This week, we talk to Meg Duffy, the stellar guitarist and songwriter best known as Hand Habits. https://www.handhabits.band Meg grew up in upstate New York and took up guitar as a teenager. They attended the local community college's guitar program (the only non-male student in their class) and performed with a wide variety of local singer-songwriters and bands before a fortuitous encounter opening for Kevin Morby. Meg ended up touring with Morby and eventually moved to LA where they've worked for Christian Lee Hutson, The War on Drugs, Perfume Genius, and numerous other artists when they're not working on Hand Habits. Best of all, Meg is still often using the Fender Deluxe Lone Star Strat they bought as a teenager.  During our chat, we talk about how Meg found guitar and its important role in their upbringing; why Hand Habits' fanbase has "family therapy energy;" trying to emulate Blake Mills' parts touring with Perfume Genius; 'Doubles,' Meg's gorgeous new instrumental record with Gregory Uhlmann; the art of playing slow; and so much more. We also talk gear, including the rubber bridge guitars from Old Style Guitar Shop, electrics from Gelber & Sons, and the next big, post-rubber-bridge guitar muting trend (maybe)!  Watch Hand Habits on KEXP here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV04BNCQxTI Watch Meg with Perfume Genius on KEXP here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuWb099qGFU&t=1086s Registration is now open to attend our 2024 Fretboard Summit: https://fretboardsummit.org/ If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and consider joining the Fretboard Journal's new Patreon page. Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription Our podcast is sponsored by Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); and Stringjoy Strings(get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code). This episode is also sponsored by iZotope. Use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off of your Izotope order. 

Sit back, relax, and enjoy one of the most unforgettable Fretboard Journal Podcast interviews ever. This week’s guest is spiritual teacher and yogi Guru Singh. Born Gerry Pond, this one-of-a-kind guitar fanatic garnered acclaim as a folk singer in Seattle’s coffee house and music scene of the '60s. He was one of the first young rock musicians to sign with Frank Sinatra’s Reprise Records. Gerry then relocated to San Francisco where he found himself playing concerts with the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and others. Unfortunately, he was also a fish out of water: A sober, meditation-loving yoga living in SF’s wild Haight-Ashbury scene. To compound things, his early protest songs about Vietnam resulted in him being blacklisted from radio stations and targeted by the Feds. So, in the late 1960s, Gerry safely stored his cherished Gibson J-45 and went on a yearlong quest to the deepest reaches of Mexico, a journey documented in his book, Buried Treasures. When he returned, the J-45 was still there but his music and life was completely transformed. Now known as Guru Singh, he teaches Kundalini yoga and meditation techniques to practitioners around the world, collaborates with artists like Seal, and spreads positivity wherever he goes. We talk about all this and more on this very special podcast. He shares the story of his favorite guitars, offers advice to help you get through the holidays, and even encourages a little guitar acquisition syndrome. In a Fretboard Journal first, he also teaches us all how to breathe a little better. We first spotted Guru Singh on the Rich Roll Podcast, where we couldn’t help but notice all the unique acoustic guitars he employed. We knew we had to get him on the Fretboard Journal podcast one day and here, at long last, is our first interview. https://gurusingh.com/ Registration is now open to attend our 2024 Fretboard Summit: https://fretboardsummit.org/ If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and consider joining the Fretboard Journal's new Patreon page. Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal and get our new 53rd edition: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription Our podcast is sponsored by Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); and Stringjoy Strings(get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code). This episode is also sponsored by iZotope. Use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off off your Izotope order. 

The word "handmade" is used a lot when it comes to high-end or luthier-built instruments, but what does it really mean? On this week's podcast, guitarmakers and longtime friends Jason Kostal and Mike Baranik talk about the technology (including CNC machines) they will and won't use when it comes to their creations. Recorded live at the 2023 Fretboard Summit, this is a fascinating chat about tools, being efficient, making a living as a luthier, and so much more. https://www.baranikguitars.com/ https://kostalguitars.com/ Registration is now open to attend our 2024 Fretboard Summit: https://fretboardsummit.org/ If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and consider joining the Fretboard Journal's new Patreon page. Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription Get a discounted digital subscription and get our 52nd issue immediately:  https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/collections/downloads/products/fretboard-journal-digital-subscription-offer Our podcast is sponsored by Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); and Stringjoy Strings(get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code). This episode is also sponsored by iZotope. Use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off off your Izotope order. You can also get 10% off your Native Instruments software at Native-Instruments.com with code RUIN10. Some restrictions apply.

This week, we celebrate Martin Guitars' 190th anniversary by talking to Thomas Ripsam, the famed company's CEO and President. We talk about how Thomas - an outsider to the MI industry but a passionate musician and skilled business leader - landed the job at Martin a few years ago. We discuss some of the many challenges that Martin faces as it looks to grow its audience, plus topics like sustainability, tonewoods, TikTok, and so much more.  As you'll hear, Thomas is a music fanatic. Before working at Martin, he took a guitarbuilding class from Dennis MacPherson and he's released a couple of albums under the moniker, Seeds of Imagination (Spotify link). To commemorate their 190th anniversary, Martin just re-launched their D-19 series. (This was announced just after our conversation so it didn't come up.) If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and consider joining the Fretboard Journal's new Patreon page. Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription Get a discounted digital subscription and get our 52nd issue immediately:  https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/collections/downloads/products/fretboard-journal-digital-subscription-offer Our podcast is sponsored by Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); and Stringjoy Strings (get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code). This episode is also sponsored by iZotope. Use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off off your Izotope order. You can also get 10% off your Native Instruments software at Native-Instruments.com with code RUIN10. Some restrictions apply.

As R2R Electric, Chris Vincent builds exacting copies of classic 1960s fuzz, boost, and wah pedals using old components. It's a unique business model where Chris has to devote more time to sourcing and testing vintage transistors than he does actually building pedals. When he does release a batch of new pedals on Reverb, demand is through the roof. They typically sell out in a day or so. On this week's podcast, Chris stops by the FJ and tells us about the quirks of building brand new, but mostly old pedals. We talk about how he sources and tests his parts, how he got hooked on vintage pedals, and about some of his favorite products. Chris is arguably best known by his Instagram handle, @djlavalamp. He was an early guest on our Truth About Vintage Amps and he participated in our early pandemic project #FJFest with a behind-the-scenes video submission. It was great to catch up with this in-demand pedal maker right before his next pedal drop. https://www.r2relectric.com If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and consider joining the Fretboard Journal's new Patreon page. Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription Get a discounted digital subscription and get our 52nd issue immediately:  https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/collections/downloads/products/fretboard-journal-digital-subscription-offer Our podcast is sponsored by Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); and Stringjoy Strings (get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code). This episode is also sponsored by iZotope. Use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off off your Izotope order. You can also get 10% off your Native Instruments software at Native-Instruments.comwith code RUIN10. Some restrictions apply.

Richard Walter, Senior Curator of Phoenix's incredible Musical Instrument Museum, joins us to talk about MIM's new exhibition, 'Acoustic America: Iconic Guitars, Mandolins, and Banjos.' This exhibit, running from November 10, 2023 - September 15, 2024, features a staggering array of legendary instruments owned by the likes of David Grisman, Elizabeth Cotten, Mississippi John Hurt, Earl Scruggs and others.   Read all about it here: https://mim.org/special-exhibitions/acoustic-america/ Rich tells us about how he landed his position at MIM, how he and his team care for these priceless instruments, the guitars that are closest to his heart, and so much more.  The Fretboard Journal is planning on having a meetup at MIM sometime in early 2024. Reach out to us at podcast@fretboardjournal.com if you'd like to join us.  If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and consider joining the Fretboard Journal's new Patreon page. Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription Get a discounted digital subscription and get our 52nd issue immediately:  https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/collections/downloads/products/fretboard-journal-digital-subscription-offer Our podcast is sponsored by Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); and Stringjoy Strings (get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code). This episode is also sponsored by iZotope. Use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off off your Izotope order. You can also get 10% off your Native Instruments software at Native-Instruments.comwith code RUIN10. Some restrictions apply.

TJ Thompson and Folkway Music's Mark Stutman are two of the most respected authorities on Earth when it comes to the repair and restoration of 1930s and '40s vintage acoustic guitars. In this unforgettable session from the 2023 Fretboard Summit, TJ and Mark share some never-before-heard revelations from their decades of working on rare and collectible Martins and Gibsons. During this conversation, you get to be a fly on the wall and hear two repair people at the top of their craft, geek out on the little details that add up. They talk about guitar rosettes, popsicle braces, bridge plates, neck angles, how wood ages, 1970s Martins, and so much more. It's a 90-minute masterclass on the minutia and magic found inside old instruments...and why it's so hard to make a new, luthier-built instrument sound "old." We hope you love it.  Registration is now open for our 2024 Fretboard Summit in Chicago: https://fretboardsummit.org/ Links: TJ Thompson: https://proluthiertools.com/ Mark Stutman: https://folkwaymusic.com/ If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and consider joining the Fretboard Journal's new Patreon page. Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription Get a discounted digital subscription and get our 52nd issue immediately:  https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/collections/downloads/products/fretboard-journal-digital-subscription-offer Our podcast is sponsored by Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); and Stringjoy Strings (get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code). This episode is also sponsored by iZotope. Use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off off your Izotope order. You can also get 10% off your Native Instruments software at Native-Instruments.com with code RUIN10. Some restrictions apply.

This is one of our favorite interviews to date: FJ contributor, guitarist, singer-songwriter and educator Adam Levy joins us for a very special interview about his new trio record, 'Spry,' his new book with Ethan Sherman ('String Theories') and so much more. Adam recounts stories of growing up in California and watching his grandfather, George Wyle, serve as a musician and music director on TV shows. He talks about his first Hollywood session, taking lessons from Ted Greene, working alongside Norah Jones (and writing his first song, ever, for her), playing with Tracy Chapman, working at Guitar Player (and how his guitar once ended up on the cover of GP), working on 'Spry,' the art of titling instrumental tracks, and so much more. Adam also shares a bunch of insights from his new book with Ethan Sherman, 'String Theories,' which we can't recommend enough. https://www.adamlevy.com/ https://stringtheoriesbook.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and consider joining the Fretboard Journal's new Patreon page. Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription Get a discounted digital subscription and get our 52nd issue immediately:   https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/collections/downloads/products/fretboard-journal-digital-subscription-offer Our podcast is sponsored by Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); and Stringjoy Strings (get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code). This episode is also sponsored by iZotope. Use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off off your Izotope order. You can also get 10% off your Native Instruments software at Native-Instruments.com with code RUIN10. Some restrictions apply.

George Gruhn will need little introduction to most Fretboard Journal followers. George is, quite simply, one of the most respected vintage instrument authorities in the world and the owner of Gruhn Guitars, one of the best guitar stores on the planet. So why, at the age of 78, did he want to take a stab at creating his own guitar line? "I want to have fun," he tells us. "And fun means designing new items, doing things that are meaningful... I did this because, while the world does not need more clones of Martin, Fender or Gibson, there is space for something that is new...but it needs to have a reason to exist." On this week's podcast, we talk to Gruhn about these new guitars, which he's dubbed the Versitar line. We hear about how his guitar creations have evolved from the Tacoma instruments he designed decades ago; why he decided to build his own guitar factory in Lebanon, Tennessee; and why there may be more models coming...and a dealer network beyond his own store. We also hear about his favorite tonewood combinations on these instruments, his take on the vintage instrument market in 2023 and so much more.      https://guitars.com/gruhn-versitar     I've spoken to Gruhn numerous times over the last 20 years and I've never heard him quite this excited. I hope you enjoy our chat. Love our podcast and want to support it? Join our Patreon and get episodes ad-free along with bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/Fretboard_Journal Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription Get a discounted digital subscription and get our 52nd issue immediately:   https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/collections/downloads/products/fretboard-journal-digital-subscription-offer Our podcast is sponsored by Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); and Stringjoy Strings (get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code). This episode is also sponsored by iZotope. Use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope order and check out the new updates for Ozone 11 and their vocal software, Nectar 4.

This week, we're sharing another unforgettable session from the 2023 Fretboard Summit: A  conversation with acclaimed luthiers Wayne and EJ Henderson. Wayne is a legendary figure in the world of acoustic guitars, an NEA National Heritage Fellow, and the subject of Allen St. John's 2005 book, 'Clapton's Guitar.' Daughter EJ (Elizabeth Jayne) Henderson is continuing the Henderson legacy of instrument building out of her Asheville, NC workshop, but with a focus on sustainable woods.   https://www.waynehenderson.org/ https://www.ejhendersonguitars.com/ During our chat, we hear about how they each took up guitar building; the instruments they brought to the Summit; their current output; how their workshops differ; and much more. We also hear the duo play a couple of songs.  Recorded live at the Fretboard Summit on August 25, 2023. Our next Summit takes place August 22-24, 2024 at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. Love our podcast and want to support it? Join our Patreon and get episodes ad-free along with bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/Fretboard_Journal Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription Get a discounted digital subscription and get our 52nd issue immediately:   https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/collections/downloads/products/fretboard-journal-digital-subscription-offer Our podcast is sponsored by Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); and Stringjoy Strings (get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code). This episode is also sponsored by iZotope. Use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope order and check out the new updates for Ozone 11 and their vocal software, Nectar 4.