Another Year In Jookidom...Slight Return

Blackstar HT-1R - Actual Size

Well, that was an unexpected break - I was going to write happy Xmas and New year messages and everything, but have a belated one or two anyway...

As for Jookines, well not a lot over the 'holibobs' it has to be said, but I'm back in the saddle and aiming to get the J-Bird One finally all together in the next week or two. Which I think will be a relief to all concerned. I might even send the things I should have sent before in the next couple of days, which again, might go down well.

Looking forward, my list of revolutions stands at the mo' but like I say we need this bird to fly, and then there will only be one more Katy's Killer Custom, as to be honest I'm not sure my haphazardly organised life lends itself in that direction in truth. Not now or without a six-month lead time anyway.

The third and final Custom is going to be one I was planning anyway - the Weathered One, my pine bodied tele-type of thing, with a copper coloured and covered top. I've spent a lot of thought on that one and it is going to be gorgeous. I finally decided it will be a paisleyified body with the copper top as I found something a bit swish and there we are.

What else?

Well, I mentioned last year that I managed to blow up my little home practise amp, which was a pain, but now I seem to have got three that are just about quiet enough to test that guitars work without distressing the neighbourhood bratskis.

The first was a teeny weeny Orange Micro Crush 3 watt thingie, which sounds surprisingly like an Orange amp. Most odd, and I have to say that I like it. It has a tuner on too, which is always a bonus.

The second one is a bit bigger - and old Line 6 Spider III 15 - which is fifteen watt and has built-in effects. This sounds more like it, it has to be said, and effects are fun - though I'm a bit of a tweaker and these don't actually have too much scope. The amp models are good though, and almost sound like real amps at a quiet level. Nice.

The third one, is a real amp of sorts. Well, pretty close. It is valve, though only one watt, but sounds stunning (and probably as loud as the Spider, but that's valves for you.) It is a Blackstar HT-1R which is the best little amp I've had the joy to play, at least at home levels. I can't leave the wee thing alone, which sadly means the other two are already looking to be a bit on the redundant side. The Orange is cool though if I'm in the garage and want a quick tune or test, and the Spider, well I don't have any effects anymore so at least that is fun to play with. But the Blackstar *sigh*. I was going to get a Vox Lil Night Train, but glad I went this route instead.
Though you can see the glowing 'bottles' in the Vox, of course, which would look nice next to the lavalamp in the living room...maybe.

Speaking of things turning up without a Jooky kind of slant to them, I managed to finally find a guitar with a bigish neck of the Les Paul variety, which should make playing a whole lot easier for me. I can actually play most things now for a short while, and as bad as ever, so things are looking up, But big-necked guitars make life simpler for some odd reason, and so I bit that there bullet.... Pictures of the ensemble to follow soon...