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

Mick wires in the Ron Ellis 50/60 set and finally arrives at a decision. Life too short for long YouTube videos? Interesting bits timings below. Welcome! Regular viewers will know that I've been on a journey trying to 'improve' the sound of my favourite 2001 Sonic Blue Strat. Why? Because I've had a few encounters with genuine 1960s Strats of late, not least the incredible ’61 on loan to me… and they've all had a certain 'something'. Can I get Blue to sound a bit more like the old ones? Maybe. We've done bridges, saddles and pickups so far, and now we're at the end. Obvious questions that will come up in the comments… • Why didn’t you try X pickups? I haven't tried every pickup. But I have tried a great many over the years, in various guitars. We all have to make a choice at some point. These are my choices. • No grounding plate on the back of the pickguard? a) Never had one. b) People I trust tell me it might rob a //tiny// bit of high end with the shielding plate but it’s negligible. I’ve never worried about hum/buzz… even though the hum is significant at the end of this vid. My fault – over excited with gain because I haven't played loud for so long! • Not much on Transit Van (the Black Strat) in this video. Do you not like Fender CS Fat 60s pickups? I do, but the focus is Blue. I'm still not really bonding with Transit Van. • Why is it called Transit Van? Pearly Gates… Billy Gibbons' 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard… Mine was a Transit van, not a 1930s Packard with divine powers. • Wouldn’t it be easier to just buy a) An old Strat, or b) A Custom Shop / Custom Build Strat? Probably. And I will at some point, an old one anyway. • Can you put the old pickups in the newer guitars? Nope. The oldie has had minimal work and the pickguard hasn't cracked yet. I don't want to be the one responsible for that! • What are the best pickups for my/your guitar? I don’t know. Every guitar is different, every player is different. There are so many variables… and fortunately, the biggest one is you! Pedals & stuff in this video (in signal order) • Ron Ellis Pickups: Find Ron on Facebook for now… Facebook: ronellispickups • Jim Dunlop Jimi Hendrix JHF1 Fuzz Face UK & Europe: http://bit.ly/2AUTELD • Catalinbread Belle Epoch Deluxe UK & Europe: http://bit.ly/2RVldeS Australia: http://bit.ly/2Ovelqa USA: https://bit.ly/308PeAy • Hudson Broadcast Dual UK & Europe: http://bit.ly/2iF2DrE Australia: http://bit.ly/2lEeMAU • Mythos Argo UK & Europe: http://bit.ly/2UT0EVw • Cornerstone Gladio V1 https://www.cornerstonemusicgear.com/... • JAM Pedals Ripply Fall UK & Europe: http://bit.ly/2PoxKu0 USA: https://bit.ly/3CW5xOG • Supro Tremolo UK & Europe: http://bit.ly/2pZrAkZ Australia: https://bit.ly/2K36f3B Pickguard: https://www.crazyparts.de/art-of-agin... Covers: https://www.crazyparts.de/art-of-agin... VIDEO TIMINGS: What am I doing? 0:00 Ron Ellis 64 and 50/60 background: 1:45 Rabea tangent: 3:00 1961 Strat and Ellis 64 set comparison at home: 5:05 Wiring in the Ellis 50/60 set: 9:35 Control knob tangent: 11:00 Choosing a pickguard, pickup covers: 13:20 Wiring and assembly: 15:15 Ellis 50/60 DC resistance readings: 16:42 Good solder joint? 17:35 Tone pot on the bridge: 18:00 Checking wiring: 21:50 Putting assembly back in the guitar. 23:00 We have a fault: 23:55 … fixed: 24:15 Ron Ellis 50/60 and 1961 Strat comparison: 25:53 Pickup height? 29:15 Let’s hear them loud then… 36:10 1961 Strat for reference: 36:55 Transit Van: 38:53 Blue with new pickups: 40:40 Closing thoughts: 45:40 Why no shielding plate? 46:44 What about all the other pickups out there? 47:10 THE TRACK at 15:15 is a jam programmed using Apple loops in Logic for drums and bass. I recorded it in UA Luna, adding Oxide Tape plugin, Neve Analog Summing, Capitol Chambers and Ocean Way Studios reverbs. It’s the Two-Rock and Mesa, mic'd at home, with the Gladio, Hudson Broadcast and Supro tremolo. Blue Strat with the 50/60 pickups. Guitars in this episode • THE OLD ONE: 1961 Fender Stratocaster • BLUE: Fender American Vintage 1962 Stratocaster 2001 • TRANSIT VAN: (The black one) Fender American Vintage 1959 Stratocaster 2012 Amps in this episode • Two Rock Classic Reverb Signature / 112 (WGS12L speaker) and 212 (TR1265 B speakers) • Mesa/Boogie California Tweed 6V6 4:40 1x12 combo USA: imp.i114863.net/g0R60 • Marshall 1987x (reissue) with Marshall 1960AX (Celestion Greenback speakers) Please buy TPS merch – https://www.thatpedalshowstore.com We are on Patreon – Patreon: ThatPedalShow Please visit our preferred retailers! UK & Europe: Andertons Music http://bit.ly/2cRvIvt Australia: Pedal Empire http://bit.ly/2mWmJQf USA: That Pedal Shop https://www.thatpedalshop.com/