I really can't think of a decent title, I'm fried I tell thee

Blimey - fotos to follow later, but I finally got the OCD One into a buzz free state at 10.30pm last night, which is a relief as I was beginning to think I'd lost it big-time... But it is done, finally, and a blast thru the Ye Olde Vox later today will be an absolute pleasure.

Fotos and 'reaction' to follow then...

In other news... the J-Bird One is also moving in the right direction after a few false starts with people not being entirely accurate in their descriptions of things they are trying to flog.. I said before we want it done pre-Xmas, and time is already shooting past so now that Geoff's magnifique guitar is in the land of the living, nothing gets done before this baby, baby.

Well, nothing gets done until I hit a wall in every direction, is perhaps more like it, in truth, but there we are...

Anyway, all the parts are now ordered bar a custom scratchplate. Which is quite a job in itself wondering where to put everything, and man I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to the wiring job with coil taps, kill switches and everything else. Actually, it should be fun (must find that multimeter).

Other than that, the finish has started to be tested on another body. I think I said before it is a Comic book look with a bit of a twist, and it is based on the Marvel Punisher series (top film, I watched it last week for research perps - well worth the effort.) It's a bit trickier than normal, but should be worth it, I reckon. Just worth practising up front, I feel.

All of which is good, but the one that's on the list that is haunting me at the moment is the neck. Now, as I said in the first place, what we are trying to do here is come-up with a guitar that has a Jaguar/Jazzmaster kind of body (and we're close man, we're pretty damn close), but rather than ape Fender's finest (and have they ever come-up with a guitar that looks that cool since or before - nah).

Where was I?
Oh yeah, rather than go for a straight Fender-esque headstock, Andy wanted something even cooler - one from a Gibson Firebird.

Now as you no doubt realise, Firebirds have fixed necks and Jaguars have bolt-ons, which gives a clue about a potential problem. Also of course, no bugger is likely to be selling a Firebird neck and so - what do you do?

At this point I'd have probably gone Hmmm and got a bit lateral, but Andy had already sussed it and had got a wee beauty of a plan.

So basically, what we have done is find a very nice, hand made, left handed Strat neck, with a CBS-esque large headstock, and I'm going to shape it so that it does good impression of a Firebird.

How cool is that?
Tell you what, I wish I’d thought of it.

Into that we're going for the bestest vertical banjo tuners we can lay our hands on - the Steinberger gearless ones that everybody bangs into their Firebirds if they want to stay in tune (as Gibson’s - shhh - aren't very good, I'm told)....and there we are.

So all in all, quite a bit of work to do, and I need to dig out my whittling knife (last used on a tent peg in the scouts, circa 1980) and see what I can do.

I have to say, I'm really enjoying the custom side of things, just as much as my usual Jooky fare, but for a different reason - both Geoff and Andy have turned-up with ideas that are stretching me in a different direction and making me think a bit more. And long may it last..

Sorry if that was all a bit muddled, I'm fried...

Bit of Julian Cope to make me feel sane again...