NGD - 2010 Fylde Orsino

GTC · September 2023

I've been telling myself that I have too many guitars and would not be tempted by another. However, a left-handed Fylde Orsino popped up on Reverb recently and I couldn't resist it. There was some sentiment behind my purchase - this model was played by the great Nic Jones - a hero of mine from the folk scene in the 70's and 80's - on his widely acclaimed "Penguin Eggs" album. It was also the model that was smashed up in the fateful head-on collision with a truck which ended his performing career.

Fylde luthier Roger Bucknall did manage to repair it but it soon became clear that Nic wouldn't be able to play it with any proficiency due to injuries to his right hand, So, Roger converted it to left-handed for Nic's son Joe - who did a great job of accompanying him on his emotional farewell tour (2013, I think).

Mine has been built as a left-hander from scratch - and features the usual Fylde zero-fret. Mahogany back and sides and cedar top - and in excellent condition. It plays beautifully (following some truss rod adjustments) and has a lovely clear and balanced direct tone. I'm very pleased I succumbed to temptation.

Photo here: " title="Link: http://

">http://%3Cimg%20src%3D%22https//onedrive.live.com/embed?resid=32DF0A472C3E48BB%213530&authkey=%21ADd1LzfGmBWiS14&height=660%22%20width=%22auto%22%20height=%22660%22%20/%3E

Stuckfast · September 2023

Ooooh, very nice. Do you play in Nic's style yourself?

maltingsaudio · September 2023

Fantastic, I had one for a number of years and loved it, only changed for an Alchemist when I came into some money from my late Grandmother.

thomasross20 · September 2023

Nice one, I keep hearing these are great

Supportact · September 2023

Very nice. These are great guitars.

GTC · September 2023

Stuckfast said:

Ooooh, very nice. Do you play in Nic's style yourself?

In my performing folk days, I used to play in a style inspired by the fingerstyle folk guitarists on the English folk scene then - Nic, Martin Carthy and (although you may not have heard of him) Clive Woolf (who I think died very young) - but basically my own. I used a lot of open tunings then. I was blown away by Nic's first album "Ballads and Songs" and met him at a gig the Hop Pole in Enfield in the 70's (June Tabor was a regular performer there). What made him different for me was his musical inventiveness and sympathy for the song. The guitar part is very simple, but his "Little Musgrave" is amazing feat of storytelling. I'm pretty sure I remember him playing an Aria acoustic in those early days - although Wikipedia says it was an Epiphone. I was using an "upside down" Yamaha FG30 - before upgrading to my first proper left-handed instrument - a Guild F20

Nowadays, I play mainly classical, having discovered how flexible standard tuning is (with the occasional dropped D).

GTC · September 2023

thomasross20 said:

Nice one, I keep hearing these are great

Yes, I was keen to play one as I'd heard so much about them and you rarely seem to see left-handers. It is surprisingly good. A much clearer, direct and balanced tone than, say, a Lowden or Avalon - and gives my Santa Cruz a run for its money. I'm looking forward to trying it with my favourite Thomastik "Plectrum" strings (great for fingerstyle, IMO)

Tannin · September 2023

Wow! What a lovely pick-up. I am sure it has gone to a good home where it will be properly played and appreciated.

Stuckfast · September 2023

GTC said:

Stuckfast said:

Ooooh, very nice. Do you play in Nic's style yourself?

In my performing folk days, I used to play in a style inspired by the fingerstyle folk guitarists on the English folk scene then - Nic, Martin Carthy and (although you may not have heard of him) Clive Wolfe (who died very young) - but basically my own. I used a lot of open tunings then. I was blown away by Nic's first album "Ballads and Songs" and met him at a gig the Hop Pole in Enfield in the 70's (June Tabor was a regular performer there). What made him different for me was his musical inventiveness and sympathy for the song. The guitar part is very simple, but his "Little Musgrave" is amazing feat of storytelling. I'm pretty sure I remember him playing an Aria acoustic in those early days - although Wikipedia says it was an Epiphone. I was using an "upside down" Yamaha FG30 - before upgrading to my first proper left-handed instrument - a Guild F20

Nowadays, I play mainly classical, having discovered how flexible standard tuning is (with the occasional dropped D).

I'm a huge Nic Jones fan, he's one of those people who evolved a style unique to himself and had an amazing sense of rhythm. Some of the syncopations he does are bonkers. I would love to have seen him live! Are there any recordings around from your own folk days?

GTC · September 2023

Tannin said:

Wow! What a lovely pick-up. I am sure it has gone to a good home where it will be properly played and appreciated.

I should mention that, aside from the Fylde and the Santa Cruz, my other steel strung acoustic is my beautiful custom Brook Weaver parlour. Hopefully your Brook is getting closer,

GTC · September 2023

Stuckfast said:
I'm a huge Nic Jones fan, he's one of those people who evolved a style unique to himself and had an amazing sense of rhythm. Some of the syncopations he does are bonkers. I would love to have seen him live! Are there any recordings around from your own folk days?

I'm not sure if his two early recordings "Ballads and Songs" and "Nic Jones" (in his "Napoleon period") are still available commercially - but there are quite a few extracts on YouTube. I saw him live umpteen times in the 70's and early 80's - and booked him when I was one of the organisers for the Westlands Folk Club in Yeovil. He was always pleasant and modest - more aware of his shortcomings than talent. I also saw him with the short-lived group Bandoggs.

BBC4 Television did an hour-long documentary about him in 2013, the time of his extended emotional farewell tour. It is not on iPlayer, but maybe can be found somewhere.

Sam Carter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0wZBWsvLOI has done a very interesting analysis of the guitar style Nic used on Canadee-i-o (from "Penguin eggs")

GTC · September 2023

Stuckfast said:

ople who evolved a style unique to himself and had an amazing sense of rhythm. Some of the syncopations he does are bonkers. I would love to have seen him live! Are there any recordings around from your own folk days?

I've just come across a 10 min video with extracts from the BBC4 documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOwD4f6nwhw&t=452s

Stuckfast · September 2023

I remember seeing that documentary when it came out, there's some nice bits in it, but given how many live audio recordings survive of Nic it's a shame there seems to be no video at all! (Also that American singer who inserts herself everywhere is teeth-gratingly awful.)

GTC · September 2023

Stuckfast said:

I remember seeing that documentary when it came out, there's some nice bits in it, but given how many live audio recordings survive of Nic it's a shame there seems to be no video at all! (Also that American singer who inserts herself everywhere is teeth-gratingly awful.)

Yes - there did seem to be a lot of padding in the documentary. I think the American singer must have had something going with the producer

The sheer power and drive of "The Humpback Whale" though.

I also found that his first two albums "Ballads and Songs" and "Nic Jones" are on YouTube in full - along with "The Noah's Ark Trap", which is the one album I hadn't heard before, although most of the tracks are familiar.

Devil#20 · September 2023

Ritchie Blackmore used to get his acoustics built by Fylde when Roger was still in St Anne's, Fylde coast in Lancashire before moving up to Penrith (I think). Eddie Green used to work at Fylde and has now retired but he's the Dad of my mate Andy at work and he sorts out my guitars when they need work I can't sort out myself. He likes making mandolins and he does some really nice stuff. If I was in the market for a mandolin I'd get Eddie to make me one. He wrote a book on making acoustic guitars with a forward written by Roger. Not for the faint hearted though unless you like maths. I do and it makes perfect sense to me. He was also a design engineer at BAE Systems working on military aircraft (as am I) hence the heavy nature of the book. I have a copy he signed for me when I was last at his house. It's essential reading for anyone building their own acoustic guitar though. I should say he doesn't know I'm recommending his book and I have no financial interest in it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mechanics-Construction-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/1912677059/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VXQW9K695YIE&keywords=eddie+green&qid=1695680293&sprefix=eddie+green,aps,306&sr=8-1 

GTC · September 2023

It looks a very interesting book if you are into the detail of learning why some acoustics are so much better than others. The maths is a bit heavy, but ,after seeing the calculations carried out by Glastonbury luthier Alan Miller on the 22-string harp guitar he made for me, it was a breeze!

GTC · September 2023

Devil#20 said:

Ritchie Blackmore used to get his acoustics built by Fylde when Roger was still in St Anne's, Fylde coast in Lancashire before moving up to Penrith (I think). Eddie Green used to work at Fylde and has now retired but he's the Dad of my mate Andy at work and he sorts out my guitars when they need work I can't sort out myself. He likes making mandolins and he does some really nice stuff. If I was in the market for a mandolin I'd get Eddie to make me one. He wrote a book on making acoustic guitars with a forward written by Roger. Not for the faint hearted though unless you like maths. I do and it makes perfect sense to me. He was also a design engineer at BAE Systems working on military aircraft (as am I) hence the heavy nature of the book. I have a copy he signed for me when I was last at his house. It's essential reading for anyone building their own acoustic guitar though. I should say he doesn't know I'm recommending his book and I have no financial interest in it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mechanics-Construction-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/1912677059/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VXQW9K695YIE&keywords=eddie+green&qid=1695680293&sprefix=eddie+green,aps,306&sr=8-1 

After reading the Amazon details I bought this book. It is certainly not a "how to build your first acoustic" book but it is a fascinating in-depth analysis of the many factors which come together in making an acoustic guitar. There is a lot of science, supported by many equations - but you do not need to go into this too heavily to get a lot out of the book. It is quite a piece of work.

I was particularly interested in the bit about X-bracing and the positioning of bass and treble side braces. The author claims that there will be an impact on the tone if you change the strings round on a right-handed guitar for a left-hander. Common sense says it might but many notable luthiers say the difference is not perceptible (as long as you have dealt with other stuff, like saddle-slot angle). Empirically, I've tried it myself with a few different guitars, including a Brook Tamar - and to me it is imperceptible, too.

Nonetheless, an excellent book which I'd recommend to anyone interested in understanding the complex mechanics of an acoustic guitar

icu81b4 · October 2023

Fylde - excellent guitars.

WafflesOnHorseback · October 2023

Lovely guitar! And great to watch those Nic Jones clips.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

NGD - 2010 Fylde Orsino

Comments