Back in '66, Reading The Beano

Well, now that The Psychedelic One is all together and sounding 'proper' as I was told by a friend last night, I've been thinking about what to do next, and with an apology to people who are still waiting for me to do a few amps or effects, I think it is going to be another of our Leona's Groovy Guitars.

So far, of course, things have been very Fenderified, but I've had a wee idea for something more Les Paul-like, and that is now the plan.

I'm not sure if I said, but I picked-up a Les Paul copy recently - unbound, so more like a Studio than a Standard, and it played really nicely. Solid mahogany body and neck, with a rosey-old-fretboard.

Pickups and electronics were fine, but I think we can find better, and the same with the tuners and hardware, as they are all a funny silver colour which matched the guitar.

Anyway, I've snaffled a couple of old Tokai PAFs and also a couple of Gibson 'buckers too, so that is covered, and as the rest of the stuff shouldn't be too difficult to find, it sounds like we're in business.

As to the Big Idea - this week, anyway - what I want to do is some kind of tribute to the British Blues thingie of the 60's- Clapton with Mayall, Peter Green, Alexis Corner and of course the Stones, if I'm stretching a point.

How to do this?
Well, I mentioned before that I am not the biggest Clapton fan, but the Bluesbreakers 'Beano' album was one I've grown to love, and if that isn't a sign, well I don't know what is.

The idea then, is to cover a Les Paul with a genuine 1966 copy of the Beano, wire it to that Peter Green sound we all wish we had accidentally come across ourselves, and generally make a bit of a loud, raw sounding git of a guitar.

This might take a while - although I got a '66 Beano and will probably need another one- but I'll keep you posted.

As for other things, The Glistery One is missing parts at the moment - the paint is done, but I am a bit perplexed about pickups and hardware. Also I really want to do something odd and off-the-wall with that one, so time will tell.

Bluesy McFloozy

I guess you may have guessed by now that I quite like listening to, and cackhandedly-playing The Blues. I've been playing guitar for twenty-odd years now, and despite coming from the general direction of indie-land, everybody seems to end-up playing the blues eventually.

A sign of getting old, I guess, or maybe it is just that as your synapses atrophy you can't handle more than five notes.

Either way, despite being rather rubbish, I keep trying - or more to the point getting books and magazines and learning next to nothing from them, before moving on to the next disappointment. And so I was rather chuffed to come across this cool site 12 Bar Blues Guitar  which has the unlikely combination these days of being both good and free.

I was actually looking for information about Clapton's Beano guitar, but found the chords and tab for the Mayall album instead, which is probably far more interesting.

Anyway, I like the Beano and used to be in Dennis The Menace's fan club, so I just thought I'd mention it..