It just wasn't quite right. Baby Blue, the Tanglewood 335 copy that was my first electric guitar, just didn't fit. Don't get me wrong, she was lovely, just not quite right. We never really bonded, and the combination of a slim neck profile and humbuckers never quite did it for me. It took me a while to figure it out past the fact that I bought it while in the middle of a BB King phase – Baby Blue, well, she took herself too seriously.
Goodbye Baby Blue...
So the search began. I'm not a brand hunter as such, but the feel of what I wanted was present in my mind. Something a little brighter. Something I could hit without feeling bad. Something fun to play outside of the niche that historical stereotypes force a lot of particular instruments into.
I've always been a fan of custom gear, but this isn't unusual. Most amateur guitarists search for that guitar that is based on their own, exacting specification, and that is engineered in every way to fit like a glove. I prefer a more DIY aspect though, one that has led to a shopping list of equipment that I was able to build, modify and love with my own hands. Instant turn offs when it comes to guitar, for me, include gloss finishes, perfect cleans and tight gain sounds, and over-engineering in general. After deciding Baby Blue wasn't fitting the bill anymore, and funds being limited to the extent that I was only able to trade her, I surfed the forums and adverts of internet-land before coming across the website of Mark, who frequents the MusicRadar forums under the name of 'mrerikryman'.
Mark's website, the Jooky Guitar Emporium, found at http://jookyguitaremporium.blogspot.com/ , is a treasure trove for his loving creations, which happen to fit my own needs perfectly. Rough finished, off the wall, and heavily modified, the guitars he turned out are as much found art as they are player's machines. No museum required – sure they're pretty in a way, but they are also played in and feel very much alive. They also go brilliantly well with my collection of paisley ties.To cut a long story (and a longer train journey) short, I met Mark in Bristol, Baby Blue on my back, in order to trade her for 'The Jangly One', a rebuilt, refinished, re-everything interpretation of the Danelectro DC '59 reissue. I fell in love, and drank in the acid paisley finish far quicker than the cups of steaming black coffee that were holding me awake. I was so caffeined up that the nitro and cloth finish seemed to move. Giving it only the most casual of acoustic strums, I took it and got on the bus home.
That's the story of how The Jangly One became mine. However, this was intended to be a review, so on with it.
In a slightly unusual turn of events, I was due to play a gig the night I got back from Bristol, meaning that the first time I plugged in and tuned up was on stage in front of 100 or so people with a band that had had 20 minutes practice just beforehand. On the upside, she plays as good as she looks.
By comparison with Baby Blue, The Jangly One is far more brash. Most of the hardware is similar to the DC '59 that you can read about online, with a few changes. The tuners are Grovers, and the pickups are the slightly hotter Ken Armstrong lipstick single coils that are a step up from the standard. They're far brighter than the humbuckers on the 335, and the quirks that make a Danelectro, including the hollow construction, aluminium nut, and pickup location mean that all the twang that you could hope for is there, as well as the airiness that made me fall in love with hollow guitars in the first place. The guitar also has a hand enamelled copper scratchplate which is, like everything, rough finished, but looks gorgeous.
The pickups are definitely a strange experience if you're used to more conventional options, having a huge dose of single coil snap and zing, while still sounding chunky enough for driving rhythmn work. They're very trebly, something I dialled down a little, while leaving enough there to keep things interesting. If you're after compressed high gain or jazzy neck pickup work, this is the wrong place, with loose old-school blues, rock 'n roll, and the lighter side of garage rock probably being the best place to direct your playing. The scale is shorter than I was used to at 25 inches, which caused a few problems at the gig, but nothing too difficult to get used to. The brash edge of the sound also sounds fantastic when attacked with some vigorous slide work, and has a Tele-ish character when playing in this style.
It's easy to get heavy with elaborate adjectives, but it comes down to this. Compared to Baby Blue, this is like taking the leash off a schizophrenic springer spaniel. It's fun to play. The rough finish, while not to everyone's tastes, looks fantastic to my eyes, and definitely sticks out if exhibitionism is your thing. If the 'found' aesthetic is something you enjoy, Mark is definitely a maker whose work you should take a look at, as well as being a nice guy and a pleasure to do business with. If groove is your thing, something along the lines of the Jangly One may be right up your street.
