Frequently Asked Questions

We produce a new issue of our print edition four times a year, around the first of March, June, September and December.

We cover, quite simply, everything. Acoustic and electric. We've done stories on bluegrass legends, rock & rollers, folk artists and jazz greats. We even ran a story on the late Charlie Nothing, who created art guitars out of old car parts. One reader called the magazine the "National Geographic of guitar magazines," and we thought that was a nice description. Like National Public Radio, we try to seek out some of the lesser-heard stories of the music world, along with the legends we all know about.We think having diverse content crammed into each issue is what makes the magazine interesting and entertaining.

If you have a favorite artist or builder who we haven't covered yet, by all means, feel free to let us know. That said, we work hard to make sure that every issue of the Journal features a wide array of artists and styles and builders and story types. Rest assured that if we haven't covered one of the big names yet, we're probably working on it. Generally speaking, we strive to get stories that haven't been told to death and to get unique angles that shine a new light on our subjects. That's what makes the Fretboard Journal so valuable. Often times we're just waiting for the right photo shoot, writer or moment in time to run a story. That said, if your favorite artist is Ry Cooder (he's one of ours, too!), we've tried and he's not up for interviews right now. But we'll keep on him.

By subscribing, you're getting the magazines delivered straight to your door, at a discount. You're also supporting our magazine: subscribers keep this magazine afloat and contribute far more to our bottom line that store copies. With our unique format, the more subscribers we have, the fewer ads we need to run in each issue. Online, as this site grows, you'll begin to see certain pieces of content that only our subscribers will have access to. It's our way of thanking you for supporting us and it allows us to dig a little deeper into some of the editorial we're covering. We hope you enjoy it!

Great question! We know many of our readers like collecting our print edition. So we do our best to avoid any major damage caused by postal carriers or sorting machines. Each issue that goes to our subscribers is enveloped in a sturdy mailer. It may not be bullet proof but it will probably show up at your door in as good a shape as the ones you see at the newsstands and stores.

Our magazine is unique in its format and really like no other "guitar magazine" available today. It looks and feels more like a coffee table book than a typical periodical, and costs us nearly as much as a book to produce! We're reader supported and limit the advertising in each issue ... with some magazines, you get 50 pages of editorial and 50 pages of advertising. With our magazine, you get at least 100 pages of editorial in each issue and just a handful of ads (and we limit the ads to products we think you'll actually care about).

Our stories tend to be exhaustive (often 6 or 7,000 words on your favorite subjects) and our photography is all original. You'll see your favorite instruments and players like never before. All of this costs us a fair amount. And it's all printed on thick art-quality paper.

It sounds a bit over-the-top but our goal is to make a magazine looks as nice as the gear we covet so much.

Subscribing to the Fretboard Journal helps us keep our costs down and will allow you to save a significant amount over the newsstand costs. We'll mail you the magazines in a protective envelope and you'll get them before the stores do.