Personal Guitar Reviews

You can believe that, with the Wishbone Ash website’s hands on approach, we get a lot of e mail from all kinds of interested people. By far the most number of questions seem to come from guitarists and from all musical backgrounds.
I usually have mammoth e mail sessions where I try to answer your questions. These usually take place between tours since I generally find it impossible to keep up to date with correspondence on the road.
There is always great interest regarding my use of the Flying V guitar along with any modifications I’m currently making, strings I use, pedals and effects etc.
There has also been a lot of interest in the new custom Royale Vs (these are the instruments made for me by luthier, Kevin Chilcott), so I thought I’d give you the whole inside scoop on the way this relationship has developed and how these guitars came about. It’ll hopefully give people an insight as to the conundrums facing us guitarists.
For those who find some of this technical stuff boring, then kindly skip over these points. Kevin’s story is an interesting one in its own right.

Basics

When it comes to electric solid body guitars there have only been 3 key shapes which have really captured the public’s imagination: The Fender Stratocaster and its derivatives, the Gibson Les Paul with its distinctive arch - top and single cutaway and the Gibson Flying V.
The freedom to explore these fanciful designs comes from the fact that, unlike acoustic instruments, the electric luthier is freer to experiment with shape since the electronic components like magnetic pick-ups and tone circuits contribute in a significant way to the sound. However, the instrument has to have some intrinsic resonance to give an even response when played acoustically which will only be enhanced once amplified.
This is why a medium density hardwood like mahogany, used in the Vs and alder
or swamp ash used in early Strats seems to work well, bringing out the low and mid range warmth, as well as the highs. The Les Paul features a combination mahogany body with a laminate of bright sounding maple on its surface.
50 years after the invention of these three styles, there have been very few improvements in design and sound. Those early designers really got things right, perfecting a marriage between early mass production and hand finishing. Leo Fender probably made the biggest leap forward in design with single sided machine heads, the tremolo system, contoured
body shape, angled jack socket and so on.

After a lifetime playing these electric instruments it gradually becomes apparent how ahead of the curve these pioneer electric guitar inventors really were and I for one, am always seeking that perfect marriage of the acoustics and electronics.

Kevin Chilcott first contacted me by e mail in early 2002 but it wasn’t until December of that year that we were finally to meet and discover how much in sync our thoughts were about electric guitar construction. He explained that ever since first seeing the band in the 1970’s he had always wanted to refine the design of the Flying V and that it had been an ambition of his to build me one, in particular. How could I refuse?

Kevin’s Story

Kevin explained to me how he had studded guitar luthiery under the renowned Chris Eccleshall and that in fact, he was one of the last apprentices in the U.K. Chris had been trained himself as a violin maker and these ancient skills all come to bear even in the construction of electric instruments, where joinery, eye / hand skills and aesthetics all play their part.

After his time was up with Chris, Kevin started out with his own shop in Exeter, UK where he became well - known as a guitar repairer and builder. It was in 1989 that he had a major health crisis after a fall and basically had to put things on hold due to severe back problems accompanied by near constant pain. This expanded hiatus lasted 13 long years in fact. In the interim, he and his wife Lyn who had also worked alongside Kev handling the colouring and so on, produced three wonderful daughters.

I’m proud to say that the meeting between us spurred him on to get back on the long road to regaining his skills in building instruments. We set about planning a prototype V featuring a piezzo pick-up installation along with a one piece mahogany body similar to the mid 60’s ones Gibson used to produce. Kev took my direction on the neck size and profile and I followed his advice to stick with the Gibson scale length for the fingerboard. Prior to all of this, the family pulled together to restore his old workshop in Wales. This is where Lyn comes in. With her extraordinary building skills and never say die attitude, large workshop doors were constructed, along with a spray booth; featuring a proper extraction system to take care of the nitro cellulose fumes etc. I was adamant that we use this type of lacquer since it gives a beautiful finish and doesn’t kill the tone of the wood like polyurethane and polyester as used on so many newer instruments these days.

A lot of pre - owned hand tools were sought out on E- Bay along with band saws, routers etc. Kevin set about the construction of the V during all of this and understandably there were problems along the way due to it being a prototype, hence the name ‘Problem Child’. As insurance Kev also made a 2nd one which he didn’t tell me about until much later
and this had the working name of ‘Chamille’.

In 2004 I took delivery of PC and some little time later along came Chamille - Two virtually identical instruments except for some neck joint refinements Kevin insisted upon for the newer V. This guitar now resides with me in the USA and is featured on all the band’s USA dates. Just acquiring vintage hardware like the original Vibrola trems and so on, was a major project, as was all the plating work required. It seems that quality control has really gone down for all of these processes.
Finally all obstacles were overcome.

The guitars are strung with my custom gauge D’Addario strings which run .10 .13 .16 .28 .36 and .48 and feature Seymour Duncan pick-ups: A JB in the bridge position and a Jazz in the neck position which gives me a large variation in tonal possibilities. When the L.R. Baggs bridge - mounted piezzo system is fed in with these two magnetic pick ups, then there really is a large palate of sounds available. We used Grover Imperial machine heads on both guitars since they have a larger gear ratio being featured on some high - end jazz arch tops.
So far the guitars have been through the Arizona desert as well as over the Canadian Rockies and the 30 year seasoned Brazilian mahogany has hardly moved! I love these instruments and can play virtually any style on them.

Some people say that the fins on the Flying V design add to the sustain. I can’t dispute this since they all seem to sustain more than say a Les Paul and they have a little more brightness. The one piece body construction definitely helps, unlike the reissue Vs by Gibson these days which are made of a t least two pieces. It’s down to what works for the individual, I suppose.
Back in the 1970’s, I dabbled with Gibson Firebirds as well as Telecasters and Strats. I was actually ‘forbidden’ by our then manager, Miles Copeland, to put down the V since, in his opinion, I had been so firmly identified with the instrument in the press and publicity pictures. I can’t deny this and would have probably come back to it anyway, no doubt.
It’s a marriage made in heaven.

The Present

At the moment Kevin is renovating a Burns original 60’s Jazz guitar exactly like the one I sold just prior to joining Wishbone Ash in 1969. He has also successfully renovated my original classic 1967 V along with a beautiful white V from 1970. All of my Music Man Silhouette guitars have benefited from his loving touch whether it be custom refrets or refinishing. In addition, he has built me a fabulous natural Strat style guitar nicknamed the Bitocaster which also features the piezzo system.

Several V fanatics out there have commissioned instruments from the great man and these will no doubt be collectors items in their own right, since Kevin has to ration out his work hours to accommodate his disabilities and medications etc. He has developed an entirely original design called the Swordstress and this is also available to order.

To find out more, check out his wonderful website where you can really examine his work methods in detail as well as pick up some of the cool merchandise he has on offer.

Andy Powell - 12th January 2006

* * * * * * * * * *

Just thought I'd drop you a line with the serial from the Electra. 11878 is her number.
I haven't restrung her yet as I've been tied up in-between playing.
I'm afraid she's not in the mint condition I'd remembered as I must confess to a few belt/button scratches on the back. Also there are a few weird marks from the strap which decided to glue itself to the body when she didn't see the light of day for maybe seven or eight years.
I stored her in the (ashamed) attic of my previous house and although it was quite furnished with carpet and lined like a bedroom (no windows) a little bit of moisture crept in over the many season changes.
I've bought a stand now and she takes pride of place in front of the Marshall now - and not under the bed.:)

With regards to some of your other questions.... I bought her from a music shop in Newport called Speed Music which was in the St David's centre,
but has moved now to the other side of town. It's still open and I remember the owner of the shop sold it to me after I tried "other" guitars and didn't
like them.
I had an Ibanez Blazer at the time which I'd fitted a tremolo to and messed up the intonation, so I decided to dig deep and buy a new guitar.
I don't know who owned it before me but I paid £550 for her S/H and was told if I didn't buy it was going to be sold to the editor of a 'music mag' that was interested.... possibly a sales pitch but I remember those words.

A week later I returned to the shop with it and more or less went in all guns blazing because my £550 pound guitar didn't work anymore.
The poor lad on the counter didn't know what to do and assured me the owner would be back from his 'hols' the next week and he'd sort it out.
About two weeks later I strode in to the shop and demanded my guitar.
The owner brought it out with a wry smile and told me it didn't work because the battery inside for the active pick ups had run down.
I kind of shuffled away in disgrace!

As for sound and playability, I suddenly 'turned' into Eddie Van Halen as for every note I played two or three would emit from her and my plectrum
hand became more or less redundant. It took some getting used to as the EMG active pick ups 'caught my every move' - and more so I kind of 'dumbed' down my playing and stopped trying so hard.
She is too easy to play. The action I've never seen the like of on any guitar I've picked up!
I did boast that she played herself.
All I did was hold her!

The fit of the cutaway and shape is better than I've ever come across too.
The Violin shape of the G*bson and the heavy thick Str*t just can't compare.

As for the finish, the inlays always turn heads as well as the holes. The edging has turned more cream than white now but the construction of the neck joint is always noted for its comfort when jigging around (as well as being dam sexy).

I could and would rave on about her for hours. I'm so glad I bought her even tho' she's never been used in anger ( I did loan her out for a week once to a very close friend and watched her in action in a pub in Newport).

In the years I've owned her I've talked to many musicians and when I've told them I own a 'Royal', all I've got is a puzzled look and more or less dismissed in my argument that my guitar would 'eat' anything they had.

I'm sure that in the age of the internet this will change. I bet you wish it were around fifteen years ago.

Hi Kev,
Well would you believe it, there I was surfing the net for bass bits when I stumbled across your page with a picture of myself with the pink Electra bass. Yes, I'm Matt and that was me playing the bass with Goliath.
I absolutely loved that bass, and to this day wish I could get hold of it again. I think it ended up as a p/x deal on something else, not too sure.
It was lovely to play and looked amazing. It was nice to see again, and if you hear of it being on sale at any time please do drop me a line 'cos I'd love to have it back again. So thank you for the blast from the past, it's good to know it's still alive and well.

Regards, Matt Woods.
12.03.05 16.17pm

Hi Kev.
Yes, that definitely is my old bass in the pictures, I have to admit the damage on the tip of the headstock was me, I remember doing it!!
The only modification I made was to replace the faulty pickup.
Are you still making basses?
I took a trip down memory lane and wrote a little review for you. Through rose tinted glasses perhaps, but I have fond memories of her and it probably shows.

Regards, Matt Woods.
13.03.05 23.18pm

Construction: Mahogany body with maple thru-neck. Reverse Ebony faced headstock with Schaller mini machine heads. Bound 24 fret Ebony fingerboard with Mother-of-Pearl inlays. ABS fine-tuner bridge, a single active EMG pickup with one volume control.

This is a very eye-catching bass, not only because of the pink ‘cheese hole’ body, but perhaps more for the long sleek neck with beautiful bound Ebony fretboard. This is a very lightweight bass, not too neck heavy and very comfortable to play either standing or sitting. The finish is a deep pink which under stage lights has an almost translucent quality.

The neck of this bass, though seemingly being about a mile long, is one of the most non-fatiguing I have played. The flatness of the board allowing for a ridiculously low action, and full access right up to the 24^th fret making fast runs and arpeggios a breeze.

Sound wise, the lightness of the instrument and its holes means it lacks a little in bottom end. However, adopt a more aggressive picking style and the bass comes alive with midrange bite and a chunky, almost compressed tone with harmonics I didn’t even know existed on a bass! Speaking of harmonics, I don’t know what this has as a truss-rod, but it has survived neck bends that Mr Sheehan himself would cringe at!

Understandably, a holey pink bass may not be to everyone’s taste, but this bass really sings and is undoubtedly one of the most charismatic and satisfying basses I have ever played.

Reviewed by Matt Woods.
13.03.05

I was once asked by a West Country musician, “What guitar would you have if you could have any guitar in the world ?” The answer today remains the carefully considered response I gave then. "That" guitar.

The axe in question was the custom spec Royal Kev had put together for me. Heavily borrowed from Jackson the styling is sassy 80’s super-strat.
A maple through-neck with mahogany body wings gives attack and warm sustain. The slim neck has a carefully refined taper and 24 frets and it’s here in the upper register that this guitar separates itself from any potential competition. The star of the show is the sensual cutaway allowed by the through maple construction. The neck/body shaping makes this to guitars what Ferrari is to cars. Mrs Pininfarina’s boy would be proud of the cutaway contouring which gives unprecedented freedom of access to the second octave 24th fret. This cutaway makes the “Stevens extended” jobby ( good as it is ) look and feel like a cricket bat ! The fret board is deliciously dark ebony with a fairly flat, what I believe would now be called a compound, radius for the sweetest, fastest action and playability on planet earth ( narrowly nudging a beautifully set up LP I once knew into second place ). Frets are “Jumbos” which give durability and nice playability on the lower register and obviate any need for scalloping up toward the second octave. Dot markers are carefully sized and nicely understated. The headstock is elegant and nicely angled carrying Schaller heads, an immensely practical ( if slightly bulky ) lever locking nut, and a discrete Royal abalone crown inset. Structurally the headstock/neck area is probably the most vulnerable part. Being through construction this is not the guitar to nonchalantly lean up against a stack.
The colour is Picato red ( so named for reasons best left for Kev to explain ). The aim of bubblegum pink met with the limitations of cellulose palate to arrive at a beautiful “coral” red which has matured very gracefully. Once again, I suspect Mr Pininfarina would give this an approving nod. Though it now carries the provenance of an often played instrument it has remained faithfully self coloured. The hole in the back of the body horn is where luthiery meets guitaring. Originally placed for aesthetics and constructional strength the strap button has since been re-positioned for balance and attitude with an over length screw and a P-bass string retainer!
The single offset ( EVH style ) bridge position pickup is a Jackson special with one of the coils over a ceramic which gives a unique voicing. Fine-tuning voicing preference is taken care of by an onboard three toggle ( pre-settable ) parametric active with pre-settable boost/cut powered by a PP3 which lasts for years. Topside control is a single knurled volume knob ( per EVH ) positioned a la strat for pedal effect pick style. I’ve toyed with the idea of swapping the pot for a push/pull with a passive option and possibly a coil tap on the pull. I may yet get to this.

The trem is Kahler thanks to Kev talking me out of Floyd Rose / Jackson. He was right on this one as the Kahler not only gives nicer tone (for my money) but also means no swing of the action on push down or pull up. Hence the sort of hyper-slick action normally only possible on a hard tail.
(Some info on Kahlers)
This is a purposeful single minded soloist guitar. It’s not flexible and it’s way hot for rhythm. But like a Ferrari, when you dial up full unbridled shred – this is the tool.

Of course I’m biased - it’s my guitar. But after 15 years it remains “That” guitar.

Review of “Cherry” - My Royal DCS Junior

The story of how I came by Cherry, one of Kevin’s first guitars and built ‘on his Mum’s kitchen table’ in 1982 is told elsewhere on this site. Find it yourselves - Kevin will probably put a link in here because he’s a thoughtful and thorough guy, but I’d prefer it if you just stumbled across it by accident. Anyone who loves guitars should spend some time getting lost on this site, learning about Kevin and his art.

This isn’t really a review – I don’t think I know enough to offer what I’d call proper, informed criticism and because I’m a left-handed player, the number of guitars I can use as reference points is very limited. So this is more of a ‘hymn of praise’ to a work of art from a humble player.
The difference between ‘craft’ and ‘art’… is in the intention of the maker rather than the purpose of the work.
A Les Paul is undeniably crafted, but is it art? I’ve looked at mine very hard, and played it harder but I can’t feel it or see it.
What did its makers mean by it? What was their motivation? To make a guitar? Music? Money? Production quotas and efficiencies?

Cherry on the other hand, is not merely crafted, she is a work inspired by the delight her creator has in the conception of her making. Believe me, you can feel it – I bet there is something of Kevin in all his guitars. Not just the ‘blood, sweat, toil and tears’ either, I mean something that is actually ‘Kev’ - his spirit, genius, soul or whatever you want to call it.
Crucial to Kev’s art is his idea of what a guitar is for the player and the fact that he is creatively, chiefly concerned about the quality of your experience of playing rather than his of making. This makes a difference.

What do you feel in your factory produced Fender or your production line Les Paul, however brilliantly the pieces are assembled? The ghosts of other famous players?
These things are as much ‘brands’ as they are ‘guitars’.

It is a privilege to own Cherry, and joy to play her. Occasionally if I look down at my fingers (I close my eyes a lot during soloing) I get a shiver of pleasure from the sheer beauty and precision with which the frets ‘go into’ the fret-board (that’s a technical term, Kev) and then make a complete hash of the next phrase! This is my fault, but Cherry (and Kevin) will forgive me, if I get it right next try.

Cherry is the finest guitar I will ever own and the most rewarding I will ever play. Obviously, I don’t deserve it.

I wonder if Kev also made his Mum’s kitchen table? I wouldn’t mind owning that either.

Re : - Royal Guitars.

I found the site sometime last year, so why did I look for Royal Guitars on web ?
Every so often I remember about the guitar I could of had and from emailing Kev, it is the Pearly, branded as 'Chilcott' with a fancy inlay.
I played it in 'Dirty fingers' (a guitar shop in Exeter) and thought wow, it sounded great unplugged and plugged in, wow again, I knew it would sound good it had to...
You know thinking about it now, I think Big Norm might of just had it for a time as well...

So why didn't I buy it, well I've been kicking myself so much today thinking about it is beginning to hurt.... I bought a Kramer, well at the time Eddie Van Halen was a god (Don't ask me why, it's an Elliot Eastern Pro II)

Anyways, I went down to the shop a few times saw the Electra's being made and promised myself one, shop closed I missed out....Incidentally the pickup configs list on the MkI Electra sound awesome... in fact the pickups made by David White sound awesome... I'd recommend a quick look at the hardware section on the web :-)

I have found some sort of solace in the website, I've spent more then half my day on it today and every time I am here a couple of hours at least. Reading notes looking at pictures and I am glad to see other people who love these guitars as much as I remember I loved the Pearly, popping into the shop to see them being made etc.... In short I think the website / the feeling you get from being on it is as good as the guitars and yes I will definitely get my hands one, I have to....

I met Kevin through his business partner Nigel when Royal Guitars was the up and coming UK guitar maker. The instruments were cutting edge designs and causing quite a 'stir'. That was a time when musicians were demanding more from their instruments than the old school of Fender* and Gibson* could provide. The classic shapes and finishes were being stretched and moulded into new statements of aesthetic proportion. The search was on for excess - more tone, more sustain, more volume, more luxury, more expression !

For a player, surrounded by guitars in a music shop it is intoxicating. The fingers itch to play and the hands to touch the strings, bringing the wood and metal to life in a flurry of notes and chords. That Era was special for technology and was moving forward and the excitement greater than ever.

New tremolo systems with locks and rollers that could swoop the pitch through multi-octaves, and active pickups with highs and lows chosen according to the player’s whim became de rigueur. Veneers from a forest of different exotic woods adorned the new models as an explosion of creativity leapt forth.

Nowhere was this truer than at the hands of the independent luthiers.

Kevin Chilcott was such a talented and creative individual. His craftsmanship was peerless, from the shaping of neck and body, insetting the intricacies of mother-of-pearl and abalone designs, and to the extraordinary paint and lacquer work that was lovingly lavished on his guitars.

Some fifteen years ago, I took a holiday in the South West of England and on my way home I visited the Royal Guitars workshop. If guitar shops are intoxicating, then the workshop is even more so. Here, the truth of all the hard work that goes into making that special instrument that will become cherished by its owner becomes clear. The love of music starts at the first hum of the saw and smell of wood shavings on the floor. Already the grain of mahogany is beginning to sing its first tune.

I had never played a Royal and so I picked up an instrument in the workshop. It had not yet been sprayed or had the electronics attached, but Kevin had strung it for his customer so that he could approve the shape of the neck. I fretted a note on one of the middle strings and plucked the string with my right hand. Without any amplifier feedback to breathe extra life into the string it vibrated beneath my finger pad in a most remarkable way. The strong tingling feeling didn’t die away as soon as it was born, as is so often the case with guitars, but the vibrating carried on, and without even hearing the note you could hear in your imagination the richness of it.

I was to get to know that the feeling of that string under my finger was no fluke, but that this was the way these instruments were. They do not allow for a lazy player. The sound is powerful and precise and will show up faults in playing straight away. The sound will cut through any wall of sound and soloing in the stratosphere became a thing of pure musical expression unperturbed by worries that the instrument could not cope. It would take and give anything demanded.

It was a great sadness to me and many others to see Kevin fall ill and become unable to carry on creating these masterpieces. Yet, because of their rarity, they can be even more prized by their owners.

God willing, he will once again become well and strong and able to resume using this mighty gift. Whatever happens though, it is wonderful to see this site and know that at least in some way this small but significant part of rock history can be remembered and cherished.

* NB - Fender and Gibson are registered names of the respective companies and all TMs are hereby acknowledged.

Kevin Chilcott

Luthier

PERSONAL GUITAR REVIEWS

Review of “Cherry” - My Royal DCS Junior