No Guitar Is Safe

Founding Kiss lead guitarist ACE FREHLEY, aka "the Spaceman," has released a hard-rocking new solo album called just that — SPACEMAN. Plugging in one of his favorite ’59 reissue Les Pauls, Ace sits down with me to jam a little, as well as detail the writing and recording of Spaceman, reflect on reuniting (for two songs) with Gene Simmons, and, of course, look back on his legacy — a wild ride that...

From Django jazz to death metal to his hypnotic new instrumental album, Verlorener, EMIL WERSTLER and his Paul Reed Smith guitars deliver a vast (and very impressive) array of guitar tones, techniques, and styles. In addition to Verlorener and his guitar seminars, Emil is also known for his work with heavier acts such as Daath and Chimaira. I caught up with Emil after his weekend in Los Angeles ap...

For this episode we head to Brooklyn, NY, to plug in with the great JIM CAMPILONGO in his home studio/music lair. As you'll hear, blues, country, jazz, and pop all emanate beautifully from Jim's fingers, and he gets a great tone with just a cable, a Fender Princeton Reverb, and his trusty '59 Telecaster. Jim has a dozen solo albums out, and also two records with the Little Willies, featuring star...

In the music of TOSIN ABASI, prog, djent, shred, funk, fusion, and other guitar styles coexist with spectacular results. This episode finds host JUDE GOLD plugging in with Tosin at Tosin's Los Angeles home studio, where the Animals As Leaders founder takes time to demonstrate his favorite riffs, favorite approaches, favorite gear (including his new line of custom Abasi guitars), and creative proce...

Producer/bassist JMJ plugs in his new Fender Artist Series JMJ Roadworn Mustang bass and jams with host Jude Gold. JMJ also reflects on his adventures touring and recording (he has worked with such headliners as Beck, Nine Inch Nails, Air, Dixie Chicks, Pink, and more), shares what he has learned as a producer (his clients have included Paramore, Jimmy Eat World, Wolf Alice, and other bands), and...

Esteemed guitar virtuoso and educator DANIEL GILBERT plugs a Suhr guitar into a Suhr amp and demonstrates the mighty power of triads and other handy guitar shapes. Gilbert also reflects on his 30+ years of teaching at Musicians Institute, as well as shares hilarious and inspiring stories of those magical days back when he, Tommy Tedesco, Pat Hicks, Howard Roberts, Beth Marlis, Frank Gambale, Paul...

Presented by Guitar Player magazine, this episode finds us cruising the 'copter way up to Rochester, NY, to rock out with MICHAEL STAERTOW, lead guitarist for legendary Foreigner frontman Lou Gramm. Staertow has held the Gramm gig for nearly seven years, and from "Hot Blooded," "Double Vision," and "Urgent" to "Feels Like the First Time," "Head Games," and "I Wanna Know What Love Is," the set of t...

Today, we cruise the 'copter up the Bay Area, north of San Francisco, and drop in on renowned jazz virtuoso MIMI FOX. Playing both acoustic (a Taylor steel-string) and electric (her signature-model Heritage jazz box), Mimi reveals some of her favorite approaches to improvisation, song arranging, and performing. She also shares what it was like be the only jazzer at Paul Gilbert's guitar camp, sign...

Guitar virtuoso SCOTT TARULLI invites host Jude Gold up to his Boston guitar attic to share the improvisation, composition, and risk-taking approaches that inform his playing, teaching (his side hustle is teaching at Berklee College of Music) and songwriting, as heard on his solo album, Anytime Anywhere.

ELLIOT EASTON and THE CARS were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month, and on this episode Elliot plugs in with host JUDE GOLD to show you exactly how he created the iconic guitar parts that helped the band get there. Elliot also shares music from his new band, THE EMPTY HEARTS, and reflects on what he learned tracking Cars guitar parts with super-producers such as ROY THOMAS BAK...

After an afternoon rehearsal with Ozzy Osbourne, metal guitar titan ZAKK WYLDE plugs in with host Jude Gold, mere days before the launch of Ozzy's globe-spanning, two-year No More Tours 2 farewell tour. On this episode, Zakk plays several great Ozzy riffs for you and shares guitar approaches he used on Black Label Society's new album, Grimmest Hits.

In the hands of ADRIAN LEGG, a guitar becomes an orchestra, which explains why Guitar Player magazine readers voted Adrian Legg "Best Acoustic Fingerstylist" four years in a row in the '90s. This episode puts you onstage with Adrian at the Tower Theatre Lounge in Fresno, CA, an hour or so before doors open. Get ready -- the British guitar legend is about to blow your mind when he demonstrates seve...

Wielding his favorite Fender Stratocaster, blues guitar ace KIRK FLETCHER stops by No Guitar Is Safe headquarters and jams with host Jude Gold, shares nine or ten of his favorite blues shuffle approaches, and demonstrates some of the wonderful gospel licks he learned as a youth playing in the Compton church built by his father, pastor Walter Fletcher, Sr., who died recently at age 86. BONUS: Kirk...

Vertical Horizon lead guitarist, lead singer, and band leader MATT SCANNELL has come a long way since he was a kid in his parents' living room trying to play his first riff on a nylon-string guitar. Since then, Scannell has sold millions of records with Vertical Horizon, become buddies with one of his heroes (Rush drummer Neil Peart), and amassed a wonderful collection of tube amps. I was thrilled...

GUTHRIE TRAPP, presented by AUDIO-TECHNICA. From Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, and George Jones to Alison Krauss, Lyle Lovett, and John Oates, Nashville guitar ace GUTHRIE TRAPP has worked with an astounding array of renowned headliners. He also has a new solo album coming out March 9 called LIFE AFTER DARK that features such A-list guest stars as Vince Gill, Paul Franklin, and Sam Bush. And Trapp t...

MITCH PERRY has worked with everyone from The Edgar Winter Group, David Lee Roth, The Michael Schenker Group, Quiet Riot/Dubrow, and Talas to Alphonso Johnson, Steeler, Sam Kinison, and Cher. Mitch has also released solo albums of his own, including Wire to Wire, which you're about to hear excerpts from. On this episode, Mitch plugs in his weathered, black P-90-loaded Les Paul and jams a lot with...

Previewing tracks from his forthcoming album, GUITRONICA, and playing a ton of guitar for you, solo artist and super sideman JAY GORE is on the show. Surrounded by guitars and amps in his Hollywood Hills studio, Jay details an adventurous professional odyssey that began when he was a 13-year-old kid trying to land gigs on the Sunset Strip and has since taken him all over the world. Jay has shared...

Presented by AUDIO-TECHNICA and their E-Series in-ear monitoring headphones, Grammy-winning guitarist STEVE LUKATHER reflects on five years as a member of Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band, and 40 years on stage (and 40 million albums sold) with Toto, the band Lukather co-founded when he was still a teenager. Lukather also jams with host Jude Gold on a variety of songs; comments on the art of rhythm gu...

From Django jazz to pop, rock, bebop, and beyond, JOSH WORKMAN is an astonishingly well-versed cat. And from the opening moment of this episode forward, he plays a ton of spirited guitar for you, and even shares a super-useful, Barry Harris-inspired "six-to-diminished" lesson. I've been friends with Josh since we met as youths at music camp, where he was already playing like a pro. It was only a f...

Presented by D'ADDARIO strings and accessories, JOE SATRIANI plugs into a Marshall half-stack and shares sneak previews of his forthcoming album, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, releasing January 12. (Album samples used with permission from Sony/Legacy.)That's right — we not only hear final mixes from the record, Joe also shows you on the fretboard exactly how he plays the songs, and what inspired the parts. A...

From touring her own brand of virtuoso prog-metal to delivering guitar pyrotechnics (sometimes literally!) in her role as the mesmerizing guitar goddess who lights up the stage of Michael Jackson One by Cirque du Soleil, Israeli-American guitar badass NILI BROSH always finds exciting gigs. I was thrilled to sit down with her in Las Vegas in the lobby of the Michael Jackson One theater at Mandalay...

Known for his rippin' solo albums, high-profile session work, and long tenure as lead guitarist for multi-platinum rock band Supertramp, CARL VERHEYEN is one of the most versatile guitarists on the planet. His latest album, ESSENTIAL BLUES, shows off his soulful and virtuosic approaches to everyone's favorite 12-bar progression. I loved visiting his Southern California home, plugging into a couple...

It's no wonder CHRISTIAN LOPEZ landed a record deal when he was just a freshman in college — his old-soul singing, playing, and writing abilities belie his youthful age. Now 22, Christian is touring his latest album, RED ARROW (Blaster Records), and recently, at the Los Angeles home of his girlfriend, actor SKYLER SHAYE, we sat down and jammed on several of his wonderful songs, and he explained to...

From the tragedy of his first gig to the triumph of his new album, Galaktikon II: Become the Storm, BRENDON SMALL plugs in his signature-model Gibson and Epiphone guitars and shows you how he succeeded in blending metal riffs, animation, and standup comedy to forge one of the most unique careers in the history of guitar. Picking up where Dethklok (the animated intergalactic thrash band from Brendo...

AUDIO-TECHNICA and their E-Series in-ear monitoring headphones present wild jams and great guitar discussion with 28-year-old finger-style rock prodigy JARED JAMES NICHOLS. Heading out on the road with Saxon and UFO for a run of U.S. shows starting September 22, Jared is no stranger to touring, as he's already played arenas and theaters around the world supporting huge acts such as Lynyrd Skynyrd,...