For over twenty years, Bob Minner has served as touring acoustic guitarist for Tim McGraw. But Bob’s day job barely scratches the surface of this fascinating multi-instrumentalist. On this week’s Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to this acclaimed acoustic musician about his love for bluegrass music, what it’s like to tour with a country music superstar and we discuss his new solo album, Six String Sanctuary: The Acoustic Hymns Project.
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Fingerstyle guitarist William Tyler joins us on the Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about his new album, 'Goes West' (Merge Records) and a lot more.
On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to Southern California builder Eric Galletta.
Eric has been building electric guitars for over 25 years and has worked alongside numerous guitarmaking legends, including Wayne Charvel (Charvel Guitars) and Bernie Rico (BC Rich). But the focus of much of our conversation is Eric's love for the guitars of Paul Bigsby.
Eric talks to us about his fateful encounter with R.C. Allen, the magic found in Bigsby-built guitars and about his own re-creations of these ultra-rare instruments.
Memphis-based musician Liz Brasher stops by the Fretboard Journal to talk about her early influences, her gear and much more.
Check out Liz's debut solo, 'Painted Image,' out on Fat Possum Records.
Tommy Emmanuel and Jerry Douglas join us on this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about guitars, the art of collaboration and much more.
Kenneth Pattengale (Milk Carton Kids) joins us on this week’s Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about his new Martin Kenneth Pattengale Special guitar (available exclusively at Gruhn Guitars). This guitar has quite a backstory: Kenneth set out to make the ultimate American-made guitar for musicians on a budget, an homage to his '50s 0-15. After many twists and turns (and literally years of prototypes), Martin and Kenneth were able to design a unique guitar with a stained torrefied Adirondack spruce top, mahogany back and sides and dovetail neck joint for less than $2200. We also chat about Kenneth’s growing collection of vintage Martins, including his '55 0-15 and his shadetop 1932 0-17, music production and more.
This episode is sponsored by Retrofret, Lee Valley and Lowden Guitars.
On this week's FJ Podcast, we're joined by Joey Landreth of the Bros. Landreth. We talk guitars (including his Alexander Sorokin-built instrument), coffee, career choices and more.
This episode is sponsored by Retrofret, Lowden Guitars and Lee Valley Tools.
This week, we’re joined by Folkway Music founder Mark Stutman. Over the years, Stutman has earned accolades from guitar collectors around the world as one of the finest vintage acoustic repairmen around, especially when it comes to Gibson guitars from the '30s and '40s. But he didn't start out wanting to fix 70 year old guitars: He originally wanted to build instruments just for left-handed players.
During our podcast, we also discuss what it takes to run an independent guitar store in 2018 (and beyond), the mentors he’s found along the way, the unique quirks found only in Golden Era-Gibson guitars and some of his favorite instruments that have crossed his bench.
This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars, Lowden Guitars and Lee Valley Tools. Want to sponsor the Fretboard Journal Podcast? Drop us a line at fretboardjournal@gmail.com.
Musician David Benedict was a bit of a late bloomer, not taking up the mandolin until he was 13 years old. Since then, David has become one of the most innovative and sought after mandolin players and instructors around. His new album, The Golden Angle, showcases his talents as an instrumentalist and composer alongside a team of great musicians, including Missy Raines, David Grier and Stuart Duncan. We chat about the making of the album, his Apitius Mandolin mandolin and a lot more.
This episode is sponsored by Retrofret, Lee Valley and Lowden Guitars.
Guitarist Billy Strings joins us on this week’s Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about one of the more interesting instruments we’ve learned about this year, an electric guitar that his grandfather built in prison (check out the hashtag #prisonguitar on Instagram to see pictures). Billy and Scale Model Guitars of Nashville have spent the last several months restoring the handmade instrument and it’s finally finished. We also learn about his Preston Thompson guitar, the D-28 he purchased from Bryan Sutton and why he lugs a Fender Deluxe Reverb to all of his acoustic shows.
At 22:32, we also get the heartwarming story of how Billy stumbled upon and recovered his father’s Martin D-93.
We’ll be featuring Billy and the Prison Guitar restoration in the Fretboard Journal soon with all-new pics. Subscribe today and we’ll make sure you get the issue.
Holiday shoppers: Remember that the Fretboard Journal makes for a great gift… we offer one, two and three-year gift subscriptions to our reader-supported magazine.
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lowden Guitars, RetroFret Vintage Guitars and Lee Valley.
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Mandolin virtuoso Sam Bush joins us on this week’s Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about Revival: The Sam Bush Story, the recently-released full-length documentary on his life and music. We also talk about "Hoss," his 1937 Gibson F-5; learn why Sam has never owned a Lloyd Loar mandolin; and hear about his musical upbringing in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Revival is now available for rent or purchase via Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Revival-Sam-Bush-Story/dp/B07GQVHML2
Longtime FJ readers may remember that Sam graced the cover of the Fretboard Journal #19, in a feature where he and Tim O’Brien interviewed each other.
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Retrofret, Lee Valley and Lowden Guitars.
Amp repairman Skip Simmons calls it like he sees it. He joins us on this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about vintage guitar amp repair, why smaller wattage amps can be better for the average player, and what bargains still exist in the world of amplification. We also talk Filmosound conversions, Alexander Dumble, repair horror stories and a lot more.
Going forward, Skip will be hosting a monthly podcast called the Truth About Vintage Amps for the Fretboard Journal where he will be fielding questions from you, our listeners. Send any and all amp questions and comments to fretboardjournal@gmail.com!
Skip was featured in the FJ's 33rd issue.
This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars, Lowden Guitars and Lee Valley.
Composer/jazz guitarist/singer-songwriter Anthony Wilson joins us on this week’s FJ Podcast to talk about his forthcoming project, Songs and Photographs, a vinyl LP bundled with a 48-page book featuring his photography. We of course talk about Wilson’s gear (guitars and cameras) but we also dive deep into his songwriting process, the influence photography has had on his music and much more.
https://anthonywilson.bandcamp.com
This episode of the Fretboard Journal Podcast is sponsored by Lowden Guitars, RetroFret Vintage Guitars and Lee Valley.
A re-broadcast of Episode 224 of the Fretboard Journal Podcast, the interview that started the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast.
The original FJ Podcast description for this show: Amp repairman Skip Simmons calls it like he sees it. He joins us on this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about vintage guitar amp repair, why smaller wattage amps can be better for the average player, and what bargains still exist in the world of amplification. We also talk Filmosound conversions, Alexander Dumble, repair horror stories and a lot more.
Recorded November, 2018.
A lot of acoustic guitarists have a favorite pickup that they install on their instruments. Singer-songwriter/guitarist David Wilcox has more like ten…and he uses them all at the same time.
On this week’s podcast, we talk to David about his very unique method for amplifying and recording his guitars, including the numerous pickups and mics he installs (Joe Mills, Sunrise, McIntyre Acoustic Featherand others!). We also talk about his signature model RainSong guitar and his forthcoming order with acclaimed luthier Jason Kostal.
Beyond all the gear talk, David walks us through his Custom Songs program (where he takes commissions from fans to write songs specifically about their lives), the fateful moment that inspired him to take up the guitar and a lot more.
This episode is sponsored by Lowden Guitars, Lee Valley Tools and Retrofret Vintage Guitars.
John McEuen joins us on this week’s Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, learning from Doug Dillard, the creation of his solo album, Made in Brooklyn (and the unique way it was recorded), plus a lot more.
Check out the Fretboard Journal website to watch McEuen perform "Brooklyn Crossing."
This week's episode is sponsored by Lee Valley Tools, Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Lowden Guitars.
Guitarist Mike Squires went straight from the Marines to the Seattle music scene, eventually becoming a guitarist in Harvey Danger, the Long Winters and Alien Crime Syndicate. These days, he's living on the East Coast and dividing his time between a day job, playing guitar for Duff McKagan's Loaded and posting short music clips on Instagram under the hashtag couchriffs.
On this week's FJ Podcast, we have a fun chat with Squires about his music journey, get his tips for how to land a gig as a guitarist ("be nice," "learn ALL the songs..") and much more.
This episode is sponsored by Lowden Guitars, Lee Valley Tools and RetroFret Vintage Guitars.
Order the new Fretboard Journal Electric Guitar Annual here.
Vermont-based luthier Adam Buchwald (Circle Strings) joins us on this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about leaving his family business to start repairing and building instruments, his time at Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Froggy Bottom Guitars, the launch of Circle Strings and his new budget acoustic line, the Iris Guitar Co.
This episode is sponsored by our friends at Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Lee Valley.
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National Flatpicking Champion and Grant Farm founder Tyler Grant joins us on the Fretboard Journal Podcast this week. We chat about the fascinating world of flatpicking guitar competitions and the strategies Tyler employed to win them, the formation of Grant Farm and his new duo record with Robin Kessinger, Kanawha County Flatpicking.
This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars.
Jazz icon John Pizzarelli joins us to talk about Nat King Cole, his dad (Bucky Pizzarelli), his Radio Deluxe show and much more!
This episode is sponsored by Lee Valley Tools and Retrofret Vintage Guitars.
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On today's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to one of the most popular guitar instructors around, Corey Congilio. In addition to Corey's contributions at TrueFire (where he has online lessons on soloing, blues licks and a lot more), we hear about his work representing makers like Martin Guitars and Fishman, the life of a session musician and much more.
This episode is sponsored by Retrofret and Lee Valley tools.
On this week's podcast, we talk to jazz guitarist Miles Okazaki about his epic new project, Work: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Monk. On it, he transcribes and performs the 70 known Monk compositions for solo guitar. We learn about his arrangement process, the guitar he used for the recordings and the rules he gave himself before tackling this huge undertaking.
https://okazakiwork.bandcamp.com/releases
On today’s Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast, we’re talking to YouTube sensation Ryan “Fluff” Bruce. With his Riffs, Beards & Gear channel, Fluff has conducted deep dives into all sorts of gear questions, unboxed the cheapest guitars imaginable on Amazon and, most importantly, had a ton of fun. Along the way, he’s garnered over 250,000 YouTube subscribers.
We talk to Fluff about the unlikely career of a professional YouTuber (including the even more unlikely training he received as an editor of adult films!), his band Rest, Repose, and his signature model guitar built by Balaguer Guitars. Plus a lot more…
Use the coupon code PODCAST when you check out at fretboardjournal.com and receive $5 off your order.
This week’s episode is sponsored by Lee Valley Tools and Retrofret Vintage Guitars.
Acclaimed singer-songwriter/producer Joe Henry joins us to talk about his latest recording projects, his writing habits and more!
This episode is sponsored by Lee Valley and Retrofret Vintage Guitars.