Guitars and Life

The Final part of my thinline t-type build

In  which I finish the body with Crimson Guitar's stain and then use their guitar finishing oil products on both the body and the neck.

Part 2 of the Thinline T-Type build.  I shape the headstock, fit a new nut and fit the neck to the body.

I built another guitar! It's a T-Type Thinline model.   Here's how it finished up but I'm going to be publishing a set of videos that actually track the progress - here's part one.

I've been busy using the workbench.  You'll see in the next post or so! Anyway one thing has been having to have an extension cable from the power socket that's about 3m away and then tripping over it etc.... So... Power!   I've now got power to the workbench.  Bought the socket, plug and cable for a few quid from the local wilkos.  In the end how I mounted it (as it didn't come designed with screw holes for that was to drill my own in the back of it and then screw a couple of flat head screws in and it then "hooks" on them.  It's good enough anyway.

Some of you may have seen the news that David Gilmour of Pink Floyd is selling off his guitar collection to raise money for charity. Not a new idea as Eric Clapton has done this before but uniquely, I feel, is that Dave has basically put the entire auction up for sale at once! I talked with my son about it and he noticed a comment that there would be viewings available. I signed up to Christie's mailing thing and they did indeed send out info.  Even better - they were free!!!  Like seriously! Last week Son-of-Furtheron and I met at lunchtime in Victoria and took a walk past Buck House via the Mall into Mayfair to go look.  (Btw just a trip to London if you follow my other blog you'll know with my health issues is a major achievement!) And this is some of  what we saw. Let's start with some of the icons.... Gold top Les Paul - used on the solo to Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 1954 Strat with serial number 001 Red Strat as used through the 80s bas...

I've been setting up some projects now I'm "retired".  However weather, health and other stuff keeps getting in the way. However progress has been made. I built a new workbench!  I think I said I was going to do this ages ago - at least a year... or two! Ta Da! I bought some lengths of 4x2in (well the metric equivalent) from the local store which they delivered back in January.  I then created a frame - the cross braces (front to back) are just butted against the front frames where I joined the long cross bits to the legs via half lap (I think that's what it's called) joints.  They hide the screws hold the cross braces in.  I cut some MDF to fit as a bottom storage shelf and the top is an offcut from our kitchen worktop that has been sat in the garage for 15 years waiting for me to do this! The vice is an old one I liberated from my father-in-laws garage last year when we had to sell that house after my mother-in-law went into a care home.  I...

Back with a book review post. KP Lane Infinite Dream  I'll start with a declaration of interest.  Kevin Lane is an old colleague and friend who I hold in very high regard.  So I read this since it is his first novel that he has self published. Infinite Dream is a thriller novel set in the rarefied world of the mega rich and powerful.  We're introduced to our hero Jack Hallis.   Jack is a very rich man having made his fortune in spotting potential blockbuster drugs in development and buying them up.  He is autistic and to a degree reclusive, in that he doesn't mix much and his work dominates his life.  However this is turned on it's head when he meets Corrine Azzard who works for the UN and is looking to secure funding from rich folks like Jack.  Corrine attracts him like no one before and so he starts to look at courting her. He falls in love and she persuades him to use his riches to tackle the corruption that stops UN aid reaching...

I know I'm a bad blogger and not been on here for a while.  But I was annoyed to read today that with the demise of Google+ any Google+ comments have been lost of the blog. That's mostly mine then!  Since I moved to Google+ some time ago when Google pushed it as the way to get more traffic to your blog.... that never worked either. Oh well - so back to the blogger I remember of old then... without all my replies to people's comments!

This looks good... The new Epiphone DC PRO - basically looks like it is based on the Les Paul Double Cut that has been released a few times by Gibson but obviously at the Epiphone price point.  Also most Gibson ones I've seen had only master vol and tone where this has separate controls for each pickup and the toggle mounted on the upper horn as per a typical Les Paul.   I'll be looking around for some reviews of this on YouTube etc. soon.

Well let me just sum up 2018 in one word - CRAP! If you follow my other blog you'll know I've been ill all this year with my meniere's disease.  This has led to me taking "early retirement" - well I was made redundant whilst off on long term sick leave.  I'm trying to sort out a pension income in the next few months before the  redundancy payout disappears.  If that's not enough to keep the wolf from the door well... we'll have to cross that rickety bridge if it appears in our path. I've always done a quick annual review on here so in keeping with that tradition here we go... 1. Gig of the year Easy to pick as due to the problems with Meniere's going to gigs is now a thing of the past.  The one exception was seeing Black Country Communion last January (almost a year to the day actually) at Hamersmith Apollo.  They were exceptional anyway and may well have won even if I'd been going to a lot of gigs. 2. Album of the year. Mr Joe ...