Fretboard Journal ran a story about Tone Balls back in 2006, but Boing Boing picked it up this week.

According to the story, one of the guitar repair men at Elderly collects these things, and has

catalogued dozens of examples by make, model and year of the host instrument.

Interesting hobby…

Pardon me while I get my Collings out and check for Tone Balls…

They talk about both he and brother Clarence’s music careers and about the new Clarence White instructional book/CD package that Roland has recently published.

Clarence and Roland White are also the subject of an in-depth feature in the current (Spring ‘09) issue of the magazine. Written by music journalist Geoffrey Himes, the article includes some of the same stories Roland discusses in this online interview, as well as a wealth of archival photographs.

Longtime fans of the White brothers will have heard some of these stories about how Roland and Clarence discovered bluegrass music living in Maine in the 1950s, but many new fans may not be familiar with them. Roland tells them so lovingly and in such detail…

It’s well worth the time to give this hour-long discussion a listen.

The show is hosted by the editors of the magazine and will air live every Friday at 1PM PST. Each episode will be archived online for those who are unable to catch the show live. Of course, the talk will center around fretted instruments, mainly the guitar.

The first show, which aired April 3, 2009, features and interview with Martin Guitars historian John Woodland.

Featured guests for this episode: luthier John Woodland (describing the research he’s conducted on Martin guitars) and pedal steel guitarist Jon Rauhouse (Neko Case, Billy Bob Thornton’s Boxmasters). We also talk about the Fretboard Journal magazine and our new Spring 2009 issue featuring Clarence & Roland White.

It’s worth checking out if you’re into guitars. Just click the play button on the widget at the top of this post, and enjoy the show.

Also profiled in this issue is resonator guitarist Jerry Douglas, and a lengthy interview with noted guitar builder Jean Larrivee is included as well.

We have spoken highly of this glossy, full color quarterly in the past for its use of heavy, archival-quality paper and for the excellence of the writing and photography.

Subscription and single issue order information can be found on The Fretboard Journal web site.

Before there was Banjo Newsletter, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, Bluegrass Unlimited, Bluegrass Now or Fretboard Journal, there was S.S. Stewart’s Banjo & Guitar and Mandolin Journal.

Publication began in 1882. The Journal covered items of interest to music lovers, including: concert dates, concert reviews, sheet music and instruction, articles, photos, and a large number of advertisements. Issues of this classic publication can occasionally be found for sale on auction sites such as ebay.

While collectors will still bid on the actual items, the rest of us no longer need to open our wallets to enjoy reading the Journal. The University of Rochester Research Department has gone to a great deal of effort to scan all the issues in the school’s library and make them available online as PDF files. Over 40 issues are available on the school’s website.

The PDF files are of moderate size. The average is probably 1-1.5 MB, some approach 3MB.

This publication is from the pre-bluegrass musical era, but still very interesting to read if you some free time.

Hat Tip: Fretboard Journal Blog

The story is appropriately titled “The Banjo That Changed The World.” The article weighs in at a hefty 18 pages. For those of you who aren’t keen on a lot of reading, don’t worry, fully 8 of those pages are dedicated to high quality photographs. If you’ve ever held a copy of Fretboard Journal in your hand, you’ll understand when I say the photographs are spectacular.

The ten pages of text are well worth reading though, so don’t skip them just to look at the pictures! With lots of history, stories told in the first person by Earl himself, and remembrances from other players and historians, the writing is just as good as the photography. This article is a must read for all fans of Earl Scruggs.

Scruggs isn’t the only bluegrass personality featured in the issue though. Another article of interest is a lengthy piece on guitar player, and fiddle expert, David Bromberg. Again, this article is complete with stunning photos, first hand interviews, and lots of history.

A shorter, but equally interesting, article about Old Growth Rims (built by Sullivan Banjo) devotes plenty of discussion to the hardships of trying to work the old hard-rock maple, from the floor of an 1870 factory, into banjo rims. These rims are available for after market purchase, but also come standard in Sullivan Banjo models such as the new Terry Baucom model.

But that is exactly what The Murfreesboro Post did, publishing The Top 10 facts about Uncle Dave Macon in advance of the annual Uncle Dave Macon Days festival, set to begin July 13 in Murfreesboro, TN.

Many of these facts will be well known to fans of the legendary banjo player, comedian and entertainer – and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame – but a few may be unknown, such as #9.

9. Uncle Dave’s father was Confederate Civil War Capt. John Macon. In 1883, the elder Macon purchased the Broadway Hotel in Nashville, which was the unofficial headquarters of southern entertainers and minstrels. This is where Dave Macon is said to have learned much of his performance style. The family moved to Readyville in 1885 after John Macon was stabbed to death near the hotel. Uncle Dave was a witness to the murder.

Read the full piece on The Murfreesboro Post site. Thanks to our friends at The Fretboard Journal who found this article online.

This issue’s cover story is B.B. King, but there are several other stories that will be of interest to us bluegrass fans. One of which is the tale of the founding of the David Grisman Quintet. There is also a story, replete with photos, of Pete Ross’ gourd banjos, a story about the creation of Martin’s OM model, and a piece about how Tommy Ramone traded in his drum sticks for a mandolin. This is just a sampling of the many articles and interviews included in the magazine, but these are probably the ones of most interest to the bluegrass community.

The Fretboard Journal is a coffee table quality magazine with glossy pages and stellar photos. If you’ve never seen a copy, I suggest you head over to your favorite bookstore/magazine rack and check out this latest issue.

Hat tip: Fretboard Journal

This is a major article, coming in at 18 pages in length. The focus is on the instrument, with Rice giving an in-depth account of his history with the guitar, as well as improvements and work that has been done on it. In keeping with the standards of the magazine, the story is replete with with high quality, new, close up photos of the guitar, and of Tony himself.

The story also features current details about the instrument’s setup that should be of interest to guitar fanatics everywhere.

We also took relevant measurements of the guitar’s string height, neck width and string spacing as it stood two months ago.

In addition to the Rice article, this issue also has a feature story about:

the rise-and-fall of Gurian Guitars, as penned by luthier Rick Davis. We received many seldom seen shots of the Gurian factory and output from Michael Gurian himself. We also have a lengthy interview with Stefan Sobell about his mandolin (and guitar) production.

I’m told there’s also a photo essay of Rick Shubb’s psychadelic posters from the ’60s, an interview with Taj Mahal, guitar builder Bill Nash, telecaster legend Bill Kirchen, and a whole bunch of other facinating stuff.

This magazine is really top notch with some of the finest photos and graphics you’re likely to see in print. It’s something you’ll leave out on the coffee table as a work of art. You can subscribe online at the Fretboard Journal website.

In addition to the cover story, this issue also contains:

• An in-depth interview with jazz guitarist Bill Frisell conducted by sometimes collaborator (and banjo player extraordinaire) Danny Barnes
• An interview with mandolinist Radim Zenkl on the Czech "tramp" scene, the early help he got from Grisman, his playing technique and more
• An interview with R&B guitar legend Steve Cropper on his early days at Stax Records, including all-new photographs
• A visit to some of Minnesota’s finest guitar builders, including Charles Hoffman, Jim Olson, Michael Keller and Brian Applegate
• A huge photo essay of the PRS Guitars factory, a tale of playing the banjo on the Gong Show and a whole lot more.

You can find more details and subscribe on the Fretboard Journal website.

If you’ve already subscribed, check your mailbox. Otherwise you can find it at your favorite guitar dealer, at finer music stores, Borders, Barnes & Noble and select newsstands throughout the U.S.

The 8/06 issue will feature an interview with Wade Mainer, a seminal banjo pioneer who merged old time and early three finger styles, and a detailed interview with Bill Collings of Collings Guitars. The cover story is one on Nashville songwriter Guy Clark, and the new issue also includes a report on Loar Fest West (which we mentioned earlier as well).

The editors like to describe this publication as a coffee-table style magazine, and focus much of their attention to providing a visually entertaining presentation along with the text content of each issue. They proudly point out that the magazine is published on archival quality paper, and full color is used throughout. They make no stylistic distinctions, and intend to simply cover acoustic music and the instruments used to create it.

Subscription details can be found on their site.

Fretboard Journal is published and edited by folks with many years of experience in music, magazines and acoustic instruments. They describe themselves and the new publication thusly:

The Fretboard Journal is an archival-quality, quarterly publication celebrating the culture of fretted musical instruments. We chronicle the most innovative instruments (mandolins, banjos, ukuleles and”?of course”?guitars) and instrument makers of the last 150 or so years; the best players; and the most interesting tales from the world of music. In addition, each issue boasts stories from the working musician”s perspective and never-before-seen photography. Basically, we”re the nerds in the guitar store who love sharing a yarn with fellow players and this is our outlet.

Subscription information is available on their web site.