Soundings
Thirty years of opinions, arrived at by doing it wrong first.
Words that were spoken, not written. A cup of tea, a microphone, and a question — then cut into pieces. John’s words, nothing sanded.
Fretboard wood types: maple, rosewood or ebony?The three fretboard woods that get reached for and why, whether the wood changes the tone, why maple is lacquered, rolled edges and finger marks, the sticky neck, and roasted maple.
Types of guitar frets: size, height and what they're made ofGuitar fret sizes explained from the bench: nickel silver or stainless steel, narrow, medium tall and jumbo, what a taller fret does under the finger, a fret dress and a re-crown, and when it has to be a refret.
Which wood is best for an electric guitar body?The great tonewood debate: alder, swamp ash, korina, walnut, mahogany and maple, which get reached for and why, roasted necks, reclaimed timber, figured and bookmatched tops, binding, hollow and chambered bodies, the exotic stuff, and the short answer.
A custom pickguard that ages with the guitarBakelite to celluloid acetate, why the guard is always relic'd with the body, colour that runs all the way through, the copper behind it, and why a guard for your guitar starts with your guitar.
A loaded Strat pickguard drops straight inLoaded against prewired, relic'd to match the guitar it's going into, the pots and the tone cap, which pickups and how to choose them, and how long it takes.
What a custom Telecaster can beThe OG, why it's lasted, what people ask for, the neck, the weight, the pickups, the details, and the relic'd ones, from out of the case for the fourth time to hell and back.
Why I finish a guitar in nitroWhat a nitro guitar finish is, how it differs from poly, why it fades and checks, how to look after it, and why all four coats here are nitro.
How I relic a StratocasterWhat year, what sound, and what the Strat's been through. The questions, where the wear goes, the paint, and why it takes longer.
Every overdrive pedal is an ampThe Maestro and Satisfaction, an AC30 at the point of destruction, and working back from the amp to what feeds it.
Has that guitar earned it?Every guitar has a story. You'll fill this one with yours.
The volume control is the first testOn ten it crunches. At six it cleans up. The fuzz that's always on.
When a relic isn't a relicRolled edges, a bare neck, the tide mark under the pickguard and the ring under the strap button. Comfort first, convincing second.
Why a hand-wound pickup sounds better lumpyThe winds, the variance, the Friday-afternoon pickup — and an Epiphone with a £45 neck pickup nobody could explain.