The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast

The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast

The Fretboard Journal magazine's weekly podcast, where we interview legendary guitarists, luthiers, and much more.

Episodes

July 13, 2025 69 mins

Musician, composer, and writer Skip Heller was one of the Fretboard Journal's earliest subjects, contributors, and podcast guests.

On this week's show, we catch up with Skip to talk about his new exotica album, 'Mojave After Dark.' We chat about his early pieces for the magazine - including the story on John Hartford he penned for our fourth edition - and so much more. Skip has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to music. You may ...

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Meet Emma Harner, an incredibly talented artist from Nebraska who, unbelievably, has only been playing guitar since the pandemic. 

Emma's complex playing, a mix of math rock and acoustic fingerpicking, and arresting vocals have earned her over 200,000 followers on Instagram and accolades from numerous guitar heroes.

During our chat, we talk about her guitar journey, including her time at Berklee, working at Guitar Center, her favor...

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June 16, 2025 49 mins

Acclaimed guitarist, educator, songwriter, and all-around-great-human Adam Levy is back on the Fretboard Journal Podcast!

We talk about his new instrumental album, 'Household.' We discuss the concept behind this record, his desire to expand his band beyond the trio format; the unorthodox recording process he used to make the album; drummer Griffin Goldsmith (Dawes) and so much more. 

It's a fun chat with ...

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June 3, 2025 53 mins

Jason is back on the Fretboard Journal Podcast to interview mandolin great Jacob Jolliff. Over the years, Jolliff has worked with a variety of bands, including Joy Kills Sorry, Yonder Mountain String Band, and his own Jacob Jolliff Band.

We talk about his time at Berklee, performing in mandolin competitions, his go-to mandolins (and microphone!) and so much more. A great chat with a player who should be on you...

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May 23, 2025 51 mins

To rebel against musician parents, a young Hank Heaven wanted to be a French chef. But after a serendipitous moment of discovery, they became a Django Reinhardt expert. On Episode #503 of the podcast, Sofia Wolfson interviews Hank about their solo project, touring as a sideman, gypsy jazz, being in a broadway musical, and more. 

https://hankheaven.com

https://www.instagram.com/hank_heaven/

...

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May 16, 2025 40 mins

Today on the podcast, FJ assistant editor Sofia Wolfson interviews legendary songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist Dan Reeder.

Born in Louisiana, raised in California, and now based in Nuremberg, Germany, Reeder has released several albums of self-recorded music using instruments he’s built himself. On this episode, we talk about working with John Prine and Oh Boy Records, the intersection between visual art and musi...

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May 9, 2025 44 mins

Mike Buchman is a Seattle-based guitar fanatic and the Fretboard Journal's newest hire!

On this week's podcast, we talk to Mike about his recent experience learning the craft of guitarmaking with Colorado-based builder/instructor Robbie O'Brien. 

We also talk about Mike's songwriting, his role at the FJ and so much more. 

https://mikebuchmanmusic.com
https://obrienguitars.com

Our 56th issue of the Journal is now mailing to every...

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May 2, 2025 60 mins


You've heard Jon Rauhouse's music on every episode of the Fretboard Journal Podcast. For our 500th episode, we decided to check in with Jon to hear about his journey as a steel guitarist. We also talk about working with Neko Case, interviewing Bud Isaacs for the FJ, and so much more. 


This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at
https://betterhelp.com/fret
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April 26, 2025 50 mins

Musician Anna Vogelzang joins us this week to talk about songwriting, motherhood, Chicago (come see her at our 2025 Fretboard Summit) and more! 

Support Anna's Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theanna/afterglow-anna-vogelzangs-new-record

We are also brought to you by:  
Stringjoy Strings: https://stringjoy.com
(Use the code FRETBOARD to save 10% off your first order)

Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar: https://mmguita...

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April 14, 2025 40 mins

Guitarist Andy Pitcher promised himself that he would make a solo album before he turned 30. With just a few days to spare, the experimental/improvising guitarist recently released 'dot,' a beautiful album featuring great playing, a wide array of guitars - acoustic and electric - and some truly unique recording techniques.

On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk about the record, his wild recording process, the gear he us...

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April 5, 2025 81 mins

In the 1960s, Joellen Lapidus built the dulcimer you hear on Joni Mitchell’s Blue album. Over the years, she's also sold instruments to some of rock's biggest names like David Crosby, Garth Hudson, Jackson Browne, and even Harry Styles.

On this week's podcast, this acclaimed dulcimer maker gives us a crash course on the amazing history of the instrument. It's a wild story that will have you looking at the dulci...

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Peghead Nation co-founder Dan Gabel joins us this week to talk about the online lesson portal's origin story, the growth they've experienced over the last decade, and some of their favorite online classes. 

The Peghead Nation roster contains many former Fretboard Journal subjects and familiar faces to anyone who loves our podcast. In 2022, they even won a Distinguished Achievement Award from IBMA, the International Bluegrass Music ...

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March 28, 2025 70 mins

The Fretboard Journal's Sofia Wolfson interviews Chicago's Free Range (Sofia Jensen), whose second record 'Lost & Found' is out now. 

Jensen recounts learning guitar at the School of Rock, starting Free Range as a teenager, getting influenced by Pinegrove (and King of the Hill!), developing your sound, and so much more. It's a great introduction to an artist we know you'll love.

https://www.freerangesongs.com
https://www.instagram...

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This week, we talk to writer Jamie Etherington about his latest project, the Luthier's Tool Box.

The Luthier's Tool Box is the Fretboard Journal's first hardcover book release. It's an anthology featuring guitarmakers from around the world sharing the stories behind their most cherished tools. What began as a Fretboard Journal magazine article quickly evolved into a full-fledged book with nearly 100 contributors and full-color phot...

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Did you watch 'A Complete Unknown' and wonder where all those vintage instruments came from? 

If so, you're in luck. This week, we're talking to Buzzy Levine of Lark Street Music. Over 20 of the instruments featured in the movie came from Buzzy himself and we hear all about the process, his reaction to the finished film, and how he avoided a 'Hateful Eight' situation while his guitars were on-loan. 
 

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How do you make a new acoustic guitar sound slightly more "vintage?"

This was the nebulous premise that Jason posed to three great builders at the 2024 Fretboard Summit: John Slobod (Circa Guitars), TJ Thompson, and Steve "Nully" Nall from Collings.

In this live panel, we hear these luthiers' thoughts on the topic, including wood, the importance of aging (even with a brand new guitar), the hardest body style to make sound period c...

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February 22, 2025 46 mins

D'Addario founder and Fretboard Journal 55 cover subject Jim D'Addario joins us this week for a fascinating talk about strings, innovation, and so much more. 

We talk about Jim's first mentor, Mario Maccaferri; Jim's relentless work ethic, where he sees forthcoming innovation in guitar strings; and much more. It's a great chat with one of our favorite FJ subjects.

Check out the new issue of the Journal featuring Jim here: https://w...

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February 14, 2025 44 mins

Frequent Fretboard Journal contributor Cameron Knowler returns to the Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about his forthcoming new album, CRK. Inspired by classic Terry Allen and Ry Cooder records, CRK features expansive acoustic guitar playing and atmospheric touches that evoke Cameron’s Southwest roots.

We also go deep on good vs. bad guitars; horse trading with Norman Blake; the groundbre...

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January 26, 2025 93 mins

Ella Feingold is a Grammy-winning guitarist who has performed alongside Queen Latifah, Erykah Badu, Bruno Mars, and numerous other heavyweight musicians. She's also one of the most inspiring musicians we've ever met, a trans artist who shares her love for funk and rhythm guitar on Instagram on a near-daily basis with fans around the world.

On this week's podcast, we talk to Ella about her life as a recording artist, a music histor...

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January 17, 2025 51 mins

Guest host Sofia Wolfson introduces us to Renny Conti, a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter/producer. They discuss Renny's introduction to music, the influence of Big Thief (Sofia just interviewed Adrianne Lenker for our 55th issue, btw), the beauty of cowboy chords and more. 

Renny's self-titled album is out today (January 17, 2025). Check it out on Spotify or Apple Music.

https://rennyconti.bandcamp.com

https://www.instagram.com/r...

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