While I'm talking vaporware...

Well, after sorting out my head about the blue paisley Jaguar, I turned my inactivity to the pine Telecaster body I've been meaning to do something with for eons, and finally decided what that will be like..

Firstly, it is a pine Tele body, following so far? I may have mentioned it.

Finish-wise, it is going to have a golden paisley on the sides and back, with a Copper leaf top. The copper leaf showed up this morning, and looks amazing and I'm really into the idea. Originally I was going to use copper sheet, but I like the idea of mixing the leaf and the fabric and this seems the perfect opportunity.

In terms of pickups - I'm going for an 'Esquire' approach, that is a single bridge pickup - I have a nice Bare Knuckle 'Brown Sugar' one which I've been saving for a special occasion, and then the wiring will do something clever with capacitors and resistors to give a few more sounds. I did think about a hidden neck pickup, but to be honest, I like the idea of an Esquire au natrel-like

The neck is one I picked-up a while back, maple on maple and unfinished. I was in two minds about giving this the traditional glossy tele garnish, but I don't think I will now. It looks rather beautiful as it is. The only downside is that I need to cut a nut slot, something I've been cowering away from as I've only ever done it on Cigar Box Guitars and when you are using a bolt for a nut, finesse is less of an issue. So loins need to be curdled in that direction. After that I've got Schaller tuners, and an ash tray cover for the bridge. I love those things, but haven't used one since The Paisley One all that time ago...

And there we are. I've been talking about my Lulu Copper Tops for a while, but the time is now.
Well, soon anyway.

Delving in my parts box, err, room.

Well, I've finished the neck on the Loveless One, put some fine tuners on, polished the frets, oiled the rosewood and cut a new bone nut and all that is left is for me to fit the pickups when they arrive. All good stuff.

And so I find myself looking around at piles of parts and deciding what it is I want to do....and where does my gaze fall, but onto the Jaguar/Jazzmaster body I picked up for my ill-fated escapade into the realms of custom guitar building.

The body, at the time, I was really pleased to get. It is a handmade, ash Jazzmaster/Jaguar shaped thing and is crying out for a lovely blue paisley finish. I've also got a nice hand made big-headed Strat neck, which looks the part and a real temptation to put some top notch single coils in there. The original plan was P90 plus a Humbuckers, then it was going to be a pair of Gibson P90s...but I like the idea of a Strat in Jaguar body, so I'm going to do that. (I know, I always put humbuckers and P90s in Strats, so obviously it makes sense to put Strat pickups into a Jaguar, like obviously.)

I'm thinking I should get some that are on the warm side though, just to give it some bite and a touch of oomph.

No fotos yet as it is still vapourware, at the moment...but probably will be more 3D come tomorrow.

Unless I do something else instead,
always a concern.

The Loveless One - WIP

Well, I got a wee bit of time at the weekend and managed to lacquer the variegated golden top of the Loveless One, so that it is all shiny and pings in the morning light. It has turned out pretty well, amazing in fact, and I ended-up leaving the waxed wooden body on the back and all. I might still sand and oil that though, have to have a wee think to be honest.

As you can see, the neck has been plonked into place. This still needs a bit of work, dull frets that need a polish, dead rosewood fretboard in need of a nice oiling, a new nut to be cut - that sort of thing, but it is wired up with the exception of the pickups, and tuners I've sorted - some nice Schaller ones, or maybe something else...and it is starting to look most guitar-like.

As for the pickups, I was umming as per, when I noticed a Gibson 490R pickup for sale, which is what comes in a lot of SGs, of course. These are quite high output and 'Rock' like, and to be honest not my favourite pickups of all time. I don't seem to go for Ceramic magnets, for some reason. What caught my eye with this one though is that it has been 'T-Topped'. Now if you know your Gibson pickups (la la la, how nerdy am we?) you'll know that there was a period of time when T-Top pickups were Gibson's big thing. Seventies, I think. Anyway, the originals are worth a packet now, but some bright spark noticed that the more common 490R is in fact exactly the same pickup, but with a Ceramic magnet instead of the original Alnico V. In modderland, people started swapping the magnet for an Alnico and basically 'T-Topping' their pickups for that great Led Zeppelin/Jimmy Page sound.

All good stuff. Anyway, I snapped that up, and am going to be pairing it with one of my faves, an IronGear Alchemist 90 - their P90-in-a-humbucker-shaped-tin, which should give us a fair old whack of variation - to match the leaf of the guitar. (Just thought of that, and am sadly quite pleased with myself...)

Anyway, not a bad start to the week..though obviously I need to vaccum the carpet and teach the brats not to leave power leads lay around under tables.

Cream. Sometimes you just need it

What can I say? I know I've mentioned it before, but I love the fact that there are some really cool UK-based luthiers, who are willing to do things their own way and make some really groovy guitars.

One of the Creamery's Beauties...

I also love the fact that there are some really cool UK-based pickup winders, basically showing those Americans how it should be done (my tongue is cheeked as I type that, I will point out, as I'm not particularly jingoistically modified as it happens, but if the Yanks seem to want to play the Born In The USA card and see it as a benefit, I can't see why we can't do the same with Crafted In Salford and all that.)

Best of all I really love the fact that The Creamery exist as not only are they UK-based but they both make wicked guitars, from reclaimed materials, which always impresses me, and they also wind an ever increasing range of verily interesting pickups. Not just the basic PAF, Strat Hot, Strat Cool, Tele tweedy ones you'd expect, but Wide Range ones (which Fender don't do anymore even) and all sorts of other cool looking and sounding bobbins.

Anyway, I'm thinking that The Loveless One might just have to be treated to a set of their pickups if I can find the dosh, or I can be lucky and win their competition to win a set just for registering for their newsletter. Bugger, shouldn't have mentioned that, I may be increasing the competition. Actually, don't bother, you wouldn't like them. La la la. (ahem)

More to the point, doesn't that Walnut Jazzmaster-esque lovely, make you want to drool.

When I'm grown up, I want to be the Creamery too.

Loveless, on a Friday Night

Loveless and Ragged

Well, it has been a funny, kinda complicated week in Jookyland, but at the end of it I've got a better idea of where I am with it all. Pickups apart, the next guitar I'm going to do is nice and clear in my mind.

It will be my second 'go' at gilding, but this time will involve some faux, pre-aged/corroded gold as a top for the SG I was talking about.

I know, I go around in circles, but there we are. The reason for this is pragmatic, I've got everything I need for this one, whereas I need to spend some dosh on buying more gold if I'm going to do The Old Burny One, and I'm potless until something sells. (OK, the Daisy Jook One has flown the coop since I started writing this, but that'll just pay for pickups for this - The Old Burny One needs a whole lot more).

So, the SG. Well, it will have either a waxed or oiled body with a stunningly awesome (assuming I get it right) top of variegated gold, as it is known to us gilders. I think it will look pretty stunning and I would indeed have already started it today if the curse of the sick brats hadn't risen like Glenn Close out of a cold bath and screwed with my schedule, man.

Tidier and vaguely burnished

As for the pickups, I do know where I'm going with these as I want a P90 at the neck and a hot-ish humbucker at the bridge. I'm thinking maybe IronGear ones or if something sells soon I'll probably give Allan at Catswhisker a shout as I miss the Fat Pussy One's grit and venom already. (I am so poetic when I'm on my own, get me.)

Oh, I didn't mention the neck - this is going to be a bit swish. The SG body I have is obviously set for a bolt-on neck, and I have a quite off the wall handcarved one. Originally it was going to be Firebird like, then I changed my mind and went more for a golf club shape. Either way it is seriously Jooky and I'm loving it with the SG body. Tuners, I don't know at the moment, we'll have to see what happens. Nice bone nut though, that is for sure.

Speaking of bone nuts, I got a tip from my Bro' and bought some welding nozzle files for a couple of quid off Ebay, and these are absolutely brilliant for cutting or adjusting nuts. I'm sure the $130 sets from StewMac have something over them, but they are doing the job for me, and as I haven't got $130 for a set of files...they will continue to, I would imagine.

Name, oh yes, the SG will be 'The Loveless One', you'll see why when it is finitoed

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ INCIDENTAL MUSIC ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

And as it happened, a window of opportunity presented itself before I'd finished typing this, and I have in fact gilded the top of the SG body in an ersatz and yet variegated manner. Another one let it dry enough that I could generally tidy it up and give it an initial burnish (Gilder lingo, keep up.) Hence the different fotos.

Well fancy.

And all ragged again. How did I do that?

As you can see I took great care to overlap the leaf by a mere 2mm and didn't end-up with tonnes of golden leaf flopping around the place. (Assuming I put a picture up of the body after I've removed the extraneous masses of gold leaf that are currently flapping around the place. Which I won't have, lets face it.) and generally it looks rather stunning.

So there we are, The Daisy Jook One will be off to her new home - and keeping some stunning company, from what I've seen of the existing tenant - and we are off on our merry way with The Loveless One.
Not such a wasted day/week after all...

p.s. That was a perfect example on non-linear writing. Clear as mud with fotos to match... Mwah.

Oddly unsure

OK, maybe not so odd, but this morning I dug out the various bodies and necks I've got around the place in an effort to decide what to do next.

Glynis Johns, for no apparent reason

You see, I've kinda shelved a lot of things as I came to the conclusion that perhaps I didn't want to plan ahead - gets a bit boring that way, like a job or something - and so instead I'll just keep the parts warm and well fed until they are called into action by a lightning bolt of inspiration.

Only trouble is...

But, as it happens, seeing them all spread around (I should have taken a foto, but it may have proven grounds for divorce, so better not in truth,) the way I thought I was going totally changed.

That's right I'm going for a seven necked SG.
Wish I'd thought of it sooner.

However, that might take some planning, so instead I'm going to have another play with my new found gilding and doing something else with the SG body that involves that. Alongside that, which will be fun, is the Old Burny One which I'll be more traditionally gold-topping.

The only problem I have is that I have sold all of the humbuckers for some reason and I see both of these guitars having them. So why did I sell them? Well, because I didn't want to use any of the ones I'd got is the reason, but they are gone and so I have no 'buckers at all. Which is an issue.

Hmmm...and no money to buy anymore, which is more of one.

So I guess I need to flog one of the other Jooky guitars that are on the slab to fund things. Which is OK, they are up for sale and always go sooner or later.

Which brings me back to my 'What to do next' point.

Hmmm...

Introducing The Twangy One, Proper-like

Well, it's had the longest gestation of any Jooky guitar ever, but I'm really chuffed that I got off my lardy arse found my motivation and finished this baby, as it has been a real real Revelation.

From the top, it is a twin humbucker Strat with a delightfilled and cool paisley finish.
The pickups are Kent Armstron 'Kentrons' which are the clever old chap's take on the Gretsch Fil'trons, that twanged away the early years of Rock 'n' Roll and have kept Brian Setzer in business for the last thirty years too.

Tuners, are split Kluson type and lovely and smooth.

Controls, perversely, I went for a Les Paul-esque approach with dual volume and tone knobs and a three-way switch. The reason for this is that I wanted as many options on the pickup front as possible, and it has paid of in bucket loads of spades as not only does this baby Twang for England - which shocked me for some reason - it means you can easily find Tele and PAF Les Paul sounds alongside your Duane Eddy special tone. All of which makes it remarably versatile, I'm most imssed with meself...

To complete the traditional-yet-without-a-tradition approach, I've gone for a Tweedy case. After far too many problems with couriers in the past I've bitten the bullet and decided that all of the Jooky guitars will have a hard case in future, which means that they won't quite be as cheap as they were, but at least they have more chance of arriving in one piece.

But there we are...my latest trick
mwahh xx

Sold: The Twangy One

About The Twangy One

And so, you come off the platform – rabid applause cushioning your jump from the stage, to the side of the dance floor. You look at the primitive spotlights, see condensed sweat dripping from them, sizzling like fairy dust. You wipe your GI glasses on the front of your soaking frilled shirt, smile a crooked smile as for the first time in your life the girls are looking at you as anything other than a geek. You talk with your hands, but never let go of the guitar around your neck, curled wire flipped over your shoulder. You’d invented Rock ‘n’ Roll together, what could ever come between you again?

*

The Twangy One is the sound of the birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Scotty Moore, Duane Eddy, Eddie Cochran, that twanging, singing tone reverberating around you as you stomp and thump. But it is also much more than that, the tone down you can hit a country Tele sound as well as the Fil’tron-esque delights that come so easily. More twiddling of the silver knobs takes you into a bluesy-jazzy tone for those BB King moments, all the way through to Seventies Rock and the sharp noise of what came next. This is a stunning looking guitar with a range of sounds you’d never expect to be popping on out of a Strat.

The Twangy One, is a Strat with two Kent Armstrong ‘Kentron’ humbucking pickups. Controls are Les Paul-like, with twin volumes and tone knobs and a three-way switch. The tuners are Split Kluson types and the finish is pure, unadulteratedly Jookified Paisley.

To be clear, The Twangy 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 Buddy Holly. There will genuinely never be another guitar like this and past experience suggests that it won’t be around for long.

Technical Stuff:

Type: Leona’s Groovy Guitar

Electrics: Catswhisker Handwound Mini-humbuckers

Guitar Type: Stratocaster Type

Construction: Cloth over wood

Strings: D’Addario XL 10s

Output: ¼” Guitar Lead

Controls: Two Volume, Two Tone, 3-Way Pickup selector

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

Serial Number: JGE#23

RSP: £399


You can buy The Twangy One at our Ebay Store HERE

Finally getting Twangy

Before I finished it...

Well, no fotos yet as I can't find the camera, but I finally put the Twangy One together today and it sounds amazing. I think I said before, that I really didn't know quite what to expect from the Kent Armstrong 'Kentrons', other than something vaguely Gretsch-like, but they are a lot more than that. Though I have to admit to playing Eddie Cochran and Derwayne Eddy songs for the last hour or so...

In fact the only real concern was fitting all of the knobs on the scratchplate without digging chunks out of the guitar, but it came together and all is cool.

Bit of a set-up needed, but it works for me...cool.

Stray Cats, that's what I need to try, a bit of Selzer, can't beat it...

Fotos later, I expect...

Things that like to go Splat

I do so love people who wantonly attack guitars and do things cool and groovy stuff with them...and one of these days I will have the Pollocks to splatter paint in such a way as this....


As chilled as a granite flower

Its on Ebay at the moment HERE

Sold: The Golden Shower One

About The Golden Shower One

Picture the scene, the trapdoor to a dusty loft creaks open, thin beams of yellowing light creep into the room, avoiding the shadow threatened corners. Cases of long forgotten newspaper are moved to reveal a longer neglected tweedy case. Key turns, case opens and unleashes cascading moonbeams, glittering shards of light as the faint light is captured and catapulted by the real gold top of a long neglected guitar.

You carry it down, pulse raised, pupils dilated, wipe away the dust with sweaty drenched hands. You take it out of the case, breath short and fast as you sit it on your lap. The gold is immaculate, the body a relic in the truest sense. You feel the age weighing down on you. You plug it in; the faint hum of an old valve amp softens. You look around before you hit a chord, catch sight of yourself bathed in the glister, warmed by the beauty of the guitar you hold. You hit a biting, hard, snarling chord and are transported.

*

The Golden Shower One is a genuine relic from the 1970s, rescued from a loft and built from the ground up with a Jookified take on the original Gibson Les Paul it aped. The Stopbar tailpiece is replaced with a trapeze type, the pickups are Kent Armstrong P90s, one reverse wound to give a ‘hum-free’ mid-position. The tuners are Wilkinson ‘Kluson Style’ for that traditional snotty green look, and the finish – man – the finish is real, 23 carat gold leaf, hand gilded and sealed with a lacquer that will preserve the looks for all time. The Golden Shower one is a genuine one-off tribute to Les Paul himself and the guitar that carries his name.

To be clear, The Golden Shower 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 British Dylan. There will genuinely never be another guitar like this and past experience suggests that it won’t be around for long.

Technical Stuff:

Type: Marilyn's Gold Top Guitar

Pickups: Kent Armstrong P90

Guitar Type: Gibson Les Paul Inspired

Construction: 23 carat gold leaf over wood.
Dean Markley Jimi Hendrix Pure Nickel Strings 10s

Output: ¼” Guitar Lead

Controls: 2 x Volume, 2 x Tone

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

Case: Tweed hardcase

Serial Number: JGE#9

RSP: £399

On the block

Well, I decided that The Golden Shower One needed a better home, and so that is on the block complete with it's switch tip and trendily gorgeous tweedy case over at our 'Ebay Store' - I am sooo American - along with the lovely Cherry Vintage SG I got, err, just the other day. I also put the Daisy Jook One up for auction as well.

All over, I'm having a bit of a spring clean in Jookyville, and have flogged on loads of parts and pickups and god knows what else in recent times. It's with the aim of a more focused one-at-a-time approach I'm adopting, in the faint hope that I might finish something once in a while..

Anyway, there we are...

The Golden Shower One - Pimped to Bejesus

Well, I was only going to tinker, but ended-up replacing all of the wiring, putting a new bone nut, new green-ended-authentic-looking tuners, new pots, changing the knobs to reflector/top hat ones, oiling the fretboard and buffing my baby to within an inch of her life.

I also got the girl a new place to lay her head in the shape of a most comely tweedy hardcase...

After all that, she sounds divine, plays beautifully and looks a million bucks.

So I'll no doubt flog her now that I am entirely happy...


Here she is anyway (and yes, I'd forgotten to put the switch tip back on, it is in the case... *sigh*)

Ever been mastered?

Well, I've been thinking about the old Burny guitar I picked up and generally trying to come-up with a plan for it.

From the start - it's a 1980s Japanese one, and is a solid mahogany neck and body, rosewood fretboard and generally has been stripped on the top without 'sympathy' The back of the body and neck are clipped and chunked - which I like - and I thought I'd try and do it as some kind of natural relic, if that makes sense.

Anyway, after the Golden Shower One, I quite fancy having another go at a gold-top, and so have ordered another ton of gold leaf - this time in a slightly different shade.

Similar plan though, just the top will get the treatment, but this time I'm thinking that I'll give it a nitro finish and then a year or so down the line when it has truly hardened, get the old compressed air and hairdryer out (OK, I don't own a hairdryer, no point when there is so little to play with), but anyway, I'll try and give it that cracking lacquer look which looks so pretty. For now though, a real gold top.

As for the rest of it, I quite fancy a double humbucker escapade with this one, with a bit of a Peter Green out-of-phase thing going on. I'm tempted by the Catswhisker PG set, or maybe the one from Shed or Bare Knuckle, but to be honest I'm happy enough flipping a magnet around myself so I'm not limited to the made to measure, so there is more scope on the pickups, which is maybe a bad thing. I do want something lower output though and 'classic' so probably Alnico 2, or one or whatever it was.

In terms of the tuners, I picked up some Gibson ones - Kluson style, which probably means they are Klusons with Gibson written on them, but a nice touch nonetheless.

Nut, my new found nutting skills will mean I'll get a bit of bone and cut my own, and as for the other bits - cream plastics and top hat knobs should do the trick.

Which only left the  wiring, which was what I wanted to mention really. You see, I quite fancied going fifties style - oil caps and shielded wires and all that, and so I thought I'd get a pre-made harness from somewhere.

Anyway, one of the best kept secrets in guitarville, is a quite excellent chap named Hugh who puts these sort of things together with some serious care, and after quite a weird and wonderful deal, I've ended-up with one of his - see the picture.

The caps are Russian - so probably from an authentic 1950s tank, certainly cold war anyway.

The pots and switch and everything else are top quality and the wiring is poetically simple. I can't wait to plum it in, it has to be said.

So that's the plan. No doubt pickups will be the stumbling block, but there we are.

p.s. If you are in the market for a wiring harness - give me the nod and I'll introduce you to the maestro himself.. and we'll say no more about it *sniff*

Distractions, I've Had a Few...

There have been a few ins and outs around here recently. I guess it is a bit of a spring cleaning kind of vibe, or maybe I just got fed up of things looking at me and asking when it is their turn to bask in the radiance of my gaze...but the bottom line is, I've had more guitars, pickups, effects and cases coming in and out of this place over the last couple of months than I have, well, something that I've had lots of.

But where does that leave me? Well, half the guitars I was planning on building won't happen as I've got shot of the parts, but the ones that are left will be.

So it is a yes to The Twangy One, The Pine Tele and the Old 80s Burny Les Paul. Oh and the Explorer thing with skulls on, though. But a big no to all the others. For now anyway.

Ropey Camerafone Picture - Sorry

See I got a bit bored, and that was never the point. So I've given it the Michael Finnigan all over.

Oh, but this little one did show up this morning: a trip down memory lane in the shape of a Vintage VS6 SG type of thing. My first 'proper' guitar was an Epiphone SG which I flogged to buy a Jazzmaster, and always wished I'd kept. I've recently tried a few Epiphone ones again, but this felt more like the 'original' so, there we are. Probably last a week, but it felt good. Nice wide neck as well.

I've also decided that I really should let the Golden Shower One go as well. I've pimped it with better parts and am a lot happier with it now, and it has a shiny tweedy case to keep it warm at night too. Maybe I should keep it. Dunno. Time will tell.

Other than that...well, I might start doing something soon, one of these days.

Fuzzy Funday

Well, waiting for the usual non-arrival of couriers, I've had a happy morning playing around with a bit of fuzz. I've said before, but here at home I've got a quite lovely Blackstar HT-1R 1W amp, replete with lushness of reverb. I've also mentioned that I've not really used effects pedals for a while as basically I figured it would be better if I learned how to play the guitar instead, if you see what I mean.

Anyway, pedals are a wee bit addictive and as my soldering paw isn't up to making my own anymore, I've been trying a few others to see what sticks.

Today then, I was pleased to have a play with a couple I'd picked up, which are a Digitech 'Grunge' pedal, and one I've lusted after for a while, an Electro Harmonix 'Big Muff Pi Germanium'.

Starting with the Muff, I have to say I was a little surprised. Firstly, it is a two function pedal, and overdrive and a distortion. Afterly it has four germanium transistors in there somewhere doing something impressive. In fact it sounds great, and there are some beautiful tones in there and all in all it is rather groovy. Apart from, it doesn't actually sound like a Big Muff at all (I've been playing with one of the Russian ones which is bang-on) but the Germanium? Nope. Great but different. Maybe I was expecting something wrong like.

The other, I traded for a pedal with a nice bloke off the MR forum, and I wasn't really sure what to expect. Grunge obviously, but that is only part of it as it gives quite a large range of noises and tones. I'd almost disregarded it, if I'm being totally honest, in my rush to dive into the muff, but if I'm totally honest, I played with the grungy one a lot more and had much more fun.

What does this teach us?

Bugger all, I just thought I'd mention it as I haven't achieved anything useful today.

Now, where the flippin' 'eck is that courier...

The Future Sound of Jooky

Well, I wasn't entirely happy with The Golden Shower One in the end, so I decided to change a couple of things. Firstly the brass nut. It sounded great, but was quite high and I really couldn't face sanding it down to reduce the action to more normal levels. I quite like a high action, but when you are struggling to hold down an Em and can see a 78 degree angle for the string from the nut to the fretboard, I guess you know that you are pushing things a wee bit.

Also of course, it gave me a chance to have a go at cutting a bone nut. I've tried it before using a folded piece of emery paper to cut the slots for the strings and it was OK, but I'd got some teeny weeny files at a car boot and I figured they would work better. And I have to say, it turned out lovely - I can't see me buying nuts again in future, I'll be the chap fighting the local mutts for their shanks.

There is quite a difference in tone as well, between bone and brass - and come to that, the original piece of well chewed plastic that the guitar arrived with. The bone makes the guitar sound a little more mellow when strummed unplugged, and I think perhaps that there is a tad more sustain. Not something I'd considered and maybe it is placebo like, but I'm happier now. It also means that the action is lower and I've been able to raise the bridge slightly which has gotten rid of an annoying buzz at the 14th fret on the A string. Not that I get that adventurous normally, but there we are.

Apart from the nut, I've picked up a set of Wilkinson Kluson-a-like tuners, complete with snotty green blobs on the end. The chrome PRS ones were fine, very stable, but as I did want the guitar to look vaguely older than it was, they look more 'authentic', not that Gibson ever made anything quite like this. Of course I don't know how old the donor guitar was, 70s or 80s being as close as I can tell.

Once they are on then, it will be well and truly finished. The gold leaf top is awesome, I keep finding myself looking at it, It truly is beautiful. The Kent Armstrong P90s have a beautiful tone to them. I've been playing thru my little 1W Blackstar with the reverb on 'full' as well as the volume and it is totally creamy.

My original thought was that this was a good little guitar to practise some new stuff on, but it has ended-up a lot better than I could have hoped and certainly the gilding is something I'll be trying again before long. I'm really quite proud of it, and image apart it has turned into quite a players guitar. Alchemy indeed.

As for what comes next, well, The Twangy One is pretty much there now. It needs stringing and setting-up and it should be well groovy. The pickups I'm curious about, which is always the fun part. It gets boring when you know the answers before you start.

After that, I'm tempted to do my Tele/Esquire project as I finally know what I want to do with it. I'm thinking a variegated gold leaf top - rather than the copper sheet I'd originally planned - with the rest of the body having a subtle paisley finish. I've got some of the leaf - it is basically faux gold that has been aged/treated to give different colours, but I might get a different shade, depending on the paisley I use when it comes to the crunch. The varigated leaf looks very pretty on the little squares, but how it will go overall, I'm really not sure.

Once that is sorted, I'm going to be having another go at a Gold Top Les Paul as I grabbed myself a well bashed and ludicrously sanded old 1980s Burny a while back. This has a solid mahogany body - no maple cap - which is right for a gold top imho, and should make for quite a dark sound. The neck is excellent, rosewood on mahogany and set with a good 'tenon' and whilst I'd leave it generally in tatters I think a gold leaf top with a nitro finished top could prove to be perfect for me.

I'd probably go for some Catswhisker PG PAF pickups for that Peter Green twosted sound and generally do it as a bit of a relic. Crazed and cracked nitro top and all of that bobbins.

In a way this is my solution to my long term pangs for a 'real' Les Paul. I've been mithering about one for ages and never quite been able to justify the cost in truth, certainly not for the one I want (if it exists) so like the Tele and all of the other Jooky guitars it is about making something that I'd love to own and play but can't afford, using a bit of imagination rather than buying one off the shelf.

I could of course save my pennies and buy a real Telecaster and Les Paul, but for the first time I guess in my head when I think about one, I get a much warmer feeling about having one that is truly mine in every sense.

There, belly button gazing done for one week. Think I'm finally getting my head around this Jooky stuff, and it feels cooler every step.

Music Radar £100 Challenge 2011 - And So There Were Three

Well, I said I'd show you the final entries, and I guess as was always going to be the way of things, a few people fell at the last and it ended-up with only three chaps completing the course. The best thing of course with this kind of thing is that you see how people's minds work, and pick-up a few innovative tips from others doing something similar to yourself. But like a lot of good things - it is the finishing that counts, however Heath Robinson it has to be to cross the line.

Well, I know what I mean.

Anyway, pretty pictures:

First up is a lovely looking Bass put together by StickyFiddle, a diamond geezer, who always seems to be selling guitars I want when I can't afford them... I like him anyway.

Things to note include

- the rather groovy placement of the knobs,

- the wicked bridge - Gotoh I think, and

- the wonderfilled bubble of goodness that is the logo on the headstock.

- The neck and headstock are all nitro finished and all.

The second, and it has to be said quite sneaky last minute entry, coming down the rails like a bat out of hades was Casperh7 (it's a family name) with his quite beautifully green Ibanez/Little Stevie Vai  inspired chunk of slick necked superstadiumstarduststardum.

This has been a serious bit of work, check out

- The shaped headstock and design features in that neck o' the woods

- The green nitro finished body - quite beautifully done

- The array of pickups and covers. Wonderfully eclectic, and

- The rather pinkish knobs - hence the Vai mention of course.


Thirdly of course, was my own wee effort - The Golden Shower One, which I've mentioned before.
Since then though, I've changed the knobs, as you can see and will probably tweak it a bit more (tuners/nut that sort of thing) in that eternal search for tone. Or maybe to minimise the buzzing and reduce the 1/4" action a bit..

But anyway, it sounds far better than it has any right to and the gold...

*sigh*

I'm in lust, it has to be said and admitted.

And so there we are, the second year I've made the grade. And they are all winners, as it is truly the taking part that counts.

OK, I'm only playing the right-on card as if there had been a judge I realise mine would probably have come 3rd out of the three, but

do I care?

Will it make me try harder next time?

Nahhhh...


StickyFiddle, Casperh7 - I salute thee...