Live at Fretboard Summit 2026

Dipped in Tone goes live for the first time at Fretboard Summit 2026 at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Rhett, Zach, and Addison open with the most interesting things they’ve found at the show: Addison is carrying a limited edition acoustic from a Quebec builder — only 15 made, Adirondack spruce top, maple back and sides, slotted headstock — and it plays warmer and more balanced than it has any right to. Rhett found a fully analog speaker cabinet emulator prototype at the Bartle Amplification booth that looks like it came out of an Abbey Road session circa 1964. Then comes the hot takes — John O’Keefe argues vintage guitars aren’t worth the premium over modern alternatives, a live audience member makes the compelling case that the true sound of rock and roll is amplification rather than guitar or drums, and a second live take on whether music notation is uniquely hard for guitarists gets a detailed rebuttal from Corey Congilio that actually settles it. Four rigs get dipped live: an ambient backyard board with vintage classroom projector cabs, a pristine JM and Alessandro Fiore combo that earns a rare ten, a “trigger warning” rig stuffed with headless guitars and a switcher, and Josh Scott’s expression-pedal-controlled monster board — built during mountain bike crash recovery — with two redacted upcoming JHS releases hiding in plain sight. Jonathan Stout closes the show with the best single take of the day: gear is simultaneously the least and most important thing.

Submit your hot takes: dippedintone@gmail.comFretboard Journal: https://fretboardjournal.comLittle H Collective (Steven’s music): https://littlehcollective.bandcamp.com

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DIPPED IN TONE IS: Rhett Shull https://www.rhettshull.com Zach Broyles / Mythos Pedals https://mythospedals.com & https://highvoltageguitars.comProduced & Edited by Addison! https://www.instagram.com/addisonsauvan

Timestamps:00:00:00 Intro00:00:13 Live at Fretboard Summit 202600:01:37 Addison’s Favorite Find: The Quebec Acoustic00:04:16 Rhett’s Favorite Find: Bartle Amplification Prototype00:06:50 Hot Take: Vintage Guitars Aren’t Worth the Money00:10:58 Live Hot Take: The Sound of Rock and Roll Is Amplification00:13:45 How Technology and Music Move Together00:14:45 Live Hot Take: Guitar Notation Isn’t Uniquely Hard00:17:30 Corey Congilio’s Rebuttal00:19:55 Rig D