Fans of Shane Speal & the Snakes will get to see the band's harmonica player, Derick Kemper appear on The History Channel's popular show, Forged in Fire on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.  Kemper, based in Fawn Grove, PA, is a professional blacksmith who specializes in coal-fired, period-correct blacksmithing  at Damselfly Forge. 

Here's a typical scene of Derick in his shop.  (No, he didn't play blues harp on Forged in Fire!)

We can't say whether Derick wins or not...because even we don't know!  He's been very secretive about this whole shindig.  Tune in to the History Channel on Wednesday, October 17 to find out and join us on our Facebook event page for real time chatting about the episode.  

Hi all!

I'm continuing my series on classic blues songs arranged for cigar box guitar with this fantastic song by the great RL Burnside.  "Nine Days in Jail" was originally released on his album, My Black Name A-Ringin' and has that signature North Mississippi groove to it.

They call him "the king of the cigar box guitar." Shane Speal, an avid cigar smoker, guitar player, woodworker, and author, is not only building some of the best cigar box guitars, he's also serving-up a lesson in American history. Working out of his modest backyard shed in York, PA Shane takes pride in recreating the "poor man's guitar," which dates back to the turn of the 20th century.    ...Read more and see the full video

I am proud to announce my brand new 3-string signature sets from CBGitty.com.  The strings come in either acoustic or electric and are the same exact gauges I use in every concert.  TUNINGS:  Each string pack also includes my tuning guide, allowing you to take your cigar box guitar from an Open G to jazz, Hawaiian and even dirty blues tunings. 

By Shane Speal.  This article was originally posted in my Guitar World column.

Have you ever bought a guitar slide and had intentions of ripping new leads with it, only to discover when you get home that it’s damn near impossible to use? 

I’ve been there, too. 

Playing slide guitar, well, takes a little dedication in practice, but also in the way you set up your gear, too. 

Here’s a quick rundown of five roadblocks that might be keeping you from sliding: 

Remember toy suprises in the cereal box?

When I started my own guitar slide company, I wanted to surprise folks in the same way that Cap'n Crunch did back in the 70's...except I would include stickers, collectible pins and burlap "mojo" bags instead of bicycle license plates. I just got the brand new Felix the Cat stickers in.  Each one is 4.25" square and is screen printed on weatherproof vinyl.  They look awesome on guitar cases and car bumpers!  Starting today, I'm tucking one inside every StubbySlide.com order.  I've continued to introduce various collectible 1.5" pins that are included with every guitar slide.  (Have you collected the pins?  Send me a picture of your collection!)  I hope to bring out even more guitar slides and work with artisans who craft these awesome pieces. For me, every slide inspires a new song or playing style.   Thanks for making my life fun!  I hope you're enjoying this stuff as much as I am. Staying primal...always, Shane Start Shopping Snake Oil Medicine Bottle Slide - $10 each (2 slide set for $15) As featured at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, MS!  Get 'em here - I ship worldwide. Snake Oil Bottle Slides » The Preacher hand-tooled brass slide - $13 Fully adjustible for all size fingers.  See the demo video in the link.   Worldwide shipping Shop - THE PREACHER » LIVE IN CONCERT! Monday, June 25 - Mudhook Brewing Co., York PA. - 10pm Thursday, June 28 - Bog Turtle Brewing Co., Oxford PA - 7pm Saturday, June 30 - Mayfly Festival, Wrightsville PA - 1pm See all concert dates, addresses and info at ShaneSpeal.com/Shows

Playing badass blues licks ain't hard... Here's an easy lesson to get you grindin' on the back porch. Tuning: GDG. 

Every slide guitarist has a signature tremolo.  Here's how you can start to get yours.  Remember to only wobble half a fret away from your starting note!  Grab a Stubby Slide and watch the video below...

LET'S MANGLE THE OPEN G TUNING AGAIN!!!  Let's retune just one string and make the fretboard FRESH.  This is a G major tuning, a tin pan alley version of the blues tuning.  If you're in Open G, simply retune the middle string down to a B.  That's it!     

Check out the Susquehanna Folk Festival at http://julyfolkfest.org .  I'll be performing there on Saturday, July 28. 

Shirts and slides at http://stubbyslide.com 

Have you been playing the same licks over and over again?  Let's retune just one string and make the fretboard FRESH again.  This is the G7 tuning, a jazzy version of the blues tuning.  If you're in Open G, simply retune the high string down to an F.   

Check out the Susquehanna Folk Festival at http://julyfolkfest.org .  I'll be performing there on Saturday, July 28. 

Shirts and slides at http://stubbyslide.com 

Shane Speal official:  http://shanespeal.com