Life With Strings Attached

Jamie Gale
  • 2.0 (1)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

  1. 15H AGO

    Experience Over Ownership: A Conversation on Collecting Guitars

    Welcome to Life With Strings Attached, I’m your host, Jamie Gale. In this episode I’m sitting in the home of Lou Vergne for a very special collector-focused conversation, one that isn’t really about collecting at all. It’s about relationships; with instruments, with the people who make them, and with the experiences that give those objects meaning. We talk about discovery over acquisition, use over display, and why definition can sometimes feel like confinement. Lou shares what it means to live with guitars rather than simply own them, how curiosity guides his choices, and why the stories behind an instrument matter just as much as the sound it makes. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached and Boutique Guitar Showcase: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase Support the deeper conversations: 🔗 The Business of Guitar – Patreon Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.

    1h 22m

  2. JAN 30

    "I'm still an album guy." - Adam Miller on the Music Industry

    Today on Life With Strings Attached, I’m joined by Adam Miller. A musician whose work lives at the intersection of creativity, technology, and deeply personal musical expression. Adam is one of those rare artists who understands music not just as performance, but as process. From recording and production, to collaboration, touring, and the evolving relationship between musicians and the instruments they choose. In this conversation, we explore how technology has reshaped the way music is made and released, why Adam still thinks in albums rather than singles, and how boutique guitar makers, multi-scale design, and extended-range instruments have influenced his sound. This is a wide-ranging, thoughtful conversation with an artist who’s always asking why and not just how. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached and Boutique Guitar Showcase: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase Support the deeper conversations: 🔗 The Business of Guitar – Patreon Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.

    2h 13m

  3. JAN 23

    Michael Sankey on Acoustics, Bracing & the Builder–Player Relationship

    Today on Life With Strings Attached, I’m joined by luthier Michael Sankey. This conversation is rooted in a simple but demanding idea: showing up.  Showing up to the work, to curiosity, and to questions that don’t have easy answers. Mike’s guitars are known for resisting category, but that resistance comes from something deeper. A willingness to examine why we do things the way we do, and whether those ideas still serve us. We talk about originality, tradition, and what happens when instruments are treated not just as tools, but as living objects shaped by listening and intent. From ultralight guitars to broader reflections on art, culture, and change, this episode is less about making a case and more about staying open. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached and Boutique Guitar Showcase: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase Support the deeper conversations: 🔗 The Business of Guitar – Patreon Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.

    1h 35m

  4. JAN 16

    The Truth About Vintage Gear, Nostalgia & Modern Music with Julien Bitoun

    Welcome to Life With Strings Attached. I’m your host, Jamie Gale. Today, I’m joined by someone whose curiosity about the guitar has taken him across countries, genres, and generations of musical history: Julien Bitoun.  Julien is a guitarist, an author, a content creator, and a lecturer. You’ve read his work in major French publications, and you may know his books Les Paul: 70 Years, Guitars and Heroes, Gallagher’s Guitars, and Woodstock Live. What I love most about Julien isn’t just his knowledge, it’s his spirit of exploration. He follows his curiosity wherever it leads, whether he’s tracing the cultural geography of American guitar making or creating something new simply because it brings him joy. His career wasn’t planned; it unfolded because he kept saying yes, kept learning, and kept playing. Today, we talk about creativity, opportunity, and what happens when you allow adventure, rather than fear, to shape your path. I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Julien. I hope you did as much as I did. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached and Boutique Guitar Showcase: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase Support the deeper conversations: 🔗 The Business of Guitar – Patreon Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.

    2h 19m

  5. JAN 9

    Ola Strandberg's Empowering the Next Generation in Retail

    Welcome to Life With Strings Attached. I'm your host, Jamie Gale. In this episode, I sit down with Ola Strandberg to talk about a shift that's happening right now in the guitar world. The next generation musicians isn't looking back. They're looking for instruments that fit their bodies, their workflows, and the music that they're making today.  On tour with the boutique guitar showcase and at NAMM, we've watched younger players and younger shop staff gravitate towards guitars that are lighter, more ergonomic, more adaptable. Ola has been designing with those needs in mind for years. So his perspective on what comes next is what I wanted to discuss. Together, we explore how the guitar is evolving and what it means to build for musicians of today and the future. I've thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Ola Strandberg and I hope that you do as much as I do. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached and Boutique Guitar Showcase: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase Support the deeper conversations: 🔗 The Business of Guitar – Patreon Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.

    1h 53m

  6. JAN 2

    Biography | The Story of John Monteleone

    In this special biography episode of Life With Strings Attached we explore the life and legacy of one of the most significant luthiers of our time, John Monteleone. Born in Manhattan and raised in Islip, John grew up in a world shaped by sculpture, architecture, and music, thanks to a family deeply rooted in the arts. From his early work repairing instruments at Mandolin Brothers to creating the Grand Artist mandolin and his celebrated archtop guitars, John developed a voice unmistakably his own. Musicians, collectors, and peers immediately recognized the “thumbprint” of a Monteleone. His Four Seasons guitars entered the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and his craftsmanship inspired artists like Béla Fleck, Eric Clapton, and Mark Knopfler, who even honoured John with the song Monteleone. Today, we trace the story of a maker whose curiosity, discipline, and joy have shaped a remarkable life in guitars. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached and Boutique Guitar Showcase: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase Support the deeper conversations: 🔗 The Business of Guitar – Patreon Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.

    46 min

  7. 12/23/2025

    The Art of Guitar Making with Max Spohn

    Today I’m joined by Max Spohn, a luthier whose path into guitar making has been unusually intentional. While many makers discover the craft by accident, Max set out early with a clear plan: a childhood surrounded by music and art, formal training in Markneukirchen, and a pivotal apprenticeship with Raymond Kraut, drawing from the Somogyi lineage. His work reflects that depth: modern acoustic guitars shaped by design thinking, informed by early influences like Kandinsky and Klee, and rooted in the emotional connection players form with their instruments. In our conversation, we trace Max’s journey from those early artistic foundations to finding his own visual language, learning to trust his instincts, and navigating the world of guitar shows where his work first gained real visibility. Max says, “I think it’s okay to have a journey,” and today we explore exactly that. How intention, experimentation, and personal expression come together in the guitars he builds. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached and Boutique Guitar Showcase: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase Support the deeper conversations: 🔗 The Business of Guitar – Patreon Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.

    1h 35m

  8. 12/19/2025

    Legacy, Novelty and Evolution with Giulio Negrini

    In this episode of Life With Strings Attached, I’m joined once again by Italian luthier Giulio Negrini. Someone who sits right at the intersection of tradition, innovation, and the changing culture of music.  Today, we’re stepping back from the bench and looking at the bigger picture: how music is evolving, what novelty means in a post–rock-era world, and why the legacy of the great musicians of the 50s through the 90s still shapes the way we think about instruments today. We talk about the shift that’s happening right now, a shift toward new sounds, new experiences, and new expectations from players of every generation. And we explore what it means for musicians whose physical relationship with their instrument is changing, and how builders like Giulio respond to a culture that’s always moving forward. It’s a conversation about where we’ve been, where we’re going, and why the desire for something new has never been stronger. Watch the video version on YouTube: 🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached Learn more about Life With Strings Attached and Boutique Guitar Showcase: 🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase Support the deeper conversations: 🔗 The Business of Guitar – Patreon Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.

    1h 39m
See All (94)

Ratings & Reviews

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Jamie Gale
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    94
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Life With Strings Attached
  • Show Website
    Life With Strings Attached

You Might Also Like