And so on...

Well, I've taken the plunge and started to rout (root? route??) the holes in The Fabulous One, and the copperification of The Glory B One has also started. Well, the back is drying anyway, which is a start if not a means to an end. Though it is, sort of, I guess.

The good news about the stuttered start is that there are no major injuries, and the bad news is that there are equally no fotos as I can't be arsed to go outside and take any right now, as UPS would no doubt do their ninja trick and leave a missing-you-already card before I'd got to the garage, but there we are.

The postie also worked her magic earlier, and brought me my latest package from Mojo-land, in the shape of a lovely P90 soapbar and a couple of wiring looms.

One of the looms is destined for The Fabulous One, while the P90 and other loom are for the PRS SE One I should get this week some time or otherwise.

I'm really looking forward to my battered cherry babe as I've kinda wanted one for eons, and I do fully realise that it is probably silly to organise replacement bits before I even play the thing, but what the hell. I never said I was lacking in the self-indulgent department.

Other than that, I'm off later to swap The Tatty Adonis One for a 31-year-old Sonex, so no doubt more about that tomorrow. Not that I know what I'll do with it, but you have to try these things, dontchknow?

It'll either be amazing and here to stay or on the Bay by nightfall. Maybe I should try before I buy sometimes, but I never do.

As for tomorrow, well, who knows. Hopefully there will be excited fotos of old guitars or guitars with holes and others covered in copper. Or maybe there won't. I don't know in truth. I just wish UPS would get a move on.

La la laa

The Fabulous Glory Day

Well, the morning has given way to such trifles as packing up The Tatty Adonis One, which gets swapped for an '81 Gibson Sonex tonight, somewhere strange, and The Kooky One which will hopefully gently be placed in the back of a lorry before the day is done.

As for other things, I had a chat with Marc-the-Mojo-Man about doing something different pickup-wise for The Glory B One, and he is going to wind me something special, which I'm all rather excited about already.

I wanted something lower output - the Novatron I had from Wizard a while back kinda giving me a cricket pitch to bowl at, but maybe with a different sound. (As you can imagine I give very clear and definitive directions as to what I want and Marc translates these into something cool that to be fair has little to do with me.) All of which is pretty groovy, I feel.

Today though is the starting point as far as The Fabulous One goes. As you can see from the piccy hopefully, I've marked out where I think the pickup, control knob, jack and bridge will end-up. This is very important and in no way should be mistaken for me bottling the cutty-out bit.

I thought of the old maxim about measuring thirty times and cutting once, disregarded it, my bottle twitched, re-examined the concept from a different perspective, stopped shaking and then drew it with a pencil instead of using something more permanent. Though what is more permanent than a pencil, I don't know, apart from maybe indecision.

So anyway, we're in clover, like it is 1999.

All I need to do is dig the drill out, fire up the router, visit casualty, and there we are. I can't imagine anything more simple.

First though, I'm going to give The Glory B One's body a bit of a coppering. I decided that was the way to go right at the start of typing this sentence.

La la laaa

Once More Into The Thingy

Well, once the bank holibob is out of the way and time is mine own, this week is all about The Fabulous One (and you won't distract me from that, let me tell you), and maybe the '81 Gibson Sonex I should get Tuesday evening.

I am a little bit excited about that, but won't for a moment let it distract me from the fact that I'll be doing fabulously this week.

Nothing could.

Nothing at all.

Apart from the bit where I remember the little box of Strat parts I found hidden away for a rainy day. Under the stairs, behind the school bags and shoe mountain.

I'd forgotten I had them, so they were a nice surprise.

I do realise that finding a guitar, even in bits, that you'd forgotten about sounds daft, but I worked for a bloke once who came into work well excited because he'd found something in his garden, and it turned out to be a Tennis Court. So I don't feel so verily bad.

My only excuse is that there are a lot of shoes to climb before you get to the box.

Not for the fainting heart.

Anyway, top-of-mine-mind the chopping down of the fabulous is, in between selling Socialist Worker, but I can't help but wonder what to do with the Strat on the side, as it were.

I have of course just done a single 'bucker Strat, which has got that out of my system for a while, but to be honest single pickuped is how I like my Strats best, so I shouldn't rule it out.

But I do think that maybe something different might be good.

Though I do like single pickup guitars.

But different is good.

Though I like single pickup Strats.

But...then...well..you know.

Hmmm.

OK, assuming that I might do it in between, as it were, I think I should like to  break a habit of a lunchtime and do a proper Strat for once, with three single coils. Not usually my kipper, but what the hell, it'd make a change.

Plus I loved the lippy pups on The Kooky One, so they could be an option.

Or I might do a single P90, just for old times sake and all.

Or maybe a single humbucker.

Or something else.

As for the finish, I am torn between corroded copper and gold leaf. I've always liked the look of shoreline gold Strats, so it might be nice to do a real gold one. Though a completely copperified one would look cool too.

We'll see though. I mean, I'll be busy doing the Fabulous One let's face it, it isn't like I'll have a lot of time to start The Glory B One.

La la laa

The Quite Fab Coronado Chicken

Well, a new week beckons and I'm kinda thinking about what to do now that The Kooky One is done, dusted and out the door to sunny Mancland, and The Tatty Adonis One will soon be posing around Oxfordium somewhere.

As for what comes next, well, I'm all out of excuses now as The Fabulous and Pearly Dew Drop Ones both require some level of (gulp) woodwork if they are to get anywhere at all, as there quite simply is nothing else to do Jooky-wise.

Well, I say that, but now you come to mention it there is a super-stratty type of thing popping up soon, but I need to get a "Floyd Roses for Numpties" book to have a hope of getting that going and I've got a bit of thinking to do on that score as to what I'm going to do with it. The think I'm thinking involves lots of taffetta and frills and basically something Oscar Wilde would delight in, on a night out with Lilly Langtry. But it's WIP as ever. These things change.

So woodwork it is and this week, I think I'm being Fabulous after a spell of being a  little more Kooky. I'm nothing if not adaptable, though it is probably a first on one of those counts.

Despite the trepidation, I can't wait to do-a-Coronado, as it were and I can already see it in my head somewhere and I think it will be uber cool.

Marc at Mojo has done me a loom already, so there is something to join the Bareknuckle P90 in noisy nirvana and there we be. I have a nice big headed rosewood Strat neck (though I'm not one to boast) which should look the part as well, so it is just the simple, mundaneous little matter of finding a bit of bottle and chopping with confidence.

As for proper wood chopping, I think I might have a go sometime next week as well, once the blood lust is clouding my eyes and I'm standing, router in hand, with a 387 yard stare, (I'm myopic), nothing is safe. Especially me, I would imagine.

In for a penny and all that.

Other than the silencing of the hands, I am planning to do a Tele Esquire in the near future. not that I have any parts at all or money come to that, but unlikely ambition is my stock-in-trade, dontcha know. For the finish on that I was planning a veneer, but maybe just one more paisley before I give up for the summer. I wasn't going to do anymore, but I saw a nice hot pink paisley earlier on and....well, it would be rude not to.

La la laaa

of Comings and a Goings

Well, no sooner is The Kooky One on it's way (I've been twanging this morning, and delish it sounds too), but the The Tatty Adonis One is off on it's travels too.

So once more I be Jookiless.

Really must get The Golden Shower One back from the tech.

I'm always up for a trade, but it rarely happens, but this time it has and that is cool.

So on the horizon, in a dim lit car park no doubt, The Tatty Adonis One will be exchanged at checkpoint Charlie for an old, 1981 Gibson Sonex.

I've always been curious about these - not least because they are made with Resonwood, which was one of Gibson's attempts at being different. From what I've read they had a mahogany core with this resonwood stuff on the outside... They described it thus:

"The Sonex guitars were constructed with a bolt-on neck, but the bodies featured a new material Resonwood, and a Multi-phonic construction."

This is it anyway, so should be fun...

From no-guitars-to-play I seem to be all-a-gather again, with my Jazzmaster, Gordo, Les Paul Studio and now the Sonex and PRS SE One on the way.

Cool.

La la laaa

Sold: The Kooky One

The Kooky One is a bit of a Jooky throwback brought up-to-date, with it’s stunningly cool paisley finish, mixed with a beautifully corroded copper-smothered scratchplate.

The offset ash body hints at Jaguars and Jazzmasters, while the lipstick single coils give a bit of jingly Danelectro chic. At the bridge though, is a real monster in the shape of a genuine late ‘70s or early ‘80s Gibson Dirty Fingers humbucker in delicious Zebra skin. (OK, maybe it’s plastic).

Together there is a wide range of tones and it can surprisingly play the blues as well as rock and indie-ness.

Under the hood is a Mojo Pickups wiring loom, all CTS pots, cloth covered wire and a handmade PIO capacitor with an endearing Jooky logo.

All in all, this is a great guitar to play that sounds amazing and looks gah.

*


To be clear, The Kooky One is an utterly unique guitar, and there will never, ever, be another made. It is signed and numbered, entirely hand built and finished cooler than a slo-mo run across the pebbled beach at Portishead. There will genuinely never be another guitar like this and past experience suggests that it won’t be around for long.

To treat yourself to this wonderfilled Guitar, for a miserly £399 incl. a hardcase and UK delivery...Click on the Big Yellow Button...


*** SOLD ****

Technical Stuff:

Type: Leona’s Groovy Guitar, Lulu’s Copper Topa

Electrics: Lipstick Single Coils, Gibson Dirty Fingers Humbucker

Guitar Type: Fender Jazzmaster/Jaguar

Construction: Wood body, maple/rosewood neck, Fabric and Corroded Copper Finish

Strings: Nickel 10s

Output: ¼” Guitar Lead

Controls: Volume, Tone

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

Serial Number: JGE#52

RSP: £799

Shiny Mojo P90 Things

Oohah, I've nearly got The Kooky One finished - just got to put some strings on, so more on that later...but Marc at Mojo sent me one of his pix again, and I thought it good to share.

I mentioned before that I have a batterificated PRS SE One showing up soon, and being one of little hope, I asked Marc to wind me a nicely bluesy old Soapbar P90 to go in it.

I like the PRS pups but I've been looking for an excuse to try a Mojo P90 and this was the first chance.

While I'm at it, I figured I might as well upgrade the wiring, so the boy has done me a wee loom to go with it too.

Tidy.

Anyway, here they be, and the 3D version will no doubt be here soon.

Hopefully the guitar will too..as I really want to hear this one.

But back to my string winder...

La la laaa

Looking Forwardly (Slight Return)

Imagine this...just different, La.

Well, tis nice to get The Kooky One further along the line and there is still an outside chance that I'll get it finished this week, which is cool like a fool, but until things show-up, I'm again stuck for things to do.

Next on the list is of course The Fabulous One which is all verily excitement-brimmed.

For those of you with a memory better than mine or my goldfish, I'll apologise for the repetitively-wearisome update, but the basic idea is that it is a kinda Fender Coronado semi-acoustic thingy with a few Jookily applied wrinkles..

Just remembered I don't have a goldfish.


You can see what I'm up against here.

But The Fabulous One, It 'boasts' a Coronado body, a big headed Strat neck - rosewood now rather than the maple boarded one initially expected - a groovily cool trapeze tailpiece and a Dogear'd Bare Knuckle Nantucket P90 for the sounds.

It'll also have a Mojo wiring loom when I remember to ask Marc to sort one out (Note to self) and there we are.

As for the finish, I'm going for a dark stained and waxed/oiled back and sides with a bronze top, with a sprinkle of corrosion to taste. Scrummy.

Why I haven't started it yet is of course down to the fact that it needs pickup, pot and socket holes chopped out of it, and it hasn't been possible recently. However, next week it should be so I'm looking forward to knackering up yet another piece of wood and discretely removing it's name from the Coming Soon list..

After that we are going for the woodwork in a big way, although I might sneak a Tele in somewhere along the line as I fancy having another go at a veneer - walnut this time rather than rosewood. But we'll see. That is just a glittering-glistering-glimmeron the horizon line right now..

So in summary, there be plenty of something to look forward to, even if living in the future is all I have right now...

*sniff*


La li lo laa laaaa

.

WIP: The Kooky One

Well, what can I say?

I've calmed down a bit - just nobody suggest Sam Old-Spice as the next West Brom manager - and had a plot and plan as far as The Kooky One is concerned...

So gone are the over-bigsome lippy pickups, though they will be replaced by other more-petit-of-form lippy pickups soon with a tad of the lucky stuff.

Gone too is the Gretsch 'bucker to be replaced by a Gibson Dirty Fingers jobby. This is mainly because the new lippy pups are a bit hotter than the old ones and the Dirty one will balance better, but mainly because I liked the look of the Zebra.

Gone too are the Gretsch knobs. Lovely though they are, I think these are more retro and cool and generally looking-the-part. I know I'm sad.

On there way are some new tuners as the ones I thought I had are gone. No doubt because I've been to the well too often and basically I can't count.

Other than that, it is pretty much there (ahem).

My only worry left is that it looks a bit prettily tidy-neat, but I have some rusty screws  for the scratchplate, which will help..

Anyway...once the lippy and tuners arrive we'll be clover-rollin' like mosslessy stones.

In other news,

La la laaa

Not Man Enough For My Lippy

Well, I was rather pleased with the simplistic lines of The Kooky One. The next couple of days will be lacquertriffically endowed in that department, but hopefully not too much time after that and we'll be back in offset paisley nirvana.

As for the rest, as you can no doubt see - having a discerning peeper, and all - I've coppered the scratchplate and then mottled it with some bronze before splishy-sploshing a bit of the house acid around for some lovely bluey corrosion. The headstock face is plain old unadulterated copper, just for a change like. Sometimes it is the show of understatedness that makes all the difference.

And today, I managed to lacquer the body - though a bit more to do - and I had convinced myself that wiring the 'plate up was a good idea.

Until I tried and noticed that I'd given Marc at Mojo some duff information, and the wire to the switch isn't long enough.

No big deal, I can sort that.

And then that the holes for the pots weren't big enough.
Sorted that out quick smart too with my handraulic reamer..

And then finally that the lippy pickups were too big as I had snaffled the wrong ones.

*sigh*

Now, I know I should probably make the holes bigger, but the copperisation is done and de-dustificated, and I basically didn't want to. So I need to find some replacements for those.

Heh ho.

Despite the teensy glitches, I'm all verysomely excited about this one, gaudy paisley plus lots of chrome being the order of the day, a couple of lipstick pickups, a Gretsch 'bucker and Gretsch knobs to complete the visuals. Mojo wiring to make it sound great and err, work first time.

Sometimes you need to get back to basics, know what I mean?

Fun, fun and a touch of fun.

As for other things, The Ronin One is still niggling me, it is in tune, intonated, I've greased the tuners and they are now spot on, but there is just something, and I don't quite know what, that is bugging me. I know I still need to change the blend pot, but it isn't that.

I don't know, it just doesn't feel right somehow. Most annoying. I'll just have to keep on playing it and see if I can suss it. Maybe I'll go for a straight set of strings in case it is that (I put a hybrid set on with heavier wound strings), but I'm not sure it is that at all as I did the same with The Tatty Adonis One and that feels fine.

Sometimes, this guitar cobbling bobbins just does my head in.

What else, oh I snaffled a Floyd Rosed double buckered Super Strat sort of thing, which will hopefully show up this week. All a bit rock, but if it turns out to be OK, I might well have a home for it...

Heh P. ?

La la laaa

And Then Sometimes, All Is Understatedness

Well, it's going to be another bitsy-kinda-time this week, but I've got a face-on to get The Kooky One sorted out before another weekend. Woodwork is still out, but I should be able to do the rest here and there, which is good to think.

I've been having a lot of fun with the Zoomy Ultra Fuzz thing and The Tatty Adonis One, but really need to get my Jazzmaster involved in the mayhem, as mayhem and Jazzmasters share a fluffy soul. Jazzmasters and flangers are pretty neat too, just twirly rather than fluffy and more in need of parental guidance.

As for the wood chopping, once the Kookiest of Ones is sorted, next week will hopefully take a different slant - the holes in The Fabulous One, the teardropping of some wood and all that gore and plasma up the walls, not to mention the claret.

And we never mention the claret.

So today, or what's left, I'm-a-paisleying mar geetar, so I am.

(I am such a linguist.)

***** Musically Inept Interlude *****

And before I got around to putting this up and out there, I did actually get the paisleyification under my belt, as you can hopefully see. A whole lot of lacquer yet to go and some grain filling and sanding too, but you can get the idea, I'm sure. I had a bit of help with the fotos, from my self-appointed art director...

La la laaa

Not Very Much Lots of an SG, But..

Well, please don't take this as a plug to try and flog the thing - I hope you don't think me some kinda cynical get - but I gave The Tatty Adonis One a good go yesterday, tweaked it to bits and my god that is some guitar.

One pickup, simple as 'eck, but the clarity of the Mojo Wide Range 'bucker is just stunningly cool and when I finally get around to getting an SG there will be one of those babies at the bridge, make no mistake. The neck is just lovely in-the-hand too and the frets are lovely and shiny. What more could a boy want on a wet and windy day?

And speaking of getting an SG, well obviously it was top of my mind yesterday as I seem to have acquired - or will soon have - a rather bashed-around-the-edges PRS SE One. Which is nothing like an Epi SG apart from that it is Cherry coloured.

Another single pickup jobby.

I have mentioned before that PRSi aren't really my cuppa, but the one that has always caught my cornea is the One. A single P90 Les Paul Jr type of thing, but with rounded edges. I've always struggled with the idea, tbh, and if it had been a double-cut rather than a single, it wouldn't be happening at all, but I know I'm shallow so whatever.

On the Big-Pluses-List, I know I like the pickup, let's face it, I've used them a few times before, so it is a bit of a win on paper.

Single pickup guitars, a theme re-emerging.

As for other things, I have yet to start the paisleyification of The Kooky One, but I have coppered and corroded the scratchplate. It needs a lacquering, which I might wait for the weather to dry out before I do that, but once that is done a quick bit of solder and the Mojo harness can be introduced to the lippy and Gretsch pickups and all will be well and waiting for the body.

So finishing my Kooky monster this week might be pushing it after all but at least I've done something. You know how I need to be seen to achieve, I should be on the apprentice.

As for today, well, not too much will happen as there are other spratlings to Spry Crisp and Dry, but this week, it is going to be good. Eventually.

La la laa

Nostalgic Memories of Having The Horn

This is nowt like I mean
But such is life...

Well, I know it is getting a bit silly, but after my years - decades - of longing for a Les Paul and that frustration finally being sated, I've really got the hots for a nice SG.

I've probably said before, but my first 'proper' guitar was an Epiphone SG and I've always regretted flogging it, but there we are. It  wasn't a good one even, it came from my Mom's catalogue over 38 weeks, had a bolt-on neck and perhaps the dodgiest, quietest pickups known to humbuckerdom, but after my plywood 'Axe' with it's painted fretboard, to mine eyes it was something special. It was made of wood for a start.

Even if I only got it because I couldn't afford the repayments for the Epi Cherry Sunburst Les Paul on the page opposite. I was still paying off my Adidas Ivan Lendl trainers at the time and wasn't exactly flush.

But I got the SG, and I really loved that guitar, polished it, hardcase like a coffin and a change of strings every week despite it being crazy quiet and having to play most of the time with five strings as the high-e would only last minutes before giving way. I gigged it for a while too, before I flogged it and got my Jazzmaster as I just thought it wasn't good enough at the time, after seeing the chap in the Real People playing a Gibson that looked so much more chunky and dare I say grown-up and 'manly'.

Which shows how much I knew.

It was certainly louder, even if I thought not having black plastic pickup covers looked a bit strange.

And over the years I've always fancied a real SG - a Gibson - which is where I find myself again. But to be honest, if I could get hold of an old (late 80s) catalogue Epi with it's black plastic covered pickups, bolt-on neck and string cutting bridge, super shiny cherry colouring and all, that would probably do me fine.

I mean, I know the set-neck Epi G400s are far better guitars than mine ever was and if I tried I could sort meself out with a 'proper' SG soon enough, and my original was probably the equivalent of the cheapest of the cheap Baldwin ones these days, but there we are.

If I'm honest, I would love a Gibson or a nice Japanese Tokai or Burny, but deep down and deeper down yet, it is that old Epi I really miss.

I'm not on my own though, craving your crappy early guitars - it's why people pay money for things like Top Twentys and Satellites and the like now - but such is life.

Daft really, I must be feeling my age or something.

La la laa

Tatty, Kooky, Fuzzy and Titch

Well, what can I say - that there Zoom Ultra Fuzz arrived and it is a bit of an addictive thingie. I can sound like a pedal with a flat battery going thru an underpass without any kinda hassle, all while a plane takes off from behind the curtains, demons cry with extravagant flatulence and dogs are called from all over the county.

It gets worse if I try to play something too.

That is a good thing.

The Flanger also arrived, though with a teensy glitch, but that will be fun when I get it going too methinks.

As for other bobbins, well I had a bit of a stock take, thought about cutting the grass, shopping and other things and the net result is that I have sanded down the body for The Kooky One so that it is pretty much ready to be paislified.

There is only so much real life I can take.


I also spent far too long playing The Tatty Adonis One and marvelling at the sound of that there Mojo Wide Ranger. I realise somebody will buy it now, they always do just at the point I begin to think I may be able to hold onto it.

But The Kooky One: For once I have all the bits and as Mr Mojo did me the wiring loom, I should be in clover when I get that far. All of which means I'm hoping to have it done next week, which would be cool methinks.

After the neck version, I'm quite all-a-bubble to find out what the bridge-focused Gretsch pickup sounds like, particularly when pick 'n' mixed with a couple of lipstick toobz.

But first I need to get the paisley on there. I must admit, I've sorta missed doing that.

La la laaa

Fuzzy, Yet Flanging Too

Well, I've been away a couple of days, so nowt really to report on the Progress of the Jooks, but I am going to order a new blend pot for The Ronin One today, which will be exciting.

Well, for me anyway.

Other than that, I'm hoping for a couple of new arrivals. neither of which are guitars or have elements d'boutique as they are pedals made by Boss and Zoom.

Never though mass consumerismisational stuff would happen to me.

The first is uber fuzz from a Zoom Ultra Fuzz. I've never tried one, but been told that these go above and beyond in the fuzz dept. so that means it has to be worth a try. I found a couple of YouTube vidz to fall asleep too, as you can see.

The Boss is a Flanger (HF-2) as basically, I can't imagine fuzz without flange, and Boss pedals are just predicable and good. So what can go wrong.

I realise I keep buying pedals and then using them twice and then selling them, but such is life. It hardly stands me apart from the flock.

Other than a bit of tinkering, I can't see me starting The Fabulous and Kooky Ones until next week as real life has jumped up and started waving, but you never know...

Elsewhere in footyville, it saddened me (though not for too long or muchly) that The Wulfes went down last week. I'm sure we'll smell see them soon, one way or another, but there we are.

What I won't miss is The Villa if they go down, but I can't quite see it happening, not least because my Baggie boys are no doubt mentally on Weston-super-Mare beach already and we play them tomorrow, which should be enough for them to stay up, I would think. Nice to finish above them for once though.

La la laa

Introducing: The Ronin One

Well, another week in paradis mislaid,
Vanessa, where art thou now, bab?

As it happens, this week is likely to be pretty much Jooky-light, but I'm pleased to be able to introduce you to The Ronin One, a solidly maple homage to Gibson's classically ignored Marauder.

From the top this has...

1. A Solid maple body that weighs a tonne at least.

2. A maple/rosewood neck, and a right big chunky thing it is too. Feels lovely.

3. A genuine pair of '70s Gibson pickups, one humbucker and t'other a single coil. These are stamped with dates in 1978, which would have been a great year if Ipswich hadn't beaten West Brom in the cup semi-final. (Can't be arsed to check whether that was '79)

4. A chukkie headed blend knob rather than a switch, which gives some great tones and looks groovy.

5. An acid-strewn corroded copper finish that looks rather prettily spesh to mine eye..

And there we are.

I have to say, as far as the pickups go the jury is still out. I'm not sure whether it is the blend pot I've used, which gives 70:30 at either end rather than 100% on or off (if that makes sense), but they are a lot quieter than I was expecting. I'm thinking I'll swap the blend switch though and see how we go. In fact, this is pretty 'done' but I'm going to tinker with it for a while longer as it doesn't feel quite what I expected. The neck though is a revelation and a beautiful piece of old Rosewood. It just feels great to play.

But there we are. Anyway, I'm keeping this one for a while so I'm going to try to find out what it is that is niggling me (a fine excuse if never I've heard one).

In summary, sex on a stick.

La la laaa

Weekend offer and Pretty NGD

Well, bit of a weird week and next week looks to be more of the same, but there we are.

On the plus side I got my wee The Tatty Adonis One sorted, and rather brilliant it is too

And as I'm in a good mood, you can have it for a stoopidly reduced £249 delivered in a hardcase, Mojo Wide Ranger and all, if you are quick smart...

And of course my rather gorge Les Paul Studio arrived in all it's Lemon zesty finery...

I've tarted it up a bit and dodgy fotos apart, here it be..

La la laaa

Ronin Along...

Well, I'm all rather chuffed with meself as I've managed to make The Ronin One work. Blend pot, 70s pickups and all.

I think the thingy that shocks me most is that it is simply amazing that you need to connect wires in the right place for the thing to make a noise, such an old fashioned idea, it has no in-built intelligence, your electric guitar
maker.

I'm not entirely convinced by the tuners, so they will probably be swapped, but I can't really tell until I go out and buy some more strings as I have run out again. But there we are, I can do that, I'm empowered and everything. Until then I'll just sit and blend the clonks a screwdriver wheedles out of the pickups and dream of better days.

Speaking of which, next up is The Kooky One, so with a bit of luck I'll be able to get going on the body later today. I'm going to break a habit of a lifetime and make sure I have all the parts before I start, just to see what it feels like.

Other than that, I've given The Tatty Adonis One a bit of a tweak here and there and it sounds deevine. I'm loving that there Mojo Wide Ranger, I can see those popping up again in other Jookies.

So with a fair wind at my back, hopefully there will be some WIP and a bit of an introduction later this weekend. That would be a good end to a shonky week, methinks.

Elsewhere, I gave my Les Paul a bit of a spoodle yesterday, and a string change. I've been having some probs with my hand, so I thought I'd try some lighter strings - don't think I've used 9s in years - but I was a bit wary of the low strings being a bit wussy.

So, catching up with the rest of guitarville, I thought I'd try a hybrid set where you have the lowerer three from a pack of tens and the higherer ones from some 9s. (I know you can buy them pre-done, but whatever), and it actually worked for me. Never thought I'd put 9s on a shorter scale guitar, but you can get used to these things when you have to, I  guess. Not quite sure what I'll do with the other half of the set, but it explains why I haven't got any left for The Ronin One.

Next week I'll be putting spider gossamer on my Jazzmaster. One to look forward to.

La la laa

Thinking Kooky

Well, The Ronin One is still scattered across the kitchen table, but hopefully I'll get a chance to sort it out soonishly or at least this week.

The Les Paul is distractedmakingly lovely, but is now back in it's case until we am marauding, so maybe I can concentrate without getting all pentatonic.

As The Ronin One is nearly there, I'm allowed to think about what is next and it seems to be The Kooky One - mainly because I need a neck for The Fabulous One as I decided I wanted a big headed rosewood of board one, instead of the maple/maple jobbie I'd got lined-up.

I can't remember if I said, before or even many times, but the final line-up of specifications for The Kooky One is...

1. Ash bodied in an offset direction, to be treated to a lovely blue paisley finish.

2. Maple/Rosewood neck. I have a truly lovely one so I'm all proud of it. It even fits, which is better still.

3. Gretsch humbucker with a couple of Lipstick single coil pickups to give some spangle among the jangle.

4. Mojo wiring loom, CTS pots, PIO cap etc. I know it is cheating but MarcyMarc puts the wires in the right places which is a definite step forward. The caps are of course to-die-for too.

5. Wilkinson Steel Blocked Trem. I love the sound of The Tatty Adonis One, so more of the same.

6. Wilkinson Tuners, iirc. They are in a box somewhere and I can't be arsed to check.

7. Corroded copper scratchplate, as it should 'tone' neatly with the paisley if I get it right. (I mixed the acid a bit strong and melted the plastic before - oops)..

8. Gretsch knobs for the classy among us. Well, you. I'm a no-hoper-beatnik-crusty-with-a-dog-on-a-rope in the fashion stakes.

And that is about it.

How hard can it be?

La la la

Ooo-ah, Pretty Thing

Well, today was meant to be all about The Ronin One, but then the posty came and brought me a new toy to play with...and isn't it pretty?

It is a 1992 Les Paul Studio, that started life in the black, but has been refinished in Peter Green/Gary Moore/some-rich-geek-who-owns-the-original-now style with a glorious vintage lemon look. It has a maple top, ebony 'board and mahogany everywhere else that it should be and after a couple of tweaks-to-taste, it plays  beautifully.

It makes a change for me to get a guitar and not instantly have a list of things I want to change, but for once somebody beat me to it.

Tuners have been swapped for a nice and solid set of Grovers, and the pickups are a pair of Gibson Burstbucker Classics, which sound brilliant thru the 'British 60s' model on my little Mustang amp - can't wait to put them thru my AC30 if it ever stops raining.

The wiring has even been upgraded with a loom from my man Shugz which no doubt explains why the knobs and switches are worth having too.

Sad I know, but I'm loving it.

On the flip side, it has had a neck break fixed at some point, fixed well, so not an issue and it is showing it's age here and there, but I'm unlikely to complain about such things - they are just something else I won't have to do meself. (Not that I routinely break guitar necks, you'll understand.)

So for once, a guitar to just play...

Though I have now taken the scratchplate and switch surround off, but there we are.

Hardly motorcycle maintenance, just a little bit of Zen.

But The Ronin One.

Right, tis soldering time.

I have in fact already soldered everything in place.

It just doesn't work and it seems I have confused a couple of wires.

Black and white, they are so close if you are monochromatically challenged.

So I need to swap them around.

Just one more Black Magic Woman and I'll be right on it...

Doobie-do-da-da-doo-doooo.

La la laa