put a MIJ neck on it, totally sings! It's rather perplexing, but some just sing.
It was long time coming but bette late than never. Congrats Mick on all of them but especially on that 61! That one was always doing something to you and making you play even more special. Not to be forgotten TM Gold top also came about. Another epic instrument. Congrats on all!
Thank you for all the strat videos, Mick! One of the best experiences in the world is listening to someone talk about what they love and are passionate about.
Great show! I am so happy for you Mick! The best part of the video besides the sounds, is the love and respect that you and Dan have for each other! Keep being great friends, it’s a true blessing
I have a theory about the surviving old gear. It sounds good because it was good in the first place. The stuff that didn't sound good has long since been relegated to landfill.
I have always said this, Not every old guitar is good, Most likely most of them weren't! But the ones that were good have survived and been looked after while the bad ones haven't!
@@kieranblacker i think a strats a strat. A 2022 USA strat will sound and play like a strat would. They are all the same. I think people like one strat over another but, its all in their head
In the late 70's, you'd buy a Fender or a Gibson and go straight to the luthier to have it put right. Some of the crappy axes went through a whole evolution and became playable and maybe even ended up fine.
@@Ottophil some truth in that, especially with modern CNC built guitars. But the old guitars weren't built by machines. The did have tolerance jigs and they got good at making the same parts over and over. There are small differences in neck shapes and body sizes, depending on how enthusiastically they pressed them up against the belt sander. Then checked for tolerance, if it was within acceptable limits, then it went out of the factory. So a player familiar with them will perceive small differences, but overall you're right, a strat is a strat
Listening through hifi speakers, I found it easier to hear differences when played clean. When any OD or distortion is added, so much gets lost, which is where I am quite blown away by the 61 because while I hear the overdriven tones, I can still distinguish the clean notes. For my preferences, this is ideal. I have always liked the sound of Blue in Mick's hands but I preferred it by far when it has the Ron Ellis pickups. The current ones definitely sound like there is a filtering of the highs, and while not bad, detracts from its sound. I continue to subscribe to the premise that it is the player more than the guitar. While both the 61 and Blue are consistent between Dan and Mick the other two are very different. The gold Custom Shop sounds very good with Dan's playing and picking style, superior to the 70 every time to my ears. However, when Mick is playing, the 70 is the clear winner, even after the replacement of those Texas Specials that came in the CS, which do not appeal to me, I do not think that the CS is favoured when coupled with Mick's style. Obviously these are my opinions and will differ from others. Thank you for the interesting and informative episode. Be well!
Listened to this rather than watched as working from home. Every time I heard that ‘wow’ sound I looked across to see the 61. The others sound great but the 61 stands out, at least to me. You’re a lucky man!
As glorious as they all are, the inspired feeling the old girl gives off is palpable (and infectious). Sending all my love; thanks for the great tones and great playing.
I'd love to see you guys use a frequency analyzer to try and quantify what's going on with the '61, and then use EQ to try and bring Blue closer to the same response. It could be really useful for those trying to chase the sounds without access to the real thing. Thanks for all the great videos
Was thinking the same, where exactly are the differences and how big are they. It would explain the sound and indeed easier to dial in that sound using an other guitar.
As a Strat guy, that was a real treat! '61 is truly special, and it comes across clearly in the audio. I think your Custom Shop Strat comes the closest to it. I have a Custom Shop Roasted Tomatillo Strat with the Josefina Hand Wound Tomatillo pickups in it. That guitar has a very similar low-output sweet roundness with an airy top end. 9.5" board, but also a '63 C shaped neck, which is Fender's fattest at the 12th fret and has a nice taper. It feels like an old pair of jeans, and I highly recommend it to anyone in search of approaching vintage feel and tones who can't acquire the real deal.
Gentlemen: Great show, as ever! I am happy for you, Mick! You now have four excellent Stratocasters, each with a distinctive voice and tonal balance, giving you a sonic palette of exceptional subtlety. I join your good and true friend Dan in wishing you great satisfaction in your pursuit of your sonic ambitions. With your exemplary selection of amps, not to mention a likely un-equaled roster of effects pedals, you should be set for life. Play on!
when i first started watching this show, this was the sort of episode i’d maybe put off or watch a couple weeks or even months later. Now i feel like i’m gonna watch this at LEAST two times before next week. A fascinating comparison, some lovely playing, and some guys bein’ dudes. Love it!
I feel like I, actually all of us, have gone on this journey with you. From your talks about mental health which meant the world to us, to this journey of Strats, it’s been a fantastic ride!
I really enjoyed this video!!! I like them in this order… ‘61, gold CS, ‘70, then blue. They all sound incredible though. I was kind of surprised how much I liked the gold CS. It was the most balanced IMHO, but they each shined in different applications.
I love the way we spend so much effort trying to rationalise the strong feelings we have for a guitar. While it doesn’t matter to anyone else, it matters for us and in the end it is a personal process.
Very enlightening and well demonstrated. The subtleties in the midranges were clearly evident in the video. I found myself seeing the EQ differences graphically as I heard them. The '61 is strat nirvana! Now i have to go back to my CS '56 which doesn't measure up to the '61. Great job and many thanks.
Always great to see two friends enjoying a common love for great tone, I’m more of a Tele guy like Dan although i do have three strats a 54 reissue one of 1954 made ,a 57 50th anniversary and a custom shop 60s stat with Abby wound pick ups which is an amazing sounding guitar, they all are awesome instruments but my original 67 Tele that took me a long time to find and able to afford is just wow. As always love the show happy for you Mick that the good things are finally a reality and for Dan and his 65 Tele how wonderfull for the pair of you just always remember where you came from and give back to those less fortunate.
So glad for you Mick! Since beginning of lockdown you have inspired me to start my own strat journey, having been mainly tele or les paul for 15 years! I finally procured a new American pro 2 sunburst strat 4 weeks ago. Completely hooked, but am having to completely redesign my pedal board, the gain structure is so different! My tele and les Paul like similar drive pedals, but with the strat I am leaning more heavily on a TS than I ever have done. Keep the videos coming!
Fender Strat owner (two C.S. from '89 & '94) of four lovely distinctive voices. Hands down, that beautiful vintage '61 Fender strat sings like a magical bell. Real keeper. Delayed Congrats. Cheers. 🎸
Interestingly, I liked the gold CS sound the best. It is what to my ears the classic strat sound is. Congrats on the purchases, Mick - all great sounding instruments
I love the 61! What I hear that makes it special to me is a perfectly balanced tone from bass to treble combined with a harmonic complexity, and that harmonic content decays perfectly into the fundamental. And every string does this in perfect harmony with the other strings. Magical tone!
I'm very please that you were persuaded to do this overview and comparison on your Starts! Thank You! They're all great! The '61 does stand out as, what I feel has that "Classic Vintage" tone .... or sound. "Blue" definitely sounds more Modern to me. The other two are closer to the '61, but still falling in the middle to my ears.
You always know when you are truely best mates when you are happy for your buddy when he gets something he has wanted. My best buddy has always wanted a Martin D41 and he finally purchased one last week that he is receiving tomorrow. I think I was more happy for him than he is for himself lol. Mick, I see why you wanted that 61 so much. All those strats sound great but that 61 was just like "haha I am here!" Personally I am not a fan of the larger headstocks of the 70s. I much prefer the smaller headstocks.
I was listening without watching so that my eyes wouldn't affect my ears. I would occasionally look up to see what was playing what I was hearing, but at some point I got a little distracted and hadn't looked up in a bit. Then I heard tones (I think into plate reverb) that literally sent shivers down my back. I looked up it was the '61. I liked them all, though the CS I thought sounded a bit dark when clean (comparatively), but that '61 is a mythical, magical beast.
So happy for you Mick! Feels like this is the happy ending, or best possible outcome EVER... of an emotional journey we've all been lucky to be part of. Thanks a lot for including us!! Except... it's most definitely not the end, just the beginning of a whole other journey😁🥰 Or chapter, if you will.. I'm also happy that I've been too busy to watch this until today (Wednesday), or saved it if you will.. which I usually never do. Just picked up the first parts for a little home studio, so this was the first time testing the studio headphones (DT 770 PRO) and, at least to my ears, the differences are clearly coming through in the audio. Blue just sounds muffled in this company, in fact...they all do compared to 61'. It's like a carpet is taken off when you play that guitar and all the air, clarity or whatever.. shines through (everything you stack after it as well) and it just sounds more open all through the frequency spectrum, especially the very top end. But also in a balanced way. Where the others are more different, like carpets with holes in different places are put over them. Blue might have some mids for sure, but the CS is just on fire! Love it for it's punch, volume and eagerness to punch you in the stomach. The 70's comes closest to it, in terms of punch, but with more defined top end/high upper mids, balanced and open.. punches you more in the face. The 61 might lack some of that "loudness button", volume and specific strong areas the others might have, but just because it is so good all over! For sure more HiFi-sounding in a way, easily heard when played clean'ish. At least, that's my observations from where I'm at.. Keep them all, for what they are😁 And please bring 61' the next time you come to Norway, I'll bring the old TS-808 (S/N 10094x) for you to "try"... 😘
The guitar that surprised me the most was the 70. I'm NOT a big headstock nor gold guitar type... But, there's no denying it had a great tone. The CS sounded very "new" as compared to the others. My guess is, it sounded much like the '61 or '70 would have sounded new. Congrats Mick. Long time coming. Enjoy. :-) Many here in the peanut gallery enjoying vicariously. Rick
Repeat watch after almost 2 years and what a glorious line up. Gonna play my Strats when I get home. This might be what I needed to get out of this playing rut.
I truly enjoyed this and love the whole story. You both played brilliantly. Dan is scaring me. I heard some of that SImon Jarrett when he had those strats!!! Love it.
Who here wants to see a follow up video with Aynsley so he can show us what guitars replaced that 70's Strat?! Dang that was epic. So ends the Strat journey.... or does it 🤔
Oh Mick, the sadist in me hopes that the journey will never end haha. Man, you have managed to pick up a few life partners to accompany you on it and I welcome every update. Thanks Dan for pushing for this video and the shocked joy on your face when the stacked gain happening is legendary. Great episode and really happy for you Mick 👍
I never understood why vintage strats were so expensive until this video. That ‘61 has endless soul and vibe. It’s not the loudest or most chiseled tone but the character and color are mindblowing. I came in expecting the CS to dominate and was floored by the ‘61. Congrats on the find!
My ears prefer the tone of "Blue". It just has a fuller, more well-rounded tone. The gold one sounds pokier in the high end. The 61' Strat sounds closer to the tone of "Blue". Great video, guys! Love the story behind these Strats!
Tones aside, I just love seeing/hearing old guitars get played & sharing this with the world, instead of being in a vault or someone’s tone cave. Congrats Mick, and thanks for sharing😊🙏
I agree about the evolution of strat tone between 59-71. 50s ones are also pretty special. Woody and spanky. When i had change to test several old strats at the same time one -62 really spoke to me. Next day I was thinking about how spectacular the guitar was. So much so that i forgot to watch rw mirrors and reversed my car into a concrete pole. Ended up buying that thing. The gtr, not the pole.
Mick, there are a few moments through TPS where your tone made my jaw drop. The first was hearing the Kingsley Maiden D in your old pedalboard video. The next was when you put the '61 through your Fuzz Face and then boosted it with the Klon. But the '70, to me, is the best strat sound. Cheers, and congratulations on the new and new to you guitars!
The 61 sounds amazing. As for the rest, I'd pick the custom shop in a heartbeat. A close second to the 61 - full and rich, yet retains plenty of sparkle and definition. At least from what I can pick up through my headphones.
Mick's vlogs are what I came for and you two are what I subscribed for. Love the content you guys put out. Would love to see tone journey vlogs from either 🔥
Watching you guys talking about hearing "energy in different places", makes me feel normal. I feel like the little Bee girl in the No Rain video when she finds the other Bee people. Love you guys!
The playing at 27:14 hit me directly in the feels. Beautiful stuff. I've not watched the video all the way through. But that 61 really sings. I listened to it through headphones and the screen facing down to eliminate listening with my eyes. The 61 really stands out. Congrats on your new guitars. I have not watched your channel for a while as it tends to encourage me to spend money on guitars and pedals..... first video I have watched, now I am eyeing up a CS strat. 😂
@@ThatPedalShow I can see you're the same, hence all the strats you purchased in quick succession! Really happy for you, the 61 is on another level. One of the nicest sounding strats I have heard (through a speaker!) Another name you could have gave this video...... "Strat pedal show." Il get my coat.
Would have been really interesting to hear Blue with the Ron Ellis pickups in this lineup. I remember seeing and hearing it with both the '64 and 50/60 sets in some of your earlier vlogs and it sounded wonderful, even next to the '61 strat. I think you ended those videos talking about how much happier you were with it, and how much more bonded to it you had become, while now it seems to have lost its place in the pecking order among these other guitars. Funny how times change!
I had a 1990 CS 1960r.i. Couldn’t bond with it and I had it for years and years and let it go! Mick… Your CS is a special instrument for all occasions, love it! That said the 1961 was clear winner (imo), it clarity is something special… congrats on finding your heirloom pieces Mick! I have just picked up a new Am ProII with an all RW neck and fell in love with it in the first 15mins of playing… the search continues for a new CS here though
Brilliant comparison. I have to be honest that for drive tones I really dig the way the CS Strat was bigger and fuller but I do see what you’re saying about the 61 carrying a little more definition. All four sound good with Blue being a little more lifeless which is an unfair description because on its own it’s a great sounding guitar. You’re a lucky man Mick.
Mate I'm so happy for you , congrats , crazy but everything that Dan was saying at the moment he was explaining what differences he was able to pick , I was thinking it too. Enjoyed this a lot.
That custom shop is so awesome by far my favorite. 61 follows but I wouldn’t say its a close second. I wish I could get a cs like that. Alas I am poor haha
Amazing show. As somebody who’s collection is pretty targeted towards a very specific thing, I really respect Mick’s position in having very clear variations on the thing he loves.
Congratulations on all of your wonderful strats Mick! I’ve been on a stratastic voyage for decades! I love all the different eras of your strats. The 61 sounds super awesome!😊😊😊
They all sound fantastic. To my ears, I think that the CS Strat is the most "rounded" tone of the four in that the palate is most broad and therefore would be the one I'd take a gig if I had to take 1 guitar. That said, they all have their place and are incredible instruments each and every one.
It must suck to be in that constant state of dissatisfaction. I recently bought a 75 quid harley benton tele and have been lost in playing into a thr10 ii, no thoughts on upgrades and little worries about tone. Just jamming. It's nice not to have to worry about the other bits, one of the reasons I avoid TPS these days is the risk of getting pulled back in to all the 'in between' me and music stuff that doesn't really matter, but can get in the way - obsessing over gear and tone. I like the bit where a pedal, amp or guitar inspires playing, I hate the bit where the details get in the way
I appreciate this comment. It's a human thing to want the better thing. Historically it served to benefit the man with the better axe, or the better bow. Now it's material things like cars, your body... or your guitar. And I think confirmation bias, in this case, is a powerful thing. And it's not take away the joy from others, because that's not right, but to reassure those of us without £20k lying around that the differences are negligible and very personal. You hear what you want to hear - I couldn't hear any difference really with very decent speakers. I'm happy for Mick, but I'd also say to others that it also doesn't matter. Just enjoy playing.
Every time I hear Mick talk about Strats, it makes me want to go out and buy one. Would do anything for that 1970 Strat. Very jealous, great show today!
The 70 sounds best overall to me?, to be honest the difference is quite subtle between them , I’m mean they are all very straty with different mid characters to my ears , there all good! I think the feel of the guitar sways one towards certain instruments, ironically that custom shop had probably had more thought gone into it than the others as they are just standard production models from different times .
Granted I’m only listening through AirPods and not some super hi-fi system, but the differences are too subtle. Especially when I’m not looking at the screen. A person who has an extra 5% skill would be able to push any of the four to the top spot against a less skilled player.
I'm not all the way through yet but wow this is great, congratulations! Mick, I'm curious to know how you overcome the potential option paralysis that could come with having a few guitars in the same ballpark like this? It's a nice problem to have but personally whenever I find myself in a position with gear where there is too much to choose from relative to the time I have to use it, I get kind of stressed and don't really enjoy it. I tend to go through cycles of experimenting with new things, maybe hanging onto some of it but ultimately feeling happiest and most musically productive when I strip it back down to the stuff I really love. How is it with you? I get that it could be different when you've been totally in love with strats for several decades and the details and nuances are really meaningful.
Spoken wisely my friend...I have accumulated so much gear that if I don't keep most options out of sight I find myself w option paralysis and it takes the wind right out of my sails...freezes you...sit there like an idiot w blank mind going in way too many directions..I have a pedal cabinet now...I pull 8-10 to a pop and play in the rabbit hole..lol..then whatever else I pull out afterwards is an even swap...pull 3 out...put 3 back.. 😂
Watching this in my new 'Play Loud' t-shirt, which arrived yesterday! Love it! Man, what a show! Hearing these guitars side by side is eye-opening. Straight up clean, the differences were apparent for sure. But what surprised me the most was once you started playing them through the overdrives. Wow. I thought it was the high end that was changing the most, but the mids too, especially with the tube screamer. Gonna take a few viewings to process this.
Great episode and one many of us can relate to. After being predominately a Tele player for the last 10 years I suddenly strayed and stumbled on a Strat journey. Had some ups n downs on the way. Started off with a player series Strat, which I really liked and regret selling. Then moved to an Xotic which I sold based on the fact I thought a CS Michael Landau I’d ordered was going to be delivered imminently. Turned out Fender still haven’t got their act together after lockdown and extended my order from 3 to 9 then 18 months. Absolutely gutted me, but I’d lost confidence in ordering new from Fender🙁Got a full refund ( thank you Andertons!) and started searching for an alternative. Just as I thought it was a lost cause, I found a Coda music appointed CS Fiesta red 63 relic, roasted 10/56 neck with tone bone John Cruz pick ups. It’s a dream to play and more importantly it inspires me to write, learn and develop my approach every single time I play it. 61s a beaut, but the CS with gain ticked all my boxes, and I do love 70s headstocks and Daphne blue guitars. Question is, what do we do with all of our sentimental guitars gathering dust on the rack ( I’ve a few). I’m thinking they’d be better off being someone else’s dream guitar and actually getting played…🙄Thoughts on that?
I like 'em in that order: 1st Blue / 2nd Green / 3rd Sunburst / 4th Bronze, but hey, that's my taste, and after all it's just a matter of personal taste ! Enjoy playing that's what matters ! And Mick, you are a lucky boy !!!!! Peace & Love to you guys !!!!
I'm enjoying the immersion in the information and sound nuance nerdery. I first 'met' these guys through the NG episode and thank them for that. But today on Christmas day I got to know them as my 'guitar mates' 👍
I loved this episode. My "pedalboarding is not a crime" t-shirt arrived. it is a good day. I just replaced the Seymour Duncan stacked humbucker pickups in my 1983 Fender '62 Reissue Strat with a Bare Knuckle "True Grit" set and it's nice to have a classic Strat sound back again. Sometimes pickups make all the difference and sometimes they don't.
1 thing for sure, there's no bad strat in that lot, sir. They seem like they each cover a lot of ground, but each can be really great at different times/needs. Maybe just hold on to blue. You never know when blue might be the thing you need most.
![Three New Strats For Mick?! [1961, 1970, Fender Custom Shop & AVRI Compared]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
