The Skinny And The Candy Store Kid

A little while ago I met up with British Blues great, Ian Siegal, to find out how “The Skinny” prototype is behaving with life on the road. “She’s holding up fine, sounds fantastic and getting a lot of attention”. Upon further evaluation, Ian and I both agreed that she needed a further injection of Jimmy Reed sex appeal, thereby adding, a little more “glamour” to the guitar.

We were referring to the Kay Thin Twin that Jimmy Reed played back in the 1950s. This iconic guitar was commonly referred to as the “Jimmy Reed Guitar” and the name was a reference to the unique appearance of the slim profile dual pickups. With Ian’s endorsement ringing in my ears, I sat down and re-designed the pickguard, fitting period styling control knobs and adding a trapeze tailpiece. The end result is a guitar I would have given to The Big Boss Man himself had I been around at the time. Ian’s verdict on seeing “The Skinny” with added Jimmy Reed sex appeal “Stunning”. Luther Dickinson, Ian’s band mate and fellow guitarist in The Mississippi Mudbloods, nodded, smiled and said “Wow”. Job done!

(Prior to giving “The Skinny” back to Ian we gave her to Mitch Laddie so he could give her a thorough work out. Mitch’s verdict after he played her, “Tonefully seductive”.)