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.