John Smith | November 2010

Spiral Earth and John Smith talk
Fylde instruments

Seasick Steve calls his 'The Trance Wonder' and it cost him $75. Whereas, Eric Clapton simply called his favourite 'Blackie'. Of course, we are talking about guitars, and specifically the attachment musicians form with their instruments.

Recently, we've been keeping an eye on Fylde Guitars, Roger Bucknall's beautifully handmade instruments played by, amongst many, Nic Jones, Eric Bibb and Davy Graham.

Formed in the seventies Roger's successful acoustic brand is now one of the most enduring on the British scene. Some of the recent Fylde action that we've been enjoying was the fingerstyle approach Graham Coxon took on his latest album 'The Spinning Top' much of which was played on a Fylde Orsino. Also, Roger not only has a talent for guitar making - just check out the variey of Fylde instruments Cruel Folk have snapped up!

Named after the coast in north-west England, where his first workshop was situated, you'll now find Roger and his small team in Cumbria. And, lately, beating a path to his door, have been, BBC Young Folk Musician Of The Year Megan Henwood, fingerstyle supremo Clive Caroll and, Spiral Earth Album Of The Year winner, John Smith. All have chosen exquisitely crafted guitars to suit their individual styles.

Currently, over at the Fylde website, you can feast your eyes on some spectacular photography featuring Megan, see which guitar Clive decided on, and be linked to some glorious filmwork of John Smith from the Body & Soul Festival.

And, just so we're not left out, we've got our own interview with John Smith below.

When was the Fylde spell first cast?

In a guitar shop in Soho I played a Fylde Orsino, about five years ago. I came out suddenly very disappointed with my American factory-built acoustic.

Can you explain which model you have and what custom features it has?

I have several, but my main guitar is a custom Falstaff. It has the same dimensions as the Ken Nicol signature but with a five-piece neck, shallow in profile. The woods are gorgeous - cedar and Madagascan rosewood with tulip binding.

What's the chance of that becoming a signature model?

I'd better get famous first.

Did you travel to Roger's workshop to discuss your plans? Or how did you come to a decision?

I was passing there on the way to a gig and basically just knocked on the door. Roger had never heard of me and I said 'I think you should endorse me!' and he said 'alright'. He's a very nice man.

Our spys say you've recently acquired another Fylde?

I have. Another Falstaff, in spruce and Indian rosewood.

And haven't you sold your twelve string? Any particular reason?

It was for the Falstaff, actually. I wasn't playing the 12 as much as I should, and thought there must be someone who'd give it the love it deserves. It went to a really good home in the end.

Have you tried any other models? Any more purchases planned?

At the moment I have both the guitars I need for my stage set-up so I'm happy for now. I also have a tenor guitar which is really lovely. A new idea comes out every time I pick it up.

Which brand of pick-up does your main guitar have? And how has it been performing live?

I use the Highlander IP-2 in one and a D-Tar Multisource in the other, both piezo/mic combinations, both going through a D-Tar Solstice preamp. The pickups are good but I think the key is to have a good preamp. There aren't many sound engineers who can handle an acoustic guitar properly. Having a preamp means you don't have to worry so much, you know you have a good sound as soon as you arrive at a venue. I can EQ both pickups separately and eliminate some of that fuzzy low-end nonsense before giving it to the sound engineer.

Your recent studio album has a textural, vibrant sound to the guitar. How was that recorded?

It was actually recorded mostly outdoors, away from the studio. We used two AKG C414's to close-mic and a coincident pair for the ambience. I think some of the best sounds on the record were in this bamboo forest we found. The acoustic in there was crazy.

Have you studied the recorded sound of other Fyldes?