Allan Holdsworth talks about his Signature Carvin Guitar and Plays

[@c.c.7687]

I'm not an accomplished musician by any means, but I have studied jazz guitar for years. Yet every time I watch Holdsworth, even when I see a close-up of where his hands and fingers are on the neck, I can't figure out what the hell he's playing. It's like he invented his own personal scales. There's no other guitarist who has baffled me like he has.

[@fullmoon7192]

That's why his name is *Allan Holdsworth* and yours and mine is not Lol...

[@mathieupoulin6748]

Great comment...you should watch his video about the way he looks at chords first....( cousin notes from the scale)...and go from there...what a genius

[@kaelangardner966]

Yeah I feel like he might be a player that is thinking more of the changes or playing based on chord tones rather than imposing scales. @@mathieupoulin6748

[@magicruss1]

seems to be the standard observation lol

[@andym28]

He doesn't follow traditional western harmony. I think when Pythagoras developed the modal system it was meant as a starter not as the end point of music. Only took 2000 years for someone to figure that out.

[@lazur1]

Alan Holdsworth, Jason Becker, Frank Gambale, Lenny Breau, Wes Montgomery, Paco de Lucia, Sonny Landreth, etc.etc.etc. All quite different from one another, all phenomenal. Don't limit your listening, there's so much to enjoy and learn.

[@MrGuitarguy1986]

Just 30 seconds of holdsworth playing owns every guitarist on the face of the planet.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

"Just 30 seconds" is actually a pretty good chunk of a song, especially for a solo.

[@joeylodes]

This man simply hears music differently than the rest of us. Incredible!

[@fenixfyre]

Literally the definition of artist to the max lol!

[@Tmidiman]

I have met Allan in person and he not only a phenomenal player, but he is very humble. He has his own goals that he wanted to achieve with his technique and tone along with the knowledge on how to achieve it. It's interesting to hear people argue over who is better while many, not all, of the greats are more concerned with being better players and their music.

[@connorreviere4306]

That's actually true of the great majority of great musicians (if not all). No one becomes a master of their craft by being easily satisfied or willing to settle for less. None of the master musicians set out to be "better" than anyone else, they simply have a passion and appetite for music that will never be fulfilled. Music is the type of subject you can study your entire life and still learn new things every day, and all the greatest musicians realize this. When there is so much to learn, there is no time to step back and think about trivial things like who is "better" than who, especially when dealing with something so personal and subjective as music.

[@AnonymousCowardX]

Allan still moves me to tears.

[@Broadfieldpoint]

This intro with AH makes me want to weep.....absolutely untouchable. What a genius. There isn't a guitar player alive this possesses this gift

[@lasse1106]

Ben Eunson is a young Australian player that has to be the most impressive I've heard since Allan. Here's an instagram post with 4 clips of his playing: instagram.com/p/B5rD4kUn-Bg/

[@sumphandle]

It's interesting to hear people comment on scales. It is understandable to know standard scales and be baffled by Alan's style, but I love the fact that he has made his own. I think that he is truly playing his own music as close as he can to himself, just watch his concentration, you can see how much he listens and is also absorbed by the sound.

[@KieselGuitarsTV]

Allan has been trying to get his signature guitar to be headless. The problem is Carvin isn't allowed to use a bridge system that will allow it to be headless as that bridge is owned and controlled by a competitor. So we are working on a custom system and a new prototype. This may or may not be a production model Carvin instrument if and when you see him play it on stage soon.

[@danfuerthgillis4483]

Why not have a custom swappable Carbon Fiber Head with fake carbon fiber tuning peg posts for looks. It would be extremely light. That is my custom guitar look that I always wanted the headless guitars to look like. Simple ergonomic carbon fiber head stock which weights 50 grams at best. This way it would be a perfect cross breed. Not sure if Carvin and Kiesel can work that as they could sell the customized heads.

[@spb7883]

I wish you folks would’ve kept this one instead of producing the headless.

[@InsertName125]

I've met him a few times and he seems like an incredibly nice person. I once told him how much his music has meant to me over the years and I got a reaction from him that I've never encountered with another famous person: IT MATTERED TO HIM. He hears this all the time from other guitar players but he still hasn't become jaded. His music is not only soulful but, like Pat Martino, he's an obviously soulful person himself. It was a pleasure to talk to him and a priveledge to learn from him.

[@TheDoug8819]

I have an H2, which is the chambered model. Unplugged, it is so resonate. It's like the whole guitar breathes when you play it.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

That must be distracting. I know this old professor of philosophy. He has an old asthmatic pug wheezing breathily away under his armchair as he continuously puffs his pipe, making it exceedingly hard to concentrate on all the deep stuff.

[@aliensporebomb]

That video is so sharp and clear, a real gift to see him doing his thing like that. It doesn't mean I'm any closer to being able to do it but to actually see it is a revelation.

[@3aboesky]

I have one of these guitars and it's by far the finest instrument I've ever touched. If you come across one for sale, don't let it out of your sight.

[@Dudujjsjwjdudjjejwuduujr]

Here you can really hear how Holdsworth's playing has so much nuances in it and THAT is what makes him sound like that. those little things make a big difference in tone.

[@Broadfieldpoint]

There is no one....alive that sounds like this. Uncompromising, raw, fluid and melodic...darkly so. Not all other guitar players are worthless. there just isn't anyone on the same planet as Allan. The best ever. Period.

[@zazmeister69]

He's got one of the most distinct guitar playing sounds in the world, can tell its him instantly! Hes peerless!

[@flazjsg]

I met Allan in a club between sets in Rochester NY around 15 years ago. I was having a beer at the bar and he came over and ordered a pint. I asked him about his hands, since I'd heard that his were very large. He took his hand and put it right up to mine. His hands are not exceptionally large. He told me that what he does have is great flexibility with his fingers. He did a jaw-dropping set that night.

[@alembicbassguy]

Simply the finest exponant of electric guitar of all time. Genius is a label used all too often but not in Allans case! I had the pleasure of sharing a beer with Allan recently - a wonderful, humble human being!

[@BradMaestas]

Cool vid. Never seen it before. I used to own an H2, just the regular semi-hollow model and later, found a used 1994 Fatboy from a former Carvin employee who claimed that the quilted top was from the same flitch as one of Allan's first Fatboys. I could never verify that but it doesn't matter. It's an incredible guitar and it's now my only electric. Over the years several of my friends have bought the H2 or the HF2 and had nothing but praise. Bravo Carvin and Allan!

[@joeparkes]

allan holdsworth music takes me into another world! he is just amazing!

[@KieselGuitarsTV]

@getvicky13 This involves more hand work to change control locations. Note the CT6 has counter sunk controls where the wood is routed by CNC machines to create each control location. To deviate from the standard controls means we have to drill by hand and there are no rigs here to counter sink knob locations by hand. Pot shafts are too shallow to simply drill a hole, must counter sink. Also, to add Piezo we have to have a larger electronics cavity to handle the active electronics for piezo.

[@janderson2000]

"Sometimes, it takes more creativity to mimic a style" Dude....you're silly. and yes...Allan Holdsworth is the pinnacle of creativity. Thank you for stating it so succinctly.

[@JEDIALADDIN]

WHAT a BEAUTIFUL SOUND ....haunting!

[@bingefeller]

It's incredible watching him playing. It's like his fretting hand fingers are hardly touching the strings.

[@FlaxeMusic]

sus4b9 Because that's what they're doing. Some 8s, a relatively low action a strong hands and you can just go and go. The battle is ending up sounding like Holdsworth, which most can only poorly imitate.

[@leegenix]

To: P3313 regarding Circle picking. Just hold the pick as you normal do. Instead of going back and forth accross the string, the UP stroke is coming from the 7:00 O'clock area toward the 1:00 O'clock area. Then reversing direction for the Down stroke. It's more of an oval or elipse than circle. Holdsworth's sound and style reminds me of Jeff Beck. I saw him with the Yardbirds in 1966. After that, I was hooked. I hope this helps.

[@yagamei]

Man .. I love the way this man plays chords.

[@brakkum]

He has some of the best technique and tone i have ver seen on a guitar. completely fluid.

[@seamusconley]

the definition of a complete beast on guitar

[@KieselGuitarsTV]

@AtanasovPeter Gibson owns the rights to the Steinberger system which allows tuning at the bridge so you can have a headless neck. They don't own the rights to make a headless guitar. Allan wanted to use the Steinberger on his Carvin so it could be headless. But we aren't able to buy them to use on a Carvin guitar.

[@masterkudjo]

He is one of my favourit guitar players, second to none. What a great tone he used

[@burnedoutgolfer]

Simply Yes rip Allan Holdsworth everything He did was mindblowing and so full of emotion! I need to save up and get myself a Kiesel Incredible instruments I just saw Alex Sill and I saw Frank Gambale a few years ago looking forward to seeing Greg Howe this summer. Your guitars look incredible And you’ve got the best artists in my opinion

[@hakanozelguitarist]

yeh i saw him in Prague, i was standing right next to the stage..he played awesome, walked off to thunderous applause, lent down, put his arm round my shoulder and said, "sorry about the sound".... !

[@rdlubi]

That is great and that´s what happened with me too... I liked his work since the first time I listened him. But what I was trying to say is that It´s good to meet avant garde arts in general for undestanding his work and other´s composers works too... You can listen Ligetti and Xenakis for example. It´s another kind of music but contemporary with his work and with great elements of sounding and musical effects...

[@silentknight1776]

"The Devil went down to Georgia but went back home when he met Allen Holdsworth.

[@KieselGuitarsTV]

@Rightsideup We can easily create his guitar headless, but it has to have a bridge/tuning system to Allan's liking.

[@Claymor621]

I have the model he's playing (single pickup) I don't have a problem with the fact that AH doesn't use it live . It's one thing to use an expensive guitar built to very demanding personal specs but that doesn't stop him being able to sincerely recommend a more acessible (pricewise) instrument for the general market..

[@Convisis]

Quite simply, THE MAN.

[@KieselGuitarsTV]

The neck is actually sought after by many players so this is a subjective thing. Modern shredders like thin necks but we get a lot of people buying the HF2 guitars because they like the neck which is very comfortable unless all you play are extremely thin necks. The HF2 is avail in dozens of colors (flame, quilt, bursts etc..) if you don't like Allan's green one.

[@guitfreaker]

allan is awesome!!if you ever get the chance,go see him live.when he plays you can tell he is thinking in sounds and notes,not patterns! only problem is every time i've seen him,there isn't a carvin to be found anywhere.the cort guitar,a few yamaha stomps and hughes and kettner amps(which he only uses the power section).

[@janderson2000]

@1m2a3t4t5 "I recall a concert of Allan in London some years ago, and after the performance I went to see him backstage only to tell him that if I knew what he was doing, I'd steal it!" -John Mclaughlin JM

[@GregF71]

@joeylodes actually he hears music differently than most guitarists simply cause he's mostly been listening to horn or piano players. if you listen to John Coltrane or Joe Henderson, you may feel familiar with their phrasing and harmonic material if you've been into Allan's music a lot...

[@xRisingForcex]

a perfect encapsulation of holdsworth

[@dgoss1966]

I saw Holdsworth when I was in college, sometime in 86. I STILL have lasting feelings of inadequacy. He lands on really unusual notes. I had a lot more success trying to figure out Jeff Berlin's bass lines than I did with Holdsworth's guitar lines. It probably doesn't hurt that his fingers are roughly a foot long...

[@OpulenceOfKnowledge]

I got one of these guitars recently, they are beautiful to play.

[@alembicbassguy]

The man is a genius - really nice Carvin guitar too, I am impressed!

[@davewhite_nj]

his phrasing at 1:20 - 1:58, is that one of his songs? or is he just simply improvising?

[@JonSebastianF]

What a relief finally to see this chronically worried man smile @ 2:50 :)

[@TheCephalicCarnage]

@gromeromusic I've seen him live a few times, and he plays the green one, great sound, I tested the HF2 and is one hell of a guitar, sounds like no other, I have H22N on 2 of my guitars and I'm very happy with the tone.

[@KieselGuitarsTV]

@lidesnowi It's still available. Just search on the Carvin site for HF2

[@janderson2000]

Allan is already in Jazz textbooks, as he should be. His soloing, scalar hybrids, chordal construction, and groundbreaking approach to the guitar was unprecedented. The closest musician to Holdsworth's approach is Coltrane, but even he is more of an influence than a source Allan tapped. if you listen to both, they don't sound alike in their note choices.

[@Eflatmajor7sharp11]

God I love the notes he plays. He's forgotten more about guitar than I will ever know.

[@gobbler6]

Not sure, he always seems to be using different stuff. For a while I know he was using a THD Univalve's power tube saturation as a preamp to a power amp.. But I think since he has changed since. He also used to use Mesa Boogies I believe.

[@cyn1calsphere]

@carvinguitars oh that would be so cool i really hope you guys could make it happen over there at carvin

[@rooguitar]

You rule Allan!

[@endangeredoddities]

Sounds so beautiful.

[@EthanWhateley]

you are forgiven my son.......No seriously, I kinda knew what you were trying to say and for Allan this short clip is just noodling, but he's truly a rare natural that comes along once in a while, and thats not necessarily worshipping him but just stating the obvious. I've met the guy several times after gigs and he seems very humble, no ego whatsoever. If anything never quite satisfied with his playing, a sign of a true artist.

[@666demonguitarist]

His phrasing is amazing.

[@CoryYZ250F]

That tone...so epic.

[@DineyGuitar777]

sua técnica é incomparável a qualquer músico já existente

[@t3hgir]

Oh my god his tone is amazing

[@TheRocknrolla12]

Carvin makes some of the finest guitars ever. Carvin is very popular in Bangladesh, some of the best players plays carvin

[@nomnom112]

That's interesting. It's not very popular in the US, even though it's quite a bargain for the price.

[@Davidrowellbass]

@SirJamestheIII yeah, carvin has built customs for me in the past. I just wasn't sure if the "hollow" body of this instrument could hold a floyd rose.

[@janderson2000]

Allan innovation at chord construction,chord melody, unique scale hybrids, and unconventionally brilliant note selection is unparalleled. He's the most original guitarist on the planet. On that list you made you there's at least 2 players (Frank Gambale and Shawn Lane) who have flat out said Allan is the greatest ever. I'm sure the others would as well.

[@getvicky13]

I'd like to know why Carvin won't customize a CT6 (24 fret model) with regard to the electronics of the guitar. I wanted a piezo system added in the CT6 and wanted the pickup selector toggle switch near the volume knob and not behind the bridge. And of course, with the addition of a piezo system, it would mean another knob and another switch, but I mailed Carvin asking if they could do it, and they said no.

[@user12x2]

I know what you mean, and my Ibanez is almost the exact opposite of the Fatboy cause its so unbelievably thin. Oh well, the H22's are the pickups designed for Holdsworth's Carvin guitars, and I couldn't find anywhere that sold the S Duncan model here in the UK. Whatever, I'll see what I can conjure up with what I have, hell if I'm lucky I might just find my own unique tone...... Again, thanks for everyones suggestions.

[@italianguitar]

hi mate, well, there are many things around his great sound actually...1) 008 or 009 (at the most) strings to allow you to play a lot of legatos just with the left hand. 2) a good compressor.the best I guess is the TC electronics SUSTAIN AND PARAMETRIC EQUALIZER which is a rare vintage/expensive pedal .I saw he use it all the time..however you can have similar results with a good compressor, better if you can compress the eq band! continue

[@ScruffysGreatestFan]

Holdsworth uses many scales, but it is disguised so well that it is usually very difficult to hear any one identifiable scale by Holdsworth. You are not alone in your comment, but it's just that many people get confused by hearing his chromaticism which creates a near-constant tension and release. If you transcribe a solo, say In the Dead of Night, you'll see a lot going on over basically one chord. This is not an accident: the tensions just hide the scale. Fretboard note placement is a factor 2

[@shredacuda]

I love my H2. Sounds and plays great..

[@davewhite_nj]

@modificaz thanks so much, and if you find out the other material has a name, please let me know.

[@cobyup10]

God I wish I could play like Allan! How does he play so randomly? But somehow it all makes sense. A god.

[@yngvaigilbsteen]

@janderson2000 "If you substitute the word "complex" with "advanced" then saying something like Allan Holdsworth is more advanced than "so and so" wouldn't be objectionable as it doesn't attach personal value to it." Totally agreed.

[@wolowolowolo]

My Favorite guitar player ever!!!

[@eastonmackay]

i love the clean stuf he does

[@janderson2000]

Technique and musicality meet, but only when one is the end of another. Technique is necessary to convey music. When technique comes into competition or overshadows music is when I say people have missed the point. So, when I talk about Allan's playing, I'm not talking about his technique...as crazy advanced as it is. I'm talking about his composition.

[@Samsgarden]

I like your carefully crafted and nuanced comment.

[@freemetalguitar]

i have '16 men of tain'; in 1989 my first holdsworth was 'secrets'. they are both great. on yahoo's fusion radio i have heard some of 'hard hat area' and like it too. old holdsworth is with tony williams or jean-luc ponty

[@KieselGuitarsTV]

We uploaded this 3 times, but KZbin's encoder keeps tweaking it. Sorry.

[@GuitarArt666]

Desde España, felicitaciones, para mí uno de los grandes.......el mejor.

[@danohrly]

You're right about that, I don't think anyone definitely knows what the hell he's playing. You can transcribe and analyse his music, but that only gets you so far. There's a video on Google that features him showing the viewer the ten most useful scales in modern jazz/music, which could give a little insight. He's well known for toying around with the Harmonic major scale, though, and his playing is heavily influenced by John Coltrane (they both studied Slonimsky's Thesaurus religiously).

[@Zappledan]

Jeff Berlin plays all the bass on Road Games. Jack Bruce is only credited with vocals. on a couple of tunes.

[@user12x2]

Using this guitar, what kind of amp could get a similar tone going to Allan's? I have an abominably limited knowledge of guitar gear and from the research I've done so far, it seems Allan's tone is somewhat of a holy grail, but then I'm not looking for an exact copy, just something that'll do the guitar justice.

[@masterkudjo]

Wow, simply amazing.

[@twirlyboggs]

he has his own solar system

[@Barefoot67]

that chord work is insane. AND he doesn't know theory from what I've heard, which is amazing, just going by ear

[@jfo3000]

He knows plenty of theory, watch his instructional video.

[@user12x2]

Thanks everyone. Well, unfortunately I couldn't afford this guitar (well I could, but not the shipping to the UK which was like $300), so I'm gonna try and get by with just installing the H22 pickups in my cheap Ibanez S320 and playing through my newly acquired Yamaha DG-60. Probably won't get anywhere near a tone like this, but its worth a try and cost me less than half the amount of one of these guitars. However, Fatboy one day you will be mine!

[@KieselGuitarsTV]

@getvicky13 It's not offered on those models as stated above.

[@624musicman]

@greghawaii007 Problems like that are fixed by some action adjustmests. Even a cheap guitar (like a squire) will play better if its setup properly. Temperature and humidity changes often are to blame. I had a fender american strat that was setup great but weather changes caused it to get messed up. It was all buzzy and i was flustered. took it to a tech and they adjusted the action and t-rod and now its great!!!

[@Dreamfullofzen]

Awesome video, and what a cool axe!

[@0ftheWALLS]

@carvinguitars Why not use the Strandberg saddles instead of the Steinberger ones?

[@KieselGuitarsTV]

@MetalKen Again, Gibson has to approve the use of the Steinberger trem. I'm sure Hohner has to also pay!

[@hgsbnt]

don't quite get it why he plays a Steinberger on tour when endorsing Carving guitars. Keep on going Allan, you're the best.

[@yngvaigilbsteen]

@janderson2000 I teach music composition and one of the things that I have my students do...is work out a melody line as if the guitar were a one stringed instrument. It limits your speed and complexity at that point and forces you to focus more on melody than anything else. It's a great exercise. Especially, if you're looking to connect with a lesser "educated" audience. : )

[@fjord2141]

amazing tone.... wow

[@KieselGuitarsTV]

Allan wants it headless (no headstock) but Carvin cannot make a guitar with a Steinberger system because Gibson owns the rights and won't allow it. So Allan plays a one off custom thing. We have been working with him on and off to make his Carvin model headless. If we do it probably won't be offered to the public.

[@cyberboy419]

he's one of a kind

[@Not-Only-Reaper-Tutorials]

HEY I have this DVD .. but his guitar was GREEN not GRAY on tiu! Why did you manipulated the colors????

[@andresisais6069]

TORMY VAN COOL its green in this video

[@PsychosisGnome]

@yogsothoth2099 I wouldn't say that. This particular improv, like much of Allan's other playing, switches between diatonic and jazz scales, chromatic lines, and chords at the drop of a hat, and he likes to move from key to key constantly as well. I'm not going to analyze what he just did, just suffice to say it was a lot of different things.

[@yngvaigilbsteen]

@yngvaigilbsteen Of course. Singing and being flat fall under the category of "missing your mark" as a musician and an artist. So, point is...intent is absolutely crucial when it comes to good art. For me, since art and music are synonymous....it's crucial for music to be labeled "good" as well.

[@KieselGuitarsTV]

KZbin is to blame for the synch problem. Our original video plays fine.

[@yngvaigilbsteen]

@janderson2000 "See....you're in a "everything's equal, we all get a trophy" type of thing....and that's pretty hard to have a discussion with." So not true lol "not all acts are equal and worthy of documenting and calling special attention to. " totally agree.