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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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
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
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
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
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
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
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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I am often asked how I choose the people I interview. Here is an article describing the strategy I have always used in this area. With more than 1,500 interviews under my belt, the approach is clear. The priorities The priorities regarding who I interview are simple, my choice will always be: For me, the
Sunday was the third and last day of the Paris Guitar Festival in Montrouge (parisguitarfestival.com), it was a great finale for this 2026 edition. Report for Sunday 08/03/26 Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Paris Guitar Festival
Saturday is always the big day at the Paris Guitar Festival in Montrouge (parisguitarfestival.com), it was definitely the case for the 2026 edition with a lot of visitors and plenty of good music. Report for Saturday 07/03/26 Photo album Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more
This time of year, when the Paris Guitar Festival in Montrouge (parisguitarfestival.com) returns, is always a joy! The quality of the exhibitors and the programme is always top notch. Here is a 7min video report to give you an idea of the guitar show part of the event. Report for Friday 06/03/26 Photo album Until the
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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The Finland ToneFest guitar show (tonefest.fi) doesn't start until tomorrow, Saturday, but given the flight schedule, it was easier to arrive the day before so I could be ready to go as soon as the show opened. So I arrived in Helsinki late this morning. Here's a quick video update. Hello from Helsinki Until the
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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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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Once again the amp builder Eddie Wang from Eddie Wang Instruments (eddiewanginstruments.com) was an exhibitor at the NAMM Show. He was presenting a new cab as well as his line of high end tube amp. Thanks again Eddie for letting me have an exhibitor badge for the show you rock! Eddie Wang interview Until the
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German luthier Rainer Tausch was exhibiting at NAMM 2026 as usual, and here he is being interviewed at his stand to present his Tausch Guitars (tausch-guitars.de). A huge thank you to Rainer, who has been a paying subscriber to The Guitar Channel for yearsand actively supports the project. Vielen Danke Rainer! Rainer Tausch interview Until
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Portuguese luthier Adriano Sergio of Ergon Guitars (ergonguitars.com) was one of the exhibitors at NAMM 2026. Here he is at his booth, which he shared with German luthier Rainer Tausch and American amp boutique builder Eddie Wang. A big thank you to Adriano, who has been a paying subscriber to The Guitar Channel for years.He
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Nathaniel Murphy aka @ZeppelinBarnatra on Instagram was at the NAMM Show for Chicago Music Exchange (chicagomusicexchange.com). Here he is for a quick video update. Nathaniel Murphy interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Nathaniel MurphyNAMM
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Always a pleasure to bump into the amazing musician Adam Levy (adamlevy.com)! Here is a quick interview with him recorded during the 2026 edition of the NAMM Show. Adam Levy interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Adam LevyNAMMGuitar in Hand Interviews
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That's right! A new California campaign is taking shape to cover the NAMM Show from January 22 to 24, 2026. This will be my 11th trip to this trade show. Time is flying by at breakneck speed. Why return to NAMM in 2026 The NAMM Show remains THE major event for the entire musical instrument
After Jared James Nichols (jaredjamesnichols.com) concert in Paris last November, I had the pleasure of meeting his bassist Brian Weaver (Insta : @brianweaveryo) and conducting a quick interview with him. Interview Brian Weaver Jared James Nichols interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Bassist Interviews
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It's always a pleasure to meet Thomas Blug ((bluguitar.com) in the aisles of Guitar Summit. Here's a quick interview with the German musician and entrepreneur. Thomas Blug interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Guitar Summit VideosGuitar in Hand Interviews
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As for the editions of the previous years of the Puteaux Guitar Festival, The Guitar Channel realized a satisfaction survey with the exhibitors of the luthiers show that I was organizing for the sixth time. To my knowledge, the Puteaux guitar show is the only one to conduct a satisfaction survey at each edition and
