Of Resurrection and Tinnitus Cured

Well, can't quite believe how quiet it is here today, minus the drone of Spongebob, constant requests for squash and I don't know what else.

Too quiet, perhaps. Maybe I should do something.

And luckily, my first day of freedom has been punctuated by the arrival of the body for The Resurrected One, which if you remember is the Elvis Comeback Special of a guitar I thought I'd make in memory of my dearly departed The B Movie One.

Oddly UPS brought the body without breaking it. Not quite sure how they managed that.

Anyway, lovely it is too, and I am seriously considering whether to give it a similar finish to the B Movie One, as it is equally pretty.

Narrr. Can't be doing that.

Anyway, it is a two piece chunk of swamp ash, and the plan is to give it a stain and hard wax oil finish. From there it will either have the original Mojo P90s Marc made for me - TV Jones size and lush - or something else like TV Jones or Gretsch pickups. I don't know in truth.

I have a nice rosewood boarded neck on it's way too, and there we be.

Other than that, today is a bit of a finish off sort of thing, methinks.

La la laaa

Loves Resurrection

The B Movie One - Buggered by UPS
The Resurrection will be ser-weeet

Well, I have sorted a nice body out for The Resurrected One, which should be with me in the next week or so, and as I know that is 'real' now I've given myself permish to start thinking about how to do it.

I need these rules to cower the psychosis.

Well, maybe one of them.

As for what the what is, well, it is a two pickup jobby again, so I'm planning to put one of Mojo's TV Jones-sized P90s in along with a TV Jones or Gretsch 'bucker of some sorts.

Saying that, the pair of Mojo P90s that were fleetingly in The B Movie One (RIP) were a bit special, so I won't rule it out.

As I've gone for another swamp ash body with a sumptuously groovy grain, I'm loathe to hide it, so I think it might be another stain jobby thought perhaps a bit more pronounced than the last time. We'll have to see when the body arrives, I guess. I am thinking that this time is will be a heavier stain rather than just to bring out the grain, with a nice hard wax oiled finish on top. But then, I'm always thinking something.

As for the neck, I've got a lovely rosewood boarded tele one, which I'm looking forward to twanging my way around, and that is about that.

Can't wait to start to be quite honest, and as we're into the final week of bratski-induced-downtime, I hopefully won't have to wait for too long.

In other news, I've sorted out a nice maple/maple neck for The Betty Blue One, so when the replacement bridge arrives from GFS we should be in clover. I've also got a nice set of Klusons (left handed, I remembered) for The Fallen One, as when I tried the Steinberger ones in it they didn't look too hot, to be totally honest, and they felt a tad on the neck heavy side of comfortable. But there we are, we have to try these things.

As for The Lightning Dragon, well, no fotos yet but the lightning is on and the red spots/blobs should be there today with a bit of luck. A light coat of something sticky and lacquer-like should finish that off in time for the rest of the parts to arrive and everything getting put together before the lass returns to school. On target, as planned and I don't want to think about what happened to the budget.

La la laaa

Down In The Ashes of the Jolly Green Giant

Well, as you may have heard me scream, The B Movie One was a bit of a write-off, which was annoyingly bugging and nauseously tear-filled, and to be honest I felt rather cheated and glum. I'd wanted to do a La Cab for ages and despite it being rather understatedly quiet in the acid and paisley departments, I rather loved it.

Anyway, I feel as though unfinished bizzyness must be addressed, and so I'm going to have another go.

This time it might not be quite as subtle, but I think it may well involve some of the Mojo TV Jones-sized P90ness as they were rather stunning and I might even repeat the 7" single pickguard, by way of rememberance.

As for the finish I think a bluey bronze would work rather-nicely-thank-you-verily-much-and-cheers-for-asking, though if I can find a nice bit of wood I might do something with a dark stain on it, we'll have to see.

It's a bit of a putting-things-right, type of thing I guess. Honoring the fallen and all that.

So coming (one day) soon, The Resurrected One.

La la laaa

Everything is Broken

You Smasha My Guitar
I Smasha Your Face

Well, not the best of times in Jookyland, I have to admit. First of all a courier manages to break the neck of my Raspberry Ripple One, despite hardcases and everything else - and I know what you are going to say about SGs and headstocks, but even so.

But then something definitely more Fenderish is my lovely La Cabronita - The B Movie One - which must have had a bit of a stomping as the top has cracked-in-transit and the volume pot has been half-buried into the body. I'm not even sure how you manage to do that while it is in a hardcase and a box.

I've got this mental image of some geezer in Totectors jumping off a pallet in a warehouse somewhere and seeing if he can manage to land buried up to his knees in well waxed Jooky.

And then The Fabulous One is coming back with a not-so-fab problem with it's neck.

*sigh*

So all in all, not verily happy about it all.

There, spleen vented. More insurance claims to enjoy.

Call me Mr Paranoid, but I am starting to think that it is personal.

Anyway, on the plus side of this mis-balanced sheet, I am rather pleased with the third coming of The Raspberry Ripple One as I've strung it up and it still plays and sounds lovely. I am however, beginning to think that maybe I shouldn't let my little Jookies out to play anymore, it's a lot safer here with me. Which let's face it, is slightly worrying.

As for other bobbins, the Jazzmaster trem-thing arrived for The Fallen One, as did some strap pins, a neck plate and some other bits I don't remember ordering. I already have a Mustang bridge, so somehow that means I am only in need of pickups and wiring, which Mr Mojo is going to sort out.

So basically, I need to make the neck pocket a tad deeper and deepen the pickup routs too as they are a tad on the light side. Oh and do the finish and put it all together.

None of which sounds horrendous if I say it quick.

What else? Well, I can get on with The Ronin One at last, which is nice, and I'm already thinking about re-working The Fabulous One with a Bigsby and a new neck if that is what it needs.

And, and...sometimes this all gets a bit complicated and I feel quite tired.

Yours, feeling slightly sorry for myself, a little tattered and torn - sparrow-like,

La la laa

Jookylicious Baby

Well, I did finish The B Movie One in the end, and crafted a neat little cavity cover out of the B Side of the same record, and jolly nice it looks too. As I was in-the-zone, as it were, I also did the pickguard for The Raymond One, though I am still waiting for the record for The Travellin' Man One, so that will have to be another day.

Other than chopping records up, I thought today could be a good day to finally make a Haut D'Jook T Shirt, or at least see if I can. So I've done one based on The JoBo One to see how it looks. Or more to the point, see what is left once it has been washed, I guess. I'll do a before and after later if you are really interested. Actually, I'll do it whether you are or not.

This is what it looks like at the moment prior to something biological.

While I was cooking old records, I took some advice (not for the first time) from luthier-extraordinary Wez Venebles and made myself a new fruit bowl out of an old Simple Minds record. We always struggle with the bananas you see, you can't put them in with the other fruit without sending it bad, so this could prove to be a godsend. I don't think it can be an official Jooky though, so don't expect it in the Hall of Fame just yet.

And the award for the best use of a
Simple Minds Record Goes...Bananas

It does strike me that I should get on with old Raymondo though. I basically need a Strat trem thing, a pickup, wiring stuff and that is about it. So not too much in truth at all. Hmmm...

As for the rest of the day, who knows... I am only one man after all, and a T Shirt a fruit bowl, scratchplates...well, it takes it's toll. I am toll-less.

I've got to work out how to use the washing machine now of course, that could take a while, has to be said...

La la laaaa

B Movie - NOw with Covered Cavities, Bless

Raymondo gets a Jimmy Reed 'plate

Sold: The B Movie One

The B Movie One is a Jookified version of Fender’s La Carbronita Especial, with a number of quirks we like to call our own. We love Teles in Jookyland and the La Cabronita is something that has long caught our eye, so when the chance to do one came along we didn’t need much persuading.

The body of The B Movie One is made from swamp ash, and we quite simply couldn’t bring ourselves to cover up such a beautiful piece of wood. Instead we did our best to bring the grain out and finished it with beeswax.

From there we added a pickguard, which we’d chopped from an old Jimmy Reed record, and matched the body with a lovely maple/maple neck with old school Klusonesque tuners.

As for the sounds, well, TV Jones in La Cabs have of course been done before and we wanted something a little raunchier, dirtier and generally likely to be found on the seedier side of the street. But they are an odd size, and so we talked to Marc Ransley at Mojo Pickups, and he agreed to custom wind us a set of his stunning P90 pickups, cut to shape and then went above and beyond the call and turned-up with a set than are quite simply breath-taxingly cool.

Additionally, Marc put together a top notch wiring loom to get the best out of them.

This is probably – definitely – the most understated Jooky yet, and like the previous 49, it will never be repeated.


*


To be clear, The B Movie 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: Norma’s Natural Guitar

Electrics: Mojo TV Jookies P90

Guitar Type: Fender La Cabronita Especial

Construction: Swamp Ash Body, Maple/Maple neck

Strings: Nickel 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#57

RSP: £799

Jooky Is FIFTY - Introducing The B Movie One

Well, I'm pleased to be able to introduce you to the Fiftieth Jooky Guitar ever, which probably amazes you as much as me.

As you can no doubt see, I've avoided just about everything I've done on the other 49 and it is in fact worryingly grown-up. Don't worry though, it will no doubt be an exception.

But I am pleased to introduce you to The B Movie One, a Jooky version of Fender's La Cabronita Especial, which I have to say is rather beautiful. Biased I may be, but for once I don't think you'll argue.

From the top, it is a swamp ash bodied beauty, that has been stained and sanded back to show off the grain before getting waxed to a dull sheen. It feels absolutely lovely and the maple/maple neck is a total joy. Not too big, but you know it is there.

As for the rest, it has a nod to Jookidom in the shape. of a scratchplate cut out of an old record, and will have a matching control cavity when I get around to it. And probably a better knob.

Obviously, the first Custom shop La Cabs featured TV Jones pickups, and lovely though they are, I wanted something a bit different (as per), and once again Young Master Marc at Mojo Pickups has stretched the boundaries of reality and managed to wind me some of the hot-sexiest P90 pickups I've ever played, and squeezed them into a teeny footprint.

I truly don't know how he does it, but these pickups sound amazingly cool and richly sordid all at the same time. The fact that they look so good helps too, uncovered and Tele-like string wound.

On top of this is a Mojo wiring harness which is as good as ever, Kluson style tuners and a six-saddle hard tail bridge.

So in summary, this is number 50, and wicked with it.

La la laaaa

Makin' Movies

Well, top excitement with the arrival of the Mojos once more yesterday, so today I'm planning on putting the wee things to work up the chimney of The B Movie One. I'm really rather excited, though you have probably guessed that already.

On The B Movie One, I have to admit it is taking all of my weeny pot of self-restraint, to stop me smothering it in rusty iron or purple paisley, and I do worry that this is a bit of a chink in my subtlety armour. But the swamp ash looked sooo cool especially once I'd brought the grain out a tad with some stain, and I do like the vinyl pickguard being the only really Jooky touch, however much I'm tempted to bind it with copper.

Ooah, copper binding, it could just work.

Plus it is my fiftieth Jooky guitar, so I really should mark the occasion somehow, even if it is by doing the opposite of the other 49. At least it isn't a red poly finished Strat, for then I would surely have to top meself quicksmart.

But The B Movie One, hopefully I'll be introducing you later on...

Other than that, I have scratchplates to make and a slight matter of a veneer for The Betty Blue One, oh and a T Shirt.

Now if I can get all of those done it will be a pretty chic magnifique old day indeedy

La la laaa

Whooah - TV Jooks In The House...

Well, I have grown to love Mojo days, and the chap himself has delivered once more...

In a childish display of paper tearing, I am rather pleased to unveil a set of TV Jones sized Mojo pickups - P90s for the discerning noisenik -  for my delish The B Movie One.

Mark has done a stunning job - they are uncovered so he has done the old Tele cotton wrapping thing, and they are going to look pukka nice tomorrow when I nail them in the guitar.

The wiring loom helps too, as the guitar is more likely to work, of course.

La la laaaa

Lirding my Goins

Well, we're into the home-straight before the school summer holibobs again blight my life - sorry, enrich - so I have been thinking about clearing up some of my partially finished bobbins and generally getting on with it.

More to the point I wrote a to-do list last week and sort of did some of it, so it seems to be a good idea, so here we go again.

Blah, blah and blah.

So this week the plan is to:

1. Make pickguards from vinyl records for The Travellin' Man and Raymond Ones. Also need to do a rear cavity cover for The B Movie One, keep forgetting about that.

2. Order lots and lots of parts if I can flog something.

3. Complete The B Movie One for La Cabronita noisemakingness duties as young Master Mojo has sent me the pickups and wiring bobbins.

4. Make a Haut D'Jook T Shirt or two.

5. Veneer The Betty Blue One

If I get that far, have to say I'll be pretty chuffed, which is a nice thing.

As for the other WIPs, well The Pearly Dewdrop and Away Got That Ones need a router and courage, neither of which I have right now, and The Travellin' Man, Raymond and Betty Blue Ones are all in need of parts one way or another, which I need to sort out.

Hmmm, better get doing something I guess.

La la laaa

Mr Mojo and his Amazing Dancing Blog

Well, yesterday was an odd day - and more on the zoomy lack of progress later - but I had some rather lovely fotos from Marc at Mojo Pickups of the TV Jones shaped P90s he is putting together for The B Movie One, as you can hopefully see.

Better still, he is now writing a blog about pickup winding and all the funny people he meets, and all that and it is really rather cool for nerds such as I and even for normal people.

Well worth checking out.

Here is his explanation of the 'TV Jookies' bless him.

I really love blogs where you can see how things are made and the 'why' is explained as you go along - which is why I write this, I guess - though I think he lets himself down a little by obviously knowing what he is doing.

But there we are.

Can't wait to try these in The B Movie One though. I put it in a case and forgot about it so as not to mither the poor chap, but then opened it yesterday and went all gushy.

Anyway, other than that, yesterday was a strange day, but somehow I got some stuff done. But I'll show you all that bobbins later on like.

La la laaa

Rainy Afternoon in Jookyland

Moody fotography
or did I lose my spex?
You decide..

Well, today is a bit of a non-runner, so I guess I'll just have to have a little Fabulous time, which is a hardship but I should take opportunities when they come.

I am rather loving my pretty wee jangle-monster though, it has to be said.

Other than that, a few parts showed-up, so The B Movie One now has it's neck attached, a bridge and groovy bullet ferrules around the back for consistently cool string passageness.

They haven't fallen out yet either, I must have ordered the right size after all.

So that and The JoBo One are pretty much there apart from pickups and wiring, which is cool.

So all in all, at the end of the week I've done everything I could really, so I feel settled now, and might have to go on a router hunt.

Anyway, guitars to strum etc.

La la laaa

WIP: The Fabulous and B Movie Ones

Don't Leave Your Records
In The Oven Mrs Worthington

Well, I know a lot of peeps read this blog and worry that my slick approach to making my Jooky babies raises the bar so high that it really isn't worth trying themselves. And I can understand that and sympathise. I realise how lucky I am to have been born with such a gift, and believe me when I say it brings it's own pressures.

So I thought I should show you that yes, even I can make life hard for myself and if not quite show myself to be fallible, well, perhaps hint at a teeny weeny chink in the old armour.

So when I say I may have left a record a little long in the oven while making a scratchplate for The B  Movie One, I hope that makes life, if not quite worthy of living, then perhaps a touch more endurably bearable.

Though, who hasn't wanted to do that to Brothers In Arms and Rumours?

Anyway, The B Movie One now boasts a nice vinyl pickguard, and I'm rather pleased to say that the paisley binding of The Fabulous One is done too - lacquer drying as I type.

I tussled with myself over this as to be honest it looked very nice thank-you-very-much without it, but I thought it might add a little something and it will be easy to remove if I don't like it. Well, maybe.

Obviously I could have gone for perfectly perpendicularly aligned smooth lines, but instead I went more windy and wyndy. It would have looked silly otherwise.

And as the thievin basket posty showed-up, The Fabulous One is now neck attached and has a lovely tailpiece and bridge (which looks a little high to me, but we'll see later on like). Tis looking good

As for chopping wood, well I had another fight with my router and to be totally honest I just about convinced myself that it is blinkin' impossible, the router bucks like a, err, bronco, and the bit seems to slide up and down at random and generally having to hold it one handed while I turn the power on as the on-off switch doesn't work is a tad tiresome too.

So in a fit of fed-up-ness, I borrowed a different router from the chap up the road, and which was loads easier and actually, well, cut the bits of wood I wanted. So for once, bad workman though I may be, I think I can safely say that this tool is garbage and I am justified in blaming all of my woes on the little £$%^&*(.

There, got that off my chest. So now I need a new router. Do not pass go, do not spend anywhere near £200 as you are brassic as per.

So in summary, don't feel inadequate in Jookyland, there really is no need whatso,and with a bit of luck I might be getting some strings onto The Fabulous One tomorrow, assuming that the pot and socket go thru the F-hole still, now that I've covered it with gubbins.

La la laaaaaa

The B Movie One Gets
A Record Breaking Pickguard Thing

Ooh, Looks At Those Grooves
(OK, Only One And It Is A Spiral, But...)

Paisley Bound Fabulous

Now With Bridge and Tailpiece, Blimey

O Mother, I Can Hear...

The Fabulous One
If I Only Had A Tailpiece
And a Bridge
And Was Wired-Up

Well, another week in paradise regained without the Rooney-esque barnetry benefits, unfortunately.

As to what gets done this week, well in truth it depends on what shows up in the post.

Young Marc of Mojo fame is whirring his winder and producing all sorts of bobbins and general loominess.

There are necks and tailpieces, strap pins and bridges and all sorts of other stuff in degrading orbits too, and who knows what will crashland next.

As for things to make and do, well as far as the three-most-likely-to-be-finished go, there isn't actually that much.

1. The Fabulous One:

The lacquer is dry so I just need to sort out the ersatz binding and then put it all together once the tailpiece and bridge arrive. Sounds easy, hmmm.

2. The JoBo One:

That is waiting for a pickup and wiring loom and that be that.

3. The B Movie One:

That is waiting for, well, everything. Though I need to craft a scratchplate, which I can be doing, like.

So today then is binding the Fabulous and scratchplating the B Movie, which shouldn't take long, and then the race is on for the rest.

Hopes, dreams and expectations?

Well, I would like to finish one of them this week, but I don't really know which. The Fabulous One is probably the most likely, but who can really guess at such quicksilvery slivers in the corner of your mind's eye?

Other than all of that, I'm going to go ferrit on The Pearly Dewdrop One and get some wood chopped.

Didn't I say that weeks ago?

Probably.

And there we are....

Fun fun fun

La la laaaaa

Fabulously B Movie-ish

Stained Ash. Shocking In It's Simple-ness

Well, the lacquer is dry on the back of The Fabulous One, and I noticed I'd 'nicked' the front so I have filled that and sanded it back. I almost feel like I know what I'm doing at times.

Anyway, once that was done I gave it a couple of coats of copper on top, and then got creative with the House Home Brew Concoction. Hopefully, that will be dry and get lacquered over the weekend and be ready for it's nuptials next week.

With nowt else to do then, I thought I'd do something a little different today and instead stained and then sanded back the Swampy Ash Tele body I mentioned. The B Movie One, as it will forever now be known.

In a shocking turn of events, I'm going to go for a (shhh - don't tell anybody) pretty plain finish - wax, and then do something more Jookified around the edges.

I'm really not sure what I'm thinking of - far too simple for one such as I - but there we are. Jookies, also available in beige, before you know it. Quite worrying, in truth.

Corroded Copper - Bit Trickier, I Must Say

I have to say, I've never done this before, and scared myself to death when I put the black stain on and it looked like a puddle of Cherry Blossum, but once it had dried and been sanded back it looked rather nifty. A couple more goes with an 'Oak' flavoured stain and I was happy enough and so I've moved on to a nice wax finish. I did ponder going for a hard wax oil, but really I want this to be a bit of a soft-sheen experience, although it'll have a few 'touches' around the edges, I'm sure.

Obviously, I'm getting in touch with a previously unknown subtle side and I'm not a little shocked, it has to be declared, but it is good not to be predictable, don't you think?

As I haven't actually got any other parts for this one at all, it might be a while before I mention it again, of course, but there we are.

La la laaa