Keith Williams & Zac Childs - Five Watt World meets Ask Zac

Zac & Keith hang together for a rare in-person Livestream.

[@sesa2984]

"I don't listen to alot of country music but..." says all you need to know.

[@jltrem]

This...was an absolute delight. I realized I was grinning through most of it. The two of you need to become roommates.

[@AskZac]

That would be hilarious!

[@fionabirkmire2874]

I’ve watched each of your KZbin channels respectively for a while via my better half and found they make me feel good and I just smile a lot! This in person pairing is a double joy, you both could smile and chuckle too, tho I did want to straighten up the camera angle and get a cushion from the living room couch for Keith. I hope the 13 hour which way drive proves to be regularly doable now it’s been done once. Keep up all the good work both of you!

[@goldmole1]

The two of you have a chemistry as a presenters duo that rivals the very popular Mick and Dan of That Pedal Show;-) Yes, I know it's not a competition,... Really enjoyed listening to this almost an hour and a half episode of Ask Zac.

[@bradfordlester17]

What a great show. You both do an amazing job with your Chanel’s. Thank you!

[@AskZac]

Our pleasure!

[@petergoddard1960]

Watching the recording, what a joy to have you two chatting in the same room. I enjoyed every minute.

[@AskZac]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@iamgcase]

Out of all your live shows, this was one I truly enjoyed! “Born and raised in Texas” did have me howling… But , the knowledge that both of you shared on this show was really appreciated. 👍

[@AskZac]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@BobIrving2]

Thanks for that shout out for the Tone Master! I bet if you took off that little plate on the front, no one would never know...

[@patrickstover8766]

This is great! Two of my favorite youtubers together, nerding out.

[@AskZac]

Wow, thanks!

[@THEItchybruddah]

Man!! I missed it. I woulda heckled!! The two guys MOST responsible for my twin Tone-masters (deluxe) THANKS fellas!

[@AskZac]

Any time!

[@roberthdahlquist]

Fun talk! I appreciate the spontaneity and looseness - glad it came together. Happy Baja owner here; it was good to hear Keith say Zac’s ’57 neck was so similar - I’d always wondered about that - and I really like my Baja’s soft-V neck.

[@two-tone6934]

This was great ! Thank you .

[@AskZac]

You're so welcome!

[@shawnmagee2640]

What an absolute pleasure. I found Zac by way of Keith. I think the community needs this as an ongoing collaborative series.

[@AskZac]

I would love that, Shawn.

[@TommySG1]

Hey guys, This was nice, two of my go to KZbin creators together 😊 I think what I like most about both of your shows is they kinda take us back to a much simpler time and in a musical way. It’s such a nice break from all the nonsense you see going on these days regarding politics and everything else you can pile on top of that. Thanks for all the great feeds! Tommy 🤙

[@AskZac]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

I invested in a multi-effects pedal in 2015 out of necessity and spent months (years) overcoming the stock presets. I got dozens of "pedals" for a few hundred dollars. The less than one dozen pedals on my board cost several times that. I love to watch pedal user/collectors share their experiences which has led to several purchases. My efforts have gotten me closer to what I had already dialed in to the multi-effects unit - but at greater cost, and floor space and cabling issues.

[@telecasterbear]

Zac is pleasing my low tech heart. I was having a nap, and missed the show. Watching now.

[@AskZac]

All good

[@briannacery9939]

My little brother commandeered my 64 Telecaster with Tom Anderson pickups and my Mesa Boogies Mark IV. The Telecaster sounds kinda country and the Mesa sounds kinda Blues.

[@marshallsmountain]

I listened to the radio and records continuously from 1960 through the popularity of disco in the 70s. I stopped that when I decided to write my own music...at that point I spent much of my time listening to my own mixes to develop my material. I can't have music on while doing many other activities that require thinking. I have youtube material on several channels...the most recent channel is Marshalls Mountain.

[@captainzeb1969]

That Amy Grant record is a classic. She is pure gold. What a voice and what a person.

[@MrMd5555]

Zac, you say towards the end, "if you like the sound of your amp don't change it" you know as good as any of us thats easier said than done. No matter how good our tone is you know We're all just one mod, one pedal or one tweak away from achieving "tonal bliss" even though we all also know that our tonal target is ever changing!! Lol

[@jfinester]

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!

[@jaybe813]

Thanks for the shout out about designing the channel and merch pieces!

[@MartinCliffe]

Great episode, love and proudly support both your channels. Sad I missed it live. For me, I love the Neo Creamback (in my 10w Blackstar combos) because the slightly lower efficiency (only 1dB down from a Greenback or the stock Seventy 80, but 3dB down from a V30 or G12H30) means I can turn the amps up slightly higher in my apartment. Also the weight reduction is good!

[@cherrypickerguitars]

Poop! Missed the stream! I’m only a few minutes in and I’m loving the interaction with Zac and Kieth! This is going to be a very fun 90 minutes! Peace

[@guppybill]

How cool. Two of my favorite creators.

[@jdwild1698]

Hey guys , great show ! Zac you always do great vids that are informative and interesting, thanx brother 👍😎

[@AskZac]

Thanks 👍

[@andrewstaward6878]

Hi guy's..always find Keith and zacs video's really interesting and informative..keep it going chap's 👍

[@AskZac]

Thanks 👍

[@guitarmagic]

This is a sweet thing to see!

[@gutovighi]

Great vídeo ! Tons of great infos as usual from both. J Donahue came with a great solution on the reverse Phase thing in his custom wirings.

[@That52TeleGuy]

Great Tele player I recently caught in concert is Duke Lavine playing for Bonnie. So nice to have live concerts back.

[@AskZac]

The best!

[@jimmycorbett9221]

I see that Amy Grant “unguarded” album in the back. That was and is a KILLER album!!!

[@johntruman6571]

Great stuff gentlemen. Power to your collective elbows... as us Brits colloquially offer.

[@GraniteSoundtrack]

Agree with focusing on songs and singing. I was somewhat drafted into being a worship leader a couple years back. At the time I thought I'll direct the music but have others on vocals. But real leaders lead from the front and commitment is a nebulous word for many so I had to begin lead singing most songs. Man has that taught me more music than the previous 30 years did. Even those simple PnW songs. Also works the humility machine on your ego in the right way.

[@carljohnson8364]

Dang it man! Hate to miss it live 😞

[@janallexander5173]

Two blokes having fun!

[@JMichaelThurman]

It's the camera trick from Lord of the Rings... That wide iPhone camera lens.. LOL ... always put the smaller people at the edge! Loved the chat!

[@markhammer643]

I'm a big fan of the half-out-of-phase that was used on the Jerry Donahue Tele. The more similar the signals of two pickups, the more they cancel when phase-reversed. The half-out-of-phase mod (from the mind of Bill Lawrence IIRC) cuts the bass from the neck pickup by sticking a cap in series with it (similar to the "strangle" cap on a Jaguar), making neck and bridge more *dissimilar* . I like to use 0.1uf but feel free to experiment (smaller values cut more bass). So, the leads from the neck pickup get swapped (black is now hot, and white is ground) but the hot lead from the neck goes through the cap and *then* to the pickup selector. On the JD Tele, it yields a sound very similar to neck+middle on a Strat, with no volume loss, and none of the nasal honk. I've done it on other guitars and it works like a charm, with no diddling around with level balancing. You just flick the phase switch and you have another tone. And it even works with humbuckers, believe it or not.

[@everettemackdrew4146]

I was listening to this without looking at it and I would’ve sworn Rick Beato was interviewing Zac. Guy sounds exactly like Beato. 😂

[@markhammer643]

It's the KZbin "supergroup"! Aristocrats, King Crimson, Cream, CSNY, eat your heart out!

[@markhammer643]

Zac, you need to get my buddy Gordon Logan on the show. He's a psych prof at Vanderbilt, whose CV and volume of publications would not suggest it, but he's an avid guitar collector and player. He even scored a half-dozen Les Paul Juniors from Gibson as "lab equipment" to study how people develop skill in learning guitar (skill acquisition and attention are his main areas of research focus). Tell him I sent you.

[@AskZac]

Send me his info!

[@AskZac]

So good!

[@markhammer643]

@@AskZac Here's his info: www.psy.vanderbilt.edu/faculty/logan/ And here's a paper of his that might be of interest: www.psy.vanderbilt.edu/faculty/logan/CrumpLoganKimbrough2012.pdf

[@nealixd.3011]

Pretty cool. Both you guys are very knowledgeable. Keith helps me with my GAS, for sure, ha.

[@pierheadjump]

⚓️ Thanks Zac Keith 😎

[@fivewattworld]

Thank you Keith

[@jaybe813]

Start that brass plaque collection in the stairwell leading to the Ask Zac lair!

[@tomrampley5665]

On singing: one of the best things about getting into music via bluegrass is that *everyone* sings at least a little. It's really good for general musicianship.

[@jeffgamble8957]

This was cool to watch and hear gentlemen. I hope you do more together in the future. BUT 2 commercials EVERY 5 MINUTES is fucking maddening !! somedays youtube just drives me nuts with the advert overkill.

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

Getting "In step" with other journeymen players - none of us have come to the end of our journey.

[@julianmetcalfe1070]

great to hear all the stories and history,just a real nice treat at to hear you guys chewing the fat over guitars , only i feel sorry for Keiths guitar after the amputation hope the head stock grows back🤣😅

[@jonnybeck6723]

Please remember to max your volume(s) 'cause when a KZbin commercial "strikes" I get b-b-bub b-blown right out of me chair... (My neighbors must love me when I'm watching late night/early morning 😵‍💫)

[@jonnybeck6723]

Do we not as yet have available an 'Ask Zac' custom special order Keith Williams 'Stranded in a Strange Bergland' T-shirt in decadent denim (?)

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

I went through a dozen acoustic guitars until I settled on three different nylon stringed and two different steel string models - all by different makers. Then I added square neck resonator and mandolin. Electric guitars were several dozen, and a dozen or so remain - but none are "it". That "it" keeps moving as I reach for it.

[@gregmize01]

2 great creators in one room?😳

[@Black-Jack-2022]

Hi I like both of you on utube😮

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

Yes, there is definitely an art to achieving a musical "out of phase" sound. My 1878 Ibanez PF-300 has a three way mini toggle switch for full, tapped, and out of phase but, when I wanted the out of phase tone I had to play with the volume pots for both neck and bridge. And still the overall volume dropped.

[@koolkat808hawaii]

George Alessandro, Amp Guru !!!!!!!

[@jaybe813]

Keith’s thing with the denim tops is rivaling Jay Leno and his obsession with the denim. That brother needs some ASK ZAC merch!

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

The instrument can never make the guitarist (except maybe on "Twliight Zone") - but the artist will always find his instrument.

[@fleadoggreen9062]

So any 5 watt Amp you guys reccomend? Which new? And which vintage?

[@AskZac]

Keith is the 5 watt guy. I prefer 22-watts.

[@sfstoltenberg]

I love the neck on my Baja tele!

[@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender]

The neo speaker celestian makes for quilter is amazing! 300 watts, reminds me of a black shadow but better

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

Music needs a pulse which varies with the mood so it can swing and bounce, or even skip a beat, as necessary

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

If the headroom " is there you can still push it to hairy - but, if not it's NOT gonna help you find the "sweet spot".

[@Evy-1988]

hi, I'm Dutch and although pronunciation could improve, I could clearly understand what you were saying Keith

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

All instruments sing - even drums!

[@sigsfast]

I love you both, but is Zac sitting closer to the camera?

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

I prefer just not getting them grungy. Always play sober because music deserves your full attention. And always record yourself unedited. The best music happens in the moment. Record it in writing or other technology if you can't remember it.

[@martinelyk1]

Keith. I have a fender tweed amp that I'm having a hard time identifying. Can you help me

[@AskZac]

I can. Send me pictures [e-mail]

[@robhead22]

Zac starts to play at the 14:21 mark. But of course Keith immediately interrupts him. “Hold on a minute, we got top cat” why am I watching this!!?? I’m not

[@AskZac]

Don't be so hard on everyone

[@robhead22]

@@AskZac you’re right. Thank you!

[@30smsuperstrat]

Is Keith related to Chris Shontz of Venture 4wd? They're both from Pennsylvania, with simular stature and familiar features.🤔 Or maybe everyone in Pennsylvania looks alike??😁

[@michaeljohnson7892]

I’m still here ZAC !!! It has been 5 day’Z now, Need to washup & get Something to Eat. P.S. Wife L👀king at me, Like maybe I should get up & do Something, It might be that i FORGOT TO DO SOMETHING I TOLD HER I ALREADY DONE DID. NOW IF I COULD JUST REMEMBER WHAT THAT WAS !!! . ✌️😎Mick signing off !

[@TommySG1]

PS ~ To Kieth, did you take a second mortgage on your home to pay for the gasoline on that 13 hour drive? Haha, sorry man…. I couldn’t resist 😂

[@stevesuv]

My opinion is the brown era did not break up early.They were super clean. There strong points were the TREM.

[@daryldickerson2749]

Move the dam a little to the right so we can also see Zac’s left hand

[@tobestonezone2604]

hideaway harmonics!

[@jeffbenson6102]

I would think that you could get that kind of specificity, as far as the minimal amount of stuff you need, in a dream. It would be all figured out and you would wake up and not be able to recall your dream. Rats!

[@stevebrusseau3301]

That guitar looks like you dropped it on your table saw

[@michaeljohnson7892]

You need to move a little to your right GuyS. ZAC part of your left side keeps GOING OUT OF THE PICTURE. IT IS OK TO DO THAT TO YOUR GUEST ZAC but you are the HosT YOUR WHOLE PICTURE NEEDS TO BE there especially when you PLAY. OK !!!

[@johndogwater]

I had a feeling Zac was a big'ol'boy. You can usually tell by how people look in relation to a Tele... They look like 335s on me.

[@motorbikeray]

Either Keith is tiny or Zac is huge. 🤔

[@AskZac]

I am not small

[@motorbikeray]

@@AskZac 🤣👍

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

Unless it adds to musicality it's merely "academic".

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

...but the flat strip is twisted.

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

Keith sort of looks like a hobbit sitting next to Zach - but you both should be wearing different costumes and sharing a cart bench to complete the image.

[@AskZac]

We ate sushi afterwards....

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

@@AskZac So refreshing!

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

When more becomes less you've gone too far.

[@sesa2984]

Don't love those guitars. And I have an 80's kid Bill and Ted's perfect future Steinberg appreciation, but there are actual telecasters, and nothing turns me off like a gimmicky fanfret. I get that they worked hard on it but yuck.

[@joshgray3581]

Those guitars are ugly don't sound all that great either thumbs down I'd throw those guitars in front of a train disappointed thoroughly

[@DouglasPariseau]

Two of my fav KZbin Channels on KZbin... and proudly wear my Five Watt World and Ask Zac shirts!! 🙂 Have learned so much from the both of you! I LOVE both of your passions for gear and music, but even more than that... I love and admire your passion for THE PEOPLE that listen/play/create the music and gear!!

[@AskZac]

Awesome! Thank you!