All is Art - La la and a Laaa

Well, still no sign of the bits 'n' bobs for The Gordo, and no chance of getting to do any veneering this week, so The Gypsy One is still a box of parts. Instead, I've been consoling myself by playing some groovy bobbins on The Old Burny One, which is all verily satisfying after taking quite so long to get it together.

I have to say I am really in at least three minds about whether I should keep this one or not. I've lusted after a Les Paul for quite the longest time, and (with the pleasant surprise of the pickups suiting me perfectly) I'm kinda wondering what I'm thinking of.

The loose plan was that this year (next year - 2012 I mean) I would finally get a proper Les Paul to have done it, if that makes sense. Not that I'm impressed by manufacturer's labels - I normally find myself sanding them off, of course -  and in truth it was likely to be a Studio if I saved my pennies wisely a nice second hand one might be achievable over the next 12 months, but then I play The Old Burny One and really it is just the thing I've wanted.

Decent weight, lovely properly bound neck and I love the gold finish, so...I have to wonder what am I thinking of?

I mean, I spent a couple of afternoons recently playing new Gibsons, and a few second-hand ones too, and if I'm honest none of them quite caught me, though I'd have been happy to own any of them. So nice, but no banana; nothing that grabbed me and said this is really special keep-me-keep-me-oh-keep-me-why-don't-you?

And when I got back and played my golden Burny, it just did.

So I could sell it and spend forever trying to find a guitar that is just like it and failing dismally, certainly at the price I can afford to pay.

So I don't know. I mean, I know the answer is obvious - keep the guitar and enjoy it, but the downside if I keep it is of course that the next couple of Jookies are tied up in it, if that makes sense. One sold pays for the next to be made and all that. And if I keep this one, I'm kinda stuck going forward.

*sigh*

So it has to go really, as that was the point of the golden rules after all. Or I could flog my Jazzmaster, but that isn't going to happen.

La la laa. Stress.

In truth, I'm still all of a ponder about next year and what I'll be doing, but one thing I know is that I should be receiving an offset body in the near future, which could be fun. This is a bit of an oddity and the chap I'm having it from knows little more about it than it is sycamore and rather down at heel. It looks as though it is routed for a couple of single coils and a hardtail bridge (as far as I can tell), so it should be fun, methinks. I'm hoping a couple of Jaguar single coils will fit in nicely, though I might have to get the chisel out, not sure yet.

The neck coming with it is in need of frets, which I might have a go at doing, but as long as it is standardish I'll probably be putting a nice big headed Strat neck on it anyway.

Otherwise, I have the Explorer-with-no-name to sort out. I've had to degrease it before it can even be prepped for whatever happens to be the finish and it is truly minging. In fact it is in a black bag at the moment smothered in some special de-gunker for the third time. I think it may have been Damien Hirst's at one point and was previously suspended in aspic or cod liver oil.

I may have that wrong though. (Excuse the disclaimer, but while I know Damien doesn't pop in too often, I do know that Tracey Emin is a persistent reader of this blog and will no doubt tell him I said that, and then shit on my bed or something.)

Where was I?

Oh yes, 2012, of course - in summary, I'm still pretty clueless.
Much like 2009, 10 and 11, then.

A tootle and a pit.

Well Oiled

Well, we're beyond Boxing Day and I've snuck in a couple of Jooky bits between the Quorn fillets and chocolate and liquorice allsort excess.

Not a lot to see, in truth, but I finished oiling up The Old Gordo and let it dry so that it is nice and nourished and shiny, and since have started to polish using the 'Stock Sheen and Conditioner', which goes on wet and needs a fair bit of buffing. 

I'm aiming for more of a softish sheen than a full on gloss, but we'll see how it turns out over the next few days. As I said, if I can get it playable by the end of the year I'll be well pleased with meself.

Once the buffing is done I have actually bought a second type of wax finish for the final coat, but it might be gilding the tulip and I may recognise it as 'finished' before I get that far anyway.

After that it is a put together job and a bit of soldering (and I got a shiny new soldering iron for Christmas) so hopefully not too much grief to come from that direction. Though I've just remembered the tuners never arrived before Xmas, so I'll probably be waiting for a couple of days for those.

Anyway, all the polishing is done so I'm off to linseed oil my rosewood...which is also now done, and looks lovely and dark and woody.

I've also just put the pickups on it, as it happens, the Seymour Duncan Phat Cat at the neck - bit of P90 joy - and I've stuck with the Gordo pickup at the bridge as I rather liked it and can't think of 'owt better at the moment. For the pots I've gone CTS, and the switch is bog standard Switchcraft

La la laaaa

*** Later ****

As it happens, I've since managed to wire this baby up and finish the polishing. It looks rather cool and sheeny, it has to be said.

All I'm waiting for now are the tuners and some bigger strap pin things as the others were a bit ropey.

Teerr-daaahhh

Flaunting The Imperfection

Staining the Back

Staining the Headstock and neck

Well, I managed to both charge the camera and put the walnut stain onto the back of The Old Gordo *, so here are a couple of fotos.

It will need a while to dry so it probably won't be until after Xmas that I get to do the front, but it looks pretty cool to me so far, so I'm reasonably chuffed. It nicely displays where I glued the cracks, which is always a bonus (ahem).

Flaunt the imperfection - the story of my life.

I can't quite decide whether to stain it all and then do the oil, or finish the back before I start the front. It's a toughy, I have to admit.

To do this all, I bought a 'Gun Stock Tarting-up' set with the stain, oil and polish in it, along with sand paper/wire wool etc.

All very nice, but it was the free target that most impressed me. Glow in the dark and self-adhesive - great for putting on some body's back as they leave a New Year party this year. All those drunken Young Farmers living around here will have a ball.


****** Musical Interlude **********

Well, as it happens the stain had dried before I had gotten around to posting this missive, and so I went ahead and gave the back of the body, neck and headstock an initial coat of Tru-Oil, which looks rather nifty. The stain has gone into the scratches and scrapes beautifully and the oil has brought them and the grain out super-smartly. I'm really pleased.

Oiling the Back

No doubt, I'll have wire-wooled and re-coated it before I get around to putting this up too, so you'll probably be able to see what I mean.

******* Another Gap of Hours ******
Well, I smoothed it down with the wire wool and gave it another coat of Tru-oil. Left it a couple more hours yet, and did it again.

It really does look cool and a fair few shades darker than the Danish Oil had left it, so I'm pretty pleased with that. I'll finish the back before I start on the front, I think as it seems the right thing to do.
Hopefully the oil will be finished by tomorrow and I can have a play with the 'Conditioner' or polish as I would innocently call it.
.
This is all so exciting that I've even dug out the new wire, pots and switch, so I might put them together. just for the hell of it, like.

There's always something productive about holibobs I've noticed. I guess it is a good way to escape the bratskis...

*** The Next Day ****
Well, Crissie Eve and the oil on the back is done, is verily sheeny and looks rather good, I have to say. As the next step is to wax it, I've decided to start on the front, and that has now been stained too. Once that is dry I'll do the Tru-oil thing and hopefully wax the whole guitar as one next week. It would be nice to be putting it together before the year is out, just depends on the way Xmas pans out, I guess.

Anyway, once again, have a fine Crimbulmus.

* Note to self:
Wear gloves next time you use stain stuff, the eighty-a-day-habit look is sooo outdated.

A Well Oiled Headstock - with stain enhance cracks

Staining the Front -
Loving the grain and the scrapiness

Happy Holibobs

No, I can't see it turning out that shiny either

Well, not a lot doing at the moment that doesn't involve tinsel and queues, but I have started on my little re-vamp of my old and generally battered Gordon Smith. Just to keep my hand in, like.

I know I've mentioned it before, but the bottom line is that it had a few wee cracks at the headstock around the tuners, and I figured that while I was gluing and clamping those I may as well give it a right royal seeing to, as it were.

So first things first, I stripped it down, and have used some Titebond  and a couple of clamps. This stuff did the business when I fixed the neck on the Busted Dot and these are less critical, so I'm sure it will be fine.

Once that had dried, I ordered some new tuners that will fit the original holes, which will hopefully stop any reoccurence...

The next job will be to refinish the body.

Now when I got it, one of the attractions for me was that it was 'naturally aged' in fact battered and scribbled over in parts being closer to the truth. At the time I de-gunked then Danish Oiled it and it improved no end. However, this time I'm going to go a step further and stain it a darker shade of walnut and properly finish it with Tru-Oil, conditioner and wax. This is basically the approach people take to protecting their Gun Stocks and should look the business without losing the original charm.

At least that is the plan, guess time will tell.

After that it is hardware. The tuners of course are new, and then I am replacing the wraparound bridge and posts with a Wilkinson one which will help on the intonation front. Must admit it isn't something that over worries me and I'm in two minds, so that is a maybe at the moment as I like the original tailpiece and the Wilko one looks a tad shiny and bulky by comparison. So I might just change the posts which are the bit that are broken after all, we'll see.

Pickup-wise, I've got a P90 - a SD Phat Cat - for the neck and will probably stick with the Gordon Smith pickup at the bridge. Though I have a SD '59 which might be sweeter. Apart from I am swapping that for a guitar body. Hmmm...maybe keep the Gordo then, or look for a nice PAF. Not sure.

What I do know for sure is that I'm going to take the chance to replace the pots and wiring while I am at it, as it is daft not to, let's face it. I've got some Ye Olde Worlde wire and a MojoTone cap, so that should work out OK.

As for the rest, the frets are low but good apart from a couple which are a bit flat, so I'm going to break out my lovely crowning file thing to sort that out. I've been practising on old necks and am feeling pretty good about it all now. The proper tools definitely help, I've come to accept.

After that, I'm going to Linseed oil the fretboard which should give it a lovely dark hue - I used to use Lemon Oil but read somewhere that Raw Linseed is better if you don't leave it on too long and it seems to do the biz - and there we are.

Basically then, this is meant to be my Christmas holibobs project, so I'll wang some fotos up as I go...once I've charged the camera back up anyway.

And of course, if this proves to be 'it' - Happy Xmas and cheers for reading along with the vaguely psychotic chaos that this Jooky bobbins is...

La la laaa

At Home, With The Gormans

Well, a weekend away-from-it-all before the dash to Xmas proper, tis all good stuff.

Obviously there isn't much going on Jookywards, but my little practice sesh with the veneer went better than hoped so I'm going to make a start on The Gypsy One in oddly grabbed moments.

I've also made a beginning toward getting some parts for it and have gone for a set of Bare Knuckle Yardbirds and another set of Brown Sugars which should be nice and warm whichever way they fall, I would think.

I've gone trad on the bridge and tuners, have a maple/maple neck and there we are. I suppose a rosewood 'board would have made more sense, but what the hell, I'm not exactly interested in building a clone of Mr Harrisons or the like.

As for the New Year well I think I've said before that this year's planning is based on the third law of  the see-what-happens principle of Jookiness, but I don't doubt it will involve a few guitars here and over there-ish.

Totting up, there were 24 new Jookies in 2011, and I think that is probably too many for one so slack, so 2012 will be a lighter load. It's about art after-all, sugary one, not production stats.

One lovely thing, I just noticed I'd got an email, and the above foto is of the Gorman boys with The Lulu and Porn Shop Ones in the old school science block where they all live together - kinda like the Partridge family, but post-puberty. Obviously they re-decorated the place themselves.

Now, they are a couple of guitars I'm proud of, and nice to see that Chris (henceforth 'Chas') and Dave have taken the whole Movember thingie to extremes. Cool chaps both and I'm rather pleased that they got the guitars as they are top fellas indeedy.

Plus, of course, they can play them better than me, which isn't a great claim-to-infamy, but there we are.

If you haven't already, tis well worth checking out Gorman, btw. You can hear some cool tunes HERE.

Happy Crimbulmus to two and all over the place, like.

Sold: The Old Burny One

About The Old Burny One

The Made In Japan ‘Lawsuit’ guitars of the 1970s and ‘80s were legendary for their quality and attention to detail. Many believe that they were better than the Gibsons they copied, and I’m not one to argue with the many.

The Old Burny One is one of these, an early 1980s Burny guitar, with a solid mahogany body and neck and more Mojo than a Mojo tree in Mojoland, MJ.

From a stripped down beginning, here in Jookyland we have painfully given it a golden top using 24 Karat Gold Leaf, and a variety of potions and unctions to both age it and protect what that leaves. It really is stunning too, none of this 9 Karat bobbins you get down Samuels.

In keeping with it’s vintage, we’ve gone for a set of Bill Lawrence designed Gibson ‘The Original’ pickups. These were fitted in Gibson guitars for only a short period of time before (allegedly) Gibson and Lawrence fell out and went in different directions. They are quite lovely pickups, giving all the old PAF tones, but with a bit of extra oomph when you need it.

To control these beasts well, we’ve gone for one of Shugz’ vintage wiring looms, complete with Russian Oil-in-Paper capacitors, CTS pots and all the good things. The difference between this and your standard Gibson wiring these days, is frightening. Other than that, tuners are Gibson (Klusons), and the ABR and ToM are Gotoh parts and work beautifully.

This really is a stunning guitar in every way, what else can I say?

*

To be clear, The Old Burny 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.

*** SOLD ***

Type: Marilyn’s Gold Top Guitar

Pickups: Gibson/Bill Lawrence ‘The Original’

Guitar Type: 1980s MIJ Burny Les Paul Custom

Construction: 24 Karat gold leaf over mahogany.
Dean Markley Jimi Hendrix Pure Nickel Strings 10s

Output: ¼” Guitar Lead

Controls: 2 x Volume, 2 x Tone '50s Wiring

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

Case: Hardcase

Serial Number: JGE#38

RSP: £799

Introducing: The Old Burny One - Jooky's All Gold

Well, I don't quite know how to break this to you. I mean, it's taken nigh on a year since I first thought -

'Ooh, that could be a quick win'

- and it has had more specifications than your average DeLorean time-machine 4WD, but (and whisper it in case it is a dream and I wake up babbling like Kelly Brook)...

I've finally finished The Old Burny One.

Properly, I mean, it has strings and everything.

And, I really find this hard to say, but it is - OMFG - really rather good.

For the record, it is an early 1980s Burny Les Paul. Made in Japan to clone Gibson's finest, and if rumours are true maybe Even Better Than The Real Thing at that point in time.

It has a mahogany body and neck, rosewood board and just feels solid. The neck is lovely - not 60s thin or 50s baseball racquet either, which suits me fine. Properly bound too, which is nice,

I know, I'm gushing.

Other than that it has some Gibson branded Kluson tuners, Gotoh ABR and ToM, a vintage correct 50s wiring loom courtesy of that braided-wire-wizard Shugz - all oil in paper caps, CTS pots and Ye Olde wire and all that.

The pickups are the Gibson/Bill Lawrence 'The Originals' which Gibson fitted for a brief couple of years, and most of all, it has a worn 24 Karat gold leaf top, which has been aged and generally looks rather ancient.

And I have to say I am loving it.

I really didn't know what to expect from the pickups, but they have that real classic sound to them. All the PAF tones I love, but then some balls too. The control you get from Shugz master-filled wiring comes into it's own with these as the tone controls and volume pots throw up so many amazingly different colours, it is quite a revelation.

A time of miracles indeed.

Tidings of Apathy and well, whatever.

Well, I know it isn't that unusual - in fact I worked it out and during 2011 we have actually had nothing for sale at all for 38 of the 52 weeks, but I still feel the urge to apologise to the occasional passer-by with nothing to buy.


So I'm sorry - OK?

Don't go on so.

What is more unusual is that the Coming Soon list will soon be showing lack all as well, assuming I do put The Old Burny One back together again, which I surely will get an hour or two to do this week in between Oratorio and Nativities.

At the end of last year I wrote a crazy big massive wish list of all the guitars I wanted to make. I'll dig it out and see how it went, but I have a feeling that a lot of them actually happened, even though it rarely came about as I imagined up front.

All of which sets me up for next year and what I should do. On one side I've thought again about going the custom route, but I still think it would kill the fun for me so I probably won't.

In truth I know that really I'll just plod along and make it up as I go along. It's been cool so far so why worry so much? I don't know, but I tend to.

As for individuals, well I've got an Explorer to build, and the Gordo to fixer-upper, which is not Jooky but sort of relevant. And of course I have a big roll of rosewood veneer which is meant to be top of the list.

After that, well, we'll see.

There isn't going to be a big wish list this year, just going to enjoy the journey instead.

Yeah man.


In other news, I divested myself of my beautifully far-too-loud 3/4 of a watt BlackHeart Killer Ant, and instead got a much quieter 20watt Fender Mustang. Which doesn't make sense but it has a master switch and the most lovely clean sounds. Not that I've strayed far from the Fender Twin Reverb setting so far, with the odd dalliance in Bassman territory.

La la laaaa

Not So Comfy, Anymore

Well, I'm waiting around for a courier again, have The Old Burny One ready to put together but can't do it right now and am easing into the Xmas sloth easily and without complaint.

Not having much chance to do anything useful then, I thought I'd have a wee look at my rosewood veneer stuff, and see if I can work out what I'm meant to be doing with it.

Opening the package was the first hurdle - coiled spring-like it was, and the wood basically exploded into my face. First blood to the wood then. Literally. More claret than rosey, methinks.

Anyway, I chopped a couple of bits off and somehow I seem to have acquired the right width as side-by-side it will cover my Tele body.

So, trying to be grown-up about it, I've got a bit of scrap wood I'm going to glue these parts onto and see if I have the right end of the stick. Then I'm going to play with the finish a bit before I try it on the guitar body proper.

Cautiously optometrist then, I think I am.

And Finally...

Well, I'm all rather pleased with meself today, so I am, as I've managed to get to the bottom of the quietnessicity of The Old Burny One. Rather typically it was simple, and even more as expected it was down to me. Basically, I'd managed to break a wire and couldn't really tell until I'd stripped it all out and replaced it.

Heh ho, such is life.

Other than that, I need to string it up, set it up and we are there. I'll do a proper introduction once it is finally back together again, next week sometime I expect..

In other news, I finally got hold of an Explorer to play with - a body and neck from downtown Osaka or somewhere, so that will be nice in the new year. I've also divested meself of The Orpheum and the Dot, with the Jaguar bass going soon too. In fact there are very few guitars left, just an old acoustic my lovely Jazzmaster and the battered old Gordo which I'm giving a refurb.

I'd actually sold the Gordo, but on it's travels it seems to have developed a couple of teeny splits on the headstock. This I've taken as a sign from somewhere or other that I should keep the guitar forever. And that I should give it a bit of love.

So the plan is to firstly glue and clamp the headstock. After that I'm going to put new tuners on as I think my half-hearted use of some old Epi ones caused the weakness that caused the fault that gathered the grain, that ground it to flour, that cooked the bread that gave me indigestion.

After the repairs, I've decided to make the most of the battered and scribbled over wood and give it the full Gunstock experience - some walnut stain, Tung-Oil and a good wire-wool and polish.

As for the rest I'm going to replace the wraparound with something more newerish, and as I've never been 100% on the pickups, I'm going to replace them. I have a Seymour Duncan '59, which will be nice at the bridge and I'll probably put a P90 at the neck - not sure what yet, we'll just have to see.

Golden is Silence

Well, I've got all determined, and have decided that I really am going to get to the bottom of it, as far as The Old Burny One goes.

I'm bored hearing myself talking about it,
you're bored of hearing the excuses,
what sort of start would that be to a new year?

Not a good one, I think we can agree on that at least.

So what to do - well, my 473rd idea was to rip it all out and start again, but that is daft as I have basically done that twice, and all evidence points toward something touching something else that it shouldn't, so that the live signal is going straight to earth and giving pure silence-tone (TM).

Instead then I'm going to work with the multimeter and  following the paths. (I did try this before, but maybe with less determination and got distracted, who knows. Well, I do, but whatever.)

Anyway, today is a no go but tomorrow, is going to be amazing and golden.

Maybe.

Hope so anyway.

Winding Down...

Squier Jaguar Bass
Nice, but no banana

Well, I have had a few distracted days that have seen me Jookiless, and with only a handful of freedomhours left before the Xmas holibobs need to be endured, the truth is that I probably won't be getting much done until next year.

Saying that, I am rather chuffin chuffed at the things that have been built in Jookyland this year- I kinda miss the fabric, but the leaf and corrosion is quite satisfying too, it has to be said.

In fact I am going to do an annual fabric covered guitar, just for old times sake. If I remember.

Other than the lack of paisley in my life, the only regret I have is that over a year on, The Old Burny One is still not complete. I've said it before but it really is true that some guitars seem to take a lot longer than others, though why I don't know. So maybe I should at least try and fix that baby, tis a time of miracles, after all.

More personally, I've been reducing my own guitars - distilling maybe - and am left with a Jazzmaster *sigh*, The Golden Shower One if it ever returns from the fixer-upper chap in Clevedon, my rather knackered Gordo and a decrepid acoustic. Everything else has gone. Oh, I have my mandolin still.

I also have the Jaguar Bass that showed up today, but it won't be Jookified after all so I'm punting-that-on. It is lovely, just that I know I wouldn't play it and if I'm going to do a bass it should be better. I also just flogged my Blackheart Killer Ant amp as I fancy a change of scenery - so a bit of shopping to do there methinks.

But anyway, normal service should resume on Thursday...a toodle and a pip to you for now.

Not a Bean, I Tell Thee

Bye Bye Bella Dear

Well, blimey - The Bella Donna One didn't hang around long. That will be off to it's new  home on Monday and so we are back to our normal cupboard-is-bare state of being.

As for The Old Burny One, well it is back together and the bridge pickup is working beautifully - pity that the neck one has gone on strike now. Sheesh.

Anyway, I've decided to re-wire it from scratch and have ordered the bits 'n' bobs so that should be here next week with a fair wind.

In other news, I have been painfully aware that I've never tackled a bass guitar here in the Kingdom of Jook, something that was recently pointed out to me on FaceBook. Anyway, I've grabbed a Bass, which should be here sometime soonish too. Not sure when I'll do that though as The Old Burny and Rosey Wood Ones are queued up and I'm trying to stick to a plan for once in my life..

So no doubt I've be doing something at the low end of life sometime soonish too.

But there we are, such is the way of things.

Won't be Chasing Rainbows, any more...

Well, I have to say - with all modesty and not-a-hint of trying to flog you something with weasel words - The Bella Donna One is amazing.

I am so in love with that TV Jones pickup, never mind the look of the thing. The weight is nice and light too, which makes a nice change.

Today though, apart from the odd strum of Bella here and there, it is all about finishing *gulp* The Old Burny One.

I shall not be swayed or even a little bit distracted.

So what to do?

Well first of all I need to put the pickup back in, which I thought was bosted but proved not to be.

Then it is a simple case of finding out what was wrong in the first place.

And my gut feel on that is that something is touching that shouldn't be and the single is going to ground.
Simple.

The Old Burny One - you'll see it later. Probably.

Sold: The Bella Donna One

The Bella Donna One is a stripped down rock machine that can twang with the best of them, or get deep down and verily dirty without much effort at all. With it’s Italian/Gretsch styling and single TV Jones Classic Humbucker it quite simply delivers, end of story.

The finish is strikingly stunning, the top and headstock being coated with an active copper before having a Home-Brew of acids thrown in it’s face, the back having the addition of bronze too and of course it is a complete one-off and never to be repeated.

For the record:

1.    Korina Body and Maple/Rosewood neck
2.    TV Jones ‘Classic’
3.    Steel Saddled Bridge
4.    Wilkinson tuners
5.    Pam's Baywatch Bronze - Lulu Copper Top

*

To be clear, The Bella Donna 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 Duane Eddy. There will genuinely never be another guitar like this and past experience suggests that it won’t be around for long.

You can currently treat yourself to The Bella Donna One, snuggled down and into a lovely Hardcase and delivered to your door for a rather daft £399. All you need to do is click on the big yellow button...

*** SORRY THIS HAS NOW SOLD ***

Technical Stuff:

Type: Pam's Baywatch Bronze - Lulu Copper Top

Electrics: TV Jones ‘Classic’ Humbucker

Guitar Type: Gretsch Inspired

Construction: Corroded Copper/Bronze over Korina

Strings: Nickel 10s

Output: ¼” Guitar Lead

Controls: Single Volume

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

Serial Number: JGE#43

RSP: £799