Life With Strings Attached

Jamie Gale

Everything in life is better understood if you can learn to see the strings attached.

Life With Strings Attached is a long-form conversation series hosted by Jamie Gale that explores the people, ideas, and disciplines shaping the evolving world of the guitar.

Drawing on decades of experience across touring, retail, distribution, manufacturing, education, consulting, and global cultural exchange, Jamie brings together builders, designers, artists, scientists, historians, entrepreneurs, collectors, and innovators to uncover the patterns that connect seemingly unrelated worlds.

From guitar design and architecture to philosophy, physics, craftsmanship, psychology, and culture, each conversation explores the universal principles that influence how we create, think, and connect.

Hosted by the curator of the Boutique Guitar Showcase, Life With Strings Attached contributes to the ongoing conversation of the guitar by inviting thoughtful dialogue, celebrating diverse perspectives, and discovering new possibilities for the future of the instrument.

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119 episodes
Updated Saturday

Episodes119

Newest first

Aug 20, 2024 · 1 hr 35 min
Verso Instruments Meets Teuffel Guitars | Robin Stummvoll and Ulrich 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. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Aug 8, 2024 · 1 hr 45 min
Omer Deutsch of OD Guitars | Creating Guitars With AI & Staying Contemplative
I'm very pleased to have Omer Deutsch of OD Guitars on this week's episode of Life With Strings Attached. 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 the world of metal, 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. I very much enjoyed our conversation, and I hope that you do too. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Aug 2, 2024 · 1 hr 31 min
Mike Sankey | Knowledge, Curiosity And Not Designing Guitars
This week's episode of Life With Strings Attached was recorded on location in Northern Ontario, Canada – actually, in my backyard, by special request of today's guest, Mike Sankey. 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. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Jul 25, 2024 · 1 hr 25 min
Richard Sears | Living with Whales
This week's episode of Life With Strings Attached was filmed on location in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with marine biologist Richard Sears. 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. He worked with the pioneers of whale research, from whom he learned that in order to know whales, there is no better way than to spend a lot of time at sea. He started the first long term study of blue whales in the Sea of Cortez, collected the first blue whale identification photographs and biopsies off western Iceland, and collected data on blue whales passing by the archipelago near the Azores. In addition, he's worked off Georgia, Panama, Costa Rica, New Caledonia, Greenland, Baffin Island, and the Mediterranean. Sears is also a lifelong guitar player and music lover, and collaborated with Nik Huber on the limited Blue Whale series. I wanted to get a better understanding of his work, hear his perspective on whale behaviour and animal consciousness, and draw some connections between his work and the world of music. I very much enjoyed my conversation with Richard, and I hope that you do too. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Jul 15, 2024 · 1 hr
Ulrich Teuffel | Revolutionary Guitar Design & Culture Pt. 2
In Part 2 of this conversation, Ulrich Teuffel goes deeper into the discipline, repetition, and mindset behind building guitars over decades. From the intense development of the Birdfish to the quiet satisfaction of refining small details over time, this episode explores mastery, doubt, and the realities of working as an independent luthier. ▶ Explore Ulrich Teuffel: https://www.boutiqueguitarshowcase.com/teuffel Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Jul 9, 2024 · 1 hr 18 min
Ulrich Teuffel | Revolutionary Guitar Design & Culture Pt. 1
Today's episode of Life with Strings Attached was filmed on location in southern Germany, in the workshop of Ulrich Teuffel. 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. For Ulrich Teuffel, Leo Fender stands as the most influential guitar maker of the 20th century. In the eyes of many contemporary guitar makers, Teuffel's work exists on its own plane, elevated to a level that few can aspire to. Personally, for me, Uli has been an inspiring colleague and friend. Together, we explore concepts and ideas that stretch and challenge each other, feeding both our minds and souls. I find conversations with Uli exceptionally invigorating. I hope you will too. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Jun 25, 2024 · 1 hr 6 min
Giulio Di Donato | Exploring Supercar Engineering
Aerospace engineer Giulio Di Donato met with me just outside of Bologna for this week's episode, 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. I'd like to thank Giulio for such a fascinating discussion, which taught me a lot and gave me plenty to think about in my own work. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Jun 17, 2024 · 54 min
Giulio Negrini | Fantasy Meets Guitars
I visited Giulio Negrini of GNG in his workshop in Switzerland to talk about his guitars, and inevitably we ended up talking about far more: the role of fantasy in our culture, the allure of thematically dark or morbid art, and the magical elements that go into instrument making. An Italian master luthier, trained in the Cremonese style of Stradivarius, Guarneri and Amati, Giulio pursues perfection and precision with every one of his instruments. Though focused around the needs of players, his guitars are also designed to be aesthetically striking, with many featuring amazing custom inlay work and bold finishes, drawing influence from fantasy literature. Giulio has been part of every Boutique Guitar Showcase I've curated at The NAMM Show since its inception, and every year his guitars have got better – even when I didn't think that was possible. As always, it was fascinating to hear his thoughts on his craft and the things that inspire him, as well as to go into topics beyond the guitar. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Jun 10, 2024 · 48 min
Nik Huber | 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. Nik is one of the most widely known and respected guitar makers working today. Coming from a line of woodworkers going back four generations, he got his first steps towards instrument building early in life, tinkering in his father’s woodworking shop in the basement of their family home. The obsession with his craft grew from there, and in the three decades since building his first guitar, he has gained a worldwide reputation as a builder of the highest quality instruments. Today, still based in Nik’s small hometown of Rodgau, Germany, the highly skilled team at Nik Huber Guitars produces around 350 instruments a year and boasts an artist roster featuring some of the biggest names in music. Their guitars and basses are taken into studios and onto stages around the world by the likes of Foo Fighters, Biffy Clyro, Tenacious D, Snarky Puppy, Kvelertak and Silverstein, and played by musicians working with Justin Bieber, Robbie Williams and The Rolling Stones. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Jun 3, 2024 · 1 hr 14 min
Sheldon Dingwall | The Life of a Leading Bass Innovator
For this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Sheldon Dingwall outside of the ancient Osaka Castle in Japan. Sheldon is the founder and CEO of Dingwall Guitars. The modern champion of the multiscale bass, Dingwall boasts an artist roster including Lee Sklar, Adam “Nolly” Getgood of Periphery, Jacob Umanksy of Intervals, Jean-Michel Labadie of Gojira, Ali Dean of Architects, and musicians that play with Hans Zimmer, The Dave Matthews Band, Devin Townsend, Dweezil Zappa and many more 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. Explore more about this guest and related makers: https://www.boutiqueguitarshowcase.com/dingwall-guitars Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
May 27, 2024 · 1 hr 33 min
Zackery Belanger | Innovative Acoustics and 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. I first got to know Zackery and his work when he was a guest on a panel I co-hosted for the Venice Biennale. Fascinated by what he presented there, I was keen to have Zackery on the podcast to discuss the place of acoustics in architecture, how his approach is different to the dominant thinking in the field, and what this can teach us about sound as a part of our everyday lives. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
May 21, 2024 · 1 hr 40 min
Michael Spalt | At the Meeting Point of Art and Lutherie
For this week's episode of Life With Strings Attached, I joined Michael Spalt at his home and workshop in Portugal, where he recently relocated from Vienna. 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. But now settled into his new life and workshop in a new country, what's next? In this conversation, we explore Michael's perspective on his career, what place art and artisanal craft has in the business of making instruments, and where he believes his work will take him next. Explore more about this guest and related makers: https://www.boutiqueguitarshowcase.com/michael-spalt-guitars Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
May 13, 2024 · 1 hr 17 min
Bruno Bacci | Inspiring the Next Generation of Guitar Heroes
For this week's episode of Life With Strings Attached, I had the pleasure of joining my good friend Bruno Bacci in Tuscany, where he has forged an enviable career as a guitar maker. 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. Explore more about this guest and related makers: https://www.boutiqueguitarshowcase.com/bacci-guitars Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
May 8, 2024 · 1 hr 9 min
Adriano Sérgio | The Many Lives of an Artist
For this week's episode, I sat down with Adriano Sérgio of Ergon Guitars in Portugal. 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. Speaking with Adriano really captures the purpose of Life With Strings Attached: through a passion for the guitar, music and creativity, we become connected to so much more beyond those spaces, and it's in exploring those threads between things that we come to better understand ourselves and the world around us. Explore more about this guest and related makers: https://www.boutiqueguitarshowcase.com/ergon-guitars Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Apr 29, 2024 · 1 hr 42 min
Ross Grayson Bell | Changing the World Through Stories
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. We sat down to talk about his time as a producer in Hollywood, what storytelling really is, and his current projects that are taking him around the globe. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Apr 22, 2024 · 1 hr 1 min
Bryan Galloup | 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. In everything he's done, Bryan has brought a thorough sense of purpose and an understanding that building a business means providing value to your community – and beyond. I sat down with Bryan to discuss what it means to be an entrepreneur, the challenges of running your own business, how to be a businessperson in the guitar industry, and what the key values are that he holds when it comes to his work. Explore more about this guest and related makers: https://www.boutiqueguitarshowcase.com/galloup-guitars Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Apr 15, 2024 · 1 hr 13 min
Julio Martins and João Petiz of Everythink | Designing Everything From Airplanes to Guitars
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. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Apr 8, 2024 · 1 hr 11 min
Daniel Rowland | The Future of Music Technology
Daniel Rowland is a music producer, engineer, tech executive and educator. He's worked with artists from Nine Inch Nails and Philip Glass to Gucci Mane and Jason Derulo. In the world of film, his credits include movies from Pixar as well as the Star Wars, Marvel and Fast and Furious franchises. As Head of Strategy and Partnerships at AI music production platform LANDR and co-founder of browser-based DAW Audiotool, Daniel draws on decades of experience working at the cutting edge of music technology. At this moment of rapid and monumental technological change for the industry, I wanted to hear Daniel's thoughts on AI, the next steps in streaming and digital communities in the world of music. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.
Apr 1, 2024 · 1 hr 25 min
William "Grit" Laskin | Artisan Guitar Making in the Digital Age
In this wide-ranging conversation between myself and renowned Canadian luthier William "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. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached, Boutique Guitar Showcase, and Jamie Gale's work in the guitar industry: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase 🔗 Jamie Gale Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.