The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast

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 landed in LA, how they work with big-name artists, the gear they are currently obsessing over, their solo recordings, and so much more. It's an introspective chat filled w...

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 (Mass Street Music) and Nathan Schiller (Folkway Music). Their thoughts on guitar retail may just surprise you, and their insights into how to take care of a customer (and stay profitable during these tumultuous times...

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 the region and its recovery from the storm, the unique tone woods used for this guitar, what it's like to build a guitar with other makers, and so much more!  C...

3Bender's Wade Back joins us this week to share the fascinating history of 3Bender and reveal an incredible new product he's unveiling at this year's Fretboard Summit, the Steelmaster. The Steelmaster is a string bender that can be mounted to any Jazzmaster-style guitar. It requires no drilling and works with stock or Mastery bridges. Wade's story is one of a kind. We hear about his love for steel guitar, meeting elderly guitar tech Bob Stafford, and about the Steelmaster's origin story (which involves Black Bobbin's Shelby Pollard and last year's Summit). https://www.3...

"Here's what happens when you invite a mandolin company, with crazy curiosity, to a guitar show four years in a row." -Adrian Bagale  Northfield's Adrian Bagale joins us this week for what has to be one of the most insightful industry chats we've had in years. We talk about what the company is unveiling at our 2025 Fretboard Summit in two weeks – a new instrument for guitarists – but we also talk about so much more. For nearly 20 years, Northfield has built superb instruments both in the US and China. We discuss Northfield's unique business model...

Dave Hill is a comedian, actor, author, musician and podcaster. He's also a guitar fanatic. In fact, at the 2025 Fretboard Summit, he'll be performing an entire stand-up set on guitar (!) and doing some crowd work on your pedal boards. On this week's podcast, we talk to Dave about his love for guitar, why teenage gear obsessions are so hard to kick, his plans for his Summit set and how he balances so many different facets to his career. It's a great chat with a brilliant and funny artist. https://www.davehillonline.com See...

James Kee of East Nash Grass joins us this week to talk about his band's forthcoming album 'All God's Children' and the guitar he just acquired and restored, a 1955 Martin D-18 formerly owned by Earl Scruggs! During our chat, we learn all about the D-18's restoration (which Nashville luthier Hugh Hansen just completed), East Nash Grass' forthcoming record 'All God's Children,' why you should always have an Intellitouch tuner on-hand, and so much more.   https://www.eastnashgrass.com https://www.instagram.com/jamesalankee/?hl=en Stringjoy Strings: https://stringjoy.c...

Summer School Electronics founder Mark Turley joins us this week to discuss the history of his pedal company, his day job as a schoolteacher, our Fretboard Summit gathering, and so much more.  In what has become an annual tradition, Summer School will be debuting a new, wild pedal at our Summit. For the first time ever, Mark will also teach a pedal-making class during our festival. Space is limited, but you'll go home with the ultimate Summit souvenir...a new pedal that you created!  Register for our Summit:  https://fretboardsummit.org/ (August 21-23, 2025 in Chi...

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 just want to take notes.  https://skiphellersvoodoo5.bandcamp.com/album/mojave-after-dark We are brought to y...

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 favorite tuning, her love for Radiohead, why she won't be covering Nick Drake or Adrianne Lenker any time soon, her new single, and so much more. It's a great conversation a...

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 one of our favorite musicians.  https://adamlevy.bandcamp.com/album/household   Watch the FJ's new documentary with Ben Harper here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5crA4bqLv8 We are brou...

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 your radar. Jolliff's Mandolin Mysteries, Instrumentals Vol. 2 is a must-listen. Check it out. https://www.jacobjolliff.com We are brought to you...

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/ Hank's latest record, Loaded Dice: https://hankheaven.bandcamp.com/album/loaded-dice We are brought to you by:   Stringjoy Strings: https://stringjoy.com (Use the code FRETBOARD to...

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 music, instruments he has built, and much more. Be sure to give his latest record, Smithereens, a spin! https://www.danreeder.com We are brought to you by:  <b...

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 everyone. We hope you love it.  We are brought to you by:   Stringjoy Strings: https://stringjoy.com (Use the code FRET...

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.  https://jonrauhouse.com This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/fret We are also brought to you by:   Stringjoy Strings: https://stringjoy.com (Use the code FRETBOARD to save 10% off your fi...

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://mmguitarbar.com Peghead Nation: https://www.pegheadnation.com (Get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription with the promo code FRETBOARD at checkout). https://fretboardsummit.org/ (Au...

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 used (including his trusty Line 6 DL4). It's a fun chat with a truly innovative musician. https://andypitcher.bandcamp.com/album/dot ...

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 dulcimer in a whole new light.  https://www.lapidusmusic.com/home During our chat, we hear about how an entire generation of 1960s d...

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 Association.  This week, Peghead Nation is launching a live Flatpicking Old-Time Fiddle Tunes class with guitar virtuoso (and co-founder) Scott Nygaard. https://www.pegheadnation.com Th...