Podcast 348: Duncan Price – Fretboard Journal

Over the past two years, we’ve shared the stories of several musicians who made the most of their COVID lockdown: Daniel Romano’s hugely prolific record series; Mason Stoops’ linchpin for the visual arts; and Tristan Scroggins does his best to tame the often maligned tenor banjo. Today we meet Duncan Price, a tireless guitar experimenter. Price lives on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula doing fixtures and repairs for a mom and pop guitar store called Good Times Music. But in his spare time he tinkers with some really unique electric guitar experiments that combine single-string pickups, fretless necks, piezo pickguards under the pickguard, and more. Although he has nothing to sell or even a brand name, his Instagram posts have caught the attention of musicians on Instagram who are interested in his posts, music, and latest crafts. One of those fans happens to be guitarist / producer Blake Mills who eventually reached out to Price and is now playing one of his early prototypes (and making really great music on it).

In today’s podcast we hear about Price’s background, the influence that El Rayo-X’s Bernie Larson had on him, his search for a great fretless guitar with infinite sustain, and more. Price also took inspiration from our Truth About Vintage Amps podcast and also talks about some of his recent amp builds. This interview may be the first time you’ve heard of Price and his guitar creations, but it definitely won’t be the last. I hope you enjoy getting to know each other.

Follow Duncan Price on Instagram and see what exactly we’re talking about here.

This episode is sponsored by Izotope (use discount code FRET10 to save 10% on their amazing software) and Retrofret Vintage Guitars.

Don’t forget that in addition to the magazine, the FJ has a whole network of podcasts, covering everything from guitar making to home recording (and tube amps!): Violin maker for violin maker; The Truth About Vintage Amps; The Truth About Inclusion And Mixing; Acoustic voices; and sweep the floor.