L.A. Strings

This chap is a retired police officer who has become a musician. He is playing a custom-built guitar called the Art-Tone which was made at L.A. Strings in Whetstone, where I took two of my guitars this morning to be fixed. L.A. Strings is run by two luthiers who are a combination of guitar doctors and artist/craftsmen, and they designed and built this guitar from recycled parts, mainly of a piano. The neck is a piano leg and the top of the guitar is also recycled from the piano. Old wood- beautiful sound! It's great to play (I had a go) and has a huge range of sounds from a very mellow and woody bassy sound to a very live and punchy rock sound. It is a very special instrument, with a good feel to it, and extremely versatile. I also tried out an acoustic guitar that they had made, with a French-polished neck and a solid silver nut. Meanwhile, they were fixing up the Martin guitar, raising the action slightly, and the Gretsch is staying there overnight for a set-up.
Their website is lastrings.co.uk and they are a perfect antidote for people who don't want to battle through central London with a battered guitar case being sworn at by strangers. You can hear the birds singing from inside their workshop and have a relaxed chat about guitars, guitarists and music in general.
Suitably distracted, I returned home and I have now ploughed through five solid hours of marking. I have the same again to get through but I'm now taking a break to play some music and to be frightened about going to the dentist tomorrow, which I am sure you will agree, needs a little time to adjust to.

Dental Song
I will soon have a hole-ah
Where once was a molar.