Having recently had quite a number of requests to look at more acoustic guitars, it seemed like time to take in one of the models made in Bristol by Simon and Johnny Kinkade. During the past year the Kinkade Brothers have begun to earn themselves a fine reputation as acoustic guitar makers, probably the instruments they supplied to the Stranglers having helped them come to the attention of a lot of players who otherwise might not have heard of them.

The Kinkade range of guitars covers a few standard models plus a custom building service.for anyone who wants something different. Rather than sample a custom model, we borrowed an M2 — a very pleasant instrument looking somewhat, in size and shape, like a Martin 018, although, of course, there are notable differences between the two — the Kinkade Brothers are no mere copyists!

The Kinkade M2 is a small-bodied instrument, especially for those whose only experience lies with Jumbos or Dreadnoughts (call them what you will). This is no indication of a lack of voice, though (ask any Martin 00 or 000 owner!). Dreadnought sized instruments are really more for strummers than these smaller kinds, which suite finger-style playing better, and tend to have clearer, more penetrating characters than their big brothers.

The Kinkade is a beautifully made instrument — typical of the very best quality from the growing band of British craftsmen guitar makers today. Unlike some we have seen, however, the Kinkade was finished in rather a high gloss, something which provoked mixed feelings from a cosmetic viewpoint among our several reviewers. That really must be down to individual taste, but the consensus view we arrived at was that, perhaps, a duller finish might have looked more attractive.

There were absolutely no quibbles with the workmanship or materials, however. The M2 featured a premium quality spruce top mated to Indian rosewood back and sides. The grain in these woods indicated the high quality — we hardly needed to play the guitar to know, beforehand, that we were looking at a high class instrument.

The M2's neck is mahogany mated to an ebony fingerboard, fretted with a wide gauge of wire polished and lapped down to an excellent profile. Again, the quality of the ebony was excellent. Other materials featured were a rosewood bridge, a mother-of-pearl ring around the soundhole and what looked suspiciously like a genuine ivory nut. Full marks in all these departments.

An oddity was the choice of a Spanish style headstock with classical type 'three-a-side' machines. This is, presumably a nod back to some of the older style Martin guitars. One might be tempted to find fault with it on a steel-strung instrument, were it not for the fact that the strings stayed very well in tune and the machines were accurate and obviously well manufactured.

Playing the Kinkade was a pleasant reward for everyone who tried it. The neck width at the nut was around the 1 11/16" mark, slightly easier to handle than wider types. The M2 has 20 frets, with 14 of them clear of the body, allowing a player to play fairly high with comfort. The neck profile was quite flat at the back, making for easy fingering on the medium/light gauge strings the guitar came with.

The Kinkade is tremendously loud for its body size and yet there is no booming in the sound — it cuts clear but remains rich — and if that sounds like a contradiction in terms to experienced acoustic playing readers, well, it struck us as a rare combination too. This was a brand new guitar and yet there was a distinct richness in the tone which we wouldn't have expected, either on account of its age or its relatively small body. All guitars are very much a matter of personal taste and, especially when dealing with handmade instruments such as these, it's very much up to the individual guitarist to try as many types as he can and make his choice from among them. All a review can hope to do is give a guide as to what you might expect from one particular model, and comment on the quality of construction — in effect, helping you decide what to add onto your shopping list.

On that basis, we'd say the Kinkade was an unusual looking guitar by today's standards and, possibly, an unusual sounding one too. It's very well made, and balances a tremendous ease of playability with a penetrating yet warm and rich sound. In our view it would be ideal for the player who wanted a guitar to play purely acoustically, especially with others. The Kinkade will stand its ground and has an unusual (and rewarding) sound.

KINKADE BROTHERS M2 Acoustic Guitar. £595

Further details from the Kinkade Brothers at (Contact Details).