What’s that thing that looks like a baked bean can on a board and might be related to Clout’s Beanverb?
Pop-up shop mania hit London last week as London Fashion Week and London Design Festival collided in a maelstrom of party madness. So hats off to Nineboys Guitars who launched a guitar pop-up called Downhome for their new Downhome range, as well as show-casing prototypes like a crazy Jack Daniels machine. The launch party featured filthy blues and metal from the Tin-Tone Army - Motorhead’s Ace of Spades on biscuit tin guitars was brilliant. Josh from Nineboys jammed using the hit of the night, The Wedge, and Stu and Chris Da Lipz played cigar-box guitar and harmonica. Downhome runs at 64 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5PX until 9th October, and here are some pics of the latest kit.
What’s that thing that looks like a baked bean can on a board and might be related to Clout’s Beanverb?
The Wedge had us gripped, and we weren’t the only ones. It’s a one string, yes that’s right, a one-string! Designed to be played as a slide guitar, it’s inspired by Delta Blues one-strings from a hundred years ago, but brought up to date. The ‘blues scale’ is shown in the ‘fret’ markings and it features an Alnico Humbucking pickup.
Nineboys, based in Suffolk, also make high end acoustic guitars used by the likes of The Vaccines and Maverick Sabre, but they obviously just can’t sit still and there were plenty of prototypes and one-offs around. They say their mission is to make “people’s instruments for musicians to find their voice”. Mark Ellis, Nineboys’ founder, showed us a one-off newspaper finish instrument and told us the Downhomes are built from sustainable materials and designed with British engineering talent. Josh Artus from Nineboys got stuck in to the jam and showed everyone how to really work The Wedge.
This is one of the latest prototypes, for a new Wedge with a built-in speaker. Nineboys say they want to find the perfect way to translate a home-made instrument into a universal one and if people want to customise their gear even more, they’ll offer advice.
They’d got a freshly-made batch of cigar-box guitars along with number-plate stompboxes.
Plus some of their classic acoustics as used by The Vaccines and Maverick Sabre for writing, recording and live.
The Vaccines have a D15VSP and a D15CEP while Maverick Sabre has a J15CE and an O17P. The acoustics are designed in the UK and made in Indonesia.
We couldn’t take our eyes off another prototype - a Jack Daniels special!
Nineboys started just 18 months ago. Mark used to be part of Rosetti musical instrument distributors, working very closely with Gibson, Epiphone and Rickenbacker. Josh has always played in bands and has worked in the musical instrument mecca that is London’s Denmark Street.