Two Little Jookies - Blasts From The Past

Well, it isn't often I see some of my former glories popping up for sale, so two in one week makes it an event, so I thought I'd point them out.

The first is the Grestch-esque The Bella Donna One, with it's TV Jones pickup and glorious corroded copper finish.

That is for sale HERE
and the original spec is THERE.

The other is the Les Paul Special, The Wasteland One, which was a bit of a monster as I  recall with a gorgeous rusty swirl of a finish on it.

That is for sale HERE
and the original spec is THERE.








La la laaaa

Sold: The Bella Donna One

The Bella Donna One is a stripped down rock machine that can twang with the best of them, or get deep down and verily dirty without much effort at all. With it’s Italian/Gretsch styling and single TV Jones Classic Humbucker it quite simply delivers, end of story.

The finish is strikingly stunning, the top and headstock being coated with an active copper before having a Home-Brew of acids thrown in it’s face, the back having the addition of bronze too and of course it is a complete one-off and never to be repeated.

For the record:

1.    Korina Body and Maple/Rosewood neck
2.    TV Jones ‘Classic’
3.    Steel Saddled Bridge
4.    Wilkinson tuners
5.    Pam's Baywatch Bronze - Lulu Copper Top

*

To be clear, The Bella Donna 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 Duane Eddy. There will genuinely never be another guitar like this and past experience suggests that it won’t be around for long.

You can currently treat yourself to The Bella Donna One, snuggled down and into a lovely Hardcase and delivered to your door for a rather daft £399. All you need to do is click on the big yellow button...

*** SORRY THIS HAS NOW SOLD ***

Technical Stuff:

Type: Pam's Baywatch Bronze - Lulu Copper Top

Electrics: TV Jones ‘Classic’ Humbucker

Guitar Type: Gretsch Inspired

Construction: Corroded Copper/Bronze over Korina

Strings: Nickel 10s

Output: ¼” Guitar Lead

Controls: Single Volume

Special Stuff: Certificate of Authenticity, Builder Signed and Numbered, All Wrapped with our Trademark Jooky Wrapping.

Serial Number: JGE#43

RSP: £799

Loving The Smell of Vaporware...

Well, teachers striking stopped play yesterday, but today - with a handful of new leccy parts - a steadier soldering mitt and a well sprung step, I'm going to finish The Bella Donna One, not least because my rosewood veneer arrived yesterday, and if I get Bella and the Old Burny sorted I can start to play with it, conscience clear.

To start with then, unsurprisingly I'm going to sort the soldering out. That of course may take all day, but hopefully not.

After that all that is left is to put the tuners on, which I hadn't quite gotten around to doing, and have a go at the nut as it was tightly cut for 6s by the look of things.

I'm not going to even begin to think about the Old Burny One until this babbette is out of the way.

However, I have been pondering The Rosey Wood One. If things go to plan it will have a rosewood veneer front and back, with a rust binding around the edges. There may be some dribbling involved in that, of course.

Not sure if I'm pushing my luck, but I'm going to try and veneer the front face of the headstock. Then again, if I get that far who can tell.

I've asked for some advice from people who know more than I, and I can't say that they looked inspired by the possibility of my success, but you never know. I've always had a bit of a punk ideal about things anyway.

I mean, maybe it isn't because they know a lot more about it than I do, have experience and things like that.

Maybe I'm a natural, or the fact that I hadn't even heard of any of the tools they mentioned is a positive in some small, outside-of-the-box, weirdish way.

Maybe it will work, in the same way that if I go wrong when I'm driving somewhere I just keep driving, sure that something will happen somewhere. (Usually turning around in a lay-by, or meeting cows head on and getting shouted at by Gloucestershire farmers, but I'll ignore that for now.)

Maybe it will just prove to be OK after all.

Who knows?

Given that the chances of this working are slim, I've not really thought about any of the parts, but I think trad Tele with cool pickups probably covers it.

But The Bella Donna One, focus, dear, focus. Don't get distracted.

Striking a Pose

Well,  after a quiet few days it was nice to get down to some Jooky stuff yesterday. First things first, The Sick One is amazingly cool. I'm well pleased with how it has turned out, and in awe of the P90 with extras pickup Allan at Catswhisker put together. I'm a bit gutted that I only get to play it until January, as you can imagine.

Other than that, things haven't gone quite so smoothly. Now The Bella Donna One is as simple as it comes. One pickup, a volume knob and an output jack. Simple. But can I get the thing to work?

Well, no, or I wouldn't have mentioned it, in truth.

It is doing my head in though right now. The pickup is fine, I've tried a couple of pots and two sockets and replaced all of the wire. There is nothing else.

I know it will be the simplest of things, but - GAH.

Other than that, I've ordered myself some rosewood veneer, so wrecking that will be what I'm doing once The Bella Donna and Old Burny Ones are sorted out (he says), so I can't see there being any further Jookies this year now. Though I may deviate from the Rosewood Tele template, somewhat. But that will be it. No more Jookies in 2011. It is official.

Still, never say probably not...

Confused of Jookyland - One String on my Wagon

Well, I have to say I can't wait for the post to show up, as I really, really need to put the tuners on The Bella Donna One. I'm going to wire it up over the weekend, and with a nice set of solid looking Wilkinson 'Chicago' Klusons, well, the world will be a nicer place.

They'll keep the strings on at least.

Other than that, I did receive a nice set of tuners for The Sick One. I went for some locking jobbies, which are kinda cute, with their twirly knobs and all. I also decided to go for a black bridge in the end as it just suited the guitar better. That too shouldn't be horrendous to sort out now. Assuming I can manage to remember how to wire a push-pull pot, it has been a while.

Saying that I've now put the tuners on, and it is all a bit embarrassing, as I can't work out how to make them work. They have a twirly disc on the front which turns to lock the string (I presume) but so far it hasn't done that and all I've been left with is blisters. *sigh* Never had this problem with Klusons. I've slashed my fingers and spiked myself, but never got blisters.

The other WIP one is of course that old fave The Old Burny One. Again a bit of soldering is needed and I guess I need to work out what is wrong as the pickup proved to be OK after all. After that though (with a new found reality-avoiding-blind-faith) we are there - Rome and Rosed, so we shall see.

And once I get to the finale of that particular trilogy, that will probably be it for a while as I'm going to digress and have a go at making a Rosewood (veneer) Telecaster, just to see if I can.

Unless I get an Explorer to play with any time soon, but we shall see.

La la la.

Oh, and it is West Brom v. Spurs today, which means that I live in a household at war. Everybody is being excessively polite at the moment, laughing a little too easily and loudly, but it'll never last come 3pm. Come on my Baggy Boys...

Boing boing.

WIP: The Bella Donna One

Well, awaiting couriers, no kids at home so I get things done.

Recipe for something, that be.

Anyway, I finished the finish on The Bella Donna One, and decided in the end to go with the TV Jones Classic pickup, as it looks too good to live in a box and this guitar reminded me of a Gretsch for some odd reason.

Quick mock-up later and there we are.

I'm waiting on tuners - there is definitely a tuner drought at the moment - and the usual wiring-needs-to-be-done bobbins apply.

But it looks grand, I think.

On My Way To Amaryllis

Well, sick kids mean the soldering is out of the skylight (if there was a skylight, or even a light sky), so the top of The Bella Donna One is getting a good lacquering.

I know I should have taken a foto or three of the finish, but I didn't, so there we are. Once that is done I'm going to go for a contrasting bronze and copper corrosion fest on the back, as I think it will be kinda cool.

My only dither with this at the moment is whether to put the SD '59 in it or go a bit Gretsch and put the TV Jones I've been saving for the Joe Le Taxi One. I can always get another pup for that when I finally get my hands on the body, sooo....maybe.

But that is for another day. Instead then, I'll probably put The Sick One together today - all bar the wiring - and see how it looks. The finish looks great - or maybe sick - and I'm itching to get it together and have a go on the P90... Maybe tomorrow I can wire it up though.

Other news, I'm on the lookout for another Explorer as we seem to have entered fantasy island territory with the one I've been waiting for. So if you see one, give me a shout...

I did get a Tele body and neck today, which I'm planning on using to have a go at adding a veneer. I've never been into fancy woods, but I've always had a bit of a yearn for a Rosewood Tele and this seems likely to be as close as I get. It might have a twist or three, of course, we'll have to wait and see.

But there we are, more chicken soup, Lucozade and Calpol to organise.

A Starter: The Bella Donna One

Step 1. Smooth Copper Coat

Well, The Wasteland One is off to pastures new, and the lacquer has dried on the rather amazing looking The Sick One. I still haven't wired The Old Burny One despite best intentions, so all in the wonderfilled land of Jook is really positioned to finish something.

Naturally then, I've started something else, which will in time become the glory that is The Bella Donna One. I've wanted to play with one of these sort of racy guitars for a while, and here we are.

From the top then, it is a modern wee thing, with a vintage vibe, bit like myself. It has an alder body, maple neck, rosey wood board and a fixed bridge. (Not sure what you call it to be quite honest)

All of which dictates that it has a gorgeously corroded copper top and a single Seymour Duncan '59 humbucker at the bridge. It is a going to be soooo cool. Maybe by Easter, at a rough guess.

Obviously, I forgot to take a 'Before' foto, but for the record it was black with a couple of racing stripes down the front on the left.

As for the Explorer, today is now the day, apparently. So somebody tells me.

La la laaa

Step 2. Textured Copper Coat

Step 3. Acceeeed

A Study In The Unlikely

Well, with the exception of the tuners, I've now got all me parts for The Sick One, which is pretty cool. I've still to give it a taste of lacquer on top, but the weather is so damp I'm wondering whether it is best to leave it a wee while. Be a shame to screw it up this close to the wire. Though not unusual.

I also received the Gibson/Lawrence pickup back frrom Catswhisker this morning, so I can actually crack on and finally finish The Old Burny One. I almost regret saying that already as it probably means a house fire and third degree burns at the very least.

Allan at CW also sent his lovely Tele P90 thru for the Sick One, of course, so I might have a go at wiring it up at least. I also got the push-pull pot for the hyperdrive boost thingy, which is fun, fun and fun.

Oh, and the Explorer should arrive today (stop laughing)

What else, well my Italian sort of guitar, The Bella Donna One, should show up this week. It is a single pup jobbie, and is going to be copperified and fitted with a rather nice Seymour Duncan '59.

So there we are, I'll no doubt finish all of those this week.

(ahem)