Thinking Junior

Well, other than everything I never finished in the old year, the new year will see a couple of customs (more on those later) and general sloth plus the top of the list for me in the little kingdom of Jook is to get the first set of Juniors together and out there in the form of my debut Ganga6.

As I'm sure you'll remember, the idea with these is to make a set of six guitars of one spec, but with different finishes. Each set will be different, but fun nonetheless.

As for my first Ganga6, it is going to be rather cool, with each guitar...

1. Being Tele shaped in a vaguely La Cabronita way

2. Having a Strattish neck

3. Having a Hard tail bridge

4. Boasting a rather cool and unique scratchplate you-cannot-buy-in-the-shops

5. Having a quite wicked Mojo Gold Foil pickup at the bridge

6. Hiding a groovy top notch Mojo wiring loom under the hood, and

7. Tuners and Strap Pins to taste

As for the finishes, well this is where it gets to be real fun, as each of the 6 will have a different one..so:

#0101 - Gold Leaf
#0102 - Rusted Iron
#0103 - Corroded Copper
#0104 - Corroded Bronze
#0105 - Time Stained
#0106 - Paisley

Each of these beauties will come in a lovely hard case with all the usual bobbins that I forget right now.

As for prices, they are likely to come in at a silly cheap £749 each, but for the first time we'll be taking pre-orders at a stupidererer £599 including delivery to your UK doorstep if you stump up before they are finished. It's over to you from there.

And when will these delights be done and dusted? The aim is to have them sorted by the end of March...

No, really. I promise.

And of course these are as ever total one-offs and will never be repeated, as that would be sooooo very boring.

The Ganga6, finally happening, I am so excited.

La la laaaa

Thank You For The Musae

Well, I  hope you did better out of Santa than I did - a 20 year old Boss Multi-fx was the highlight in the end with a delay 'pedal' aspect with RSI. But whether you did or not (and I do care, most sincerely) I am thinking that here in Jookyland, 2014 is going to be fun.

Obviously I got messed about by couriers over Xmas, so The Jamis Vu and Trojan Ones are still here, all boxed-up and ready to go, and The Travellin' Man One has slipped off the radar - which I'm guessing means U.S Customs are taking it to pieces, but they should resolve soon enough. I just hope there are no controlled explosions - those dynamite PIO caps are always a worry.

And going forward, I need to:

1. Find the camera so that,

2. I can introduce you to the newly finished The Diamond Shiny and Sally James Ones, which are each and every way glorious.

And glorious they are.

The Gold Foil/Charlie Christian-esque Mojo pickups in the Tele are genius (not mine obviously, some geezer in Halifax) and I am rather in love with my Mustang Sally.

Next of course I have The Lingering Honey One, which just needs a groovy CoolEtched scratchplate, The Speedbump laden The 668 One, which unfortunately seems to have the HB routing in the wrong place so I need to get brave and cut some wood (which is disappointing, I have to admit) and well, the others on the list.

As I am Jazzmasterless again, I'm stealing a chapter from Mr Mojo's book, and doing myself one, with a pair of proper Teisco style Gold Foils.

And this I am rather excited about. I have a lovely Daphne Blue Jazzmaster body, suitably aged and lacquer crazed, one of my delish blocked and bound necks, the Mojo Gold Foils and loom to come shortly, and a set of Sperzels and I'm ready to go. This will genuinely be a keeper, no honest, although I must admit I did open up The Jamais Vu One earlier and instantly regretted not keeping that one too. But anyway, The Alcman One should be rather groovy indeedy.

But looking forward, I think 2014 will be rather offset in the Jooky Classic department, and if things work out as hoped a few sets of Juniors too. I'm hoping that some set necked Juniors and top notch Les Paul style thingies will also happen, but we'll have to see.

For the first time I've made less guitars this year than last due to my rather extended summer break, but it has been worthwhile I think as the world is straighter in my head.

Yadda yadda yadddaa...

But there we are, Happy new year and thanks for sticking around to read this drivel.

La la laaaaa

Happy Christmas Daze

Well, as I type this Santa is probably over Zaire according to NORAD, which is worrying as I just saw him down Portishead High Street, but it is a time for miracles... I think it was the mini-skirt rather than the bottle of cider (s)he was necking that  surprised me most.

Obviously, it is school holibobs so my usual slovenly pace will slacken further, but I do intend to finally finish The Sally James One over the next few days and will pop up to display my wares once again.

Sally, is of course my lovely corroded copper Mustang, and the first Mustang I've ever made, so I'm looking forward to it, and as the missing bits finally arrived there are no more excuses to  be uttering.

I went for a lovely red tortie 'plate in the end, and I would love to show you it, but can't be arsed to find the camera, but then why spoil the surprise?

But anyway, for those of you that keep reading this drivel, I commend your bravery and stamina yet question your sanity, but I love you all, each and every one of the both of you, and hope I can do something worth reading about in 2014.

So terrah for now...and have a Happy Fun Filled Crimbulmus

La la laaaaa

Free The Jooky One

Well, a while back I did this little 'how to Jookify your guitar' thing on The Fretboard, and at the time one of the founders of said forum - we'll call him 'Tony', as that is his name - also gave me a second body to defile (that is going to pop up on some strange web searches) but I completely forgot to do a thing about it.

Anyway, thru guilt and for no other good reason, I decided to do something for once and in the process hopefully raise a few bob for the forum, which has no advertising, is UK based and accounts for 90% of my spare time and the Classifieds probably 120% of my residual income.

So the plan is that I will take the body that Tony made and turn it into a rather cool guitar.

And the guitar will be a bit special - the body you can see, but it will also have a neck, which is useful, one of those rosewood/maple/bound/blocked jobbies I've been pleased with in recent times.

Tuners will be Sperzels, the bridge will either be a Fender Tele one or a Hipshot hard tail jobby, not sure yet, and the pickups will be a Gimp Tele pup at the bridge and a Mojo Gold Foil at the neck.

So basically it is going to be one groovy mama of a guitar.

As for the finish, well, haven't quite decided that yet but I think I'll have a little fun with it.

And as for the finale of this little show, I'm going to give it away to a random member of the Fretboard community.. For free. no money and basically bugger all.

Or rather I will give it to one member that has shown his/her dedication to the cause of interwebby freedom by making a  donation toward the running costs of this oasis of GAS.

So if you fancy your chances of getting a shot at what is destined to be a spectacular lump of guitarish delight, you need to...

1. Join The Fretboard - and if you do, stick around, there are some great people on there and I've learnt more about guitarythings there, than from anywhere else. If you are on Facebook or Twitter you don't even have  to register, just logon by clicking a little icon thing, and then

2. Make a wee donation to the cause, the thread Here explains all

3. Cross thine fingers...

La la laaa

Lingering Honey With The Paper Plate

Well, I just realised I had put this back in it's case as I am waiting for a super cool scratchplate to be etched, but I hadn't shown you just how lovely my Honey was looking.

I must admit the paper 'plate look doesn't really work, but imagine that with a bit of quality etched metal, and hopefully you'll see where I'm headed, if not where I'm coming from.

Probably.

And I have to say she is a wee dream. The corroded bronze top is understated yet displays moments of brilliance. The neck is a beaut - long tenon and all - and I have to say I am totally in lust with the Mojo Gold Foil pickup, which is a dirty sick puppy yet cleans up for church quite nicely thank you very much.

The 'plate is of course a finishing touch, as is the epic Hipshot Baby Grand bridge/tailpiece thingy and the ornate Art of Deco Grover tuners.

I even left the back just stained and waxed to show off the one piece of mahogany the body is made of.

And I think I may have found my keeper of a Jooky, for now anyway...who knows what futures will bring.

Well, until I pickup The Trojan and Jamais Vu Ones, when I change my mind rapidly.

La la laaaa

Just Call Me Double Jazz

Well, I have to admit I have a smile on me mush today - The Trojan One had a final tweak or three and plays deevine and oh, oh and oh, those Mojo Mosrite pickups are something else. I won't try and describe them - as clearly I will just confuse myself and not be alone - but wow. Simply that. Double wow.

And the middle position is just Creamy McDreamy.

So what next, I hear nobody cry?

Well, I'm glad you never asked as with the last  couple of days before the Xmas holibobs are upon me, I am going to try and finish something else.

I know what you are thinking, what's with all the  last minute bobbins when all you've done is sit on your chuff since "taking the summer off to find yourself", and it would be a fair point. A fair point indeed.

And I have no excuse apart from sloth.

So, self-loathing apart, I will be turning my meager talents toward The Diamond Shiny One, and a Tele I will make. And I have to say that I think it is the best idea ever and mark my words, Fender will be nicking it and flogging Teles with Gold Foil pickups at the neck before too long and claiming it as a masterstroke.

I guarantee it.

They'll give it a funny name, maybe the Vintage-Made-Up-If-Only-We'd-Thought-Of-This-Fifty-Years-Ago model, though probably in pigeon Spanish, and it'll be a Custom shop jobby, move to a Mexican one that nobody likes before getting it right with a Squier.

Writings on the wall, telling you. Probably get Ry Cooder to squiggle his name on the headstock.

So there we are.

Whatever it was.

La la laaaaa

Sold: The Trojan One

The Trojan One is the first of our new range of Jooky Classic guitars, and is basically Jookified in-excelsis. The swamp ash body has been given an active iron coating that has been attacked with nefarious chemicals that have started it to rust. This has been topped with beeswax, which will protect it, but age naturally while the iron below will continue to slowly rust as time goes on. It won’t all disappear in a cloud of red dust though, as there are multiple layers that are sealed beneath and will stay forever more-so.

The neck is a real beauty, with a generous C profile, made of quarter sawn maple with a beautiful dark rosewood fretboard. Here we have gone a step further with binding and cellulose block fret markers which look divine. On top of this we have gone for Sperzel tuners which are super cool and yet groovy too.

Other hardware is traditional Jazzmaster – a Jazzmaster tremolo matched with a Fender Jazzmaster bridge and a no-nonsense black scratchplate is partnered nicely with old school Tele knobs.

The final flourish is a pair of deeply unusual pickups, courtesy of uber pickup guru Marc Ransley of Mojo Pickups. These may look like Jazzmaster pickups, but within are a matched pair of Mosrite influenced noisemakers, which are quite simply awesome. Like a P90 on steroids and genuinely full of sustain, spit and vomit. These really are stunning, which we’ve combined with one of Mojo’s beautifully traditional wiring looms (all CTS pots, Switchcraft Switches and socket, Paper in Oil caps and cloth covered wire), which are destined to last generations. In fact as guitars go this is an out and out alt.rock.god (in the old sense), that genuinely wants you to bash seven shades out of it.

*

To be clear, The Trojan 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.

*** SOLD ***

Technical Stuff:
Type: Jooky Classic

Electrics: Mojo Mosrite Jazzmaster Pickups, Mojo Jazzmaster Wiring Loom

Guitar Type: Jazzmaster

Construction: Swamp Ash body, Maple/Rosewood neck

Strings:     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: JL#1

RSP: £1249

Mr Lee Plays Hartlepool

Well, I couldn't help but notice that the rather wonderfilled Mr Lee, direct from the frozen North, has done a demo of The Hartlepool One, which if you are interested in hearing what these Mojo Gold Foil pickups can do, you really should check out.

Can't say I remember it sounding quite that good when I played it, but must be something to do with the thiness of the Atmosphere or something..

Anyway, luxuriate in Mr Lee and his amazing dancing Jooky...

La la laaaa

What Becomes of the Broken Jookied?

Well, I always wonder what becomes of my Jooky offspring and sometimes I know and other times they just disappear into the gloom, never to be heard of again.

One I have heard of, is The Spangled One from long, long ago, that I notice is now for sale over on The Fretboard Forum's Classifieds for a silly cheap £150...

And what a tale it has to tell.

Originally, it was of course paisleyified with a sparkly finish, but John who bought it unfortunately saw it viciously 'relicked' by a wild, untamed err, puppy, which removed a lot of the paisley and left the poor thing in tatters.

(Note to self - don't use that hide glue again)

Anyway, as should be done, John got a friend to paint the even more Jookified guitar than intended, and went with a stunning War of the Worlds vision of fear, pain and a common somewhere close to Woking town.

He also changed the pickups to an Axesrus set and generally it looks rather amazing.

So to cut a long 'un shorter, this is it, and if you fancy it for a tonne and a nifty, John's your man...

La la laaaa

Saturday Night Revelations

Well, I finally get on-line again and wouldn't you know it but I canna find the camera, which is up there with the imaginary pooch scoffing my homework, but there we are. Expel me why don't you.

And the sad thing is that I actually have things to tell and show but the pix will have to wait for another day.

So top of the shop is that I realised something - and it was a bit of a slo-mo kind of road to Damascus experience, I admit, but I was explaining to somebody that despite loving The Jamais Vu One lots, I'm not allowed to keep a Jooky for my very ownsome due to the rules, when I suddenly remembered that the rule was not quite that at all. In fact my golden rule was that I could only keep one, and as we currently stand I have, well, none, zero, nada and zilchoid. Nothing. not a Jooky to my name. Not even my initials.

And that made me happy,  hippy and happy as it means that I could give myself a Jooky for Xmas and not have to feel guilty about it.

But what to pick - obviously Jamais springs to mind, but I am also on the cusp of finishing The Trojan, Lingering Honey, 668, Sally James and  Diamond Shiny Ones, so I am spoilt.

The second thing was that I finally made my mind up and finished The Trojan One. You'll have to take my word for it (hidden cameras, don't you know) but the rustiness along with a black 'plate, beautifilled neck and a pair of Marcy Mojo's Mosrite, err, Monsters makes it one uber cool guitar.

OK, it is quite understated, I am the first to admit, but the sound is like a P90 on steroids and the sustain is just crazy incredible. I am seriously in love with it.

But I'll do a proper introduction another day, as my powers of description just won't do in this case.

So there we are, well, here I guess.

La la laaaaa

First World Probz - What To Do...?

Well, for the first time in ages I find myself with time to actually do something useful, but I have a dilemma.

I have two guitar bodies, all the bits 'n' bobs needed for both (though not pictured) and yet, I seem to only have one neck between them.

So do I look behind Door Uno, and finito The Trojan One in all it's rusty Jazzmasterishness and luxuriate in the filthy Mosrite style pickups? or perhaps,

I choose Door Trois (religious grounds stop me peeping behind door Deux, of course) and step into an unknown beyond and sample Mr Mojo's prototypical Blade Tele bridge pickup alongside his gorgeous Metal Mickey of a Gold Foil at the neck of The Diamond Shiny One?

I will have another neck next week, but this is about today, now, right now and I can't decide.

(I've just realised I only have one neck plate too, which would have stymied me further even if two necks were here and available and would have been more of a bug in my snug rug, it has to be said.)

I know in the grander scheme of love, life and poetry this is meaninngless, but this is guitars we're talking about. Guitars I could plug in and make loud screechy noises with, so that has to count for something, surely?

La la laaa

Gee Up Sally - WIP: The Sally James One

Well, I love it when I get parcels from Marc in Mojoland, as they always have cool glittery delights nobody else seems to do..

Today saw a bumper pack with a lovely Mustang/Jaguar neck and pair of pickups sharing the stage with a cool wiring loom - all vintage groovy and top notch of parts.

He has even thought about this poor sinner's issues with personal safety and come up with an ingenious and solder-less solution to joining it all up together again.

And rather lovely I think The Sally James One is looking. The fotos don't really catch how lush and vibrant the copper and corrosion are, but heh, what can you do.

Now if the trem, 'plate and other metal bits arrive in the next day or two I could be movin' and a groovin' down Nirvana way before the weekend..

Jesus Wants me for a Moonbeam

La la laaaa

Some Diamonds Take Forever

Screwdrivers and Biscuits - Jooky Inaction

Well, so I put together a lovely list of what I was going to do this week, the interweb died a death for a couple of days, and so I trot off and start to finish something completely different. I tell people that this blog is my surrogate memory, and it be the truth I tell you.

Anyway, so I started to finish The Diamond Shiny One as I haven't got a Tele to play and this one should be rather swish. And it was top of the  pile.

I gave up on the Bigsby (mainly because I had put it on The Jamais Vu One by mistake and couldn't be arsed to wait for another to show up, I must confess) and instead have gone all tred with a Kluson three barreled thingy type of thing.

But trad ends just about there, as we have a Mojo low powered blade pickup at the bridge, a Mojo Gold Foil at the neck, a lovely Kluson Bakelite pickguard and one of a handful of divine Stratty/Jazzmaster style necks I seem to have acquired, all bound rosewood and maple with blocky marker things). What else, Sperzel locking tuners and a hot sex finish you don't get out of a can.

So there we are, sidetracked once more, but in a good cause. Hopefully this will be together tomorrow, if I remember that is.

La laa laaaaa

Well, I've been a slack get in recent times, but things are finally coming together and for a change I thought I'd actually try and finish some guitars in the coming week.

Top of the shop will be my little Xmas pressie to myself, the Mustang, The Sally James One. The corroded copper finish is gorgeous, and Mr Mojo is posting me pickups and wiring and even a neck and as I remembered to order the tremolo, bridge and funny metal control bits we should be in metaphorical clover, as it were.

As the King of Halifax has also done me a couple of his stunning Mosrite pickups for the rustastic The Trojan One, I have high hopes of finishing that too, which will be a lark if not quite a jape.

But what about The 668 One with it's uber cool Speedbump pickup - well, I ordered a nice tremolo for that too, so that is on the rails but an outside bet at the moment as I have forgotten to remember something, I'm sure. Tuners spring to mind.

I don't know where I'm going to put all of these pretty things, but maybe I'll  manage.

As for the much heralded The Travellin' Man One, that is done and dusted - and it had got a little dusty - and will be off to the Americas this week with a fair wind and after all this time I hope Mr Murphy likes it.

I don't really get on with Strats, I may have mentioned it once or even thrice, but this one is a handsome devil and like Leonard Cohen's bird, I could make an exception.

The mixture of pickups is very cool - PAF at the bridge, a lipstick in the middle (and if you fancy a Strat with Lipsticks all I can say is Marc at Mojo Pickups has something special going on there again, trust me, I'm a vegetarian. no bull.) - with one of his humbucker sized Wide Range 'Buckers at the neck. It genuinely has it all going on, and as Patrick plays many a style I think he will wring every last tonal drop out of it.

No pictures of it yet of course, as I want the boy to have a surprise/not run a mile at the prospect, but hopefully he will send me an action shot or three once he gets his golden mitts on it.

So yes, I'm gabbling, but it is Saturday night, what else is there to do?

La la laaa

Putting Out Fire With Gasoline

Well, the finish on The 668 One is done, so I had a little plonk-together (not that I have many parts, you will understand) and my only concern is that it looks a wee bit posh.

I'm really not sure what went wrong.

I'm thinking that a maple neck might help, so I will probably do that, and a trem too, of course. And, well, lots of other bits.

Still, can't be bad, may be done by Xmas, after all.

Really, want to hear this Speedbump pickup though, I got a feeling that it may prove to be a beggar in a prince's finery

La la laaaa

p.s. Just woke up, you'll have to excuse the lack of interestingness

Rustification of the Trojan

Well, despite expectations, I actually got on and finished the body of The Trojan One and rather nice it turned out too.

With this one I wanted quite a realistic looking rust and I have been playing around for a few months with how to keep things going without it going mad and stomping all over Tokyo, and it is nice it worked.

What does that mean in English? Well, the iron that you see on the body will slowly continue to rust as it is sheltering beneath wax but not totally (PH) stable. However with cleverness of which I am not often blessed, there are multiple layers so it will never just disappear into dust and leave you crying

This is good, I'm happy.

It is as close as I'm likely to get to a lava lamp anyway.

From here, the neck is rather groovy I'm sure you agree (I was going to put it on the 668, but changed my mind), and I'll remember to ask Mr Mojo for some of his delish Mosrite stylee Jazzmaster pickups and appropriate wiring, I'm sure.

Happiness

La la laaa

668 State

Well, I know I said I was going to be-bronze The 668 One, but that was before I remembered that I had forgotten that the body was a lovely lump of swamp ash and that I had intended to keep the grain grainy.

So instead I decided to go all Wilko on it, it is meant to be a noisenik rocker of old school dimensions, after all, and whilst not a Tele I figured it could still look mighty pretty with a black stain, shiny hard wax oil finish and a bright red pearl plate.

So that is the plan, today at least.

Attached to that I'm going for a flashy bound neck, with square bits of plastic for fret markers and a big old CBS headstock, obviously the Mojo Speed Bump 'bucker at the bridge and some sort of groovy trem I've yet to decide upon. Maybe a Hipshot as I keep meaning to try them in all their stainless steel-ness..

I may even shave my head (won't take long) and I could even stretch to a pint or three.

It's going to be cool, methinks

La la laaaa

Charlie's 'Orse

Well, The Trojan One was getting rusty wid it today, and jolly nice it is too. I'm aiming for super trashy with this one, so I'm mixed just a touch of copper in with the iron so that we've ended-up with a hint of waste d'nucleur - or at least a few hints of green and blue among the general orangey goodness.

I think I said before I'm going for double Mosrite for the pickups, which should rather neato.

As for the rest, I think I want a rosewood 'board for the neck as that always feels cooler to me, and obviously it is the normal tremolo instead of a Bigsby this time.

On a bit of a run, I also decided to get my act together with The 668 One, which is of course the single pickup Strat that is going to boast the Mojo take on the old Kay Speedbump. Can't wait to try this, and obviously it is a Classic and I am keeping it for my very ownsomeness. No, really.

As for the finish, I loved the way the copper corrosion turned out with my latest change of finish, on The Sally James One - so I'm  going to repeat the trick with some bronze on this and see if I can pull it off.

But I blather

La la laaa

So Mouldy

Well, I decided a similar back to the front for The Sally James One would be a good idea, and the mouldy look seems to have taken hold. It is a beautiful blue, and I'm going to try a different way of sealing this one, I'll get my chemistry set out again.

I also started to be-iron The Trojan One, but forgot to take any pretty pictures, so you'll just have to trust me on that one.

As you can imagine, loads of stuff is going on behind the scenes here in Jookyland, and I didn't really spend the day eating Cadbury's chocolate and watching daytime telly. Life is so complicated, I really don't know how I manage to be so efficient and productive.

OK, I'm bored,   admit it

La la laaaa

Horsey Horsey and the Gee Gee Song

Well, The Sally James One is looking good already - quite pleased with that, though can't quite make me mind up whether to go for a matte beeswax finish (which keeps the blues blueyer) or a more shiny hard wax oil one.

The decisions I have to make.

And it suddenly struck me earlier, that I haven't ever done a proper, full on rustified Jazzmaster, which is daft

Yes, proper daft and yet also  silly and almost edges toward wilful neglect. So something I need to put right.

And as luck would have it, I do in fact have a Jazzmaster body or two going begging, so all I need to decide is whether it has a Bigsby or ye olde traditional Jazzmaster tremolo.

I do feel the need for some trash at the moment though, so a pair of Marcy Mojos Mosrite stylee pickups would seem to be the order of the day.

So that will be The Trojan One, for the chap who generally has to work hard at just about everything.

La la laaaa

Slow Starter

Well, I know it takes me a while to get from thought to deed, so I thought this morning that I'd get my finger out and make a start on The Sally James One, and so that is what I did do.

As you may remember (barely in my case) this is going to be a nice Mustang, which I was planning on making uber colourful, but instead seem to have painted with copper as it feels quite a bright and crisp morning and, well, it might be nice.

For a change I'm not going to go Beyonce mad on the corrosion, maybe just a tad around the edges for forms sake, as believe it or not sometimes I can actually show restraint.

As for the rest, well there is a nice neck coming and I'm hoping Mr Mojo will come up with something trashy for me in the pickup dept. as well, and this afters I will sort all of the other parts out.

I am efficient, after all.

OK, well I will try and remember to do it.

I've never actually made a Mustang before, so am looking forward to this...a leetle pressie to meself, perhaps.

La la laaaa

Ganga Style

Well, The Lingering Honey one is hardening off, and hopefully will be together-again next week sometime. I've got something spesh likely for the scratchplate as a finishing touch which should be cool if it comes off.

So being a chap of little brain, I am wandering on to something else and hopefully getting on with the first Ganga6 of the Jooky Juniors.

I can't remember what I've said before, but the Juniors will be released in sets of six, each set having a different body shape, and each individual guitar having a different finish. It's a lot simpler than it sounds.

Anywaysup, the first run of these will be based on a Tele shape, though with more of a Les Paul Jr feel, as it will feature a single Mojo Gold Foil pickup at the bridge, a Strat neck, simplistic controls and again a groovily custom scratchplate, again if that comes off. I want these to be cut down, cheap and trashy yet exquisitely beautiful, so obviously I am the man for the job.

And more to the point, I have sorted the bodies and necks and everything else can follow from there.

I've become a leetle over-run with enquiries about Custms at the moment, which is nice yet perplexing, so apologies if I am a leetle slow on the replying or the uptake, come to that.

La la laaa

WIP: The Lingering Honey One

Well, it has been a bit of a slow one, but the finish on The Lingering Honey One is nearly there - I have the acid burns to prove it - and despite the shonky foto, it is really cool. I went for a mix of copper, bronze, aluminium and something else I've forgotten, but I tweaked the mix as I wanted a petrol blue-ish hue. And hooray for the hue.

As for looking a bit Art Deco. well, you didn't think it would be obvious, now, surely did you not?

Once it is together, you'll revel in the glory of the coming of the lord.

There is no more to be said.

Right, casualty then

La la laaaa

Oiling My Honey

The Secret to a tasty finish,
is to use both the butter and
the mushroom soup

Well, getting past the tears of yesterday, I thought it was about time I got on with something - so today I have started in and on The Lingering Honey One.

If you remember this little baby is my lovely MIJ, long tenon of necked Les Paul Jr, which will feature a bit of an Art Deco vibe, or at least look a little more fancy pants than your average Jr. Probably.

So anyway, the back sides and neck have been stained a lovely old walnut colour and then will be getting a sheeny nice oil finish. I love oil finishes on necks, and as I'll probably end-up keeping this forever more (I know, I know) I may as well go ferrit.

As for the rest, it will of course be having a rather delish looking Mojo Gold Foil in lieu of the usual Dogear P90, and the wrap around bridge is going to be a Hipshot one after many other alternatives have been contemplated. Tuners will be Grovers with fancy bits, and there we are.

As for the pickguard, well, I'm hoping for something fancy indeed for that, but fingers crossed. It might be black vinyl if things don't pan out.

Yeah, yeah, it's good to be back, good to be back...

La la laaaa

SG Horror Show - The Highs and the Lows

Well, apart from Sky buggering up our internet, it has been a week of highs and oh-so-lows...

First up is my old '89 Epiphone SG. It is nothing special, bolt-on neck, shonky quiet pickups, dodgy tuners, though exactly the same as my first 'proper guitar, and well, I am putting the mental in the sentimental, and I rather love it so. The neck is deevine.

Anyway, I've decided I want to keep it 'stock', although maybe have a few tweaks under the hood, so the plan is to replace the tuners with something similar looking - Grovers no doubt - and maybe put new pickups in but retain the horribly plastic covers. Wiring too will no doubt benefit from some Mojo, and a proper nut will certainly help. Maybe a bridge too.

I know, not a lot left, but it will look the same and that is the main thing.

So obviously, the first thing I have actually done is put a Bigsby on it. Or rather a cheapo ebay copy of one, and amazingly it is really good. I didn't know what to expect, but it works perfectly, is actually easier to string as the thingies hold the string on and best of all it didn't cost more than the guitar (which it would have if I'd gone for the real deal.)

So that was the cool thing.

As for the horrendously not-so-good, a friend of mine sent me his rather delightful old Burny SG Jr to try, and it arrived with 3 tonnes of bubble wrap, hardcase, packed beyond excellent, and looked gorgeous as I got it out of the case. Absolutely stunning. So imagine-my-horror when I noticed that the neck had gotten broken in that old-familiar-way. I don't know how they managed it, but they did quite a job on the guitar overall. Which is a total gutter and I feel rather horrendous about it.


The irony of course is that when the Epi arrived it was wrapped only in a black bag with nair a mark on it.

The highs and lows. Shonky innit?

La la laaaa

Hello Hartlepool (Slight Return)

Well, if you ever felt glum at missing out on the audaciousness that is The Hartlepool One all that time ago, today could well be your lucky day as the chap who had it - Immy, top Fella indeed - is having to move it on.

What does this mean?

Well you can get it for £300, complete with a matched pair of beautiful Mojo Gold Foil Pickups and complimentary wiring loom, and the stunning Mother of Jooky finish that had me tearing what little hair I had left out as I went thru literally dozens of  coats of pearly paint.

To check the spec you can go Here

To save me from myself, and snap it up for your very own-some This is where you need to go...

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Ride Sally Ride

Well, I must admit I find all this Jooky bobbins hard sometimes. I mean, I get to make all my dream guitars, which is fun and cool and not a little groovy, but then I sell them so other people get the fun.Which isn't so good. Not good at all.

I can't help feel that I'm doing it wrong.

So for a change I thought I'd make a guitar I really don't want to keep.

But then, what's the point in that?

None at all, so that went out the window quicksmart.

So  I thought I'd make a signature guitar for somebody who probably doesn't want it, and so I could keep it.

And as I quite fancy a Mustang at the moment I thought I would make one of those.

That would be fun.

And as for the endorsee type, well who better than Sally James from Tiswas.

So there we are, The Sally James One - a Mustang, lovely alder body, flashy seventies style finish, lovely neck and I get to try Marcy Mojo's Mustang pickups for the first time too.

This is so full of Wyn it could be my great aunt.

The Sally James One, coming one day probably.

La la laaa

Sold: The Jamais Vu One

The Jamais Vu One is the second of our new range of Jooky Custom guitars, and is simply gorgeous.

The alder body has been stained with a dark black, mixed by our own fair hands, and then partially covered with fine copper leaf. This we have distressed, it is literally in pieces about it, so that some of the black shows through. A final coat of hard wax oil means that the finish is super thin, yet still going to be there after years of gigging.

The neck is especially beautiful. A fifties style handfiller, it has a flamed maple ‘shaft’ with a beautifully dark ebony fretboard. Frets are medium jumbo and made from stainless steel with a nice flat 10” radius it is a dream to play.

From there, the pickups and wiring are Marc Ransley of Mojo Pickups’ doing, which still remain the finest Jazzmaster pickups we’ve ever played and top notch wiring, with CTS pots, Switchcraft switches and Jack and PIO caps means it should work for a lifetime too.

As if that isn’t enough, we have forsaken the traditional Jazzmaster tremolo, and gone for a genuine, U.S made Bigsby B5 and matching Bigsby bridge. Tuners are Gotoh and strap pins are Jumbo, and we can’t say fairer than that.

All in all, this is a stunning looking guitar that plays beautifully and nails all of the classic tones.

*

To be clear, The Jamais Vu 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.

*** SOLD ***

Technical Stuff:

Type: Jooky Custom

Electrics: Mojo Jazzmaster Pickups, Mojo Jazzmaster Wiring Loom

Guitar Type: Jazzmaster

Construction: Alder body, Maple/Ebony neck

Strings:     12 - 52

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: JC#2

RSP: £1249

Jamais Vu, La Laaaa

Well, back from the abyss of the school holibobs and a frankly grimtastic week, it was nice to get my finger out and finish The Jamais Vu One yesterday, and rather pleased I am with it too.

I'll do a proper introduction in daylight/when my eyes start to open, but the finish is gorgeous, the copper leaf over black stain looks excellent - better than I hoped - and the neck is dee & vine. The flamed maple is flamey and the ebony 'board is dark, and the stainless steel frets are zingy. It is a nice handful too, which always goes down well.

As for the Bigsby, I went for Bigsby's own bridge to match the B5 and it works perfectly - no lack of tuning after many a warble and a wobble, which is a definite bonus.

It may have something to do with my putting a set of Ernie Ball's "Not Even Slinky" 12s - 52 - which feel immense, though I've lowered the action a bit further than I normally would, I must admit. No chance of a rattle that's for sure.

And in a lot of ways, this is something I've wanted to do for a while - a Jazzmaster with a Bigsby, I mean - and it works brilliantly and sounds enormous thru the Ye Olde Peavey Bandit 'Sheffield' I seem to have acquired. (I love the fact that amp has a Thrash button, how cool is that?)

But anyway, it's good to be back and today is officially The Lingering Honey One day...

La la laaaa

If Aikea made Guitars...

Well, I was having a look at the rather lovely, sixty-year-old pine body I have for what will be The Mielnik One, and generally deciding what I'm going to do with it.

Initially I thought I would just go for an old school Tele, and for once I'm sticking to the plan, although I think it will have a Strat neck - I have a lovely Allparts one I've been saving for a spesh occaze - and when I get around to it, a pair of Gimps.

As for the finish, I don't want to cover up the woody pine-ness so it is destined for oil and wax I think and a simple bakelite 'plate. It will also feature some big bloomin' copper nails, but there is no point having a fetish if you aren't willing to share it with the group.

There may be another twist or two along the way, but it only adds to the groove thang, dontachaknow.

La la laaa