The ITSPmagazine Podcast

ITSPmagazine Podcasts
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Founded in 2015, ITSPmagazine began as a vision for a publication positioned at the critical intersection of technology, cybersecurity, and society. What started as a written publication has evolved into a comprehensive repository for all their content—podcasts, articles, event coverage, interviews, videos, panels, and everything they create. This is where Sean Martin and Marco Ciappelli talk about cybersecurity, technology, society, music, storytelling, branding, conference coverage, and whatever else catches their attention. Over a decade of conversations exploring how these worlds collide, influence each other, and shape the human experience. This is where you'll find it all.

  1. Yamaha at NAMM 2026: Introducing Chris Buck Custom Revstar Guitar, Pacifica SC, and a deep dive into the BB735 Bass | A Brand Highlight Conversation with Andy Winston, Product Training Specialist at Yamaha | NAMM 2026

    2D AGO

    Yamaha at NAMM 2026: Introducing Chris Buck Custom Revstar Guitar, Pacifica SC, and a deep dive into the BB735 Bass | A Brand Highlight Conversation with Andy Winston, Product Training Specialist at Yamaha | NAMM 2026

    60 Years Forward: Yamaha at NAMM 2026 Yamaha at NAMM 2026: Chris Buck Revstar, Pacifica SC & 60 Years of Guitar Innovation Some brands chase nostalgia. Yamaha builds forward. At NAMM 2026, I spoke with Andy Winston to talk about 60 years of Yamaha guitar design—and why this company keeps delivering instruments that punch way above their price point. The conversation started with the Chris Buck Signature Revstar. Buck is the guitarist for Cardinal Black, and he's earned his own model. The specs tell the story: overwound P90 pickups for a hotter sound, wraparound tailpiece with adjustable saddles, stainless steel frets, lightweight tuners, and those old-school inlays from the first-generation Revstar. No boost circuit. Buck wanted it stripped to essentials. Then Andy dropped a tease: Matteo Mancuso is getting his own Revstar this summer. The Italian virtuoso. That's a statement. We moved to the new Pacifica SC—Yamaha's answer for T-style players. Humbucker in the neck, single coil in the bridge, and pickups designed in partnership with Rupert Neve's team. The boost circuit under the bridge pickup gives you five sounds from two pickups. Made in Indonesia at $999 or Made in Japan with compound radius fretboard and IRA wood treatment at $2,199. I bought my nephew a Pacifica. Entry level, around $200. It works. That's Yamaha's philosophy—you can start at $200 and work your way up to a Mike Stern signature model without ever leaving the family. But here's what stuck with me. Andy said something that defines Yamaha's approach: "We don't do reissues. You're never gonna see us reissue a 1972." Sixty years of guitar history, and they're not looking backward. The Revstar draws inspiration from the 1970s Super Flight, sure—but it's chambered mahogany, tuned to eliminate harsh mid-range frequencies. Yamaha builds pianos, violins, marimbas. They know how to tune wood. They apply that knowledge to electric guitars in ways other companies don't. The BB Bass series came next. String-through body with 45-degree break angle. Extra bolts pulling the neck tight into the pocket. A maple stripe running through the center of the body for note response. Active/passive switching. Five-ply neck. Professional features at prices that don't require a car payment. "We give people more instrument than what a price tag says," Andy told me. That's not marketing. That's mission. Before we wrapped, Andy shared a personal story. In 1977, hair down to his shoulders, bell bottoms on, his mom decided he was serious about guitar. She bought him a Yamaha FG-75. His first real acoustic. He doesn't have that one anymore, but he found a replacement. Had to. That's brand loyalty earned over decades. Not through heritage mythology—through instruments that work, that last, that give players what they need without emptying their wallets. Sixty years of guitar design. No reissues. Just forward. Yamaha keeps proving that innovation and accessibility aren't mutually exclusive. Marco Ciappelli interviews Andy Winston from Yamaha at NAMM 2026 for ITSPmagazine. Part of ITSPmagazine's On Location Coverage at NAMM 2026. 🌐 https://www.itspmagazine.com/the-namm-show-2026-namm-music-conference-music-technology-event-coverage-anaheim-california __________________________ This is a Brand Highlight. A Brand Highlight is an introductory conversation designed to put a spotlight on the guest and their company. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/creation#highlight GUEST Andy Winston Product Training Specialist at Yamaha RESOURCES Learn more about Yamaha Guitars: https://www.yamaha.com/ Are you interested in telling your story? ▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full ▶︎ Brand Spotlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlight ▶︎ Brand Highlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#highlight Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    11 min
  2. The Rise of the Bionic Hacker and AI-Driven Vulnerability Discovery | A Brand Highlight Conversation with Laurie Mercer, Senior Director of Solutions Engineering of HackerOne

    3D AGO

    The Rise of the Bionic Hacker and AI-Driven Vulnerability Discovery | A Brand Highlight Conversation with Laurie Mercer, Senior Director of Solutions Engineering of HackerOne

    What happens when artificial intelligence enters the arena of ethical hacking? Laurie Mercer, Senior Director of Solutions Engineering at HackerOne, joins Sean Martin for a look inside the ninth annual Hacker-Powered Security Report, where the headline is clear: the bionic hacker has arrived. HackerOne connects the global security research community with enterprises, open source projects, and major organizations, all working toward a shared mission of building a safer internet by finding, fixing, and rewarding the discovery of vulnerabilities. How is AI reshaping the bug bounty landscape? Mercer describes a dramatic shift unfolding on the HackerOne platform. For the first time, autonomous AI agents are operating alongside human researchers, growing from a single agent to more than ten competing on the leaderboard. At the same time, customers are driving change from the other side, with a 270% increase in organizations placing AI models within the scope of their bug bounty programs. The platform has paid out a record $81 million in bounty rewards over the past 12 months, with an average payout of roughly $1,000 per vulnerability, underscoring the sheer volume of valid findings flowing through the system. What makes these findings so significant? Of the reports submitted, 23,700 are rated critical or high severity, representing vulnerabilities capable of causing serious data breaches. HackerOne estimates these remediations have helped organizations avoid up to $3 billion in potential breach costs. The collectives participating on the platform range from venture-capital-backed startups building AI-powered offensive tools to informal groups of researchers pooling resources for greater efficiency. Mercer highlights three vulnerability categories that have surged over the past year: prompt injection, sensitive information exposure through large language models, and insecure plugin design. For any organization deploying AI-powered tools, these represent the most urgent areas to assess and secure. This is a Brand Highlight. A Brand Highlight is a ~5 minute introductory conversation designed to put a spotlight on the guest and their company. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/creation#highlight GUEST Laurie Mercer, Senior Director of Solutions Engineering at HackerOne On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriemercer/ RESOURCES Learn more about HackerOne: https://www.hackerone.com Are you interested in telling your story? ▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full ▶︎ Brand Spotlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlight ▶︎ Brand Highlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#highlight KEYWORDS Laurie Mercer, HackerOne, Sean Martin, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, brand highlight, bug bounty, ethical hacking, bionic hacker, AI agents, autonomous hacking, vulnerability discovery, hacker-powered security, offensive security, prompt injection, insecure plugin design, LLM security, AI vulnerability, cybersecurity, breach avoidance, bug bounty platform, responsible disclosure Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    6 min
  3. The Human Element That AI Can Never Replace | A Conversation with Chuck Tennin, President and CEO of Big Fish Music | The NAMM Show 2026 Event Coverage | Music Evolves with Sean Martin

    3D AGO

    The Human Element That AI Can Never Replace | A Conversation with Chuck Tennin, President and CEO of Big Fish Music | The NAMM Show 2026 Event Coverage | Music Evolves with Sean Martin

    Show NotesAt NAMM 2026, Sean Martin sits down with Chuck Tennin, the President and CEO of Big Fish Music and Big Fish Music Publishing Group, for a candid conversation about the role of AI in the music industry and why the human element remains irreplaceable. Known as "The Big Fish" and "The Alligator," Chuck has spent more than five decades working as an engineer, record producer, music publisher, and consultant, and he pulls no punches when it comes to the limits of technology in creative work. Chuck draws a sharp line between AI as a tool and AI as a replacement for human creativity. He points to organizations like ASCAP, BMI, and the Recording Academy as allies in the fight to protect the creative process, arguing that AI cannot replicate the feel, the instinct, and the emotional investment that go into producing a record. For Chuck, the difference between producing music and producing a record is everything: a record has to connect with an audience on a level that no algorithm can manufacture. The conversation takes listeners through Chuck's journey from two-track analog recording to the digital era of Pro Tools, exploring how each technological leap brought efficiency but never fully captured the warmth and authenticity of tape. He reflects on the critical distinction between an MP3 and a WAV file, between convenience and quality, and between what sounds good enough and what sounds like a record. Chuck also shares hard-earned wisdom about the business side of music: the perseverance required, the reality that 90% of aspiring artists fail, and the belief in oneself that separates survivors from those who walk away. Drawing on stories from legendary artists he has worked with over the decades, he reminds listeners that every big name started in the same place and climbed out of the same struggle. This is a conversation about what technology can assist with and what it can never touch: the soul of music and the humans who create it. HostSean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine, Studio C60, and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast & Music Evolves Podcast | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com/ GuestChuck Tennin, President and CEO of Big Fish Music and Big Fish Music Publishing Group | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-tennin-3468b6105/ ResourcesThe NAMM Show 2026 is taking place from January 20-24, 2026 | Anaheim Convention Center, Southern California — Follow our coverage: https://www.itspmagazine.com/the-namm-show-2026-namm-music-conference-music-technology-event-coverage-anaheim-california Music Evolves: Sonic Frontiers Newsletter | https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7290890771828719616/ Keywordschuck tennin, big fish music, sean martin, AI in music, analog vs digital recording, record producer, music publishing, Pro Tools, ASCAP, BMI, Recording Academy, NAMM 2026, music industry, human creativity, songwriting, music, creativity, art, artist, musician, music evolves, music podcast, music and technology podcast More From Sean MartinMore from Music Evolves: https://www.seanmartin.com/music-evolves-podcast Music Evolves on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYu0psdcllTRJ5du7hFDXjiugu-uNPtW Music Evolves: Sonic Frontiers Newsletter | https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7290890771828719616/ On Location with Sean and Marco: https://www.itspmagazine.com/on-location ITSPmagazine YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@itspmagazine Be sure to share and subscribe! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    16 min
  4. Keeping Programs Alive, Supporting Musicians, and Building Community Through Action | A Conversation with Michelle Wolff, Guitar Center Foundation | The NAMM Show 2026 Event Coverage | On Location with Sean Martin and Marco Ciappelli

    4D AGO

    Keeping Programs Alive, Supporting Musicians, and Building Community Through Action | A Conversation with Michelle Wolff, Guitar Center Foundation | The NAMM Show 2026 Event Coverage | On Location with Sean Martin and Marco Ciappelli

    At the Guitar Center Foundation, music is treated as a shared resource rather than a luxury. During this conversation at the NAMM Show 2026, Michelle Wolff, representing the Foundation, explains how access to real instruments can change the trajectory of a student, a patient, or a veteran simply by making music possible in the first place. The Foundation’s work centers on donating thousands of instruments to schools, hospitals, and veteran centers, with a focus on communities where funding for music programs is often the first thing cut. Through a structured grant process, organizations apply for instruments quarterly, with roughly 150 requests reviewed each cycle. About 30 of those requests are fulfilled, helping sustain programs that might otherwise disappear. Beyond instrument donations, the Foundation is expanding how it shows up in communities. Plans include live donation events that bring instruments directly into schools and hospitals, often paired with artist participation to create meaningful, memorable moments. New donor and ambassador programs are also taking shape, designed to broaden awareness and bring more voices into the mission. Partnerships play a major role in that effort. The conversation highlights recent collaboration tied to the 100 Billion Meals initiative, where music, visual art, and social impact intersect to amplify multiple causes at once. These partnerships extend the Foundation’s reach while reinforcing the idea that music can support broader humanitarian goals. Wolff also shares a personal connection to the mission. As a former vocal performance major at the University of Texas Butler School of Music, she understands how deeply musicians identify with their craft. After experiencing vocal injury herself, she speaks to the importance of supporting musicians through change and helping them build identities that extend beyond a single instrument, without losing music as a core part of who they are. That perspective brings the Foundation’s work full circle. Access to instruments is not only about creating future professionals. It is about expression, resilience, and giving people the chance to discover what music can mean in their own lives. Part of ITSPmagazine's On Location Coverage at NAMM 2026. 🌐 https://www.itspmagazine.com/the-namm-show-2026-namm-music-conference-music-technology-event-coverage-anaheim-california __________________________ Guitar Center Foundation: https://www.guitarcenterfoundation.org 100 Billion Meals initiative: https://100billionmeals.org The NAMM Show 2026: https://www.namm.org/thenammshow/attend Music Evolves: Sonic Frontiers Newsletter | https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7290890771828719616/ More from Marco Ciappelli on Redefining Society and Technology Podcast: https://redefiningsocietyandtechnologypodcast.com/ Want to share an Event Briefing as part of our event coverage? Learn More 👉 https://www.studioc60.com/performance#briefing Want Sean and Marco to be part of your event or conference? Let Us Know 👉 https://www.studioc60.com/performance#ideas KEYWORDS: music charity, instrument donations, namm show 2026, music education access, supporting musicians, music nonprofit, guitar center foundation, music programs schools, music and community, philanthropy in music, guitar center, michelle wolff, marco ciappelli Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    9 min
  5. From Cyber Energia to Centrii: Rebranding to Lead the Future of OT Security in Critical Energy Infrastructure | A Brand Story Conversation with Rafael Narezzi, Co-Founder and CEO of Centrii

    4D AGO

    From Cyber Energia to Centrii: Rebranding to Lead the Future of OT Security in Critical Energy Infrastructure | A Brand Story Conversation with Rafael Narezzi, Co-Founder and CEO of Centrii

    The renewable energy sector faces a fundamental disconnect. Cybersecurity teams generate endless alerts and vulnerability reports, while operational managers focus on asset performance and site availability. Neither group speaks the other's language, leaving executives struggling to make informed decisions about where to invest limited resources. Rafael Narezzi, Co-Founder and CEO of Centrii, has built his company specifically to bridge this gap, translating technical cyber risks into the financial business outcomes that drive executive decision-making. Centrii, emerging from its predecessor Cyber Energia, represents a new approach to OT security in the energy sector. The name itself carries meaning: the sentinel of industrial intelligence, signified by the double I at the end. Rather than simply identifying vulnerabilities and presenting red alerts, the platform contextualizes risks in terms that matter to the business. How does a potential compromise affect your power purchase agreements? What happens to your revenue when energy prices fluctuate and your site goes offline? These are the questions that Centrii answers. The company prices its services per megawatt hour, demonstrating its commitment to speaking the language of energy rather than traditional IT security. This approach reflects a deeper understanding that renewable energy assets present vastly different risk profiles. A biomass facility with 24/7 personnel on site faces different challenges than an unmanned offshore wind installation. Solar farms, hydrogen facilities, and battery storage systems each require tailored risk assessments that account for their unique operational characteristics and regulatory requirements. Recent attacks on distributed energy resources, including the compromise of Poland's renewable grid, underscore the urgency of this work. With regulations like NERC CIP 15 in the United States, NIS 2.0 in Europe, and the UK Cyber Security Bill now holding asset owners personally accountable for cybersecurity failures, organizations can no longer afford to treat OT security as an afterthought. Narezzi observes that compliance has become the driving force pushing companies to take responsibility for their critical infrastructure assets. What sets Centrii apart is its ability to help executives identify which risks actually matter. When every cybersecurity tool reports critical alerts, organizations face paralysis. Which red is the red that demands immediate attention? Centrii provides clarity by mapping technical findings to financial impact, reputational damage, and operational consequences specific to each asset type and technology. The company's presentation at DistribuTECH 2026 focuses on battery energy storage systems, an area of explosive growth driven by data center demand and the expanding role of AI. Narezzi draws a parallel to Ocean's 11, where coordinated manipulation of power systems creates cascading failures. As batteries become essential for grid balancing, the risks of compromised dispatch commands affecting multiple installations simultaneously represent a scenario that demands serious attention from asset owners and regulators alike. Operating across 16 countries with diverse energy technologies, Centrii provides a unified platform for organizations managing hundreds of sites across different regions and regulatory environments. The goal is straightforward: give every stakeholder, from technical teams to the C-suite, a common language for understanding and acting on cyber risk in the energy sector. This is a Brand Story. A Brand Story is a ~35-40 minute in-depth conversation designed to tell the complete story of the guest, their company, and their vision. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/creation#full GUEST Rafael Narezzi, Co-Founder and CEO, Centrii https://www.linkedin.com/in/narezzi/ RESOURCES Centrii https://centrii.com Cyber Energia https://cyberenergia.com Are you interested in telling your story? ▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full ▶︎ Brand Spotlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlight ▶︎ Brand Highlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#highlight KEYWORDS Rafael Narezzi, Centrii, Sean Martin, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, brand story, OT security, renewable energy cybersecurity, battery energy storage systems, BESS, critical infrastructure protection, energy sector cybersecurity, NERC CIP, NIS 2.0, power purchase agreements, distributed energy resources, industrial intelligence, cyber risk quantification Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    20 min
  6. AI Art vs Human Creativity — The Real Difference and why AI Cannot Be An Artist | A Conversation with AI Expert Andrea Isoni, PhD, Chief AI Officer, AI speaker | Redefining Society and Technology with Marco Ciappelli

    5D AGO

    AI Art vs Human Creativity — The Real Difference and why AI Cannot Be An Artist | A Conversation with AI Expert Andrea Isoni, PhD, Chief AI Officer, AI speaker | Redefining Society and Technology with Marco Ciappelli

    The Last Touch: Why AI Will Never Be an ArtistI had one of those conversations... the kind where you're nodding along, then suddenly stop because someone just articulated something you've been feeling but couldn't quite name. Andrea Isoni is a Chief AI Officer. He builds and delivers AI solutions for a living. And yet, sitting across from him (virtually, but still), I heard something I rarely hear from people deep in the AI industry: a clear, unromantic take on what this technology actually is — and what it isn't. His argument is elegant in its simplicity. Think about Michelangelo. We picture him alone with a chisel, carving David from marble. But that's not how it worked. Michelangelo ran a workshop. He had apprentices — skilled craftspeople who did the bulk of the work. The master would look at a semi-finished piece, decide what needed refinement, and add the final touch. That final touch is everything. Andrea draws the same line with chefs. A Michelin-starred kitchen isn't one person cooking. It's a team executing the chef's vision. But the chef decides what's on the menu. The chef check the dish before it leaves. The chef adds that last adjustment that transforms good into memorable. AI, in this framework, is the newest apprentice. It can do the bulk work. It can generate drafts, produce code, create images. But it cannot — and here's the key — provide that final touch. Because that touch comes from somewhere AI doesn't have access to: lived experience, suffering, joy, the accumulated weight of being human in a particular time and place. This matters beyond art. Andrea calls it the "hacker economy" — a future where AI handles the volume, but humans handle the value. Think about code generation. Yes, AI can write software. But code with a bug doesn't work. Period. Someone has to fix that last bug. And in a world where AI produces most of the code, the value of fixing that one critical bug increases exponentially. The work becomes rarer but more valuable. Less frequent, but essential. We went somewhere unexpected in our conversation — to electricity. What does AI "need"? Not food. Not warmth. Electricity. So if AI ever developed something like feelings, they wouldn't be tied to hunger or cold or human vulnerability. They'd be tied to power supply. The most important being to an AI wouldn't be a human — it would be whoever controls the electricity grid. That's not a being we can relate to. And that's the point. Andrea brought up Guernica. Picasso's masterpiece isn't just innovative in style — it captures something society was feeling in 1937, the horror of the Spanish Civil War. Great art does two things: it innovates, and it expresses something the collective needs expressed. AI might be able to generate the first. It cannot do the second. It doesn't know what we feel. It doesn't know what moment we're living through. It doesn't have that weight of context. The research community calls this "world models" — the attempt to give AI some built-in understanding of reality. A dog doesn't need to be taught to swim; it's born knowing. Humans have similar innate knowledge, layered with everything we learn from family, culture, experience. AI starts from zero. Every time. Andrea put it simply: AI contextualization today is close to zero. I left the conversation thinking about what we protect when we acknowledge AI's limits. Not anti-technology. Not fear. Just clarity. The "last touch" isn't a romantic notion — it's what makes something resonate. And that resonance comes from us. Stay curious. Subscribe to the podcast. And if you have thoughts, drop them in the comments — I actually read them. Marco Ciappelli Subscribe to the Redefining Society and Technology podcast. Stay curious. Stay human. > https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7079849705156870144/ Marco Ciappelli: https://www.marcociappelli.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    30 min
  7. Gibson Guitars at NAMM 2026: 131 Years of Craftsmanship, Innovation & Functional Art | A Brand Highlight Conversation with Jeff Stempka, Global Brand & Marketing at Gibson | NAMM 2026

    JAN 30

    Gibson Guitars at NAMM 2026: 131 Years of Craftsmanship, Innovation & Functional Art | A Brand Highlight Conversation with Jeff Stempka, Global Brand & Marketing at Gibson | NAMM 2026

    131 years. Still handcrafted in Nashville. Still changing music. At NAMM 2026, Sean Martin and Marco Ciappelli sat down with Jeff Stempka, Global Brand & Marketing at Gibson & Gibson Custom, to talk about what makes this brand untouchable—the craftsmanship, the artist connection, and why people will stretch their budget just to hold one. From the Les Paul Studio Double Trouble to the ES-335 Fifties and Sixties refresh, Gibson is honoring its legacy while pushing forward. Jeff said it best: "These are tools that enable incredible musicians to take the instruments and do something we never intended." 🎸 Les Paul Studio Double Trouble – Modern collection, coil splits, pure bypass 🎸 ES-335 Fifties & Sixties – Neck profiles for every player 🎸 100 Years of Flat Tops – From Orville Gibson to today This isn't just gear. It's functional art. It's history. It's emotion. Part of ITSPmagazine's On Location Coverage at NAMM 2026. 🌐 https://www.itspmagazine.com/the-namm-show-2026-namm-music-conference-music-technology-event-coverage-anaheim-california __________________________ This is a Brand Highlight. A Brand Highlight is an introductory conversation designed to put a spotlight on the guest and their company. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/creation#highlight GUEST Jeff Stempka Global Brand & Marketing at Gibson RESOURCES Learn more about Gibson Guitars: https://www.gibson.com/ Are you interested in telling your story? ▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full ▶︎ Brand Spotlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlight ▶︎ Brand Highlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#highlight Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    10 min
  8. Burton And Circle Strings Guitars at NAMM 2026: Snowboards Meet Custom Guitars And It Is Awesome! | A Brand Highlight Conversation From NAAM 2026

    JAN 27

    Burton And Circle Strings Guitars at NAMM 2026: Snowboards Meet Custom Guitars And It Is Awesome! | A Brand Highlight Conversation From NAAM 2026

    Snowboards and Guitars: Circle Strings x Burton at NAMM 2026Some collaborations make you stop and ask how nobody thought of this before. At NAMM Media Day 2026, Sean Martin caught up with Adam Buchwald and William Hylton from Circle Strings, a Vermont-based guitar company, to talk about their partnership with Burton. The concept is deceptively simple: matching snowboards and custom guitars built from the same materials. But the execution is anything but simple. Buchwald owns a wood company in Vermont. He had an entire tree of figured mahogany set aside, waiting for the right project. When Burton agreed to collaborate, he knew exactly what to do with it. The wood became the centerpiece—the visual and sonic foundation of everything that followed. Then William Hylton got to work. Hylton, Circle Strings' designer and CNC specialist, is a backcountry snowboarder. He chose Burton's Alakazam powder board shape as his starting point, drawn to its distinctive tail curve. That curve, he realized, was already guitar-esque. So he wove it through the entire instrument—the fingerboard extension, the pickguard, the bridge tips. The snowboard's DNA lives in every contour. But here's where it gets interesting. The core of a Burton snowboard is wood. Lightweight, durable, designed for performance. Hylton took that same core material and built a guitar body from it. The result feels right in your hands—balanced, resonant, purposeful. It's not a gimmick. It's a genuine instrument built from materials engineered to perform. The acoustic model features a sound hole that mirrors the snowboard's design. Inlays are crafted from Burton's core material, tying everything together visually and conceptually. Both guitars showcase snowflake inlays inspired by Snowflake Bentley, the Vermont photographer who first captured snowflakes in their true crystalline form over a century ago. It's a detail that says everything about how Circle Strings approaches their work. History. Craft. Place. Vermont runs through this collaboration. Buchwald and Hylton are snowboarders. They source their wood locally. They build instruments that reflect where they come from. Burton, also rooted in Vermont's snow culture, was a natural partner. The Burton team, according to Hylton, is thrilled. Many of them are musicians. Some are fans of the artists Circle Strings builds for. The connection was already there—this project just made it tangible. What strikes me about this collaboration is the underlying philosophy. Snowboards and guitars aren't that different when you strip them down. Both are built from wood. Both demand precision. Both exist to help someone express themselves—whether carving powder or carving a melody. Circle Strings and Burton understand this. They didn't force a partnership. They found the common thread and followed it. The result is a set of instruments that belong in a museum and on a stage. Objects that tell a story about craft, place, and the people who refuse to separate their passions. Snowboards and guitars. Same wood. Same craft. Different ride. Sean Martin reports from NAMM 2026 for ITSPmagazine. __________________________ This is a Brand Highlight. A Brand Highlight is an introductory conversation designed to put a spotlight on the guest and their company. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/creation#highlight GUESTS Adam Buchwald and William Hylton RESOURCES Learn more about Circle Strings Guitars: https://circlestrings.com Learn more about Burton Snowboards: https://www.burton.com Are you interested in telling your story? ▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full ▶︎ Brand Spotlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlight ▶︎ Brand Highlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#highlight KEYWORDS NAMM 2026, Burton, Circle Strings, custom guitars, snowboard guitar, handmade guitars, Vermont, guitar collaboration, Burton snowboards, NAMM, luthier, unique guitars Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    6 min
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5
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About

Founded in 2015, ITSPmagazine began as a vision for a publication positioned at the critical intersection of technology, cybersecurity, and society. What started as a written publication has evolved into a comprehensive repository for all their content—podcasts, articles, event coverage, interviews, videos, panels, and everything they create. This is where Sean Martin and Marco Ciappelli talk about cybersecurity, technology, society, music, storytelling, branding, conference coverage, and whatever else catches their attention. Over a decade of conversations exploring how these worlds collide, influence each other, and shape the human experience. This is where you'll find it all.

Information

  • Channel
    ITSPmagazine Podcasts
  • Creator
    ITSPmagazine, Sean Martin, Marco Ciappelli
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    2K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2015-2026 ITSPmagazine, Inc. All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    The ITSPmagazine Podcast

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