Podcast 456: Scott Ballew

Richard Smith is one of the most impressive fingerstyle guitarists alive today. For our 52nd podcast, Smith stops by the FJ offices to talk about his unique upbringing, meeting hero Chet Atkins for th...

4 Aug 201229min

In the 1930s, Nationals and Dobro-branded guitars often featured a "frosted duco" finish, the result of applying a unique lacquer would seemingly crystalize on the instrument. The guitar finish equiva...

4 Juli 201236min

For over a decade, Portland, Oregon's Nial McGaughey has made a name for himself creating audiophile-grade guitar cables with his company Solid Cables. He's also been not-so-quietly hard at work makin...

25 Apr 201232min

Over the course of his 39 years as a luthier, Tom Ribbecke has become one of the world's great archtop guitar builders and a tireless educator, promoter and spokesperson for the world of hand-built in...

5 Mars 201230min

For the last few years, Char and Gordon Mayer of Mya-Moe Ukuleles have combined creating stunning ukuleles with an interesting business model. They hope, quite simply, to be the Collings or Benedetto ...

15 Feb 201235min

From his home in Louisville, Kentucky, we talk to guitarist and music historian Nathan Salsburg. By our count, Salsburg has released two of the best instrumental acoustic guitar albums of 2011: Avos, ...

24 Jan 201231min

"My days are very busy," pickup maker Seymour Duncan says with a laugh. It's no understatement. In addition to running one of the largest pickup companies in the musical instrument industry, Duncan is...

17 Jan 201250min

Portland, Oregon's Eric Skye may be too humble to consider himself a great guitarist, but anyone who has heard this wonderful improviser in action would beg to differ. On this week's podcast, we talk ...

2 Jan 201229min