fun times here aren't
1:07
we here at
1:09
dance yes so today we're at Casa
1:13
danocaster Casa yeah Casa danter and so
1:17
we're hanging out and uh you know of
1:19
course we've got uh you know the the Dan
1:22
right here and we've got the JD Simo
1:25
here and JD has a new danocaster that he
1:28
got yeah tell us about it well I've had
1:32
my main guitar for over two years now
1:36
which been that long yeah which was D
1:40
personal guitar which you graciously
1:42
allowed me to purchase from you um I've
1:45
never been a big uh uh spare kind of guy
1:50
just never been but I rely on that
1:53
instrument solely so much that it's been
1:56
in the back of my mind it's like man I
1:58
should you know cuz as you know Dan you
2:00
know it's you know you're you're always
2:04
kind of in con how many guitars do you
2:05
make a week I I'm slow I've slowed down
2:08
about two or three okay so it's like
2:11
when and it's rare that like one is
2:13
either not accounted for you just happen
2:16
to come over right and be like look I
2:18
got this you know exactly and which he's
2:20
gracious enough to do uh a week ago um
2:24
and so he had a couple of instruments
2:25
that were coming through and this uh
2:29
yeah I played and I was like that's
2:30
amazing and I I do got to say the fact
2:33
that you uh and I don't I won't you can
2:36
interject like I don't want to put words
2:38
in your map but it's like the fact that
2:39
you have the we were talking about this
2:41
earlier the freedom to like mix and
2:45
match when you're when you decide a
2:46
guitar is finished yeah it's because
2:49
you've like oh these belong together
2:51
yeah this whatever whatever that that
2:55
that part of it is such a huge right I
2:57
would say yeah I think they're
2:59
definitely more consist consistent now
3:00
that I'm not doing custom orders where
3:03
people could just be like I want this
3:05
body this neck this you put it all
3:07
together like that had pickups in it
3:09
that you loved yeah but what we're here
3:11
doing here today is TW I want to tne a
3:13
different set of pickups you know right
3:15
and you like it even better and I like
3:16
it even better yeah no it had um so
3:20
first of all like I I used this a couple
3:22
nights ago um it does have a pick guard
3:25
normally it does yeah the reason the
3:27
pick guard is off is because we're
3:28
setting pickup height which can talk
3:30
about uh as well but uh yeah it it it uh
3:34
it's this beautiful you're calling this
3:36
midnight metallic yeah and it's kind of
3:39
like a darkened aged Lake plastic it's
3:42
like a lake plasted blue with a ton of
3:45
black in it and a little bit of an Amber
3:47
coat to bring in a green Hue tiny bit
3:50
but it's it's like a really under lights
3:52
it probably looks like is that black or
3:54
is that blue I don't know it a lot of
3:56
people it's metallic you know yeah and a
3:57
lot of people were asking the other
3:58
night um
4:00
but yeah so it had it had a different
4:02
set of pickups and it and you have a
4:04
longstanding relationship with several
4:06
different makers but but buds in
4:08
particular and so Zach so so tell tell
4:13
the people what these are what we just
4:15
put in here that's a 58 set that's sort
4:17
of been tweaked it's a favorite of Zach
4:20
Childs who you're allar with which is
4:23
what's in this red guitar right which is
4:25
in the the doco the doco special which
4:28
my most popular one of my most popular
4:30
sets is the buds 2.0 Dano set and it's a
4:35
little more Stout it actually came about
4:39
sort of pursuing
4:41
the Peter Florence type of sound you
4:44
know and it we didn't get there but it
4:46
turned into something else and it's more
4:48
of a stout Fuller than your typical late
4:53
50s telecast would really be so um
4:57
that's where this came in Zach I
5:00
made I think it was for the guitar I'm
5:02
not sure maybe it was just for this
5:04
guitar but it was like what if we did
5:06
one more like a real 58 so we measured
5:10
his we measured mine which is also
5:12
original 58 and talked to buds about
5:14
what we can do and so it's a little bit
5:16
lower output some people would be like
5:18
it's too thin it's too twangy but it's
5:20
actually right I mean it's it's more
5:22
like a real one than the other ones it
5:23
doesn't mean everybody's going to like
5:25
it more but uh it's a little bit more
5:28
twang the neck is a little a little bit
5:30
rounder and
5:31
warmer um which I like we were just
5:34
commenting on I like it too cuz
5:36
it's it just what was in here were great
5:41
but
5:42
like when something is really we're
5:44
talking like strong fundamental meaning
5:47
that the note is bold yeah and present
5:51
and Punchy but like the air that upper
5:56
harmonics live in the fairy dust up
5:58
really high exactly like especially when
6:00
you're used to Old guitars and like my
6:02
Dano that I got from you that was yours
6:05
has old pickups in it right so it
6:07
especially kind of has this especially
6:08
in the bridge pickup like has it's it's
6:11
beautiful there's so much well actually
6:13
if you remember when I sold that to you
6:15
I'm like you know people have asked me
6:16
to sell it but I don't think a lot of
6:18
people would get it yeah no you did I
6:20
did because a lot of people like people
6:22
would have swapped out that pick up like
6:23
the neck is louder than the bridge I
6:25
need the Lou and it's like you got to
6:26
learn work it you and people to this day
6:29
like when I hand it to people it's uh
6:32
it's yeah like I'm I'm used to it and I
6:36
like know that guitar right very well
6:39
now that it's like I yeah it doesn't
6:41
phase me at all but yeah it's like
6:44
because it has the guitar that we're
6:46
speaking of has an old is it is it a a
6:49
paf or an early patent number early
6:51
patent number early patent number and
6:53
it's gold so it came out of a 45 or a 55
6:56
and then it's a 56 a rewound 56
7:00
and it's yeah I mean it's it's just
7:02
beautiful though but what I was telling
7:03
you when I got here is having played
7:06
that guitar for two years it's beautiful
7:09
having just a standard Telecaster like
7:12
that has that you know Cropper you know
7:16
like
7:19
[Music]
7:29
I mean that's great it's it just it's
7:31
been fun for me the last the standard
7:33
neet pickup yeah standard neet pickup
7:35
and this because it's darker and the
7:37
middle position makes
7:40
you oh man
7:44
[Music]
8:12
oh so good there's something to be said
8:13
that there's a mistake a lot of people
8:16
make um it's not a mistake they're
8:18
purposely doing it a lot of people don't
8:20
no it's a mistake well it is kind of I
8:22
mean the the neck pickup on a Telecaster
8:26
a lot of people like it to be kind of
8:27
Strat and extra clear which is why
8:29
you've SE
8:30
but that's why you've seen so many
8:31
telecasters with other pickups put in it
8:33
because people like I don't really like
8:34
the neck pickup but you get good it it
8:38
really affects the middle sound
8:39
tremendously and if you get a bridge
8:41
that's a little bit bright and a neck
8:43
that's a little bit fat and warm but
8:44
still clear it makes that classic tone
8:48
and you can as soon as you start putting
8:50
a strish you know neck brighter a
8:54
brighter neck pickup it really changes
8:56
the middle doesn't have the fatness yeah
9:00
this is great so I mean I don't know we
9:02
were how you doing Zach are you enjoy
9:04
are you I mean he's got a strong arm you
9:07
notice how
9:08
steady I'm I'm enjoying you know getting
9:10
getting to hang you know just turn it
9:13
back on
9:14
you I'm enjoying getting getting to
9:16
spend time with with my friends and yeah
9:19
and uh yeah and and what what was going
9:21
on was that of course you know he's
9:23
changing the pickups but everyone has
9:26
kind of their own thing as far as
9:28
setting pickups height and so to me it's
9:31
always really interesting because
9:32
everyone kind of has their their little
9:34
pet thing like I I have you know my kind
9:37
of thing where I I kind of have a
9:40
tendency to
9:41
just you know press down at the last
9:44
fret and I try to get this neck pick up
9:47
as high as it will go now I didn't set
9:48
the height on this actually you know Dan
9:51
did so this one I haven't done it too
9:53
but on a lot of my guitars I will
9:56
basically you know fret the high E
9:58
string on the last fret and I'll
10:00
basically get it where it just clears
10:02
now this is this is a little bit lower
10:04
than I would set it but the thing is the
10:06
guitar sound so good as is and I
10:08
typically set the neck pickup so the
10:13
treble side is higher like they're
10:15
slanted and people are like should I
10:17
yeah I like that I and it makes the base
10:20
not as flabby I usually um on tell every
10:24
guitar is every guitar is different but
10:27
uh Gibson's very different
10:30
setup but I on telecasters I'll set I
10:34
tend to set the bridge pickup height
10:36
first to get it where it's not number
10:40
one where it's not choking but also
10:42
like I can't specify the best I can say
10:46
is where it doesn't sound modern yeah
10:48
like where it sounds old you know and CU
10:51
there is a sweet spot and then I'll
10:53
actually set this by the middle position
10:56
actually like I'll keep bring so I don't
10:59
know this is sounding when you go to the
11:01
bridge do you like it to get a little
11:03
bit louder I don't care you don't care I
11:05
don't care I I do I like it to get if
11:07
you're in the neck or middle and you go
11:08
to the bridge I like a little bit of
11:10
lift and again we we're also like we
11:13
were saying about the guitar I use all
11:14
the time there is a mismatch there so
11:17
it's like I'm really used to it and and
11:20
also the tone control on that is only
11:22
wired here on the bridge yeah so that's
11:25
another thing I liked about this this
11:27
past week is having the tone on
11:29
everything because I don't know the
11:31
older I get it's like I will more often
11:34
make the amp brighter but my tone
11:37
controls always down a bit so shout out
11:40
to Headstrong this is a great little
11:41
amplifier yeah way both of these guys
11:43
have one it makes me want one Wayne is
11:46
is um I actually I only have one vintage
11:50
amp left um I I've I've gotten rid of
11:54
everything because all I ever use is
11:56
this specific one and I have one other
11:58
one that I use a good amount and then
12:00
there's a third one that I that I use
12:02
even less but it's like you know I fly
12:05
with this I mean it's kind of the only
12:06
thing I care it's a basically a straight
12:08
up Princeton Reaver with a 12 yeah yeah
12:11
it sounds great it's I mean I wouldn't
12:13
be able to tell the difference you know
12:15
and I feel like I'm pretty picky yeah
12:18
you know but we can I'll put a little
12:20
bit I I think it's important when
12:23
you're when you're setting not to have
12:25
too much Reverb on cuz it gives you a
12:27
false sense of harmonics I feel
12:30
so like just a little bit is cool
12:32
[Music]
12:38
but I mean that sounds pretty sounds
12:41
pretty good I'm gonna just because I
12:43
want to hear where what's going to
12:44
happen I'm going to jack it up a little
12:46
bit just so I can hear what it sounds
12:48
like up
12:51
but cuz I he touching the string should
12:54
we hear Buzz huh touch oh no it's fine
12:58
it's just yeah yeah it's just it's that
13:01
[Music]
13:08
that you lower it over I brought it up a
13:11
little bit sides both
13:16
sides I'm going to lower the base side
13:19
because it's too much that's pretty loud
13:21
in here I wonder how that hits the
13:24
camera how's it how's it sound like out
13:26
there how's it sound everybody should we
13:28
turn up
13:29
we'll find
13:31
out that sounds pretty
13:32
[Music]
13:35
good it's just hanging in
13:39
[Music]
13:48
there
13:50
yeah and then you turn it down and
13:58
[Music]
14:03
ooh
14:04
[Music]
14:09
so I think again the trouble side's good
14:12
but I'm G to I'm going to actually that
14:15
I'm going to angle just a little bit so
14:18
so you're adjusting just by the sound
14:20
that you want to hear correct yeah which
14:22
I feel like every that's the way to do
14:24
it people are afraid to do that but you
14:26
should really it's so people have often
14:29
call me and be like I think I wish the
14:30
pickup had more this or more that I'm
14:32
like plug in your favorite amp just pick
14:34
up a screwdriver and while you play
14:36
don't don't forget about the way it
14:37
looks just the angle of it raising the
14:40
treble side raing the base side the
14:41
whole thing up the whole thing down it
14:42
makes a tremendous difference you know
14:45
pretty
14:46
huge there it is so I put a little bit
14:49
of angle on this to take some of the tub
14:53
out and now
14:55
it's now it's quacky
14:59
you pulled the base down I no I put uh
15:02
the oh the angle the the angle on the
15:04
front just to take a little bit of tub
15:06
out of the like G and D
15:14
string that's beautiful the angle of the
15:16
dangle
15:17
the so now let's
15:23
[Music]
15:24
see I mean that's pretty damn but let's
15:28
see if we cuz I've got it pretty
15:31
moderate it's not up that high so I bet
15:36
you if we give it a little bit of if we
15:39
raise it a little bit it's going to get
15:41
even kind of
15:44
[Music]
15:46
quacker actually I don't I changed my
15:49
mind I like it where it was um yeah this
15:52
is the thing like people I don't think a
15:54
day goes by especially when I'm Touring
15:57
that people don't ask me about pick a
15:59
height in particular I probably get
16:00
asked most about that your settings
16:02
would affect their guitar though you
16:04
know well and I also think that because
16:06
people know that I'm a tweaker and stuff
16:08
like that and so but it is it's like
16:10
there is no Baseline you have to listen
16:13
on Gibson's it is different because the
16:15
thing I'll say I know this I know you're
16:17
the Telecaster guy so but like there's a
16:22
when you chime usually in like C or B
16:25
position when you go like
16:30
God that sounds
16:33
good like there's a it there's a there's
16:36
a chirp there's like a like that happens
16:39
when when the pickup is just right where
16:42
it needs to be and it's and it won't and
16:44
and the tolerance is like within maybe
16:46
like a quarter of a turn and like it's
16:49
almost Gibsons I think are the
16:52
easiest God that sounds good
16:56
[Music]
16:59
right on buds you make it you
17:02
yeah these are actually these these
17:05
apparently were meant for Zach these
17:07
pick my last set that I I was supposed
17:10
to give them to Zach but buddy JD I
17:13
stole them oh well I got here and you
17:16
were like I have two things we can try I
17:18
have two things and you have to make a
17:20
choice yeah and we had a discussion and
17:23
I didn't want you say both let's try
17:24
them both I wouldn't have wanted to I'm
17:28
I'm bored
17:30
I'm bored like I I love tweaking and
17:32
they're not that r i mean they're
17:34
they're different but they're not
17:36
they're not so radically different you
17:38
know yeah no I totally understand I'm
17:40
literally just like doing super minutia
17:43
here
17:46
[Music]
17:50
but but yeah I'm curious what this is
17:52
going to sound like now what are you
17:55
doing exactly I'm just going up and down
17:57
tiny little increments just seeing if
17:59
there's like a special yeah quarter
18:02
[Music]
18:04
turn
18:06
see
18:09
that's that sounds but you can hear it
18:11
making a difference so I hope it's
18:13
coming I hope it's coming across because
18:15
it's like don't be afraid to mess with
18:16
your pickup folks no and go in small do
18:19
not go in big increments yeah cuz you
18:21
won't first of all you're going to go
18:23
way past you need to always have a point
18:25
of reference so it's like going I I'm a
18:28
quarter turn kind of guy CU It's like
18:32
because I've also found that like where
18:34
pickups really are catching a harmonic
18:35
or something like that only exists for
18:38
it doesn't even exist for half a turn
18:40
really when you find it yeah there you
18:44
go let's hear how
18:46
this Bell
18:50
like strangely pretty balanced
19:00
little Out Of Tune you can handle that
19:02
right asack
19:04
[Music]
19:18
people yeah that's hanging on there so
19:21
there you go I mean like I don't know
19:22
that's how I do it yeah that's great so
19:24
I don't know you
19:26
know it's interesting how much
19:28
difference it really does make you know
19:30
I mean there it's a tweaker Paradise you
19:32
know so the but it really it we changed
19:35
it you know yeah no and although it was
19:37
really good with the other pickups
19:40
it's it's it's more to my it's more
19:43
vintagey sounding it is yeah that's what
19:45
I mean and some
19:47
people like I was saying like it and you
19:50
say all the time it's like it
19:52
everybody's different like
19:53
I like upper like between one and 2K you
19:59
know or actually it's higher than that
20:00
it's like more like five to sevenk the
20:03
little harmonic Peak on top that um
20:07
some people can't even hear some people
20:09
can't even hear it like they wouldn't
20:10
know what I'm talking about and some
20:12
people like the strong fundamental like
20:14
if you're in contact like I was saying
20:17
like in the Stu because I used it this
20:19
on a record last week that I'm producing
20:21
for a guy and I also used it live with
20:24
my buddies and it's like in the studio I
20:27
couldn't because it was cuz it was dense
20:31
I couldn't like the fundamental actually
20:33
was like it it was great like you know
20:36
but when I got live when I got out
20:38
playing live with it I was like oh yeah
20:40
there's all there's that stuff up top
20:42
that isn't there you know so anyway but
20:47
yeah telecasters so I've got two danters
20:51
t- style guitars for the litigious
20:54
people right thank you appreciate that
20:56
it's my pleasure uh so so Zach am I am I
21:02
single cut we don't we single cut single
21:03
cut we don't even like T style single
21:05
cut so am I getting back in your in your
21:07
tea style single cut good graces after
21:11
all these years after all these years
21:13
you're finally fully embraced I I'm more
21:17
embraced than I was in the Don Kelly
21:19
days because in those days it was like I
21:21
had to you know like I liked it and I
21:23
loved it and I was into it but like now
21:25
it's genuinely like no this is just what
21:27
I prefer
21:29
you know so there you have it
21:32
so that's good well guys appreciate
21:36
y'all uh giving us some insight into uh
21:39
into setting pickup height sure so I
21:43
guess the uh the the the lesson the
21:45
lesson of today is that you need to get
21:48
your screwdriver out and you just need
21:50
to sit with the amplifier and you need
21:51
to raise it and lower until you until
21:53
you you hear what you like yeah you're
21:55
not going to break it and you can
21:57
radically make it
21:59
more to your liking very easily and not
22:02
for nothing but
22:04
like you know if you can get your hands
22:07
on one of Dan's you know it's it's I
22:10
mean it's they'll be set right it's yeah
22:12
they will and and you won't ever change
22:14
it if I do it it's right right no but
22:17
for everybody it really is an
22:18
embarrassment of riches you know it's
22:21
like shoot man you
22:24
know like I came over last week and um
22:27
I'm doing this purely to make you
22:29
uncomfortable by the way and I can tell
22:30
that it's working yeah okay move on move
22:32
on but no but like I mean it's like like
22:35
I said the fact that you that you don't
22:37
like sign and be like that guitar is
22:40
done until you're like oh no that is a
22:43
marriage you know like it makes for a
22:46
consistency that is you're not going to
22:48
find in dare I say
22:50
most of your situations out there and we
22:54
were like having a conversation earlier
22:55
that it's like you know we live in a
22:58
very Parts ofter is kind of culture and
23:02
that's where you know like I know like
23:06
when I'm left what I said upstairs
23:08
earlier when we're having coffee like
23:09
when I'm left to my devices whether I'm
23:12
producing or playing on something for
23:14
somebody like if somebody lets me have a
23:16
minute like literally a minute like let
23:18
me have five minutes with this and find
23:20
something that I think is really making
23:22
the whole thing better yeah if you're
23:25
happy with it it's gonna be they're
23:26
gonna more often than not it's like it
23:30
may not be to their to everyone or that
23:32
person's complete liking but it's like
23:34
I'm more apt to be efficient quick and
23:38
also it's the best that I can offer if
23:42
they let me find your vision of what
23:43
that should be and you with the same
23:45
thing that it's like yes we all it's so
23:48
easy to play armchair quarterback but
23:51
it's it's it's like you know you being
23:55
left to make these things the best that
23:58
they can where it's like when you
23:59
finally get to the point where you're
24:00
like all right I'm happy with this that
24:02
is great that's going to a dealer or
24:03
going to a customer it's like there's a
24:05
lot to be said for that exactly so you
24:07
know so there you have it all right so
24:11
that's and that that that all right
24:13
we'll let it go with that right and
24:15
Zach's going to sign us off now yeah
24:16
exactly all right guys well thank you
24:19
for joining us on today's episode of ask
24:21
Zack I had to do very little talking
24:23
which is a great thing for me so uh it's
24:25
a recharge episode for Zach exactly I
24:27
get to rear charge today so uh thank you
24:30
so much we'll see you next time bye-bye