Flattery...gets you, well, everywhere

Wow, I don't know if I should be flattered or if it is an amazing coincidence, but Friend-of-Jooky, Sean pointed out this Beanoified Strat on eBay earlier on....


Which I have to say looks nice to me.

If only I had the dosh to spare..

Here it is, and below is The Beano One Les Paul thing I made earlier...




We're taking over the world, us comic lovers, telling ya..

Next week, how to put the Dandy back into you Semi

What's Going On?

Well, I've been neglecting these parts as real life takes over sometimes, so I figured a wee update might be in order.

First up, The Groovy One:

I decided to drop the price to a stunningly, bargainsome £199 including delivery, as to be honest I never quite know what to charge for these things anyway.

More to the point, I want to get on with something else and instead keep playing it - and The Beano One - which is great and fun and my Hendrix impressions have never been less painful to listen to, but does use a lot of time up that could be better spent doing something useful-like.

So save me from myself, why don't you?

Blah blah & blah.

Of more interest, I'm picking up the double neck later today - with a fair wind - and am currently deciding what to do with it. It is a six string and a twelve string beat combo, rather than a bass, so there is plenty of scope for mayhem there, and as fine an excuse to play Led Zepp as I'm ever likely to get.

I am thinking that I should call it The Siamese One, with a nod to an ex-girlfriend of mine, but we will have to see.

(I always felt bad about her, to be honest. She is a siamese twin, but dumped me when she found out that I was seeing her sister behind her back. I'm not proud of that.)

Other than that, I have a pile of Cigar Boxes that I really should do something with. A couple of sliders, I keep promising myself, and maybe even a couple of amps. I keep thinking aloud that I will make some more Amys and Cheryls, but never quite seem to settle down and do them.

Heh ho

Lust, at my age...

I know it is sad - a 42 year old, lusting after young, firm bodies, but I have to say that at the moment I can't seem to get one particular wee beauty out of my mind.

Some would call her a Plain Jane, I'm sure and OK, she hasn't got the attributes of her higher maintenance sisters, but that is part of the appeal, I think. The fact that she has limited horizons and is unapologetic about it.

Who is this lassie then?

Well, it is a Gibson Melody Maker I fancy walking out with - one of the new ones, don't mind what colour, white, black or 'bursting with sunshine.

Ah...she's lovely.






p.s. Did I mention that I'm open to trades for The Beano One or The Groovy One?
No, well, fancy that...

Blimey - This is Getting a Bit Real

It suddenly struck me last night - after the unprecedented flurry of activityness we've encountered in Jookyland - that for the first time in, well, I don't have a clue how long, we are actually and really selling two things at the same time.

I am all of a quiver,
and don't really know what to say.

On the right
is the stripped down and Paislified Groovy One,
all P90 and super-dooper
cool.

And then on my left,
is the double-humbie-mayhem that is
The Beano One.

All British Blues and gorgeous tone.

Luckily neither of them have been sold,
as it means that I can play one,
and then the other.

Sometimes the other first,
and then the one,

Other times?
Well, the world is oyster-filled with potential.

What next?
Gord knows.

Not sure I can take the pressure of all this retailness.

Introducing The Beano One

Well, it took a bloomin' long time, and feels a lot longer, but our beautiful wee rocker of a Beano covered guitar is finally complete, and I have to say I'm a little in awe of it.

For those of you that haven't being following the saga, this is a bit of a British Blues tribute, with the guitar being finished with a couple of genuine '66 copies of The Beano, obviously inspired by Eric 'God' Clapton reading a copy on the front of The John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers album of that year.

It is more than a pretty face mind you - a Seymour Duncan '59 at the bridge nails 'that' sound and a Gibson 496r at the neck takes it in a heavier direction - so anything from Led Zeppelin back to Clapton is easy to find. And I am loving it, I have to say.

Anyway, bugger the description - here are some fotos, see what you think..

Cool

Sold: The Beano One

There you are. It is 1966, the British Blues scene is at the start of a plateau-like peak, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers feature a young guitarist destined to become the first Rock ‘God’, and one so cool he sits and reads a comic when the photo for the album cover is taken.

Truly great guitarists are appearing like the shopkeeper in Mr Benn, and under-pinning this new wave of heavy blues that sees Jeff Beck, Peter Green, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix and God himself, Eric Clapton playing their blues-inspired mayhem is a new, fuzzy and very, very loud sound. An ear bleeding hollow tone that echoes Robert Johnson’s laugh in the face of a Noel Gordon loving Diablo.

1966 was the year that counted, where it all exploded from and Clapton, appearing on Mayall’s ‘Beano’ album, playing the soon-to-be-nicked ‘Beano’ Les Paul was at the epicentre. And it is the British Blues sound that we wanted to capture with our own meagre tribute to some amazing music. It is that heavy blues edging toward serious rock noise that our own Jooky little guitar is aiming to serve up by the loving spoonful. And I’m pleased to say that I think we have just about cracked it.

The Beano One is a workmanlike stripped down Les Paul influenced guitar, with some serious power under its belt. A combination of a high powered Gibson 496r Humbucker for the rock noise and a Seymour Duncan ’59 for the authentic blues tones give it the best of both worlds, and a unique and amazing finish means that you are guaranteed to take a bit of the attention away from the singer’s histrionics and the drummer’s fourteen minute solos.

Oh but man, the finish truly is stunning. Painfully, and painstakingly put together from pages of two genuine 1966 vintage Beano comics, The Beano One is something you will never forget seeing, And you can even have a read during the drum solos. The Beano One boasts top quality hardware and comes with all of the usual Jooky wrapping bobbins and tags.

Our tribute then is to all of the British Blues guitarists, and to God himself.

To be clear, The Beano One is an utterly unique instrument, and there will never, ever, be another made. It is signed and numbered, entirely hand built and finished cooler than an art student on acid. There will genuinely never be another guitar like this and past experience suggests that it won’t be around for long.

---

Technical Stuff:

Type: Kylie’s Cool Guitar

Pickups: Seymour Duncan ’59 in the bridge and a Gibson 496r at the neck, wired for an out of phase middle.

Guitar Type: Gibson Les Paul Studio inspired

Construction: Paper over wood.

Strings: Rotosound 11s

Output: ¼” Guitar Lead

Controls: 2 x Volume and 2 x Tone. Pickup selector switch. CTS Pots, Sprague Orange Drop Caps.

Special Stuff: Certificate of Authenticity, Builder Signed and Numbered, All Wrapped with our Trademark Jooky Wrapping.

Serial Number: JGE#11

RSP: £399

 THIS IS SOLD NOW, SORRY...

Sneaky, Kinda Groovy Preview

Well, I was finally wiring The Beano One yesterday, and realised I was still missing a certain something. Hopefully that will show-up today.

What it did mean though was that I could continue my weekend's play, and carry on with something new....The Groovy One.

I realise I need to work on my branding.

Anyway, lots to do yet, but here is a cheeky preview...

---

Fed-up Being Boring

OK, the weekend is upon us, so rather than plan to watch some football or tidy the garden, or maybe even just sleep it away - never really an option around here - I thought I'd try and get a bit of Jooky stuff done.

Firstly, the Glistery One needs finishing - Check.

Secondly, The Beano One needs a tweak or three. Check.

Thirdly, a rather nice Strat has come into my possesion, despite it meant to be somebody else's - and that has possibilities. Check.

That should  be enough to keep me busy.

Next week though, I'm changing tack a wee bit as I've got a couple of Cigar Boxes I've been meaning to turn into three string sliders, and it is probably time to add them to the Jooky roll-call.

Have a good 'un yourself..

Dust Biting

Well, another one gone - as the Pretty In Pimp one was bought by somebody just down the road - and so once again we have nothing to sell in this Emporium of ours.

No matter, the journey is the key and all that. Destinations are no fun at all.

So next, of course, I am hoping to finish the Beano One. Still waiting for a pickup to show up for that, and starting to wonder whether I should look for an alternative..but there we are.

The Glistery One is pretty done, just needs to be wired up and we are there.
 Not that I see that one ever being available to buy.
It kinda sums up Jooky in a way,
and I figure that maybe I should keep it.

Time will tell though...

After that?

Well, guitars are still grabbing me at the moment and I fancy doing a Strat type with a twist next.
A single humbucker or maybe another P90 would be nice - I am addicted.

Something cool, groovy, trippy or whatever.

Another Day

Well, still waiting for the parts to finish the Beano One, I've completely knackered the Glistery One and generally wondering what to do next.

La la la.

And then I happen across another bit of Paisley cloth.

*sigh*

I've got a haberdashery problem
I know.

Well Hung

Hanging. The Tories aren't quite in yet, but I thought I'd get with the Zeitgeist early.

Anyway, just a quicky update as I've been playing with The Beano One and even remembered to take a couple of fotos. I know, stunning stuff.

Well, I finally finished the design - and believe it or not, getting it as I wanted it wasn't just a case of chucking bits of comic and seeing where they landed.

No, really.
It wasn't.

But it looks how I hoped now, the various holes have been recut and generally it is pukka like a pie.

What next, I hear nobody cry?
Well, I'm glad you didn't ask.

What next is that I hang the guitar in the garage and spray it many many times over the course of the weekend with a lacquer of some sort, in between a few light sands and a bit of a tacking on the sly. I don't do too much smoothing as that is kind of a mile away from what these Jookified guitars are meant to be like, but you need a bit. Honest you does.

Well, more to do, but as you can see it looks good, and I even remembered to mask off the fingerboard. Clever stuff.

Other than that, one of my Facebook friends suggested Bare Knuckle Peter Green-type of pickups, which could be nice, and might happen. But then again, might not. I don't know.

Not visited us on Facebook yet? Well, only three people have so that is a fair bet to be honest. We're Here, by the way.

Do say hello if you are there though, we have the lowest number of friends of any guitar related thingie.
I'm a wee bit proud of that, actually.

Laters dearies.

More Stuff Stuff

Well, The Psychedelic Surf One caught the bus up north, wrapped in brown paper and string, as is our usual style.

I have to be honest and say that I'm really, madly and truly getting to find it difficult to let these Jooky things go. The amps, was less of a problem, but the guitars - man - I really miss the guitars when they go, and I think the Surf is the best we've done to date.

It is just too cool, know what I mean?



But life goes on, and well, I have to try and top that. That's the way it is. I have to try and raise the stakes all over again, and whether I do or not, I need be in there and trying.

And so to The Beano One, which is still in the early stages, but is starting to get towards where I want it to be.

This is the front so far, and it is starting to come together. I've sorted the hardware and am just trying to track down pickups at the moment.

I'm deliberately not having P90s this time as I want a heavy, classic blues rock sound from the guitar.

So there we go.

Life moves on..

I don't know what the pink stripe is about either.

Soze You Noze

Just in case, I thought I should mention that The Psychedelic Surf One has been sold now, and is currently being wrapped in Brown paper - no vinegar, must remember not to use the vinegar - and will be on the back of a lorry tomorrow morning...

I'm missing it already, really.

It's a lovely guitar and I hope it's new owner loves it dearly.

Back in Jookyland, I've done a lot more plastering of Beano choppings, and The Beano One is looking pretty nice already. Long way to go on that though, as I'm not sure on anything else about it really, but there we go...

More fotos of both tomorrow, when my brain starts working again, assuming it does, I guess.

Chopping The Beano, And A Slight Mistake

So is Blue Peter the new Rock 'n' Roll?

It certainly feels like it around here - ahem - as I spent a chunk of yesterday chopping a 1966 copy of the Beano up and sticking it on my Les Paul...

It is good fun, as it happens, and proved to be a lot trickier than I thought it would be. All those afternoons of proven incompetence at school came back to me and I remembered why I went into areas that didn't require me to do anything truly practical once I started working.

Still, the back is nearly there now, and I have another '66 on the way to mutilate for the front.

There was only one real downside.

I somehow managed to chop up another Beano - an issue one, from 1938 - which I have a feeling may have been an expensive mistake.

Think I'll stick the masthead on the guitar somewhere now.
Be a shame to not use it, even if it does divert from the 'Spirit of '66' idea for the guitar.

If at this point you're thinking

'An issue one of The Beano is worth a shedload of money'

I'd really prefer not to know that, and have deliberately not checked.
So schtum, eh?

Anyway, more to do on that today I think.

As for the rest of the parts, I think I'm going to look for some nickel hardware for this, as that always looks the best when aged. I'm also going to get a tinted lacquer once the wallpapering is complete, as it really should look a bit older.
Heh ho.

The only hard bit really is stopping myself reading the guitar as I go along.

Back in '66, Reading The Beano

Well, now that The Psychedelic One is all together and sounding 'proper' as I was told by a friend last night, I've been thinking about what to do next, and with an apology to people who are still waiting for me to do a few amps or effects, I think it is going to be another of our Leona's Groovy Guitars.

So far, of course, things have been very Fenderified, but I've had a wee idea for something more Les Paul-like, and that is now the plan.

I'm not sure if I said, but I picked-up a Les Paul copy recently - unbound, so more like a Studio than a Standard, and it played really nicely. Solid mahogany body and neck, with a rosey-old-fretboard.

Pickups and electronics were fine, but I think we can find better, and the same with the tuners and hardware, as they are all a funny silver colour which matched the guitar.

Anyway, I've snaffled a couple of old Tokai PAFs and also a couple of Gibson 'buckers too, so that is covered, and as the rest of the stuff shouldn't be too difficult to find, it sounds like we're in business.

As to the Big Idea - this week, anyway - what I want to do is some kind of tribute to the British Blues thingie of the 60's- Clapton with Mayall, Peter Green, Alexis Corner and of course the Stones, if I'm stretching a point.

How to do this?
Well, I mentioned before that I am not the biggest Clapton fan, but the Bluesbreakers 'Beano' album was one I've grown to love, and if that isn't a sign, well I don't know what is.

The idea then, is to cover a Les Paul with a genuine 1966 copy of the Beano, wire it to that Peter Green sound we all wish we had accidentally come across ourselves, and generally make a bit of a loud, raw sounding git of a guitar.

This might take a while - although I got a '66 Beano and will probably need another one- but I'll keep you posted.

As for other things, The Glistery One is missing parts at the moment - the paint is done, but I am a bit perplexed about pickups and hardware. Also I really want to do something odd and off-the-wall with that one, so time will tell.