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.

[@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!

[@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..

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@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!

[@50Something]

Man, we all suffered through the bloody plandemic! It will take years to shed the trauma we experienced yet you continued to make great content to keep us entertained. The rabbit hole episodes are the absolute best. The question is, do you still have Blue?

[@gordrock]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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. :)

[@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!

[@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 😊

[@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...

[@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)

[@gregantonowicz2818]

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

[@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!

[@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! :)

[@tomlaw8821]

Last video I commented saying your new pickups sounded awful, these ones sound GREAT! I knew you were hearing what I was, it's just hard to admit to yourself after you spend money and put in work. Glad you made the change, these sound much better.

[@ThatPedalShow]

I don’t agree Tom! I really love the 64s too! They’re not //that// different.

[@tomlaw8821]

@@ThatPedalShow :) love your videos Mick

[@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! 🤣🎸

[@johnroberts838]

Hi Mick, Brilliant VLOG 👍👍👍. I love the sound of the 50/60's, really nice warm tone without losing the bite of a Strat! Excellent backing music for the pup installation, 44:13 absolutely beautiful 👍. I am glad it's not just me that needs an extra hand when soldering the Ground wire to the Volume pot, lol. Take care mate ♥️👍. Melbourne, Australia.

[@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.

[@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.

[@thechannelforeverything2170]

Wow, that Boogie sounds absolutely wonderful.

[@anthonydratnal1870]

Mick, I am absolutely stunned by what you have managed with this incredible series of Vlogs. When compared to another Strat in every previous video, the '61 has been like a bolt of lightning directly into my ears, immediately grabbing my attention whether I was actively watching or doing the dishes with headphones on and mind wandering. But with Blue's new pickups, the difference has truly become marginal. I can no longer identify the two from extended playing samples, and even jumping back and forth between specific snippets, the two are very, very close indeed - both in the tone and in how you play them. I'm happy that you have reconnected with your old friend, and excited to see what I can do about the guitars with which I've fallen out of love too!

[@vansheen9096]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@periloustemple8290]

Ah, Stay Awhile (is that what's called?) @ 43:15. It is so beautiful and it sounds like you. You have taken a basic theory concept and created a beautiful thing. That's the best thing that can happen. Oh, yeah: the PU's sound pretty amazing. Good call, but the Ron Ellis' where sweet, too.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you!

[@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)

[@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.

[@davedavem]

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

[@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

[@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. :)

[@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!!

[@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...

[@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.

[@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!

[@theobynight]

Im happy for you Mick but please dont be done! I love these Strat vlogs so much and its such an inspiration to me that I will start my own quest as soon as this corona thing settles. Oh and thank you!

[@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!

[@tommyv365]

Damn man! I woke up to your video this morning and drifted off for a bit only to be awoken by the most amazingly smooth and classic tone/playing I've ever heard you play on here so far! Just how subtly you layered the tone on and worked your playing towards the end really started my day off right!

[@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

[@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!

[@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.

[@simonwilliams9916]

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

[@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

[@chazjr2390]

Mick! I've been a fan of this channel for quite some time now. I'm a Strat and Tele guy and LOVE everything you do to your guitars... especially Blue! The tones you consistently get from your guitars is truly amazing to me. Sometimes I think these video's are a bit too long (lack of time on my part), but I'm always happy when I watch them to the end... to get the full effect! LOL! Great job and great playing, my friend. Very inspiring!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thanks Chaz! Much appreciated.

[@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".

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@Marcus-jg4jb]

That's a great shout, if you love a guitar and some mods would make it better, then it's a great plan. Modding a guitar you don't love into one that do you rarely ever happens. Love the strat journey, and love hearing Blue and you make that connection again!

[@mattflickinger8151]

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

[@StephenSenni]

27:32 with headphones in was simply amazing! That tone from a bridge pickup was exactly how a Strat bridge pickup should sound! Well done!!!!

[@Danocaster214]

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

[@satch099]

Well chuffed for you Mick, you could really see the happiness when you were playing blue at the end. To my untrained ear both sets of the pick ups in blue sounded like there was a tiny bit more sizzle and grit in them, the 61 sounded ever so slightly more rounded. But all in just great to see you happy and enjoying playing blue like you want to! Stay safe to all the TPS Fam

[@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.

[@ChrisBuckGuitar]

Lifesaver with those Crazy Parts knobs with the correct font mate!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Ha! Totally. I can sleep at night again. :0)

[@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.

Oh man, it’s so good to see this “tone search” mission accomplished! Blue is sounding AWESOMELY close to the original 61! Congrats!! 🤘🏻 Looking forward to the next vlog!!!

[@redtapemusic1]

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

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahaha!!!!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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

[@MarceloDurham]

Thanks again Mick... please don't get me wrong but when I see you checking the size of the vintage numbers on the knobs and after that even cleaning them .. It makes me feel less crazy. So thank you for that, really! LOL,.. also another GREAT VLOG! KEEP THEM COMING! Cheers! :P

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahahah!!! I don’t get you wrong at all. It’s got to be right!

[@MarceloDurham]

@@ThatPedalShow It is true .. you're right mate! STRAT POWER!

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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 :-)

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@MrIantodd]

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

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahaha! Bless you.

[@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.

[@markfisher2221]

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

[@ThatPedalShow]

No arguments here!

[@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!

[@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

[@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.

[@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)

[@remnantofyisrael4522]

Mick, after your first comparison between the 50/60 install and the '61 Strat, I would have suggested raising the neck pickup on Blue 1/2 a turn on Bass and Treble side and then raise a 1/2 turn on Treble side for the bridge. That would have, in my opinion, brought the two guitars as close tonally as possible. I realize that the KZbin sound is not exactly what you are hearing but that's all we have to work with. All that said, I think Blue now sounds fantastic. It's not a duplicate of the '61 "Holy Grail" sound, but rather what it should be; it's own unique personality coming through, which it does wonderfully. I wouldn't change anything, especially since it has put a big smile back on your face. Enjoy a job well done and a result well earned.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thanks man. The next few months will be listening/tweaking and all of that. It’s good fun!

[@batoli20]

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

[@tonybrooks476]

A wonderful journey Mick incorporating much more than guitars. Fabuflippinlusly brilliant. I can see myself going down the Fat 60s route maybe come Christmas. Once lockdown is over I will get my new pick guard fitted and the bridge mod done by my equivalent of Dan. Fabulous.

[@davidbrewer8847]

Your Blue Strat sounds better than the 61 strat.

[@andrewrwhitfield]

Sounds fantastic! From what I could tell the 61 Strat had more low end and mids. Once the 50/60 set went in, sounded a lot closer to me. Loved the tone. Well done mate.

[@forgediron]

Mick, the secret to soldering on the grounds is a higher wattage iron. The large metal surface pulls the heat away too fast. You will actually heat the pot less with a bigger iron because you are on it for a shorter time. Sometimes, the largest tip you can get for your lower wattage iron will be enough to get you over the hill. Thanks for all the work you guys do, hope this helps!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you!

[@Dave_Moore_Malin-Music]

Mick - thank you so much for sharing this journey with us! I'm halfway thru and honestly won't really mind where you end up. The "journey not the destination" seems very apt here. Love your enthusiasm and passion for sharing this knowledge. Cheers. D