Tele's 'R' Us

Squier rules, okay?

This little number is very sweat indeed. All yours for well under a grand (AU) is all you will pay for this little Indonesian babe. I'm not sure if the wide range humbuckers are the same as in the more expensive Fender branded version of the 72 but they certainly sounded smooth to my ears.

Guitar guru and general all round guru.

Doug Jerebine

There are some very special people in this world. Doug Jerebine is one of them. From a small farming town north of Auckland in New Zealand and after some eight years of studying guitar Doug was finally enticed to the big smoke to join the hottest group of Auckland musos around at the time.. the Embers. (Okay with the puns then?) Doug caught the ear of every aspiring guitarist including myself. I never did get to play in a group with Doug but we did a ton of session work together and by this time (late 60's) Doug had stepped sideways and picked up the bass. Doug left NZ for the UK where he recorded what has now become a classic album under the name of Jessie Harper. I have illegally posted this interview/podcast recorded a couple of years back for Radio NZ. It is a fascinating story as told by this talented but humble man. Check it out here!

No bandage required.

Looking like some R2D2 from another world is in fact the electronic components required to make a very simple tone mutilation circuit for your guitar. Fender must think this is a good idea as they have added this 10c mod to their new Professional Series instruments. Never equaled but often copy.
This mod has been around for a number of years in various forms and is now being seen in mainstream manufactured guitars and basses. Good or bad?

Esteban gets the point.

Run and won. The Albert Park residents can sleep for another year. An error by the almighty Mercedes team allowed Vettel the break he needed to pass Lewis and take win one of the season. Congrats to our lad 20yo Esteban Ocon on scoring his first point, just the one but hopefully the first of many.
Did anyone like the new cars? How about the fat tyres? Just what was that TV arial on the Mercs?

Green at Melbourne

Curiosity of Shakey Cam. Do you really want to see the bigger shot?.

Racing is underway at Albert Park. Esteban got off to a steady start and not that far behind his team mate Perez. Practice 1 and both Esteban and Perez put in 29 laps to give their pinkie's maximum exposure. In fact they completed the highest number of laps of anyone.

Meanwhile, our boy Esteban..

Esteban and team mate Serg preparing

Tomorrow morning will be our boys first look at the awesome (although narrow) Albert Park circuit. The faster and wider cars will be a real foot-full around here. Gotta love the lads attitude, he has set his goals for the season.. to finish ever round in the points. The Mercedes powered cars have enjoyed strong mid-field finishes these past couple of years, he may well reach his season 2017 goals. Let's wish him well.

Love him or loath him?

Ol' Bling Eyes! 

It looks like Lewis's PR machine is the first in with driver news for the opener at Albert Park. I awoke to the news that Lewis has single handedly solved the Vic/NSW battle to have the privilege to host the Australian GP for future years. "Easy" says Lewis, "Alternate year about. One year Albert Park the next in Sydney". Lewis went on to say he fancied a spin around the streets with the Opera House as a back drop.
Now, the informed Davey Coulthard also has made the prediction that if Lewis looses that sparkle in his eyes (I think he means bling) that Lewis may well retire this season even suggesting before the season is completed. Just how much moolah does it take to keep Lewis in F1? DC maybe on the button but my prediction is that if Lewis start's loosing a few races to Valtteri retirement may come earlier than later. You heard it here first.

A relic or an antique?

Click for full screen

Ibanez have made some pretty nice jazz boxes for some years now. From way back in the 'law suit' days when we first saw George Benson with his L5 'a like' Ibanez. George loved his Ibanez so much that they made his own signature model guitar. In fact George was one of the first guitar endorsee's and still plays his own model today. This particular instrument isn't quite up to Ibanez's signature standards but it is a mighty fine jazz box, great sounding and ultra playable.

Supercars irradiated in Newcastle.

Here we go again. Supercars dump the half baked Skafie designed street track track at Homebush and set up camp in Newcastle for the Newcastle 500. Simple, Newcastle replaces Homebush. So what school kid designed this one? It suspiciously looks like a direct ripoff of the Adelaide circuit although the cars will be travelling anti-clockwise instead. Already the Newcastle Council have been sticking their noses in and suggesting to Supercars a few little changes to please the residents. At least it will give the Albert Park Anti GP group somewhere new to go next November. Looking at this arial shot I don't see where the spectators are going to park their cars and you wont be seeing me in the irradiated area.

Click for the 'exploded' view.

Plastic guitars, I want one.

Here's a very interesting YouTube interview that every guitar abuser should watch. It would seem it won't be long before all you can buy will be guitars made out of recycled plastic. And if you are traveling with a guitar that has endangered wood, i.e. Brazilian rosewood then you better get your guitar a passport. Yeah, sounds nuts doesn't it. Okay professor, tell us all about it..

Meanwhile, I was still thinkin'

Look.. this is bigger that F1, Esteban or F1 Barbie. For that matter, bigger than Bruce Springsteen or Adele. This is Chuck Berry's big day, no one else's. In fact I pronounce 18 March International Chuck Berry Day. I think every March 18th we all should spend an hour on YouTube soaking up the great man and I will jump in and start things off with this great fun clip from what looks like a movie. Or could it be an ad for Ray Ban Wayfaer's or that brown fizzy stuff the fans are soaking up? Gotta love the out of sync band of actors. Very cool. Chuck does Little Queenie.

I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world. Life in plastic, it's fantastic..

Clicky for the biggy

Holy Batman!! I't's F1 Barbie ready to take our boy Esteban's newly pink liveried and newly sponsored Force India mobile out for a spin. I wonder if F1 Barbie will make an appearance at the season's opener in Melbourne next week. I don't think recent celeb visitor Adele would fit in the car somehow. Come to think of it, after two packed to the rafters Adele shows here in Melbourne (100,000+) can anyone afford to go to the GP ?

Hail Hail Chuck Berry

Sad news, particularly for guitarists around the world. On Saturday 18/03/17 an elderly gent was found unresponsive to medical care and pronounced dead in the St Louis home of Charles Edward Berry at 12.40pm. Chuck was aged 90.

Meet our featured F1 driver for 2017

A new kid on the block or should I say the grid. Esteban Ocon has only been around a little while, in fact only since 1996.

We're Back!!

So that was 2013 and this is 2017, how time flys when you're having fun. Okay, so now that the fun has quietend down it's time to fire up the old Electric Guitars and Racing Cars blog once again. Strap yourself in and power on the standby switch for lots of 'it' through 2017. It feels good to be back and don't forget to keep those cards and letters coming in.. Dave the Curator.