I love that Brad is a gear guy and likes building guitars. That just makes him all that much cooler. He's already one of the great guitar players of our time. This is just all-out cool! You're lucky to have such a great friend, Zac 🙏
Pretty neat how Joe in a way continued Leo Fender’s tradition of building guitars for guys whose music that he admired and enjoyed listening to. Thanks for all the great content and encouragement Zac. Really enjoy all your videos.
Loved the intro solo sir. Very fitting for this guitar! These parts couldn’t have went to a more deserving person, especially given the fact you wanted one and called Joe in the heyday of these guitars. I’m glad Brad played such a part in the creation of this guitar also, and he did a fantastic job. Again, very well deserved and very cool Zac! 😎 🎸
I loved this video. Thank you for sharing. Congratulations on your new-old guitar day so to speak. Amazing to watch and hear about the heart, sweat, time and all the hands involved in building this instrument and you finally getting to play it at the AMA. Really cool to watch all the clips at the end from Joe, Max and Aaron. A true labour of love, built by friends and it looks and sounds awesome
Thanks Zach! I have been anxiously awaiting this video. SO interesting! Great job as usual! I hope to see you and your Glaser in person in concert someday. Please keep up the excellent videos
Hey Zac, I appreciate your channel so much. I can never hear “Ricky Skaggs” again without picturing young Zac parroting, “Hi, I’m Ricky Skaggs!” lol I can see my Dad doing what yours did! 😂
After you released that one Glaser guitar video, I was briefly obsessed with building a partcaster inspired by them in green or blue. Interesting to see what that would have looked like were I not so lazy. Congrats on the acquisition and dream come true!
Thanks for the video Zac. 👌 Love videos like this. Well put together. Glad Brad made your dream come true. Hell of a person and player. Have fun with that Tele man! You deserve it. This won’t be the last time I watch this episode. Thanks again. 🎸
Wow, what a great sounding, versatile guitar! When you switched it to the #4 position and engaged all three pickups it literally sounded like you were playing through some Filtertrons on a Gretsch!! It was so awesome getting to hear from all the people involved in the build!! I had no idea that Brad Paisely got down like that with finish work, etc! Is there anything that guy can't do??? I really enjoyed watching this!! What a great guitar and story to match! Thanks so much for sharing it, Zac!!!
That really is a very nice Tele. The beautiful figured neck, the color (reminds me of a mid 50's two tone Chevy Belair), the whole fit and finish. You guys did a great job. It must be cool to know you own the last of something too. Very nice.
@@SmarmyJazzCritic Most of the Fender custom colors of the 50's and early 60's were originally car finishes. There's a chart in the Fender Vintage guitar info (or just Vintage guitar info), web site (independent from Fender USA) that shows which color went to what make car. Like Fiesta Red is from '56/'57 Ford T-Bird, etc. It's kind of interesting.
On going health issues forced me to sell the "built to my taste" B.Mason Tele last week. 💔... Bye Bye B-Bender... I will probably list both 130's this weekend as well. Very, very cool axe Zac! I'm sure you're proud!
Awesome episode Zac! Thanks for sharing this. That is an amazing guitar!!! For me a desert island guitar is a Tele…. but if I had a Glazer Tele just like yours with all the options that would be a lifer/only guitar! So versatile! Cheers!😀🎸
That is kind of how I got a one piece mahogany Strat body from Peer Dellen, a now retired guitar builder from The Hague. Never finished it, got some great ideas now! Thank you Zac!
I really enjoyed this one. The "a little off the beaten path" subjects can be a lot of fun. My final two guitars for the collection would be a Glaser Bender and a vintage Hamer. Two guitars of my youth I use to drool over.
I remember reading that article to my dad, he had a HD-35 & I had a Takamine EF-360s (still have them both) & he was appalled, I of course thought it was hilarious. Skaggs is the reason I play guitar.
Every time I watch one of these videos I wind up pulling out my '53 Tele and playing it for a while. I was in Nashville in the early to mid 80's touring with Ed Bruce. I had Joe do some fret work on the '53, he had a small shop in Leaper's (Leeper's?) Fork, an old house converted into a work shop. At some point I had an idea to have a Strat pickup installed in the old tele (I know what folks would say now but it was different back then, I bought the '53 from Johnny Meeks for $400.00 10 years earlier, and it was pretty beat up by then, way more beat up now, not a collectors item) so I took it to Joe and asked if he could do it. I had him make a pickguard so we wouldn't cut up the original. I also used all Seymoure Duncan Hot Stacks for this mod (sometimes the lights on a concert stage or TV studio would just make a Fender buzz way too much). A lot of guitarists were checking it out, either on the road (sound checks) or at The Opry (Leon Rhodes once chased me down back stage at the Opry to ask about the tone I was getting). I don't think I'm the first guy to have a Strat pickup installed in a Tele, but I hadn't seen one before mine, and I did start seeing them more and more after that (and a lot of them were using the Hot Stack, but I think that was Joe's recommendation to me). After I left Nashville I put it all back to original. On my first visit to Joe's shop he was building a Tele for Jerry Reed, it looked like an old Black Guard Tele but Joe made a neck that had the feel of a classical guitar (what Jerry usually played) and I believe it was a bird's eye or flame maple neck, something very figured. Joe's a good cat, I got along with him right off, I think every one would say the same thing. You always remember the good cats. Great video Zac, as always.
That's pretty funny Aaron ended up doing the heavy lifting after Brad painted it. And Joe gave approval to use the decal. Very cool bro. Seriously cool. But you really deserve the "Last Glaser Bender Guitar" you really have been Joe's advertising guru. Between you and Buk, you guys have built that brand beyond any advertising budget possible. I know a couple guys who have old original Glaser Benders in WA state. But whether they let em go or not... well, I'm on the list. I still don't have a "Glaser Made" in my collection, but I do have a very early Glaser Bender. I brought that body and the parts by Joe's shop in 2020, right about when I started installing his benders as an official installer. (Before I broke my back) Serial numbers were around 104-109. The first real original Glaser I had, I traded for a tweed case and some other stuff at the guitar show at the old Nashville convention center in 1996 or 97... I sold the body to Don Kelley sans Bender, but I got it from Pete Mitchell (Ernest Tubb's Troubadours) Crazy how that was so foreign to everyone back then. Only a handful of players even knew what Benders were back then. I find it interesting also that what I call my boost coils, which were wound to 6.6k, then tapped and wound to 8.2 k seem to have wound up in your guitar as well. I guess great ideas are not exclusive. But I would love to know when Seymour decided to do that? Considering I'd already done the 5/3 set 8 years ago. And my boost coils have been extensively used with openings acts for Brad for almost a decade. But again, you can't patent an idea in use. I learned that from Floyd Rose.
Beautiful and versatile instrument, Zac! I've built a few teles, and one of mine - like yours - has a highly-figured birdseye maple neck. Surprisingly, it's one of the most stable necks in my collection. I say "surprisingly" because I had been led to believe that figured maple was less stable. Maybe the thickness (0.93 at the nut) and v shape of my neck helps with stability.
@@AskZac Coincidentally, I also have a quartersawn, flame maple neck on another tele, which does move more than my birds eye neck. The flame neck needs a minor, semi-annual adjustment, while the birds eye neck just doesn't budge!
"Ohh.....this old thing? That's just a Glaser Tele that my buddy Brad Paisley and friends built for me, and it's the last one: Ever. Nothing special. Killer guitar Zac! Love it! It looks and sounds phenomenal! Edit: Forgot to add you're a freakin' phenomenal guitar player! Brilliant!
Killer episode! That’s a really cool guitar. In about 1989 or ‘90 I saw an ad in Guitar Player from a guy in Minnesota named Tom Bremer, who was selling B-bender guitars in a few different price ranges-he offered G&L ASATs with Glaser benders, or you could get a custom partscaster with either a Glaser bender or a Parsons-White. So I bit the bullet and went for it. I wanted the Parsons-White bender, because at the time I’d never seen a Glaser bender, and I didn’t want to change the balance point of the guitar, which I figured might happen with the Glaser having the strap button lever on the neck plate. I’m used to the way a stock Telecaster hangs on the strap, and I didn’t want to change that. I knew that a bigger chunk of wood would have to be removed from the body for the Parsons-White, but I figured that was the trade-off for having the upper strap button in the right location. So I went over specs with Tom, and he quoted me a very reasonable price for this thing. What I got was a swamp-ash Tele body with a quilted-maple top, single-bound, finished in what Tom called “two-tone orange burst”, which looks like a slightly-faded cherryburst. The neck was made by Alan Manship, who, I was told, had formerly worked for G&L. It’s flame maple with an ebony fingerboard, abalone dot inlays, medium-jumbo frets, and Schaller tuners, with the low E one replaced with a Hipshot D-Tuner Extender Key, which drops the low E to a D. Tom initially put some old Fender pickups in it, but I didn’t like them-the bridge pickup was from a Broadcaster (!), and as I recall, the other two were from the 1960s, but they were all well past being usable; the bridge pickup would squeal like a pig when presented with any kind of gain even at very moderate levels. I sent them back to Tom, and he told me that he’d sold that same set of pickups several times, and they’d come back each time! He sent me a set of AlNiCo EMGs, with their Strat Presence control, which was basically a midrange boost, so I had the volume control, the SPC, and the tone control all crowded together on a Tele conrtol plate. I played it with the EMGs for a while, but they never sounded like a Tele; they had too much midrange, even with the SPC turned all the way down. I can’t fault them for sounding like, well, EMGs, but the guitar didn’t sound like a Tele any more. I managed to get a set of Van Zants, which sounded great, and they’re still in the guitar. I figured a guitar like that needed a special case, so I got one from a place in Southern California, whose name escapes me right now, but I don’t think they’re in business any more. It’s a normal Fender-style hardshell, but covered in metallic gold saddle-tooled vinyl, with brown leather ends and handle, and an eye-watering hot-pink lining. It didn’t cost much more than a black or tweed case would, and if the sun was out you could see me coming a block away! With the guitar in it, it’s pretty heavy, and the handle has gotten to where it cuts into my hand, so I think I’ll have to retire it and get a heavy-duty gig bag instead. Kiesel offers what they call a soft case, but it’s really thickly padded, and is almost semi-rigid. I have one for my Kiesel Aries guitar, and it works fine. I wouldn’t want to fly with it unless they’d let me carry it on board and put it in the coat closet, but for everyday use it’s fine, and much more protective than a gig bag. I’m not gigging these days anyway, so it’s a moot point.
I love love it all but the Nashville middle pickup, thats why I have Strats but dont love em. Middle pickup is right where i pick. Yes i could probably switch area but since 72 when I started😂 I've got a Nash tele Im thinking about getting a B bender on. Thanks for the video!
Zac you cover some topics about guitars and amp details that most people over look. I never hear anybody discuss tele knobs? Rick Kelly and a few other builders/ restorers use high dome knurled knobs, I love them! You may have some on your collection. You will have a hard time finding a provider, I know, I’ve tried. I think the knobs are just as important than any other part. Those knobs come in handy when using a lot of volume swells or rhythm to lead increases. This is just what I think is a subject over looked. Maybe or not there is enough info to make an episode about them? Love the channel! Thanxz
That color reminds me of one of the hot springs you have to hike to back home in Montana. I don’t know if it’s some type of hot water algae or a mineral but some of the rocks turn a very similar color blue. As out of place as it looks in the middle of a Montana meadow it looks amazing on that guitar!
Who knew Brad was not only a wonderful guitarist but also such a craftsman...beautiful guitar and color. Interesting, I would assume the color would be before the binding. Learn something new daily ! p.s...Is Joe's still installing Benders on other, already owned Telecasters ?
Great story ,Like you said , i agree with you ,you dont need another Tele , even tho its badly damaged you call Relic , i would be happy to give it a loving home here in the Netherlands just as a favour to you
I have almost the exact same story. About 1991 I called up Joe because I had seen Jimmy Olander and I just love that Guitar. But he told me he wasn't making Guitars anymore. So I had a guy in Oklahoma build me a telecaster and I had Joe put in the two benders just like Jimmy Olander. It must've took over a year to get my guitar back lol. This was probably 1992. But I've always loved that guitar. Then… In about 2006, I actually found a Joe Glaser telecaster for sale. I bought it. I took it over to Joe, very excited lol. Then he proceeded to tell me that it was stolen from a guy years back. The guy was still alive. So I ended up doing the right thing and selling the guitar to the original loaner. So I guess I can say at least I came close to owning one )))
@@AskZac yeah, Joe felt really bad. But obviously he said I didn't have to do it. But the guy was super excited because he hadn't had that tele for like 20 years. I took a bunch of pictures of it though. It was a really cool red/gold burst color. And he also said he thought those pick ups that were in it were from really old telecasters. Congratulations on that one. Very nice!
Great guitar story Zac your skill as a historian has greatly improved.❤️ Off topic but are you still using your brown box for power conditioning your amps?
Hey Zac, are we gonna get the wiring schematic on the new tele? I like the stacked tone/volume better than the Mason 3 pot control plate. Again. Thanks for the videos.
The letter transfers were called Letraset, I worked at a printers as a graphic designer and I used these transfer sheets. I love the Glaser Telecaster, how did they fit the bender? does the back have a cap?
Having journeyed from The UK, to Joe Glaser's in Nashville, with a Tele body wanting a B bender; The whole prestige/legend status that I consider anything from Joe to be, it was like a pilgrimage to me, taking a Tele body to have a B bender fitted at Joe's. Before that I scoured the internet looking for one of Joe's original guitars, but there are none to be found... I can't imagine how it must feel actually having a genuine Glaser Tele, and customised by 'THE' Brad Paisley. It gets no better than that! Enjoy that guitar & treasure it, which I know you will:)
Zac, I was watching BP’s Truck still works and the geetar you’re playing looks like the same color as this beautiful guitar! Could it have been this one? Would you take it on the road?
The guitar is great, but the friendships behind this are priceless!
I love that Brad is a gear guy and likes building guitars. That just makes him all that much cooler. He's already one of the great guitar players of our time. This is just all-out cool! You're lucky to have such a great friend, Zac 🙏
Brad is also lucky to have such a great friend.
@@stonephilips9361 Yep. Guitar players are people too.
Pretty neat how Joe in a way continued Leo Fender’s tradition of building guitars for guys whose music that he admired and enjoyed listening to. Thanks for all the great content and encouragement Zac. Really enjoy all your videos.
Dude, that really summed up Leo Fender 😎👍
That is quite a labor of love and what a long and twisted history to the finished product nice job
Love this guitar's story! Thank you very much!
And great episode! Last of a lifetime. Congratulations
Loved the intro solo sir. Very fitting for this guitar!
These parts couldn’t have went to a more deserving person, especially given the fact you wanted one and called Joe in the heyday of these guitars.
I’m glad Brad played such a part in the creation of this guitar also, and he did a fantastic job. Again, very well deserved and very cool Zac! 😎 🎸
Really Happy you got this Zac! You deserve it brother.great episode
I loved this video. Thank you for sharing. Congratulations on your new-old guitar day so to speak. Amazing to watch and hear about the heart, sweat, time and all the hands involved in building this instrument and you finally getting to play it at the AMA. Really cool to watch all the clips at the end from Joe, Max and Aaron. A true labour of love, built by friends and it looks and sounds awesome
Thanks so much!
I’ve said it before, but you are truly living my dream. Congratulations, Zac!
The color of that Telecaster really pops! Love ❤️ everything about that Tele.
So glad you finally got a glaser. And having Brad be a part of it is even cooler. ❤❤❤
Thanks Zach! I have been anxiously awaiting this video. SO interesting! Great job as usual! I hope to see you and your Glaser in person in concert someday. Please keep up the excellent videos
WOW - You play great and that guitar setup obviates the need to bring multiple guitars to gigs/sessions - Well done Zac - Well done Joe G!
Amazing guitar and great story! No wonder you play country. You’ve got no reason to play the blues. You’re a lucky boy. Thanks as always, Zac.
Hey Zac, I appreciate your channel so much. I can never hear “Ricky Skaggs” again without picturing young Zac parroting, “Hi, I’m Ricky Skaggs!” lol I can see my Dad doing what yours did! 😂
After you released that one Glaser guitar video, I was briefly obsessed with building a partcaster inspired by them in green or blue. Interesting to see what that would have looked like were I not so lazy. Congrats on the acquisition and dream come true!
This episode is amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the video Zac. 👌 Love videos like this. Well put together. Glad Brad made your dream come true. Hell of a person and player. Have fun with that Tele man! You deserve it. This won’t be the last time I watch this episode. Thanks again. 🎸
“The Last Glaser Bender” sounds like a great album title or a rough weekend from my youth, lol wonderful video Zac!
Wow, what a great sounding, versatile guitar! When you switched it to the #4 position and engaged all three pickups it literally sounded like you were playing through some Filtertrons on a Gretsch!! It was so awesome getting to hear from all the people involved in the build!! I had no idea that Brad Paisely got down like that with finish work, etc! Is there anything that guy can't do??? I really enjoyed watching this!! What a great guitar and story to match! Thanks so much for sharing it, Zac!!!
That Tele is otherworldly. Congrats on running down a dream, sir.
Such a great story and kind of killer final result man❤👏👏👏👏👏😎👌
Tak!
Thank you!!!
What a 'feel good' and 'sound good' episode! So happy for you, Zac - a dream come true, with a little help from your friends!
That really is a very nice Tele. The beautiful figured neck, the color (reminds me of a mid 50's two tone Chevy Belair), the whole fit and finish. You guys did a great job. It must be cool to know you own the last of something too. Very nice.
I knew that color reminded me of something but I couldn't place it....Chevy Belair exactly!
@@SmarmyJazzCritic Most of the Fender custom colors of the 50's and early 60's were originally car finishes. There's a chart in the Fender Vintage guitar info (or just Vintage guitar info), web site (independent from Fender USA) that shows which color went to what make car. Like Fiesta Red is from '56/'57 Ford T-Bird, etc. It's kind of interesting.
Thanks!
THANK YOU!!!
All the friendships that built that guitar make it the most priceless treasure that no collector could ever attain.
On going health issues forced me to sell the "built to my taste" B.Mason Tele last week. 💔... Bye Bye B-Bender... I will probably list both 130's this weekend as well.
Very, very cool axe Zac! I'm sure you're proud!
Great story, testament to perseverance, good friends, and good luck. The guitar looks and sounds wonderful.
Awesome episode Zac! Thanks for sharing this. That is an amazing guitar!!! For me a desert island guitar is a Tele…. but if I had a Glazer Tele just like yours with all the options that would be a lifer/only guitar! So versatile! Cheers!😀🎸
Wonderful, wonderful video Zac! Truly was worth the wait since you said you would be doing it. That guitar is truly a gem Glad you got it!
Great tour of the guitar and the available tones. Big fun with the interviews. Thanks for a super video. Ain’t Teles great…
That is kind of how I got a one piece mahogany Strat body from Peer Dellen, a now retired guitar builder from The Hague. Never finished it, got some great ideas now! Thank you Zac!
I really enjoyed this one. The "a little off the beaten path" subjects can be a lot of fun. My final two guitars for the collection would be a Glaser Bender and a vintage Hamer. Two guitars of my youth I use to drool over.
Question: Aren't those knecks really unstable with changing humidity and temps?
I got a Don Mar tapped bridge in my bender, love it
Very nice Zac. Glad you got your dream guitar
Congratulations Zac, that’s a keeper for sure! An amazing find, and an even better story to back it up.:)
Very cool back story, and glad this instrument ended up with you!
Great episode ,really fun to get the history of the axe and hear Joe talk, plus Brad's great work and the guys at the shop...big fun!
I love this episode, and love it even more when you played the Patty Loveless lick. Happy new guitar day.
lovely stories. You got great friends. I love the color of your guitar.
Thank you! Cheers!
Zac love the story of this guitar total mind blowing that's just a one off kind of priceless, man i just love it., i have that Ricky album
Congratulations 🍾 So cool to finally have your dream guitar 🎸
dreams never die......ask Zac in 10yrs.
This is FANTASTIC! Everyone involved has just had a LARGE bump in the value of their “stock”!! Your “bubble” has STRONG Kung fu!!!
Such a blessing. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Fantastic story with great insight into Brad’s other talents. Quite a guy!👍😎
That's an awesome guitar Zac!!! Joe's employee Aaron looks like he may be from my neck of the woods with that crazy house western wear hat.
Thank you, Zac! Your playing was quite good, the history was fun and it was overall great! G
Always entertaining and informative! Love It! KeepSmiling!
What an amazing looking guitar. Love it.
That’s a beauty Zac. Beautiful neck. Nice colour! Congrats on your dream guitar!
Same colour and binding as my Mario Martin Tele! Looks great
I remember reading that article to my dad, he had a HD-35 & I had a Takamine EF-360s (still have them both) & he was appalled, I of course thought it was hilarious. Skaggs is the reason I play guitar.
Thats pretty much the ultimate tele. Bender with Brents electronics.
Brent is back on a hit song right now and he sounds inhuman.
The wood chipper, that is incentive 😂 Amazing story and guitar Zac!
Right?!
Excellent video. Well done.
Thank you! Cheers!
Every time I watch one of these videos I wind up pulling out my '53 Tele and playing it for a while. I was in Nashville in the early to mid 80's touring with Ed Bruce. I had Joe do some fret work on the '53, he had a small shop in Leaper's (Leeper's?) Fork, an old house converted into a work shop. At some point I had an idea to have a Strat pickup installed in the old tele (I know what folks would say now but it was different back then, I bought the '53 from Johnny Meeks for $400.00 10 years earlier, and it was pretty beat up by then, way more beat up now, not a collectors item) so I took it to Joe and asked if he could do it. I had him make a pickguard so we wouldn't cut up the original. I also used all Seymoure Duncan Hot Stacks for this mod (sometimes the lights on a concert stage or TV studio would just make a Fender buzz way too much). A lot of guitarists were checking it out, either on the road (sound checks) or at The Opry (Leon Rhodes once chased me down back stage at the Opry to ask about the tone I was getting). I don't think I'm the first guy to have a Strat pickup installed in a Tele, but I hadn't seen one before mine, and I did start seeing them more and more after that (and a lot of them were using the Hot Stack, but I think that was Joe's recommendation to me). After I left Nashville I put it all back to original. On my first visit to Joe's shop he was building a Tele for Jerry Reed, it looked like an old Black Guard Tele but Joe made a neck that had the feel of a classical guitar (what Jerry usually played) and I believe it was a bird's eye or flame maple neck, something very figured. Joe's a good cat, I got along with him right off, I think every one would say the same thing. You always remember the good cats. Great video Zac, as always.
What a fun story! Glad you finally got to live that dream.
Glad you got it !👍
Now I totally need a 3 PU Telecaster. Thanks Zac... xD Thank you for this episode! It's a gem!
That’s a beautiful Glaser Paisley Tele
That's pretty funny Aaron ended up doing the heavy lifting after Brad painted it. And Joe gave approval to use the decal.
Very cool bro.
Seriously cool. But you really deserve the "Last Glaser Bender Guitar" you really have been Joe's advertising guru. Between you and Buk, you guys have built that brand beyond any advertising budget possible.
I know a couple guys who have old original Glaser Benders in WA state. But whether they let em go or not... well, I'm on the list.
I still don't have a "Glaser Made" in my collection, but I do have a very early Glaser Bender. I brought that body and the parts by Joe's shop in 2020, right about when I started installing his benders as an official installer. (Before I broke my back) Serial numbers were around 104-109.
The first real original Glaser I had, I traded for a tweed case and some other stuff at the guitar show at the old Nashville convention center in 1996 or 97... I sold the body to Don Kelley sans Bender, but I got it from Pete Mitchell (Ernest Tubb's Troubadours)
Crazy how that was so foreign to everyone back then. Only a handful of players even knew what Benders were back then.
I find it interesting also that what I call my boost coils, which were wound to 6.6k, then tapped and wound to 8.2 k seem to have wound up in your guitar as well.
I guess great ideas are not exclusive.
But I would love to know when Seymour decided to do that? Considering I'd already done the 5/3 set 8 years ago.
And my boost coils have been extensively used with openings acts for Brad for almost a decade.
But again, you can't patent an idea in use. I learned that from Floyd Rose.
Beautiful and versatile instrument, Zac! I've built a few teles, and one of mine - like yours - has a highly-figured birdseye maple neck. Surprisingly, it's one of the most stable necks in my collection. I say "surprisingly" because I had been led to believe that figured maple was less stable. Maybe the thickness (0.93 at the nut) and v shape of my neck helps with stability.
Birdseye is more stable than striped flame
@@AskZac Coincidentally, I also have a quartersawn, flame maple neck on another tele, which does move more than my birds eye neck. The flame neck needs a minor, semi-annual adjustment, while the birds eye neck just doesn't budge!
"Ohh.....this old thing? That's just a Glaser Tele that my buddy Brad Paisley and friends built for me, and it's the last one: Ever. Nothing special. Killer guitar Zac! Love it! It looks and sounds phenomenal!
Edit: Forgot to add you're a freakin' phenomenal guitar player! Brilliant!
Thank you
A guitar built from friendship, beautiful. 👏
Great video, thanks for sharing!
Really cool guitar and story Zac!
Killer episode! That’s a really cool guitar. In about 1989 or ‘90 I saw an ad in Guitar Player from a guy in Minnesota named Tom Bremer, who was selling B-bender guitars in a few different price ranges-he offered G&L ASATs with Glaser benders, or you could get a custom partscaster with either a Glaser bender or a Parsons-White. So I bit the bullet and went for it. I wanted the Parsons-White bender, because at the time I’d never seen a Glaser bender, and I didn’t want to change the balance point of the guitar, which I figured might happen with the Glaser having the strap button lever on the neck plate. I’m used to the way a stock Telecaster hangs on the strap, and I didn’t want to change that. I knew that a bigger chunk of wood would have to be removed from the body for the Parsons-White, but I figured that was the trade-off for having the upper strap button in the right location. So I went over specs with Tom, and he quoted me a very reasonable price for this thing. What I got was a swamp-ash Tele body with a quilted-maple top, single-bound, finished in what Tom called “two-tone orange burst”, which looks like a slightly-faded cherryburst. The neck was made by Alan Manship, who, I was told, had formerly worked for G&L. It’s flame maple with an ebony fingerboard, abalone dot inlays, medium-jumbo frets, and Schaller tuners, with the low E one replaced with a Hipshot D-Tuner Extender Key, which drops the low E to a D. Tom initially put some old Fender pickups in it, but I didn’t like them-the bridge pickup was from a Broadcaster (!), and as I recall, the other two were from the 1960s, but they were all well past being usable; the bridge pickup would squeal like a pig when presented with any kind of gain even at very moderate levels. I sent them back to Tom, and he told me that he’d sold that same set of pickups several times, and they’d come back each time! He sent me a set of AlNiCo EMGs, with their Strat Presence control, which was basically a midrange boost, so I had the volume control, the SPC, and the tone control all crowded together on a Tele conrtol plate. I played it with the EMGs for a while, but they never sounded like a Tele; they had too much midrange, even with the SPC turned all the way down. I can’t fault them for sounding like, well, EMGs, but the guitar didn’t sound like a Tele any more. I managed to get a set of Van Zants, which sounded great, and they’re still in the guitar. I figured a guitar like that needed a special case, so I got one from a place in Southern California, whose name escapes me right now, but I don’t think they’re in business any more. It’s a normal Fender-style hardshell, but covered in metallic gold saddle-tooled vinyl, with brown leather ends and handle, and an eye-watering hot-pink lining. It didn’t cost much more than a black or tweed case would, and if the sun was out you could see me coming a block away! With the guitar in it, it’s pretty heavy, and the handle has gotten to where it cuts into my hand, so I think I’ll have to retire it and get a heavy-duty gig bag instead. Kiesel offers what they call a soft case, but it’s really thickly padded, and is almost semi-rigid. I have one for my Kiesel Aries guitar, and it works fine. I wouldn’t want to fly with it unless they’d let me carry it on board and put it in the coat closet, but for everyday use it’s fine, and much more protective than a gig bag. I’m not gigging these days anyway, so it’s a moot point.
I love love it all but the Nashville middle pickup, thats why I have Strats but dont love em. Middle pickup is right where i pick. Yes i could probably switch area but since 72 when I started😂
I've got a Nash tele Im thinking about getting a B bender on. Thanks for the video!
What a nice story to listen to.
Zac you cover some topics about guitars and amp details that most people over look. I never hear anybody discuss tele knobs? Rick Kelly and a few other builders/ restorers use high dome knurled knobs, I love them! You may have some on your collection. You will have a hard time finding a provider, I know, I’ve tried. I think the knobs are just as important than any other part. Those knobs come in handy when using a lot of volume swells or rhythm to lead increases. This is just what I think is a subject over looked. Maybe or not there is enough info to make an episode about them? Love the channel! Thanxz
Really sounds great!
Cool guitar. Great video
Thanks for the visit
Loved this. I must be a geek.
Beautiful color
Nice work, fellas!
Much appreciated!
That color reminds me of one of the hot springs you have to hike to back home in Montana. I don’t know if it’s some type of hot water algae or a mineral but some of the rocks turn a very similar color blue. As out of place as it looks in the middle of a Montana meadow it looks amazing on that guitar!
Incredibly cool!
You Sir are one lucky fella.
Who knew Brad was not only a wonderful guitarist but also such a craftsman...beautiful guitar and color. Interesting, I would assume the color would be before the binding. Learn something new daily ! p.s...Is Joe's still installing Benders on other, already owned Telecasters ?
Absolutely still installing benders. www.glaserbender.com/scheduling-and-options
Great story ,Like you said , i agree with you ,you dont need another Tele , even tho its badly damaged you call Relic , i would be happy to give it a loving home here in the Netherlands just as a favour to you
Cool Tele!!! Fits nice!
I have almost the exact same story. About 1991 I called up Joe because I had seen Jimmy Olander and I just love that Guitar. But he told me he wasn't making Guitars anymore. So I had a guy in Oklahoma build me a telecaster and I had Joe put in the two benders just like Jimmy Olander. It must've took over a year to get my guitar back lol. This was probably 1992. But I've always loved that guitar. Then… In about 2006, I actually found a Joe Glaser telecaster for sale. I bought it. I took it over to Joe, very excited lol. Then he proceeded to tell me that it was stolen from a guy years back. The guy was still alive. So I ended up doing the right thing and selling the guitar to the original loaner. So I guess I can say at least I came close to owning one )))
Man, that is rough, but proud of you for doing the right thing.
@@AskZac yeah, Joe felt really bad. But obviously he said I didn't have to do it. But the guy was super excited because he hadn't had that tele for like 20 years. I took a bunch of pictures of it though. It was a really cool red/gold burst color. And he also said he thought those pick ups that were in it were from really old telecasters. Congratulations on that one. Very nice!
Hey Zac, Dang that strat tone might convert you 😄.
That's Puddin's Fab Shop blue! 😃
Nice! So is the bridge pick up a flat pole?
Yes, it is!
Crazy cool man!
Great guitar story Zac your skill as a historian has greatly improved.❤️
Off topic but are you still using your brown box for power conditioning your amps?
Thanks! Always use the Brown Box
Hey Zac, are we gonna get the wiring schematic on the new tele? I like the stacked tone/volume better than the Mason 3 pot control plate. Again. Thanks for the videos.
The letter transfers were called Letraset, I worked at a printers as a graphic designer and I used these transfer sheets.
I love the Glaser Telecaster, how did they fit the bender? does the back have a cap?
I’m reminded a bit of Dewey Cox. Great stuff.
Tell me more
You knew it was going to get real when Zac got calling them cats, but busting out the correct pronunciation of Takamine? Didn't see that coming.
Killer guitar. I suspect your herd will get thinned and this one will be your main guitar. It certainly has "the" sound.
That guitar color looks like Richard Petty's Plymouths!
Having journeyed from The UK, to Joe Glaser's in Nashville, with a Tele body wanting a B bender; The whole prestige/legend status that I consider anything from Joe to be, it was like a pilgrimage to me, taking a Tele body to have a B bender fitted at Joe's. Before that I scoured the internet looking for one of Joe's original guitars, but there are none to be found...
I can't imagine how it must feel actually having a genuine Glaser Tele, and customised by 'THE' Brad Paisley. It gets no better than that!
Enjoy that guitar & treasure it, which I know you will:)
Zac, I was watching BP’s Truck still works and the geetar you’re playing looks like the same color as this beautiful guitar! Could it have been this one? Would you take it on the road?
P.S. you passed “The Woodchipper” test!!
Toys in the attic series
I'm a disabled veteran but ive been saving for me a custom shop tele in fiesta red.