Twenty years ago, former president Jimmy Carter planted a grove of Paulownia trees on his Georgia property. Wood from those trees was recently harvested and, thanks to World Tree and FJ contributor/luthier Todd Lunneborg, some of that wood harvest is currently being turned into some rather special guitars.
On this week’s Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to Lunneborg and acclaimed acoustic guitarmaker Jason Kostal about the project. Kostal recently completed his guitar featuring the Paulownia from Carter's grove and, thanks to a bit of a luck and some social distancing, he was able to show the former president his finished instrument. It's an unforgettable moment and a great story that we think you'll love.
See pics of the finished guitar and of Carter with it here.
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This week's podcast is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases.
Tom Power is a Canadian broadcasting great and frontman for folk band, The Dardanelles. He's also the host of 'Toy Heart: A Podcast About Bluegrass,' which has quickly become one of our favorite listens. On this week's FJ Podcast, we talk to Power about growing up in St. John's, Newfoundland, discovering bluegrass music through the 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' soundtrack, and his unlikely and fateful meeting with Blue Grass Boy Tom Rosenberg (one of only two other St. John's residents who played the banjo). Power walks us through his career in broadcasting (he hosts the popular, nationwide Q show), explains why he decided to travel through America interviewing bluegrass legends, and shares some of his favorite memories from meeting Alice Gerrard, Del McCoury, Bela Fleck and others. If you're into bluegrass music (or the roots of Americana), we can't recommend Tom's podcast enough.
Listen to Toy Heart here or through Apple Podcasts.
Support the Fretboard Journal by getting a digital subscription to our magazine for just $30.
This week's podcast is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases.
French-born, Rhode Island-based luthier Rachel Rosenkrantz (Atelier Rosenkrantz) is a tireless experimenter. Inspired by her years working in industrial lighting and design, she’s embraced some truly unique, sustainable and downright wild materials. She also, of course, makes many traditional steel and nylon-string instruments out of classic tonewoods.
During this week’s Fretboard Journal Podcast, Rosenkrantz walks us through some of the eye-opening projects she’s currently working on, including a ukulele constructed out of a mushroom, pickguards fashioned out of fish skin, banjo heads formed from kombucha mothers, and even an ondes Martenot. We also talk about working alongside archtop maker Otto D'Ambrosio, her appearance on Anthony Bourdain's show and more. Sit back and enjoy this conversation with one of the guitar world’s true mavericks and be sure to watch the video she just submitted of our shop for #FJFest here: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/video/fjfest-rachel-rosenkrantz-atelier-rosenkrantz-shop-tour
https://www.atelierrosenkrantz.com
https://www.instagram.com/atelier_rosenkrantz/?hl=en
Fred Greene is the Vice President of Product Management for C.F. Martin & Co. in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. There, he oversees the research, development and production for Martin’s numerous guitar models and strings. Typically, our conversations with Fred center around the new models Martin is unveiling, but this talk is a little different. With guitar production at a standstill due to COVID-19, we instead have a frank talk with Fred about how the guitar community has come together during this pandemic, the fears he has about the industry as a whole, the issues he foresees in the manufacturing supply chain when Martin gets back to work, and so much more. Fred is one of our favorite people in the guitar industry and is a repeat guest on our podcast (we loved talking to him and Tim Teel for FJ Podcast #254, check it out).
If you enjoy this conversation, you may also like hearing our chat with Richard Hoover of Santa Cruz Guitar Co. from last week, where we discuss how his company is dealing with current events and much more.
Since 2005, Henriksen has created amplifiers for discerning jazz players. On this week's podcast, we talk to Peter Henriksen about the company his father (Bud Henriksen) founded in 2005, the specific needs jazz players have, and about some of the company's creations that cross genres and would appeal to players of all stripes. Peter is also the founder of the Rocky Mountain Archtop Festival, which takes place every September in Arvada, CO.
https://www.henriksenamplifiers.com/
https://www.archtopfestival.com
This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases.
Want to support the podcast? Get a digital (PDF) subscription to the Fretboard Journal magazine here and get six issues for just $30. Click here.
A couple of years ago, Sacramento’s Tré Burt lugged his Flinthill acoustic guitar onto a bus from Northern California to Los Angeles to record some demos at a friend’s studio. When that was done, he assumed he’d turn around and get started on another record. What Burt didn’t realize was that those Dylan-inspired songs would end up being released on John Prine’s Oh Boy record label as his debut album, Caught It From the Rye. (Even more impressive, Burt is just one of two artists to get signed to the label in the last 15 years.)
On this week’s Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to this singer-songwriter about his start, his signing to Oh Boy, his countless evenings as a busker in California, Oregon and Australia, getting heckled by Prine and a lot more. It's quite a journey and Burt is just getting started...
This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases.
Want to support the podcast? Get a digital (PDF) subscription to the Fretboard Journal magazine here and get six issues for just $30. Click here.
Want to support the podcast? Get a digital (PDF) subscription to the Fretboard Journal magazine here and get six issues for just $30. Click here.
Christopher Paul Stelling joins us on this week’s Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about the making of his new, Ben Harper-produced album, Best of Luck.
Stelling’s journey is a fascinating one and we hear all about it: Mowing lawns in Florida so he could get his first guitar; honing his chops on the open mic circuit; discovering his first nylon-string guitar; his ‘50s Martin 00-17; getting signed to Anti- records; and even a brief stint building instruments alongside Rono mandolins in Boulder, Colorado.
This is one of our favorite interviews to date and we wholeheartedly encourage you to check out Best of Luck.
Stelling will also be appearing in the Fretboard Journal #46, out in April.
This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases.
This week, we're sharing an epic conversation with one of our favorite musicians, guitar great Jim Campilongo. Jim shares stories about growing up in San Francisco, his early guitar lessons, his ever-growing LP obsession and some of the fateful encounters that helped shape his point-of-view as an instrumentalist. We then discuss his move from San Francisco to New York; his new, Sundazed Best of compilation; his ongoing collaborations with luthier Chihoe Hahn (Hahn's Model C tele-style guitar); plus a lot more.
This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases.
Support the Fretboard Journal Podcast by getting a digital subscription to the Fretboard Journal magazine for just $30 a year. You’ll get our new issue (#45) immediately on the house and get four more issues. Click here to join us.
Dan Erlewine is, quite simply, a legend when it comes to lutherie. Through his countless videos and articles for StewMac, he's helped thousands of aspiring and veteran guitarmakers hone their craft. On this week's podcast, he reflects upon two of his most famous creations: A Strat-style guitar he built for Jerry Garcia and the Flying V he built for Albert King. Erlewine is building all-new replicas of both guitars and had examples at the 2020 NAMM Show. We also talk about naming Iggy Pop (his former bandmate), Dan's latest guitar creations, taking lessons from Clarence White and a lot more. A must-listen episode...
This podcast is sponsored by Mono Creators and Retrofret Vintage Guitars.
Henry Kaiser and Rick Turner take over this week’s episode of the Fretboard Journal Podcast to share H-13: A Tribute to the Santa Cruz Model H Guitar with us. This is a collection of newly-recorded tracks celebrating the musical life and legacy of Paul Hostetter (1945-2019).
Growing up in Detroit, Paul Hostetter took up guitar as a teenager, dropped out of high school and got a job at Joe and Mary Fava's music shop teaching blues and folk-style guitar. He knew Joni Mitchell and Marvin Gaye. He played rhythm guitar in recording sessions at Motown Records. And, while still in Detroit, he attended Monteith College, a liberal arts branch of Wayne State University, eventually earning a bachelor's degree in philosophy. His experience there was broader than it sounds. He worked in a range of disciplines, among them metal-smithing, a skill that enabled him to support himself designing and making wedding rings.
In addition, Paul was the inspiration for the SCGC Model H guitar. These instruments exist in 14-fret, 13-fret and 12-fret versions. All of the tracks on this album are recorded with SCGC Model H guitars. Most of the musicians were friends with Paul and chose tunes and musical modes of expression that would have made Paul smile.
Beyond the incredible playing, this album is a tremendous showcase of just how varied one guitar model can sound, thanks to differing tonewood choices. It’s also fascinating to hear Kaiser and Turner’s expert commentary between songs. We hope you enjoy it.
Track Listing
1 Martin Simpson – "When First Unto This Country" 3:30
2 Rick Ruskin - "Medley: Buck Dancer's Choice / Arkansas Traveler" 1:45
3 Happy Traum - "He Was a Friend of Mine" 4:42
4 Bruce Molsky - "Lasitera" 3:06
5 Josh Michaell - "Evening Reflections by Laguna Creek" 4:04
6 Kevin Carr - "Foliada de Bearducido" 3:27
7 Jody Stecher - "The Spider Hop" 4:57
8 D'Gary - "Mpiarak' Aomby" 4:39
9 Tony McManus - "Bach Cello Suite #1: Prelude" 2:20
10 Michael Gulezian - "Oh! Suzanna" 4:48
11 Rick Chelew - "It Could Be an Antelope" 3:18
12 Ed Pettersen - "The Harbor Road" 3:44
13 Paul Kotapish & Dan Warrick - "Belgian Waltzes" 2:58
14 Rick Turner - "Smith Grade March" 1:47
15 Marc Silber - "Searching for Spence > Leavin' You" 4:40
16 Rev. Heng Sure - "She Carries Me" 4:47
17 Eric Thompson - "Shake Shake Mama" 2:51
18 Henry Kaiser - "Hard Time Killin' Spoonful Blues" 7:25