Allan Holdsworth- talks about his Carvin Guitars Headless signature model

Live performance of Allan Holdsworth and he talks about his HH series headless signature model guitars the HH1, HH1X, HH2 and HH2X. These HH guitars are made by Carvin Guitars, family owned and operated in San Diego CA.
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[@MyFabio64]

Every time he touches strings I get electrified, miss him so much!

[@winstonsmith8240]

The only guitar player to truly scare me. Astonishing. What a loss.

[@Chaosdude341]

Allan seemed like he was such a great person to spend time around. He's just a fun, spontaneous guy. I like how I can see his speaking voice and his guitar voice overlap. We'll miss you, Mr. Holdsworth.

[@TechNewsaroundtheWorld]

As a personal friend of Al's, just had to confirm your suspicion. 100% a laugh every time.

[@Chaosdude341]

@@TechNewsaroundtheWorld can you share a story about Allan?

[@Jedizen07]

You know what? Allan's passing really hit me hard. But watching these and other AH videos has helped me with my grief, in a unique way. I've always been a fan, saw him a few times, met and chatted with him, transcribed some of the " easier " parts of his music. . . But seeing his thought process on these videos,when it comes to making/playing music, is now an eternal treasure.

[@deepgray4338]

Me Too!......still not over it and will not get over the fact Allan is not here. He is "one of kind" and their is nothing to remove the lost........of Allan and his music which were one in the same.

[@BMIGuitarist]

Allan made any guitar sound insane. A great composer of our lifetime.

[@HBSuccess]

Saw him in some basement club in London in 1980-or 81 (can't remember). We had a table right up by the stage. Anyway after the show he spent a bunch of time with us (college kids at the time) and let me play his rig. Life-changing stuff for a guitarist.

[@MichaelGrecoGuitar]

miss this dude. never got to see him live :(

[@TheAsdsdswww]

Michael Greco same here, I wish I did

[@RonSafreed]

I have been listening to jazz since 1986 & Iam a guitarist myself & just recently learned about Allen & his songs & music was not on many jazz radio stations ever. I know of other great jazz guitarists & seems like they did not associate with him!

[@MichaelGrecoGuitar]

RonSafreed truly a hidden gem!

[@5150Rockstar]

There will never be another Holdsworth

[@guilletjean-jacques5107]

il y avait Shawn lane !!!

[@sbeqstion]

@@djghostmode dude shawn lane is the only guitar to be on par with Holdsworth apart from like gambale

[@sbeqstion]

@@djghostmode and why the fuck are you trying to insult Shawn with a word u can't even spell

[@Sasquatch33]

Fredrik Thordendal from Meshuggah is the closest thing we'll ever get.

[@lex.cordis]

There will be other genius' that will come that will change the game entirely like Allan did, but they won't sound like him.

[@EVEROSFP1]

..."Was holding the guitar"...Great realization. Knowing what caliber of a musician and a guitarist he was and seeing how simple and humble human being he was this is an inspiration itself.

[@arielolea8103]

What a beautiful human. RIP Holdsworth!

[@YaoEspirito]

Oh. 'Beautiful' is not a word that springs to mind when thinking of Allan Holdsworth.

[@Adam-oc8cw]

Thought I knew every influential guitar player of the last 100 years but obviously not. Because I've never heard of this man till today. What a sound! Some new music to look forward to!

[@ThornbushTilemaker]

I know what you mean! I only stumbled across Allan less than a year ago. You should check out the song White Line off the album IOU.

[@GonnaGetYouBoi]

Ever hear of Shawn Lane or Mattias IA Eklundh?

[@BirdLives7]

Bro!!!! Enjoy the journey. He's the greatest of all time IMO. Simply the most unique guitarist to ever live.

[@jimi5037]

Saw him open for Chick Corea back in the late 80s. We went to a bar across the street after the show and I walked into the bathroom and there he was. Just as pleasant and gracious of a man as you'll ever meet.

[@stevesmith3990]

He still has his SynthAxe

[@QuistJam]

Fantastic guitar player, just amazing

[@timothydillow3160]

I was 5 feet away from him at the Golden Bear, Huntington Beach, California with his I O U band, he quietly came out and announced his father had passed away,. there's only about a hundred people there,.. all of them were surprised he was going to play. What proceded the next two and a half hours was something that's not describable, even to a musician . , you were awash in this melodic ethereal energy from the highest quality Equipment possible. It was the greatest display of virtuosity on the guitar or any other instrument I've ever seen. Allan Holdsworth single-handedly rewrote the language of jazz guitar.

[@angelorocco894]

Instablaster

[@JASONPASTRANNA]

He will always be the best and most original guitarist in the history of humility. He will always be the best and most original guitarist in the history of humility. It will take more than a thousand years for another Allan to be born. It will be very difficult. You are the best friend and I will continue to learn from you every day.

[@espojespo5]

I think it will be way more difficult to put such praise on one player like you just did.

[@nikelodeon6852]

@@espojespo5 It won't if you're a musician and actually open your mind up to realise that what he plays literally defies genres styles and music theory itself. Holdsworth himself is a genre. Can't say the same for anyone else. Coming from a metal fan btw.

[@runrunrun6777]

I wish there was video of that entire gig available. RIP Maestro

[@LJay54]

runrunrun6777 yeah same, I’ve been looking but can’t find it.

[@BTSrocker]

I played a holdsworth model at a local guitar center some time back and for me, it played like butter. It's one of those guitars I wished I had the cash for at the time.

[@FerdnandFreeholi]

I met Alan years back at a Namm show. I saw him having a brew at the bar. There was a seat next to him so I pulled up next to him. Didn't talk about guitars. Didn't trip all over myself and give him a bunch of compliments. Just talked in general. The nicest guy in the world. RIP Alan. Also sad to know that Carvin went out of biz. They made nice guitars and amps.

[@gflorko]

100 years from now, people will still be trying to understand what he was playing.

[@manuelmendizabal5942]

gflorko yeah and they will never get the secret because there is no secret

[@manuelmendizabal5942]

This is just 60 years developing his style that’s all

[@dazboot2966]

Yes I reckon that’s true. He was pretty much genius level in what he did with the guitar and improvisation but because he was so unassuming, many people missed what he was doing. Just a wonderful, considered, inspired musician.

[@dazboot2966]

@popcorns house I suggest you stick to country music.

[@thomasfontenot4881]

I can very much appreciate the discipline of his approach to playing. He is outstanding in his playing personality and that's why every person is unique, we were born to be that way. He plays the way he does because that's what he wants, working very hard for it, just like every other great guitarist does everyday. Nobody can say in all honesty that , any particular guitarist is the greatest guitarist on Earth. Why? Because it's not the "absolute truth". Truth is not based on our opinions, it by definition is "exclusive"..... Carry on!

[@pinkponyofprey1965]

Amazing! He remembers almost everything I taught him! :D

[@sicariusbladehart9525]

What?

[@felipeguzman7834]

Hahahahha

[@wattage2007]

What a refreshingly real person Allan Holdsworth was. RIP, you magnificent man.

[@admtech69]

Alan was a treasure as a composer but more so as a human being. Friendly yet humble and not weighed down by a huge ego.

[@HenryChinaski614]

Allan always seemed a real guy. It’s a shame more aren’t aware of him. He’s once in a lifetime. Thanks.

[@aaronenix6418]

Rest in peace, brother. You were a legend.

[@jesusconcristo]

Thank you so much Master Holdsworth.

[@williamdechant5217]

Auto 144p? REALLY CARVIN? someone who still has a t2 or 56 k modem cannot afford your guitars anyway.... SHEESH. the holdsworth is everything i love in a guitar it is a dream guitar! thank you for making it..... will be getting one!!!!

[@spb7883]

Still can’t believe he’s gone.

[@patrickgragera7441]

Such a fascinating man. The only trait that overshadows his intelligence is his guitar playing. RIP Allan Holdsworth

[@LatifAbdullah1432]

I just got one about 3 weeks ago. WOW!!!! Plays amazingly and the tone is awesome. Love it, my favorite instrument i have ever owned!!!

[@LatifAbdullah1432]

geometricpatterns6 the truth! i love all kinds of guitarists and music, but there is allan, and everyone else. in a class by himself, imo

[@Samsgarden]

The guy seems a lot happier these days.

[@1007antoinefull]

3:23 Ho My God that action is LOW

[@nostalgiacreep]

lol actually yes, it is

[@shatteredsquare]

bar chord fretting with a zero fret and flat radius

[@thehhj]

Thicker strings allow lower action than thin strings in almost every scenario - they are tighter than their thinner counterparts, so even though they have more mass the area in which they vibrate is smaller.

[@ruh4734]

BeautifuL

[@Andreorsel]

Zezozose, aboslutely right! That is why those Big jazz guitars with very thick strings can be setup with a very low action. In Allan's case the the radius is very flat and he has a light touch, this helps a lot with avoiding rattle having the action set so low.

[@brentbuckleymusic740]

RIP Allan. I own one of these guitars, absolutely love it.

[@bobbyarmstrong4758]

Is the guitar designed to be light weight?

[@smacman68]

This guy has forgot more about musical knowledge and theory than most of us will ever know. And he still can come up with fresh material after all these years. A true legend in every sense of the word. Nice guitar as well. Carvin is up there with the big boys. Perhaps even ahead in some respects. Like the Fender Strat thing he talked about. So true, so true.

[@jeffdawson2786]

Allan’s Carvin / Kiesel signatures are like velvet in your hands and fingers.

[@kitchitwee]

So if you recognize that beauty is in the ear of the beholder, it must also be pretty obvious that what is inspirational and emotional to some may not be to others. Some people are naturally inspired and even deeply moved by more complex sounds than others. When Holdsworth plays, he is expressing his emotions the way that is most natural for him, which just so happens to be extremely complex.

[@ericklingenberg5309]

A musician's musician. He will be missed R.I.P. 😥

[@JonDeth]

The construction technology of the original Holdsworth made by Carvin has always been a major influence on my own engineering, not just music equipment designs and inventions. The graphite rods and cavitated faux solid body designs are significant advancements in guitar technology that I still believe will eventually be common features assuming we continue making guitars out of wood. Soon, guitars will be composites with a selection dial that simulates specific woods and combinations of. We already have guitars that are designed to simulate multiple and unique designs with their onboard digital electronics. Carvin is likely to end up in the history books of musicians.

[@bryanthevanayagam7472]

Holy shit I love this guys playing. This is the first time I've heard him!

[@richsherman3673]

Humble Master of Guitar. Sincere, rational, ultra cool. RIP Maestro.

[@stratoleft]

I know EXACTLY what Allan is talkin' about with the SG style guitars. You stand there for a little while and so much as move. You can feel the strap slowly creep around your neck, and before you know it, the head stock is practically aiming at the ground.

[@alembicbassguy]

I was lucky enough to share a beer and have a chin wag with Allan a couple of years ago before a show - such a wonderful, humble guy. Genius!

[@bluesdriver6354]

Holdsworth...the best of the best of the best. YOU ARE MISSED!!!

[@Pedraforta]

El guitarrista al que admiro desde hace cuarenta años. Y sigue sorprendiendome... Aunque hablar con el no es fácil. Yo lo intente en Vic hace unos años pero, que le vas a contar a Allan? Espero seguir disfrutando de esas frases que me llevan por caminos de misterio, por regiones limite entre mundos.

[@cpfs936]

Saw this exact lineup Virgil Donati-Drums, Jimmy Haslip-Bass from about 6-8 feet away in a little place in Detroit. Amazing. What a loss!

[@alspageddi]

Great video. He seems really animated and happy here. I've noticed over the years he seems to go through a lot of ups and downs, emotionally. When I met him a couple of years ago unfortunately he was in a valley rather than a peak, and I didn't get to see this version of Holdsworth. Oh well, looks like he's happy at the moment and that's what matters.

[@m4marcel]

I first heard of Alan when he played on the two Tony Williams recordings "Million Dollar Legs & Believe it". I was blown away.

[@CusterFlux]

Humblest man alive.

[@visog]

All hail.... just hope he does a sermon soon....

[@icecreamforcrowhurst]

Such a wonderful man, god bless him

[@BiRDiEHere]

R.I.P Allan Holdsworth, You were very great and I respect. Rest easily.

[@GDIEternal]

AH had such a wonderful way of saying obvious things in such a simple way that other people would have never thought of.

[@zipchtkdn7804]

The AH bridge pick up I love .Any type genre u can rock on ..cleans ,crunch sustain and hear each string

[@GlennMichaelThompson]

Finally Carvin put out a video about the "new" Holdsworth headless. It has been a long time coming!

[@brentbuckleymusic740]

I own one of these, my main guitar for gigs. Super lightweight and very small profile are nice cuz I'm usually standing inside my large keyboard setup and it's easy to maneuver around. RIP AH

[@machguitar9]

Listen to how awesome his solo sounds from 5:34 to 5:43, wish someone could transcribe what he is playing there!

[@jfo3000]

Tap the gear icon in the upper right corner, then tap 0.5x or even 0.25x this will slow the video down to a speed that you can pick out the notes. You can watch it to see what he's playing too. Much better than TAB, you develop your ear, and you can make sure it's correct. Unfortunately, a lot of TAB out there is not.

[@martynapalm4950]

I love the look of the headless guitar, I really want to get one someday. RIP Alan, you really were a monster.

[@YaoEspirito]

I like a number of them, but this one here is ugly. That weird little vaguely 'Les Paul' kind of shape, but lacking any of the grace, woodcraft, or charm of a normal guitar just leaves me dry. I've seen a few Steinbergers or one or two other headlesses that looked fine.

[@aliensporebomb]

Those chords at 3:25 - lovely!

[@aliensporebomb]

Wow, that red one is absolutely stunning. I love my ST300 Carvin with the Holdsworth neck and headstock, that's the perfect hybrid for me and the neck is like ponies on ice!

[@tulrob]

I owned the Prototype Holdsworth Harness...signed inside by Allan..I purchased it from a studio player in L.A and I sold it on Ebay around 2004 for a couple hundred bucks to a collector in Europe...a rare museum piece ...

[@levisalvini4110]

The best compliment for Allan was, when Frank Zappa said Allan was is favorite Guitarist. Well.....if Frank Zappa said so! I must agree...

[@johnstitt2615]

Beloved genius and guitar nerd. 👌🎸👌🎸. Way ahead of his time.

[@6project6nightmare6]

Love the Synthaxe in the backround in the studio videos :P

[@54NT14G0]

2:32

[@Neosuburban]

What a legacy! He is so missed. Thank goodness for Sarah Longfield. Every now and again she plays a phrase and I can still hear Allan.

[@andym28]

Check out Alan Murphy. He died of aids in the 80s but he was a huge Holdsworth fan and a wonderful player.

[@AR-mq5oz]

2:03 like all things should be

[@athruzathruz]

I've never tried a headless, and probably never will, but this guy sure loved his.

[@Betterthantelly]

Words don’t do justice to what Allan was and thankfully to the ability to relive is.

[@kundalinipsych]

It's also kind of the happiest I've ever seen him!

[@natalerizzo9379]

Sei rimasto insuperato.... Sii felice ovunque tu sia.

[@paulm74]

Amazing! Such a masterful and unique player.

[@ZackBrannon]

headless guitars make so much more sense! ... but I'm too used to the cosmetic beauty of conventional guitars

[@JgHaverty]

As wonderful as they are, most of them look like toys :-/

[@baatkarlo]

Yes, Steinberger Synapse Transcale is truly an awesome guitar.

[@tobbebergman7583]

@The Oracle Allen ???

[@TheAsdsdswww]

Got a Strandberg a couple of months ago and I'm still in the honey moon phase I love it it's perfect

[@allanmiller6897]

I love the effect he uses and I would love to have one of those guitars. I know what he means by the barrel neck it's a pain because the top n bottom E pull off the frets.

[@coolguitarchannel]

what a gem of a human we lost...

[@Afurthyclays]

Snowing @ 3:00 is awesome. Love it! Go Allan!

[@bigrichard97]

Poor Allan H. He was waaay too sensitive for this world. I was listening to what he was doing in 1984 and its mind boggling. Soooo ahead fo his time Its just now that people can sort of get his basic tone. His chord tones and solo tones are so him. A real genius

[@AtanasovPetar]

I hope Allan lives a couple of hundred years because i just don't see any young guys from my generation that can continue this harmonic sophistication and originality.

[@skarbu]

+AtanasovPetar There would be Derryl Gabel. You might wanna check him out ;)

[@AtanasovPetar]

Razvan S. I know that guy. He is good and he has harmonic sophistication. Originality is missing.

[@umrasangus]

AtanasovPetar Wes Thrailkill sounds awesome and there's quite the Allan's influence in his playing

[@JTNugget]

RIP :/

[@umrasangus]

Yeah, yesterday was the worst Easter day... We shall remember him as a great person and musician. Since i and all of the musicians that he influenced we're his legacy. Rest in peace, Allan.

[@danhope77]

I would love to listen to this guitar plugged into a fender all tube amp with no effects.

[@patrickmcmurtry5398]

Perhaps this one would help… kzbin.info/www/bejne/opaZqoCXZa-Goc0

[@learnerlearns]

Dear Allan, We miss you. Paradigm. Exemplar nonpareil. R.I.P.

[@PinyataSpirit]

Guitar: Kiesel Headless(Carvin) Multi effect: Magic Stomp Yamaha

[@BigMoneyAl]

RIP ol Friend

[@chriscollesano8463]

God, I miss this guy..

[@_6581_]

The little hints of American in his accent is so cute. Miss him

[@georgefernandez3541]

What a beautiful person! Will be missed

[@ΠαναγιώτηςΑλεξόπουλος-ω5ξ]

He is phenomeno he is beyond his era..

[@15thsquadron01]

Beautifully Made Perfect Guitar!

[@lex.cordis]

7:31 Bookmarking this for repeated listening later down the road

[@Timotheedle]

Finally!!! Been waiting forever for this video!!!

[@semiprecioustones]

Hey carvin, I purchased an hf2 a couple years ago. I would happily buy one of these from you aswell... The minute you offer a LEFT HANDED version

[@pythonflying]

Excellent video! I love my HH, my other guitars just sit and collect dust. I wanted a light weight guitar that plays and sounds great and the HH is exactly that.

[@gybx4094]

I must hear him accompanied to enjoy his work.

[@bjorksven]

Normally I think that headless guitars look like crap, but this one is really cool! I especially like it with just clear lacquer and some nice wood underneath. No need for all that paint :)

[@YaoEspirito]

I agree. When you see the wood a guitar always looks so much nicer. The 'tiger-stripe' they show for a minute, although it's a bit showy, brings it all together.

[@dbminor9694]

What’s the name of the song he plays in the beginning?

[@gtrkitarr]

Song is called "Red Alert" from Tony Williams Lifetime (from the album "Believe it") Great album!

[@MrJackrockerman]

The only legit headless guitar player.. Because Alan knows what he want and utilize it to the max..

[@C861986]

I love that guitar. I just can't justify buying one at my level of playing.

[@FlaxeMusic]

C861986 If you're going to put hours and hours into playing it, then yeah, I think that's all you need to justify it. I bought an American tele 60th anniversary after I'd been playing a year. I played it every day for hours and subsequently passed an audition for a bachelor in music later the next year. I'd hazard to say if I didn't replace the crap epiphone I had, that demoralised me to no end and was a bitch to play, I wouldn't have put the time in to get where I am now. Go for it dude, if you know you'll put the hours in that you feel it deserves, theirs no more justification needed. Or maybe I'm a filthy enabler and you should save your money, what do I know? ;)

[@PursuitSk8]

FlaxeMusic this exactly. Ive been playing for a minute, and I know for awhile I had a guitar addiction. by the time I was 18 I'd had about 7 guitars lol. you're never too inexperienced to get the guitar you want especially if you have the money

[@allgoo19]

I agree with him saying "once you use headless, you keep going back." I have a cheap Steinberger(MusicYo) headless and despite I don't like the finger board shape and PU configuration, I still pick it up more than other guitars I have. As Holtsworth said elsewhere, I can't explain why. It may not be just a matter of balance, I feel the same regardless standing or sitting.

[@allgoo19]

***** "Interestingly, it sounded as though he was including his old HF2 models in that statement as well." == From what I remember, what he was saying was smaller the head(regarding smaller than usual HF heads), the better. That was before he started using his signature headless series. I'm guessing there's still a demand for HF series by the people who can't get used to the looks of headless.

[@fredherbert1400]

***** The song is called Fred by Tony Williams Lifetime

[@manningbartlett522]

Actually "Fred" was written by Allan. But you are correct, the first recording of it was on the Tony Williams Lifetime album. "Fred" was Allan's nickname for his first wife, Angela.

[@TheAsdsdswww]

Manning Bartlett what?! Wow!

[@BlueThunderFan99]

From 2:32 to 2:45, it sounds like something that would be getting played on the weather channel.

[@richsotto4851]

Gambale and Holdsworth showed us how good a guitar can be played

[@greatmusic382]

fabulous. thank you!

[@jeanounou]

Can't agree more. Even Steve Vai cites this guy as his hero! Unbeliavable!

[@saucedevourer8858]

2:04 I love how it just cuts to Allan's bopping hip while he just fucking goes ham.