The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast

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Podcast 277: Jim Campilongo Feb 10, 2020

Show notes

This week, we're sharing an epic conversation with one of our favorite musicians, guitar great Jim Campilongo. Jim shares stories about growing up in San Francisco, his early guitar lessons, his ever-growing LP obsession and some of the fateful encounters that helped shape his point-of-view as an instrumentalist. We then discuss his move from San Francisco to New York; his new, Sundazed Best of compilation; his ongoing collaborations with luthier Chihoe Hahn (Hahn's Model C tele-style guitar); plus a lot more.

This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases.

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Podcast 276: Dan Erlewine Jan 30, 2020

Show notes

Dan Erlewine is, quite simply, a legend when it comes to lutherie. Through his countless videos and articles for StewMac, he's helped thousands of aspiring and veteran guitarmakers hone their craft. On this week's podcast, he reflects upon two of his most famous creations: A Strat-style guitar he built for Jerry Garcia and the Flying V he built for Albert King. Erlewine is building all-new replicas of both guitars and had examples at the 2020 NAMM Show. We also talk about naming Iggy Pop (his former bandmate), Dan's latest guitar creations, taking lessons from Clarence White and a lot more. A must-listen episode...

This podcast is sponsored by Mono Creators and Retrofret Vintage Guitars.

Podcast 275: Remembering Paul Hostetter with Henry Kaiser and Rick Turner Jan 08, 2020

Show notes

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

Growing up in Detroit, Paul Hostetter took up guitar as a teenager, dropped out of high school and got a job at Joe and Mary Fava's music shop teaching blues and folk-style guitar. He knew Joni Mitchell and Marvin Gaye. He played rhythm guitar in recording sessions at Motown Records. And, while still in Detroit, he attended Monteith College, a liberal arts branch of Wayne State University, eventually earning a bachelor's degree in philosophy. His experience there was broader than it sounds. He worked in a range of disciplines, among them metal-smithing, a skill that enabled him to support himself designing and making wedding rings.

In addition, Paul was the inspiration for the SCGC Model H guitar. These instruments exist in 14-fret, 13-fret and 12-fret versions. All of the tracks on this album are recorded with SCGC Model H guitars. Most of the musicians were friends with Paul and chose tunes and musical modes of expression that would have made Paul smile.

Beyond the incredible playing, this album is a tremendous showcase of just how varied one guitar model can sound, thanks to differing tonewood choices. It's also fascinating to hear Kaiser and Turner's expert commentary between songs. We hope you enjoy it.

Track Listing

1 Martin Simpson – "When First Unto This Country" 3:30 2 Rick Ruskin - "Medley: Buck Dancer's Choice / Arkansas Traveler" 1:45 3 Happy Traum - "He Was a Friend of Mine" 4:42 4 Bruce Molsky - "Lasitera" 3:06 5 Josh Michaell - "Evening Reflections by Laguna Creek" 4:04 6 Kevin Carr - "Foliada de Bearducido" 3:27 7 Jody Stecher - "The Spider Hop" 4:57 8 D'Gary - "Mpiarak' Aomby" 4:39 9 Tony McManus - "Bach Cello Suite #1: Prelude" 2:20 10 Michael Gulezian - "Oh! Suzanna" 4:48 11 Rick Chelew - "It Could Be an Antelope" 3:18 12 Ed Pettersen - "The Harbor Road" 3:44 13 Paul Kotapish & Dan Warrick - "Belgian Waltzes" 2:58 14 Rick Turner - "Smith Grade March" 1:47 15 Marc Silber - "Searching for Spence > Leavin' You" 4:40 16 Rev. Heng Sure - "She Carries Me" 4:47 17 Eric Thompson - "Shake Shake Mama" 2:51 18 Henry Kaiser - "Hard Time Killin' Spoonful Blues" 7:25

Podcast 274: Russell Winfield Dec 27, 2019

Show notes

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

Follow Shout the People here.

This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases.

Podcast 273: Robert Keeley Dec 14, 2019

Show notes

"It wasn't like I was looking to make pedals my career, at all… it was just, 'I bet I can sell one to buy parts for this other one.'" –Robert Keeley, on his early work

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).

Whether you know Keeley for his old Tube Screamer mods or for his more recent, digital signal processing effects, you're bound to learn something during this hour-long chat.

This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases.

Podcast 272: Odessa Dec 03, 2019

Show notes

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. It also brought with it some of the headaches of the music industry: Managers, major labels… and expectations for another hit. "It was kind of a wild ride," Odessa tells us, looking back. "I'm still not exactly sure what happened."

On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, Odessa walks us through what transpires when a major label and an artist have differing views on success and how one recovers to stay true to their vision. We also talk about Odessa's a new, self-released Jonathan Wilson-produced album called All Things. It's an album that we can't recommend enough.

This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases.

Podcast 271: Craig Korth Nov 21, 2019

Show notes

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 (hint: a lot of hard work, hustling and trading up) and about the Nimble Fingers music camp he ran for many years.

We also talk about Craig's foray into lutherie, the lessons he took from archtop maker Bob Benedetto and how Craig is currently coping with focal hand dystonia. Whether or not you're a fan of bluegrass music, we think you'll love this episode and Craig's outlook on life.

Note: The first few minutes of our interview have some internet connection issues but it clears up very soon.

This episode is sponsored by Mono Cases and Retrofret Vintage Guitars.

Podcast 270: Jason Loughlin Nov 14, 2019

Show notes

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. Over the course of the lesson, Loughlin walks students through a nine-guitar (!) arrangement of the jazz standard "After You've Gone." Though it sounds daunting, Loughlin is able to easily break down and demystify how recordings like this are made and reveal some of Les' favorite tone hacks, like emulating the sound of drums and bass via his six-string guitar.

We also talk to Loughlin about how to encapsulate those classic Les Paul sounds with modern gear, some of Loughlin's other loves – like early Sun Records recordings – and much more.

This week's Fretboard Journal Podcast is sponsored by Mono and Retrofret Vintage Guitars. Don't forget to also tune into the Truth About Vintage Amps podcast, which is about to celebrate its first birthday.

Sound on Sound with Jason Loughlin: https://truefire.com/les-paul-guitar-lessons/sound-on-sound/c1442

Podcast 269: Erick Coleman (Toneschaser) Nov 04, 2019

Show notes

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 working on instruments, how he balances his work week and how he's amassed a rather huge guitar and amp collection. We also talk about common mistakes people make on their first guitar builds, plus a lot more.

Links: Erick's social feeds: Instagram / Facebook

Erick's band: The D-Rays

Stewart-MacDonald: https://www.stewmac.com

Podcast 268: Skytop Guitars Oct 24, 2019

Show notes

The instruments that luthier Eric Weigeshoff (Skytop Guitars) crafts are striking. For starters, his 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.

Follow Eric and Skytop here.

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