German Strat master, solo artist, and amp designer THOMAS BLUG never backs down from a challenge. As a teenager, Blug taught himself to both play guitar and build guitar amps. Later in life, Blug’s killer playing skills caught the attention of renowned amplifier manufacturer Hughes & Kettner, who immediately hired Blug as a clinician. Soon, they discovered Blug — who would be crowned “Strat King of Europe” by Fender in 2004 — wasn’t just a great guitarist, but also a crafty amp designer, so they hired him in that capacity as well. Blug went on to create or co-create many of the company’s most successful products. Now, Thomas has launched his own company — BluGuitar and its flagship product is a ferocious 100-watt pedalboard amp called Amp1. I was thrilled to plug in with Blug at the home studio of Gunnar Larsson (laguitarteacher.com) in Los Angeles. PRESENTED BY Guitar Player magazine and guitarplayer.com.

-- JUDE GOLD, host, No Guitar Is Safe podcast.

88 - Thomas Blug

NO GUITAR IS SAFE 
The Guitar Show where Guitar Heroes Plug In. 
Hosted by Jude Gold.

Music

More than just an interview and jam with the great guitarist DAMON WOOD (currently of SEAL PARTY), this episode is also a portal back to the amazing "thrash funk" era of San Francisco Bay Area music, an exciting time in the late '80s/early '90s when live bands pushing an infectious new genre of music ruled the Bay Area clubs. Some of the acts coming up in this  scene — Primus, Limbomaniacs, and Fungo Mungo come to mind — lived up to the genre description by alternating danceable funk grooves with heavy, head-bang-able rock riffs, typically within the same song. However, SMOKING SECTION — Damon Wood's immensely popular Bay Area dance band — truly delivered the "funk" half of the thrash/funk equation, and in spectacular fashion. And in this episode Damon relives those unforgettable days — and Smoking Section's unforgettable grooves — in all their glory, and celebrates the fact that Smoking Section's album "Smooth & Nasty" is finally (after over three decades!) available for you to hear on Spotify, Apple Music, and just about every other streaming service. Presented by GUITAR PLAYER magazine. Hosted by JUDE GOLD.

175 | Damon Wood Relives Smoking Section's "Smooth & Nasty" Grooves

Vic Johnson returns! The longtime lead guitarist for Sammy Hagar, Vic invites you into Hagar’s Northern California studio, where he fires up his glorious “tri-stereo” wet/dry/wet rig and demonstrates some tones, plays some riffs, takes a few solos, and relives adventures with everyone from Total Eclipse — his badass ’90s metal band — to the the Bus Boys, Eddie Murphy, Michael Anthony, Dr. Dre, Suge Knight and, of course the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar. (Note: Vic also appeared on Ep. 8 of this show, recorded back in September of 2015. All previous episodes are still posted, so go deep!)
Presented by GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE and GUITARPLAYER.COM. Hosted by Jude Gold.

174 | Vic Johnson Invites You Into Sammy Hagar's Studio, Where He Plugs In an Amazing Guitar Rig

From hearing David Bowie strum a simple acoustic chord pattern while singing the words "let's dance" to transforming the sketch into the superstar singer's biggest hit, NILE RODGERS (in this flashback to Episode 125) relives step by step how he pulled off the feat. He also details meeting a new musician on the session — a future guitar hero that Bowie's "Let's Dance" album would soon introduce to the world: a young Texan named Stevie Ray Vaughan.  (ABOUT THE "REWIND" SERIES: There is simply too much treasure in No Guitar Is Safe's ever-growing archive of back episodes not to revisit some great moments once in awhile! That is why now, between new episodes, you can expect to be hit with short, curated, "fun size," easily digestible REWIND posts in which we "roll back the tape" and listen back to a magical moment in this show's history.) This episode is presented by GUITAR PLAYER magazine and hosted by JUDE GOLD.

REWIND | Nile Rodgers Transforms a David Bowie Guitar Sketch Into a Megahit

Chicago guitar ace DAN PETERS pushes his Gretsch 6120 to new limits by playing everything from rockabilly to blues slide to shred metal on the iconic hollowbody. Dan also deconstructs the energetic music of the West Side Winders and the Dan Peters Band — his two main original projects over the years — as well as shares his approaches to playing with star singers such as DEE SNIDER, and the art of almost falling down the stairs in a Broadway musical. This episode is presented by GUITAR PLAYER magazine and guitarplayer.com. Hosted by JUDE GOLD.

173 | Dan Peters Details the Art of "Shredabilly"

Folks, there is simply too much treasure in No Guitar Is Safe's ever-growing archive of back episodes not to revisit some great moments once in awhile! That is why now, between new episodes, you can expect me to hit you with short, curated, fun-size, easily digestible REWIND posts in which we "roll back the tape" and listen back to a magical moment in this show's history — like, for example, that time six years ago when KIRK FLETCHER blew our minds with several killer ways to play blues shuffles (which is what you'll hear on today's REWIND). And yes: If you want to hear the whole Kirk Fletcher show (it was Ep. 69), or any of the other 170 or so episodes of this show that are still up there in the feed, feel free to do so. Binge away! And don't worry: Tons of new episodes coming .... This episode is presented by GUITAR PLAYER magazine. 

— JUDE GOLD, Host, No Guitar Is Safe podcast.

88 - Thomas Blug

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