Interview with German luthier Rainer Tausch of Tausch Guitars (tausch-guitars.de) at the 2026 Guitar Summit. Rainer Tausch interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Guitar Summit
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Eric Warner is the manager of the wood supplier Pacific Rim Tonewoods (pacificrimtonewoods.com). He was one of the exhibitors at the Fretboard Summit’s guitar show, showcasing some magnificent woods. Here’s an interview with him in which he talks about his work. Eric Warner Interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the
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It's always a pleasure to run into Mattias IA Eklundh! He's an extraordinary musician with an unfailing sense of humor and a great teacher, too. Here he is at his Freak Guitar Lab booth (freakguitarlab.com) during the Guitar Summit. Mattias IA Eklundh Archives Mattias IA Eklundh interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep
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Musician Sofia Wolfson (sofiawolfson.com) also works for the Fretboard Journal (fretboardjournal.com), she was at the Fretboard Summit to lead a very interesting masterclass on songwriting. Here she is in an interview discussing her career and her projects. Sofia Wolfson Interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For
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It was at the Fretboard Summit that I discovered the band Deep Sea Diver (thisisdeepseadiver.com), led by singer-guitarist Jessica Dobson (@thisisjdobson). Here she is in an interview in the hallways of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Jessica Dobson Interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar!
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American guitarist Sammy Boller (sammyboller.com) was at the Guitar Summit at the Boutique Amp Distribution booth for Friedman amps and guitars. Sammy Boller interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Guitar Summit
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In 2026, German luthier Nik Huber celebrated the 30th anniversary of Nik Huber Guitars (nikhuber-guitars.com)! Congratulations to him on this impressive longevity. Here he is in a quick interview at his booth at the Guitar Summit. To learn more about this guitar entrepreneur, you can watch numerous interviews and features recorded with him in the
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I met musician Lance Allen (lanceallenmusic.com) through an exchange on Instagram and at the Fretboard Summit. Here he is in an interview, guitar in hand, in the hallways of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Lance Allen interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel.
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The third and final day at the Guitar Summit (guitarsummit.de) was a bit shorter, since the show closed at 5:00 p.m., but we still had a lot of fun and met lots of great people, both on and off camera. I'm heading home tired but happy! Report and interviews for 27/09/26 Until the next interview
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Saturday is the big day at the Guitar Summit (guitarsummit.de) ! That was confirmed again today with a crazy crowd right from the opening at 11:00 a.m., and it didn't let up all day. Report and interviews for 26/09/26 Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more
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What a fantastic start to this year's Guitar Summit (guitarsummit.de) in Mannheim! The crowd turned out in force first thing in the morning, and the event was sold out—even though admission costs €60 for the day. Here is the full video report of the day with interviews from Nik Huber and Sammy Boller. Report and
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It was at the 2026 Fretboard Summit that I met multi-instrumentalist Steve Dawson from the band The Volcano Brothers (stevedawson.ca/volcano-bros). Here he is in an interview with a wonderful instrument on his lap. Steve Dawson interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Fretboard Summit
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American acoustic guitar builder Isaac Jang (isaacjangguitars.com) recounts his luthier fail stories. Isaac Jang 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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It was at the Fretboard Summit that I met Jazz musician Jonathan Stout from the band Campus Five (campusfive.com). Here he is in an interview, holding a stunning archtop guitar. Jonathan Stout interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Fretboard Summit
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In this interview, Niko Slash (nikoslash.com), a leading expert on the iconic Guns N' Roses guitarist, presents the instructional package he created to teach you Slash guitar parts from the album Appetite for Destruction. I went to meet him at his home in Crolles, near Grenoble, to conduct this interview while he played guitar. Niko
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American tube amp wizard Mark Bartel, founder of the Tone King brand who now has his own brand, Bartel Amplifiers (bartelamps.com), was one of the exhibitors at the Fretboard Summit. There, Mark presented a prototype of the Swingland Line Out Interface, a device that emulates the recording process in a completely analog way. I got
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At NAMM 2026, I saw the Grez Guitars instruments (grezguitars.com) at the Wood, Wire & Volts event, but it was in Chicago at the Fretboard Summit (fretboardsummit.org) that I actually met luthier Barry Grzebik to conduct this interview and talk about his guitars. Barry Grzebik interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on
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American luthier Michihiro Matsuda from Matsuda Guitars (matsudaguitars.com) recounts one of his luthier fail. Michihiro Matsuda 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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YouTuber and professional musician Rhett Shull (YouTube channel) is a regular at the Fretboard Summit (fretboardsummit.org). This year, he came with his friend and co-founder of the Dipped in Tone (dippedintone.com) podcast, Zach Broyles of Mythos Pedals (mythospedals.com). Here they are in an interview, with a brief appearance by Addison Sauvan (@addisonsauvan), who works with
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Evan Gluck (newyorkguitarrepair.com) is a craftsman known as a luthier who specializes in instrument repairs and maintenance. Based in New York, he attended the Fretboard Summit to lead a panel discussion on technology in his field. Evan Gluck interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more
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It was at the Fretboard Summit (fretboardsummit.org) that I met Jens Kruger(krugerbrothers.com). He was playing the banjo incredibly well in a hallway; we got to talking, and I asked him if he’d be willing to do an interview. I haven’t regretted it—what a musician! Jens Kruger interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep
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It was at the Fretboard Summit (fretboardsummit.org) that I met Brad Doyle, who, through Moth Guitars (www.mothguitars.com), offers instruments with original designs. Brady Doyle interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Fretboard Summit
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I’ve been following Jason Verlinde’s work for years, ever since I learned about the Fretboard Journal (fretboardjournal.com), the publication he founded. At NAMM 2025, I had the opportunity to conduct an in-depth interview with him (see this article), and we hit it off right away. His vision for a guitar media outlet is the same
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Saturday, August 22, 2026, marked the third and final day of the 2026 Fretboard Summit (fretboardsummit.org. Once again, there were large crowds in the various venues and at the scheduled events. Interviews of the day: Day 3 report of the Fretboard Summit Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre
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Another brilliant day at the Fretboard Summit (fretboardsummit.org), just as action-packed as yesterday! The day got off to a flying start as I conducted a double interview with Zach Broyles from Mythos Pedals and Rhett Shull, with a guest appearance by Addison Sauvan. Once again, I was able to attend some truly remarkable masterclasses, particularly
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I knew the Fretboard Summit (fretboardsummit.org) was a brilliant guitar event from all the feedback I’d received. Still, I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I did on that first day! The venue is absolutely stunning and perfectly suited to a guitar event: the exhibition spaces are beautiful, there’s natural light almost everywhere,
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American luthier Steve Klein from Klein Guitars (Instagram: @klein_guitars) recounts one of his luthier fail. Steve Klein 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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Juha Ruokangas of Ruokangas Guitars (ruokangas.com) is one of Europe’s very best guitar makers. And yet, like all craftspeople, he sometimes makes mistakes when building his marvellous instruments. Here are a few amusing luthier fail stories recorded in his workshop in Finland. Juha Ruokangas interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing
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Italian luthier Bruno Bacci from Bacci Guitars (bacciguitars.com) recounts one of his guitar building fail. Bruno Bacci 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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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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