The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast

Maury Rutch, founder of Maury's Music, joins us this week for a candid talk about running an independent guitar store through a pandemic, his love for Martin guitars and his new short-form podcast (The Maury's Music Podcast). Rutch's story is a unique one: He left a factory job in the late '90s to sell bone saddles and guitar parts for Martins on eBay. Eventually, he added Martin accessories to hi...

On today's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to Scott Bass, co-founder of the forthcoming Headstock Guitar Lover's Festival, taking place November 6-7, 2021 in San Diego, California.  https://guitarloversfestival.com Scott tells us about his vision for the new show, the setting it'll be held in, some of the luthiers who have already signed on to exhibit, and a lot more. For years, Scott has produ...

The Fretboard Journal ... Book Club? Today, guitarmaking legend Richard Hoover of the Santa Cruz Guitar Company joins us for a unique conversation about reading, reflection and empathy. He shares the two books he's reading now and invites listeners to submit questions, thoughts or reflections on the pair. We also learn about Richard's reading habits in general, his upbringing in California, how SC...

A "labor of love." That's how Sam Plecker (Vista Kicks) describes Pulga Jams , the unlikely Beatles and power pop-inspired EP that he recorded during the pandemic while holed up in a resurrected California ghost town. During this week's conversation, Sam describes his one-of-a-kind quarantine situation (and how it came to be), the gear he lugged into the historic Pulga, California school house tha...

For our 328th podcast, we celebrate the music of Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence (1910-1984) and the forthcoming release of Encore: Unheard Recordings of Bahamian Guitar and Singing (out July 16, 2021 on Smithsonian Folkways). Recording engineer, musician and producer Peter K. Siegel joins us to talk about how he recorded these 13 tracks (both in NY and at Spence's home in Nassau), the unlikely g...

On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, Jason gets to grill another guitar podcaster, Blake Wyland (Tone Mob, Chasing Tone) about the world of boutique pedals, gear marketing trends and more. Blake recounts how he left a steady, but unfulfilling day job to jump into the guitar industry, first as a podcast host and eventually as a consultant to indie brands. We also chat about guitar media (YouTu...

Jackson Cunningham is a bit of a rarity in the world of acoustic guitarmaking. While countless luthiers do their best to emulate old Martin designs and shapes, Cunningham's biggest influence is vintage Gibsons. Over the years, this Virginia-based builder has crafted L-5, L-00 and even J-55-inspired guitars. He's also garnered praise from two of the biggest vintage guitar experts around: George Gru...

Author/law professor/lecturer/musician/ Fretboard Journal contributor John Thomas joins Jason for a long overdue check-in! We hear about the aftermath of his famed 2012 book, Kalamazoo Gals: A Story of Extraordinary Women & Gibson's "Banner" Guitars of WWII . John sheds light on some of his current guitar projects, including his recent trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan to visit the former Gibson factory...

Jack Tarlinton's story is unlike any you've heard before. The Australian tinkerer and music lover started out in publishing (he co-founded the Skateboarder's Journal, a magazine not unlike our own, but for skateboarding); found himself doing carpentry and eventually worked in the prop department of a big budget Hollywood movie. He then caught the lutherie bug, thanks in part to the Fretboard Journ...

Reverb.com's Michael Lux and Dan Orkin are the co-producers of The Pedal Movie , Reverb's first feature-length documentary on the history of pedals, the current pedal movement and the artists who are pushing the boundaries of music with their stompboxes today. It's an inspiring, epic film - around two and a half hours long! - filled with the many, diverse faces that make up today's pedal industry....

Richard Thompson joins us this week for a very special talk about the making of his new memoir, Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975 . The book chronicles the first chapter of RT's music career - including his time in the Fairport Convention, playing with Sandy Denny and his first solo albums - and is a must-read for fans of the famed singer-songwriter. During our chat, we talk a...

A very special bonus episode: We're sharing a recent interview  Jason and Skip Simmons from the Truth about Vintage Amps just did with Anthony Coscia. Coscia just completed one of the wildest passion projects ever: a working, 1/6 scale model of the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound, the audiophile-grade PA system the band employed during their concerts in 1974.  (If you already subscribe to the TAVA P...

In the span of just three years (1970-1973), Steve Kalb took up guitarmaking and ended up selling his creations to Leo Kottke, David Crosby, Jerry Garcia, Robbie Robertson and Paul Simon. And then, with fewer than 30 guitars under his belt, he threw in the towel, sold off his tools, and enrolled in law school. On this very special Fretboard Journal Podcast, we re-connect with this lost guitarmakin...

Taylor Guitars' Andy Powers returns once again to the Fretboard Journal Podcast for an enlightening talk about some of the latest additions to the Taylor lineup. We talk the new GT (Grand Theater) Taylor models, hear about how he goes about exploring new bracing patterns, and learn how domestic woods like "Urban Ash" have helped buoy Taylor's output during COVID. Andy also tells us about the music...

This week, Jason reaches out to singer-songwriter Anthony da Costa, who is quarantining in a Nashville apartment with an ever-growing array of rack mounted gear, guitars, synths and (possibly) a spinet piano. Da Costa goes in-depth on the art of co-writing songs remotely via Zoom and talks about his recently-released What Plans? album on Bandcamp, a sprawling project that featured over 20 special...

Bonus Episode: Jason launched a new podcast where he celebrates the makers of the world (not just guitarmakers). It's called Sweep the Floor. Every two weeks, he'll talk to an artisan, a craftsperson or a maker of some sort, doing fascinating work. Most of these subjects will have nothing to do with music.  But, for his first episode, he did talk to a familiar Fretboard Journal face: guitarmaker L...

Guitar great/singer-songwriter Ariel Posen just released a new album, Headway .  On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to Posen about the making of the album, the art of cowriting (and how it's changed in the pandemic), why he loves his Two-Rock amplifiers, and his current gear lineup. Posen recounts his early infatuation with slide guitar, thanks to the music of George Harrison, Ry Co...

Acoustic guitarist / composer Yasmin Williams just released a breathtaking new album called 'Urban Driftwood.' On today's Fretboard Journal Podcast, she talks to us about the making of the record (most of which took place in the middle of the 2020 pandemic), how she took up guitar after beating Guitar Hero 2, her gear of choice (including her custom Skytop Guitar) and much more. It's a great chat...

A few weeks back, we talked to Keith Calton, founder of Calton Cases (Fretboard Journal Podcast, Ep. 313). Keith, as you hopefully know, perfected a fiberglass "flight case" design decades ago that is still used by touring artists around the world. This week, we're talking to Calton's current owner, Austin, Texas' Jeff Poss. Jeff explains how he ended up in the musical instrument industry, the evo...

Acclaimed acoustic guitarist and harmonica player Tom Ball joins us on this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast. Tom reflects on the passing of Ash Grove founder Ed Pearl and the legacy of that incredible, highly influential venue. Tom attended innumerable shows at the Ash Grove and he regales us with some of his favorite memories of the venue, including one wild John Lee Hooker performance.   We als...

Bob Minner returns to the Fretboard Journal Podcast to walk us through his new album, SOLO . Recorded entirely on the newly-announced Collings CJ-45 T, the album is a must-listen for Collings fanatics or anyone who appreciates great flatpicking. During the chat, Bob tells us how he's spent the last year off the road (he's usually found backing Tim McGraw on acoustic guitar, a job he's held for nea...

Today, some of the world's most valuable acoustic and electric instruments are protected by Calton Cases. What you may not realize is the colorful history of the case company or its founder, Keith Calton. On today's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to Calton about his unlikely entry into the musical industry some 50 years ago, when he came up with the brilliant idea of a fiberglass guitar case a...

Until we can convince legendary live sound engineer Robert "Nitebob" Czaykowski to host his own podcast, we'll just keep inviting him back onto the Fretboard Journal Podcast. This time around, Nitebob regales us with tales of early NAMM Shows, working with the New York Dolls, getting fired mid-concert, and more. We also hear more about his work for Walter Becker of Steely Dan, his advice for bands...

Johnny Sangster of Seattle's Crackle & Pop! studio joins us this week to walk musicians through some home and studio recording basics. Johnny will be the host of our newest Fretboard Journal Podcast, the Truth About Recording & Mixing. This all-new show aims to demystify the world of recording and will feature Sangster and an array of world-class engineers, producers and mastering experts fielding...

Martin's Custom Shop is a unique anomaly: Within their large Nazareth, Pennsylvania production facility, a small crew of luthiers builds completely custom, one-off guitars for discerning customers around the world. From personalized inlays and wood choices to double-neck Martins (!!), nothing seems off-the-table. On this week's podcast, we bring back one of our favorite guests, Fred Greene (Vice P...