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.

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Learn more about Life With Strings Attached and Boutique Guitar Showcase:
🔗 Boutique Guitar Showcase

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Thank you for listening and supporting the ongoing conversation between music, makers, history and the future.

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.

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.