Guitar Garage Talk

In this engaging conversation, Chloe shares her unique journey in the world of guitar repair, highlighting the concept of her business, Chloe's Guitar Spa. She discusses the importance of quality control in guitar manufacturing, her experiences at Sweetwater, and the vibrant music scene in Philadelphia. Chloe also shares personal stories about her guitar collection, customer interactions, and the...

Justin Eisenman of Eiseman Guitars, out of Asheville, North Carolina, is a triple threat. Not only is he a talented bluegrass musician, performing with his wife, who plays stand up bass, but he's also a skilled repair specialist and craftsman of some of the most beautiful guitars I've seen in a long while. Justin took some time out of a recent Sunday and had a sit down with me in the garage... enj...

Bill Tallitsch, of Humanoid FX is an electronics alchemist. I know nothing about what goes into the production of guitar effects pedals, but have always been fascinated by them. It certainly was a learning experience to sit down with Bill and have our chat. Really looking forward to seeing what more, beyond his already amazing lineup of pedals, is coming into his production flow. Enjoy!

Joining us in the garage this episode is Nik Roumell from the YouTube channel The Axe Guitar. Nik has driven a giant stake into the ground and has heartily claimed his corner of YouTube with his informative and engaging content. He has drawn the attention of Floyd Rose users around the globe with his vast knowledge of the infamous whammy bar, and reviews the latest in pedals, guitars, amps and mor...

To start off season two in the garage, I had the opportunity to talk with Matt D of Guitar MD on YouTube. Matt was a fascinating chat... his YouTube channel is a wealth of luthier knowledge mixed with great clips demonstrating his playing (check out his cover of Hendrix's Machine Gun). Cool guy, and super cool discussion. Enjoy!

John Davidson, of Heavy Repping, through his passion for aesthetic design and search for personal ergonomics as a guitarist, has transcended his life as a mere creator of thoughtfully crafted picks... he has become an artist. His hope is that every player can reach their full potential with the right tools... even down to their choice of guitar picks.

Ian Davlin is a journeyman who has accumulated a wealth of knowledge and a host of comrades during his decades as a guitar repair tech. Ian then created an online outlet, for sharing this information and community vibe, titled The Looth Group. He sat down with me to chat about it. Enjoy!

Emerson is an expert juggler... moving effortlessly between professional artist showing in galleries to barista to musician in a band and then... last but not least... driving the highly explosive Instagram's @TryingToGuitar as a professional repair tech. She's got it all, and doing it in spades. I felt honored to fit into such a tight schedule. Enjoy!

Jack Brunson is a man living his dream. Jack has immersed himself in a world of guitars as a musician, collector, tech, retailer and... quite simply... a fan. Jack owns Jack's Guitarcheology in Lebanon, TN, and when I started following him on Instagram I knew I had to chat with this dude... he ticks all the boxes of a guest I'd like to have on this podcast of mine. Enjoy!

When I opened up my guitar repair shop, Your Guitar Mechanic, I knew I was in for a treat. On a regular basis, I would get to come in contact with not only some amazing guitars and basses, but musicians of all levels and styles. My tribe. Paul brought his Stratocaster in for some upgrades and the conversation began. Before we got too deep into a rabbit hole of subjects, I asked if he could share h...

Daniel runs his shop out of Brainerd, Minnesota. You can tell right away, when talking with him, that he has a deep appreciation for his hometown and it resonates in his approach to his work. Discovering music at an early age by hanging out with his dad, a professional bassist, was the catalyst to get into playing and working on his own guitars. He took that mindset to luthier school and fine tune...

I had a chance to chat with Rhett Harris of Rhett's Frets, LLC out of Nashville, TN. Being so close to one of the hottest guitar meccas in the U.S. has some names and stories, and it was great to hear about them. We had some laughs along the way. Enjoy!

Michael Russo of Big River Guitars has a deep artistic appreciation for the vintage. The roadworn, played hard, and never hangin on a wall vintage axe that always, without fail, demands to be heard. His marriage of components, visual aesthetic and designs stands alone. Enjoy!

Mike is a builder who builds things to build things. He has a designer's mind, a luthier's skill, and an artist's heart. It was cool to sit down and pick his brain about what he's creating out of his shop. Instruments that resonate his love for the instrument and his appreciation of the artists who play them. Enjoy.

One of my favorite things about this podcast is being able to chat with luthiers of all skill levels, experience, styles, genres and directions. Kyle Nelson has started Northman Guitars out of Minnesota. He is just starting to dip his toes in the water and documents his journey on Instagram. It was a cool conversation about getting started, sticking with a vision, and making it happen. Enjoy!

Jim Glinksy owns Glinksy Customs out of Austin Texas. He brings with him a rich history of builders, repair specialists and musicians. When it comes to his bench, he has practically seen it all. It was an honor, and certainly too brief a moment, to sit down with him and hear the tales. Enjoy!

Matt is a luthier who creates not only acoustic guitars and ukuleles, but art. Truly a craftsman who approaches his builds with a grounded belief in minimal use of power tools and heavy emphasis on manually hand-working woods strictly from sustainable sources. It's evident that the knowledge he has accumulated over the past few years as a musician and a luthier is deep. His story is fascinating. E...

Tom Dalia, known to the guitar community on Instagram as Frettie Mercury, is a creator. His knowledge of the CAD design and CNC construction realm of guitar and guitar parts production is deep and varied. He can tell you everything you'll want/need to know about a particular bridge, saddle, neck, body... you name it... he can produce it. His story is a journey with many names and connections. It's...

I always enjoy talking with other musicians about their process, and Jackson Harden, from Charlotte, NC, was no exception. From the first listen to his new release Dakota Blue Moon, I could tell that Jackson and his music are deeply rooted and respectful to his influences. His lyrics, vocals and underlying guitar work create a blend that's easy to listen to and even easier to get lost in. A storyt...

After years of working on my own guitars for many, many years, I decided to make it a career. Why not? Why not do what I love doing, and have a career at it. So, I went online and searched for schools to learn the proper craft of guitar repair. I quickly discovered there were not many options. Southeast Guitar Repair Academy popped up, and every time I made a list of possible educational options,...

When I got married in 2014, I went out looking for a guitarist. Why not? It's my favorite instrument, and this was the one thing I had creative control of for our small, intimate ceremony. A private affair with family and friends, and a subdued, solo, fingerstyle guitarist was perfect for this type of intimate event. I found the right guy. David Naidu is a guitarist, who resides in Orlando, FL., a...

When I sent Steve an invite to be on my podcast, he responded with enthusiasm. I expected that type of response from a guy like Steve. On his YouTube channel, Manotick Stringworks (based in Manotick, Canada near Ottawa), he seems to approach every project with an enthusiasm that's somewhat contagious. When one of his videos showed up in my "curated" YouTube feed one morning over a cup of coffee, I...

When I decided to create this podcast, and sat down to make a list of guests I'd like to converse with, one name rose to the top- Steve (Leo) Sanders. Steve handed me my first guitar at the age of 10, and I never looked back. His wealth of knowledge of the musicians and bands he hung out with growing up in Jamestown, North Dakota in the 60s and then Minneapolis Minnesota in the 70s 'til now, is im...

Who am I? What the heck is this about? What am I doing? Take a listen and find out. I'll discuss everything related guitar, and you may enjoy it. Thank you.