No Guitar Is Safe

KIRK FLETCHER ’s dedication to all things blues related is infectious. He’s so great at playing blues guitar, I swear, just LISTENING to him play can make you a better blues player yourself. And, luckily for you, he plays a ton of guitar for you on this new interview. (Bonus: As you’ll hear in the middle of the episode, we DO revisit the juicy blues shuffles he showed us during his first appearanc...

Let’s flashback to 2018, in the weeks after ELLIOT EASTON and THE CARS were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and we recorded this guitar deep dive and career retrospective with Easton in his home studio. On this episode Elliot plugs in and shows you exactly how he created iconic guitar parts that helped the Cars score many high-charting hit albums and singles. Elliot also shares music...

Charlie Hunter’s love of all things groove-related is infectious — and after you take in this deep guitar hang and jam with the prolific 6-, 7-, and 8-stringer (Charlie’s custom bass/guitar hybrid instruments are always evolving) you’ll likely be inspired to take the art of “lockin’ it in the pocket” to a higher level in your own playing. Additionally, we dive deep into such musical topics as melo...

From Gov’t Mule to the Allman Brothers Band to his prolific solo career, Warren Haynes has long been one of the busiest, hardest working guitarists in rock and jam band circles. In the deep guitar hang that follows, the famed guitarist/singer/songwriter plugs in a Les Paul and shares everything from how to approach Allman Brothers-style twin leads to how he learned to survive playing onstage with...

Today, I report on a behind-the-scenes tour of the GRAMMYS I was lucky to take on Day One of artist rehearsals at Crypto Arena, relive adventures from the three JEFF BECK tribute concerts I played earlier this month, and share with you one of the most inspiring guitar performances I saw at this year's NAMM convention — PHILIP SAYCE's soul-stirring, fret-melting set in the Anaheim Hilton's cavernou...

Today we “fly the ‘copter” across the country to plug in with blues/rock powerhouse ERIC GALES at Earthtones Recording — the Greensboro, North Carolina studio where guitar phenom does most of his tracking. With his second Grammy-nominated album out (2025’s A Tribute to LJK — recorded in honor of his brother Manuel “Little Jimmy King” Gales) — plus a new signature model Kiesel guitar in the works (...

With both a U.S. tour and a new session of Sky Academy booked for April/May, Uli Jon Roth is headed for an exciting Spring of 2026. It’s all part of his passion to reach (and help his Sky Academy students reach) new musical heights. “A great musician is always growing,” says the German-born, U.K.-based guitar hero. Indeed, Uli could have rested on his laurels as the lava-hot lead player of ’70s-er...

Back in October of 2018, I plugged in with Rock-and-Roll-Hall-of-Famer Ace Frehley at his hotel suite in Hollywood, California. Having just re-listened to my hour with the Kiss legend, I have to say: Wow, it's a cool episode — a great hang, and one that is all the more meaningful now that the Spaceman has passed. To honor Ace's life and music, I am re-posting the episode here for you to re-enjoy....

A sonic thrill ride for fans of guitar music, guitar hero/composer LYLE WORKMAN’s new album — called Rhythm and Leads Guitar — is a captivating instrumental odyssey no guitarist should miss. Step into Lyle’s studio with me, and we’ll plug in some guitars with him and dive deep into his new record and much more — including his blazing solos with Bourgeois Tagg back in the ’80s; his new, custom Stan...

It’s one of the most high-energy, foot-tapping, rump-shaking guitar styles you can name, and JONATHAN STOUT is the perfect player to funnel its magic straight into your ears and down to your fingertips — we’re talking swing guitar. It’s got an infectious groove nobody can ignore, and Jonathan is about to show you tons of licks and tricks, two sterling ‘30s-era Gibson L-5’S, and tell you all about...

It’s one of the most exciting hired gun guitar stories in rock history: An up-and-coming guitarist from Alameda, CA, wakes up to a call from a person claiming to be Sharon Osbourne — a call that will launch him on the musical adventure of a lifetime. That guitarist, of course is BRAD GILLIS, and as we celebrate the tenth anniversary of No Guitar Is Safe podcast, it seems only fitting that we repos...

From PETER FRAMPTON to JOE PERRY (Aerosmith) to last week's tenth-anniversary guest, Night Ranger's BRAD GILLIS, guitar tech par excellence DARREN HURST has worked for several world-class guitar heroes, so we had go deep with the veteran guitar tech to find out his philosophies on rig design, guitar tone, and real-time gig survival — and the results are fascinating. How does Darren help Joe Perry...

From unforgettable Ozzy Osbourne and Night Ranger tour stories to super cool riff demonstrations to Ferrari sounds conjured out of his “Ferrari” guitar to detailing his inspiring wellness routines to deconstructing how he approached playing the National Anthem through a fire-breathing half-stack at a recent San Francisco Giants game, BRAD GILLIS shares a ton of deep guitar adventures and insights...

Fretless guitar pioneer NED EVETT is taking his new album — and his new signature-model Aluminati aluminum-necked fretless guitar — to Europe to rock just about every big city you can name over there in support of JOE SATRIANI and STEVE VAI’s “SatchVai Band: Surfing with the Hydra” continent-spanning tour. And in this interview/jam, Ned shares exactly how he’ll approach his solo sets opening for t...

Whether it’s on the first two BOSTON albums or on releases by his latest group, BARRY GOUDREAU’S ENGINE ROOM, guitarist BARRY GOUDREAU brings the world a soaring, blues-inflected sound that has been part of our collective musical psyche ever since he threw down the monster lead on Boston’s 1977 rock radio smash, “Foreplay / Long Time.” I was thrilled to have Barry not only visit us backstage at a...

Whether he’s channeling Duane Allman or Derek Trucks, playing blues bars or baseball stadiums (he’s done the National Anthem for both the A’s and the Giants), JULES LEYHE simply does not stop playing guitar, and his love for the instrument is infectious. Armed with an SG, a mutt Strat, and a custom Tweed amp, Leyhe plugs in with me for an inspiring, extended guitar hang in which we dive into every...

Ain't no interview like a GRACE SLICK interview! That's right — the outspoken Rock-and-Roll-Hall-of-Fame singer of Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, and the voice of the psychedelic rock generation and beyond is on the show. Whether she's talking about the playing of great guitar players she has known (everyone from her legendary Airplane/Starship bandmates to other heroes, inc...

Sixteen-time Grammy-winning resonator guitar legend JERRY DOUGLAS gives YOU a Dobro lesson on this very special episode. The renowned instrumentalist/composer/producer also deconstructs his amazing new album, THE SET — a collection of new recordings comprising the mesmerizing songs you are likely to hear at a Jerry Douglas concert — and dives deep into his work with everyone from Dolly Parton to A...

From soaring overdriven lead guitar volleys to spanky baritone smackdowns, MARK LETTIERI can pull magical melodies and stanky grooves out of just about anything with strings. His new album, Can I Tell You Something?, is a case in point. On this episode, we “land the ‘copter” on the roof of Mark’s Texas home studio, play a bunch of his favorite guitars, stomp on a few of his favorite pedals, and do...

Wielding a fully customized war-torn and home-built Telecaster, blues-rock phenom and guitar luthier SETH LEE JONES taps into a fierce musical mojo whenever he takes his amps off standby and starts to wail (which he does quite a bit on this episode). Enjoy, as Seth reveals how he incorporates slide guitar moves, “steel bends” (courtesy of push levers on his guitar’s bridge), heaps of overdrive and...

Plugging in a custom Dean solid-body, CHRIS POLAND jams with host JUDE GOLD and relives musical adventures spanning his days with jazz-rock daredevils the NEW YORKERS and thrash metal legends MEGADETH to his work leading prog-metal pioneers DAMN THE MACHINE and the hypnotic fusion trio, OHM. Chris also demonstrates sounds from his elaborate two-headed stereo guitar rig. This episode is presented b...

29-year-old Guitarist/frontman MATTHEW CURRY plugs in a cherry Gibson SG, and within the first few notes of this episode, you'll hear why his star is on the rise: He's got fire in his fingers, and soul in his voice. I first saw Matthew on the Rock Legends cruise, where, in just the opening song of his commanding set on the big outdoor stage, I knew I had to have the up-and-coming rock/blues/Americ...

GREG KIHN — the legendary rock radio hitmaker — died on August 13, 2024, so today we celebrate him with an encore of our epic 2017 guitar hang and interview/jam with him and his longtime lead guitar player RY (who also happens to be his son). ORIGINAL EPISODE NOTES: Today, the guitar 'copter descends upon Soundtek Studios in San Jose, California, to jam with platinum rocker GREG KIHN and his lead...

From CHRISTINA AGUILERA and 2PAC to SISQÓ and FRANK OCEAN, guitarist/composer MICHAEL “FISH” HERRING can be heard with a wide range of superstars. On this episode, we “land the ‘copter” on Fish’s front lawn, head into his amazing home studio, plug in some Yamaha guitars (Fish into a Line 6 Helix running though studio monitors, yours truly into a BOSS Katana combo), and do a little jamming. And, of...

Albert King and B.B. King both loved CHRIS CAIN. And so will you. Previewing tracks from his new album, Good Intentions Gone Bad (out July 19th on Alligator Records), and playing a ton of guitar (as well as singing!) for you, blues legend Cain jams with host Jude Gold and shows you how he went from being a little kid going with his dad to attend concerts by the three kings (Albert, B.B. and Freddi...