Biography [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

The other boy in the tree had different aspirations, he was going to be a scientist, or an inventor or an engineer or anything that meant dicing with death, preferably involving electricity. His Father was an electrician and radio repair man, who often gave him wires, valves and related stuff to play with. Unlike the other boy, whose life was ruled by music, his Father being a piano teacher and church organist, his Grandfather being a brass bandsman and a pit musician in the variety halls, this boy had no musical aspirations, but like his friend he'd succumbed to the rock 'n' roll bug and wanted to be involved.

A Fender guitar was needed, and the Bell guitar catalogue they had sent away for told them there was no way on this earth, and possibly the next, of ever getting enough money together to buy one. What it did have, however, was a very fine illustration, a picture so fine and mouth-wateringly tempting that, using the catalogue picture as a plan, they embarked upon the only possible course. The decided to make one.

"Can't be difficult, it's only wood and wire and knobs, and you've got a box full of knobs, I've seen 'em!"

"When did you see my knobs?"

"In the showers at school."

"You shouldn't have been looking!"

"It's alright, I didn't have my glasses on."

There was a long summer holiday ahead and the guitar had to be completed and mastered, songs had to be learned, stardom reached and a fortune made, all before returning to school in September. There was no time to lose.

It was decided. Phase One, the woodwork, would take place in the first boy's Father's shed as his Father, being a skilled carpenter, had all the tools to hand. Phase Two would move to the second boy's shed, where his (and his Father's) collection of electrical components were stored.

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