Today we “fly the ‘copter” across the country to plug in with blues/rock powerhouse ERIC GALES at Earthtones Recording — the Greensboro, North Carolina studio where guitar phenom does most of his tracking. With his second Grammy-nominated album out (2025’s A Tribute to LJK — recorded in honor of his brother Manuel “Little Jimmy King” Gales) — plus a new signature model Kiesel guitar in the works (he plays one of the prototypes on this episode), tons of 2026 tour dates on the calendar, and an in-depth guitar course from TrueFire.com just released, Eric is as busy as ever. So, I appreciate him taking some time to talk guitar and music with me, jam with me, detail his guitar approaches and musical inspirations, and dive deep into the huge topics of gratitude, redemption, and helping others. Special thanks to Benjy Johnson at Earthtones Recording for capturing this episode, GuitarPlayer.com for sponsoring, and for TrueFire for setting the whole thing up.

— JUDE GOLD, host and creator, No Guitar Is Safe

With both a U.S. tour and a new session of Sky Academy booked for April/May, Uli Jon Roth is headed for an exciting Spring of 2026. It’s all part of his passion to reach (and help his Sky Academy students reach) new musical heights. “A great musician is always growing,” says the German-born, U.K.-based guitar hero. Indeed, Uli could have rested on his laurels as the lava-hot lead player of ’70s-era Scorpions hard rock. But, taking inspiration from the music of heroes such as Keith Jarrett, Jimi Hendrix, and Antonio Vivaldi, he has always strived for a much deeper level of artistic expression. In this exclusive visit to Sky Academy, we plug in with Uli and embark on some epic improvisational odysseys, gain insights into his hugely influential rock masterpiece “The Sails of Charon,” learn about his unique extended-neck Sky Guitars, and, best of all, learn why, as he says, “the fingers are the least important part of your sound.” Hosted by Jude Gold, this episode is brought to you by your online guitar instruction friends at TrueFire. TrueFire offers thousands of hours of guitar instruction from A-list players. For a free 30-day all-access membership (no credit card required!), click to truefire.com/safe.

Back in October of 2018, I plugged in with Rock-and-Roll-Hall-of-Famer Ace Frehley at his hotel suite in Hollywood, California. Having just re-listened to my hour with the Kiss legend, I have to say: Wow, it's a cool episode — a great hang, and one that is all the more meaningful now that the Spaceman has passed. To honor Ace's life and music, I am re-posting the episode here for you to re-enjoy. I think you'll find it's a powerful portal through time that puts you in the room with the true rock star and the true New Yorker that was Ace Frehley — the true rock legend who inspired legions of young people to pick up the electric guitar, including many who have gone on to become famous rockers themselves. Here is the show exactly as it ran seven years ago.

ORIGINAL 2018 SHOW NOTES: Founding Kiss lead guitarist ACE FREHLEY, aka "the Spaceman," has released a hard-rocking new solo album called just that — SPACEMAN. Plugging in one of his favorite ’59 reissue Les Pauls, Ace sits down with me to jam a little, as well as detail the writing and recording of Spaceman, reflect on reuniting (for two songs) with Gene Simmons, and, of course, look back on his legacy — a wild ride that spanned everything from a youth spent surviving the streets of the Bronx to adult years surviving adventures with the Hall-of-Fame rock band that made him famous. Hope you enjoy it!

—JUDE GOLD, host and creator, No Guitar Is Safe

A sonic thrill ride for fans of guitar music, guitar hero/composer LYLE WORKMAN’s new album — called Rhythm and Leads Guitar — is a captivating instrumental odyssey no guitarist should miss. Step into Lyle’s studio with me, and we’ll plug in some guitars with him and dive deep into his new record and much more — including his blazing solos with Bourgeois Tagg back in the ’80s; his new, custom Stan Cotey-modded EVH head; and even some cool pedalboards. And yes: Lyle is a highly accomplished film composer, so if you want to immerse yourself in that realm (including learning how he created soundtracks to hit movies such as “SuperBad” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”), be sure to go back and listen to Lyle’s FIRST appearance on this show, which was on Ep. 110 of No Guitar Is Safe (back in 2020). This episode is presented by GUITAR PLAYER and GutiarPlayer.com. Thank you, Guitar Player!


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—JUDE GOLD, host and creator, No Guitar Is Safe podcast

It’s one of the most high-energy, foot-tapping, rump-shaking guitar styles you can name, and JONATHAN STOUT is the perfect player to funnel its magic straight into your ears and down to your fingertips — we’re talking swing guitar. It’s got an infectious groove nobody can ignore, and Jonathan is about to show you tons of licks and tricks, two sterling ‘30s-era Gibson L-5’S, and tell you all about Charlie Christian and other legends of big band guitar. AND GET THIS: This episode is brought to you by your friends at the amazing guitar lessons site Truefire, and if you want a 30-day all-access pass to lessons from Eric Johnson, Guthrie Trapp, Steve Vai, Robben Ford, and countless other A-list instructors, simply visit https://go.truefire.com/safe, enter the code SAFE30, and you’re IN! PLUS, you'll get a free download of TrueFire's 50 Licks Greatest Hits, Top 20 Guitar Lessons, 10 Guitar Licks You Must Know, and The Best of In The Jam! Enjoy!

— JUDE GOLD, host and creator, No Guitar Is Safe

It’s one of the most exciting hired gun guitar stories in rock history: An up-and-coming guitarist from Alameda, CA, wakes up to a call from a person claiming to be Sharon Osbourne — a call that will launch him on the musical adventure of a lifetime. That guitarist, of course is BRAD GILLIS, and as we celebrate the tenth anniversary of No Guitar Is Safe podcast, it seems only fitting that we repost the first interview I ever did for this show — the July 2015 interview in which Brad relives his adventures with Ozzy Osbourne, Night Ranger, and other bands, and demonstrates his famous guitar parts for you on a Floyd Rose-sporting Gibson Les Paul.

(Nerd fact: Though Joe Satriani ran as Episode 1 of this show, that was actually the SECOND interview I did for the podcast. It was conducted the day after THIS interview, which ran as Episode 2.)

Don’t forget: All 188+ episodes are still up so you can (and should!) go back and dive into the archive …. And, in case you missed it, to celebrate ten years of No Guitar Is Safe I revisited Brad’s home studio and posted a entirely NEW interview/guitar hang with him last month (Ep. 187), as well as an informative followup episode with his guitar tech DARREN HURST a couple weeks later (Ep. 188). New content, old content — much to celebrate here! Thank you, listeners, for supporting No Guitar Is Safe!

— JUDE GOLD, host and creator, No Guitar Is Safe podcast

From PETER FRAMPTON to JOE PERRY (Aerosmith) to last week's tenth-anniversary guest, Night Ranger's BRAD GILLIS, guitar tech par excellence DARREN HURST has worked for several world-class guitar heroes, so we had go deep with the veteran guitar tech to find out his philosophies on rig design, guitar tone, and real-time gig survival — and the results are fascinating. How does Darren help Joe Perry achieve his "Dinosaurs eating cars" stage tone? Why does Brad Gillis make only one patch change per show, yet Darren makes 128?! How is Frampton's sprawling "guitar city" of rig "simple"? And we all know Night Ranger, but who the heck is "Day Ranger"? For the answers to these questions and more, just hit play. Thanks to Guitar Player and guitar player.com for making this happen. Enjoy! —JUDE GOLD, Host and Creator, No Guitar Is Safe

From unforgettable Ozzy Osbourne and Night Ranger tour stories to super cool riff demonstrations to Ferrari sounds conjured out of his “Ferrari” guitar to detailing his inspiring wellness routines to deconstructing how he approached playing the National Anthem through a fire-breathing half-stack at a recent San Francisco Giants game, BRAD GILLIS shares a ton of deep guitar adventures and insights here on his return to No Guitar Is Safe — a great way to celebrate the show’s ten-year anniversary. (Note: If you missed Brad’s first appearance on this show — Ep. 2, from July 2015 — don’t worry: It and all other episodes of No Guitar Is Safe are still posted for you to listen to for free, on all podcast platforms. No paywalls here! Enjoy.) Thanks to GUITAR PLAYER and guitarplayer.com for bringing this episode to you. Guitar Player: Play better, sound better …. Here’s to the next ten years!

— JUDE GOLD, host and creator, No Guitar Is Safe

Fretless guitar pioneer NED EVETT is taking his new album — and his new signature-model Aluminati aluminum-necked fretless guitar — to Europe to rock just about every big city you can name over there in support of JOE SATRIANI and STEVE VAI’s “SatchVai Band: Surfing with the Hydra” continent-spanning tour. And in this interview/jam, Ned shares exactly how he’ll approach his solo sets opening for the two superstar guitar heroes. He also details songs from “Strange Kind of Freedom” (the aforementioned new album) as well as dives into his many influences — from rock to Indian ragas to folk to life-changing tunes by the Who and Robert Johnson — and relives what it was like to have guitar magician ADRIAN BELEW produce one of his albums. This episode is presented by Guitar Player and GuitarPlayer.com, and hosted by JUDE GOLD

Whether it’s on the first two BOSTON albums or on releases by his latest group, BARRY GOUDREAU’S ENGINE ROOM, guitarist BARRY GOUDREAU brings the world a soaring, blues-inflected sound that has been part of our collective musical psyche ever since he threw down the monster lead on Boston’s 1977 rock radio smash, “Foreplay / Long Time.” I was thrilled to have Barry not only visit us backstage at a recent JEFFERSON STARSHIP gig I played in Beverly, Massachusetts — where Barry plugged in his beloved ’60s Gibson SG Junior and did this interview (during which, as you’ll hear, he discusses everything from working with Boston’s brilliant mastermind/chief composer and multi-instrumentalist/producer TOM SCHOLZ to collaborating with the late, great Boston singer BRAD DELP to creating music with his other bands, including RTZ, ORION THE HUNTER, and, of course, the Engine Room) — but also have Barry sit in with us on stage! That's right: During our encore later that night, Barry joins us for an extended jam where he starts off with a big solo, and then we trade licks back and forth, and you’ll hear it all go down at the end of the episode. Thanks to GUITAR PLAYER and guitarplayer.com for bringing this episode to you. “Guitar Player — Play better, sound better!”

— JUDE GOLD, host/creator, NO GUITAR IS SAFE