The Album That Changed Eric Clapton Forever - J.J. Cale's Naturally
In this episode of Ask Zac, I take a deep dive into Naturally (1971), the landmark debut album that quietly shaped the playing of Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Tom Petty, John Mayer, and countless othe...
30 Jul 20min
The Wicked Stepchildren of the Telecaster - The 70s Tele Custom & Telecaster Deluxe
Ever wondered why the 1970s Fender Telecaster Custom and Telecaster Deluxe are some of the most misunderstood guitars Fender ever built? In this episode of Ask Zac, we take a deep dive into these "wic...
30 Jul 24min
What It's Like Playing The Grand Ole Opry
Have you ever wondered what it's really like to play the Grand Ole Opry? In this episode, I share stories from my most recent appearance with Brad Paisley, including an unexpected guitar solo, the his...
30 Jul 19min
The Phil Kubicki Story - From Fender To Factor Bass
On today's episode of Ask Zac, we are diving deep into the life, career, and brilliant innovations of one of the most important former Fender employees and guitar builders in history: Phil Kubicki. W...
30 Jul 19min
Tracking Brad Paisley's Tackelbox Album & His 2026 European Tour
Brad Paisley recently started rolling out tracks for his ongoing project, Tacklebox, and I had the absolute honor of sitting in the studio to track these songs. But the craziest part of this project i...
30 Jul 24min
Why I Don't Like Overdrive Pedals & The 4 That Make The Cut
If you grew up on the pristine, dynamic guitar tones of the 1950s and early 60s, standard overdrive pedals can often sound artificial, overly compressed, and flat-out unnatural. For years, I avoided t...
30 Jul 22min
Standel & The Tragic Genius of Bob Crooks - The Man Who Invented the Boutique Amp
The Man Who Invented the Boutique Amp: The Tragic Genius of Bob Crooks Before Dumble was a household name, and before Mesa/Boogie revolutionized the high-gain stack, there was Standel. In today’s vid...
20 Mai 25min
