Guitar Smarts is a podcast for guitarists and working musicians from the everyday walk of life, pro and amateur alike. Matt and Kiran are self professed 'non-professional' guitarists. With years of gigging experience behind them as function/session guitar
Love Guitar Smarts and want to get in touch with us? Send us a Text HERE!Welcome back to the show! This week Matt & Damo talk about their life changing experience seeing Toto live at Wembley arena in February, Matt talks about his visit to Austin Tx where he paid homage to SRV, and the lads debate the importance of guitar strings and their place in the everlasting endeavour that is the chasing of tone! For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Love Guitar Smarts and want to get in touch with us? Send us a Text HERE!Greetings! Welcome back to the podcast! It's been quite some time since we released an episode of the show, due to a unplanned break. Our wonderful host and friend Kiran had to take a break to recover from a very unexpected health issue but we are so glad to say he is recovering well. Whilst he takes the time to concentrate on his recovery, our good friend Damo Lodrick has stepped into his rather large shoes, to help us bring the show back for regular service in 2025. In this episode we talk about modelling, valve amps, tone in general, modern music and the social media generation, and much more! Hope you enjoy and see you on the next one! For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Love Guitar Smarts and want to get in touch with us? Send us a Text HERE!WE MADE IT! 100 Episodes!!We can't thank you enough for sticking with us for these last 3 and a half years, it's been utterly fantastic fun to do this podcast for you and ourselves. The best thing to come out of this podcast, for us, has been the connections we've made and the community YOU have built around it. We are so grateful. And to celebrate, we decided to dedicate our 100th episode to answering YOUR questions to us, as a thank you for the connections we've made with our listeners. Enjoy the show, we hope you enjoy the conversation - HERE'S TO THE NEXT 100!For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the Show.
Love Guitar Smarts and want to get in touch with us? Send us a Text HERE!Welcome to the podcast! This week, Kiran and Matt mull over some recent news in the guitar world. From the hilariously ridiculous litigation battles between PRS and Gibson, to the intrigue around Nuno Bettencourt's involvement with the Positive Grid Spark II amp, culminating with Matt's realisation that he's DONE with Wedding gigs for GOOD! We hope you like this week's episode! For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the Show.
Love Guitar Smarts and want to get in touch with us? Send us a Text HERE!Welcome back to the pod! This week, we talk about a good few things but mostly we welcome another new Tokai to Kiran's family of guitars. It's another Les Paul, but what was it about this guitar that made Kiran part with his pennies?We also discuss the tantalising possibility of a Murphy Lab Red Special, and a great and good value way to get Brian's tone thanks to the folks at Catalinbread pedals. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsSome links from todays podcast...https://catalinbread.com/products/galileohttps://www.musicradar.com/news/brian-may-on-prospect-of-gibson-made-red-specialshttps://www.whitstableguitars.co.uk/Remember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the Show.
Love Guitar Smarts and want to get in touch with us? Send us a Text HERE!Summer is here! And what could be better on a sweet summers day, thank grabbing your acoustic and sitting outside to serenade the world with your favourite tunes. But, which tunes? This week Kiran and Matt reel off their go to acoustic hits to listen to and to play when the time is right!Listen to a playlist of the songs here!https://open.spotify.com/playlist/25SYpyj3GMm1wBocox9muq?si=b777ead6e0134cd3And as Matt mentions in the pod, here is a link to that fantastic performance of Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Tommy Emmanuel:https://youtu.be/0cHeNscKZN0?si=Qk39HYHkgao_R5-wFor links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the Show.
Welcome back! This week we are looking at a couple of things, the most popular songs googled by guitarists around the world, and also Kiran takes us through the second part of his recent London Guitar Safari, where he falls for another Strat! Will he buy it? Find out in this weeks podcast..https://woodandfirestudio.com/en/most-played-songs-and-riffs/For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!DONATE TO MATT LONG'S GOFUND ME HERE!!https://www.gofundme.com/f/matt-long-cancer-treatment-fundraiserSupport the Show.
Welcome back! On this episode of the Guitar Smarts podcast, Kiran has tagged in our good friend and previous guest Mr Damo Lodrick to provide some valuable insight on the importance of training your ears. Music is something we experience in many ways, and often we find ourselves moved by things we hear but do not necessarily understand. Matt & Damo are here today to help you understand why it is a valuable endeavour to learn more about why music does this, and to train our ears to better understand the relationship between what we hear, how it makes us feel, and what is really happening in the nitty gritty of music theory. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon! DONATE TO MATT LONG'S GOFUND ME HERE!!https://www.gofundme.com/f/matt-long-cancer-treatment-fundraiserSupport the show
Greetings! This week we take a look at some of the finest new gear released by some of the biggest names in the industry. Line6 has released a new version of the POD, Keeley have once again innovated with their new drive pedals and Gibson have done exactly what Gibson do, revisit the past. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!DONATE TO MATT LONG'S GOFUND ME HERE!!https://www.gofundme.com/f/matt-long-cancer-treatment-fundraiserSupport the show
On this week's podcast Kiran recalls his recent visit to the brand new UK Gibson Garage, a guitar store built and operated by Gibson guitars in London's West End. This new store has got all the Gibson products you could wish to see, and is not just meant to be a high quality guitar store, but a shrine if you will, to the history and impact of Gibson guitars. You can head here to try out some of the finest Murphy lab guitars, Mesa amps, Epiphones and even Kramer guitars as they all now fall under Gibson ownership. What is it like to be there? Kiran will tell us in this podcast. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!DONATE TO MATT LONG'S GOFUND ME HERE!!https://www.gofundme.com/f/matt-long-cancer-treatment-fundraiserSupport the show
On this week's podcast Kiran and Matt are discussing some of the new releases from this years NAMM show in the US. What caught our eye though was Yamaha's re-release of the Pacifica model. Listeners of the show will know that we love the old Pacifica model, which was seminal guitar back in the 90's whose build quality and playability changed the expectation of what your 200 pound or dollar learner electric guitar was capable of. Now though, Yamaha have taken aim at the premium, professional guitar market with the same brand name, which is equally exciting and also mind boggling, and Kiran & Matt discuss that to great length in this podcast. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!DONATE TO MATT LONG'S GOFUND ME HERE!!https://www.gofundme.com/f/matt-long-cancer-treatment-fundraiserSupport the show
We are kicking off 2024 by celebrating 60 years of Eric Clapton. Back in October 2023, Eric celebrated 60 years as a professional musician and artist. Arguably one of if not the most celebrated and revered guitarists of all time, it's hard not to understate his contribution to the world of guitar playing and music making. Over on the Eric Clapton website, there was a fantastic article celebrating this milestone, that included a long list of achievements and considerations that reinforce Eric's position as a living music and guitar legend. This week, Kiran and Matt dissect that list, and find themselves rediscovering their admiration for Eric's contribution not just to the world, but to their own lives as guitarists. Find the article we spoke about here:https://whereseric.com/eric-clapton-news/303-eric-clapton-celebrates-60-years-as-a-professional-musician/For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
This week we have our final episode of 2023. I want to start by thanking each and everyone of you who have joined us and listened to the show throughout the year, it's really a great pleasure for Kiran and I to share these conversations with you and we have great plans to bring you even more in 2024, so keep those subscriptions active and look out for more as we get into January. This week we talk about 2 new guitars, one for Kiran and one for me. I recently purchased an old Fernandes superstrat that came up for an absolute steal on Reverb, and Kiran talks us through the special purchase he made at the London International Guitar show. It's fair to say we have both ended 2023 on a high as far as our guitar collections are concerned, but lastly we also talk about what we hope for in 2024. Reach out to us and let us know what your guitar plans are for 2024, are you looking to buy that guitar you;ve always wanted, are you going to sell some stuff, or like me are you going to find a renewed motivation to practice and improve. Let us know over on the Guitar Geek Hangout on Facebook. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
This week we have a short episode for you - shorter than usual at least. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Guitar Breaks founder, Ian Edwards, at the London International Guitar Show in late October. Guitar Breaks are a company that specialise in all-inclusive guitar workshops offering you the opportunity to get away from it all, explore different techniques and skills, discover new styles, hone your own playing style and experiment with great equipment. All in the presence of some Pro Guitar Players, and top educators. Their list of pro player guest hosts speaks volumes, recently including people like Matt Schofield, Josh Smith, Ariel Posen, Joel Landreth, Jack Rush, Pete Friesen, Charlotte Hatherley, Chris Buck, Rabea Massaad, Mike Goodman and many more. Ian has a real passion for the musician community and the opportunities he creates to connect guitarists with the professional community are second to none, these events and clinics are not to be missed.https://www.guitar-breaks.com/For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Its been a while, but we are finally back! After a few weeks of downtime due to some illnesses, work trips and general business we are finally able to bring to you our first episode from the London International Guitar Show 2023. It was a fantastic show, we met many people, introduced the show to a lot of new listeners, spent a little bit of money and enjoyed looking at some truly wonderful guitars and amplifiers from some of the UK's finest luthiers. I think it's fair to say that we learned you don't have to travel far in this country to find someone building absolutely world class instruments and amps, and we spoke to some wonderful guitar builders that you will hear from in this episode. There was Rich from JWJ guitars who quite frankly is making the most stunning acoustics I have ever seen and played, we also spent some time with Karl from Karl Longbottom Custom Guitars, who's carpentry roots helped to launch him into a new career as a guitar builder and it was very clear to us that he's got the gift for it, his guitars were some of the most stunning on show for sure, and somebody else who's flair for design and quality of work really caught our eye was Nick Burman from Burman Guitars, not many people manage to develop their own unique guitar designs that work but Nick's models are absolutely stunning, and they are constructed to absolute perfection. So, enjoy our rambling today on this show, and enjoy the interviews with Rich, Karl and NIck, and please go and check them out on their websites, social media pages and join their mailing lists, you will not be disappointed!For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
We are here with another episode of the pod, this week Kiran and Matt are talking about their desert island discs. Each of them have chosen the 5 albums that they would be happy to listen to for the rest of eternity, knowing that they could listen to nothing else. Play along, make your own list, and head on down to the Guitar Geek hangout to let us know what albums you would have chosen for your personal stay on a desert island for the rest of eternity.For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon! Support the show
Welcome! This week we dissect a great night playing at Damo Lodrick's local Jam night, where we let loose and rocked out in celebration of Damo's birthday. Matt can't make his mind up about a possible Esquire mod or a new guitar build whilst Kiran feels the need to buy a new guitar. Finally, we finish off with a discussion about using Midi to control Matt's Line 6 Catalyst 100 guitar amp as a get out of jail rig for if and when his Helix decides to crash. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
This week we are grateful for the suggestions of our friends over on the Guitar Geek Hangout page on Facebook. We asked what you might like to hear us talk about, and you spoke! This week we are taking inspiration from our listeners Fred Simpson and Olly Browning who both asked similar questions related to tone. Of all the famous guitar rigs there are, who's would we choose to play through if we could, and along with that we talk about tone philosophy, is it good to chase the tone of someone else or does finding your own voice go hand in hand with creating your own sound? Is there a more tantalising topic for guitarists than that which speaks about our beloved guitar tone? I fear not, so, please come along to the Guitar Geek Hangout page on Facebook to have your say, and to see what the other listeners of the Guitar Smarts podcast think all about it. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
We are back...again! This week we discuss Matt's strange preference for relaxing after a long day gigging, we talk about the careful but accessible method that Matt took to finally level the frets of his much beloved Epiphone Les Paul that has been screaming out for this work for years, and we talk about the recent news brought to light by KDH about Lee Anderton and his personal involvement in some well known brands and the complicated relationship between this information and his retail business at Anderton's Music Store. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
This week, We talk about the use of in ear monitors without having a guitar amp on stage following Kirans first ever experience of this. This seems to be the way that a lot of pro gigs are these days so how does that experience play out for a guitarist like Kiran who is only used to having blaring amp on stage behind him? We also talk briefly about the first ever Guitar Smarts Guitar Solo Challenge and how that played out, and we revisit the recent controversy of the Nuno Bettencourt interview regarding the Rihanna gig and the news all around that. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
This week, we are asking the question, if you had 3000 pounds to spend on a new guitar, what would you buy? We asked our listeners on the Guitar Geek hangout what they would like us to talk about on the podcast, and we had a plethora of excellent suggestions, many of which we will most certainly do but this week we are thanking you Mr KingFredward Simpson for your excellent suggestion. Kiran and I have got 3000 of our finest well earned imaginary English pounds in our pockets and we have gone out and chosen two guitars, something available off the shelf, and something custom built. Listen in to find out what we chose. Links to our choices are also below:John Suhr Classic S MB GuitarsGibson ES339James Collins Guitars For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
We are once again back with you for another episode of the podcast. Thanks as always for listening in. This week, we discuss the meteoric rise of the brand Sire, whose star has been lifted by Marcus Miller and Larry Carlton, two of music's most revered ever session musicians. But what is it about Sire guitars that are turning the heads of these guys? Commercial interests aside, there has to be something about these guitars worth looking into, but is it also exacerbated by a decline in the quality of instruments produced by the bigger and older names in the business.For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Welcome back to the show! This week, we look at some of the best songs in rock history that prominently used guitar effects to punctuate the guitar tone. This episode is accompanied by another great Spotify playlist that you can find in the links below! For links to all our important stuff, including this weeks new Spotify playlist, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
So, recent Eric Bibb gigs, Helix programming Skills for wedding gigs, Fret Dressing Anxiety, Luthiery dreams and much more, this week is a mixed bag conversation of many things but nothing in particular! Hope you enjoy it. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Bluetooth toggle switches and Fancy Pickups, Ibanez making the best guitars and T-Rex spending 8 years to create an echo unit that already existed? This week we are lining up the best in news from NAMM 2023 and telling you what we think about it all! Remember to come and tell us what you think on the Guitar Geek Hangout!For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Welcome Back! This week on the podcast we are celebrating everything female with a list of our favourite ever female guitarists. Some of the most important contributions in the guitar world have come from incredibly talented and capable women who continue to create and inspire the next generation of guitarists, so here we are celebrating their contribution.Here's a link to the playlist:https://open.spotify.com/track/5z9YuyOeX4RPKk0dIAJWle?si=7d687b93ec9d489b For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
This week we look at some of the pre-NAMM news nuggets dropped by manufacturers to see what exciting new products and developments are going to soon be available. We also discuss Matt's process upgrading and improving his Les Paul. What have you been up to in the last few weeks? Come and let us know at the Guitar Geek Hangout on Facebook. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
This week, we ask ourselves one of the most asked questions in the history of guitar playing - does an expensive guitar make you play better? This may not be as straightforward as you think, an inexpensive guitar setup perfectly will feel better to play than an expensive guitar that has been neglected and left to warp, bend and dry out. Is there musical inspiration to be found in the craftmanship of a custom instrument? Lets find out...For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon! Support the show
This week, Kiran and Matt take a look at the recently released list of top selling guitars, amps and pedals as released by Reverb.com to see if we could see any interesting surprises. Turns out the list does indeed have some interesting conversation points, but many of us will be less than surprised to know which guitar came in at number 1. Can you guess it already? https://www.guitarworld.com/news/reverb-best-selling-electric-guitars-2022For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
The final episode of our 3 part journey to fine tuning your guitar action like a pro guitar tech! This week we take a look at what you can do to make sure your top nut is properly installed and setup, how to measure it and how to adjust it. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
This week we continue our 3 part look at the best way to fine tune your action on your guitar. Last week Kiran took us on a deep dive through adjusting the truss rod, this is the device in the the guitar neck that allows us to set the relief, or curvature of the next, allowing enough space for the strings to vibrate above the frets. Step 2, and this weeks topic, is the guitar's bridge. This is where the strings pass over the saddles and are then stretched across to the nut. How do we set the saddle height correctly, what can we do to adjust them and what types of bridge are there and how are they adjusted? As well as all this we have our usual drawn out catch up on the week passed, and I have a little rant about the Silver Sky guitar from PRS, again. Anyway…For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Welcome back! This week we discuss recent gigs, a pending rig change for Matt that will open up a plethora of new possibilities, Kiran's new pedal board configuration following his delivery from Santa, and most importantly, Kiran puts his Guitar Tech hat on and talks us through the proper process for adjusting your truss rod to allow for the best possible guitar action. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Greetings! This week, we get together for the first time in 2023 to discus various things including what the man in the red jacket and white beard brought us, some near-miss Guitar Safari action from Kiran and of course we talk about the key habits we want to instil in our playing in 2023. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmarts Remember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon! Support the show
Greetings! Welcome to the final episode of the year 2022. This week we are talking about the past year gone by and the new year ahead of us. We think back and talk about he best new gear of 2022, money we have spent, new songs we have learned, Gigs we've been to and what we want and hope for in 2023. Come and see us on the Guitar Geek hangout on Facebook, and tell us what your hopes and desires are for your guitar endeavours in the coming year, we'd love to hear from you. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmarts Remember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Seasons Greetings! We are looking forward to a restful and cosy Christmas this year, and to kick it off we are discussing all the cool new things we want Santa to bring us this Christmas, and that maybe should be on your Christmas list this year too! For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmarts Remember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
This week we close out on our final thoughts from the London 2022 International Guitar show and Kiran laments on a missed opportunity to buy a guitar he connected with just moments before the show closed its doors! Also this week, Kiran gives us his field report, after finally getting a chance to play a brand new PRS Silver Sky John Mayer signature guitar, was it everything he hoped it would be or was he left disappointed? For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmarts Remember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
This week we give you our very first ever face to face recording! Kiran and Matt visited the 2022 London International Guitar Show to see the latest from the UK's (and further afield) finest guitar stores, luthiers, distributors and other... We saw some £300K Gibson Les Paul's, and some of the newest in inexpensive guitars from Fairclough guitars.Links to some of the stand out exhibitors can be found here:https://flameguitars.co.uk/https://www.4thavenueguitars.co.uk/https://www.atbguitars.com/https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/music-and-pro-audio/guitars/For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Welcome back to the podcast! This week Kiran and Matt discuss the King King show they attended at the Southampton venue the 1865 on the 20th October. King King are an utterly superb rock band, and you should check them out, they may just be the best live act in the UK right now in their genre. Visit them at their website here:https://www.kingking.co.uk/And check our their Spotify playlist 'This Is King King':https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DZ06evO2RODwB?si=1294c8b4fe034483For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmarts Remember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Following on from episode #63, this week Kiran and Matt look at more recent history to choose guitar riffs that may just go on to be the classic guitar riffs of the future. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartshttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/5eSyZxq6dxDXWp8yQ1cpzq?si=cf87529a4a994273Remember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Welcome back to the show! This week, we talk about some of the finest ever classic guitar riffs to grace our ears. Enjoy this episode, you might just hear of a new guitar riff that you didn't know about before! You can find a Spotify Playlist of the Riffs we chose in the Linktree below.For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmarts https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1sizftf4RbnfvvNPSJnmWc?si=d2dce542a8424ff1Remember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Boutique pedal makers from all over the world have been having huge success for many year and continue to do so, but with the closure of Fulltone Pedals, one of the originals in the market, does this indicate that the time for boutique pedals has come to an end? We discuss this, and also we talk about the next 3 things we want to try out on our next visit to a Guitar Store. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
We are back and this week we are talking all about our favourite YouTube channels and creators, why we love them and why you MUST follow them too. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you soon!Support the show
Greetings listeners! Have you ever felt like your guitar playing is stuck somewhere, unable to improve or get better, and lacking the motivation and drive to push it in the right direction? What have you done about it? How do you deal with a lack of motivation and what can you do to help put the train back on the rails?For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you next Monday!Support the show
After our recent episode talking about why you should join a band, we had a great question from Josh Chudley on Facebook, asking us HOW you join a band. It's easier said than done, however if you want to increase your chances of getting a spot in a band or finding a band who are looking for someone like you, then listen in carefully...For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you next Monday!Support the show
We all love playing guitar - whether that's jamming to tracks, along with songs we love or practicing licks BUT nothing quite makes you a better musician more than joining a band and playing with PEOPLE! That's just one reason to join a band, listen in for more.For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsCheck out The Cold Stares:https://open.spotify.com/artist/0hLLs7dOw0Z1XBFFrLSDln?si=TQUa83qJR8i3M_0Tj63MxAhttps://www.thecoldstares.com/Remember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you next Monday! Support the show
Greetings Guitar Smarts listeners! Have you ever had to quickly learn a song you didn't know for a gig at short notice? If you have, you'll know how stressful it can be getting familiar with new music quickly enough to play it confidently. This week we talk about our experiences with this problem, and how we deal with the process of learning new music. For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you next Monday!Support the show
Welcome back to the show! This week we are spending more fake money in a dreamland of Guitar Stores as we talk about how we would spend £5K if we had to buy a full gigging Guitar Rig. How would you do it? For links to all our important stuff, check out our LinkTree...https://linktr.ee/guitarsmartsRemember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you next Monday!Support the show
Welcome back! This week, Kiran and Matt are debating the age old question, is Vintage Gear really better than modern or do we fetishize the use of old equipment because of it's heritage and history? Objectively speaking, what is truly the best?Remember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you next Monday! Want some fantastic Guitar Smarts Merch? Head to official Etsy Merch Store below:https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GuitarSmartsStoreDon't want to buy merch but want to support the show? Buy us a coffee!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/GuitarSmartsAre you thinking of starting your own podcast? Following the link below lets Buzzsprout know we sent you, gets you a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and helps support our show.https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1555636Rate and Review the Guitar Smarts podcast here:https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/guitar-smarts-1580199 (On the right hand side, press the button that says 'Rate this Podcast')https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/guitar-smarts/id1548265334 (Follow this link, then open the podcast in your iTunes app and leave a rating in there)https://web.podfriend.com/podcast/1548265334 (Click on the 5 Stars under the podcast title and then leave a rating and review)Support the show
Greetings Guitar Smarts listeners! Welcome back to the show and thanks for sticking with us. This week, we celebrate a rare event - MATT Has bought a new guitar! In fact, he has bought two. Come an listen to the lowdown on what happened and what the guitars were!Remember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you next Monday! Want some fantastic Guitar Smarts Merch? Head to official Etsy Merch Store below:https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GuitarSmartsStoreDon't want to buy merch but want to support the show? Buy us a coffee!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/GuitarSmartsAre you thinking of starting your own podcast? Following the link below lets Buzzsprout know we sent you, gets you a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and helps support our show.https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1555636Rate and Review the Guitar Smarts podcast here:https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/guitar-smarts-1580199 (On the right hand side, press the button that says 'Rate this Podcast')https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/guitar-smarts/id1548265334 (Follow this link, then open the podcast in your iTunes app and leave a rating in there)https://web.podfriend.com/podcast/1548265334 (Click on the 5 Stars under the podcast title and then leave a rating and review) Support the show
Greetings from the Guitar Smarts Team! This week, Kiran and Matt are pretending that their pockets are flush with about $1000 or about £800 of cash, and they need to put together a rig for their first ever pub gig. Remember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you next Monday! Want some fantastic Guitar Smarts Merch? Head to official Etsy Merch Store below:https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GuitarSmartsStoreDon't want to buy merch but want to support the show? Buy us a coffee!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/GuitarSmartsAre you thinking of starting your own podcast? Following the link below lets Buzzsprout know we sent you, gets you a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and helps support our show.https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1555636Rate and Review the Guitar Smarts podcast here:https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/guitar-smarts-1580199 (On the right hand side, press the button that says 'Rate this Podcast')https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/guitar-smarts/id1548265334 (Follow this link, then open the podcast in your iTunes app and leave a rating in there)https://web.podfriend.com/podcast/1548265334 (Click on the 5 Stars under the podcast title and then leave a rating and review)Support the show
We are guitarists, and we love tone! But how do we get more and better tone than we had before? What can we do to maximise the sound that we produce from our instrument and out rig? Where can gains be made and what simple changes can we make to ourselves and our setup to really get to Tone Heaven! Remember to please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and come to see us on our social media channels below:https://www.facebook.com/Guitarsmartshttps://www.instagram.com/guitar_smarts/Have a very merry time playing guitar this week, and we will see you next Monday! Want some fantastic Guitar Smarts Merch? Head to official Etsy Merch Store below:https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GuitarSmartsStoreDon't want to buy merch but want to support the show? Buy us a coffee!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/GuitarSmartsAre you thinking of starting your own podcast? Following the link below lets Buzzsprout know we sent you, gets you a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and helps support our show.https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1555636Rate and Review the Guitar Smarts podcast here:https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/guitar-smarts-1580199 (On the right hand side, press the button that says 'Rate this Podcast')https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/guitar-smarts/id1548265334 (Follow this link, then open the podcast in your iTunes app and leave a rating in there)https://web.podfriend.com/podcast/1548265334 (Click on the 5 Stars under the podcast title and then leave a rating and review)Support the show