Fylde Ken Nicol Signature

Ordered late 2005, received early 2006. Ordered directly via Roger Bucknall at his Penrith workshop in the Lake District, UK.

This guitar is basically a Falstaff with a Western Red Cedar top:

- 14 frets to the body, roughly OM sized.
- Indian rosewood sides, Western red cedar top
- One piece Honduras Mahogany neck
- Ebony fingerboard with custom inlay
- Gotoh tuners
- I asked for a Headway FEQ pickup to be installed
- Finish is the usual Fylde high gloss shine. No grain filler is used, so the pores of the wood are visible particularly on the sides. Some people might not like this, I love it.
- 25 1/2 inch scale length, fairly fat neck. I hate skinny necked acoustics so this suits me perfectly. Fingerboard is unbound, no fret markers, custom celtic knot inlay at 12th fret.
- Came supplied with a Hiscox liteflite case that is marginally too big for the guitar. I'm not too stressed about it.

An acoustic guitar doesn't really have any 'features' - I give it a 9 due to the fact (as noted in a Falstaff review) the bridge pins are plastic. The Headway was a request of mine and has no bearing on my score here.

I spent several hours in Roger's workshop trying out all sorts of models. I tried, if I remember correctly, an Ariel, Falstaff, Orsino, Alchemist, Gordon Giltrap Signature, Oberon, 30th Anniversary Model and one or two custom models. The Ken Nicol was one of the last I tried and it immediately stood out for me. Don't get me wrong, all the guitars I tried sounded and played great but this one had a special something that immediately caught my attention. The Oberon was also awesome and had the best neck I've ever played on, but the Ken Nicol just tipped it soundwise. A Ken Nicol with the Oberon neck would be complete heaven (are you reading this Roger)

The sound is very warm and rich, big harmonic content. I keep wanting to do Nigel Tufnell impressions and hold the guitar up to people when it's not being played, saying 'listen to the richness!'. I'm mainly a fingerpicker, Celtic style, and it sounds perfect. At low volume the sound is full and balanced. The harder you pick, the more the sound opens up and fills with harmonic content. It also plays well with a plectrum - I just bought the Solas 10th anniversary DVD and if I'm not mistaken, John Doyle is playing one of these. Any doubts to its versatility should be eased by that. The sound is also loud! I worried about the projection of the cedar top but I don't think I'll have any problems.

The finish on this is near flawless. It has one miniscule lacquer bubble on the heel of the neck, so small I didn't even notice it for 3 months. There are also one or two imperfections in the Celtic knot inlay at crossover points, but not noticeable unless you're up pretty close. I love the pore look of the lacquer without grain filler.

The purfling, rosette and 3 piece back borders are all done using multicoloured marquetry - outstanding. It's a beautiful guitar, simple yet stunning.

Action is just what I asked for, given my propensity for dropped tunings. I'm still fiddling around with mixed gauges and will get it set up again in a couple of months once I've settled down.

Too early to say, but it's built like a tank. I don't expect any problems, and it's guaranteed for life in any case.

I would gig without a backup, because I don't have a backup. I wish I had more money. Otherwise I would always have a backup. Strings break on any guitar.

Roger's support is outstanding. An email is generally answered within a day, normally within a few hours. When I went to the workshop, I was given a cup of coffee and left on my own for 2 hours with a room full of brand new high-end guitars to play. I could never trust a stranger like that!

Throughout the build process I bugged Roger with various questions, he always answered quickly and patiently. Also, the bad winter took its toll on some of his guitars in progress - mine developed a lacquer check a week before I was to receive it. Roger was totally upfront about this and said he was going to refinish the whole guitar. I liked the honesty he treated me with, refreshing.

I have been playing guitar for 17 years, keys for 25. I have played mainly in funk / rock bands, but now I'm mellowing and I play almost exclusively solo acoustic guitar. This is the best guitar I've ever played, although I would love to try a Ryan or a Manzer just out of curiosity.....

If it were stolen, I would cry for days. This guitar is a remembrance of my grandfather who died in 2005, the money he left me in his will paid for it. I could think of no better way of honouring his memory and legacy. In that way it is irreplaceable. I'm still learning its personality but I've no doubt we will have a long and loving relationship.