Our annual Fretboard Summit takes place August 21-23, 2025 at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music.
Wondering what the heck the Fretboard Summit is?
You’ve come to the right place. We’ve created this first-timer’s guide to help you wrap your head around the proverbial tailpiece of this special gathering. Our 2025 Summit will be our sixth, and largest, to date.
What is the Fretboard Summit?
It’s a hang, a conference, and a music festival rolled into one.
Basically, it’s our take on the ultimate guitar geek weekend, where you can meet the heroes we celebrate on our pages and podcasts (players and builders); see some ridiculously cool concert lineups; try out (and buy) some insanely unique guitars; learn a bunch; and make some new friends.
It’s also one of the only open-to-the-public conventions that features a who’s-who of legendary guitar and gear makers, large and small batch.
Why?
Because we wanted to celebrate the community around the Fretboard Journal. Acoustic and electric. We also wanted you to be able to meet all these great personalities we interview and showcase in our magazine.
You don’t need to be a serious collector, gigging musician, or virtuoso to attend. Just have an open mind and you’ll have a blast.
Who is playing this year?
An eclectic bunch of artists you’ve probably read about in our magazine and a few we can’t wait to turn you on to.
We’re still making announcements and additions to the lineup (a few are secrets we can’t divulge quite yet), but we can tell you that Charlie Hunter and Ella Feingold will be there, performing and teaching. Ella is a funk guitar god who was recently featured on our podcast. It remains one of the most downloaded episodes we’ve ever done. Charlie will be playing a solo blues set honoring Blind Blake. It’ll be amazing. We’ll also hear about their new duo record.
We also know that jazz guitar great Jonathan Stout is coming back, as is FJ favorite Ryan Richter (pictured above). This year, Ryan is bringing Dylan Day and Harrison Whitford – two of LA’s best session guitarists – out to the Summit. We’ll hear from all three. Fretboard Journal Assistant Editor Sofia Wolfson is going to teach a songwriting class. We’ve also got sessions on everything from the Fender history to African guitar.
Last but not least, you will be playing. This is a festival made for musicians of all stripes. Beyond all the included guitar workshops, there are unlimited opportunities to play, jam with friends, or try out new guitar gear. We have soundproof rooms if you want to rock out (or just try guitars in private).
Space is limited because this is about as interactive as festivals get. We want you to get hands-on time with cool gear.
What is the Old Town School of Folk Music?
A Chicago institution. Founded in 1957 the Old Town School of Folk Music provides a wide range of music, dance, theater, and visual arts courses to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. It’s a magical 501(c)(3) not-for-profit with an expansive campus featuring two buildings across the street from one another. We take over both facilities and fill them to the brim with sessions, workshops, jam rooms, and demo spaces.
When you picture Chicago, you may think of Wrigley Field or some busy downtown street or that one Wilco cover with the two buildings. The neighborhood that Old Town is in is easily walkable and there are dozens of nearby cafes, shops and restaurants. It’s like the cool neighborhood in your town, but in Chicago.
Who attends the Summit?
An eclectic mix of guitar fanatics (of all abilities), collectors, luthiers, industry members, and working musicians from around the world. Our crowd tends to be more eclectic and diverse than you’d think – young and old, all genders. But we all connect over a love for guitars.
Having said that: We limit Summit all-access passes to just a few hundred. We want everyone who attends to see the concerts, meet their heroes, and have fun without crowds. So if you want to come, it’s best to register soon before it sells out.
Who will I meet?
That’s up to you!
This year’s Summit has some of the most respected names in guitar craft: You can meet the crews behind Martin, Collings, Santa Cruz, Taylor, Beard, Yamaha, Gallagher, and Chase Bliss. It’s a rare opportunity to talk to lutherie legends like Andy Powers (Taylor Guitars), Richard Hoover (SCGC) and Wayne Henderson under one roof.
You’ll bump into dozens of world-class players and former FJ subjects. We also attract some of the biggest YouTube and podcast influencers around (Rhett Shull will be attending in 2025, along with Emily from Get Offset and many others).
Best of all, you’ll meet a bunch of great players who probably aren’t currently on your radar…and fellow collectors.
What does a day look like?
Each day has over 12 hours of programming planned. We don’t expect you to catch it all (that would be crazy), but it’s there for you.
Get to Old Town School on Friday morning (August 21) at around 9 or 10 a.m., get your pass, browse the schedule and decide whether you want to browse guitars at the lutherie showcase or attend a workshop. Proceed however you like.
The Old Town campus has two buildings directly across the street from each other. It’s a little daunting at first, but just consider it a giant guitar funhouse. (Someone from the FJ or OTS will be at the front registration desk to help you if you have any questions.)
I encourage pass holders to take their time and not expect to attend everything. Some of the coolest music moments happen in the lobbies or just by sticking around a sponsor booth for a while.
There’s a lunch break every day, during which attendees and their new friends grab a bite to eat nearby. I like the Indian place about a block away, but there are burgers, dumplings, cafes and more within about 300 yards of the venue. You’ll see lots of Summit badges at neighboring restaurants. Don’t hesitate to introduce yourself. After lunch, there’s a whole new slate of afternoon sessions.
Concerts tend to start after dinner in the two theaters: The historic Maurer Concert Hall (capacity 420) is where our bigger names play, while Szold Hall is where you can catch some of the more adventurous programming. Your three-day pass gets you into everything. You can come and go as you please.
What are the workshops like?
After you’ve made the decision on what class to attend, you just show up. No reservation is needed with your all-access pass. Some classes are intimate affairs, some have 20-50 people. We put the bigger-name workshops in the main theater, but there’s typically room for everyone. You definitely don’t need a guitar to attend these workshops, though an acoustic instrument is nice to have at a few of them (we’ll let you know).
Every year, we have live podcast tapings, advanced master classes, songwriting workshops and more.
If you want to leave a session early, just politely get up and go. There are usually two to three sessions going every hour, so you can try something else.
What styles of music are represented?
Rock, bluegrass, roots music, blues, jazz, folk, singer-songwriters, and all points in between. Basically, the pages of the FJ coming to life.
How expensive is it?
For 2025, we’ve preserved our pricing from last year: Three-day passes are $400.
This includes everything, all-day-long.
Admission to all the evening concerts, all the instructional workshops, opportunities to win some truly cool guitars in our raffles, the ability to buy Summit exclusive gear, networking events, a great swag bag, and surprises.
You also get early and unlimited access to the lutherie showcase featuring over 70 guitarmakers.
Even without the rest of the Summit programming, this is arguably the largest handmade and boutique guitar showcase in North America.
Walkable dining options abound near the venue at every price point. You can stay wherever you like (see below).
Where should I stay?
We get asked this a lot.
Honestly, you can stay wherever you like in Chicago. Probably aim for a hotel or Airbnb that fits your price range somewhere north of downtown Chicago and south of downtown Evanston. If the reviews online look good and it fits your price range, go for it. (Checking your cab fare ahead of time using an online calculator is also a good idea.)
All Summit activities take place at Old Town School, from morning to night. So once you’re there each day, there’s no need to go anywhere else. Hotel Zachary near Wrigley is an Old Town staff favorite, but you really can’t go wrong if the Tripadvisor reviews and room rate meet your standards.
If you’re on a guitar forum or have friends into guitars, post about the Summit and see if you can go in on an Airbnb. There are many in the vicinity of Old Town, but they tend to get reserved quickly.
New this year: We’re setting up a What’s App channel for attendees to connect on ride shares, lodging or just horse trade guitars.
What guitar should I bring?
Over half of our attendees don’t even bother bringing a guitar, but we’ve also seen plenty of pre-war dreadnoughts, Taylors, homemade creations, and all points in-between. We’ve seen plenty of new and old electrics, too.
Our Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast Room – filled to the brim with great, rare and obscure vintage amps – always has a few electrics to use, too.
Yes, there is a fully secure guitar check-in room if you want to drop an instrument to run errands or eat.
What brands and builders are attending in 2025?
It’s a long list that includes Martin, Collings, Yamaha, Henriksen, Chase Bliss, D’Addario, Gallagher, Beard, and Taylor. We’ve also got smaller-batch builders like Mike Baranik, 3Bender, Huss & Dalton, Bruce Guitars, Cedar Mountain mandolins, Sam Guidry, Shock the Fox,Grez, Greenfield, Cardinal, R. Robinson, Mule, Paul Woolson, and dozens more. The full lineup of exhibitors is here.
Also, if you’re in the Chicago area and just want to go guitar shopping and not attend any of the panels, concerts, parties or workshops, we’ll offer single-day lutherie showcase passes soon.
How do I sign up?
Register today at www.fretboardsummit.org. And holler if you have any questions.
Still trying to picture this event? Check out these totally unsolicited videos posted by some of our past attendees…
