Janek Gwizdala Podcast

Aside from posing the question of whether or not two pedals can be a "pedalboard", I get into what it takes to reboot the system ahead of a grueling international tour schedule. I’ll be in China and Taiwan for just over two weeks playing 10 concerts with Steve Smith’s Vital information, and that is book-ended by an insane home schedule of filming, recording, and family commitments. I talk all the...

I always find it fascinating as to how long a pedalboard lasts. For the most part in my career, the next board is already being planned before the current one is even fully wired and operational. Things seem to be a little different this time around though, and I’m excited to share with you what makes this one of the most musical builds I’ve ever completed. Enjoy, Janek P.S. For the first time in...

After a fantastic week on the road and in the studio with Steve Smith and Vital Information, I'm back home in my studio to examine the most insane pedal delivery my collection has ever seen. As you may have heard I'm getting ready to start shoot the biggest Bass DI/Pre Amp video of all time. As you'll see from today's episode, that's not click bait or overselling, it's as accurate a description as...

It’s hard to put into words what it means to meet your heroes. To be able hit record 5 minutes later and get to share that conversation with you is one of the prouder moments of my career. With stories about how he started out, practicing in a shed in Steve Smith’s backyard, to walking into Electric Ladyland in New York City for a record date where the horn section was Michael and Randy Brecker an...

Today I'm shooting out my wife's first $200 bass from when she was 13 years old against my Master-Built $10,000 signature Mattisson. It's such a fun experiment to see where the two are similar and then push the limits to where those similarities evaporate. Get in the comments on YouTube and let me know if you have two basses on opposite ends of the cost spectrum that are closer in actual value tha...

Ranking the best and the worst flights cases and gig bags for basses and pedals from my entire career. I still have at least one example of almost every single style of case I've ever used, and I have them all out of storage for this video to share my thoughts with you, and hopefully help you figure out what might work for you. The bass I mention in the video that is for sale can be found here: ht...

I'm programming new sounds for my HX Stomp today, and getting into some fundamental and more importantly useful sounds for regular bass players. As much as the YouTube algorithm might feed you some of the more flashy and soloistic moments of my career, the bigger portion of my bass playing life has been spent in the lower register of the instrument holding the band together. With that in mind, I w...

In an effort to be all about the in-person interview as much as possible on the podcast, I flew out to Minneapolis to hang with bassist, podcaster and educator Ian Martin Allison this past weekend. We talked about the very contrasting ways in which we use the Line6 HX Stomp, touring as a sideman vs musical director, how being a parent changes everything, and what it's like to transition from freel...

Does the bass world really need yet another distortion and compression pedal? There are literally 100's of each to choose from at this point, and it is no longer a surprise when a new builder pops up and announces a new one has arrived. I have some of them, but by no means all. I've played a lot of them, but not every single one. In my humble opinion, one that isn't being paid for by anyone, these...

Get ready to level up your bass recording game! In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on killer home recording setups for every budget. Whether you're rocking a tight wallet or ready to splurge, I've got you covered. We're diving deep, exploring setups from under $500 all the way to the stratosphere of luxury gear. There's something here for every bassist, whether you're just starting out...

In a continued effort to be as transparent as possible with my process, this episode breaks down some of the financial realities of running several small businesses as a musician. It all started 30 years ago as being "just" a bass player, but it's come a long way and is still evolving. With business interests in online education, content creation around pedals and gear, writing books, making docum...

In this episode I'm sharing some thoughts on bass signal path when it comes to building pedalboards. We look at ideas for pedals routed in series as well as the current setup I have where I'm using parallel loops. I also go over a huge list of pre amps and compressors I'm considering for my "clean" signal. Pedals are a never ending world of experimentation for me. I don't think there's a "right" w...

I'm at a very fortunate point in my career where I have access to not just the most incredible instruments, but the most incredible people. While at the NAMM show convention lat month I met the folks at RKM basses and had an immediate connection with the instrument featured in this video. Besides the incredibly kind gesture of gifting me this bass, RKM are not paying me to make this podcast or to...

Cliff Almond is one of the most underrated drummers of the past 30 years with one core element, "The Grid", that creates this effortless transition from Michel Camilo and Wayne Krantz, to arena rock tours and studio sessions. He also happens to be the drummer in my band, the drummer on my latest album "Night Watch", and one of my great friends of almost 20 years. He may be from a generation that c...

I’ve been waiting for this bass for over 4 1/2 years. It was the bass gifted to me and Chelsea at our wedding in 2019, and holds a very special place in our hearts. It also happens to be a world-class piece of design and craftsmanship, which takes owning and playing it to a whole other level. All is explained in the episode. Enjoy, Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.subst...

As I update you guys on the flood damage in this episode, I’m also able to show you some new pieces that just came in this week, as well as announce some new boutique stuff that’s en-route. The damage wasn’t as crazy as I had originally feared, but it did take a week of removing the backs of pedals, slowly drying them out, and then using contact cleaner and some further patience to sit here and te...

It’s been quite the weekend with the laundry room flooding and cascading down into my studio, soaking a bunch of pedals on the shelves you see in so many of my videos. I’m a couple of days into the drying out process and am hoping most things can be recovered. But the fact that I was pouring water out of an overdrive pedal like it was a teapot, kind of hints at a few things being permanently bugge...

Sneaking one last episode in for the year! My list of what won and what lost in 2023. I’m extending the sale in the store another 24hrs as I’ve been so off the radar lately and not communicating with you all. It all ends at midnight on new years day, and then it’s into 2024 and all the new projects. Happy new year, and see you on the other side. Janek. Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at jane...

I never say never, but most of the people I discuss in this episode are more than likely way out of reach. The gigs are super fun to think about though, and simply working on the music of these artists is a massive part of my process and gives me endless hours of material to practice. It also fuels the “Could I Play bass With” series very nicely, so if you ever wondered what I might sound like pla...

It is definitely possible to survive and thrive in the music business/industry, no matter what your entry point and no matter when you started. I’m sort of living proof of that, and despite many ups and downs along the way, I’m happy to report that I still love doing what I do all these years later. It’s a bummer that the movie file corrupted for anyone watching on YouTube. One of the big parts of...

If you watch the podcast on YouTube, let me know what you think about it being back on the main channel. I put up a clips channel and a YouTube channel like I was some kind of YouTubing empire… in hindsight, it might be easier to stick in my little bass-niche lane and manage everything from one place. Must remember my last name is Gwzdala and not Rogan… 🤔 Having sold out of almost every book in t...

I'm reacting to my playing on the first five "Could I play bass with" videos from my main channel, and discussing how I go through the process of transcribing, learning, and ultimately performing the music. Janek. Tour Dates Bass Books Bass Courses Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe

I just took delivery of the new Caveman Audio CP-1 compressor, and make a quick announcement of it in today’s episode. I’m also going over cover songs, how I pick a setlist for a tour, and what I’m doing less than 24hrs before my flight to Europe tomorrow to be in the best condition for my short tour of the UK. Tour Dates November 4th - Bournemouth Masterclass 3pm | Absolute Music November 6th - L...

From the beginnings of an idea, all they way through to it potentially being on an album, there are a lot of steps in the process. One of them is demoing. I think it’s probably way more important in the pop music world, and just vocal music in general, than for instrumental music like the majority of mine. But it has had its place for me over the years, and this episode deals with the journey of t...

It’s kind of crazy to think that over the years I’ve now made 263 episodes of this podcast. Sadly not all of them are still available, but having just gone back through the archives to count up the episodes, it reminded me that this is the thing I’ve been doing online the longest in terms of communicating with my audience. The original episodes, recorded with the built-in mic of an old laptop went...