Today’s guest is a true icon in the world of acoustic guitar making. Someone whose influence has quietly shaped the way modern luthiers build, voice, and imagine the steel-string guitar.

With over 50 years of experience at the workbench, Dana Bourgeois has carved out a singular path in the craft, blending deep technical knowledge with a relentless pursuit of tone. From building his first guitar in a dorm room at Bowdoin College, armed only with a book and the encouragement of a woodworking father and machinist grandfather, Dana has gone on to inspire generations of builders and players alike.

Whether you’re a luthier, a player, or just someone fascinated by the intersection of tradition, innovation, and sound, this is a rare chance to learn from one of the most thoughtful and experienced voices in modern guitar making.

Here’s my conversation with Dana Bourgeois.

Watch the video version on YouTube:
🔗 YouTube Channel – Life With Strings Attached

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In this episode of Life with Strings Attached, I sit down with Fred Pons (also known as Fred Kopo) a deeply respected luthier from France whose journey into guitar making began with what he describes as “a slap of inspiration.”

At just 16, a visit to a rural guitar workshop with his teacher changed the course of his life. The smell of wood, the calm of the countryside, and the magic of turning raw materials into something that sings. That moment sparked a calling he’s followed ever since.

In this conversation, we explore how mentorship, gratitude, and unexpected life encounters shape the craftsman’s path. Fred shares what it means to balance artistic integrity with the realities of the guitar market, how relationships help us define who we are, and why community remains at the heart of this craft.
It’s a thoughtful, inspiring talk, and I’m honored to share it with you.

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.

This episode is part of a new Biography Edition of Life With Strings Attached, a space to pause and reflect on the people behind the instruments. It's been our experience that these remarkable ideas come from remarkable people, who have a depth and character that cannot be easily distinguished from the things that they create.

This Biography Edition of Life With Strings Attached tells the story of Mike Sankey, a luthier whose work resists category and whose life unfolded through detours, doubts, and deep listening.

Told in Mike’s own words, what emerges is not just a portrait of a builder, but of a mindset. One shaped by patience, instinct, and a quiet resistance to convention.

Sankey didn’t set out to make guitars the world had never seen. He simply built what felt honest and trusted that someone out there would hear it.

🔗 Explore Mike's Work
Website: https://sankeyguitars.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sankeyguitars

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.