October 2021

Good things come to him who waits. We made this guitar right at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, and obviously any intentions or any plans to make recordings and videos disappeared. But at long last it has happened.

Gordon:  Ever since the great Roger Bucknall built this beautiful “Baby Fylde” so many months ago now I have been promising him some video footage of me playing this remarkable instrument. Obviously Covid has put a hold on so many things at the moment, but now things are easing off a tad I felt the time was right to try and get something special filmed that would truly do justice to this fine guitar.

The chosen piece to show off the sound of this world class instrument had to be “Loren” the piece I wrote a few years back in memory of the lovely Loren Jansch. I think I chose well. The footage has been placed on YOUTUBE for all to see. I hope that Loren’s family will be touched by the gesture, and that my pal Rog will be pleased with the end result. My goodness he has waited long enough!

I know it doesn't sound like such a small guitar, but it really is that very guitar in the audio, I’m so pleased with the sound, glorious, rich and even.
Those of you who study such things will notice that the audio and video were recorded separately. That was in order to avoid recording the screams from all Gordon's groupies on the other side of the garden fence. It's a constant battle for him, poor man, I don't know how Hilary tolerates it.

It's always so rewarding to see Gordon play, he is as good as ever, and thank you Gordon for going to so much trouble and for being such a good friend.

Jane and Moira both commented favourably on the cushion that Gordon used to keep the guitar off the grass. 

Gordon's site 

It is ten years since Bert and Loren Jansch died. To mark that, Gordon is re-releasing his 2000 CD “Janschology” as a download and including the recording he did for the video above. The piece was Gordon’s dedication to the memory of Loren and will be added to the original 6 tracks. The rerelease on Mirror Noir records should be available around November 22nd all being well. It also features Gordon singing, a very rare thing to behold, but Gordon says he is not intending to enter Eurovision. The beautiful cover photograph was taken by Hilary at Bert and Loren’s wedding.

The whole show is available in BBC iPlayer, it's one of best comedy and music shows I've seen, and of course, Bill finished off the show in his usual style with a new tune using his Fylde Mandola. His last YouTube with the mandola has reached 1.7 million views.

Bill's Website

Martin Simpson and I have been talking guitars since 1975 and one way or another he has owned quite a few Fyldes. Two years ago, after we recorded "The Instrument Makers" for Radio Four, we made a plan over a little drink and a little food. Martin had some thoughts and I had some thoughts, so we made him a guitar. We had more thoughts, so we made another guitar. Then we had some more thoughts and we made him another guitar, it's a weird way of working but we both enjoy it. We have had more thoughts since then, but Martin has to buy a bigger house first.

Since those three "iterations" of the basic idea, we have made two more for Martin's friends and one to keep in the workshop as a reference. One of those is featured below, with some of the technical details. We have another, rather dramatic version nearly finished which I hope to show next month.

I want to make this guitar more often, it's such a lovely thing, and I needed a name. I've had a particular Shakespearean character in mind for a long time "The Bastard of Orleans" (sorry, that's a straight copy from Shakespeare, don't blame me). It's such an evocative name, but probably a bit harsh and it doesn't "scan" very well anyway. I will point out though, that the term was a mark of respect at the time, a Royal acknowledgment of an illegitimate son. We saw the play, Henry VI part one, at Stratford, it's a very powerful play, but the amount of saliva flying round on stage would have closed the theatre nowadays. We were in the front row, exceptional, never seen the like before or since.

Anyway, back to the story. It so happens that Martin lived in New Orleans for quite a while, which has to be fate. The idea was so simple that it's taken a long time to sink it, we both agree that the "FYLDE ORLEANS" is splendid and very appropriate. I've missed out the other bit, because Martin is a very very nice man.

This is one of the "Orleans" models before we decided on the name. The starting point was a twelve-fret short scale, using the Falstaff body size, but reduced in depth and with a cutaway to restore high fret access. There would be no metal components in the neck, just four sections of carbon fibre reinforcement continuing through the neck into the body. This one is a little different, it has the carbon fibre, but with an adjustable truss rod added as well, partly to see how much difference it makes. It's early days, so far, I'd say that both concepts work very well but I'm tempted to keep to the idea of no truss rod because it is so "honest" and simple, and it really does work.

Martin thinks these guitars are the most comfortable to hold and play that he has. Even with the relatively heavy Rosewood and Spruce, the weight is only 1.8 Kgs and the physical balance is a delight.

The customer asked for Bee inlays, so one of the pictures above is my pathetic attempt at humour, long term readers should be used to this by now. I cut the "proper" Bee from solid silver because I didn't fancy my chances of cutting the thin antennae and legs out of Pearl. Even so my first attempt lost a leg, so I had to start again. Anybody want a five-legged silver Bee inlay on their guitar? I have one spare.

I'd forgotten that I keep my piercing saw blades in a Falstaff cigar tube! Hamlet's aren't big enough.

There have been various observations of course - "It buzzes at the twelfth fret" . Mike English joined in with "It’s a hive of activity down here". "Everyone buzzing about". "That’ll keep you busy busy busy"- and he tells me off for MY jokes!

"A nice buzz" was the title of the track that Peter Berryman recorded for the Fylde Acoustic Album in 1977. Memories

Five tracks from Tristan, music from the Eighties, which I barely remember of course. Choose your own explanation for that.

Buy it here

Another BBC iPlayer event. You won't see Megan here, or hear her guitar, but her voice is there all the way through in the background, and in the closing song "Boundless and Blue" Her name is in the credits, but you'll need to be quick. Link to video

Megan's Website

I have more progress with the conservatory, mortices cut for the doors, tenons started. I've been a lot more careful with my poor battered hands after the two recent operations, but I did cut these by hand and so far, no ill effects, thank you NHS. I do find that a little anaesthetic helps though, here are my latest three bribes/gifts/thankyou's. I'm amazed that I don't get many duplicates, I can only suppose that Moira sends out a secret updated list. She's a clever girl, but then she tells me I have too many bottles. I don't understand, how is that possible?

I'm afraid to say that Alex and Paul are in the early stages of a similar hobby, nothing at all to do with me of course, I do my best to keep them safe.

This is Chris' second album to raise awareness and funds for The Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Chris is a local player and a good friend of ours. As a youth he was an athlete and a gymnast. but he is now suffering severe problems with MND. As the disease has progressed, we have made and adapted guitars to help him, but his condition now means he cannot play at all.

He has managed though, to put together this album using keyboards and old guitar recordings.

You can see the whole package here.