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Although playing rhythm for interesting stuff like Shads music is now a no no for me as a result of arthritis in my left hand, I can still play lead. Having left "Legend" in April, I'm now playing lead in a pub rock band (and enjoying it enormously) with a single cut Gibson Les Paul Jr VOS... and it is absolutely wonderful. I just love the sound of that P90, so much so that I've dug out the double cut I made last century... what a fantastic job they make of blues and - can you believe it's me? - AC/DC!!

What a lovely looking guitar that is David, I have a PRS CE Soapbar with two P90's and I love it - when I get an excuse to play it . . . . .

Hi David,

Nice looking guitar.

Interesting about the hand - I can no longer play rhythm due to the loss of the end of the third finger left hand but have adapted the other three fingers so I can still play lead. So, you can tell Bruce that Hank chose the easier option when he went for lead all those years ago!!

Kind regards,
Terry

This all make me realise how lucky I am to still be arthritis-free (thanks to glucosomine!) and playing as well as... well, as well as I am capable. Much as I love my Strats (and I have just acquired, thanks to another member of the Shads forum, a wonderful Masterbuilt '56 NOS), I still have large soft spot for my Gibsons, especially my '71 SG Special.

Hi David,
I remember you showing me your hand-made 'Les Paul Special' at Hankies last year, & it certainly is a great guitar, especially when you played a Blues jam through your little Epi valve amp. I have always loved P90 pickups, have recently found a new guitar that I believe to be as good as it's Gibson equivalent. It's the Fret-King Eclat II, & is Trev Wilkinson's take on a single-cut Les Paul Junior. Mine is in Cherry with a two-piece Mahogany body & fixed neck, two P90s & an adjustable stop-tail bridge. It's so resonant & normally retails for £499, but I found mine on the internet from a store in Tyne & Weir at a bargain £285, brand new, with the best quality gig-bag I have ever seen. Check out the Fret-King range, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Tony.

Hi David,

I don't know if this is relevant to your problem with arthritis, but a few years ago I started to get shooting pains in my right hand and wrist, sometimes also in my left hand, which made chord work b****** painful. I spoke to an osteopath about it and he advised me to look at anything acidic in my diet, such as grapefruit. By chance, I was rather partial to grapefruit and used to drink grapefruit juice almost daily.
I stopped the grapefruit and after a couple of months, the problem almost went away................I say almost, because it was also agravated by orange juice and even squash, so I tend to drink a lot more water now!

The bottom line is that I get very little trouble from arthritis or whatever it was and can play rhythm again.......so that's one excuse that I can't use any more.

Hope it helps,

Pat.

ps. The new site looks pretty good, so far, well done guys.

Interesting... I do drink grapefruit juice every morning. I'll give that a shot

And I've found a consultant who will rebuild the thumb base joint (which is where the problem lies) when it finally packs up... and on National Health too...

Interesting stuff about the handmade "Les Paul Jnr".

A few years ago, I bought one of those Gibson Les Paul Junior Specials (a 2-pickup guitar, like an original Special, but with the plainer appointments of the Junior), for £600+. It's finished in that faded cherry that Gibson now use on a lot of their cheaper range of instruments. James Jnr now has it, but I've always liked the thinner-bodied Gibson solids and have recently succumbed to the purchase (on eBay) of a Gibson SG Supreme (at a great price for a mint example, complete with Gibson tan case).

Les Paul Junior Special pic (an example, not the one I have):

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31PVRNE9H3L._SL500_AA280_.jpg

SG Supreme pic (an example, not the one I have, though it is in the same "lavaburst" finish):

http://media.photobucket.com/image/gibson%20sg%20supreme/hard_core_scott/Supremenickel.jpg

Can'r wait to try out the SG next week!

Best wishes,

JN

Interesting Jim... Clasic '57 pickups on the SG?

David,

Speaking of P-90 guitars- I tried a Squier Tele Custom? or Deluxe ? a couple of weeks ago- the model with two Seymour Duncan P90 pickups- fabulous P90 single coil tones and guts, yet clean when turned down(See the other thread about this!) and retailing at AUS $499 (say 250 quid Sterling) Basically a Fender Tele with Gibson type P90's...for a fraction of the price..pity I'm near skint at present. Even the other Squier model Tele with two regular Duncan type humbuckers is a nice guitar too- I tried one of these which was owned by my second cousin(we Cochranes have good taste!) , when I came over to the UK 2 years ago- (including taking in Shadowmania 2007!)

Years ago I had a Harmony Stratotone with two incredible sounding Rowe- DeArmond single coil pickups- bought it cheap in a pawnshop- plugged it in, hit a chord and plaster fell off the walls- I said "I'll take this one thanks.."

Basically, single coils rule for me...!