An interview with luthier Olaf Loef of Loef Guitars (loefguitars.fi) at the 2026 ToneFest (tonefest.fi) in Tuusula, 100 km north of Helsinki. Olaf Loef interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:ToneFest Interviews & Reports
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As part of our series titled luthier chronicles, here is the third part of the comprehensive tour of the wonderful workshop of Juha Ruokangas of Ruokangas Guitars (ruokangas.com) in Harvialan Kartano, 100 km north of Helsinki in Finland. A visit to Ruokangas’s luthier’s workshop – Part 3 Until the next interview or gear review, keep
I’d been wanting to go and cover the Fretboard Summit (fretboardsummit.org) in Chicago for years. It’s a guitar event created by Jason Verlinde, editor-in-chief of the Fretboard Journal (fretboardjournal.com). It features concerts, talks, panel discussions and, of course, a guitar show. Well, 2026 will be the year this plan comes to fruition, as I’ll be
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As part of our series titled luthier chronicles, here is the second part of the comprehensive tour of the wonderful workshop of Juha Ruokangas of Ruokangas Guitars (ruokangas.com) in Harvialan Kartano, 100 km north of Helsinki in Finland. A visit to Ruokangas’s luthier’s workshop – Part 2 Until the next interview or gear review, keep
American acoustic guitar builder Leo Buendia (buendiaguitars.com) recounts his luthier fail stories. Leo Buendia interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Luthier Fail Stories
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Here is a demonstration of a new instrument presented by the German manufacturer Lender Guitars (lender-guitars.de) at the Montreux guitar show. The video was recorded in one take at MIGS (migs.ch) itself, using Blue Cat Audio’s Axiom for amp and effects emulation. Lender Guitars demo Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing
Here is a demonstration of a new instrument presented by the Swiss manufacturer Pralong Guitars (pralong-guitars.com) at the Montreux guitar show. The video was recorded in one take at MIGS (migs.ch) itself, using Blue Cat Audio’s Axiom for amp and effects emulation. Pralong Guitars demo Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing
As part of our series titled luthier chronicles, here is the first part of the comprehensive tour of the wonderful workshop of Juha Ruokangas of Ruokangas Guitars (ruokangas.com) in Harvialan Kartano, 100 km north of Helsinki in Finland. A visit to Ruokangas’s luthier’s workshop – Part 1 Until the next interview or gear review, keep
Whilst travelling up north to cover ToneFest in Tuusula, just north of Helsinki in Finland, I took the opportunity to spend a few days with my friend, the luthier Juha Ruokangas of Ruokangas Guitars (ruokangas.com), to film a few behind-the-scenes luthier chronicles. Here is the list of chronicles recorded on location: Subscribe to Watch the
It was at the 2026 edition of the MIGS (migs.ch) that I discovered the fantastic Foxy Vintage Guitars project (@foxy_vintage_guitars). Here’s an interview with Philipp Kleinschnittger to find out all about this brilliant idea, which seems too good to be true and yet is clearly a reality (at least in Switzerland!). Just imagine: having the
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The South African musician Dan Patlansky (danpatlansky.com) was one of the headliners lined up for the 2026 edition of the Montreux International Guitar Show, also known as MIGS (migs.ch). I must admit that I hadn’t heard of him before I took a closer look at the festival line-up. Well, I can tell you I was
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Here is a demonstration of a Strat fitted with the Bognar Pickup System (bognarelectronics.com). The video was recorded in one take at MIGS (migs.ch) using Blue Cat Audio’s Axiom for amp and effects emulation. Throughout the video, the same sound is used in Axiom; all variations come from the guitar and the internal electronics of
Montreal-based luthier Nic Delisle (interviewed in 2015) of Island Instruments (island-instruments.com) was one of the exhibitors at the Montreux International Guitar Show, also known as MIGS (migs.ch). He was showcasing two exceptional instruments, which he discusses in this video. Nic Delisle interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre
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At the 2026 Montreux International Guitar Show, also known as MIGS (migs.ch), Blade Guitars (bladeguitars.com) was among the exhibitors, alongside its creator, the legendary Gary Levinson! When I spotted him in the aisles of the show, I pounced on him as soon as I could. He agreed straight away to do an interview. It was
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That’s everything that happened today at the Montreux International Guitar Show, also known as MIGS (migs.ch)! It was a wonderful final day, with the weather remaining absolutely fantastic – almost summer-like. There were quite a few visitors, especially in the afternoon; the masterclasses were brilliant, as were the concerts. MIGS Day 3 report Photo album
Here is everything that happened today at the Montreux International Guitar Show, also known as MIGS (migs.ch). Saturday is the highlight of the event. The show is open non-stop for nine hours straight, and visitors were there from first thing in the morning. In short, we had a blast! Interviews of the day (in the
Here’s a recap of everything that happened today at the Montreux International Guitar Show, also known as MIGS (migs.ch), during the event’s half-day launch. We were greeted by glorious sunshine over Lake Geneva and the surrounding mountains, as well as the festival’s fantastic team of volunteers. MIGS Day 1 report Until the next interview or
Jon Sullivan, also known as Sully from Sully Guitars (sullyguitars.com), was visiting France on holiday to attend the Paris Guitar Festival for the first time and… to pop into the showroom for an interview, guitar in hand. Part 1 / Part 2 Interview Jon Sullivan aka Sully Until the next interview or gear review, keep
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Recently I had the pleasure to have no less than 4 beautiful examples of instruments from Sully Guitars (sullyguitars.com) at the showroom in Paris. Those guitars are built by the American luthier Jon Sullivan aka Sully. Here are the playing sequences only of the review I recorded of those guitars. Here the models heard in
Jon Sullivan, also known as Sully from Sully Guitars (sullyguitars.com), was visiting France on holiday to attend the Paris Guitar Festival for the first time and… to pop into the showroom for an interview, guitar in hand. Part 1 / Part 2 Interview Jon Sullivan aka Sully Until the next interview or gear review, keep
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Swiss luthier Claudio Pagelli from Pagelli Guitars (pagelli.com) recounts his luthier fail stories. That’s right, even the best (perhaps especially the best, in fact!) make mistakes, and that’s what drives them forward and helps them become who they are. Claudio Pagelli interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre
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After a brief encounter at NAMM 2026, here is an in-depth interview with American musician Adam Levy (adamlevy.com). He has just released a superb album entitled Household, which is a delight to listen to. We also discuss the live album recorded with the Molly Miller Trio. Part 1 / Part 2 Adam Levy Interview Until
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After a brief encounter at NAMM 2026, here is an in-depth interview with American musician Adam Levy (adamlevy.com). He has just released a superb album entitled Household, which is a delight to listen to. We also discuss the live album recorded with the Molly Miller Trio. Part 1 / Part 2 Adam Levy Interview Until
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Following one of my interviews in Italy at the Bologna guitar show with Marco Ferrari from Dreamaker (dreamakeramps.com), Arnaud, a long-time subscriber to La Chaîne Guitare, ordered an amplifier from him. I had the pleasure of testing this amplifier at the showroom. Here is the video of this superb sound machine. Dreamaker 01_20PS amp demo
American pedal manufacturer Mason Marangella, founder of the Vertex (vertexeffects.com), was present at NAMM 2026 in collaboration with Gator. Here he is in an interview talking about the market at this year's NAMM, guitar pedals, and his projects. Be sure to check out Mason's videos with iconic studio guitarists on his YouTube channel, they're awesome.
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The Wood Wire Volts (woodwirevolts.com) event held its second edition during NAMM 2026 a few kilometres from the Convention Centre in a place called The Colony. The space is great, you can chat quietly and the selection of exhibitors is excellent, with many boutique manufacturers, mainly American. It's well worth taking a few hours to
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German luthier Nik Huber from Huber Guitars (nikhuber-guitars.com) recounts one of his luthier fail. Nik Huber interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Luthier Fail Stories
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The Brazilian born musician Kiko Loureiro (kikoloureiro.com) was one of the pro giving a masterclass at the 2026 edition of the ToneFest in Tuusula, Finland. It was a pleasure to record a third interview with this amazing guitar player. Kiko Loureiro Archives Kiko Loureiro interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel.
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Here is an interview with Finnish luthier Juha Ruokangas of Ruokangas Guitars (ruokangas.com) at the 2026 edition of ToneFest (tonefest.fi) in Finland. The craftsman builds high-end electric guitars with a small team of luthiers and sells his instruments worldwide. He is a leading figure in the world of guitar making. Juha Ruokangas interview Until the
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As a big fan of Jude Gold (judegold.com)and his podcast No Guitar Is Safe (link), I love interviewing this musician, who is also a member of the legendary band Jefferson Starship. Jude Gold interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:NAMM
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