Guitars and Life

I'm building a new guitar. So three things influenced this one.   A hybrid tele / Strat body I saw, an interesting neck and particularly an interesting electronics option.  Here are the bits as arrived.  The body is a telecaster shape, telecaster neck pocket, telecaster control cavity but routed for 3 Strat pickups and a Strat style vibrato bridge.  The control cavity makes it different to many hybrid Telecasters a la the John Mayer model which have a more Strat like control cavity.  The body was advertised as "mahogany" it's quite red in nature but nice looks to be two piece centre jointed.  The neck is mahogany with a maple fingerboard and a maple skunk strip. So a bit reverse look from normal.  Electronically I'm going with three Strat pickups from Tonerider, having used there nashville set in the nashville tele conversion I did I was impressed. Five way switch master volume and tone.  But I'm putting in a shape shifter switch ...

I read on guitar.com that the famous UK Yorkshire based JHS distributor is closing down. Sad days.  They've been part of the UK music for as long as I've been buying kit. My first phaser pedal in the 70s was one of theirs  Not mine which I swapped for a Big Muff before 1980.  They were for a long time Hughes & Kettner distributor in the UK and super service supplying me with some spares when I needed them.  They in recent years created great guitar brands like Vintage and Fret King.  I own two Vintage guitars and have often considered Fret King. I really hope those brands don't disappear.  For a home Partscaster builder like me too they are distributor for Wilkinson parts which are simply the best there is for the money in my opinion.  After recent shop closures another blow to the UK music instrument retail industry. 

I've not posted on here or my other blog in ages. I came here in a moment of reflection based on the fact that I recently went through my 21st soberversary. 21 years!  One day at a time which I learnt early on.  Anyways. What's going on?  I've become a Grandad.  My daughter gave us our first granddaughter on my birthday last year. Best birthday present ever and my daughter-in-law the produced our second on Christmas Day. Best Christmas present ever.  I'm in a jam band with some other old foggies. It's good fun we meet in a studio one guy built in an old garage and it's all through headphones so "silent stage" essentially.  Which works well for me with my terrible hearing now. I wear hearing aids in both ears the left being profoundly deaf now and almost useless.  Awaiting delivery of parts due a new guitar build which I may film - I don't know.  Anyway to anyone reading this - Hello. 

Simple but sophisticated wiring trick on the Novacaster build.  Final assembly and playing it for the first time too.

Latest Episode in my 2023 Great Guitar Build Off Kit Build entry.  I'm staining the body (and neck!) and applying finish.  Oh and the guitars name is revealed in this episode.

  Episode 4 of my Great Guitar Build Off 2023 Kit Build entry.   Mostly working on the neck in this episode.

 

 

Episode 3 - the body is moved further to looking more like a guitar through routing, drilling and sanding etc.

I upgrade Amber to a three pickup Nashville style guitar. 

A video look at my home built guitars.

No words really.... If you can please donate at  Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal | Disasters Emergency Committee (dec.org.uk)  to help the refugees. Ukraine - We Stand With You For Kyiv

 It's been flipping ages but finally some new songs recorded and on SoundCloud. First up - There You Go which is also my entry into this year's Talent Is Timeless competition. This is very like much of my material, essentially written as a solo acoustic guitar singer songwriter number, though never performed live at an open mic or whatever you can tell it has that feel.  Features my P90 equiped gold top single cut for the first time ever. Graham Hunt - Medway · There You Go Next is Rose Tinted Rear View Mirror. Written on my octave mandolin (see my previous track Minstrel Man) with some additional guitar from my Great Guitar Build Off 2021 guitar which marks its recording debut. Graham Hunt - Medway · Empathy Onto the more rock numbers now.  Empathy which was written and recorded on my Mahogany Telecaster partscaster build, again a recording debut.   This most difficult part of this one was getting the drum track sorted.  I had worked it out and tried ...

Last part.  Final Set up and some sound demos

Part 4 where I do the fretwork and final assembly.

Part 3 in which I tackle the wiring and explain pickup and wiring choices.

Second part - I work on the neck for my Ultimate HSS Strat

I decided to build an HSS Strat partscaster.  The twist for me this time was to paint the body using Nitrocellulose Lacquer spray cans.  In this first part of a YouTube series on this build after introducing the build I prepare and spray the body.

The finale - I realise I've been an idiot on the set up get that all sorted and then test it out.