Everything in life is better understood if you can learn to see the strings attached
Visionary Guitar Maker | Ulrich Teuffel
Italian Supercar Aerospace Engineer | Giulio DiDonato
Legendary Acoustic Luthier | William "Grit" Laskin
Producer of "Fight Club" | Ross Grayson Bell
Visionary Guitar Maker | Ulrich Teuffel Italian Supercar Aerospace Engineer | Giulio DiDonato Legendary Acoustic Luthier | William "Grit" Laskin Producer of "Fight Club" | Ross Grayson Bell
Jamie Gale is a thought leader who rose to prominence in the guitar industry by simplifying complex concepts.
In this weekly podcast, he engages in cross-disciplinary discussions to reveal how everything from guitar design to architecture, philosophy, physics and more can be better understood if you learn to see the universal truths that underpin our world.
Murray Kuun | LWSA Ep.21
Unique Guitars from South Africa
Murray says that a transformative trip to Italy in the 1990s, punctuated by a visit to Michelangelo’s David and a serendipitous encounter with a Luthier, ignited his desire to craft musical instruments. With only a poorly written book as guidance, he painstakingly fashioned his first violin, marking the beginning of a prolific journey into instrument making.
Tom Nania | LWSA Ep.20
The True Science of Tone
We talk a lot about tone – but what's the science behind the sound of our stringed instruments? To tackle this topic, I can think of few better people to talk with than Tom Nania.
As well as his work as an acoustics engineer with D'Addario, Tom is a member of the Violin Society of America’s Oberlin Acoustics Workshop. Prior to joining D’Addario, he also worked as a luthier and acoustics researcher specializing in archtop guitars as a co-proprietor of House of Luthiery. In 2021, the Violin Society of America published Tom’s work, “Archtop Guitar Dynamics", and he's currently curator of the archtopproject.org, an online resource for the acoustical analysis of historical archtop guitars.
Verso & Teuffel | LWSA Ep.19
Verso Instruments Meets Teuffel
Robin Stummvoll of Verso Instruments was recently explaining to me how big an influence Ulrich Teuffel was for his guitar designs. And when it became clear that the two had never met – despite coming from the same region in Germany – I felt I had to change that.
Luckily, they agreed, and I had the pleasure of bringing the two guitar innovators together in Uli’s workshop to discuss design, entrepreneurship and how new guitars inspire new music.
It was fascinating to take on these topics with Robin and Uli, and I’d like to thank them both again for taking part.
Omer Deutsch | LWSA Ep.18
AI Guitars & Exploring Like A Kid
Originally trained as an industrial designer, Omer worked in product design for seven years before starting his guitar making business in 2016. Since then, he’s made guitars for many artists, mostly in metal genres, including players such as Roman Ibramkhalilov of Jinjer and Daniel Tompkins of Tesseract.
Omer is also a true hobbyist, flying remote controlled airplanes, riding freestyle BMX and building with Lego – he was even part of a Lego commercial involving his guitars.
In this episode, Omer reflects on meeting his childhood hero at the NAMM Show and how he keeps his curiosity alive by building guitars for people around the world today.
Mike Sankey | LWSA Ep.17
Knowledge, Curiosity And Not Designing Guitars
Mike has been creating one-of-a-kind guitars for over 25 years in his workshop in Ottawa, Canada. While better known for organic yet futuristic electric instruments, his work has always been informed by a deep knowledge and appreciation of historical precedent. Leveraging modern techniques such as 3D printing and computer aided design has been a means to the end of making instruments that are each totally unique expressions of the luthier's art.
While enjoying a drink by the lake, we talked about the importance of curiosity, the value of stepping beyond what's comfortable, and the role of spontaneity in Mike's work.
Richard Sears | LWSA Ep.16
Living with Whales
Richard Sears is a Franco-American who founded the Mingan Island Cetacean Study in 1979 to study marine mammals in the Saint Lawrence, with an emphasis on baleen whales, and is now one of the worlds leading experts on our planets largest living animal, the Blue Whale.
In this conversation, Jamie and Richard discuss a wide range of topics, including his passion for Botany, Consciousness in animals, the health of our oceans, and of course Guitars.
Ulrich Teuffel | LWSA Ep.15
Part 2: A continuation
Since 1988, Ulrich (Uli to his friends) has been crafting electric guitars unlike any other luthier. In bringing together a unique blend of his training as an automotive mechanic and his studies in industrial design from the 1990s, he's created innovative models—Birdfish, Tesla, Niwa, and Antonio—that are radically independent, yet always follow a distinctive leitmotif. These masterpieces are found in prestigious museums and collections, as well as in the hands of legendary musicians like David Torn, Kirk Hammett, Billy Gibbons, Henry Kaiser, Ludwig Göransson, and Hans Zimmer.
Ulrich Teuffel | LWSA Ep.14
Revolutionary Guitar Design & Culture
Since 1988, Ulrich (Uli to his friends) has been crafting electric guitars unlike any other luthier. In bringing together a unique blend of his training as an automotive mechanic and his studies in industrial design from the 1990s, he's created innovative models—Birdfish, Tesla, Niwa, and Antonio—that are radically independent, yet always follow a distinctive leitmotif. These masterpieces are found in prestigious museums and collections, as well as in the hands of legendary musicians like David Torn, Kirk Hammett, Billy Gibbons, Henry Kaiser, Ludwig Göransson, and Hans Zimmer.
Giulio Di Donato | LWSA Ep.13
Exploring Super Car Engineering
Aerospace engineer Giulio Di Donato met with me just outside of Bologna, where we explore the fundamentals of aerospace engineering and aerodynamics, and see what learnings we can take to other topics and disciplines.
Giulio works in research and development for a prestigious super sports car company, taking responsibility for the thermal management of the vehicles from the early concept stage through the design and final testing. As well as gaining a better understanding of his work and the scientific fundamentals that underpin it, I wanted to get Giulio's thoughts on STEM education, and to discuss whether there might be better ways to teach science and maths than our current approaches..
Nik Huber | LWSA Ep.11
The Stories Behind the Guitars
I've known Nik Huber for many years – since almost the very beginning of my work in the guitar industry. While we were catching up in a restaurant during the Montreux International Guitar Show, I wanted to dive back into some of the stories that have defined his hugely successful career as a guitar maker. So, a bit less of a podcast, this episode is more like sitting in on dinner between two old friends…
Sheldon Dingwall | LWSA Ep.10
The Life of a Leading Bass Innovator
The founder and CEO of Dingwall Guitars, and the modern champion of the multiscale bass, Dingwall boasts an artist roster of many many of the worlds top artists.
Something that sets Dingwall apart is its ability to balance boutique craftsmanship with a more corporate production style business model. With Sheldon’s unrelenting drive and ambitious vision pushing it forward, the company has gone from strength to strength as a major force in the world of bass design.
I wanted to know what shaped Sheldon into the entrepreneur he is today, what he sees as the philosophy behind his business, and what the life of a bass company owner is really like.
Zackery Belanger | LWSA Ep.9
Acoustics & Architecture
Zackery Belanger is an expert in the form and material of acoustic architecture. For most of his career, he has questioned the dominant approaches in acoustics, convinced that intuitive, creative approaches are possible. He is the author of the essay Acoustic Ornament, which argues for consideration of non-acoustic surfaces and objects. In 2017 he founded the Detroit-based studio Arcgeometer. Belanger is a prolific speaker on acoustics, and has worked extensively on architectural projects and products.
Michael Spalt | LWSA Ep.8
At the Meeting Point of Art & Lutherie
For decades, Michael's work has developed at the intersection of art, design and instrument making, pushing boundaries and experimenting with surprising materials. Whether in series like his Totem guitars featuring resin tops, or in one-off highly decorative display pieces featuring built-in amps and inspired by literature and myth, he's been a pioneer in bringing an artist's approach and technical knowledge to the field of guitar making.
Bruno Bacci | LWSA Ep.7
Inspiring the Next Generation of Guitarists
With a background in design, Bruno talks about how his whole life has actually led him to guitar making, how he's managed to establish a successful guitar business, and how his passion for working with musicians has led to collaborations with some of the biggest guitar players in the world.
Adriano Sérgio | LWSA Ep.6
The Many Lives of an Artist
It's always fascinating to speak with skilled craftspeople about their work, but it would be remiss to only talk about guitar making in an episode with Adriano. Fleeing his homeland as a child; serving as the equivalent of a Navy SEAL in Portugal; gaining a degree in jazz performance; touring in musical theatre; working as a tech for Ozzy Osbourne and Iron Maiden – Adriano's life is one filled with stories, passion and deep contrasts, all of which comes into his instrument making.
Ross Grayson Bell | LWSA Ep.5
Fight Club’s Producer, on Impactful Storytelling
From producing Fight Club and screenwriting for the BBC to partnering with UNICEF and creating films about some of the world's most important environmental projects, Ross's work has many threads. But they're all connected by a single mission. As a writer, producer and director, Ross has harnessed the power of storytelling to make an impact, and as an educator, narrative consultant and strategist, he's helped others do the same. Driven by the belief that storytelling is perhaps our most powerful tool for changing the world, he's dedicated his career to finding and telling the stories that matter.
Bryan Galloup | LWSA Ep.4
Building a Meaningful Guitar Business
Bryan Galloup's impact on the guitar industry has been enormous and multi-faceted. For over four decades, he's been dedicated to the preservation of vintage and contemporary musical instruments; he's the President and CEO of Galloup Guitars; and through the Galloup School of Guitar Building and Repair, he and his team have trained more than 2500 luthiers, some of whom are now themselves considered among the most respected guitar makers in the world.
Julio Martins
& João Petiz | LWSA Ep.3
EveryThink
Julio Martins and João Petiz are the founders of Everythink, a design company based in Portugal with an incredibly diverse portfolio of projects. From airplanes and medical equipment to guitars and robots, they design products, services and experiences that impact people's lives in a positive, easy and happy way. I sat down with them on location in Porto to talk about the connections across disciplines, the value of generalists, and why designing a guitar is so much harder than you might think.
DANIEL ROWLAND | LWSA Ep.2
Don’t be afraid to break things
Daniel Rowland is an LA/Vegas-based music producer/engineer, tech executive, and educator. He holds a B.S and M.F.A. in Music Technology, and is currently Head of Strategy and Partnerships at AI music production platform LANDR, co-founder of browser-based DAW Audiotool, and longtime instructor at MTSU. For nearly a decade, his primary focus has been on the empowerment of music creators via ethical AI-driven tools and accessible design, sharing that message on dozens of panels and podcasts.
He has produced, mixed, or mastered projects for Pixar (including the Oscar-winning film “Piper”), Nine Inch Nails, Seal, Jhene Aiko, Phillip Glass, Gayle, Gucci Mane, Keith Richards, Gwen Stefani, David Foster, Burna Boy, Adrian Belew, and Jason Derulo, along with dozens of soundtracks for Star Wars, Marvel, John Wick, The Fast and the Furious, and others.He was ranked as one of the top 40 mastering engineers in the world by Jaxsta based upon streaming numbers and credits, and is a voting member of the Recording Academy.
William Grit Laskin | LWSA Ep.1
Artisan Guitar Making
in the Digital Age
In this wide-ranging conversation between renowned Canadian Luthier Grit Laskin, we discuss the role of the artisan in the digital age, what the physics and physiology of sound perception teach us about instrument making, and why the mysteries of the guitar may remain mysteries for centuries to come.