Axe Lords

It takes a lot to fluster an Axe Lord, but the prospect of talking to Paul Gilbert about designing his Fireman guitars, getting a guided tour through his collection of vintage Ibanez treasures, and finding out how to properly rig a power drill for speed picking is almost more than any fan of highly technical guitar wizardry could stand.

Gilbert, who is promoting his rifftastic new concept album WROC - based on the George Washington-penned tome Washington’s Rules of Civility, is also the first, but hopefully not the last, Axe Lords guest to introduce cosplay to the show. To whit, he appears sporting a revolutionary war-styled Tricorn hat, the perfect accessory for schooling us not just in arcane bits of American history but also in the finer points of high-stakes shred protocol.

Axe Lords is presented in partnership with Witz Comedy Podcast Network and Premier Guitar. Hosted by Dave Hill, Cindy Hulej and Tom Beaujour. Produced by Studio Kairos. Executive Producer is Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Justin Thomas (Revoice Media). Engineered by Patrick Samaha. Recorded at Kensaltown East. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Theme music by Valley Lodge.
Follow @axelordspod for updates, news, and cool stuff.
Follow @paulgilbert_official
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warren Haynes walks into Axe Lords HQ like he’s done this a thousand times—and within minutes we’re deep into the stuff that actually matters: how you develop a voice standing next to a guitarist as singular as Dickey Betts, why the volume knob is not a decoration, and how “improv” gets better the moment you stop trying to have a good idea.

Along the way, the Gov’t Mule frontman and solo artist unpacks the real-life chain of events that turned a 19-year-old kid into a professional musician: the surprise call from country provocateur David Allan Coe that turned him into a hardened rod dog almost overnight, the daily grind of being a Nashville session singer, and the long game of learning what he calls the golden rule of playing in a two-guitar band: respect what the other player is doing while still being unmistakably yourself.

And because this is Axe Lords, we also get fully nerdy: the story behind that three-pickup SG Custom that went from the cover of Guitar World magazine to the Big House Museum in Macon, the red Custom Shop Strat that got stolen, and why he tours with no less than 20 guitars.

Axe Lords is presented in partnership with Premier Guitar and the Witz Comedy Network. Hosted by Dave Hill, Cindy Hulej and Tom Beaujour. Produced by Studio Kairos. Executive Producer is Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Justin Thomas (Revoice Media). Engineered by Patrick Samaha. Recorded at Kensaltown East. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Theme music by Valley Lodge.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ty Tabor is one of those players whose unique tone has melted more message boards than you can shake a Strat Elite at, and whose lifelong commitment to solid-state amps is downright religious in its fervor.

The Axe Lords show no mercy in their inquisition as they compel Tabor to break down the classic King’s X rig and ooh and ahh as he explains how transistors force a different kind of playing. We also talk about how Tabor succumbed to tube temptation on Dogman — a move that almost gave a young Tom Beaujour a nervous breakdown, how he “floats” between major and minor, and what he’s fixing most often as a mastering engineer.

The episode ends on a more personal note as Ty shares how a serious accident derailed his ability to write music for years—and how he’s finally feeling those neural networks repair themselves as he works on a long-delayed solo album.

Axe Lords is presented in partnership with Witz Comedy Podcast Network and Premier Guitar. Hosted by Dave Hill, Cindy Hulej and Tom Beaujour. Produced by Studio Kairos. Executive Producer is Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Justin Thomas (Revoice Media). Engineered by Patrick Samaha. Recorded at Kensaltown East. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Theme music by Valley Lodge.
Follow @axelordspod for updates, news, and cool stuff.
Follow Ty @tytabor and KingsX @kingsxofficial
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Captain” Kirk Douglas joins the Axe Lords for a wide-ranging conversation about how guitars shape a life—musically, culturally, and sometimes, literally. The longtime guitarist for The Roots (who also serve as the house band on the Tonight Show) traces his path from growing up with reggae, church music, metal, and soul to finding a musical voice that incorporates them all. Along the way, he reflects on the profound effect that Ozzy Osbourne had on his young psyche, how the music that we consume in our youth has an impact that never really fades, real amps versus modeling rigs, and the many wonders of Gibson SG. As an excruciating bonus, the episode also includes the unbelievable story of the vintage Epiphone Crestwood Prince borrowed from him for a live performance on the Tonight Show—and then proceeded to destroy right in front of Douglas’ eyes in an astonishing display of music royalty privilege run amok. Beam us up!

Axe Lords is presented in partnership with the Witz Comedy Network and Premier Guitar. Hosted by Dave Hill, Cindy Hulej and Tom Beaujour. Produced by Studio Kairos. Executive Producer is Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Justin Thomas (Revoice Media). Engineered by Patrick Samaha. Recorded at Kensaltown East. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Theme music by Valley Lodge. 

Follow @axelordspod for news, updates, and other cool stuff.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Burning Witches guitarist Courtney Cox joins the Axe Lords to talk guitar tone, technique, and the realities of life as a modern touring player. She breaks down how Burning Witches write and record across borders, work under tight studio timelines, and balance precision rhythm guitar with expressive lead playing.

Cox traces her path from early touring and her years with Iron Maidens to designing multiple signature guitars built for extended range, lower tunings, and long tours. She explains why learning by ear—not regimented practice—has always been central to her playing, and how ADHD shapes her focus, discipline, and creativity.

The conversation also gets deep into gear, including Friedman-based live rigs, pedal fly-date setups, adapting tone to backline amps, and protecting guitars from airport damage.

Axe Lords is presented in partnership with the Witz Comedy Network and Premier Guitar. Hosted by Dave Hill, Cindy Hulej and Tom Beaujour. Produced by Studio Kairos. Executive Producer is Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Justin Thomas (Revoice Media). Engineered by Patrick Samaha. Recorded at Kensaltown East. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Theme music by Valley Lodge. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices