Catch 'em While You Can...

This is the end, bong, bong, and a bong

So, is everybody Jookifying their own guitar at the moment?

OK, maybe not, but at least you know how to if you want to.

As it happens, other than the two or three I've got left to sort out (finish), I don't think I'll be doing any more guitars for a while. In total there have been six Leona's and a single Kylie and I think that is a nice time to settle down and have a think about what to do next.

I am fancying having a play with pedals again, but that won't really be until the autumn as life gets simpler with School reconvening. I'm also going to start to play with wood a bit more and maybe turn a couple of ideas for guitar bodies into reality. So generally, I guess I'm saying that we are entering a zenish period of contemplation and R&D.

I also have an idea that I'm trying to get my head around that is in a different direction but still related to Jookydom, so that could be worth a potter over too.

So basically, if you were thinking of getting a Leona or Kylie to play with in the Winter months, they are a dwindling breed and I can't imagine that there will be more than the two we have up for sale at the moment (The Spangled One and The Mellow One) with the Funky One to follow in the next week or so.

What of the double-neck and The Glistery One? I don't know in truth, maybe I'll give them away like I suggested before - a competition or something.

There will be more Jooky stuff, just not the same.

See I told you you should grab one while they were hot ;)

I have just realised that I haven't got one to keep, mind you. Hmmm...that wasn't sooo very clever, and worst, I can't afford the second-hand prices..

Sold: "The Mellow One"

The Mellow One is a throwback to the early Seventies. The Hippy ideals and fashions had become mainstream, but the world had taken on a harder, colder edge. Some were hanging on to the smell of Juniper berries and Joss Sticks, others were waking to realise that the country was bust; the arterial pavements were clogged with uncollected rubbish, coffins piled-high, revolution in the air. Music too was changing and taking on a darker tone, a deeper vibrancy. Guitar sounds were heavier though as yet still raw, generally unprocessed. The acid-fried hangover that was progressive rock’s operas was about to give way to the strident, urgent violence of punk.

It is against this background that we depict the Mellow One. The faded Paisley a nod to the recent past, the scorching simplicity of a single, noisy humbucker shrieking a promised violence, yet still able to chill to a point where it echoes the mourning of Hendrix, Morrison, Jones and so many other icons.

*

The Mellow One is historic and history in one. Fitted with a Bare Knuckle ‘Rebel Yell’ pickup it gives a fantastically dark rock sound, but with a pull of the volume knob it splits into one of the most authentic hot Fender sounds you will hear, and is a total joy to play. Equally at home playing loud and proud, it will happily coax all the tones that everybody from Buddy Holly to Clapton would recognise.

To be clear, The Mellow 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 British Dylan. 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

Pickups: Bare Knuckle Steve Stevens ‘Rebel Yell’ Pickup

Guitar Type: Fender Stratocaster Inspired

Construction: Cloth over wood.
Dean Markley Jimi Hendrix Pure Nickel Strings 10s

Output: ¼” Guitar Lead

Controls: 1 x Volume, Coil Tapped via Push-Pull Knob

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

Serial Number: JGE#13

RSP: £399
Sadly SOLD

Feelin' Mellow, Getting Funky

Double Cream Bare Knuckle Lurve-li-ness

Well, I think this week will prove to be genuinely productive by my slackish Jooky standards, after all.

The reason for my optimistic Tuesday morningesque feeling is because I've just wired-up and screwed together the Mellow One, and I have to say it is a wee bit of a dream.

I even tuned it up and everything.

I have to say I've heard lots about Bare Knuckle pickups - they are handwound, made from the finest ingredients and everything else, and I have even played a couple of Les Pauls with their thingies well and truly plumbed-in, and been impressed. But the sheer clarity of the 'Rebel Yell' pickup I've put in the Mellow One is astonishing. As I said before I went with the single knob, but have coil tapped the pickup using a push-pull pot so that you have a lovely glassy single coil sound that quickly switches to a hot git of a humbucker. Absolutely lovely, if I say so meself. And man is it loud, really, really loud and clear as a bell - until you crank up the amp a tad and then - proper mayhem.

The one thing I'm really pleased about though is the neck. I think I said that it was nice, but I've taken some of the gloss off since then and given it a light oil. It looks nice and worn in now and has that slightly rough finish that I love. It really feels like you are playing it, if you see what I mean.

Anyway, fotos to follow a little later after I played it in and tweaked the set-up a wee bit, but #13 is a doozy, nuff said. Here is a rough one though, showing off the 'Double Cream' pickup and quite beautiful knob.

In summary, all good then. Lovely.

***

The other reason for optiwotsit though is that the Funky wee Telecaster one is also pretty close to being done - and should certainly be ready to chug later this week. The paisleyification is all in place and the final coat of lacquer is hardening as I type. For a change I've gone as nature intended and kept two humbuckers in place, although there is a nice touch as far as the covers go. I think you'll approve. I think it will prove to be a bit of a rock god, to be honest and can't wait to fire it up come the weekend.

So there we are, and if I can get my act together to start the Cigar Box Guitar before Wednesday, I'll feel like I'm back on track.

Feeling Funky

Feeling Funky?

Well, The Mellow One isn't quite finished yet as I'm still to break out the soldering iron and get electo-creative - an odd disease.

It is always the electric bit that takes a touch of organising as basically soldering and bratskis don't mix particularly nicely,

What I can do though is unscrew things down, and take things to bits and then do some sticking, as that is far more normalish around here.

So, while the Mellow One will be hopefully done on Monday, if not the weekend, I've kind of leap-frogged forward and started on the rather cool Tele that I mentioned earlier.

For this one, I wanted something a bit more in-your-mush than the mellowness of late - OK The Groovy One was bright, but I'm ignoring that for a moment. In fact I wanted something particularly funky to go with the '70s vibe of the guitar.

The foto then is the first fitting of the finish...still smothered with glue and grain filler, but a couple of coats under it's belt and there we are.

No surprise the that it is likely to be called The Funky One or some such thing.

Groove is in my heart, after all.

DIY CBG - Man I love clarity

Fender 72 - Sort of like the one I'm on about

OK, not the best of starts to my Wednesday club - you know, the 'How to build yourself a Cigar Box Guitar' idea...

As basically, I've spent most of the day titivating The Mellow One and stripping a lovely Telecaster that is next on the slab, as it were.

Proper '72 type of thing, double humbucker and four of those knob things that I leave on ten most of the time.

That is going to be f-u-n...

Monsoon then

Shhh....A Mellow Mock-Up

Promised myself I'd do some WIP fotos this time, and as I'm just waiting for a couple of things to show-up in the post, I figured it wouldn't hurt to "place" it together...

So as of a minute or three ago, this is how The Mellow One is looking..

p.s. The pickup is the Hot Slag, though if I go for one of the other options, it won't be a Zeb-er-ra.

And yes, I know I missed a bit - sheesh.

Decisions to be made, yet again

Well, I hate to admit it but I'm still trying to get my head straight about the pickups for the Mellow One.

Ponder, ponder, whinge, whine, prevaricate, blahh.

Options:

1. Hot Slag - Wanted to try one of these for ages - f'nar & a f'nar - and I'm told coil-tapping it will work quite beautifully.

2. Bare Knuckle 'Rebel Yell' - Another warmer than the average pickup that will coil tap into a pretty sharp sounding impression of a single coil.

3. Di Marzio something or other - Bought a pair of these, made for Fender back in the Day, though one of them is knacked apparently. Which for a one-horse-guitar, isn't too much of an issue. Have no idea what these sound like, mind you.

4. I'm fighting my IronGear Alchemist 90 addiction, as I can't put P90s into everything I do, can I?
No, was the word you were searching for there.

Anyway, despite that The Mellow One has come together lovely-like. Tuners on, body a fetching shade of paisley, neck connected and I even remembered the strap button things, which I always forget...so really, it is just the old, old question, innit?

Ah, stuff it sideways, everybody keeps telling me these Bare Knuckles are the coolest of the best, lets see shall we?

Hot Slags With A Rebel Yell

Well, back down to zero guitars after The Beano One was snapped-up on Friday, but another day, another thingy and there we are.

I'd better get on with the Mellow One, but it seems my best laid plans have gone up-the-wall again.

The story so far:
I got me a Hot Slag - which may seem slightly incongruous for The Mellow One, but such is life.

Then I spent ages working the wiring out - my fault, brain distemper - before I managed to grab a Bare Knuckle Humbucker - a Rebel Yell - and the plan changed again.

So a question, which is more mellow, a Hot Slag or a Rebel Yell.

I thought the eternal pickup question was going to be simple this time for once,
but
no,
no
&
no.

And so I ask myself, what would PJ Harvey do in this situation?

I guess the Rebel Yell is the most obvious, but then I think of her cover outfit on 'To Bring You My Love' and I wonder.

The girl is an actress in a pocket rocket.

Here's 50ft Queenie while I ponder the indiscernible...

Can You See What It Is Yet?

Well, the Mellow One, gord bless it, has started the rocky road to Jookydom, and as I seem to keep forgetting to put any WIP images up, I thought I would do it while I remember..

Two fotos here..

1. Is the scratchplate, which will eventually be cut for a single humbucker. My hopes for the handwound one went belly up when I tried it as it basically didn't work, so I've instead decided to try a pickup I've meant to use for a while, an IronGear Hot Slag.

This is a warmer than normal PAF type of thing, but I'm going to coil tap it so that we'll have the option for a single coil twang. Always good to have a bit of a twang to hand, that's what me granny always used to say, but then it was a WW2 Burlesque thing, and she played the mandolin, so what can you say.

This bit of tapping I'm going to 'facilitate' with a push-pull knob, which means a lovely simplicity - one pickup, one volume knob with hidden extras.

Anyway, the paisley cloth has been applied to the scratchplate and will be getting a few more coats of the grain fuiller bobbins over the next 24 hours or so.

2. The second foto shows the back of the guitar body. This too has had the cloth applied and will carry on being coated for the next day or so. After that it will be a case of folding and sealing around the edges, before repeating the whole exercise on the front of the guitar. I'll put another foto up later this week of the body, when the cloth has been trimmed away - it'll look less like a Magic Eye picture then...

Other than that, the neck has been sanded and the 'logo' and name burned into the headstock. #13, maybe like hotel floor I should have skipped this one.
Anyway, once that was done, the coats of Danish Oil have started to be added to the back of the neck and headstock. The fretboard is nice and will be untouched apart from that the frets are a bit on the tarnished side so they will get a polish.

So there we are, work-in-progress. Tis all good.

All in the Planning

Well, I've come to realise that I tend to do things in bursts.

No goals for a few games and then a hat trick, as it were.

So this week the plan is to get the Cigar Box stuff together...for my Wednesday fun.

Then it will be a case of covering the Siamese and Mellow Ones with something groovy, and hopefully have the two of them making groovy noises next week...

The Mellow One I’m looking forward to as I really want to hear what this pickup is going to sound like and I think the neck will make it a real joy to play…

I've also got a yearning to do a couple of amps as they are nice with the Cigar Box Guitars and a DIY Smokey amp might be fun for the Wednesday thing too at some point too.

Oh, planning and me...be nice if it ever actually came to pass

Mwahh

Feeling Mellow

But of course, the silence can't ever last.

I have in fact just procured meself a Strat.

Not a Tele as was the plan, but there we are. Needs must and all that.

The plan for this wee baby is to be another fine example of Leona's work. It has a beautiful neck and is really vibrant acoustical-like, which I always think is a good sign.

Not too heavy - Alder bodied I think, but it was the neck that got me.

Anyway, my usual worries about pickups are in fact resolved up front this time. It will have just the one, but it is a bit of a doozy, and even on its ownsome I think will be pretty groovy.

The finish - well, Paisley won't come as a surprise, I guess.

But the pickup is nice. Hand-rolled (wound? I get muddled sometimes with the rollies) and of the Zebra persuasion. The Paisley is going to look awesome too, but I won't describe that, how could I do it justice?

La la la

Here we go again.

Oh, it's name? The Mellow One, I think will fit the bill nicely like.

Oh, and here is the British Dylan, or so they said..