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...

La la laaaa

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