Benjamin Gibbard is known to most music fans as the frontman for Death Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service. But in 2012, he delivered a solo album entitled Former Lives that quickly became a favorite around our office. Here, he performs “A Hard One to Know” from that album on his vintage Epiphone Texan. He also shares a story about his most cherished guitar, a Gibson LG-1 that his father received at the age of 13.

Gibbard is the first artist in our inaugural Twelve Days of Fretboard, where we interview and film some of our favorite artists about their best guitar tales, what they’d like to see under their tree and much, much more. Over the two weeks leading to Christmas 2012, we’ll hear from Grammy winners, roots musicians, up-and-coming singer-songwriters and at least one guy wearing a Santa suit. We hope you’ll stay tuned.

To learn more about Gibbard, visit his website here.