ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS
A TURBULENT AFFAIR
Over the years I have had several acoustic guitars. In the beginning Saxon and Echo then Fylde, Lowden, Guild, Taylor and Gibson. None of them really 'did it' for me but I should never have sold the SJ45.
Later I discovered Collings and a couple of years ago rediscovered Fylde. I discuss my disinterest, then great interest in acoustic guitar in my post Killing the Blues.
FYLDE GUITARS - A TRIO
The sound of all three of these instruments is quintessentially British, quite distinct from my American guitars. It’s difficult to put a finger on exactly why, but they really are.
One outstanding feature is the way they are totally in tune all over the neck. I really struggle with major thirds being sharp when the tuner says they are in. Even when using a capo the tuning and intonation just seem right…
Roger and his team know their onions.
All three are short-scale with a cutaway to reach chords and notes in those four golden frets above the octave.
The tension of the strings is lower due to the scale length and by design, the fingerboard is wider making it a delight to play.
I am not particularly big on guitar ‘bling’: if it doesn't contribute to the sound it doesn't go on!
FYLDE CLASSICAL
An important tool in every guitar players arsenal is a great classical and this a great one. From Peter Green and Willy Nelson to Bill Callahan these sounds regularly show up in contemporary music. Since I picked it up in Penrith, I haven't put it down.
Writing the new Starlite & Campbell contemporary folk album did precipitate the purchase of this instrument and it sounds amazing. The bass is resonant with sustain for days and the nylon strings have a great attack. Perfect for recording.
It features Indian Rosewood back and sides, Englemann Spruce, three-piece laminated neck, Ebony fingerboard and bridge, no position markers, gold plated Gotoh tuners and Rosewood bindings. Unusually for me it does feature a cutaway which, on a 12 fret I have found really useful.
Amplifying a nylon-strung guitar is tricky as there isn't a lot of tension under the saddle for a standard piezo unit so this time Roger fitted a K&K Pure Classic passive pickup.
Strings are Savarez 500CJ High Tension.
RECORDING & LIVE
We generally record all our acoustics with one Schoeps CMC-64 small condenser microphone fitted with a MK4 cardioid capsule and a Flea 12 or 47 valve microphone.
They are both fitted with very simple LR Baggs Element piezo undersaddle pickups.
The Custom Falstaff has an additional output socket for my old faithful Jim Kaufman Sunrise pickup which still sounds great.
WHAT DO THEY SOUND LIKE?
I haven’t as yet recorded the Classical but the track below really shows the two steel strung guitars off.
Needless to say they are all superb sounding instruments and fit an any mix perfectly.
The end section has the 12 string hard panned against the six. Enjoy!
A Ménage à trois
One day I visited Peter Norris Music in Douglas on the Isle of Man and sitting there were three Collings guitars. I had never heard of this brand before but a bit of research, showed them to be based on the best Martin guitars from the ‘30s and ’40s and ended up, over time, buying them all, selling one then buying it back again!
COLLINGS D2H // A SUPERB DREADNAUGHT
"It is well known that the square-shouldered 14-fret dreadnought is the most popular steel-string acoustic guitar body shape in the world. It's well balanced but the bass response makes the dreadnought ideal for vocal accompaniment."
The sound of this rascal is massive with warmth and clarity at the bottom end and shimmering treble at the top. My OM2H sits in the mix better in a band situation but for a duo or solo, it's perfect.
On my second solo album The Knife, Andy Seward (who produced and played bass on the album) managed to capture the sound of this beautifully. It is featured on 'Do You Want Me' and 'Broken Man' and miked with a Soundelux Elux251 Tube Condenser and Telefunken U47.
More recently I recorded it with a matched pair of Schoeps CMC-64, the results which you can hear on the featured track - 'Can't Find My Way Home'.
As with most of my acoustic guitars, it's fitted with a Highlander IP-2 pick up which allows me to add an additional passive pickup if required - I use the Jim Kaufman Sunrise. Strung now with Curt Mangan Phosphor Bronze 13-56.
COLLINGS OM2H // The MOST VERSATILE acoustic...
For those, like me, who knew little about acoustics, 'OM' stands for 'Orchestra Model'. I have been told that 80 years after this body shape was first designed it has become the most popular 14-fret model with fingerstyle guitar soloists who choose to play on steel strings!
It has a very immediate sound with enough mid-range punch to sit in a mix, live or in the studio, with no trouble. Due to its diminutive depth (just over 10 cms) it doesn't have a lot of bass, but hell, do you need it if you are in a band situation?
I have used it on many of the tracks on my last solo album 'The Knife' and it sounds amazing. Best featured on 'Sorry I Broke Your Heart'. Miked with a Soundelux Elux251 Tube Condenser and Calrec Soundfield Microphones.
More recently, it was used for the solo of the Starlite Campbell Band single, 'Can't Find My Way Home' recorded using a pair of Schoeps CMC-64.
As with most of my acoustic guitars, it's fitted with a Highlander IP-2 pick up which allows me to add an additional passive pickup if required - I use the Jim Kaufman Sunrise which is shown above.
Now strung with Curt Mangan Phosphor Bronze 12-53.
COLLINGS 0001 // A lovely compact acoustic with a big tone...
I bought, sold and bought ithis guitar back again two years later when I realised the error of my ways :)
The 12-fret 000 has the same general appearance as the Collings 00, but in a larger size with a longer string scale. Although it's the same width and depth as the OM, the longer body typically produces more bass and overall volume.
It has a big wide, almost classical neck, which suits my fat fingers, with loads of bass, fantastic intonation and is absolutely beautiful to play. As it is only 12 fret the guitar feels small and not unwieldy - plus it records great!!
In 2010 when I was working at Gracieland Studio in Rochdale, England, I recorded All I Have Left with this instrument using a Shure SM81 and Neumann U87A which appears on my first solo album ThirtySix and more recently on It Started Raining by the Starlite Campbell Band.
It is fitted with a superb Headway HE5/G.FEQ pickup and strung with Curt Mangan Phosphor Bronze 12-53.
For when you are travelling light...
James (our eldest son) borrowed this guitar when serving in Afghanistan with 45 Commando Royal Marines... Great, if not difficult memories but I have now managed to recover it from his sticky hands. I travel with it all the time as it can be checked in as hand luggage.
The fingerboard on this instrument is refreshingly wide and for such a small guitar it has a big sound! It is 3/4 size and consequently a doddle to play and great to travel with.
Recently, when recording my latest album 'The Knife', I restrung it using Nashville Tuning for the song 'Dreamer'. Unusually, I replaced all the strings with their octave counterparts which gives the track some jangly top end to compliment the dark valve Wurlitzer piano.
Fitted with an LR Baggs Element undersaddle pickup by the amazing Stuart Palmer of Doncaster, England and strung now with Curt Mangan Phosphor Bronze 12-53.