Strats, Pickups & Rabbit Holes - Blue Is Finally There! Maybe. [Mick's Strat Vlog] That Pedal Show

[@tomking4013]

‘Mick polished his knobs and now he’s much happier’...

[@Luke_Williamson]

tom king gold

[@exploreguitar684]

and still looks dirty as he likes it ;-)

[@jagtone]

Blue gas it's own character. With either Ellis set it's a bit sweeter, but not as forward and present than the '61. All perfectly valid choices. I like the 50-60s a lot.

[@darrenc8776]

Classic

[@rictube4716]

A clean knob always brings hapiness.

[@mabecka]

Tip. put solder on the pot first. Then solder the cables to tha solder covered spot. Makes it really easy. Same with jacks.

[@andrewrwhitfield]

I have my iron a little hotter and touch the controls for less time to get the flow. Seems to flow fine on to the pot that way. I also have an old screw driver or something to hold the wires in place as the solder cools. Is a bit of a juggling act though.

[@dylanfan424]

I also do one wire at a time and add them to the pool of solder it works fine and means less time heating the potentiometer.

[@BigSh00tsie]

yup. this is how i do it and it makes it much easuer. i also scrape the waxy covering off the pot first with an exacto.

[@alanthompson3493]

Use a dab of flux on the back of the pot before soldering, it helps to make a better joint. Also use a higher temp setting (or a higher wattage iron) to solder to the back of pots than for soldering to lugs.

[@paultwiselton1996]

@@alanthompson3493 But of course, make sure it's flux compatible with electronic components and not plumbers pipe soldering flux, as this too aggressively caustic. Just saying..

[@rcnation8910]

Hey Mick. I have been going down this same rabbit hole for 20 years. I am also a Strat person primarily. I love your content and really appreciate your videos. I have gone so far down the rabbit hole I built a pickup winder and have been winding my own pickups and finally getting somewhere. I have also refinished bodies in nitro cellulose and the neck, tried different bridges and cut my own bone nuts. But it's insane Everything from wire to the individual gauss rating of every magnet makes a tonal difference. Thanks for your content! I love the show and watch live when ever I can. Cheers fellow Stratocaster addict.

[@ChristopherDowning]

Perfect lock down pursuit!! What could be better?

[@zachrichard7558]

As Mick was wiring in the pickups it occurred to me that the way the pickup wires (not windings) are twisted and arranged could make a much bigger difference than people realize... It's another one of those circuits where with so few components every little thing makes a difference

[@hkguitar1984]

I hear ya RC Nation. I too am primarily a "Strat Guy" and have also been down the same rabbit holes measuring individual pole Gauss. Some of the most satisfying moments of my life have come from working on/tinkering with individual components in this quest for tone. Love watching Mick's pursuit as well as the bonus of getting to hear him play, very inspiring indeed.

[@hkguitar1984]

@@zachrichard7558 Very interesting Zach. I will agree that lead dressing is very, very important when building an amplifier as incorrect lead routing can and will induce all kinds of negative issues when working with powered circuits. But to have the same considerations for a passive circuit as found in a guitar's wiring is really a very interesting thought. I must say that while I've considered that it is possible I've never really delved into it too much. That said, yeah, I believe it certainly could influence the circuits overall characteristics. Of course we are not talking about huge changes or influences, however we are really only concerned about all the small details that make up the whole. Thanks for mentioning this as I've found another path to explore.

[@arnyarny77]

you are insane.... but in a good way!

[@NolanDerosia]

I used to have a ton of trouble with grounding to the back of pots too. I started using flux and my life changed. Wiring is easier now. Food tastes better. The sky is bluer. My sex life improved. I may run for president.

[@spektor88]

PLEASE RUN FOR PRESIDENT!!

[@ConspiratorElec]

I agree with using flux on the back of the pot, and I find that if I tin the back of the pot before attempting to add wires gets a better connection with few failures

[@fossilmatic]

There is a rumour that injecting flux may cure covid.

[@dylanapivor3743]

I used some flux on a capacitor a couple of minutes ago in 1954 and now I seem to be here in 2020?

[@MrPodvig]

Hail, Emperor Nolan!

[@pauliche6917]

The declaration addressed directly to your guitar warmed my heart.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Ha! Mine too as it goes. Bless the old thing. ;0)

[@jasonpitre1249]

Is it me? Or does Mick look a bit like a young Eric Clapton with those glasses on?

[@weschilton]

@@jasonpitre1249 a bit!

[@muuhn]

i'm happy that blue is "back in the game", and i'm sad that [Mick's Strat Vlog] doesn't get another season, there was so much to learn from those episodes. maybe you could do a spin off [Mick's *insertguitarbrand* Vlog] ?

[@ThatPedalShow]

There’ll be more. ;0)

[@BadMotivator66]

@@ThatPedalShow alwayas room for a casino vlog too? ;)

[@yagoravell7944]

Mick's PRS vlog = only episode - My DGT is great! Hahahaha

[@tulk3747]

@@ThatPedalShow I sense that Mastery bridge/trem in Mick's future :) Might want to try various Jazmasters to see if the one you have is a good "base" to work from.

[@erajad]

@@ThatPedalShow Hopefully including the SVL visit ... someday! Sigh...

[@gcvrsa]

The ages-old problem of soldering to the backs of potentiometers causes one to wonder why manufacturers do not simply incorporate grounding lugs into their designs.

[@mattflickinger8151]

Gemma Seymour wow mind blown, yea...

[@colinfreeman7461]

Hi Mick, You'll have less trouble soldering the ground to to back of the pot, if you get a blob of solder onto a roughened bit of the pot first, and then solder the wires on to that. Cheers.

[@tommyfoley]

Period correct knobs when you're going for period correctness is 100% correct. Way to go, Mick.

[@RambleTone]

TOFO I think the knobs made all the tonal difference! 🤣🎸

[@martinhjerrild7159]

Thank you so much for taking us on the journey with you. You can tell Blue is a special guitar 😊 I was really impressed with that board with only 7 pedals and the sounds you were getting. Hope you are more inspired than ever. Stay safe 😊

[@simongreen4160]

Looks the journey has come to a conclusion (at least for now!). Blue is a great sounding guitar in your hands but what's more important is the relationship you have with it - it's these things that really matter eh? Loved following the journey, glad you've found a happy place and been fun to part if it (sort of). Si

[@ThatPedalShow]

Ah man. Thanks Simon. Wouldn’t have been half this without your wonderful Strat as inspiration!

[@KozmykJ]

@That Pedal Show Fascinating pickup journey, I'm still only half-way through. Lovin it. Tech Nerd Bit - Mick, that's not the ideal Tip for the heavier soldering work. That fine point has less Mass at the business end and so the latent heat available is diminished. i.e. doesn't transfer the heat to the Work so well, even with the Tip being tinned. By making a Pool of solder on the Pot body you would be preheating and making the job of joining the wires to it much easier and quicker. There are special fluxes that help soldering to Steel and Aluminium should your pot surface not be pre-tinned or coated/plated. I stumbled upon an Aluminum flux from La-Co that doubles very nicely onto Steel also (despite La-Co making a separated Steel flux) ; as a bonus it's very good for soldering earthing wires onto aluminised cavity foil. Loathe as I am to make an appeal to authority, but I IS a pro-soldering Ninja of many decades. i.e. I've been getting this all wrong for a lot longer than you have ... 😜

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you, I appreciate!

[@gchampi2]

A top tip for soldering the connections in a Strat - The Two Irons method. Much the same as the single iron method you used, but you use a 100w iron for the spring claw & pot earths. Much faster heating makes those big joints a heckuvalot easier.

[@JohnLawrieTWS]

The biggest thing I love about these vlogs (well, one of) is that you play the before and after things with different levels of gain, different effects and different kinds of playing etc. Whenever I've changed anything on a guitar, the biggest difference has always been in how it reacts to gain and fuzz, but for some reason videos on youTube tend to just do clean tones of a chord across all the pickups and call it a day. Good work mate.

[@AndrewNuttall]

Very interesting. 64s to vintage, the vintage sounded to have more bass when clean, but less when gained up. Probably due to lower output letting the bass more evenly bloom through. Of course it could also be in the guitar, not the pickups. 50/60s to vintage, sounds closer to me, though the vintage ones have a little more squaky top end in the 2nd position and a little bit of an upper mid thing. Out puts seem much closer. I'd love to shootout the 50/60s vs Markey Foley V2s. Also David Allen gave me some advice for setting his pickups when I had them. Start lower than you think you need, move them up a half turn at a time and at some point you'll hear some sparkle and crispness go away and the notes get louder but slightly dead. Adjust up or down a quarter turn at a time from there to find your personal sweet spot.

[@RobertNolan]

I definitely heard this as well. Vintage had more low end through and through, resulting in a fuller/deeper sound when clean. Though the 50/60s in my opinion had sounded better overdriven, maybe they just were a tad too ice picky but still great.

[@gookiecrunch]

Agreed on all points. 50/60's sounded closest to the 61. Little more high end and less "full" but pretty close. Pickup height and magnetic loss over time probably accounts for any differences.

[@stevekirby7333]

@@gookiecrunch The lack of a plate could also be the difference. Putting one on mine made a subtle but noticeable difference in reducing "ice-pickyness".

[@Bealzeebozzo]

Attaching the back of the pot ground. Best option I have found and many folks use this process. Join your wires to one single wire lead, heat shrink tube the joint of the multiple wires to one lead and then you only have to solder the one single wire to the back of the pot. Much easier mate. :)

[@VonBlade]

I was deliberately watching this in the background so I didn't know which guitar you started with after the 50/60 install. I guessed the 61 and it was Blue. Mission accomplished.

[@ledhendrix5054]

Thanks Mick for keeping me sane during this lockdown , I really enjoy playing guitar , I'm not the best technical player but I appreciate you guys and my guitar even more now. So thank you.

[@ThatPedalShow]

The best technical players are the one as I like least. Ha! You’re in good company James. ;0)

[@jonlohrenz5446]

While watching this with my four year old daughter she said “he kinda looks like Andy Griffith!”. Not sure if you ever watched that in the UK but I’d take it as a compliment.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahaha!!!

[@Hatari2]

Jon Lohrenz TBH during some parts of the video, mainly when he’s demoing the guitars, he kinda does look like Andy Griffith.

[@davidstorm4015]

To flow solder on a pot, you need a good soldering iron. I would suggest a flat tip, well tinned, not a rounded one. Put the solder on the pot first, then tin the wires and solder them to the solder on the pot. Should work fine, I don't have any problems using this technique. Also helps if you have a heat adjustable soldering iron, turn it up higher than you would normally have it.

[@gordrock]

I’ve watched this at least 5 times now and it’s just made the rabbit hole bigger.

[@KristofferVad]

Mick - fantastic to see you so happy with Blue again. What a journey you’ve been on. Thanks for inviting us along.

[@CargoShorts7]

I went down this rabbit hole last year. After scouring the internet forums, I found there to be a handful of pickup winders (Ron Ellis being one of them) who have that "magic." I went with Don Mare cause many people spoke incredibly highly of his pickups and described them as having a special fair dust, giving it that final 5% lol. Anyway, I love my set. I got his Super Sports ('64 strat based) I think you would really like his Josie Vaughans or his Formvar 50s (the formvars are described by many as the most authentic strat sounding pickups out there). Happy hunting!

[@16brentboy]

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the way you articulate bonding with your instrument. I’m delighted for you envious beyond expression.

[@Dug6666666]

Never mind the shielding, imagine the havoc that pink masking tape must be reaping, over using your genuine pre CBS tape.

[@ThatPedalShow]

You speak de trooof. The orange definitely robs some 673.23k

[@simonwilliams9916]

And following on from tone glue.....tone knobs! Magnificent! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Brilliant view of the journey. Thanks Mick. Stay safe and well. 🤘🏻🎸👍🤘🏻🎸👍

[@gregantonowicz2818]

Love these videos. Do the black 59 now Mick! Selfishly not wanting the Strat vlogs to end.

[@purimuadmuang2259]

That 50/60 is impressively close to the 61, congrats! Trying as hard not to comment on anyone's guitar mod clip but this one I can't resist... to my ears compare to the 61 one it lacks only the zing and the airiness of the original which is really, really impressive. I'm a big fan of a raw vintage + wudtone combination, I mention this because these are the two brand that, to me - after trying many other choices, they really do what they advertise. When I put them together(wudtone block & plate + rv springs & saddles) they really add zing and airiness that you can't achieve from modding the circuit because it's in the material not the circuit. Another thing that might sound crazy but the truth is with vintage caps every single one is different so the final thing that I always do is to connect the extra lead wires hanging off the pickguard, assemble the guitars and audition all the promising caps for the project as much as I can till I'm there. There's no holy grail when it comes to how each nos cap would react to certain set of pups, for the pio the lower the voltage almost always sound better. There! I've totally geeked out. hahaha but hey, it's covid time! Everyone's busy in front of the computer, right!

[@michael_caz_nyc]

Honestly - those Ron Ellis 64's Sound every-bit as Glassy, Chimey & Quacky as the 61 reference guitar. I did the Strat pickup comparison, & decided-on Jason Lollar Dirty Blonde-set = Incredible. Both sets of Ellis pickups sound vintage & Stratty. 50/60's Sounded closer to the Fender Fat-set. I like my pickup-height on the Lower side. Too high is a Sustain killer.

[@rkharper]

Dirty Blonde Set is also MY choice, just the perrrrrfect set ever!

[@yannickguitar1539]

I've just found a Lollar Blonde set. Can't wait to test it! Is it different from the Dirty Blonde set?...

[@michael_caz_nyc]

@@yannickguitar1539 Neck & Middle are Exact same pickup. What differentiates the Dirty-blonde, is the Bridge Pickup is slightly-hotter and EQ'd to be: less ice-picky

[@mattelder9147]

I have a set of Lollar Dirty Blondes in mine as well. I used to run stock pickups and kept the tone pots at 10. The Dirty Blondes are much more responsive to the tone controls and allows me to dial it in.

[@david_cummings]

Hey Mick, Making a a ground lug on the back of a pot. Scratch it a bit, some liquid flux, then make a pool of solder about the size of half a small pea. When you need to add ground a wire, just heat the pea and dive the wire in. Rinse and repeat with each ground wire. you'll be good to go then. Cheers, David

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you David!

[@211squirrel]

I still love that target burst on the 61! Also, I went through this in the mid 2000’s with a Daphne blue 62 reissue; Lollar Blondes solved this for me, and I played that guitar so much I have to have the frets replaced (they’re basically serated!). It sounds remarkable similar to the 61.

[@skullheadwater9839]

Mick, pro tip, sometimes the soldering iron tip isn't bad, it just needs a good scrub. What I mean is you get a carbon build up on soldering tips after they have been used for a while without a good cleaning which insulates/seals the heat in so to speak. I keep a small fine file, about 1 to 2 cm wide and about 15 to 20 cm long, around and knock that stuff off before starting and you would be amazed at how much hotter it will get and thus quick to melt your solder. Some folks keep a bit of course brass wool in a can or small bowl and scrub the tip in there to burnish off build up. I mod old tube gear to convert into guitar amps and use the soldering iron all day sometimes days in a row trust me, I figured this out a long time ago, it works.

[@andreasdavour9973]

I heard strat sounds, and then strat sounds. No difference to my ears. But, why am I even watching this? Because it's interesting to see what you can tweak and change. For me it would not matter a bit, but seeing you find a tone and the Happy Place is a joy, Mick! :)

[@j.rozman7016]

I love Ancho Poblano PU in my Fender CS strat..I did upgrade the vibrato to Wudtone CP 50 (narrow 54 mm string spacing) and Highwood saddles (10.8mm) which made noticable difference in tone&playability. Guitar got also CRYO tuning which took it to another level in resonance and playing feel, like really well played/seasoned vintage strat. Definitely recommend all this upgrades!! Rock on!!🤘

[@fridgenugget]

Neat trick to test your pickups/electronics: Play some music on your phone and hold the phone speaker in close proximity to the pickup. Makes the sweep of the tone pot and volume a lot more obvious. PS I love this vlog series!

[@richardturner5463]

Absolutely loved the Strat vlog vids, found them quite therapeutic and calming. Blue sounded great at the end, hoping you’ll find a new project now to share with us. Thanks.

[@vansheen9096]

She’s there bud. Sounds spectacular. You have arrived!🤩

[@Nick_Stott]

Thanks Mick, I loved watching this blog. I put a set of Ron’s 50s/60s pickups in my FCS 60s Strat 6 years ago and still love them. I haven’t settled on pickup heights yet though, I keep doubting my ears, tweaking one and then have to balance the other two out. Wouldn’t mind trading heights with you once you have had a chance to tweak. I’m not sure what wattage your iron is but get a bigger one, the pot casing is acting as a heat sink. More wattage and apply it for less time.

[@szczerzo]

I think Mike have done what he said can't be done. When talking with JayLeonardJ about teles and strats Mike said that on strat if you play "someone" you sound just like them. I think the Blue would sound like SRV playing the Blue not just SRV. Also 30:53 Harry Potter and the curse of the rabbit Holes.

[@mikeadams4605]

The rabbit hole is deep!! I built a partscaster and settled on a Seymour Duncan SSL-1 in the bridge, a Texas Special in the middle and an Eric Johnson in the Neck. There are so many great choices you can chase the right sound forever IMO.

[@christurner2398]

Sounds good. I bet "new blue" would sound amazing with a treble booster and gunned Ac30. Rory Gallagher for days.

[@RobynNeundam]

Hey Mick, sorry for beeing late to the party. To solder the ground wires... First solder the three pickup ground wires together. Than put a little solder on the scrached pot. After that, use the solder iron tip on the pot, since the volume pot surface is larger and will tranfers the heat better. If the solder starts to get liquid, add the iron to the wires and add a little solder. This method should help to avoid burning the wires or overheating the solder. To hold everything in place use a "soldering third hand".

[@rjroth4869]

So many good sounds. I confess that I cannot discern all the (to my ears) tiny differences in tone that you obviously can, Mick. I wonder if it's a bit like wine tasting. Over the years I've come to be able to pick out more flavors and nuances as my palate gets educated. Maybe the same will happen with my ears concerning guitar pickups/overdrives/fuzzes. Glad you've re-bonded with Blue!

[@ThatPedalShow]

It’s exactly that. Familiarity and experience. Most of it largely useless when enjoying actual music! Or getting drunk. :0)

[@SomeKindOfMadman]

I love you guys, Mick and Dan. You’re truly an inspiration to us all, since I’ve been subscribed to you within this year, I’ve gained so much knowledge. Thank you both. My tone has drastically improved because of Mick and Dan. Much love guys. Cheers! I’m currently going down the rabbit hole modding my Fender Strat!!

[@mattflickinger8151]

I may be missing something in translation, but Mick said he’s obsessed with knobs!

[@Subropontes]

Brilliant ending, Mick! Happy for you! I wanted to share with you, a bit over a year ago a similar thing happened to me and my CS ES 355. After watching your strat vlogs I got in a very similar rabbit hole to get my 355 as close as possible to an early ‘60 one, the nicest guitar I’ve ever heard. I changed everything that I thought it could improve paying attention to every tiny detail and I was done a couple of months ago. Recently I went to Norman’s and to GuitarCenter Hollywood, played a lot of vintage 335/345/355s and you know what? I’d still pick mine. I know now that my 355 will always be my guitar and the entire process made my bond even more with it, it’s a very magical feeling and a wonderful place to be. Blue is obviously your guitar and I’m glad you’re happy with it. Thank you for the inspiration.

[@ThatPedalShow]

That’s so cool! 355 man. What a cool guitar!

[@SSvebor]

Well, to my ears, apart from those wonderful low-mids of that '61, Blue came blimming close with 50/60 set, and sounded really good. :)

[@davidnuzzaci2459]

Please leave the 50/60's in Blue. What a combination with your playing! Very much heart felt inspirations. You've proofed the end justified the journey! Congratulations!

[@gr328]

Make a J shape with the end of the wire so that it fastens around the lug, squeeze it with some long nose pliers, then solder. That way you have a mechanically sound joint and you're not relying on the solder to hold it. It helps to put some flux on the back of the pots too.

[@ryanchamblee2758]

I just installed Benson Custom 63s in my daphne blue strat. Great price but also sound great. I also removed my treble bleed and wired 50s Gibson style wiring which connects the tone pot to the output of the volume and allows fast cleanup with the volume so less high end loss. Really enjoying the 50s wiring. Wired all my guitars that way. Congrats on finding the end of the rabbit hole. An upgraded strat bridge is my next plan.

[@thechannelforeverything2170]

Wow, that Boogie sounds absolutely wonderful.

[@jasonjohnson4996]

Nothing to add other than I love that the journey had a happy ending. Please don't let this be the end of the journey vlogs as they are greatly inspiring.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thanks Jason. We have more guitars to torture. Either the Casino or the PRS McCarty next.

[@davedavem]

Hi Mick, did you see Paul Davids's video about his control knobs? He chucked his in a freshly pulled shot of espresso.

[@SidBonkers51]

Ive just finished wiring up an old beat up MIJ Strat 62 reissue with new scratchplate, pots, pups and 5 way switch and I was told to heat the pots up and make a small puddle of solder on the back before offering up the p'up wires, that way all you need to do is melt the solder to attach the wires, not add more and more heat to the pot, not sure if this is the correct way but it worked a treat for me ;) Im keeping the old scratchplate complete, so I can swap it back if I ever want to sell the Strat but Ive never been happy with the hardware on it.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Nice! A good one for next time Sid. Thanks!

[@stephengaren2219]

I've been a longtime proponent of lowering Strat pickups. All four of mine are lowered on the bass side as shown in this video, not much past the mounting screw tops. Each Strat has different pickups. To each their own. I just prefer the sound of the pickups lowered.

[@billpoplin2534]

You have 4 pups on a strat?!

[@stephengaren2219]

@@billpoplin2534 Four Strats

[@gbarge4]

Thank you, Mick. What a wonderful and gratifying journey you've shared. It is indeed an emotional thing and a personal one. "Decision making with multiple uncontrolled variables." I believe my 20 year old recollection of Daniel Ellsberg's PhD subject is accurate enough. Yours is a moving example of how the unifying aspect of deeply personal feel can guide away from the chaos of so many potential variables. (including soldering fun!) LOVE it when you got into the studio and could just CRANK it up! I'm envious, particularly in living through the coincidence of an unexpected construction project taking my barn studio out of commission and isolating in our house presently. (i.e. loud amps sitting silently in the corner while hours are spent mostly on iZotope Spire, thank you Dan!) The beginning of your Blue journey last year felt alarming from here. The end of this vlog post hit more emotionally than I expected. Is that a symptom of yearning for this result? Anyway, yours is an honest, thoughtful and caring example of staying with it. Happy days. Cheers, brother.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thanks G, and I hope the studio is back in the game soon and this damn covid crap is behind us. Much love to you geezer!

[@gbarge4]

@@ThatPedalShow Ha! And here it's always been G-money or G-business or just plain GB. I think G-eezer suits best of all! Thanks, Mick. Much love back! Strange times but I feel so fortunate to be a part of this community you and Dan have created. It's far more than just Tone. Honestly, I've been playing my cherished Martin with Adirondack spruce top, set up perfectly, all secluded and nice. This chapter all started with that acoustic anyway. Patience. Stopping to smell the roses. Good health to you and your bride. "And in the end, the love you take is equal to..." Cheers, brother.

[@fishypaw]

Watching this and other TPS videos. I've come to the conclusion that my old ears are not good enough to hear a lot of the subtle differences that you hear, but as long as you're happy with it and enjoying your guitar again, cool. 👍 I'll keep plugging away and practising and maybe my ability to discern the differences will get better.

[@ThatPedalShow]

It’s not good or bad. It’s just experience and idiocy. Hahaha!!! And for absolute sure we are splitting hairs to a point of near pointlessness. :0)

[@fishypaw]

@@ThatPedalShow Oh well, it keeps us off the streets, and worrying about other silliness. 😉

[@ontheroad579]

You're not alone

[@rs700910]

What a great journey, love all you do Mike (and Dan) but your Strat Vlog is close to where I am with my Strat journey too... So I guess, thanks for doing it for me!! Awesome.

[@wilfredoolivenciaolivencia4724]

The sound of your Blue Strat was close to the Sunburst but no cigar. There is a noticeable difference in the sound of the Sunburst. No biggie though, I think you're an Incredible guitar player and you know your stuff. God bless you !

[@ThatPedalShow]

No arguments here on the sound part! The oldie is really special!

[@SimpleManGuitars1973]

@@ThatPedalShow You should check out Chris King Robinson's Texan Twang pedal with that rig. It would sound really awesome.

[@jesseyasaitis9036]

When soldering to the back of pots, I would recommend using a thicker paste flux. I've had great luck with that. And if you don't want the fumes in your face as you solder, a gentle exhale will keep them out of the way, but not cool the joint too quickly.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thanks Jesse!

[@lenduckworth99]

I've tried all sorts of boutiquey stuff but what got me out of the rabbit hole was the Evil Sheep Experience set. Cheap as well for hand made.

[@petersmith6098]

Great playing Mick; doesn't matter which guitar or pick-ups you're using, it's sounding sweet. Glad to see you've reconnected with Blue.

[@TheOnlyLarsson]

I love these vlogs, I recently bought the strat I've wanted for the last 10 years (finally!) And am very tempted to do some plastic adjustments - but not until we're out of lock down and I've had it properly setup and looked at as I just didn't have time before we all got stuck inside. Amazing strat Mick!

[@tommallah4818]

Super informative Vlog Mick. I feel one of the things that separate TPS from the rest is the dedication and attention to details you guys put into everything you do. Thanks for taking us on your journey.

[@Godsman1982]

Mick, I think those 50/60's sounded amazing. How different were they from the Fender Custom Shop pickups? Feel, balance, tonal difference eat..?? Keep up the great work guys! I love your videos and they have gotten me through this isolation, so thank you!

[@PeterWasted]

Here is a tip to try when wiring it up NEXT time. Don't connect all the wires to ground on the case of the volume control. Solder tremolo ground and jack socket ground together. Solder solid core wire to pot back with it passing through the hole in the outer lug. Solder tone pot ground and solid core wire to outer volume pot lug. bend soldered ends of jack socket and tremolo grounds around the middle of the solid core wire and then solder in place. This way you only solder to the case once and it's much easier.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thanks Peter!

[@ChristopherDowning]

I like the sound of the Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 pros. Very old style sound....that Buddy Holly vibe. I think its the combination of the low impedance ....something like 6.4 ohm AND them being Alnico 2. I'm getting similar results from my Parallel Universe Strat bodied Tele with the Nocaster Alnico 3 poles and low impedance again. I can hear what I mean in the sound of the tri-burst 61 you're playing. I know the reason i chose the SD AP2s was i could afford them.....and they were great.....I'm sure there are more nuanced pups out there .....but you have to budget when its how you earn a crust.

[@ptrisonic]

Actually I really like the same Pick ups as you.... I spent a small fortune on a set of handwound Strat pick ups from a similar one man company (NOT Ron or Lindy - I love his pick ups) and I was surprised how I much preferred the Duncan Alnico 2 Pros..... Live and learn, right? Best, Pete.

[@alexanderroesch2287]

To solder the three ground wires to the volume pot, the following has worked well (after first throwing away the crappy 25 W iron and obtaining a proper "soldering station" with temperature control): 1. cut off an unused lug from another (maybe discarded) pot 2. bend its arm 90 degrees, 3. apply solder to both the pot and the lug arm (pre-tinning) 4. solder arm to pot 5. stick the three wires into the lug's hole and solder in place Done

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thanks Alexander!

[@redtapemusic1]

"And everywhere that Mick went the Tube Tape Echo was sure to go"

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahaha!!!!

[@zosojstro]

Mick you can make any guitar sound good. This was a very compelling video and learned a lot about sweating the small details in chasing tone. Thanks for all the hard work in creating this content.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thanks John! I really can’t make any guitar sound good. Hahaha!! You should see me on anything remotely modern. It’s truly laughable!

[@TyRobertsmedia]

Tip: The best and easiest way to solder pots - get a real solder gun, and tin everything first. The higher wattage gets everything hotter, faster, so you reduce the risk of burning out the pot. Given how much you were "sweating" that job, it will reduce your "solderer's stress". ;-) They also can be used for heavier electrical work around the house. I also agree with you about "Revised Blue" - she and you are in a good place now, congrats.

[@MouldyGuitars]

Mick you need an iron with a bigger tip.. Doesnt have to be high powered, just more metal in the tip means it has more heat capacity when soldering to a larger piece of metal and doesn't soak the heat away so quickly. You will find the pot body solders very quickly. Only downside is it takes longer to heat up initially. I have a 40W weller with a large tip (oooer missus)

[@Danocaster214]

Wow Blue is sounding legendary. I had permanent stank face through the whole jam at the end.

[@lukemaybury4351]

Thanks Mick. Loved the journey. It was very honest. Blue sounds great and very much like the tone you’re chasing, it seems. I almost teared up when you talked about Blue as your mate.

[@TheLambLive]

Talking about rabbit holes... Eric Johnson recommends using springs 1,3,4 and 5 in the block.. Not 2... because that's how to get the best sound apparently. 😄

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahahhaa!!! I totally believe him. :0)

[@ChristopherDowning]

You sure he isnt pulling yer plo....er?

[@TheLambLive]

@@ChristopherDowning There's a picture online of him holding his guitar up to a marshall stack at the crossroads festival, and you can see he's popped the 2nd spring. It's absolutely true :-)

[@Dartheomus]

Today I learned that Mick is a Knob-Guy! For soldering the tone pot, there's a few tricks. First, rough up the surface a bit with a brillo pad and do a final wipe with isopropyl alcohol. Then put a tiny drop of solder flux on the pot. (If you ignore everything else I say, DON'T ignore the flux. It is essential!) Next, use one of those massively oversized solder GUNS.. the ones where you pull the trigger and it's hot in 5 seconds. Put solder on the pot so it's well tinned. Be sure to tin your wires as well. NOW you are ready to solder the wires to the pot, and it should be completely effortless. You can probably use the small iron at that point, or continue using the large one.. your preference.

[@SporkMartial]

43:00 Every since the harmonic trem episode with Joey, whenever I hear one on the show I ask myself, 'do I need a harmonic tremolo?' The answer, of course, is yes. Yes, I do need a harmonic tremolo.

[@mattelder9147]

I ended up getting a used Magnatone Panoramic Stereo as a result.

[@rarnaud]

Mr Black has one in a mini format. Sounds great and is under $100.

[@AriesUmbra]

it's the only modulation i use now

[@scblds7496]

Right on. Nice to see you enjoying the journey. Be well and thanks as always.

[@kentonschroer2347]

Man that ‘61 is crazy good. You’ve gotten Blue to a great place. I think you’ll always be in search of “that sound” until you sell a kidney and buy a vintage strat. Then the rabbit hole just changes.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Yep.

[@adam-yk6yd]

Mick I just made this mistake two days ago with setting my strats pickups too high - I thought the intonation or neck was off(!) and it would need a setup - thanks for setting me straight! LEGEND

[@ThatPedalShow]

There you go!

[@markfisher2221]

Sometimes when you turn off all the pedals you realise how sweet a strat and an amp can sound

[@ThatPedalShow]

No arguments here!

[@zootallures1]

Mick, Mick, Mick, The best part of this great vlog was seeing you so happy at the end of this journey! Your smile, body language and excitement were infectious and exhilarating. Just great to see you in a happy place!....and Blue sounds awesome!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you Zoot!

[@MrIantodd]

I think the Strat sounds best when you play it Sir Mick ;)

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahaha! Bless you.

[@JollyWillard]

Strat vlog was my favorite TPS offshoot. Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for bringing us along.

[@redjet4810]

Ever try an old Fernandes Strat? Ya never know.

[@kevdean9967]

I just bought a '92 le-2 with Texas Specials in it, the original pick ups come with it too. Comes with a nice big bad and a couple straps. I haven't got it yet but looking forward to it's arrival!

[@samuelxavier2473]

Forgot to leave a comment earlier, so here goes... I don't always watch your videos as they're released because it's good to save them up until I have time to enjoy and also when I'm in the right frame of mind. The past two weeks haven't been great fun here, so your recent videos have been the perfect treat for me. Have to say, this one didn't give me any info - other than another pickup brand and their designs - but the enjoyment came from seeing your Strat journey moving along the way and some tasty playing throughout. Of all the music channels I watch, this is the one I look forward to seeing the most. Long may you and Dan continue doing this wonderful stuff.

[@Luke_Williamson]

Finally someone describes measurements in millimetres.

[@jade5773]

can someone explain why the US is still in Imperial?

[@arite8549]

stewart keyes O'Doyle Rules mentality?

[@Luke_Williamson]

Arite 85 well done

[@chrismikan2631]

Glad to see you feel bonded to Blue again. Also, thanks for the discussion on pickup height. I’ve never really stressed that much about that particular topic but it was really helpful to hear your perspective on it.

[@eoghanmyers2330]

Not 14, but I'm a ginger teenager with a full grown dark beard since lockdown. I can only apologize Mick

[@ThatPedalShow]

No worries. Happy for you Eoghan. :0)

[@daves6220]

I always tin the pots first, I use a drop of Flux and an iron that can be set to 800 F. Once tinned drop the iron temp back to 700F. It's always best to use a high quality iron with good temp control.

[@batoli20]

I think I’ve gone one step further into the madness... I’ve ordered a new, lighter body for my strat 😅

[@sandyturner1911]

Sadly, it's comforting to see someone else have the same problems I have, with changing out pickups. It sounds beautiful!

[@davidbrewer8847]

Your Blue Strat sounds better than the 61 strat.

[@Fr3ddyUK]

Where you used tape to hold the earth wires together, use shrink tubing to hold all the wires together. As to soldering them to the pot. Heavily tin the wires before soldering to the pot.

[@derekhenderson1730]

It's always best to rub a small pot surface area with emery or sand paper to key what you're soldering to. It works a treat and it makes for a neat solder connection

[@MichaelStriano]

Love this, Mick. Totally agree re it may be the wrong guitar if you don’t love it and can’t stop tinkering. I have a CS 56 reissue strat that I fell in love with it the moment I touched it. I also preferred the 50s/60s. They sounded more mid-scooped and less aggressive than the 64 to me. I always feel you can add that power to the sound, but you can’t take it away to add dynamics. That’s why I love vintage output strat pickups. Glad you’re back in sync with blue! Thanks for taking us along with you!

[@southpaw335]

Mick - Thank you, i really enjoyed the journey. There are definite improvements for blue (and you) from start to finish, and i think you’ve ended up with a killer sound. The clarity and ‘glassy’ highs are all there (both with 64’s and 50/60s) Every guitar is different and what works in one may not always work in another, so it’s a process every time (at least in my experience) to see what works on that instrument specifically. I’ve probably said it before, but i recommend keeping the 64’s wired up on a pickguard as i think our ears get accustomed to a sound and seek something new, so for the sake of 5 mins and a soldering iron you can swap out during the next string change (something about change and holidays right?) Definitely support your preference for analogue measuring devices - better tones for sure ;-)

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you! Yeah, deffo keeping both sets. Tones that really work for my ears. Cheers!

[@RussellProthero]

Nicely done. I like the shout out for the other pickup manufacturers, for the pick guard shield and why you went with the choices that you made. Nice summing up. Blue's done!

[@moutonrothschild5729]

Hi Mick. Re 19:51 and your dificulties with soldering... What you need is a more powerful iron. I use a 25W iron for general duties, but switch to a 50W iron for tasks like the one in question.

[@moutonrothschild5729]

The pot acts as a heatsink, with and under powered iron the heat is mainly absorbed by the pot, rather than the components you're trying to solder. A good example of the problem is the earth connection to the tremolo claw. A25W iron will never make a good joint because the thermal mass of the claw, springs and trem block suck all the heat away from the solder join. Result: you end up with a cold joint. A 50W or 100W iron wiill apply enough heat at the point of contact to circumvent these issues.

[@BlitFender]

Your "regular" show's great, but the vlogs you two doing are incredible. I'm a real techie nerd by default, so I'm fascinated by anything that goes in depth, just for inspiration. But the recording vlogs you've been doing have got me getting a couple of things down on "tape" (sounds better than "hard drive"). I've played guitar for ages, but always felt frustrated with my playing, always sounding to me like I hadn't practiced enough for my "imaginary punk band", but with you guys, and this lockdown, I've put stuff together that I'm able to listen to for a second time without cringing. Thanks guys for all the inspiration