In this episode of Life With Strings Attached, Jamie sits down with two of the most respected scholars in the field: Jan Herbst and Steve Waksman, to explore the cultural, technological, and historical forces that shaped the sound of the last century. Steve Waksman is the author of Instruments of Desire, widely considered the foundational academic study of the electric guitar. Jan Herbst specializes in music production, amplification, and the intersection of design and sound. Together, they edited The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar, the most comprehensive scholarly work on the subject to date. This conversation moves between theory and practice, design and distortion, legacy and the urgent need for new thinking in guitar culture. Whether you build guitars, play them, or simply listen with care, this episode offers a deeper way in.