b'Ken Nicol & Phil CoolAt one time, Ken and I lived quiteKens signature guitar hasKen has recorded an album titlednear each other and often metRosewood back and sides to giveInitial Variations One tune is called up. Now we have moved to theprojection while the body sizeRB, and another is called FY.I am Lake District it isnt so easy, butoffers huge reserves of power. Thevery suspicious, and if I am right, Im he is always ready to drive up andsoundboard is Cedar, which is softerthinking of putting them on my own demonstrate for me. Ken isnt easythan Spruce, and is known for itscompilation album.to pigeonhole, he plays guitar,resonance and warmth of tone. TheKen is good friends with Phil Cool, banjo, mandolin and ukulele and hasextra attack from a softer timber,who you should remember from his written some of my favourite songs.projected forward by the hardness oftelevision series, and his incredibly He is probably best known for histhe Rosewood, gives Ken a range ofmalleable face. He isnt just an powerful acoustic blues playing, andtone, which would not be availableimpressionist though, he provided for his long association with Steeleyefrom other instruments.some of the voice-overs for Spitting Span. As regards the guitars tone andImage, and he can also sing. My Some years ago, Ken and I and ourphysical characteristics, whenfavourite is him singing a duet with partners had a few sessions with anRoger and I sat down to discuss thehimself, first recording one harmony Ouija board.When I was holding themaking of this guitar I was awarepart in Paul McCartneys accent, glass - this came out: Wait till yourof exactly what I wanted. I alsothen playing it back and adding the father gets home hell let you playknew that if these requirementsother part in John Lennons accent.with the train - what am I supposedwere met, this would be a first classPhil also has a Ken Nicol signature to make of that? When I feel a littleinstrument. What really blew meguitar, and wrote and recorded Ode braver, Im going to have anotheraway though was the fact that in itsto my Fylde Guitar, Jake Thackray go. Ken has written, produced andcompletion it easily surpassed all mystyle oh, the little bit of wood that performed a stage play The Glassexpectations. The sound has depthkeeps me sane, I praise the very Chronicles, and an album of theand power, and in my books, thechisel and the plane same name, all based upon a largeneck is about as perfect as you canThats another one for the album.number of similar experiences. get. Oh and one last thing - it looks Ken was an obvious choice for abeautiful.signature guitar, his playing style isWhen Acoustic Magazine so strong and recognisable, and hereviewed the guitar, they gave it a had been talking about a new guitarunprecedented score of 99 out of to cover his needs, rather than the100, having deducted one point for two standard model Fyldes he hadlack of bling. Thats me and Ken, used so far. It wasnt a big step . no bling, just pure quality.76'