German Strat master, solo artist, and amp designer THOMAS BLUG never backs down from a challenge. As a teenager, Blug taught himself to both play guitar and build guitar amps. Later in life, Blug’s killer playing skills caught the attention of renowned amplifier manufacturer Hughes & Kettner, who immediately hired Blug as a clinician. Soon, they discovered Blug — who would be crowned “Strat King of Europe” by Fender in 2004 — wasn’t just a great guitarist, but also a crafty amp designer, so they hired him in that capacity as well. Blug went on to create or co-create many of the company’s most successful products. Now, Thomas has launched his own company — BluGuitar and its flagship product is a ferocious 100-watt pedalboard amp called Amp1. I was thrilled to plug in with Blug at the home studio of Gunnar Larsson (laguitarteacher.com) in Los Angeles. PRESENTED BY Guitar Player magazine and guitarplayer.com.

-- JUDE GOLD, host, No Guitar Is Safe podcast.