I absolutely love Nick Drake. His songs have this unique, almost magical quality. The guitar sound is so warm, earthy, woody, mellow—soft and sweet, but I struggle to put it into words. It’s a sound I just can’t seem to recreate.
Is it my guitar, or is it my playing? My guitar always feels too sharp and harsh, and the sound doesn’t feel full enough.
Or was there something done during production to achieve that tone?
I totally understand where you’re coming from, as I’ve been there myself, drawn to that same sound. Many people have spent years chasing it, and it’s really a combination of several factors. The type of guitar you’re using plays a role—you can research the guitars Nick Drake used, though I believe the one on the cover of Bryter Layter wasn’t actually his main guitar. Another key element is the strings; Nick Drake is known for using old, dead strings and rarely changing them, which contributed to his distinctive tone. He likely used the strings available at the time, so if your guitar sounds too sharp, it could be because your strings are newer or made of bronze. Technique is another big factor—how you pluck the strings affects your sound, and to truly emulate Nick Drake, you’d need to adopt his playing style. Also, keep in mind that what you’re hearing is a recording, so the microphones and EQ used in the production play a part in creating that sound. There’s actually someone on YouTube who has spent years trying to replicate it and has gotten really close.
According to a Google search, Nick Drake used a small-bodied Guild M-20 guitar for all his recordings and fingerpicked everything, which gives a warmer tone compared to using a pick. Different acoustic guitars can sound drastically different as well, so depending on what you’re playing, that could have a significant impact on your sound too.
The Guild guitar seen on the Bryter Layter cover wasn’t actually Nick Drake’s (and neither were the shoes). Before he got signed, Drake played an LS-18 Super Goliath Dreadnought, though that guitar was reportedly destroyed. The general consensus online is that he used a Martin D-28 with old, dead strings for his recordings, which he sold after finishing Pink Moon. The 2023 biography Nick Drake: The Life includes the only known photo of Drake performing, where he’s seen with a dreadnought guitar. In 1973, he acquired a Martin 000-28, which was used for his final demo recordings after Pink Moon.
I’ve also read online that he played a Martin D-28. So, good luck with that! It seems Nick Drake remains quite a mystery.
Oh thankyou!
