Back On The Chain Gang

Well, with one thing and quite a bit of t'other, there hasn't been a lot to speak of in recent weeks, but next week should see the resurrection of the Jooky Mojo and a tad of added muse, and I'm feeling all excited about it again.

There are a couple of things I need to finish, and I won't bore you with those, but the one that has ignited the pash once more is The Travellin' Man One, which has been on the to-do list for far too long, but there we are.

With a hint of Trigger's Broom, I've thrown away the body and neck I was going to use and had been all-of-a-dither about, and am rather pleased and chuffed that a new body in beautiful swamp ash has arrived. This is going to get a bit of a different finish to the previous norms, but more on that later. If I can pull it off it will be lovely, if not it will, err, probably get covered in old copies of The Portishead Times.

As for the neck, that has been made especially for this guitar by a top notch luthier type who contractually must remain known only by the Nom de Guerre, Jermaine. His name is Adam, but I'm trying to be circumspect. OK, his name isn't even Adam, that's how cool he is. His pseudonyms have nom de plumes.

Other than that, I finally decided on the pickups which will be fresh from Mojo-land when I remember to ask Marc to make them. It is a HSH Strat so I'm going for a PAF 'bucker, a warm single coil in the middle and a Wide Range Humbucker in a HB size at the neck. I'll also get the chap to do me a classy and classic wiring loom that give plenty of options.

Other than even that other, I'm going for a Bladerunner trem, locking tuners and err, anything else I can think of that will make it uber coolski von crypt. With the sprinkles on top of the cherry at the pinnacle being a scratchplate lovingly carved from a beaten old record.

At this point a few fotos would have been handy of course, but as I'm a nowhere man, you'll have to settle for something else.

So The Travellin' Man One, hopefully showing that some things are worth the wait....

La la laaa

Sold: The Teabagging Incident One

The Teabagging Incident One is a complete one off, being based on a Fender Telecaster we have gone the Esquire route with a single ‘Gimp’ pickup, lovingly crafted by Marc at Mojo Pickups to our exclusive recipe. This in turn has a traditional Esquire wiring loom to dredge every last morsel of tone from the proceedings.

The finish is pure Mother of Jooky, with a handpainted effect happily dribbling over the edges.

The neck is a beaut – maple/rosewood with a low action, a bone nut and a distinct lack of buzziness.


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


*


To be clear, The Teabagging Incident 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: Bab’s Pearly Queen

Electrics: Gimp Pickups, Mojo Esquire Wiring Loom

Guitar Type: Telecaster Esquire

Construction: Alder body, Rosewood/Maple 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: JGE#80

RSP: £999

Teabagging Across the Universe

Well, the next couple of weeks are destined to be Jookiless, but I remembered that I had started something and not shared-with-the-group, so at least that is something different to contemplate.

Well, unsurprisingly, it is a nice Esquire, with a funktastic finish. I did initially have this down as one of the Strappado bodies, but in the end-zone couldn't resist the allure of the trip, so there we be.

Oh, the pickguard is chopped from Lou Reed's Rock 'n' Roll Animal, a nice '74 copy.

So, from the top - alder body, groovy finish oversplattering the edges like a bingo caller.

Beautiful maple/rosewood neck, Wilko tuners and bridge and best of all a Mojo-made-to-a-Jooky-recipe, Gimp pickup at the bridge in all it's raw and sexy P90/Tele-ness.

A nice Mojo esquire wiring loom settles the nerves and there we be..

When I get to finish this, it will be known as The Teabagging Incident One, so there we are. When that will be, who can say right now?

La la laaaa

Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da, I Got A New Guitar

Well, I seem to be on a bit of a trip at the moment, as a new arrival this morning ticks off another of those guitars-I-never-thought-I'd-own entries on the list marked Non Chance.

As you can probably see it is a Rosewood Telecaster, something I've long lusted after since seeing George Harrison's one somewhere or other.

First things first, it is a 'Replica' put together in the UK by a top chap called Rich and dare I say it is closer to the original in a lot of ways than any Fender have made since Let It Be. It also didn't cost the £15K one of the old uns seem to go for.

For a start, the body is solid rosewood, made from two pieces and utterly stunning looking. The one Fender gave to Georgy Boy was solid (though pancaked with a maple strip - which this isn't), but the ones they made for sale were chambered to get over the fact that solid rosewood weighs a ton or more. This is just shy of 13lbs according to the kitchen scales, so go figure. Regardless, it has had a lovely nitro finish and will no doubt age like a demon.

The neck too is all rosewood apart from a maple skunk stripe (again differing from the originals). Most of the recent Fenders have just gone for normal maple/rosewood necks and lose a lot in the process I fear.

As for the rest, all the parts are standard Fender fayre, with the exception of a couple of Marc Ransleys excellent pickups, which lets face it I would have put in anyway.

As for the sound, well Rich described it as a monster and that is spot on. The sustain is incredible - good Les Paul territory and it has a different tone from any other tele I've played. Still with all the twang, but maybe a bit warmer and richer (fuller? - god I'm crap at describing this stuff). It does need a few tweaks but nothing drastic and it will make it feel more like mine anyway, so no worries there.

As for the weight - as I tend to play sat sitting these days, it isn't an issue but I can imagine standing on a roof top for a couple of hours in London, it must have   been trying.

Other than that it arrived in one of those lovely retro Fender G&G hardcases which sets the scene.

So there we are, Old Rosey is in the house and for once I really can't imagine this guitar ever leaving me.

La la laaaa

Into The Blue

Well,  I won't bother saying that nothing much has has been happening, all over again, as it would put the bland into boring, but I have been having a think about something new so I thought I could share with the group.

I've said before that my dream guitar has always been a '68 Lake Placid Blue Jazzmaster, and clearly it ain't happening in this incarnation, but have never got my act together to make my own homage fromage. Sat on me bum for a few weeks now has given me the impetus and happening it will be now.

So from the top it will be a lovely swamp ash body that will have a proper nitro LPB finish. Inca silver beneath, blue on top and lots of groovy layers of lacquer to taste.

From there I want it to look old but not battered, so lots of checking and a few dents here and there but no belt-sanding or keel-hauling, if you see what I mean. I want it barnacle free, at least until it is finished.

As for the neck, I'm going for an ebony 'board, usual big headstock bobbins and everything else. Tuners, the classic split Kluson, it can only be so.

As for the pickups, well as I intend keeping this for my very ownsome, and don't really need two identically soundified guitars, I'm thinking a standard Jazzmaster pickup for the neck with a Wide Range Humbucker at the bridge. I'll get these made by Marc at Mojo Pickups along with one of his groovy wiring looms as, well, I want the best of everything. Other than that, Mustang bridge, Fender AVRI tremolo, blah blah and blah.

When will it happen?
Well, could take a wee while I expect, but I've waited decades already so that is groovily cool. And that will be The Sappho One, coming one day maybe probably soonish later.

La la laaa

Strappado Bodies -Special Offer Thing

Well, do second degree burns and an array of poorly-ill bratskis slow the turn of the Jooky globe so that nowt and nada gets done for weeks on end?

Yes, yes they do, and so there isn't a lot to report, and therefore I, well, I haven't.

I did miss you though.

Yes, you, not the others, just you.                               

However, time waits for no deluded-demi-tasse and as I am a leetle bored  I thought I'd welcome myself back with a spesh offer.

So for a small short time only if you fancy any of my beautiful Strappado Guitar Bodies, you can have one of them for a quite silly £149 delivered to your UK-based door. Simple as that, and then just make yourself something cool, all to your very own tasties.

£149. How daft is that - just pick one from Here and then Click on the Big Yellow Button and let me know which one you wanted in the first place.

La la laaaa

Some Think Old, Something New

Well, last week never happened in Jookyland, and that is official, and I won't bore you with plans for the coming week either today as it is far too sunny and despite the brummie influx, it may be a day for the beach at Weston super Mare.

Two nice things did happen though, which managed to be-smile my mush.

Firstly, I had a beautifully miniature teensy valve amp show up in  the deevine shape of a Vox Lil Night Train. I've looked at these for ages as though my Fender Mustang is great, I only use one of the amp sims and none of the effects, so it made sense. (Self Justification Part 4c). I know it is silly, but it feels a lot more real and that is cool. Plus I have an excuse to buy effect pedals again, even though I won't use them and then sell them on at a loss.

Actually, anybody got a fuzz factory? Clones are fine too..but I digress.

So that was the something new.

As for the Old, I finally picked-up The Golden Shower One from my local tech.

Now you may remember back in September 2011, I dropped it off as it had a raised fret that I didn't fancy messing up and then 15 months later heard that he couldn't do anything with it/wasn't worth the effort.

Anyway, I finally picked it up the other day, mainly because I thought the case would be handy for Old Korma. Well, five minutes with a fret file and  all is well with Goldie and man I'd forgotten how muchly fun it is. The Kent Armstrong HB P90s are maybe a tad polite, but still very nice.

The nicest surprise is how well the gold top has aged. This was full monty gold leaf with a nitro lacquer and it looks gorgeous almost like crushed velvet in the right light. (No, not the dark.)

In summary, well pleased with that.

But anyway..

La la laaaaaaaaaaaaa