The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast

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 a collection of newly-recorded tracks celebrating the musical life and legacy of Paul Hostetter (1945-2019).

Professional snowboarder Russell Winfield has led a life filled with two constants: sports and music. On this week’s podcast, Winfield talks to us his early love for the Grateful Dead; how he discovered guitar playing on the road thanks to fellow snowboarders; some of the influential music moments he had growing up; and his new project, Shout the People.  

On this week’s podcast, we talk to Robert Keeley of Keeley Electronics. When it comes to the world of effects pedals, Keeley is, quite simply, a legend. During our conversation, he recounts his early days flipping hi-fi gear he'd find at estate sales; explains why he never became an amp builder; outlines the importance of a great education for all of his employees; and walks us through the lifecycle of a pedal currently in development (the ECCOS delay/looper).

You may not know who singer-songwriter Odessa is, but chances are you’ve heard at least one of her songs. "I Will Be There," a tune found on her 2014 self-titled debut album, was used in a national car commercial and ended up being one of the most searched-for songs of the year. On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, Odessa talks to us about her early success, her new, self-released Jonathan Wilson-produced album called All Things and much more.

For years, Nelson, British Columbia's Craig Korth could be seen at bluegrass festivals sharing a trio of exceptional (and extremely pricey) instruments - his 1923 Gibson F-5 mandolin, a 1937 Martin D-28 and a pre-war Gibson flathead 5-string banjo - with nearly anyone. But Craig is a lot more than just a laid-back instrument collector. On this week's podcast, he fills us in on his early love for bluegrass, how he accumulated a world-class array of instruments with a blue collar job and much more.

On this week’s Fretboard Journal Podcast, we’re talking to guitarist/instructor Jason Loughlin. Loughlin’s latest project is Sound on Sound, a rather unconventional TrueFire course dedicated to teaching the multi-track arranging of Les Paul. Loughlin tell us about some of Les' favorite tone hacks, like emulating the sound of drums and bass via his six-string guitar, the gear he uses to capture these vintage sounds and much more.

Erick Coleman is known to thousands online simply as "tonechaser." But Erick’s story goes way beyond his social media posts: Coleman is an experienced luthier, a still-touring musician and the Senior Technical Advisor for Stewart-MacDonald, where he constantly develops and tests new tools for the company. On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to Coleman about his beginnings, his favorite guitars and much more.

The instruments that luthier Eric Weigeshoff (Skytop Guitars) crafts are striking. For starters, his new acoustic guitars don’t even have a traditional top soundhole. On this week’s podcast, we talk to Eric about how his guitar designs have evolved over the years, the challenges of being a solo luthier, his love for side soundports and some of the offbeat tonewoods he's employed.

In 1996, Jay Boone founded Emerald City Guitars out of a funky storefront in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood. These days, ECG is one of the world’s great vintage guitar destinations. On today’s Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to Jay about the growth of this family-run business; the sales trends he’s observed over the years; how a $400,000 'Burst gets sold; the vintage guitars he just can’t keep in-stock; plus a lot more.

Once again, we're bringing back one of our favorite subjects to the Fretboard Journal Podcast. Andy Powers (Taylor Guitars) should need little introduction to longtime FJ followers. During this week's conversation, we talk about all of that, learn about Andy's work habits and hear about some of the decision-making that goes on behind-the-scenes at Taylor. 

TJ Thompson is one of the most respected names in the world of vintage Martin guitars, a repairperson who can seemingly fix the impossible. Though he flies under the radar with no advertising and little publicity, he has no shortage of work from collectors, high-end dealers and touring musicians.

Mark Stutman (Folkway Music) returns to the Fretboard Journal Podcast for a sprawling conversation that covers the magic (and variables) of '30s vintage Gibson flattop guitars, his advice for aspiring luthiers, the allure of old strings (and what new strings he likes for old Gibsons) and much more. Stutman is a true authority when it comes to old Gibson and Martin guitar repairs and his restoration insights ("the enemy of Good is often Better") are invaluable for vintage guitar collectors.

This week, we have a lively chat with graphic designer extraordinaire Aaron Draplin. Though Aaron is best-known as a visual artist – everything from magazines to books to concert posters to a US postage stamp – music is at the core of his work and upbringing. During our call, Jason talks to him Aaron about his music influences, his love for design of all stripes, his trajectory as a guitarist and the music lessons he’s taking from fellow Portland resident Pete Krebs and much more.

Singer-songwriter Joan Shelley talks to us about the making of Like the River Loves the Sea, her excellent 2019 full-length album. Shelley talks to us about the album's unlikely recording location (Iceland), her Collings guitar, her writing process and much more. 

Brent Mason is one of the most prolific and successful session guitarists of all time. He joins us on this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about the life of a Nashville session musician, his guitars of choice, what he brings to the studio and much more. It's a fascinating chat about one of the lesser-known aspects of the music industry.