Podcast 76: Sinasoid and the Custom Shop Cable Builder
For our 76th podcast, we head north to Lynnwood, Washington to visit with Sinasoid Stage & Studio. Sinasoid's Andy Kim and Jonathan Suhr are two musicians who have created a whole new way to...
View ArticlePodcast 77: Eric Garland
Back in November of 2013, trend analyst, author and musician Eric Garland decided to post an entry to his blog entitled “Guitar Center and the End of Big Box Retail.” He described how GC’s corporate...
View ArticlePodcast 78: Guitar Maker Michael Bashkin
Michael Bashkin’s life took a unlikely turn when the former New Jersey resident enrolled as an Art major at the University of Montana. “Living in Western Montana, I quickly discovered the outdoors and...
View ArticlePodcast 79: Dana Bourgeois on Tony Rice
On this week’s podcast, we talk to luthier Dana Bourgeois about a truly special one-off guitar he recently built to benefit Tony Rice. This is Dana’s first (and likely last) attempt at an enlarged...
View ArticlePodcast 80: Nels Cline and Julian Lage
In this hour-long interview, Nels Cline (Wilco) and Julian Lage sit down to talk to us about their fateful meeting (thanks to a lunch date with the late jazz great Jim Hall), the art of the guitar duo,...
View ArticlePodcast 81: Dana Bourgeois on Torrefied Guitar Woods
Call it whatever you like: torrefaction, thermo-cured, roasted or baked. Fact of the matter is that acoustic guitar companies are flocking to a process where woods are put in a specialized, oxygen-free...
View ArticlePodcast 82: John Knowles, CGP
Over the years, Nashville's John Knowles has earned a PhD, a Grammy and even two Emmy nominations. Perhaps even more impressive, he's one of a handful of musicians given the "Certified Guitar Player"...
View ArticlePodcast 83: Chris Eldridge (Punch Brothers)
Chris Eldridge of the Punch Brothers stops by the Fretboard Journal to talk about his love for John Hartford, how his recording sessions with Thile and company come to be and a lot more. We also talk...
View ArticlePodcast 84: Roger Siminoff
Roger Siminoff has always been a tinkerer. At 21, he designed and built a prototype offset press for his family’s printing business. When the music bug hit, Siminoff began building instruments,...
View ArticlePodcast 85: Guadalupe Custom Strings
From a tiny workshop in East LA, the small staff of Guadalupe Custom Strings create string sets not only for acoustic and electric guitarists but also for mariachi, jarocho, bajosexto and arpa players...
View ArticlePodcast 86: Luthier Preston Thompson
In the late 1970s, Preston Thompson moved from Texas to Vermont to learn the art of lutherie at Charles Fox’s School of the Guitar Research & Design Center. He’d eventually spend time at Randy...
View ArticlePodcast 87: Cindy Cashdollar
For our 87th podcast, we talk Dobro and steel guitars with famed musician Cindy Cashdollar. Cashdollar walks us through some of her favorite instruments, including the Lap King guitar she brought to...
View ArticlePodcast 88: Photographer Sam Jones
Sam Jones is easily one of the most in-demand photographers working today: he’s well-known for his trademark shots of George Clooney, President Obama and numerous other A-List celebrities. Jones is...
View ArticlePodcast 89: Harvester Guitars
Most modern electric guitar builders focus on classic Fender and Gibson designs but Anthony Paine of Harvester Guitars is inspired by the unusual: Wandre guitars of the ‘50s and ‘60s and Travis Bean...
View ArticlePodcast 90: Julian Lage
Every time we check in with musician Julian Lage, he seems to have a cool new project brewing. For our 90th podcast, we talk to the ridiculously talented guitarist about his forthcoming electric guitar...
View ArticlePodcast 91: Michael Gurian
The term “living legend” gets tossed around a lot these days, but Seattle’s Michael Gurian certainly fits the bill. Gurian is currently in his 55th year of building instruments and instrument parts....
View ArticlePodcast 92: Joe Henry and David Crosby
The first-ever Fretboard Summit was filled with magical music performances and informative lectures but one clear highlight was this session featuring Joe Henry and David Crosby discussing the art of...
View ArticlePodcast 93: Guitarist Eli West
For our 93rd podcast, we talk to Seattle musician Eli West, who is just about to wrap up a Kickstarter campaign to fund his first solo record. West is a prolific musician, perhaps best known for his...
View ArticlePodcast 94: Danny Barnes
There is only one musician in the world who can sing the praises of bluegrass legend Don Stover, describe the merits of vintage Sunn amps and tell you that he’s working on a suite of 12-tone music for...
View ArticleFretboard Journal Podcast 29: John Monteleone
On this week's episode of the Fretboard Journal podcast, we talk about summer music festivals and, of course, guitars. Marc Greilsamer, our editor, highlights the new Summer edition of the magazine as...
View ArticlePodcast 69: Halcyon Guitars
A North American-built, handmade acoustic guitar for around $1,000? As unlikely as that sounds, Ed Bond of Halcyon Guitars is making it a reality. Bond, a former employee of Larrivee and a maker of...
View ArticlePodcast 70: Bill Collings of Collings Guitars
What exactly is “Bill-gebra”? On our 70th podcast, the always entertaining Bill Collings of Collings Guitars explains the concept to us and a lot more. We talk about the diverse Collings offerings,...
View ArticleFretboard Journal 71: David Grier
Nashville flatpicker David Grier is no stranger to our magazine, he was the cover story of our 16th issue. In this hour-long interview, part of our new Fretboard Journal Live video series, the acoustic...
View ArticlePodcast 72: Tom Brosseau
For our 72nd podcast, we chat with Southern California singer-songwriter Tom Brosseau. Brosseau is no stranger to the magazine, he appeared in our third issue. On this week’s podcast, he talks about...
View ArticlePodcast 73: Chris Funk of Black Prairie & the Decemberists
When he was 25, musician Chris Funk left the Midwest for Portland, Oregon. Why? “I knew John Fahey lived in Oregon, and that was a big draw for me. And I knew Bill Frisell lived here [in Seattle]....
View ArticlePodcast 74: Noam Pikelny & Stuart Duncan
Noam Pikelny and Stuart Duncan are arguably two of the greatest players to ever pick up their respective instruments. Pikelny is, day in and day out, pushing the boundaries of the five-string banjo...
View ArticlePodcast 75: Philip Graham of Ear Trumpet Labs
When Portland, Oregon computer programmer Philip Graham decided that his singer-songwriter daughter needed a better microphone, he didn’t just turn to the latest pro audio catalog. Instead, Graham...
View ArticlePodcast 96: Josh Rosenthal of Tompkins Square Records
For our 96th podcast, we talk to Josh Rosenthal of Tompkins Square records. In its first decade, Tompkins Square has released dozens of essential albums for guitar lovers, including the Imaginational...
View ArticlePodcast 97: TJ Thompson
Luthier TJ Thompson returns to our podcast to tell us a bit about his new website, proluthiertools.com. On the site, TJ is selling some of the exacting tools and guitar parts he’s developed over the...
View ArticlePodcast 98: Matt Munisteri's Blindfold Guitar Challenge
Vintage guitar enthusiasts are quick to point out the differences between various makers, tone woods and construction techniques. But can you identify with just your ears what you’re actually hearing?...
View ArticlePodcast 99: Luthier Scott Walker
Before he devoted himself to making electric guitars, luthier Scott Walker spent years setting dovetail neck joints at the Santa Cruz Guitar Company. With Walker’s most recent creation, the Katana, he...
View ArticlePodcast 100: Luthier T. Drew Heinonen
We celebrate our 100th podcast episode by ordering a custom acoustic guitar! On this episode, we talk to luthier T. Drew Heinonen, who got his start working for Bourgeois Guitars and acclaimed...
View ArticlePodcast 101: Luthier T. Drew Heinonen and the OM Guitar Build, Part Two
Luthier T. Drew Heinonen will soon be building us a custom OM style guitar. On this episode, we talk to Drew about the time he spent at Jim Olson's shop, his philosophy when it comes to CNC machines,...
View ArticlePodcast 62: Reuben Cox of Old Style Guitar Shop
Running an independent guitar store is no small task, but Reuben Cox of Los Angeles’ Old Style Guitar Shop has found success with an unusual formula. On this week’s podcast, we talk to Cox about his...
View ArticlePodcast 63: George Tomsco of the Fireballs
As one of the founding members of the Fireballs, George Tomsco is a true rock & roll pioneer. In the late ‘50s and ‘60s, his guitar playing was ubiquitous on the radio waves with hits as “Torquay,”...
View ArticlePodcast 64: Richie Havens Remembered
Folk music icon Richie Havens passed away on April 22, 2013. On this week's podcast, we listen in to an interview we conducted with Havens in 2010 at the Guild Guitars factory in New Hartford,...
View ArticlePodcast 65: Fletcher Bright and Bill Evans
For our 65th podcast, we talk to banjo musician and educator Bill Evans and old-time fiddler Fletcher Bright. The duo recently released an album entitled Fine Times at Fletcher’s House. Despite their...
View ArticlePodcast 66: Greg Leisz on Buddy Emmons
Greg Leisz is prolific, to say the least. For decades, the Southern California-based multi-instrumentalist has been a go-to guitarist and pedal steel player for musicians such as Eric Clapton, Buddy...
View ArticlePodcast 67: Chris Martin of Martin Guitars
Martin Guitars is celebrating its 180th year in business. The venerable, family-owned company is also the subject of two new books and a forthcoming 2014 exhibit at the Met. On this week’s podcast, we...
View ArticlePodcast 68: Pepe Romero, Jr.
As a member of the legendary Romero family, Pepe Romero, Jr. grew up in a self-described classical guitar “gypsy camp.” Instead of following in the footsteps of his father and relatives, however, Pepe...
View ArticlePodcast 95: Guitar Restoration Panel with Jim Baggett
Bridge plates, neck resets, refinishes… these are the issues that cause sleepless nights for many vintage guitar enthusiasts. On November 7, 2015 at the first Fretboard Summit, Mass Street Music’s Jim...
View ArticlePodcast 102: Ronin Guitars with Dan Phelps
Ronin electric guitars are instantly recognizable thanks to their unmistakable Foilbucker and Stratofoil pickups. Dig a little bit deeper and you'll also discover that these guitars have another unique...
View ArticlePodcast 103: Eric Daw of the Fret Files / Pin-Up Custom Guitars
For years, Eric Daw has been the in-house repairman at Seattle’s acclaimed Emerald City Guitars. On today’s episode, we talk to Eric about his work at the store, his love for vintage guitars and a lot...
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