Dirty Little Pleasures

Well, despite my deep and tenderly caring love of the raunch that is now my Mojo-equipped PRS, I still find that I can only bring myself to play it with the curtains drawn. So perhaps it is answering my which-one-has-to-go question all by itselfdom.

Either that or there are days ahead with me in me pants and string vest, eating out of takeaway trays and strumming all by myself with the curtains shut.

I don't know.

Not a pleasant thought, well, for anybody I'm sure.

All of which distracted me from The Fabulous One somewhat, but for not much longer, so getting that sorted is today's job. Sorted as far as disfigured can mean sorted. With less wood than I started. Literally, I mean. That isn't bringing me back to the PRS.

But today, yep. if things go to plan, it will be routing The Fabulous One and copperifying The Glory B One's 'plate before putting the rest of the guitar together tomorrow. I have high-ish hopes of getting some Glory this week.

I just have to think about finishing it and I find myself having thoughts about finishing it and then I realise I've been thinking about it and ultimately I realise I was thinking about it and then it's time to get the brats from school - game over.

So instead of just thinking I'm going to try doing, you never know, it might catch on.

So where to start.

Dunno really.

Ah, an instant update of breaking news from the Jooky front-line.

Sick brat stops play.

I should have known better, than to hope, to dream that perhaps, just perhaps, that one sunny day we'll meet again. I might be mixing my metathingies there somewhat.

Ho hum. Hope the scratchplate comes, at least I can be-copperify that.

La la laaa

p.s. Saw Obama got to meet Beckham yesterday.
Must have been a high point for him.
Is it me or does he look more like George Michael every day?
Beckham too, now I come-to-a-ponder it.

Not So Nice Anymore

Well, the rest of the parts never showed-up for The Glory Box One, so I distracted myself further with the PRS SE One I was talking about.

Now before I explain further, you play guitar, right?

I can't imagine anybody reads this drivel that doesn't.

Good.

Now will you try something for me?

Nothing arduous, I promise.

Yes?

Cool.

So anyway, get your favourite guitar and your favourite amp.

Take the amp and put it into a cupboard or the boot of your car or something.

Cover it with quilts, coats, rags and small children if you have any.

Plug a lead into the amp and put the other end in the guitar.

You need a long lead, I should have mentioned that.

And an extension lead if you can't park outside your house.

Shut the door/car lid and walk away as far as you can from the amp. As long as your lead will allow.

Now, if your guitar has a tone knob turn it all the way down to the 'muffled mud' setting you normally avoid.

Play the guitar for five minutes and seventeen seconds.

Remember the sound.

Now, go back to the cupboard, remove all the coats, rags, children.

Turn the tone back up to 'Full' on your guitar.

Shut the cupboard door behind you, or sit on top of the amp if it is in your car.

Play the guitar for five minutes and seventeen seconds.

Remember that sound.

Now, I didn't do that today, but if I had that would have been quite close to the difference replacing the stock PRS P90 in my wee guitar with a nice new one from that Mojo Pickups chap Marc, made when I did it earlier.

The first time I hit a chord and bent some string, it gave me eczema on my face.

It is raw and beautiful.

The pickup sound, I mean, not my mush.

I don't think I can explain it better than that.

La la laaaa and a triiinnng.

Nice, but well, Nice.

PRS SE One: In Need of a bit of Mojo methinketh

Well, yesterday was a bit of a strange day all-in-all. Had to be out and about, so I managed to miss the arrival of the PRS SE One and that was pretty much it.

Haven't really had a good chance to try it out yet - the One, I mean - but I'm not entirely convinced. The odd thing is that the pickup is a lot more gentile and polite than I ever remember it being when I've used such pickups before, transplanted into other guitars, so I'm a tad underwhelmed at the moment. Playing it louder always helps, mind, so I'll do that in a wee bit and see.

As for the guitar generally, it is very nicely put together. Slightly battered (which I knew about) and the neck is a good handful, but maybe it is because I've been playing the 30-year-old Sonex and the 20-year-old LP Studio, but it seems a little personality-light right now.

I'll give it a blast anyway and then maybe pop the Mojo loom and P90 in and see how it is then. I don't generally give things much of a chance, but maybe I should.

Don't get me wrong, it looks nice (apart from the headstock) and plays nicely, but nice isn't really what I was looking for. More your face-ripping type of thing. I was hoping for something to fill my eternal Les Paul Junior void, but...

As for Jookidom, well, the Mojotron arrived along with yet another wiring loom from Marcy-boy and I can't wait to try it out. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for the other bits for The Glory B One, but hopefully they will arrive today. Scratchplates and tuners, they really do matter. I'll need to be-copper the scratchplate before I can put it together proper, but it should be sorted this week, methinketh.

Other than that I'm planning on finishing the woodwork for The Fabulous One and that is it. Nowt else to get in the way, just that.

It has gone on too long already so I need to finito it, or at least the dangerous part or I won't be able to look at meself in the mirror. Well, if I had a mirror.

Off to give the PRS a blast, then we'll see...


~~~ Later On Like ~~~

Well, I've given the PRS a blast, and I like the neck. Not sure about the finish, and am going to put the Mojo P90 and wiring in, and see if that gives it a bit more organicness and bite, as it is far too polite...

My natural instinct is not to like a PRS on principle - but the One on paper should be my kinda guitar, so I have this horrible dilemma - like finding out you prefer the Tories' policies compared to Labour and despite every fibre in your body screaming that you-can't-do-it, you feel like you have to at least think about it.

Though saying that, the outcome is no doubt predictable anyway...




La la laaa.

All Tattered and Torn

Well, it sort of went well yesterday, though courier hell continues and a no show means I'm awaiting again for someone to take my Kooky away, which is annoying. I think I must live in a black hole or something.

On the plus side, I got further along with The Fabulous and Glory B Ones, which should get further still today with a bit of luck. The pickup-with-no-name is likely to be wound todayish, so I'd better get my act together on that.

Speaking of that winding chap, I think I said the P90 and loom for my PRS SE One arrived from Marc-at-Mojo yesterday, which will be good and handy when the guitar gets here.

And of course, I went to drizzly Swindon yesterday evening to lurk in a train station and swap The Tatty Adonis One for the Gibson Sonex 180 Deluxe you can see in the fotos...

And very nice it is too. The neck has been sanded back and feels great, and I think it has probably been refinished at some point - certainly the neck if not the body, but it is very much a 'players' guitar (insert obvious joke here) so it doesn't matter too much.

The pickups too aren't original unless somebody put covers on them, which seems unlikely and there is a micro switch in there for good measure, which might be a coil-split or maybe even err, something else. Not sure it did too much at all, tbh, but I was playing quite tip-toe-quietly, so maybe I missed something dramatic.

I've come to the conclusion I don't really like coil taps much, I think the only time I have been truly impressed was on The Wicked One where it was more of a boost if anything. But I digress..

All-in-all, first impressions of the Sonex are pretty good, and I am well pleased. I'll give it a proper try out later and have a peep under the hood and all that

And no, I still haven't decided what to do with it, though I love the colour - a well aged white - and it is tidy for, what? Thirty-one-years-old. Tidier than I was back then anyway.

So all-in-all a good deal, though I already miss the Tatty and now need to find an excuse to get another Mojo Wide Ranger. I could be radical and get a telecaster, I guess...

But today, on with the chopping and copperification, while waiting for the courier...

Every day is the dame

La la laa

And so on...

Well, I've taken the plunge and started to rout (root? route??) the holes in The Fabulous One, and the copperification of The Glory B One has also started. Well, the back is drying anyway, which is a start if not a means to an end. Though it is, sort of, I guess.

The good news about the stuttered start is that there are no major injuries, and the bad news is that there are equally no fotos as I can't be arsed to go outside and take any right now, as UPS would no doubt do their ninja trick and leave a missing-you-already card before I'd got to the garage, but there we are.

The postie also worked her magic earlier, and brought me my latest package from Mojo-land, in the shape of a lovely P90 soapbar and a couple of wiring looms.

One of the looms is destined for The Fabulous One, while the P90 and other loom are for the PRS SE One I should get this week some time or otherwise.

I'm really looking forward to my battered cherry babe as I've kinda wanted one for eons, and I do fully realise that it is probably silly to organise replacement bits before I even play the thing, but what the hell. I never said I was lacking in the self-indulgent department.

Other than that, I'm off later to swap The Tatty Adonis One for a 31-year-old Sonex, so no doubt more about that tomorrow. Not that I know what I'll do with it, but you have to try these things, dontchknow?

It'll either be amazing and here to stay or on the Bay by nightfall. Maybe I should try before I buy sometimes, but I never do.

As for tomorrow, well, who knows. Hopefully there will be excited fotos of old guitars or guitars with holes and others covered in copper. Or maybe there won't. I don't know in truth. I just wish UPS would get a move on.

La la laa