John Thomas’ Jaydee Custom “The Hooligan”. The First Hooligan Ever Made

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John Thomas was one of the most brilliant guitarists of our time, and this is his legendary Jaydee Black Custom Explorer, “The Hooligan.”This one-off custom guitar was built for John Thomas in 1981 by my old friend, John Diggins of Jaydee Custom Guitars. It marked the birth of The Hooligan, a name that John Thomas himself came up with. This is the very first Hooligan ever made. John Thomas used this guitar from 1981 onward, and it quickly became his primary stage and studio instrument. It served as his main workhorse throughout his time with Budgie and Phenomena, accompanying him on tours, live performances, and recording sessions. He also told me that his close friend, Randy Rhoads, encouraged him to have the guitar built and even played it himself.  This guitar is one of the true centerpieces of our collection and will never leave it.

John Diggins told me in the 1990s that a second Hooligan had been built after JT’s, but with a slightly different design. He explained that it would never play correctly because he had been instructed to build it with an incorrect neck scale length. As it turned out, John was absolutely right—as he so often was.

Photo credit (live images): Phil Neumann.