Klondiking In The U.K

Well, I changed the plan slightly, as far as The Klondike Gold Rush One goes, as I decided I'd rather go for a Mother of Jooky top, with some gold buried deep, so it was a little harder to find.

I know, I'm fly.

And as luck would have it, I got the finish finished in the warmth and it is looking rather stoopendously cool. So that's good.

As for the rest, the neck is on order, and I'm thinking pickup-wise we'll go for one of Mr Mojo's Mojotrons at the bridge, with one of his Tron-sized P90s at the neck for a little awesome-in-the-middle-ness.

In other news, all the parts are on the way for The Olde Golde one, so that is cool and I'm going to do another Jaguar in the nearest of futures too, but more on that when the vapour clears.

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The Fretboard Build a Guitar Challenge 2014

Well, in the past I talked often enough about the Music Radar £100 challenges, where you had to make a guitar for a ton or less, but with the phoenix style birth of the Fretboard (recently voted the nations #1 Guitar web site, no less) I was really chuffed to see a new challenge on the horizon.

This time it is a little bit different, which I think will make it easier for more people to get involved and have a go, as it is being based on DIY Build Your Own Guitar kits.

Naturally, I've signed up already, and I think the cool thing this time is that there are no artificial limits on the dosh you spend, but you can get a kit for £69 and end-up with a guitar. can't say fairer than that.

The place is also teeming with people only glad to help you, and with each person taking part having a thread of their own to show what is occurrin' it will be a fun thing to watch too.

The kits  are coming from Gear4music - you can see them HERE - and there will be a prize.

To find out more, Here is the thread on the Fretboard (and if you aren't a member, but have a Facebook or Google logon - you can get in using that no bother).

It is free to enter (other than buying the kit), but to fund the prize and to top up the coffers of this fine, advert-free forum, a donation of £15 would be welcomed indeedy doo.

Personally, I'm going for a 12 String Tele kit with a new finish I've been testing on passing rabbits, so you have been warned.

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Sophies Bits Are In Hand

Well, top excitement in this neck o' the woody woods, as I heard today from Planet 'Life Is Unfair Audio', that the PCB for Sophie has been designed and ordered, and the rest of the parts for this goldenest of golden girls are also on the way.

The aim is that we'll have a very limited number of these pedals available come September, but that there will be some fun and  games in advance of that - but more on that laterish.

Fuzz is cool. I think that is my new mantra

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You Don't Bring Me Flowers...

Well, I noticed this comment over on Facebook from Jim of The Marksmen fame, and I thought I'd share it as it was, well, nice.

Jim got his hands on The Velvet Pearl One a few weeks ago and is soon to be introducing it to it's Big Bro' The Marksmen One. Which is a whole lot of Mother of Jooky Pearl for one time zone, I have to say.

Anyway what Gentleman Jim had to say was....

Just wanted to post a quick review of the velvety purple one. Looks absolutely stunning. The most interesting, out there, purple oily swirl. The neck is dead straight . Sound wise with the volume rolled back it is pure honky tonk woman plugged straight into an orange valve amp. When you turn it up however you have like a hurricane . A bit more gain on the amp and then you have bored of the USA. A brilliant versatile roaring guitar. Love it.

Which I have to admit made me miss the old girl. See, I keep promising myself that enough is enough and I won't make any more La Cabs, but they are just so very cool it becomes a hard one to keep.

And worse, I have a funky little body under the stairs, and next to that is a La Cab body as well, so in simple terms, what the hell, I might as well.

So this is going to be groovy methinks. It is going to have two pickups for a change, and a splendid black stain with a riotously knackered looking gold leaf top, and maybe even bottom too. 

As for the neck, well, I'm thinking it should definitely have one. 

Yep, a neck is a must I think. 

Definitely a neck. 

Tuners too, and black hardware. I like black hardware. Black and gold, it is kinda stark yet sneakily opulent as well, like a juxtaposition of something black and something else that is more shiny and well, gold.

I think you can see where I'm coming from here.

Oh, and I'm going to keep it. There, something else I promised myself  I'd not do anymore. Say I'm going to keep it. Because I don't have a Jooky to call me own. (shame)

So yes, that will be The Klondike Gold Rush One, coming one day soonish, in a maybe kinda sort of way.

Probably maybe.

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Everything Changes, But Thee

Well, The Marksmen One had it's final fettle (not least it got a new name, gold 'plate and different bridge pickup) and man does it look good in the meadow (Ah, All About Eve, whatever happened to you Julianne?)

And very nice it looks too, I have to say. It shall be leaving the shores of the Little kingdom of Jook on Monday, bound for somewhere else, though how it will get there who am I to say, who am I today, even.

In other news...well, don't really want to talk about the football, so here is a song.

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The Olden Golden Shot

Well, lordy lordy, it's nice to get things moving again, so once the paint had dried, I couldn't help but get The Olde Golde One out on the lawn clover and take a few snaps.

Only thing is I can't make my mind up on whether to go for the gold or white 'plate. Decisions, decisions.

This is a new twist on the mother of Jooky Pearliness, as I took the liberty of mixing in a wee bit of 24 karat gold powder just for extra glisterness, and it has turned out pretty and yet also wow. It also looks different depending on the light, but then I guess gold always does.

This is going to be a fun one though. Lovely neck, AVRI Tremolo, Staytrem bridge, Sperzels, and I'm thinking a Mojo Mosrite at the bridge for some serious bite, and a Jazzmaster pickup at the neck as there is nothing better in the worlde than a Jazzmaster neck pickup.

But anyway, white or gold...?

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Sold: The Marksmen One

The Marksmen One is a rather groovy Swamp Ash bodied Jazzmaster, with a stunningly cool Mother of Jooky, pearl finish, along with an aging and scuffing that your average kerb crawler would be proud of.

There are minor dings-a-plenty, but all part of the shabby yet chic vibe.

The neck is from Warmoth and is a lovely handful, maple rosewood and oiled and waxed to give a fine feeling in your mitt.

Fender AVRI Jazzmaster tremolo and Mustang bridge are cool as ever, and a set of Sperzel Trim Lok tuners mean life will always be predictably un-atonal.

As for the noise, we have gone for a set of the quite beautiful Mojo Jazzmaster Pickups.
Joining the dots we also have one of Mojo’s top notch wiring looms – CTS pots, Switchcraft this, PIO that, which will last for aeons.

*

To be clear, The Marksmen 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 Jazzmaster Pickups, Mojo Wiring Loom

Guitar Type: Jazzmaster

Construction: Maple/Rosewood Neck, Alder Body

Strings:     11s

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#13

Introducing: The Alcaeus One

Well, I'm pleased to introduce to you, the latest wee Jooketta to roll in the grass (and weeds) of Portishead, The Alcaeus One, a Mother of Jooky Pearly Blue Jazzmaster of the old skool.

From the top it has:

1. A single piece swamp ash Jazzmaster body

2. A Mother of Jooky Blue Pearl finish. the fotos never catch this well, but man it is pretty.

3. A Posh Warmoth neck, maple and rosewood, a good handful too

4. Sperzel Trim Lok locking tuners

5. Fender AVRI Tremolo and arm (it is here somewhere)

6. Fender Mustang bridge

7. Mojo Pickups famous Jazzmaster pickups - the best of the best in any sane chap's opinion - and a traditionally made wiring loom to hold it all together (Top notch CTS this, Switchcraft that, PIO whatever)

And how does it sound?

How does it play?

How does it look?

Simply put, wicked man, wicked. The old greek would approve.

I'll do proper fotos tomorrow, so excuse the snaps..

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Sophie Is A Goer

Well, I mentioned that I had got a stupendously cool pedal from Mike at "Life Is Unfair Audio" the other day, but what I failed to mention was the reason we'd been having a natter or three in the first place.

Which was a well poor show on my part.


So what I should have said was that the longer toothed among the regulars of this unlikely blog may remember that in the early days, I had planned to do a few Jooky pedals - in fact the first Jooky Guitar, The Paisley One, had one built-in, as did a couple more along the way.

And not doing them proper-like, has always niggled me a wee bit, and so I asked Mike if he would be interested in collaborating on a pedal that will be exclusively Jooky, and lucky for me he agreed.

And so, the game began. We started talking fuzz, and Mike has been beavering around with his breadboard to come up with something a little different to the norm. See what we decided was that we wanted something simple to use and kinda vintage sounding, but to also be tweakable so that you can reach those mad nutter places we all know and love. And man he is good.

And as we are  now at the point where it is really going to happen, I have to say I am really rather bloomin' excited about the whole shebang. We should have the first finished pedal before too long, and then there are  a few plans to get it out there and see what people think.

And obviously, there will be verily few of these pedals made, all will be individually cool and uniquely groovy, and it doesn't get much betterer than  that.

So that is Sophie's Filthy Boots Fuzz, coming sometime soonish.

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The Raygunettes - People Doing Cool Things They Don't Have To Do

Well, you know how much I love RayGun Relics' guitars, but it seems that such guitar battering and beautificational talent runs large in the family as his daughters, we'll call them The Raygunettes, have done a grand job on their own Kookylele and decided to auction it on a well known rip-off of an auction site for the charity Mind.

How cool is that?

A Raygunette Holding The Kookylele
Sometime Earlier, Like

The hope is that this will just be the lighting of the fuse, and that whoever is lucky enough to win it, will have a foto taken with the little beauty that can be displayed with pride on the 'Instruments of change' Facebook group, before putting it back up for auction (with Mind again getting the booty) so that somebody else can take a turn.

The Kookylele, has sequins, a nitro finish and comes in it's own treasure chest along with a map. The Raygunettes are hoping that each winner will add a little something else to the chest and pass it along.

The Ebay auction is HERE and I am the leading bidder so far, and you wouldn't want to lose out to me now would you?

How embarrassing would that be?

Everybody would point at you and snigger and snikker behind their hands.

So you know what you must do.

I'll say no more.

The Raygunettes - cool people doing cool things they don't have to do...doesn't get much better than that.

And I wouldn't normally ask  this, being the shy and retiring type of chap that I am, but if you happen to have friends, family, vague acquaintances or even people you don't particularly like but could do with some sequins in their miserable lives, why not point them at the auction, and generally spread the word. Ask them to spread the word too. Wouldn't it be brilliantly cool if this little Uke went around the world, raising money at every step? So even if you can't make a bid, spread the word, it costs you nothing....

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Introducing: The Bacchylides One

Well, I promised, so here it be - The Bacchylides One - an alder bodied piece of Jaguarness,  a quite gorgeous time stained nitrocellulose Lake Placid Blue finish, a quite splendid neck - god how I love this neck - Gotoh Kluson style tuners for added authenticity, a pair of Mojo Pickups finest Jaguar pickups and Christ-how-does-that-fit-together wiring loom (with all the best parts known to mankind) and there we are.

Sex on a sticky stick.

I have to say I went hotter than vintage for the pickups and they have a nice touch of Aberdeen Angus about them as well as the usual Jaguar loveliness. All you need do is twist the funny plastic round thing with 'Volume' writ large on it... Who'd have known?

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Bacchylides To Reality

Well, I'll be introducing The Bacchylides One tomorrow sometime, but I realised that I never shared this little foto of what I've been upto with the finish, so as this is probably the last chance, here it is.

Basically, as you know I don't do the relic thing, but I do like making things look olden dazed or time stained or whatever, so with this one, as well as a few signs of wear, I did think the nitro was a bit shiny perfect, so I went about fading it a bit.

To be vaguely realistic, I left the metalwork and scratchplate on, and hopefully you can see the difference.

I know it isn't much, but these things amuse me, so there we are.

I have to say, it plays ridiculously well, a beuatiful neck indeed, and as this is my first Jooky Jag, I went a bit hotter than vintage on the pickups, and as per Marc at Mojo Pickups came up trumps as they are quite simple divine.

Anyway, that was it, as you were.

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