Great show, as per usual! Love the new intro and your recordings sound amazing! Stay sane, and thanks for keeping us all entertained in these strange days!!!
@Club Soda back then it still was a joke to the underground artist. while there was some amazing players that came outta the 80s, most of the bands from that era are comedy to me lol
I wonder how a business meeting in Fender would be: "Let's make a new 80's-vibe model and call It 'lead'. Yeah, and put some vintage output single coils. The shredders gonna love It!"
I mod most of my guitars with hot rails, but they're humbuckers. So then the pickups are doubled up and you get 4 rails. They have the same output as my emg set for 20-30 bucks each on eBay.
Pretty sweet transformation! I think it's important to mention for someone attempting this, though, rounding off the fretboard edge using this method on a maple neck guitar like this one will obviously result in sanding off the finish in the area as well. It may not look great after some years playing it and might as well affect the resale value, if those are concerns, perhaps using that trick of rubbing a screwdriver shaft against the edges to press the wood in may be another approach to consider.
P.S.: if Darrel happens to read this, perhaps just getting another dual state switch and using each one as on/off selectors for the pickups would be quite interesting! Many odd guitars of the 80's used that sort of system, which also allows to use them as killswitches by only having one pickup activated, and keep flicking its switch on and off. ;)
I used your tips from a previous video, and rolled the edges of the fretboard and smoothed out the rough frets on my guitar. It is like a difference of night and day! I also installed one of those twin rail pickups in the bridge. It turned an average guitar into an awesome guitar! I love it! Thanks!👍😎🎸🎶
Now I really understand what to look for on a fretboard. Nice choice of pickups. I remember your first demo thinking "Fender lead, and no lead tones?" Now you're onto something.
I bought this exact model today. I have a Lead 3 in Sienna Burst but I just love the look and shape of these guitars. The 3 is probably more practical but that green is cheeky as hell. I think sanding the edge of the fingerboard is going to take the poly away and the wood eventually gets dirty. I’d rather leave it to be honest.
Thanks for the inspiration. I just added a DiMarzio Fast Track to the Neck of my Lead II and a Pro Track to the Bridge. It has jumped to life with these pickups and is now the fun rocker it was meant to be.
For the out of phase switch, maybe you could try an half out of phase wiring instead? Another possibility would be a series/parallel switch, so you could get a big meaty humbucker sound when in series, like a Tele with a 4-way switch. I modded the hell out of my old two humbucker Jackson, with push-pulls for toggling between inner coils, outer coils or parellel, plus a 5-way to get out of phase and series wiring. I wasn't too sure about the out of phase sound, so I added resistors and a capacitor so only some frequencies are out of phase (hence the half out of phase name) and it became a much more usable tone.
Wow, you transformed this guitar into something MUCH better! I like the way the rails on the pickups are offset to line up with the two E strings when the pickups are slant-mounted. PERFECT for this guitar! I would totally use this guitar to play out now. Really sounds great!
I've been a JBE guy for years. Frank knows his stuff and all their creations are worth checking out! I have few Zion guitars with Danny Gatton's Teles, Deluxe Strat x3, Chunky Strat x3, and also a set of Two/Tone Humbuckers. They are the best "moderned toned pickups in the world" hands down.
Ive picked up an electric guitar only a few times in my life. The one thing that always stood out was the rough/sharp edges on the frets and neck. Soooo great mod.
Darrell, man, I never understand why Fender put out sweet lookign guitars but never seem to quite go all the way. Those pickups are immense and exactly what Fender should have done in the first place! Good job!
I had a Lead II wayyy back in the day. I bought it used; loved how it played, but eventually I built my first strat and the Lead II went to another good home (but I still get to borrow it once in a while). If I still had it I would go twangbanger or an overwound strat bridge PU, but I really like how yours turned-out. You're making me want to go visit that old guitar sometime soon.
Yes, A DBG video, so stoked, guitar videos have been on short supply since I finished my back log like 5 days ago Waiting for those scarred guitars to finish and arrive here👀
My dad's friends had these back in the day, they were ok even back in the 80s. It seems like it was another take on the Mustang with better bridge and simpler controls. But great video, and the green is cool
I’ve always been interested in getting JBE pickups, so I’m glad to hear that they get a positive review from you! And the way they were able to go from a crystal clear clean to an aggressive yet distinct distortion is amazing. Although I’m looking more towards the Two Tone Humbuckers they sell, as they would fit in my guitar and hopefully give me that full humbucker sound as well as noiseless single coils, as they use coil tapping instead of splitting. Yeah this part of the comment isn’t really related to the video, but I’m just excited to get my hands on those pickups haha
I just bought a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster neck for my 15 year old Squier 51 that I've modding for most of those 15 years. My new Squier neck, in terms of fit and finish, looks to be miles above the Fender Lead II neck. The fingerboard edges are beautifully rolled and the fret ends are fantastically finished and polished. Maybe Squier will release a better Classic Vibe version, eh?
I really dig this guitar and the slime green color, I was worried when I saw that you were going to install white pickups but I was wrong to worry, they look great on the guitar! The JBEs were a good shout, they sounded great and I liked the phase switch but since its not really your cup of tea I am looking forward to seeing what you do to customize the guitar to your preference! I love vintage tuners but I really wish that they had put the vintage, hollow tuning post tuners where the string end is pushed into the center hole of the post and the string end doesn't stick out; those are my favorite tuners!
I really do like this Fender. As for the pick ups, if they don’t scream it would just be a different duo sonic. The perfect axe to mod! Like the other touch ups that were done as well. I will really give some of those a try on my guitars that need it the most. Thanks for the video Darrell! The results speak for themselves.
Wow!! it's lock so cool!! I want '80s Fender Lead II but it's difficult to get in Japan. but new Lead II will be able to get in Japan. I'll get it in someday!!
Gotta say, I really like that guitar! Very nice job! But to fully unleash the demon, it needs a Floyd Rose and a locking nut for the iconic dive bombs. Man, I love 80's metal/rock.
With the new pickups it seems to me that the second switch would be more useful for splitting the coils than as a phase switch. A kill switch is not a bad idea but another mod, which would make it totally 80's / 90's metal, would be to install active electronics. You could then use the extra switching point to switch between active or passive modes.
Awesome video. So cool that fender makes these my uncle has one of the original run lead 2s. Brings back good memories. I was thinking instead of having the switch set up for phase you could make switch from series to parallel. That might be a little more useful.
I second your motion to turn that toggle into a kill switch. If you could show a video highlighting unqiue mods that can be directly installed onto guitars that would be cool. How loaded can a pickguard get? I always felt like we got your genuine self in your videos but I appreciate your sense of humor showing more in videos.
The offset rails on those pickups look perfect for the angled slots in the pickguard; if I hadn't seen the "before" version, you could've told me they were stock and I would've accepted that. As for the phase toggle switch, perhaps rewiring it as a coil split to get the single coil tones when you want 'em?
About that phase switch... Lindy Fralin has a guitar with a phase switch and a blend pot from which he gets some interesting tones when the phase cancellation is not equal.
yo how did the hot rails go? I now have this lovely guitar in my possession and am thinking about a SD Hot Rail neck and a DiMarzio Fast Track 2 bridge. Got any thoughts to share now you have had some time with it?
Sounds great! I have a purple lead iii and the first thing I did to it was upgrade the nut. In my opinion that was its weakest link. Might have to do the fretboard edges and fret ends after seeing your results...
The switch can be modded to a bypass from the whole circuit, so that signal comes directly from the pickups, or the switch can be used to wire the pickups in series
Just lightly touch the string above the fret 5,7 or 12 frets away from the fretted note there harmonics all over the fret board even above the pickups.
I had to completely reshape the neck profile of my maple fingerboard Mexican Strat just to make it comfortable to play. When I was finished it feels and looks very much like my Music Man Silhouette. I did polish the frets and dressed the fret ends along with knock that sharp edge off the fingerboard. Interesting that this low dollar Mexican Strat has a curly maple neck. It is HSS and the pickups have been swapped out for some Seymour Duncans. It is a nice guitar but cannot compare to my Silhouettes. I do plan to swap the neck for a 22 fret version. Probably a Might Mite from StewMac.
Since you sanded off the finish on the edge of the fretboard, are you doing anything to treat the wood and prevent it from getting all grungy with finger oils etc? Something about these guitars says they should be in the Squire line for some reason. If there was one, I’d snag it. Just can’t see paying full fender money for it though.
Re-wire the toggle as the bridge only full volume and no tone circuit so that you can get a lead boost when playing with the volume and tone rolled off
I know some have suggested to put the bridge/neck in series or parallel, but those are already pretty chunky. How about putting the humbucker pickups in series/parallel to add something more single-coil, or maybe splitting? I think parallel would be better for the hum cancellation you get. This would give you 3 more usable tones (hopefully)!
Another Great video Darrell!!! Absolutely LOVE my LEAD!!! (Lead III - Purple)Thank for doing this video. Excellent as usual! I do have a recommendation/favor video: Being that we are in what I consider to be the Golden Age of Guitars (plentiful good quality guitars at affordable prices)... What is the difference in levels of guitars today, and what improvements do you get as you move up in levels? $100 Chinese El Cheapo... Firefly, etc... Squier/Epiphone/lower end Yamaha... Entry level Fender/Gibson/Taylor/etc... and on up... I'm not specifically asking about these brands. They simply have some clear clear guidelines that I am familiar with. Thanks in advance!!! As always! Looking forward to your next post (I usually see your videos even before I get the email announcement!) Just Curious... Did your lead come with a trem bar? Mine did. The guy at the local shop and I just kept scratching our heads looking for a different accessory bag. LOL
Great show, as per usual! Love the new intro and your recordings sound amazing! Stay sane, and thanks for keeping us all entertained in these strange days!!!
The 80's were a weird time but man some amazing bands came from that decade.
It was an amazing musical blend. There was so much sonic experimentation going on!!!!!
@Club Soda back then it still was a joke to the underground artist. while there was some amazing players that came outta the 80s, most of the bands from that era are comedy to me lol
Toto!!
Savatage are the perfect example for a great 80s band.
80s and 90s were the best time
Rewire the phase witch into a series/parallel switch for the middle position
I AGREE!
Me too.
Yes!
rails in parallel sound great
I wonder how a business meeting in Fender would be:
"Let's make a new 80's-vibe model and call It 'lead'. Yeah, and put some vintage output single coils. The shredders gonna love It!"
Vinícius Garcia The Lead III has got to outsell the Lead II by 3-1. This video has given me some inspiration though for when Lead IIs go on closeout!
Man, there is lead 3 with buckers
The Lead did come out by Fender in the 80's. It wasn't good nor popular.
This is more like a re-issue.
When are you going to do another kit build? Those are my favorite.
I’d install an active boost into the toggle switch sorta like the Clapton signature strat
I mod most of my guitars with hot rails, but they're humbuckers. So then the pickups are doubled up and you get 4 rails. They have the same output as my emg set for 20-30 bucks each on eBay.
Sir Epicton I love those cheap Artec ones, definitely.
How does one go about doing that mod? Definitely would love to do that to one of mine!
As someone who grew up with 80s music, I salute you for this one! I wonder if you could make one for all decades.
Pretty sweet transformation! I think it's important to mention for someone attempting this, though, rounding off the fretboard edge using this method on a maple neck guitar like this one will obviously result in sanding off the finish in the area as well. It may not look great after some years playing it and might as well affect the resale value, if those are concerns, perhaps using that trick of rubbing a screwdriver shaft against the edges to press the wood in may be another approach to consider.
P.S.: if Darrel happens to read this, perhaps just getting another dual state switch and using each one as on/off selectors for the pickups would be quite interesting! Many odd guitars of the 80's used that sort of system, which also allows to use them as killswitches by only having one pickup activated, and keep flicking its switch on and off. ;)
I used your tips from a previous video, and rolled the edges of the fretboard and smoothed out the rough frets on my guitar. It is like a difference of night and day! I also installed one of those twin rail pickups in the bridge. It turned an average guitar into an awesome guitar! I love it! Thanks!👍😎🎸🎶
Dude that modding music is STELLAR! So much sludge, so much crunch, so dirty! Pure ear candy!
from phase switch to series parallel pickup switch. awesome mod as always.
Sounds like an absolute dream man , love your videos , watching from Edmonton Alberta !!!!
God help me, I love this guitar. The saddles alone make it worth owning but the pickup mod is next level.
I already loved that guitar. Now I love it more. Great mod!
Now I really understand what to look for on a fretboard.
Nice choice of pickups. I remember your first demo thinking "Fender lead, and no lead tones?" Now you're onto something.
I bought this exact model today. I have a Lead 3 in Sienna Burst but I just love the look and shape of these guitars. The 3 is probably more practical but that green is cheeky as hell. I think sanding the edge of the fingerboard is going to take the poly away and the wood eventually gets dirty. I’d rather leave it to be honest.
Desperately needs a Skull-N-Crossbones sticker between the pickups. YEAH! THE '80S! ;-)
LOL I slapped one on my tele. From a set of pirate stickers in a game (uncharted 4)
Thanks for the inspiration. I just added a DiMarzio Fast Track to the Neck of my Lead II and a Pro Track to the Bridge. It has jumped to life with these pickups and is now the fun rocker it was meant to be.
Did you keep the tone pots at 250k stock or change them up? Curious as tempted to put fast track 2 in my bridge and recommends a 500k pot...
@@JakeBlues-dq9xg I did not change the pots but it is probably a good idea. Everything works fine for me as stock.
For the out of phase switch, maybe you could try an half out of phase wiring instead? Another possibility would be a series/parallel switch, so you could get a big meaty humbucker sound when in series, like a Tele with a 4-way switch.
I modded the hell out of my old two humbucker Jackson, with push-pulls for toggling between inner coils, outer coils or parellel, plus a 5-way to get out of phase and series wiring.
I wasn't too sure about the out of phase sound, so I added resistors and a capacitor so only some frequencies are out of phase (hence the half out of phase name) and it became a much more usable tone.
Where can i learn to do this kind of stuff? :(
@@stefaneduard8169 shop class
guitar turns out well and your 80's style backing tracks were some of my favorite (so far)
Wow, you transformed this guitar into something MUCH better! I like the way the rails on the pickups are offset to line up with the two E strings when the pickups are slant-mounted. PERFECT for this guitar! I would totally use this guitar to play out now. Really sounds great!
I've been a JBE guy for years. Frank knows his stuff and all their creations are worth checking out! I have few Zion guitars with Danny Gatton's Teles, Deluxe Strat x3, Chunky Strat x3, and also a set of Two/Tone Humbuckers. They are the best "moderned toned pickups in the world" hands down.
Ive picked up an electric guitar only a few times in my life. The one thing that always stood out was the rough/sharp edges on the frets and neck. Soooo great mod.
Surprisingly good cleans for what are effectively humbuckers 😮
Very cool mods , that green color is growing on me . Put that kill switch in ! Fun video , great job as usual ! Cheers !
loved the new open roll!
Sweet background music. Love that soloing tone! Keep up the good work and God bless!
dream theater if they hired darrell
Darrell, another excellent video, Thanks! Hope all’s well & Stay safe...
Gotta love 80’s tone
That new intro is AWESOME!
I love this Fender hardtail bridge !
Great as always. Love the new intro!
Darrell, man, I never understand why Fender put out sweet lookign guitars but never seem to quite go all the way. Those pickups are immense and exactly what Fender should have done in the first place! Good job!
There's a humbucker version of the Lead, if you like it better.
Background music is great! Really good guitar sound!
Darrell!
You missed your calling as a
Glam Rocker!
FAR OUT!
I really like the clean neck sounds.
I had a Lead II wayyy back in the day. I bought it used; loved how it played, but eventually I built my first strat and the Lead II went to another good home (but I still get to borrow it once in a while). If I still had it I would go twangbanger or an overwound strat bridge PU, but I really like how yours turned-out. You're making me want to go visit that old guitar sometime soon.
Excellent! Thanks yet again Darrell. Have to get one of these!
Yes, A DBG video, so stoked, guitar videos have been on short supply since I finished my back log like 5 days ago
Waiting for those scarred guitars to finish and arrive here👀
Killer mods Darrell nice work!
This is exactly what I would do if I had one of these. I want the same color too.
Love how it sounds.. the clean tone
My dad's friends had these back in the day, they were ok even back in the 80s. It seems like it was another take on the Mustang with better bridge and simpler controls. But great video, and the green is cool
Super informative and helpful as usual. Been loving your videos
Great video, man I am still in love with that color.
Cool guitar, great video. that green is crazy! I’ve ordered the lead 3 in Sienna Sunburst. I’d like to see you review and mod a Lead 3!
I just bought this green one, put hotrail in bridge and neck, sounds awesome
Man, that made such a sound difference! Great video.
Hey buddy, great demo on the new Lead 2. I was actually just looking at them last week. Definitely very versatile!!!
All of my favorite guitar channels on RUclips seem to be Canadians.
Cool video Darrell. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve always been interested in getting JBE pickups, so I’m glad to hear that they get a positive review from you! And the way they were able to go from a crystal clear clean to an aggressive yet distinct distortion is amazing.
Although I’m looking more towards the Two Tone Humbuckers they sell, as they would fit in my guitar and hopefully give me that full humbucker sound as well as noiseless single coils, as they use coil tapping instead of splitting. Yeah this part of the comment isn’t really related to the video, but I’m just excited to get my hands on those pickups haha
On that ultra setting, takes that guitar back to the time it belongs in 👍
I just bought a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster neck for my 15 year old Squier 51 that I've modding for most of those 15 years. My new Squier neck, in terms of fit and finish, looks to be miles above the Fender Lead II neck. The fingerboard edges are beautifully rolled and the fret ends are fantastically finished and polished. Maybe Squier will release a better Classic Vibe version, eh?
I really dig this guitar and the slime green color, I was worried when I saw that you were going to install white pickups but I was wrong to worry, they look great on the guitar! The JBEs were a good shout, they sounded great and I liked the phase switch but since its not really your cup of tea I am looking forward to seeing what you do to customize the guitar to your preference! I love vintage tuners but I really wish that they had put the vintage, hollow tuning post tuners where the string end is pushed into the center hole of the post and the string end doesn't stick out; those are my favorite tuners!
I really do like this Fender. As for the pick ups, if they don’t scream it would just be a different duo sonic. The perfect axe to mod! Like the other touch ups that were done as well. I will really give some of those a try on my guitars that need it the most. Thanks for the video Darrell! The results speak for themselves.
Wow!! it's lock so cool!!
I want '80s Fender Lead II but it's difficult to get in Japan. but new Lead II will be able to get in Japan.
I'll get it in someday!!
First? Nice mods, Darrell. Fret filing is so under rated! Easy and makes a huge difference!
One of the best guitar tubers ever. Great intro
The intro always makes my day😂
Loved that crazy Richard benson shred at the end of the intro 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Gotta say, I really like that guitar! Very nice job! But to fully unleash the demon, it needs a Floyd Rose and a locking nut for the iconic dive bombs. Man, I love 80's metal/rock.
Righteous 80s B roll montage!
Dude that neon green is soooooo 80's. That color was everywhere back then.
It's hard to miss lol.
Love the new intro!!
I love those JBE’s! I’d love to get a set for my Strat. I loved the clean tones, even. Awesome
new intro is so cool!
And I am 13 again with big hair. Thanks man, fun vid.
Nice look Darrel 😆 ahh... Quarantine...
With the new pickups it seems to me that the second switch would be more useful for splitting the coils than as a phase switch. A kill switch is not a bad idea but another mod, which would make it totally 80's / 90's metal, would be to install active electronics. You could then use the extra switching point to switch between active or passive modes.
James Lewis the kill switch mod is a great idea actually!
Awesome video. So cool that fender makes these my uncle has one of the original run lead 2s. Brings back good memories. I was thinking instead of having the switch set up for phase you could make switch from series to parallel. That might be a little more useful.
Great demo. Guitar looks and sounds great!🤘
Well done D! Thanks for sharing brother! Be Well All!
Nice one Dazzler. I think this is going to be a great guitar if you keep coming up with new mods.
never thought about doing the dive bomb thing on a non flyd rose guitar
sounds awesome and i need a guitar like this for shredding
I always enjoy your videos！
From Japan
Thanks Kenos!
I second your motion to turn that toggle into a kill switch. If you could show a video highlighting unqiue mods that can be directly installed onto guitars that would be cool. How loaded can a pickguard get?
I always felt like we got your genuine self in your videos but I appreciate your sense of humor showing more in videos.
The offset rails on those pickups look perfect for the angled slots in the pickguard; if I hadn't seen the "before" version, you could've told me they were stock and I would've accepted that. As for the phase toggle switch, perhaps rewiring it as a coil split to get the single coil tones when you want 'em?
Love the mods!
About that phase switch... Lindy Fralin has a guitar with a phase switch and a blend pot from which he gets some interesting tones when the phase cancellation is not equal.
just did this with mine, with SD hot rails. Now to play some Ozzy.
yo how did the hot rails go? I now have this lovely guitar in my possession and am thinking about a SD Hot Rail neck and a DiMarzio Fast Track 2 bridge. Got any thoughts to share now you have had some time with it?
Sounds great! I have a purple lead iii and the first thing I did to it was upgrade the nut. In my opinion that was its weakest link. Might have to do the fretboard edges and fret ends after seeing your results...
The switch can be modded to a bypass from the whole circuit, so that signal comes directly from the pickups, or the switch can be used to wire the pickups in series
Those pickups sound really good
love to see you do a video on how pick ups are made
You should give a lesson on that tap harmonic you did when you put it on the Ultra channel. Please 😊
Just lightly touch the string above the fret 5,7 or 12 frets away from the fretted note there harmonics all over the fret board even above the pickups.
I had to completely reshape the neck profile of my maple fingerboard Mexican Strat just to make it comfortable to play. When I was finished it feels and looks very much like my Music Man Silhouette. I did polish the frets and dressed the fret ends along with knock that sharp edge off the fingerboard. Interesting that this low dollar Mexican Strat has a curly maple neck. It is HSS and the pickups have been swapped out for some Seymour Duncans. It is a nice guitar but cannot compare to my Silhouettes. I do plan to swap the neck for a 22 fret version. Probably a Might Mite from StewMac.
Those pickups sound really good, and sustain is crazy 👍
Look awesome with 80 s guitar
Since you sanded off the finish on the edge of the fretboard, are you doing anything to treat the wood and prevent it from getting all grungy with finger oils etc?
Something about these guitars says they should be in the Squire line for some reason. If there was one, I’d snag it. Just can’t see paying full fender money for it though.
Re-wire the toggle as the bridge only full volume and no tone circuit so that you can get a lead boost when playing with the volume and tone rolled off
I know some have suggested to put the bridge/neck in series or parallel, but those are already pretty chunky. How about putting the humbucker pickups in series/parallel to add something more single-coil, or maybe splitting? I think parallel would be better for the hum cancellation you get. This would give you 3 more usable tones (hopefully)!
Love your channel.
Ahhhh Shane already DID that!
Which Shane?
@@kjv444 Diiorio
Another Great video Darrell!!! Absolutely LOVE my LEAD!!! (Lead III - Purple)Thank for doing this video. Excellent as usual!
I do have a recommendation/favor video:
Being that we are in what I consider to be the Golden Age of Guitars (plentiful good quality guitars at affordable prices)...
What is the difference in levels of guitars today, and what improvements do you get as you move up in levels?
$100 Chinese El Cheapo... Firefly, etc... Squier/Epiphone/lower end Yamaha... Entry level Fender/Gibson/Taylor/etc... and on up...
I'm not specifically asking about these brands. They simply have some clear clear guidelines that I am familiar with.
Thanks in advance!!!
As always! Looking forward to your next post (I usually see your videos even before I get the email announcement!)
Just Curious... Did your lead come with a trem bar? Mine did. The guy at the local shop and I just kept scratching our heads looking for a different accessory bag. LOL
I put a Warmoth Peacemaker rail in my Tele .It looks great and really big .Not expensive and worth a look
excellent review demo mod .......would have been very cool to see a side by side
tone comparison the Stock Fender pickups vs the Barden Chunky
We need more 80s Darrel
I really love the amp.
Looks good with the hot rails