Bye Bye Blue Bird

Ah well, The Blue Moon One is off to pastures new, bless it. It'll seem odd not having an offset guitar around the place again, though the Telemaster one is here soon so normality should be resuming pronto like, methinks.

Still, The Blue Moon One...on it's way. I never thought I'd finish it, never mind see it off on life's twosted journey, but there we are. All things change.

But with a tear in the old eye, and back to reality - well, I finally got to the bottom of what to do with the Tripadelic One's scratchplate, and figured that a contrast would be good, and copper leaf  could be just that without looking overly boringesque, like black or white.

And there she was...
Gone

Alternatively I might go back to Plan W and paint it, but something more abstract rather than the initial Rocky idea. Though paulski73 suggested a mirrored one in the comments, which I have to say is a pretty good idea too.

So in summary, my decision is made,
it is just that there are a few options to consider.

That are all totally different and discrete.

So you could say I haven't made any kind of decision whatsoever.

Which would be cruel
however accurate and
basically true.

On a plus side, it is soon to be wired with a Sophie's fuzz and a killswitch if I can find somewhere in Bristol that stocks such exotica, the tuners are on their way, so there is only actually the scratchplate left to do. Which is most odd. This is normally the bit I work out first. In fact this guitar has been a bit backwards from the end and as we approach the start, well, it leaves me perplexed.

Anyway, I also plan to wire-up The Moulin Rouge One, which just needs tuners now and it is ready to go. Well, ready to have strings and be set-up, but that is close enough.

In summary then, those two should be finitoed next week sometime, which is all good, and the Drip Dry One may well follow shortly after. I think I've sorted the missing pickup out for that, but we'll see later-like.

So today/the weekend - hopefully some soldering, a lot of sleep, tuners to fix, strings to put on and well, no doubt different directions to spiral off and into.

S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G, We're Shopping

Well, this not-doing-much-in-the-school-holidays is going well. The only one of the Ones I haven't touched is The Old Burny One, which was of course the only one of the Ones I was meant to be paying attention to.

Four little Jookies
standing in a row

As for The Drip Dry, Tripadelic and Moulin Rouge Ones, I have an ever-growing part list I'm-a-needing before I can make their selves complete:

1. Three sets of tuners. I'm a new convert to locking ones, as I may have mentioned here and over there somewhere so they will probably each have different examples of these as I try to decide which ones I love best.

2. A bridge/trem thing - for The Tripadelic One. I like the Wilkinson ones. Like the tuners, I've finally found ones I like that don't cost an arm and a leg. I've also started to buy these new more often that not, as I've had too many 'name' ones second hand that basically have probably been changed for a reason in the first place and who needs unexpected third-party-grief when I am perfectly capable of creating my own?

3. Two push-pull pots for the coil-tappicidity on The Tripadelic and Drip Dry Ones

4. A momentary Lapse switch (if I go kill-switch-crazy) on The Tripadelic One

5. A pickup - preferably something hot and coil-tappable to go with the P90 on The Drip Dry One.

6. Lots of strings as I seem to have run out rather than lost them, which was my natural assumption, I quite naturally assumed.

7. Three hardcases. Needed but always a pain as they can take ages to arrive.

8. Six bottles of Grolsch, as I'm coming around to the idea of strap locks after the Gordo nearly broke my foot last time I swung it around my shoulders in front of the mirror.

And that is just for these three.

On top of those I need shed loads of parts for the Telemaster, Little Red Charvette and another Strat I'm looking at strangely, once I get around to them. And a bridge and tailpiece for The Old Burny One, now I come to think about it.

Hmmm...

Think I should be able to scrape together the shrapnel  to get a set of tuners and strings for The Moulin Rouge One, which is 'pleasing', but the others will have to wait until cashflow improves somewhat... I blame the American Senate problems. Why can't they just love each other?.

All of which means I am open to offers on The Blue Moon One if anybody is pondering a potential purchase...'

Of Slugs and Jookuleles

Well, as you may have noticed, I finally managed to finish The Blue Moon One, the problem with the wiring turning out to be a single wire that was somehow broken in the middle, though didn't seem to show up until every time I put the scratchplate and strings on the guitar. Wish I'd realised that before I replaced every other component, but there we are. Intermittent faults, don't you love them?

It has been an odd week in truth, and that was sorted at about 3am. Either way, it is my last paisley guitar, and it proved quite a tear filled moment. Although the bucket brimming with G&T might have helped that of course.

In other pastures, I was having a look at The Moulin Rouge One earlier too. That is just waiting to be lacquered, but I've left it for a few days to settle down. I was a bit confused to notice that the rusty iron scratchplate had a different finish in parts to that I remembered, and as I got closer I noticed there was a black lump in the middle. Most odd. Anyway, the lump turned out to be a dead slug and the change in the finish due to it's sluggy slime. Most yucky, but verily chaotic and random, so I'm leaving it and seeing how the lacquer reacts to the organicness of it's new finish.

(The slime I mean, I chucked the slug out - though it could have given me a Jurassic Park-esque mozzy-in-amber finish that could see future scientists filling the world with giant slugs, but I'm not sure I'd want that on my conscience.)

Before the tender attention of Mr. Slug

Post lacquer, the rest of The Moulin Rouge One is ready to go and shouldn't take long (the fame of such words) and I'm really rather looking forward to it, not least because I have some ridiculously massive capacitors to put in it which should be fun They look like silver fire extinguishers.

After that, I think I really am going to get down to The Old Burny One as I'm pretty much out of excuses not to Although, I did snap up a Vintage (as in the brand) Ukulele the other day, which is crying out for a make-over. It has already been christened a Jookulele which I quite sadly like. I'm thinking it might be nice as a Reso/CBG type of thing, but we'll have to see how it looks when it arrives. I think (if it is the one I'm thinking it is) that they have mahogany top and bottom and good necks etc. so it could be worth the effort to do something cool with, ahem, The Jookulele One. I might shove a humbucker in it, or maybe a piezo as it is probably nylon-strung, thinking about it as I type.

Either way, it sounds fun.

I am a bit bugged on one side of things. The pedal parts I ordered to keep me busy during the holibobs won't be here for another month-to-five weeks, which is annoying. I could use others, but for one-offs I want them to be exactly right, and so we wait. Thumbs-a-twiddle.

Wonder if I could market rusted iron paint as a slug repellent?

Sold: The Blue Moon One

It seems odd to be talking about the end of something, when so much that is Jooky is recycled, but The Blue Moon One is exactly that. It is the final paisley guitar we will ever make (at least I believe so now). That too may seem odd, we have a deep love of paisley and paisley guitars are clearly uber cool. But even we have to admit that you can have too much of a good thing.

It is perhaps fitting though, that as the last of it’s type, The Blue Moon One is so utterly gorgeous. The colour is stunning, and the copper leaf smothered scratchplate sets it all off a treat. Adding to that some jingly yet somehow still bluesy sounding lipstick pickups, a quite lovely big headstocked neck, and the fact that it is one of our favourite Jaguar/Jazzmaster designs, well. What can I say? Modesty rejects ‘perfect’, but for me at least, perfection seems pretty close.

Officially then, The Blue Moon One is an ash offset bodied, sea foam greeny blue paisley finished, maple and rosewood necked, Jookified guitar. It has a nitro finish on top of all other sorts of bobbins, Schaller tuners, Wilkinson trem/bridge thing and Kent Armstrong “Hot Lipstick” pickups.

And it is paisley. And copper, and lovely.

*

To be clear, The Blue Moon 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 night in Fats Domino’s fridge. There will genuinely never be another guitar like this and past experience suggests that it won’t be around for long.

Technical Stuff:

Type: Leona’s Groovy Guitar, Lulu Copper Top

Electrics: Kent Armstrong Hot Lipstick Pickups

Guitar Type: Fender Jazzmaster/Jaguar Style

Construction: Cloth over wood. Schaller Tuners

Strings: Nickel 10s

Output: ¼” Guitar Lead

Controls: Single Volume, Single Tone, Five-way Switch

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

Serial Number: JGE#28

RSP: £499 SOLD

The Dating Game

I've always been really careful about how I date the Jooky guitars. I mean, there is very little around here that doesn't rely on a certain amount of randomness and chaosisity, but I did think that maybe having the date I actually finish each guitar written on it somewhere would be a nice thing to do. And I think I can safely say that I have signed and dated them all (or if I've missed any, it wasn't intended).

As to where I sign and date them?

The Blue Moon One
Out of Date before it is finished
How cruel is that? I ask you

Well, if they are bolt-on necks, as most have been, I tend to write in the neck pocket or on the bit of the neck that goes into the neck pocket. That's the most common. I can remember writing inside a couple of pickup cavities, but couldn't tell you which guitars. And a couple have even been scrawled on on the back of the headstock, mainly because I had forgotten to write on them anywhere else, I don't mind admitting as let's face it, who cares?.

Really it doesn't matter much, it's just one of the things I do. Can't imagine it impacts on anybody else overly. But the dates. See the serial numbers aren't always in order - they kind of get 'assigned' when I start something rather than when I finish it, so given my ability to get side-tracked whilst mid-juggle, it would be a miracle if they did follow some sort of linear path.

But the dates, they are meant to be right, you know?

Which isn't always easy, I mean if I write a date in a neck pocket, and then take a few days to put strings on, or have a problem with a dodgy connection that means I have to order a part, wait for it, get around to fitting it, attempt to fit it, find that maybe I should have ordered the right part, re-order, re-wait for another delivery, re-fit...realise I haven't got any strings, and so on.

Well, if that happens the 'end date' I've written may prove to be a touch optimistic. And so it has been with The Blue Moon One. The "Last of the paisley Jookies" as I've now started to call it in some kind of desperate attempt to engender vague interest and a modicum of faux limited-edition-ness.

But the date, of the ill-fated, much delayed guitar of mine, I notice now is rather wrong being set in wood sometime in April. When I thought I'd finished the thing for the first time, but patently hadn't. Not even close.

But I'm not sure what to do about it. Should I leave it - as nobody cares but me - or should I simply sand it off and write a more correct date? Maybe a month or two from now which I can aim for?

Maybe I should do that.

Or maybe I should be thinking more about actually finishing it and let the world spin backwards on it's own sometimes.

Maybe I should have realised that if I hadn't spent so much time trying my best to get around to organising a rough outline plan that I can later firm up, assign resource to and generally initiate, that will aim to put procedures in place that will provide the building blocks, set the goals, objectives, milestones and other topologically inspired metaphors into a correct and proper order and generally if not specifically enact the process of beginning-to-do-something rather than flap flap flap and wait, pause, ponder, complicate and in simple terms never get around to doing anything, I may well have completed the guitar a lot sooner than now, or even my randomly assigned date at some point in the future that will match that written in the neck pocket of the guitar. Although as we stand and I may have mentioned, that was months ago, and now I'm not sure what to do about it.

Did I mention the lipstick pickups, look great against the copper leafed scratchplate, and the last ever, ever and ever paisley finish?

Who am I again?

School Holibobs Doom - Day One

Well, I still haven't got to finish The Blue Moon One. As expected the switch arrived but too late in the day to be utilised. Still, maybe this evening or over the weekend I'll get a chance. I'm starting to feel a bit Blue about it meself.

I've said a couple of times that this may be the last Paisley guitar I do, and that is the plan really. Not that I won't use fabric anymore ever and never, I'm sure I will, but I figure it is quite nice trying other things. I'm liking my rust and corrosion at the moment, and there are so many things to try as far as the gold/variegated leaf goes that it is daft to repeat myself too much. I get bored soooo very easy-like.

The Blue Moon One is gorgeous though, especially with the copper 'plate and lipsticks, and lets face it I'm too indecisive to be certain of anything, but for now this most definitely is it.

As for the summer, well, it is a definite slow down. The Old Burny One is still top of my list, and I think The Moulin Rouge one may get a bit of attention too, if I'm honest. I've also got a hankering for a P90 & humbucker HH Strat, but that should be for the Autumn really. I've also ordered all sorts of bobbins to make a few pedals, and if they ever turn up that would be nice to try again.

Today of course, I get to choose the winner of the wreck, err, lovely piece of guitarhood that is The Beaton One. I really should read the comments, shouldn't I? Maybe come 3pm I will...

It's quite nice doing a guitar you know you aren't going to have to sell. Giving it away is so much more fun. The nice thing is how many previous Jooky owners want another one (or fifth in the case of The Fat Old Man). Or maybe they just think one of them will turn out right if they stick at it long enough. Well, you never know.

I mentioned the other day that I had acquired a WIP Telemaster body from the nascent Fusion Guitars, and I have to say I've been a wee bit excited at the prospect ever since. First of all, it is basically a Telecaster in a wolfish Jazzmaster's clothes, which sounds good to me, and it will 'take' a standard Tele neck, which is even better as I happen to have a nice roseyboarded one hanging around and looking for a home.

As for plans for it, well, I fancy having another go at a rusty finish. I absolutely loved The Rusting Nail One, and I have a few things I want to try in that direction. There is also another wrinkle or three I'd like to add to it, but we'll see.

Other than that, it is, as with the beautiful Lulu One, going to have a somewhat Esquire vibe - a black pickguard at the neck. Whether I go stealthy and pop something special under the hood or not, I'm not sure. Time will tell.

At the bridge it will be all Tele though, I loved the Bare Knuckle Brown Sugar Lulu boasted, so that is an option, though maybe one  of their other ones. Or then again, there are so many to try, who can say where my philandering gaze will alight.

Bridge-wise, it will be old school Fender-esque ashtray and chrome cover, with a bit of compensated twiddliness for the modern gentleman that, well, likes to be vaguely in tune, I guess.

What is intriguing me most, is what a red cedar body will sound like. It is apparently very light and soft - so should Jookify quite nicely over time - but sound wise, well, colour me curiosity-filled. You could say the same about pine, and the Squier Classic Vibe Teles - and Lulu, of course -  sound great - so eternally hopefilled am we.

But I'm having the summer off, so it is academic, innit?

La, La and laaaa

Chisel Rage

Well, as you probably expect by now, all my plans, hopes, dreams and vague expectations fell to ashes around my trainers.

Chisel-rage-routed The Blue Moon One,
with knackered old Korg Pandora,
being watch by thankfully
working and in one piece
The Beaton One

Firstly, I would like to say that I did in fact get the Blue Moon One - now to be known as The Albatross That Is Slowly Strangling Me One - wired up, took my frustrations out on the routing with a chisel and put it all together. It looked great, beautiful in fact. The last ever Jooky Paisley guitar. I almost shed a tear.

Then I almost shed a few more when I plugged it in and it was doing a great impression of something silent, dead as a dodo and generally a bit too laid back for anybody's good.

Many hours were then wasted on rewiring, checking my resoldering of every joint until I remembered I own a Multimeter, and five minutes with that told me that the switch was knackered. Brand new, good make, yet flat-lining like a good one.

Well, I've ordered a new one and hopefully that will show up today as it all goes close to the wire again. I do feel that this guitar is just not destined to 'be'. I don't know why, it just feels like some kind of impossible mission.

That was Tuesday. Yesterday though, well that turned into a disaster too. If you remember (are vaguely interested) it was meant to be Gordon Smith New Guitar Day, combined with a trip around the fantastic light of Bristol's guitar shops. However at literally the last minute or three, 'family illness' intervened for the second time and so that never happened either. I still have the smell of NHS disinfectant in my nostrils as I type this missive.

So all in all, a complete pitta bread of a week in the end, I'm gutted about it. I still have today to hopefully sort out the BMO but lets face it, the odds on that working out are slim-to-zilch. The post won't show up with the switch before the schools are out and then I'm stuffed.

Still, Friday I get to give away The Beaton One. So that no doubt means the gaff will be turned over tonight, just to complete the joy, so you'll no doubt see it popping up on Crimewatch in artist impressionistic form.

Oh, I should add one uplifting little note for the day. When I finally got home yesterday an old original version of the Korg Pandora (PX1) was there waiting for me. Slightly battered, a good dozen years vintage, the back-lighting is unlit and the display can only be read from an odd angle, but plugged in it sounds great. Well, some of the effects sound great and the others can be tweaked, so a good half 'n' hour of jingling and jangling my way around Ghostdancing by Simple Minds and various Smiths and Echo & the Bunnies songs, put a smile back on my face. All for a bargain £3.84. You've got to love Ebay sometimes...even if the rest of real-life sucks like a Big Brother contestant.

The End of Paisley as we know it?

The Blue Moon One
I know I keep using this foto
but I haven't done anything with it since

Well, time is a running away with me, if I'm actually going to get The Blue Moon One dusted and done or hosed and in the homestead. or whatever it is I need to do before the holibob tsunami hits my quietish peace..

So Tuesday is officially Mooning day, as Wednesday is Bristol/Gordo day and Thursday is last-chance-salon day. You can see my predicament. There aren't may left.

So what has been the problem with TBMO? I know I've mentioned my shaky soldering paw, and that is part of it, but I've managed half-a-dozen other guitars while I've been faffing around not doing this. So it must be something else.

And the truth is that I've wired it three times, or maybe four, it is starting to blur.

Three times it worked anyway, but unfortunately in all cases the wiring didn't fit in with the routing which is a bit odd. Now don't get me wrong, I've measured it, and planned it on cardboard, but everytime, it hasn't quite managed to fit and it does my head in.

So I storm away and sulk for a month. All very childish, and maybe I should have just chopped some lumps of wood out of it, but I haven't - mainly because it would knacker the finish, of which I am rather chuffed and pleased, in that order.

So anyway, Tuesday - this time I'm taking a different approach that involves bandages, soap, a small pile of salt and an aubergine. Maybe even some burnt feathers if I can catch one of the magpies laughing at me thru the window. Which I probably should have done in the first place, but there we are. And if this doesn't work, well, another sulk will be in order...

The annoying thing is that it is one that I'm really pleased with. The paisley is likely to be the last one I ever do, the lipstick pickups I've used before and I know will sound great, and the Lulu Coppertop scratchplate looks amazing. The neck is a beauty too and ever the tuners are classy. It should be perfect, and yet, I just can't seem to deliver on it
.
It isn't so much the soldering that bugs me, it is the un-soldering when I bugger it up that grates.

In other news, I realised I needed a case for The Beaton One, which was daft as I ordered some last week and thought I had enough, so that was another chore. Should be here in time for next Monday's despatch anyway. Though typing that I've realised that I forgot to get one for The Blue Moon One, if that isn't tempting providence to sneak into fate's house and connect tripwires to bags of flour and buckets of tar and bundles of feathers on every door. But there we are. I might as well get one anyway.

I know that when I come to flog these babies of mine, cases makes them more expensivo, but they do seem to arrive more or less in one piece when I do, so it is a better thing.

But TBMO, it really needs to be sorted out. I have so many other things I need to torture myself over.

Traaa-la-laaa.
the End.

Thank you for the Daze

The Blue Moon One
One day destined for strings

Well, a sharp flurry of guitar wrapping since my return means that I can now settle down to my favourite task of all.

Waiting for couriers to show-up,
or not as the case may be.

I'm on a bit of a run with TNT at the moment as they have twice now picked-up when they are meant to, delivered when intended and everything arrived in one piece. I know it can't last but after DHL, HDN, FBI, MI6 and the CIA, it is nice to be surprised in a good way.

As for The Beaton One, well, 'awaiting parts' would be the status if things were that technical around here.

More accurately 'lay on the kitchen table', though to the same effect.

As for The Blue Moon One, well I am determined that tomorrow, that beatified piece of offsetness is going to be finished.

No more excuses, I'm going to stick with it until it works. (Though hopefully my Blackheart Killer Ant will have shown up by then as I haven't got an amp here at the moment. Ah, I could use the Line 6 PC thingie, that'll show if it works or not. Not the same mind without the glowing toobz and all that.)

But tomorrow,
or this week at least,
The Blue Moon One.

I'm really going to do it this time.

And the Beaton One, that's two.

Both of them. It is going to be soooo cool.
Can't wait.

Then I can have the summer off with an easy mind.
Phew.

Getting A Grip On

The Beaton One with unlikely SSS Scratchplate

Well, I must admit I feel a bit happier about what I'm doing after putting my little list together the other day. One thing I did forget though was the hyper-glowy Lil Red Charvette I picked up a while back.

I've been mulling this one over and can't really decide whether to just restore it to it's former glory, or totally Jookify it... First things first though, I'm short of a couple of bits - namely saddles for the bridge. Or maybe a totally new bridge if they aren't standard parts I can grab from elsewhere, so I need to have a bit of a mooch for them.


Decisions, decisiveness. MIA.

Other than that, today is the day I'm planning to ironise (ferrousate??) the Rusty Nail One's SG body prior to getting deep down and tarnished with it. Fotos to follow, obv. It will be the first time I've tried this in anger so fingers-crossed that I don't mess it up. I am really tempted to put a ring of iron nails into the front of the guitar too, just for good measure, but we'll see.

Not that I have any iron nails, mind you, but I kinda like the idea of the guitar looking like some sort of ill-kept medieval armour. Though I suppose it should be hot-riveted then. And I'm a shipyard shy of those.

No, doesn't make a great deal of sense to me either..

As for the rest of my latest list of things I may or may not get around to doing one day, well I also am going  bullet-biting and finally going to try and finish The Blue Moon One. Either that or bin it (which I don't want to do, but that is my incentive). It is turning into a sore point with mental blockage capabilities tagging along like a vaporous trail at the moment and before it develops into something worserer psychologically, I feel I really need to just do it, get it out of the way or if I can't manage it, get somebody else to.

But I go around in circularish flight paths and there is nowt to be gained from rambling further in that direction. Just needs a bit of action.

The Beaton One - Taken from behind F'narr, f'narr etc.

As for incoming stuff - well, not a lot in truth. Some tuners for the Rusting Nail, oh and a bag of olde worlde Germanium Diodes. Why do I want them when I'm not upto the task of soldering pedals anymore? Well, I'm going to try and put a little fuzz into one of the guitars in the near future, so I thought I'd have a play.

Actually, it is The Beaton One that is going to get Sophie'd after I had a brain storm last night and decided to make it a bit of a Rock machine in an alternative indie kinda way. It is going to have a single sooper hot pickup (probably coil tapped) and a Sophie's Filthy Boots Fuzz built-in. I really couldn't face doing a straight three single coil Strat to be honest, but this should be a bit 'wow' and 'Jeez' and maybe even a little 'Cor blimey'. All wrapped up in one.

I'm happier now I've decided, but am missing lots of parts so that is slipping to the back of the rear burner thing for the moment until I have some money to buy them.

Did I say I was going to give The Beaton One away? OK, will maybe explain that later when I've thought it thru proper-like.

So this week - Finish the Blue Moon One, start the Rusting Nail One, gather parts for the Charvette, try and sell something so I can buy more parts (so if you fancy The Futuristic One, I'm open to offers ;) and generally do - something.

Anything.

Just get on with it and stop talking so much.
All words, no action.
Get some trousers.
Walk the walk etc.

That should keep me going, until I repeat the list next week.
And the week after that.

It's Lust I tell You

Well, I got started on The Blue Moon One yesterday, but haven't quite finished it, but hopefully tomorrow will see that finally ready to go.

Relight my Fire?

One thing I did manage to do was get hold of an old Gibson mini-humbucker, well it isn't here yet, but hopefully won't be long. So that should nicely pair with the PRS P90 in the Tele-Custom-with-no-name-yet. I'm really looking forward to doing that one, as it is going to be my first attempt with 'weathering' some iron. This is likely to be iron paint made rusty if things work as I hope and the gubbins arrives before my boredom threshold is exhausted. Tis a long cherished dream, about to come true. To rust my own iron, I have simple tastes. OK, I'll call it The Rusty One for now as that word keeps popping up.

The day started well too, as I got a lovely email from a nice chap called Dave to tell me that the Lulu One had arrived and that (thankfully) he liked it. The Stealth P90 and Bare Knuckle Brown Sugar combo was a real winner to my mind (and ears) and Dave agrees, so that is cool, though less pleased that the couriers tender mercies had jolted something or other and he needed to get the Allen key out and adjust the bridge. Really bugs me that. I've lost track how much fun couriers cause. Bleurgh.

But Lulu, that was a beautiful guitar and in a way I'm a tad disappointed as I was hoping he would send it me back... Ah Lulu, me and Jason Orange eh bab?

Burns Trisonic pickups - Yum

I also took delivery of the Jag/Jazzy body and neck I mentioned the other day, which are a nice surprise as I thought they would be a bit ropey, but quite the opposite is true. The neck in fact looks hardly played at all. I shouldn't be surprised, but when I hear the words 'Stuck in a cupboard for forty years as a project I never got around to completing' my brain instantly translates into 'Played to death then left in a muddy field full of Hereford Heifers and shat on a lot'.

But no, though old the guitar is in really top notch condition, and better still is really made of wood not ply. I think it'll be fun to do.

Anyway, I have a great finish lined up for that baby and if I can get the dosh together am planning on treating meself to a set of handwound Burns Tri-sonic pickups, which should be something a bit 'wow' and not a little 'Groovy'. They looks rather nice too, not that that ever influences me at all...

Blue Days Are These...

It came as a shock earlier on, when I realised that somehow I'd managed to complete 20 Jooky guitars since I started my crusade to paisleyify the world. There have even been a couple of 'influenced by Jooky' cases out there, which in a way is cool, if a little amusing in another way.

Still, all good fun.

Anyway, I'm finally finishing The Blue Moon One this weekend, and then hopefully putting The Old Burny One together, which will be a couple of long-term 'aims' realised.

I can't help thinking about what comes next though, and the SG body, The Super Trooper One, with the purple geometrically-challenged fabric and platinum leaf finish looks likely to be next, along with the Gibson 'The Original' pickups I wittered about the other day. I'm really keen to hear them, as they are meant to be 'hot' and there we are...

Other than that...

Bank Holiday, Gone, Gone and Gone

Well, my collection of shiny new switches arrived on Saturday, and after mucho bit-champing, I finally got to try to place them lovingly under the appropriate scratchplates on Sunday evening.

Typically, it wasn't as easy as I had hoped, as all three of the ones I'd got for The Crowley One didn't quite fit in the gap, which is most annoying (obviously the one I had in first had fitted, but it was an odd old switch that I can't seem to replace like-for-like.)

Anyway, the upshot is that I need to do a bit of wood removal and wire lengthening, and that will need to be later today as tools are in the garage-without-any-light. And it is dark out as I type this. Because it is 4am.

As for the Blue Moon One, at least I'm ready to go on that, but after messing about with the Explorer for so long, I had lost my motivation, dah-link.

Then my daughter chucked up over me for good measure.

Blah.

Well, more 'blleeeuuurrggghhhh' as it happens.

Other than that, in addition to the Charvette I obtained on Friday, I also seem to have two SGs on their way from the same chap. Oh, and a Hondo spikey super-strat sort of thing with a blue crackled finish.

Not quite sure what I will do with all of them - four new projects (gulp) - but I'm sure I'll think of something. Oh, there is another Tele custom on it's way too, I'd forgotten that one. That should arrive today.

I daren't count how many bodies and necks that will make I will have  in 'stock', though off the top-of-me-head I can think of enough body & neck combos to make...
3 SGs,
3 Telecasters,
2 Les Pauls,
2 Strats,
the Epi Dot and
the Shergold..

Oh and two spiky things, and

the Nuno-esque one that is still at the guitar repair shop.

And two short scale guitars I gave my brats that were meant to be covered in Pokemon or Fireman Sam or something, but haven't quite been Jookyfied six months later.

Oh, and another two Strats behind the piano I'd forgotten about, so that is four Strats in total.

So quite a few, I guess. Getting on for twenty-lots in fact. Bugger.

I'd better get me finger out...

It might seem odd to gather parts in such numbers, but some of them will get moved on as I tend to gather-a-plenty and then realise a few months down the road that I've cherry picked and none of the others are 'quite right for what I happen to want to build. Probably daft, but it is nice to be able to have a muddle around and see what fits with what else.

So anyway, sorting The Crowley and Blue Moon Ones are top of the pile now, and then we'll just have to see what happens next. Why are things never simple?

Rolling Along

Well, rather typically my soldering iron went up in smoke - third time this year - and so I've not got around to finding a replacement or doing The Blue Moon One. Slack, I know.

Anyway, instead, I've given The Crowley One a couple more coats of lacquer and played lots of twangy things on The Lulu One. Which remains lovely. So all in all quite a lazy day.

I almost  bought a Gibson SG, but it wasn't meant to be - though I did get hold of an SG neck and body combo which I'll be Jookifying in the near future I expect, so all is well in the SG direction.

I'm at that point again where I have lots of ideas, but am missing key parts for the ones I want to get on with now. For instance, I am still short of a neck for The One One, missing out on at least four occasions on Ebay, and the design for the body I'm still not 100% about. It is going to be leaf over fabric as with the Lulu One, but which leaf and which fabric...I can't quite decide. We will see though and at least I've got pickups for once.

One I am ready to 'do' is The Burny One as I have all of the parts (actually still need a bridge but that is easy) and also know exactly how I'm going to do it.

But nagging at the edges of my brain, there is something holding me back (as with the Crowley One before) and I'm not sure what it is - though am begininning to trust the feeling. It may just be it has taken too long and I've lost the interest/impetus/excitement, or it could be that there is a better idea bubbling under somehere. Or perhaps I've just got bored. I don't know.

Anyway, better get a soldering iron, that'd be a start wouldn't it?

Oh and if anybody wants to swap something Jooky for something SG-like, give me a shout...

Part-Exing In The UK

Still a plonked artistic impresh, but later today...

Well, times are hard for everyone at the moment, and I know I've mentioned it before, but generally I'm quite happy to take a part-ex on any of the Jooky guitars - especially if it is for something interesting.

Anyway, as I said, I've mentioned such things before and have long promised a list of things I'd be interested in - which has been added as a page on the menu bar thingie at the top, with dramatic insight, called 'Part exs'. There is a clue there.

Just thought I'd point it out.

As for today, well, I thnk it is about time I sorted my little blue beauty out, The Blue Moon One. It is shifting daggers in my direction right now, the minx.

Hopefully fotos to follow of it all cheery and light later on. Or maybe tomorrow, we'll see.

Early Morning Mourning

Could I really finish something?

Finally, today after much messing around by UPS, the Royal Mail should be delivering the Loveless One to Sean, who snaffled it oh-so-quickly. I hope he likes it, I certainly do.

I must admit, the T-Topped pickup and P90 combo certainly caught me. It really was a striking sounding guitar and I have to admit I'm missing  it big time already. Looked amazing too, but the sound was right on the edge, even thru my little Blackstar babushka and I can't think of anything else I've played that sounded quite as sweet as it.

Actually, maybe I hope he won't like it and I can have it back again..

Other than the mourning, The Lulu One has been lacquered, looks great and just needs to be put together, soldered and generally alchemised. Though I haven't got a clue what I've done with the nut, if I'm being honest, and the tuners too, thinking about it. It is looking cool mind, it has to be said and I'm itching to get it finished..Teles always seem like proper guitars to me. Maybe me roots are showing.

Moving on, The Blue Moon One needs to be soldered in a big way, but that isn't kiddy friendly in the activity stakes, so will have to wait for a tender moment. Still, I might manage to sneak a half an hour here or there and get it done. Fingers crissed.

But none of these jobs are really plannable as young kids + hot soldering irons = bad mix.

So what to do between requests for drinks/food, visits to parks and all the other stuff on the agenda for this week?

Well, I figured that as I now have the lovely, loverly Fender Custom '69 pickups, the paisley to hand and a deep seated love for all thing offset - I might as well start on The Pink Panther One. The paisley I have is gorgeous and I've been thinking a long time about how to make the best of it. Not sure I have a suitable neck, but we'll see. I do like the idea of the Fender pickups, and they get rave reviews, and as I have a lovely Strat body or two around the place, maybe I'm being a tad perverse putting them in a 'different' guitar, but then who cares if I'm being honest. It's only an outline, after all.

(I do realise at this point that I should be careful, given my tendency to start lots of things and end-up finishing none of them, but what can you do? Multiple viewings of the Garfield movie aren't grabbing me overly, it has to be said.)

So where to begin? Well, as I've mentioned a few times over the last six months or so, I'm struggling with shaky hand syndrome a fair bit, which makes soldering a tad chore-like. I'm OK with small amounts, but it isn't easy and can be verily frustrating, particularly when there are three or four wires going to a small area, like a pot or switch or something. I've been thinking about this a lot, and have finally come to the conclusion that I should come-up with a different way of doing things that works better for me.

Initially I was thinking some kind of socket/plug idea, which would work, but to be honest I'm not sure that given the fact that guitars tend to get thrown around a bit, they would hang together as well as a properly soldered joint. It's still an option though, and I've used it for convenience here and there - mainly to connect switches in Les Pauls, I have to say.

Another alternative I've tried is connecting all of the ground wires to a single point - a washer - that then goes out to the jack socket. This works well and simplifies connections elsewhere - 'Star grounding' as it's known, but I can't help but think it is only solving half a problem.

My latest thought then is to use a bit of strip board, so that all of the grounds, lives and everything else are connected in a planned order. This seems a good idea, and I'm going to try that later on if I get a chance.

Why mention this? Well, I can't sleep and this is what goes thru my head in the early hours of the morning. Sad innit?

While I'm talking about under the hood, somebody had posted a link on Music Radar to a site that gave a  great tip on adding a 'fuzz' effect to a guitar that is passive - not needing a battery. I can't say I know how well it will work, but I do fancy trying this on the Blue Moon One. Basically it means that the tone control turns into a Fuzz control. Full on is no fuzz, full off is total fuzz. I only need a diode, which I should have around somewhere, though maybe a LED would work, and I have tons of those. Pondering again...

But there we are, probably a few weeks work to keep me busy and despite the fact I know I will only be able to snatch minutes here and there for the next couple of weeks, I still delude myself that I will have everything done by Friday...

Go figure.

La la laaaaa

WIP - The Blue Moon One

Well, it's the usual can't be bothered to screw or solder it all together type of 'Artist's Impression', that you have no doubt gotten used to around here, but I thought I'd give you a glimpse of how the Blue Moon One might well look when I get around to finishing it...

Though saying that, as it is obviously a bit of a 'Slacker' guitar, maybe it should remain forever unfinished, I dunno.

Anyway, from the top,
- it is an Ash Jaguar-esque body,
- hand made maple neck with the perfect big headstock crowning it's glory.
- Pickups are some Hot lipsticks with the middle one reverse wound for a hum-free yet still single of coil experience.


I've used these before, of course, and they give a lot more than the jingle-jangle you'd expect.

- As for the finish, it is a sea-green paisley with a hand gilded copper leaf scratchplate.

- And finally a Telecaster switch tip and Gibson Top Hat knobs, for a touch of retro goodness.

Sounds more like a menu, when I put it like that...

Anyway, groovy is as groovy does..

Sometimes things go well, and others...

Well, last night I thought I'd follow on and try a few things with my multi-gilded Strat body, as let's face it, testing things out was really the point of it.

So, I thought I'd have a go at artificially helping along the ageing process and maybe even do a bit of DIY patination.

Clutching a variety of household poisons, I gave the guitar a sprinkle or three and if you look closely at the fotos you'll see that I had some success. (Or maybe it has developed bread mould over night)

It is interesting though, and in a couple of cases it has gone thru to the wood behind so that that is exposed, which is a nice surprise... Pretty cool in truth.

More play with that today - there's no point doing it if I can't fix the effect in some way afterwards, after all.

Speaking of lacquer (though I hadn't mentioned it), I gave the front of the Blue Moon One a good coat, and it turned out really well - the full Blackpool landlady '70s table cloth look.

Unfortunately, I hadn't thought things thru and instead of hanging the body from the skies (garage roof) as I normally do, I had it rested on a couple of sponges on a workbench.

Which made life simpler, until I moved it and the sponges had stuck and disintegrated all over the back.

Bit of sanding to do there (least I hope that will get rid of it, anyway. Not really a Jooky type of effect I can live with.

Ah you live, you learn, you repeat your mistakes. (I did something very similar on the verily first guitar I ever sprayed....)

Monday, Monday

Wire Me Up Baby Doll

Well, it seems I'm in the midst of an activity-flurry as far as Jookiness is concerned. The Loveless One just needs to be wired and bolted, The Blue Moon One is nearly ready for a bit of lacquer and god forbid, I've even decided on the pickups and found them too (as in acquired) and the lipstick loveliness should arrive sometime this week.

So it could actually be that I finish a couple of guitars without getting balder/greyer.

Odd, most odd indeedy.

To top it all, I even sorted out the pickups for my Old Burny guitar - the Les Paul I'm building based on an '80s Burny carcass. Somehow, I managed to get my mits on  a pair of Bare Knuckle Mules - which are basically bang-on-the-money-honey hand scattered pickups based on the exact recipe Gibson used back in the day when they made good guitars. Best of all they come with 'double-cream' covers, so they might look like ye olde traditional P90s if you squint a bit.

I did actually consider putting P90s in, but I've wanted a nice Les Paul for ages now and I'd only end up still wanting one whilst I loved the P90s, if that makes sense. The only question is whether I flip the magnet on the neck pickup for some of that Peter Green out-of-phase nonsense, or do I just see how I get on and maybe have a go at doing that if I get bored..

Lacquer me Sugar

Decisions, decisiveness-not-at-all.

Whatever. I'm kinda planning on getting onto that baby once the Loveless and the Blue Moon-like One are feeling more together. (Although my copper topped Tele is of course a consideration. No doubt it will be whichever one I think I'm meant to be doing at the moment of most boredom etc. You know the score.)

But there we are, so many plans, so little energy. Time will tell.

I am soooo very Zen.

See Moon, Cwy Like A Baby

Well, a long way to go, and the paisley is still free-fallin' over the edges, but here is the starting-to-take-shape The Blue Moon One complete with copper leafed/gilded scratchplate...

Jarringly pretty, I think.

I also decided it s going to have lipstick pickups (once I find a set of three - more SRV than jingle jangle)

Just woke up, excuse the slllooowwwnnneeessss of speech.