The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast

Prepare to have your mind blown by Michael King, founder of Cowbrand Design.  Michael is an authority on vintage Chicago-made guitars (Kay, Regal, etc), a repair ninja, an early adopter of 3D printing and CNC machines, a designer, and the creator of some of the most stunning electric guitars around. On this week's podcast, we talk about his start working at a hobby store as a kid, the influence th...

Longtime Fretboard Journal correspondent Ryan Richter knows a lot about music. So, when Spotify turned him onto a mysterious album of guitar instrumentals entitled Pirate Songs of the Lower Islands , his curiosity was piqued. Who is G. Weller, the artist behind the collection of beguiling acoustic guitar instrumentals? When were these recordings made? And why would such a talented musician have ba...

The always-entertaining guitar tech/writer/historian/musician Michael James Adams (@puisheen) joins Jason this week to talk about life updates, offset Fenders, the proper setup of a Jazzmaster setup and so much more. In a new feature, we then recap some of the memorable guitar news of the month of March 2023, including some cool guitar-centric events, the new EMG pickups for Jazzmasters (the EMG R...

This week, Micah Bruce (Bruce Guitars) joins us to talk about the 2023 Fretboard Summit guitar giveaway and so much more. Bruce does a bit of everything: Electric builds, acoustics, repair and restoration. Speaking to us from his new shop space in Ohama, Nebraska, he recounts his early days in the guitar industry when he landed a job at Collings in Austin, Texas. We then talk about his time at All...

For five decades, Lansing, Michigan's Elderly Instruments has been an institution for vintage guitar, banjo, and mandolin lovers. Founded in 1972 by Stan Werbin, the store has provided old and new instruments to countless musicians around the world through its storefront, legendary catalogs, and, now, website. On this week's podcast, we talk to Elderly's new President, Lillian Werbin, about this f...

This week, we're offering two episodes!  First up: We're talking to Simon Haycraft of Preston Thompson Guitars about their new Peter Rowan-signature model dreadnought. This uniquely appointed guitar is limited to just 15 instruments...and the second-ever guitar is our latest Fretboard Journal Exclusive instrument currently for sale on our site. It will be the cornerstone of some lucky FJ reader's...

Two of Nashville's finest musicians have teamed up once again for a new album. On the recently released  'Living In A Song,' Dobro master Rob Ickes and guitarist Trey Hensley perform a collection of tunes that showcase their songwriting chops. On this week's podcast, we talk about the making of the album, Rob's background (he's a rare Dobro player who didn't start out on guitar!), the art of co-wr...

For our 400th episode, we mix things: You're invited to take a roadtrip with acclaimed luthier Isaac Jang and Fred Walecki of Westwood Music fame. Fred regales us with stories about working with Joni Mitchell, who he affectionately calls "Beethoven in drag." We hear about how he connected Joni with guitarmaker Ken Parker, how the Roland VG-8 allowed her to access her dozens of personalized tunings...

On this week's podcast, we're joined by two instrument-making legends, Michael Gurian and Dick Boak. Gurian was of course the namesake founder of Gurian Guitars, while Boak famously worked at Martin Guitars for four decades. Michael and Dick recently co-authored the Fretboard Journal's first standalone book, 'An Instrument Maker's Guide to Insanity and Redemption.' It's a compilation of off-beat a...

Seattle's Jimmy James has been one of the city's most exciting guitarists for years. He's currently the guitarist in the True Loves, among other projects, and was formerly in the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. On this week's podcast, we talk to the funk / jazz / soul / blues musician about growing up in Washington State, hearing "My Girl" for the first time, the music that helped shape his sonic palett...

This week, mandolin virtuoso and educator Joe K. Walsh gives us a mini master class on the art of listening and improvising as we celebrate the release of his new album, 'If Not Now, Who?'  The project features Walsh with Matt Flinner (banjo), guitarist Grant Gordy, Ella Jordan (fiddle), John Mailander (fiddle), John Suntken (drums), and Karl Doty (bass). Walsh walks us through the process of reco...

On today's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we pay tribute to David Crosby.  Croz was a dear friend to the Fretboard Journal magazine and all that we do. Over the last 15 years, we were lucky enough to interview him several times about his music, his guitar collection, and more.  For this episode, we're sharing two of our favorite interviews with Croz: One that he and Joe Henry had at the first Fretboar...

On this week's podcast, we're talking to singer-songwriter Lincoln Barr, who recently released a gorgeous new album, 'Forfeit the Prize.' Lincoln was a fixture of Seattle's music scene for years but currently resides in Lexington, South Carolina. That hasn't stopped him from assembling an all-star group of musicians - scattered around the country - for his latest project. During our interview, we...

Guitarist Jake Eddy joins us this week for a lively conversation about bluegrass, guitars, social media, and more. Jake was one of the big discoveries for many attending the 2022 Fretboard Summit at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk. During this week's talk, we discuss his bluegrass roots in West Virginia (including his first gigs as a banjo player alongside his grandfather), his recent performanc...

Guitarist Jamie Stillway joins us on this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about the making of her new album, 'Lullaby for a Stranger.' This meditative, effects-laden, and ambient-leaning record is a departure for Stillway, who is best known for her exquisite flattop playing. From her new home on Vashon Island in Washington, Jamie tells us about the original inspiration for this project, t...

Many of us are methodically checking the water level on our Christmas trees right now. Are you also checking the humidity around your guitar collection? Hopefully, you are, as winter can wreak havoc on acoustic (and electric) guitars.     On this week's podcast, we pick the brain of Darrell Jennings, founder of American Music Furniture. Darrell is a lifelong instrument collector who has spent the...

On this week's podcast, we're talking to acclaimed mandolin virtuoso Sierra Hull!   Hull was recently on tour with Cory Wong. This interview was conducted in-person at the Fretboard Journal before her November 10, 2022 concert at Seattle's Moore Theater.    We chat about how she and Cory connected, her approach to playing mandolin in a largely electric setting, her current gear (including her pick...

This week, we talk to one of the young guns of vintage instrument dealing, 33-year-old John Shults of True Vintage Guitar. John is based out of Birmingham, Alabama and has a unique business model. As his Instagram account reveals, he's seemingly on an endless guitar safari, traveling around the world and acquiring closet-find Fenders and Gibsons, often from the instrument's original owners or thei...

Author Kristina R. Gaddy joins us this week to talk about her new book, 'Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History.' This is unlike any instrument history book you've ever read... and we can't recommend it enough. Though it's widely known that the banjo was brought to the Americas via enslaved Black people, there's so much we still don't know about this instrument's earliest period. Thr...

The one-and-only Sam Bush joins us this week for an enlightening talk about John Hartford and so much more. Sam has just released 'Radio John: Songs of John Hartford,' a tribute album to his old friend/mentor where he plays every instrument (acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass, and fiddle). We talk about the inspiration behind the album, the Hartford tracks he chose, and his recording process....

A little over a month ago, UK guitarmaker Richard Waddell (Uberfrank Guitars) shared photos of his latest creation to Instagram: an electric baritone guitar built for musician and friend Daniel Marcus Clark. This wild instrument - featuring a unique offset body, a Charlie Christian pickup in the neck, a three-pole bass pickup, dual outputs, a built-in capo system, and even a secret compartment in...

Grammy-nominated bluegrass musician Frank Solivan has led a fascinating life. On this week's podcast, we talk to the frontman of Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen about a bit of everything: the band's new album, 'Hold On;' his side hobbies of lutherie, pick making, and leather tooling; his songwriting process on the mandolin; and more.  Frank is a true renaissance man. This is a great chat; we think y...

Our Chicago Fretboard Summit was filled with highlights. Among them was TJ Thompson's return to the stage for another mind-blowing talk about following your heart, vintage guitar restoration, and so much more.  During this 90-minute session, the acclaimed pre-war Martin guitar expert offered a bit of everything: Sage advice for new instrument makers; insights on how to protect the value of your ac...

This week, we're talking to Simon Dunson, a young artist out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina who is pushing the mandolin to new and wild places. Dunson's debut jazz album, 'Chicken Bridge,' blew us away with its great playing, writing, and electric guitar effects... it's not at all what you think when you envision a "mandolin" record. Check out the opening track, 'Sydney,' here on YouTube: https://...

Guitarmaker and repair expert Eric Daw returns to the Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about his recently released book, 'Solid Sound: 23 Schematics for Wiring Vintage and Modern Single-Coil, Solid-Body Guitars.' The book features Daw's favorite pickup wiring layouts for Fender-style guitars, including a few that he's closely guarded over the years, along with helpful charts and advice that will...