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Hello, it's Lynzy here. Isn't she a beaut? Her name is Betty. I can't wait to play her live for the first time this weekend. We are holding an event called The Big Fundraiser to raise awareness about and funds for services in Fife that mean the world to us because, as well as countless others, they are looking after me as I progress through treatment for inflammatory breast cancer. The Circle of Comfort, Maggie's, NHS Fife and the Willow Foundation have all been a huge support to both of us throughout what has been the most difficult experience of our lives so far. This guitar is symbolic of all that has happened, and is yet to happen, throughout this process and is a reminder, for me, of everything I have achieved, of what I can still achieve and of the utterly amazing individuals that continue to support me through both the fair and the turbulent weather. There isn't another guitar in the world like it; I absolutely love it. Here's a short story of how it came together.
This is Rock God, who does actually have a real name; it's Alan Jordan. The reason I had a guitar to work on in the first place is because of him. One evening, we visited him and the lovely Gina MacLeod at their home where we had more than a few drinks (and I made firm friends with their bathroom floor the next day). Alan was getting rid of musical items and produced this beautiful Simon & Patrick guitar; it's a brand of guitar I have always lusted after and one was now being passed on to me! Not only that, it was a loved instrument of a dear and talented friend who had played and written songs with it; I absolutely love that it still shows the remnants of his playing.
We met at Perthshire Amber Festival ending up in the neighbouring hotel room a couple of times; it is such a small and boutique festival so there is ample opportunity to meet and chat with new people. We, very fortunately, got to know these two and although we don't see each other all the time, we know we now have a lasting musical friendship.
Next up is this guy and this photo was taken from his interview with Guitar Magazine (check it out for a brilliant read). David McArthur briefly entered our lives a few years ago; it was a small preamble to the great relationship we now have with him and I certainly wouldn't trust anybody else with my instrument! His side-hustle, Unique Guitars, has become somewhat of a medical service for our beloved guitars and it was here that David (and his colleague, Paul Picklett) worked on this customisation at different intervals throughout it's restoration. They took care of fret dressing, machine-head and pick-up installation and setup ensuring that the guitar would look and sound amazing. The advice and information provided at each step of the way was amazing and helped shape what the guitar is today.
Emma Duff is an absolute hero to me; her phenomenal talents are showcased in the guitar's aesthetic; she is owner and proprietor at Emma Duff French Polishing. She worked with me to discuss the meaning of this project and was able to create an image and style that captured, completely, everything I wanted the design to say. It was an utter joy, and a tad emotional, to work with somebody so dedicated to the symbolic nature of the commission. Emma stripped the guitar right back and then used freehand pyrography to create the image on the body and around the sound hole; she then built the vintage feel up bit-by-bit using a variety of polishing techniques. Perhaps the most challenging part for her, being she had actually never worked on a guitar in this way before, was the 'inlay' of my name on the fretboard. She did rise to the challenge and managed to carve out the lettering and then fill it with resin which was then levelled off to ensure the guitar was still properly playable. I drove all the way up to Portmahomack and back in one day so I could collect the guitar; I was completely astounded when she showed it to me and will be forever grateful to her for everything she brought to the project.
Below is a photo gallery of the whole process from beginning to end; it's just amazing!
Thankfully, the three wonderful individuals above will all be in attendance this weekend to see the culmination of their hard work; they will also finally be able to meet each other in person too. There are no words at the moment to describe what all of this means to me; the love that has been shown throughout this project is deeply appreciated. Who knows . . . maybe I will be able to write a song about it one day.
We really hope you enjoyed reading this blog; if you did, do feel free to share it with other music-loving people you know. We'd also love to hear what you think about this lovely instrument at some point. Thank you very much for your continued love, patience and support. Take care for now and we'll hopefully see you soon!
Lynzy & Vivienne
The Coaltown Daisies
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The Daisy Chain What's going on in the banterful world of our membership community? We are announcing live shows and more to our members who get to hear about everything before anybody else. We are also planning our next online session so we can all have a virtual shindig!