'Pick of the Day' - 1958 Fender Stratocaster and Dr. Z EZG-50

Today we've got a couple of great picks for you, a 1958 Fender Stratocaster and the excellent Dr. Z EZG-50 amplifier! This Stratocaster just got back to us from our friend and all-around fantastic luthier Eric Daw with a fresh set of frets and a new nut, as this otherwise totally original guitar has been played a lot throughout its life! Honest player wear, a killer sunburst finish, and great pickups make this instrument one of the coolest Strats in the shop! The Dr. Z EZG-50 is a powerhouse 2x10, coming in at 50w with the top-notch Dr. Z tone and construction! A fantastic reverb, Dr. Z Special Design 10" speakers and a pair of 6L6's all lead to a fantastic sound, perfect for most guitars but the Stratocaster is really at home here. We had our friend Karl van der Velden come in this week to run a few demos, and this is the first of the bunch!

For more information about the guitar or amp, please check out:

Music: The Hollers "Great Recluse" (Instrumental)

[karlvandervelden]

Thanks for the kind comments, everyone. Even the not-so-kind comments! Here's the deal: I love that my dear friends at Emerald City invite me to demo these unbelievably rare and beautiful guitars...it is a true honor, but I can't begin to tell you how intimidating and frightening it is for me. Trust me, I know there are many, many guitarists out there who can play circles around me, and that's on my mind the entire time we're filming. I would give anything (well, almost anything) to be able to demo a guitar the way Greg Koch can! All I can do is play whatever occurs to me at the moment based on what the guitar and amp sound like together, and what technique I have available to me at that moment (some days are better than others, right?)
The moral of the story: let's all keep playing our guitars, always striving for more, supporting and loving each other, and dreaming about that next guitar you've GOT to have (isn't that why you're watching this video, after all?) Peace.

[iansnyder]

58 strats have some of the best pickups of all the years for me..so full and round...they really got it right.

[Tonetwisters]

"Cherry" sunburst. This axe has a very lively, and downright sweet sounding back pickup on it.

[VincentVader]

If I only had a spare $27k laying around.

[philipnewton]

Beautiful guitar. No matter how hard Fender try with their “relic” finishes, there’s no substitute for mileage. Lovely playing too. Top video 👍

[johnoconnor]

Carl is such an amazing player, he is everything i'm not, ha < amp100%. strat 110%

[Tonetwisters]

I've read the comments about how a cheap Fender sounds this good. Well, not hardly. This is an historical guitar, and sounds like it. I couldn't pay that kind of dough for it. But if I was wealthy, I would. This was a transition guitar, the first with cherry sunburst, while it still maintained the maple board, which we all take for granted these days. But for YEARS, the '58 was the only combination guitar in existence, and was featured on the cover of the second album by The Ventures. Fender would later produce a similar version in the '70s, but not really close. It would be years later before Fender produced a re-issue that had both cherry sunburst AND a maple neck, with all the other features of this axe. Might not mean much to most of today's players; but I can remember staring at that Ventures album cover as a kid back around 1960, and being captivated by that guitar, and had no clue as to why ...

[ferraridinoman]

God!! That fade in/fade out is IRRITATING!!

[cjscala]

Honest wear?? Thats such a guitar salesman catch phrase.. what other kind of wear is there on frets?

[castorkat]

Im sorry but half the amps in the world on clean tone sounds pretty much alike

[tangodelta]

Amp reviews should not be played through unattainable guitars

[josephfemoyer]

I find Greg Krotch BORING! He tries wayyyy to hard to be amusing but he makes a fool of himself! His musicality is tedious.you Karl on the other hand are always interesting and enjoyable.I appreciate your demos in every instance

[BarnacleButtock]

Sounds no better than a MIJ Squier, maybe just by this playing.