Life With Strings Attached
Everything in life is better understood if you can learn to see the strings attached.
Jamie Gale is a thought leader who rose to prominence in the guitar industry by simplifying complex concepts. In this 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.
Episodes
77 episodes
Biography | The Story of Michael Spalt
In this special Life With Strings Attached biography episode, we explore the remarkable journey of Michael Spalt. Guitar builder, sculptor, and creative force who’s redefined what a guitar can be. From his roots in Vienna a...
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Episode 77
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1:05:13
Biography | The Story of Ulrich Teuffel
In this special segment of our Luthier’s Story series we’re honoured to feature Ulrich Teuffel, visionary in the world of guitar design whose work challenges convention and redefines what it means to build an instrument.Ulrich’s guitars...
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Episode 76
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1:01:59
The Art of Curation in Music Retail, with Joe Caruso of The Music Emporium
Today on Life With Strings Attached, we’re joined by Joe Caruso of The Music Emporium in Boston: a shop that has become legendary for its thoughtful curation and deep respect for the guitar as both an instrument and a cultural icon.
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Episode 75
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2:19:15
In Conversation with Richard Hoover of Santa Cruz Guitar Company
Today on Life With Strings Attached, I sat down with Richard Hoover, founder of Santa Cruz Guitar Company. From California’s redwood forests and the threat of wildfires to the physics of string tension and modal analysis, Richard brings nearly ...
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Episode 74
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1:55:28
From Jerusalem to Guitar Mastery: The Avi Shabat Story
This week on Life With Strings Attached, I sit down with Avi Shabbat. From growing up in Jerusalem, discovering music in the middle of the grunge era and serving in the military, to building a career in sound engineering and eventually founding...
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Episode 73
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1:40:47
Biography | The Story of Giulio Negrini
Welcome to Life With Strings Attached. I'm your host, Jamie Gale. For this week's special biography edition of Life With Strings Attached, we're on location in Switzerland with Giulio Negrini, founder of Giulio Negrini Guitars, to uncover the r...
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Episode 72
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26:04
Biography | The Story of Dion James
Welcome to Life with Strings Attached. I'm your host, Jamie Gale. For this week's special biography edition of Life with Strings Attached, we're on location in Edmonton, Canada to dive deep into the story of Dion James, an extraordinary guitar ...
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Episode 71
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28:36
Reuben Forsland on The Art of Curiosity
This week on Life With Strings Attached, we sit down with Reuben Forsland: Adventurer, innovator, and the luthier behind JOI Guitars. Reuben’s story stretches from backcountry snowboarding and near-death kiteboarding crashe...
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Episode 70
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1:36:36
Omer Deutsch: Crafting Guitars in a Time of War
This week on Life With Strings Attached, I’m joined once again by Omer Deutsch, founder of OD Guitars. Omer returns with insight forged under pressure, literally. Living and working in a conflict zone, he shares how humor, community, and creati...
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Episode 69
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1:47:46
Maneli Jamal on Strings, Stories, and Ikigai
Today’s guest is internationally acclaimed guitarist Maneli Jamal, known for his deeply expressive compositions and a playing style that fuses rhythmic complexity with emotional clarity. Born in Belarus to Iranian parents, Ma...
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Episode 68
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1:46:13
Biography | The Story of Rainer Tausch
Welcome to Life With Strings Attached. In this episode, we travel to the small Bavarian town of Illertissen to meet Rainer Tausch: Guitar maker, musician, and founder of Tausch Guitars. Rainer’s journey began with a homemad...
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Episode 67
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1:02:54
Why Jim D'Addario Spent his Life Chasing the Perfect String
This episode dives deep into the legacy and future of D’Addario & Company with James D’Addario, Chairman and Director of Innovation. With roots in string making that stretch back centuries, Jim shares how his family’s c...
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Episode 66
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1:56:50
Amber, Meteorite, and the Mind of Rapolas Gražys
Welcome to Life With Strings Attached. In this episode, we sit down with visionary guitar designer Rapolas Gražys. A creative force whose instruments are as much about storytelling and emotion as they are about sound. From his studi...
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Episode 65
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1:48:47
From Wine Cellars to the Workbench: Raymond Kraut’s Path to Luthiery
Today’s guest is Raymond Kraut, an exceptional luthier whose work blurs the lines between science, art, and soul. In this conversation, Raymond and I dive deep into the evolving craft of guitar making: from the physics of sound and the role of ...
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Episode 64
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2:01:07
Biography | The Story of Adriano Sergio
This week on Life With Strings Attached, we dive into the remarkable story of Adriano Sérgio. An artist, musician, and luthier whose life journey is as inspiring as the guitars he creates. From his early days as a political...
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Episode 63
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51:08
The Anti-Luxury Luthier: Andy Manson on Touch, Tools, and Truth
Welcome to Life With Strings Attached. In this episode we sit down with master luthier Andy Manson, a maker whose work lives at the intersection of creativity, chaos, and craftsmanship.Andy takes us on a journey through travel, ...
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Episode 62
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2:30:22
Not Everything Has to Shine | A Conversation with Luthier Mario Beauregard
On this episode of Life With Strings Attached, we sit down with luthier Mario Beauregard. An innovative guitar maker whose journey spans rural Canada, the streets of Japan, and a lifetime of travel, music, and craftsmanship.Mari...
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Episode 61
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1:51:33
Dana Bourgeois: 50 Years of Innovation, Tradition, and Tone
Today’s guest is a true icon in the world of acoustic guitar making. Someone whose influence has quietly shaped the way modern luthiers build, voice, and imagine the steel-string guitar.With over 50 years of experience at the workbench, ...
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Episode 60
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1:53:09
Tradition, Disrupted: Fred Kopo’s Uncompromising Approach to Guitar Making
In this episode of Life with Strings Attached, I sit down with Fred Pons (also known as Fred Kopo) a deeply respected luthier from France whose journey into guitar making began with what he describes as “a slap of inspiration.”
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Episode 59
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2:04:59
Biography | Mike Sankey: Building What No One Asked For
This episode is part of a new Biography Edition of Life With Strings Attached, a space to pause and reflect on the people behind the instruments. It's been our experience that these remarkable ideas come from remarkable people, who hav...
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Episode 58
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1:12:52
Dan Furman, PhD: What Brain Signals Teach Us About Music, Focus, and Feeling
Dan Furman, PhD, is a neuroscientist, Harvard graduate, and co-founder of Arctop, a company developing real-time brain-computer interface software that translates electrical activity from the brain into usable data. In this episode, Dan joins J...
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Episode 57
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1:53:58
Rethinking the Electric Guitar with Two of Its Leading Historians: Jan Herbst & Steve Waksman
Few people have shaped the way we understand the electric guitar like Jan Herbst and Steve Waksman. Both have spent their careers asking deeper questions about sound, design, meaning, and the role of technology in music.Steve is the auth...
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Episode 56
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2:27:12
Dan Erlewine (StewMac): A Life in Guitar Repair, Innovation, and Legacy
[re-upload with improved audio quality]Legendary guitar repairman, luthier, and educator Dan Erlewine (StewMac) joins us for a conversation on innovation, legacy, and the craft behind the music.In this episode of Life...
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Episode 54
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1:40:49
How Michael Tobias Designed the Bass You Didn’t Know You’ve Heard
Michael Tobias didn’t set out to change the sound of modern music, but that’s exactly what he did. In this episode, he joins Jamie Gale to reflect on five decades of instrument building, from the early days of repairing guitars in Washington, D...
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Episode 55
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1:40:45