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It's a common misconception that Martin Barre, of Jethro Tull, invented the barre chord. This is of course nonsense. He merely introduced them to so-called 'popular music', and as a result they became known as 'barre chords'. Previously, they were known as 'dito appiccicoso' chords in classical guitar and lute.

Need to either do more relic work on this or get a new body. Korean (plywood) Squier I bought in the '80s after my Hohner Strat was pinched.

I wouldn't worry about that - I dont

After a year long obsession, and lots of too-ing and fro-ing over exactly what to get, the choice came down to a Studio .22+ combo, a Mk3 or a Studio preamp. Well the winner was the studio preamp. Mainly because I don't have access to an amp tech in China for servicing and the Studio pre should get me 80% of the way there tonally with no compromises. The pre is in mint condition so hopefully there are years of reliability left in it still. But my amp tech in London is going to give it a service anyway because it's still old. Can't wait to try it out...once I can get back to the UK. I'm hoping it'll be a keeper.

Artcores are great - I really like how they feel. They've got a suppleness that I've normally found on instruments costing twice as much. I'd have one if I could do it justice.

Looks nice. Never played one of the Artcores, but all reviews I've seen have been positive. Well done you on the rewiring, too - can be tricky on a semi! I like the stripped-down, MT/MV setup on this too - different vibe than the full dual vol / tones common on this style.

Ok so more done today. I've been sanding the wood back down again - going from a 220 to a 400 to a 600. The instructions with my guitar said that was fine enough for this stage. I then started to cut out the pick guard with a mix of the jigsaw and some hand saws. Unfortunately the WD40 I was using as a cutting lubricant was slowly dissolving the pen'd outline to the shape, in the end I had to call it a day. I'll have to reattach the pickguard to the metal sheet and draw round it again.

In the meantime, I decided to check bodies and necks for accuracy by drawing centre lines and checking alignment: 1) Neck pocket wall and end of neck heel didn't fit and the pocket was 1mm too wide. Reviews warned me of this so it wasn't a total surprise. I bought a black three ply HSH pickguard and checked the pocket on that against the body. It aligns surprisingly well although still too wide (58mm, rather than 56) but the fit issue must be the neck heel. Sure enough, the curve is asymmetrical. 2) The floor of the neck pocket is uneven. There's no excuse for this really, it's just sloppy paths in the milling software. 3) I did a quick check of neck alignment as best I could using cotton thread. The alignment might be out by 2-3mm but it needs checking with straight edges to be sure. 4) The trem cavity was unfinished along one long side and a trial fit of the bridge suggested it might need widening for full function. I bought a router bit specifically designed for under cutting the top rout by about 3mm. So with the bridge, neck, HSS pickguard for one of the bodies I did a trial fit just to give me a sense of what to expect.