156 PREMIER GUITAR NOVEMBER 2009 www.premierguitar.com
PRODUCT REVIEW
Driving Radio Lane
I know what you’re thinking … but no, this review does not have
something to do with automobiles, and you didn’t accidentally pick
up a copy of Car & Driver magazine. In fact, the reference in the
title is actually a street name in Redding, Calif., where the workshop
of up-and-coming luthier Jason Z. Schroeder is located. But Radio
Lane is not only the place where he designs and creates handcrafted
electric guitars, it’s also the model name of the guitar up for review here.
Judging by the way it plays—a lot like driving a finely tuned sports car
zipping along an empty road—the automobile reference seems more
than appropriate.
I met Schroeder at Summer NAMM and had the opportunity
to learn about his background and his product line, which
currently consists of four models: Chopper, Doublecut,
Shorty (I love this name), and Radio Lane/Single
Cutaway. Schroeder started playing guitar at an early
age and was introduced to luthiery when he convinced his father to buy him materials to construct
a bass. After spending hours in the exotic-woods
section of the lumber yard, Jason’s fascination with
tone woods and desire to build guitars was born.
Despite this budding passion to build guitars, Jason
went on to earn a M.S. in Hydrogeology, started a
family and worked as a Geologist. By 2005, Jason’s time
spent moonlighting as a luthier reached a point when he
decided to reach out to senior professionals in both fields
to help him make an important career decision. Luckily for us,
luthiery won out—thanks to the advice of Bob Benedetto, who
told Jason to, “Do what you love, the money will come.”
Radio Lane
SCHROEDER GUITARS
BY BEN FRIEDMAN
