Junior Genius

Now comfortably into his ‘new’ career as one of the UK’s finest small shop electric makers, Patrick J Eggle’s latest solidbody takes us back to simpler times

- Dave Burrluck

Having recently completed his outstanding acoustic guitar orders, and given his workshop an “electric-centric” makeover, Patrick J Eggle and his four-strong team are now firmly in the electric guitar business. And it’s a typically modern ‘boutique’ business at that, as Patrick explains: “we’re making 10-12 guitars a month, and my goal is to get up to 20. We don’t have a huge number of dealers but we are struggling to keep them supplied. We took on The Music Zoo, in the USA, at this year’s NAMM show back in January and we haven’t shipped them one guitar as yet. In fact, the one you have there is going to them.” Lucky them, we say. This latest in the

Macon line is purposely stripped back, but shouldn’t it really be a ‘Special’ rather than a ‘Junior’ in classic guitar terms? “Yes,” laughs Patrick, “I guess you’re right. It was only the way it happened that we called it a Jr: it’s like the ‘light’ version of the normal Macon: slab body, a junior version really. There will definitely be a double-cut version and versions with two controls, probably one with a single pickup too. The guitar you have there is our entry into this world.”

There’s obvious homage paid here to Gibson’s original slab body Les Paul Special from the 50s but with more of a rock ’n’ roll twist. While the guitar isn’t relic’d, all the parts and surfaces – with the exception of the clean control knobs – have a muted, aged patina, which gives a lived-in, used appearance but without a ding in sight. The one-piece slab mahogany body has a deep brown, dark chocolate hue with a textural open-pore matt finish that’s the polar opposite to all the ‘don’t touch me’ dipped in glass glosses we see. This finish will age nicely, burnishing up no doubt with use.