Eddie Van Halen Dies at 65

Has danced the night… away

The legendary guitarist, who played Gibson Les Paul guitars. From cancer. The night has come for him…

Eddie Van Halen Dies at 65

Rescue Guitar III

Coming back to this via my new guitar project.
Led me to look up YouTube vid of making guitar with found wood, thence making one with plywood, thence to the vid on making a Les Gibson guitar with plywood, thence to a short history of the Les Paul guitar, then to Slash with his Les Gibson Gold Top and thence to Slash and Fergie, with the Black Eyed Peas, at the 2011 SuperBowl: ABOVE

And the wonder at their performance. What a wonder!

The Rescued Guitar II

First bit of found wood. On my daily ride
To make my Rescued Guitar

I didn’t nick it from the fence behind. A guy watering the lawn, Mezza, the Indian groundskeeper, told me I could take coz it’s being replaced. The fence marks off a lawn that’s used for outdoor functions, whenever they might happen again. In the distance, Central, Hong Kong. 

Meantime I’m thinking that I’ve got leftover marine ply from the boat project. I could laminate that and make the guitar body from it. Turns out there’s others have had the same idea, and there’s YouTube vids … of course…
Then the bit of found wood, the fence post above, could be the neck

The idea started here yesterday. 

The Rescued Guitar

John playing a guitar I made. Music Room, October 2010

And in the workshop with my first effort. 2010

Program yesterday on CGTV about a German guy making guitars and violins — and thus a luthier — from bits of found wood. Inspired me try the same.
So a new project: find bits of wood around here in Discovery Bay. Discarded furniture. Flotsam and jetsam on the beach. And put together a Rescued Guitar. Electric. (Acoustics are a touch too difficult for me).
I used to put “luthier” when filling out “occupation”, just for fun. Maybe I’ll start doing that again instead of “retired”. But first: find the wood!e
Note: on right of photo the beginnings of a bamboo bench I made, with help from Mutti. All our own-grown bamboo and not a nail or screw. Held with home-made bamboo nails and bamboo twine. It’s still in the front hall.
Note also: behind John, that’s a specialist luthiers’ vise. Has movable jaws padded with wood — so it can grip the non-parallel sides of a guitar neck. A beauty.  Having also built a small wooden boat, I have all the gear. Looking forward to firing up the biscuit-plane again!