Royal / Royale Guitars + luthier Kevin Chilcott

Gadget

I thought I'd start a thread dedicated to UK company Royal / Royale Guitars and luthier Kevin Chilcott...


Kevin Chilcott was apprentice to one of the luminaries of British Guitar making Chris Eccleshall. After leaving his apprenticeship to open a music shop and become a professional luthier, between 1981 and 1989 it is estimated he personally hand-built over 125 custom built guitars - acoustic, semi-acoustic and electric, including 12 thru-neck electric basses.

In 1983 he exhibited his guitars for the first time at the first British Guitar Show, held at The Royal Festival Hall in London.

The majority of his guitars were made in the years 1987 to 1989 and of these, over 40 were made in the last year of production when the orders were flooding in. A few of the early guitars had the logo Chilcott but the vast majority were Royal.

The most common Royal Models were the TV Junior, the Angel V and the Electra MkI and MkII, or 'Cheese' as it was often jokingly called. Other Royal models included the Electra Bass, the Medusa, Medusa Junior, Medusa Bass, the Magenta and the Razorback guitar and bass. There were also some bolt-on neck guitars, lthough these were generally custom variations of standard designs.

After the last Royal was finished in 1989, Kevin took a break from guitar building.

He returned in 2005 under the name Royale Guitars and set about making signature Vs for Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash, as well as a range of new models including the Swordstress and Bitocaster.

Alas, ill health sadly cut-short the revival and Kev ceased making guitars in 2012.



The last Royal guitar ever built: my Electra MkII Custom from 1989

maidenfan

I love that they use Kahler rather than Floyd trems, I've always preferred the feel of a kahler, both on the bar and under the palm. Thank you for starting the thread!

Gadget

Cheers @maidenfan

Yeah, I favour Kahlers. Shame they're not more widely used.

Many years back I wrote my own thoughts on why I prefer the Kahler...

Kahlers V Floyd Rose...

1) Floyds require a large through-body (and often top surface) rout and large back cavity. This removal of wood can have a detrimental effect on the resonant mass of the body. The Kahler requires only a very small top surface rout.

2) The Floyd anchors to the body only on two stud points...as opposed to the large surface area direct body mount of the Kahler. True, the Floyd also has a spring-anchor in the back of the guitar's body, but this can set-off un-sympathetic resonant waves in the springs and also 'trap' ghost notes in the rear cavity. You'll often see experienced Floyd players removing their back cover plate, as well as wrapping the trem's springs with wool or putting silicon tubes inside them, just to compensate for these failings.

3) Palm pressure on a Kahler bridge will not raise the tuning, unlike on a Floyd.

4) The Kahler's strings are much easier to change. No tools required, no ball ends to cut off, no threading to do and no clamps to tighten.

5) The fine tuners on a Kahler are top mounted and easy to operate. Some Floyd's can be difficult to get to and all are easily levered-up or depressed during tuning, which kind of defeats the purpose.

6) The strings remain at the same height during trem action with the Kahler, whereas they don't with the Floyd's fulcrum system.

7) The Kahler's strings run over brass or steel rollers, rather than over a static 'break point', providing a smoother, more positive action.

Of course the Kahler does have some negative points, such a the simple thread-mount trem arm, which can be difficult to set for correct swing tension, and the thread can easily be stripped if you're not careful fitting the arm. Overall though, it's my preferred choice.

Gadget

Thanks to @paganskins ;; for pointing-out that the late Pepsi Tate (via bandmate Jay Pepper) of Tigertailz had his Royal Electra Bass donated to the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea...



Here's the story... https://museum.wales/news/?article_id=897

And here it is 'in use'...

Gadget

... I got a surprise when I ran into it on holiday with the family last year...

blueskunk

Gadget said:

I thought I'd start a thread dedicated to UK company Royal / Royale Guitars and luthier Kevin Chilcott...


Kevin Chilcott was apprentice to one of the luminaries of British Guitar making Chris Eccleshall. After leaving his apprenticeship to open a music shop and become a professional luthier, between 1981 and 1989 it is estimated he personally hand-built over 125 custom built guitars - acoustic, semi-acoustic and electric, including 12 thru-neck electric basses.

In 1983 he exhibited his guitars for the first time at the first British Guitar Show, held at The Royal Festival Hall in London.

The majority of his guitars were made in the years 1987 to 1989 and of these, over 40 were made in the last year of production when the orders were flooding in. A few of the early guitars had the logo Chilcott but the vast majority were Royal.

The most common Royal Models were the TV Junior, the Angel V and the Electra MkI and MkII, or 'Cheese' as it was often jokingly called. Other Royal models included the Electra Bass, the Medusa, Medusa Junior, Medusa Bass, the Magenta and the Razorback guitar and bass. There were also some bolt-on neck guitars, lthough these were generally custom variations of standard designs.

After the last Royal was finished in 1989, Kevin took a break from guitar building.

He returned in 2005 under the name Royale Guitars and set about making signature Vs for Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash, as well as a range of new models including the Swordstress and Bitocaster.

Alas, ill health sadly cut-short the revival and Kev ceased making guitars in 2012.



The last Royal guitar ever built: my Electra MkII Custom from 1989

Tha

FelineGuitars

I remember seeing one in the window of Allbang and Strummit in about 1988 and also I recall there was a prize draw for one at a Guitarist show in London around the same time.

Gadget

Yes, I remember seeing a yellow Electra in the window of a Denmark Street shop in the 80s (maybe that one - can't remember?)

koneguitarist

When I was working in a guitar shop in Yeovil back in 1980's we used to deal Royal guitars and sold quite a few. Especially a gorgeous maple mahogany super strat type with Kahler a mate Gary Powers bought a couple if I remember right. 

Philly_Q

I couldn't find it on a very quick search just now, but there used to be a Royal/Royale website with a very detailed, fascinating feature on the custom Flying Vs Kevin Chilcott built for Andy Powell.

Gadget

@koneguitarist

Kev and his wife had a shop too in the 80s, nearby in Exeter.

Did the superstrat have the holes in it like this one?...

Gadget

Philly_Q said:

I couldn't find it on a very quick search just now, but there used to be a Royal/Royale website with a very detailed, fascinating feature on the custom Flying Vs Kevin Chilcott built for Andy Powell.

Sadly all gone from the web some years ago, but as I built the original Royale web page for Kev, I am intending to do a little resurrection in the near future

Gadget

And, further to my discovery that these are now museum pieces, here's my Electra Bass...

koneguitarist

Gadget said:

@koneguitarist

Kev and his wife had a shop too in the 80s, nearby in Exeter.

Did the superstrat have the holes in it like this one?...

Identical, I remember shop in Exeter. 

LizRose

Gadget said:

Philly_Q said:

I couldn't find it on a very quick search just now, but there used to be a Royal/Royale website with a very detailed, fascinating feature on the custom Flying Vs Kevin Chilcott built for Andy Powell.

Sadly all gone from the web some years ago, but as I built the original Royale web page for Kev, I am intending to do a little resurrection in the near future

My husband Mike Rose made the Royal pickups and made / designed the pickups for Warrior and Camille the " V' s" belonging to Andy Powell. We own www.geminipickups.co.uk and can supply these pickups to the public.  Shares of the sale will go to Lyn and Kev Chilcott. 

TTony

LizRose said:

 www.geminipickups.co.uk . 

That's an interesting site in its own right @LizRose.

(and welcome to theFretBoard!)

Gadget

LizRose said:

My husband Mike Rose made the Royal pickups and made / designed the pickups for Warrior and Camille the " V' s" belonging to Andy Powell. We own www.geminipickups.co.uk and can supply these pickups to the public.  Shares of the sale will go to Lyn and Kev Chilcott.

That's great. I really must get on with collating all this stuff and I'll be sure to include your pickups

DrBob

FelineGuitars said:

I remember seeing one in the window of Allbang and Strummit in about 1988 and also I recall there was a prize draw for one at a Guitarist show in London around the same time.

Ah now as it goes I think I might know where the prize draw guitar is now. Was it a red single pickup one without any holes ?

I ask because I know that @davidrondeau1979 occasionally of this parish has that guitar. His parents bought it for him from Gigsounds in Streatham where he was taking lessons as a teen. I can only assume the prize winner sold/p’exed it to the shop. Anyway Dave had it routed for a neck pickup which in hindsight was a bad idea given that the neck join on it is basically the same as a LP Jr type tenon but it hasn’t affected the guitar in terms of stability/solidity which is credit to the quality of the construction . It’s also now Black. I think he needs Kahler parts to bring it back to life.
Shall I prod him for pics ?

Gadget

DrBob said:

FelineGuitars said:

I remember seeing one in the window of Allbang and Strummit in about 1988 and also I recall there was a prize draw for one at a Guitarist show in London around the same time.

Ah now as it goes I think I might know where the prize draw guitar is now. Was it a red single pickup one without any holes ?

I ask because I know that @davidrondeau1979 occasionally of this parish has that guitar. His parents bought it for him from Gigsounds in Streatham where he was taking lessons as a teen. I can only assume the prize winner sold/p’exed it to the shop. Anyway Dave had it routed for a neck pickup which in hindsight was a bad idea given that the neck join on it is basically the same as a LP Jr type tenon but it hasn’t affected the guitar in terms of stability/solidity which is credit to the quality of the construction . It’s also now Black. I think he needs Kahler parts to bring it back to life.
Shall I prod him for pics ?

@DrBob @FelineGuitars ; Below is info about the Guitarist prize draw guitar from the old Royal website. It says it had 3 pickups and a 'Guitarist '87' inlay, so it doesn't sound like the one you mention, but it would be great to see pix of it nonetheless.

1987

This is a 'dusty' picture I've just found of the 2nd Electra made and is only
one of two MK I models in existence - with the rounded horns and the
'Standard' Royal Headstock for that time.
( The original prototype was built in 1986. Her headstock had no banding.)

She has a one piece Mahogany body, one piece Mahogany neck, Rosewood
fingerboard and Ebony head-face. She also has 'Lightning Bolt' MOP fingerboard 
inlays and..... Guitarist '87 in MOP inlayed in her headstock.
She has a chrome Kahler Pro unit, Schaller mini-machines and a set of 
3 Royal Pickups made for us by David White, tone & volume 
& 5 way slot type switch 'thru-the-body'.

Colour - Red

Pickups
The neck pickup is a 'Cream Dream', the middle pickup is a Vintage 
voiced 'S-Type' and at the bridge is another custom pickup with a very 
high output and 'flanged pole-piece blades' which 'alter' the magnetic 
field from it's 'usual' configuration. 
This innovation spawned 3 models of this type, each with it's own 
distinctive 'voicing'. 
This type was called the 'Fireblade' in either T-1, T-II or T-III format.
I still have one of these somewhere - I'll try and dig it out for a photo !
I believe that this guitar had the Prototype Fireblade T-I pickup on board.

Please go to Hardware for more info on "Royal" Pickups & Kahlers.

This Guitar was made for a Guitarist Magazine Competition in 1987.
She was also the Centre-piece of the Guitarist 'Stand' 
at the Guitarist Exhibition in 1987.
There are some articles in at least 2 Guitarist Magazines from that time -
if anybody has copies I would love to have some scans if possible..... Thanks.

Gadget

@LizRose Just found this on th old website...

August 2006

ROYALE PICKUPS by GEMINI

Royale Guitars are launching a new range of pickups this month:
We are bringing out a range of Pickups that are custom hand-wound for us by Gemini
There's a link to Gemini in the "Links" section.

These include Single coils, 'Fat' Single coils and Humbuckers.
Currently the range is:
VP-54 Kite, VP-54H Red Kite, VP-54B White Kite & VP-54R Black Kite - "S-type" Single coils.
VP-52 Falcon and VP-52H Fire Falcon - "Fat" Single coils.
VP-36 CC & VP-36 TB - Specialist Jazz "Fat" single coils.
VP-57 Merlin, VP-59 Kestrel, VP-60 Raven, CP-86 Eagle, CP-87 Buzzard,
MP-97 Vulture, MP-97 King Vulture & MP-98 Vulturine - Humbuckers.

Additionally the VP-47 Hawk & VP-48 Harrier single coils are 'in the pipeline'
along with the VP-58 Condor, CP-86 Screaming Eagle & CP-86 Imperial Eagle - Humbuckers.
Later in the year we are also reintroducing the Classic Cream Dream & Dirt Box Humbuckers that
we originally made back in the mid 1980s.
We will have more information up about all these pickups as soon as we can.
If you do have any questions - please drop us an e-mail.

terrynoakes

Hi all,

I was the winner of the Red Royal guitar, mentioned earlier. It was a competition by Kevin and Picato strings.

All that was needed to enter was, name and address on the packaging of your choice of Picato strings set.

The draw took place at the guitar show at Olympia exhibition center london.

 

I had seen the Royale guitar stand, and played a few guitars aslo had a brief chat with kevin, and as I headed off to check out the rest of the show, said in parting and joking, I’ll be back later to collect my guitar.

Anyhoo returned for the competion draw, picked by Bassist Henry”king thumb” Thomas, as he started to read out my name Terry, my missus shouted out “Noakes”, Henry looked up in amazement and said yes.

 

I was also the plonker that traded it in to, Gig Sounds in Streatham, for “oh my giddy aunt” an Alesis Quadreverb!!!

I did however before that, commission off of Kevin a three pickup model in Green as shown in the photos, I later had it striped back to natural wood. Alas I no longer have my custom built guitar, but would love to have that back, if its still in one piece.

 

The the Red Guitar came with an EMG 81 pickup.

My custom built guitar was through neck and was loaded with.

Seymour Duncan:

SH- 5 Bridge / Alnico pro II Mid / Hot Rails Neck, auto tapped in position 2&4

I have some photos on my desktop, but I'm unsure of how to upload, How/Where is the image URL?

why no upload photo option?