The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast

A lot of acoustic guitarists have a favorite pickup that they install on their instruments. Singer-songwriter/guitarist David Wilcox has more like ten…and he uses them all at the same time. On this week’s podcast, we talk to David about his very unique method for amplifying and recording his guitars, including the numerous pickups and mics he installs (Joe Mills, Sunrise, McIntyre Acoustic Featherand others!). We also talk about his signature model RainSong guitar and his forthcoming order with acclaimed luthier Jason Kostal. Beyond all the gear talk, David walks us through his Custom Songs program (where he takes commissions from fans to write songs specifically about their lives), the fateful moment that inspired him to take up the guitar and a lot more. This episode is sponsored by Lowden Guitars, Lee Valley Tools and Retrofret Vintage Guitars. 

John McEuen joins us on this week’s Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, learning from Doug Dillard, the creation of his solo album, Made in Brooklyn (and the unique way it was recorded), plus a lot more. Check out the Fretboard Journal website to watch McEuen perform "Brooklyn Crossing."  This week's episode is sponsored by Lee Valley Tools, Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Lowden Guitars. 

Guitarist Mike Squires went straight from the Marines to the Seattle music scene, eventually becoming a guitarist in Harvey Danger, the Long Winters and Alien Crime Syndicate. These days, he's living on the East Coast and dividing his time between a day job, playing guitar for Duff McKagan's Loaded and posting short music clips on Instagram under the hashtag couchriffs.  On this week's FJ Podcast, we have a fun chat with Squires about his music journey, get his tips for how to land a gig as a guitarist ("be nice," "learn ALL the songs..") and much more.  This episode is sponsored by Lowden Guitars, Lee Valley Tools and RetroFret Vintage Guitars.  Order the new Fretboard Journal Electric Guitar Annual here. 

Vermont-based luthier Adam Buchwald (Circle Strings) joins us on this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about leaving his family business to start repairing and building instruments, his time at Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Froggy Bottom Guitars, the launch of Circle Strings and his new budget acoustic line, the Iris Guitar Co.  This episode is sponsored by our friends at Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Lee Valley.  https://www.irisguitarcompany.com http://www.circlestrings.com http://retrofret.com http://leevalley.com

National Flatpicking Champion and Grant Farm founder Tyler Grant joins us on the Fretboard Journal Podcast this week. We chat about the fascinating world of flatpicking guitar competitions and the strategies Tyler employed to win them, the formation of Grant Farm and his new duo record with Robin Kessinger, Kanawha County Flatpicking.  This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars. 

Jazz icon John Pizzarelli joins us to talk about Nat King Cole, his dad (Bucky Pizzarelli), his Radio Deluxe show and much more! This episode is sponsored by Lee Valley Tools and Retrofret Vintage Guitars. Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal magazine here: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/collections/all/products/fretboard-journal-subscription-no-auto-renew

On today's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to one of the most popular guitar instructors around, Corey Congilio. In addition to Corey's contributions at TrueFire (where he has online lessons on soloing, blues licks and a lot more), we hear about his work representing makers like Martin Guitars and Fishman, the life of a session musician and much more.  This episode is sponsored by Retrofret and Lee Valley tools.  http://coreycongilio.com  

On this week's podcast, we talk to jazz guitarist Miles Okazaki about his epic new project, Work: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Monk. On it, he transcribes and performs the 70 known Monk compositions for solo guitar. We learn about his arrangement process, the guitar he used for the recordings and the rules he gave himself before tackling this huge undertaking.  https://okazakiwork.bandcamp.com/releases

On today’s Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast, we’re talking to YouTube sensation Ryan “Fluff” Bruce. With his Riffs, Beards & Gear channel, Fluff has conducted deep dives into all sorts of gear questions, unboxed the cheapest guitars imaginable on Amazon and, most importantly, had a ton of fun. Along the way, he’s garnered over 250,000 YouTube subscribers. We talk to Fluff about the unlikely career of a professional YouTuber (including the even more unlikely training he received as an editor of adult films!), his band Rest, Repose, and his signature model guitar built by Balaguer Guitars. Plus a lot more… Use the coupon code PODCAST when you check out at fretboardjournal.com and receive $5 off your order. This week’s episode is sponsored by Lee Valley Tools and Retrofret Vintage Guitars.  

Acclaimed singer-songwriter/producer Joe Henry joins us to talk about his latest recording projects, his writing habits and more!  This episode is sponsored by Lee Valley and Retrofret Vintage Guitars.