The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast
The Fretboard Journal magazine's weekly podcast, where we interview legendary guitarists, luthiers, and much more.
Episodes
On this week's podcast, UK-based author and guitar fanatic John Stubbings returns to tell us all about his new book, 'The Guitar Detective.' The follow-up to his monumental 'The Devil Is In It' publishing project, 'The Guitar Detective' is a "non-fiction novel" based around a riveting guitar mystery.
We discuss the format John chose for this book, his inspiration for the story, and so much ...
To wrap up this year, Fretboard Journal editors Jason Verlinde and Sofia Wolfson talk about some of their favorite moments from 2025. We discuss the inner workings of the magazine, our favorite articles, the 2025 Fretboard Summit, some of our favorite records and shows of the year, and so much more.
On behalf of all of us, we hope you have a very happy New Year.
Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the O...
Nearly every guitar player has daydreamed about running their favorite gear company. On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we hear from two individuals who are currently living that dream: Nashville's Pete Mroz and Shannon Pollard.
Earlier this year, these two guitar fanatics and businessmen became the new owners of Bend, Oregon's Breedlove Guitars.
During our chat,...
Mandolin hero John Reischman joins us this week to talk about his new album, 'The Salish Sea.'
We chat about the influence the Pacific Northwest has had on his music-making, discuss his famed Lloyd Loar-signed Gibson F-5 mandolin, and so much more.
Check out the Salish Sea here or on your favorite streaming platform: https://johnreischmanandthejaybirds.bandcamp.com/album/the-salish-sea
Every year during the holiday season, we chat with Guru Singh, a third-generation yogi and spiritual teacher who also happens to live and breathe guitars.
On this installment (Guru Singh's third visit), we go deep. This former Reprise artist and friend of Janis Joplin talks to us about the spirit of giving, the benefits of A.I. (even for musicians), how he stays optimistic during difficult times, and so much more.
We'll be sharin...
Today's podcast episode is with Liam Kazar, a Chicago-born singer-songwriter and guitarist currently touring in Jeff Tweedy's band.
Liam just put out a new record, Pilot Light, which he made at Flying Cloud Studios in upstate New York. Check it out and catch him on the road.
On today's episode of the podcast, Sofia Wolfson talks to TJ Hiemel, owner of Troy, New York's Love of Fuzz store.
TJ shares with us some of his favorite gear that has come through the shop, his role in the upstate music community, the magic behind his ever-evolving inventory, and much more. Be sure to follow the shop's Instagram to stay up to date with their inventory.
https://www.instagram.com/love_of_fuzz/
https://www.loveoffu...
Vermont-based guitar hero Paul Asbell joins us this week to talk about his new book, 'Stages: Ruminations, Rants, and Reminiscences on a Life in Music.'
In 'Stages,' Paul recounts stories from early in his career when he worked as a sideman for legendary blues artists on the South Side of Chicago. We also hear about Paul's unique upbringing, his love for luthier-made instruments, why he lef...
Musician and Fretboard Journal contributor Paul Burch joins us this week to talk about his just-published debut novel, Meridian Rising. The book, an imagined memoir by Jimmie Rodgers, is filled with insights on the Father of Country Music and some of the unbelievable collaborators he worked with. We talk about the making of the book, why Rodgers is so fascinating to Paul, Paul's new album ('Cry Love'), and so m...
Grateful Shred co-founder Dan Horne joins us for a chat about the making of the band, his love for the Dead (of course), and the tribute group's 2025 album, 'Might As Well.' We also talk about growing up in the Bay Area, Alembics and other gear, and so much more.
Check out Grateful Shred on tour and see what all the fuss is about: https://www.gratefulshredmusic.com/
Raymond Morin of Pittsburgh's Acoustic Music Works joins us this week for an insightful chat about running a guitar store, music and so much more.
At a time when things seem pretty bleak for mom & pop guitar stores, Pittsburgh's Acoustic Music Works is a true success story. They have just relocated to a new, larger space, focusing on a select range of premium brands and hosting occasional i...
Guitarist Paul Rigby joins us this week to talk about his 15-plus-year collaboration with Neko Case and so much more.
We hear about growing up in Calgary (and why it's an oddly great town for guitarists); meeting Neko; writing for Broadway; songwriting help from the Black Stallion; and why his favorite electric guitar is a $123 partscaster.
Give it a listen and then go che...
On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we're joined by New York City-based guitarist and composer Vilray Bolles.
Alongside Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive, he's one half of Rachael & Vilray, a duo with an uncanny knack for writing brand new songs that feel like they came straight from Tin Pan Alley. On their latest release, West of Broadway, the duo was inspired by both classic musical...
Singer-songwriter/guitarist Courtney Hartman joins us again on the podcast to share the story of her forthcoming album, With You. The album – her first since becoming a parent – is a beautiful collection of songs with a unique backstory. To help finish the record, she turned to fellow songwriter moms in her orbit.
It's a beautiful record and a great talk. Added bonus: We're streaming her ne...
Melbourne, Australia-based guitarist Jacob Cole joins us this week to talk about his 2025 instrumental album 'Slow Gold' and so much more. We hear about his Cole's record-filled childhood, the guitar scene in Melbourne, recording in Tasmania (!), and his influences. It's an insightful chat with an artist we think you'll love.
On this week's episode of the Fretboard Journal Podcast, we introduce you to Brooklyn-based guitarist Isaac Stalling.
Isaac sits down with editor Sofia Wolfson to talk about his musical roots in Oklahoma City, moving to NYC, playing in dozens of bands at once, and his solo project.
Ryan Richter, Dylan Day, and Harrison Whitford are wildly creative guitarists who happen to play with some of the most-streamed artists of the last few years, including Ed Sheeran (Dylan), Phoebe Bridgers (Harrison), and Lizzy McAlpine (Ryan). They are all based in Los Angeles.
At the 2025 Fretboard Summit, we sit down with these three musicians to discuss their journeys as artists and collaborators. We hear about why they all lan...
Do guitars still sell in 2025? Is there a glut of unsold instruments? How have tariffs affected the high-end musical instrument space?
At this year's Fretboard Summit, we asked a handful of guitar retailers for their unfiltered thoughts on selling instruments in 2025. Included were Rebecca Jasso (Old Town School of Folk Music retail store), Joe Caruso (The Music Emporium), Matt Kappenman (M...
One last Fretboard Summit 2025 announcement: Jayne Henderson (EJ Henderson Guitars and Ukuleles) stops by the Fretboard Journal to tell us about the Asheville Guitar Project group build that she'll be unveiling at our annual guitar gathering.
This group guitar build - combining the talents of Asheville-based luthiers Jayne, Kyle Landers, and Judson Riviere - features domestic blowdown woods from Hurricane Helene.
We talk about th...
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