There's Got To Be a Morning After
While the nation is recovering from its electoral idiocy, I have been making much more important plans--for yet another guitar.
I still can't hardly control the things (for me it's kind of like musical bull-riding, with the same grace and style--all fast and bumpy), but that doesn't stop me from cluttering up the house with them.
For quite some time I've been checking out the SAGA Telecaster clone kits. I've seen them for up to $130, and as low as $72. That's what I paid on eBay. They've generally gotten fair reviews--as in, "you get what you pay for"--but the thing is: a) a Tele is sort of my dream guitar [Ada, keep your mouth shut], and b) I plan on doing a painting on it.

I hear that the tuners need to be replaced, but I can't sing in tune, so why worry about the guitar? I also hear that the pickups leave something to be desired, but I only have a little baby 10W practice amp, so how could I tell? Again, it's a DIY kit! If I was expecting a real vintage Fender, I have to be paying about 10-20 times as much. I know full well that over time the painted finish will get chipped, scratched, and worn, but that's part of the appeal of the project for me. I love the idea that pieces of artwork have a lifecycle after they leave the artist's studio. So they have a story that goes beyond their creation. That's very cool. Plus, I would be quite happy to live in a world covered in my paintings, a la Kurt Schwitters' Merzbau.