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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Canadian musician Ariel Posen (arielposen.com) has released a new album entitled Bannatyne. This album is splendid. It features high-quality songs, arrangements that are polished but not overdone, and, as always, that incredible guitar sound with its inimitable touch. Ariel Posen interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel.
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In 2026, The Guitar Channel travelled to Finland for the first time to cover ToneFest (tonefest.fi), the country’s biggest guitar show. Here is an interview with Petri Matero, organiser of this wonderful event and owner of the shop Tonefest Guitar Gallery (tonefestguitargallery.com), also located in Tuusula, just north of Helsinki. A big thank you to
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Curtis Novak (curtisnovak.com) is an American manufacturer of boutique pickups and also the organizer of the Wood Wire Volts event (woodwirevolts.com), which held its second edition in 2026 alongside NAMM. It was striking to see the expansion of this event, which doubled in number of exhibitors. Curtis Novak interview Until the next interview or gear
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Young American musician Taj Farrant (tajfarrant.com) was at NAMM 2026 at the Eminence booth, where he was presenting a signature speaker. Here he is in an interview just before his demo. Thanks to AMS Amplification (amsamplifiers.com) for putting us in touch with Taj. Taj Farrant interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on
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The second and final day at the ToneFest (tonefest.fi) was a superb day with lots of visitors again, lots of great encounters, beautiful music and six interviews. Interviews of the day : Many thanks to Petri Matero of ToneFest Guitar Gallery (tonefestguitargallery.com), organiser of this event, who financed a large part of my travel expenses.
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The second and final day at the ToneFest (tonefest.fi) was a superb day with lots of visitors again, lots of great encounters, beautiful music and six interviews. Interviews of the day : Many thanks to Petri Matero of ToneFest Guitar Gallery (tonefestguitargallery.com), organiser of this event, who financed a large part of my travel expenses.
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Here I am! I'm at ToneFest (tonefest.fi), the guitar show held in Tuusula, 20 km north of Helsinki, Finland. Around fifty exhibitors, mainly Finnish, are present with a splendid assortment of acoustic and electric guitars from luthiers, boutique pedals, amplifiers, as well as a luthiery school, book and kit sellers, and a distributor. It was
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Here I am! I'm at ToneFest (tonefest.fi), the guitar show held in Tuusula, 20 km north of Helsinki, Finland. Around fifty exhibitors, mainly Finnish, are present with a splendid assortment of acoustic and electric guitars from luthiers, boutique pedals, amplifiers, as well as a luthiery school, book and kit sellers, and a distributor. It was
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One Mississippi is the title of the album of American bluesman Eric Bibb (ericbibb.com). Here he is, guitar in hand, in a Parisian hotel, talking about it in an interview. Eric Bibb interview Serge Fathom interview with Eric Bibb For those who want more, here is the interview by Serge Fattoh from Global Africa Telesud
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Thanks to a long-time subscriber to La Chaîne Guitare (thank you, Michel!), I was able to get in touch with Polish musician Robert Pieculewicz (Facebook page). Here he is in a Zoom interview to learn about his career and his projects. Robert Pieculewicz interview The Guitar Channel podcast The audio version of the video is
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It's always very interesting to interview Zach Broyles from creator of boutique build Mythos Pedals (mythospedals.com) and high end guitar store Highvoltage Guitars (highvoltageguitars.com) because he is a keen observer of the guitar market. Listen carefully to this entrepreneur because his vision of the industry is comprehensive. Zach Broyles interview Until the next interview or
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Ariel Posen (arielposen.com) was one of the musicians programmed at the Wood Wire Volts (woodwirevolts.com) event at The Colony, a few kilometers away from the NAMM Show convention center. Here is for a quick interview to talk about his 2026 projects. FYI, we will soon be recording an in-depth interview to discuss his new album, Bannatyne.
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Swiss luthier Egon Rauscher from SoulTool Guitars (soultool.com) recounts one of his luthier fail. Egon Rauscher 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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