Allan Holdsworth - J. Rockett Audio Designs Signature OD/Boost

[@mckinleymorton]

"No one wants to be part of a generation that ignores another Van Gogh". Yet, somehow, Allan's daughters had to crowdsource funding for his funeral. Truly tragic. One of the few real artists of his time.

[@HotelAVJobs]

Sick...Sad...Silly..We are Doomed...

[@spanishpeaches2930]

Did he not have to hand his house over to his ex in California? Did she contribute anything to the house , I have to ask?

[@mckinleymorton]

@@spanishpeaches2930 good question. I do not know, but totally possible. In the 90s my guitar teacher was convinced that AH would become a millionaire based off how revolutionary his playing was/is. Let alone his playing.

[@josvgorkum7968]

If this helps: he died without a penny, but his legacy is priceless.

[@henryboyle4295]

Think of this.... his deserving daughters grandaughter and son are first in line for ANY and ALL royalties from past negotiations of which im pretty sure if not large..you gotta believe...will at least, be endless!!

[@davidyanity]

RIP...Legend. You will be missed.

[@SherylSartain]

Mr. Holdsworth is one of the kindest gentlemen you could ever know. Only his kindness can match his talent.

[@chrisvantassel8867]

You've got that right Sheryl!! Some people find it necessary to insult or belittle just to have something to say!

[@SherylSartain]

I will be forever grateful for the kindness he showed my fiance when he was dying from cancer. It meant so much to him!

[@chrisvantassel8867]

Sheryl Scheck I am not surprised to hear that, I am sorry for your loss!

[@MrPyroguru]

Chris van tassel His guitar playing is absolutely astounding. You know what is amazing though? His humility. He actually believes other people are as good as him! Sometimes I get jealous of others abilities but with him this is utterly impossible because he is kind. He is the kindest person who plays guitar this awesome.

[@ntesslafan]

I am sorry to hear about your fiance. Hearing you say that Allan was kind to him before he passed doesn't surprise me at all. He seemed like the most decent of people. Allan never seemed like someone who had to tear down anyone to build himself up. I am sorry that i never had the chance to meet him in person. I am sorry about your fiance's sickness and passing. I lost my wife this past June 17 after 20 years of marriage. I know something of what you must have felt. Take care and thank you for your comment.

[@chrisvantassel8867]

Agreed, Allan is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. I showed him a vid of my son playing the drums at age 6...Allan got tears in his eyes and watched this iphone video probably 10 times in a row and just loved the fact that my son was trying to figure it out. For the nay sayers below, If you love his playing or hate his playing just keep in mind there will never be another Holdsworth. There are very few that have made an historical statement in the world of guitar playing. Allan has!

[@augustusbetucius2931]

I was fortunate to be able to meet and hang out with him in the late 90s. I can verify your statement about his being a nice guy. He was so down to earth. If I hadn't known who he was, I would *never* have known he was a living legend. My wife was with me, and she doesn't play an instrument, but she has a tremendous sense of humor. Allan really appreciated that and talked and joked with her. He appreciated that more than he did my discussing music and gear with him. He was *never* rude or dismissive, but it was obvious he would rather cut up and have fun than talk guitar. A genuinely great guy.

[@chrisvantassel8867]

100%, he was great on all fronts! @@augustusbetucius2931

[@chrisking8353]

"Sometimes I'll slip in a few blues notes just to cheer up my band mates." HAHA!! I miss you Allan.

[@kristianniemann8716]

THE MASTER! Best soloist in the history of guitar playing. Best composer. Best tone. Best everything. LOVE THE MAN!!!!! :)

[@jonasdnkjr5774]

I more than agree with you, my friend !!

[@lex.cordis]

An absolute genius.

[@vbassone]

TRUE!

[@atquinn1975]

Holdsworth is the man! Not only is he a mind-blowing player, he has one of the best electric tones ever!

[@pleximanic]

Allan may not play many blues licks but he has a heart full of soul!

[@spookybaba]

He plays a blues lick in the solo of Davil Takes The Hindmost.

[@TheChange1961]

Beside all tecnical or technological points, Allan Holdsworth's playing is actually a high leveled love romance.

[@aliensporebomb]

Boy - just one single note with a little vibrato is so huge and cello like - heady!. Awesome, lovely sounding.

[@spookybaba]

That's strange that you say Cello. To me, it's more like a saxophone.

[@RaspySquares]

this dude was a fuckin guy...Him and Dime are the 2 guitarists I really wish I was able to see live. That tone. RIP.

[@BDaMonkey]

His vibrato is just wonderful.

[@frost-80]

Like Yngwie J Malmsteen said "Holdworth is from outer space..." He is so fuckin' amazing that i have no words.

[@JimmyGianlu]

I love Allan Holdsworth, is like the grandfather that I've never had.

[@placidian]

That guitar sound. My goodness, it is so perfect.

[@OZRIC1985]

Allan Holdsworth has been my favorite guitar player since the first time I heard him in the early 80s. Everything he does is so incredibly creative. Although many great guitar players were inspired and influenced by Holdsworth, I feel that he still has not gotten the recognition that he deserves.

[@lex.cordis]

4:50 Absolutely unreal. Just incredible, man.

[@DonnyOsmosis]

I still idolize this guy. So glad to have met him (Bottom Line-NYC) 20 odd years ago -- and it was apparent right away that he WAS NOT AWARE OF HOW MUCH OF A *ROCK STAR* he was! So mellow... not pretentious at all.

[@bronislawbonkala5371]

The music world is an emptier palce without His quint essentially English humour .. such a humble person..

[@RastaSaiyaman]

Holdsworth comes across as a decent, down to earth bloke. No ego, making jokes and very English.

[@vladjones2446]

What a guy, love him, miss him.

[@TheMaxPower82]

Mankind can be divided in two categories: Allan Holdsworth is one, the rest of us all is the other. “Amazing” can barely describe this man’s skills and knowledge.

[@_6581_]

I miss this legend! So heart warming

[@AnonymousCowardX]

His playing is at a John Coltrane's level

[@robinpearce6961]

Beyond

[@lex.cordis]

@@robinpearce6961 Without a doubt.

[@rickdeckard1075]

@@lex.cordis yeah its tuneless gibberish just like coltrane

[@lex.cordis]

​@@rickdeckard1075 Hey, man. I'm really sorry to learn of this. I wouldn't wish your condition upon anyone. But with that said, there's no need to get your frustration out by tossing insults around simply because we _can_ hear it and you cannot. None of us had anything to do with whatever caused your condition, and again, I deeply empathize with you for having to live with such a thing. Some might say that one cannot be deprived of something that they don't know they are being deprived of, but I simply don't feel that way about things. Regardless, my heart hurts for what you have to live with _every single day_ and I wish there was something I could do for you. I would recommend you some blues licks, but as you can imagine, I'm not too familiar with such things. I'm sure you already have your ways of alleviating your condition, so you would know better than I do. Take care, friend. Many blessings.

[@rickdeckard1075]

@@lex.cordis (edited) ... lol.

[@shadowknight132]

I never knew how much Allan looked up to his Dad. I can tell what a big influence he had on him. Also, Allan has a great sense of humor. Maybe because his dad told him about the TV thing that made him subconsciously uncomfortable on performing on video.

[@lidesnowi]

Devotion + detachment will get you there.

[@pdpatdeschamps29]

This is really a miracle to get Allan not so shy ! It's very funny, good to see him this way .

[@brianlee5455]

What a presence! At first it's like you're intruding on Yoda's cave! Then Yoda's like totally cool about it! :) RIP Mr. Holdsworth. The world is a little darker without you..

[@pleximanic]

The reason for this is that Allan has always been fascinated by the music itself and not all the crap surrounding it! Spend many hours on practicing specific things until you really get it completely into your consciousness!

[@biohazard8295]

100% agree!

[@jf160297]

He knows the fretboard better than any other guitar player ever.

[@We-all-watched-the-video]

@RyanMcQuented is another master love him

[@HenkieHeadache]

Sir Allan! The master!

[@wattage2007]

"Anything worth learning can't be taught." Wise words from the master.

[@KingTabor]

RIP genius! A Giant just like Jimi

[@ataconazi]

most perfect lead guitar sound ever

[@InnerTranquility]

A true master of music!

[@jackvai2681]

awesome guy...awesome player... 'we shall never see his like again!'

[@ChuloDavidcito]

Thanks very much for this. Now that Allan is in the great beyond, when he starts playing, the sound is so gorgeous that it's like his spirit is still right here.

[@Bifrons]

Great interview. Laughing and crying. I'll Raise a glass for you , always.

[@kubrickinho]

These spontaneous guitar solos of Holdsworth are beautiful.

[@normc8169]

So humble and gentleman Allan was and such a great player one the very few top of top guitar heros. RIP

[@donharrold1375]

No one played like Allan. He roamed the fretboard squeezing out sad, melancholy and emotive phrases. It just flowed out of him naturally.

[@Truthinshredding1]

Such a master guitar player... This is a tone I have in my head. So much knowledge about sound throughout the chain. ♥️AH forever.

[@erikpors9775]

This is guy is missed by many, me for one. Luckily I got to see him a couple of times

[@erictriptonguitarist2392]

I absolutely love using this through a cranked Plexi. So much variation to fiddle and get different shades of tone using the bass and treble. A gourmet dinner overdrive/boost pedal! I think its the best, though other overdrives have their place. This is a must have to add to one's arsenal. YOU ALL NEED TO KEEP MAKING THIS PEDAL, TOO MANY PLAYERS ARE WANTING IT!!!!!!!!

[@manningtreeosteopathicclin7108]

Sadly won’t hear this genius again..... in a league of his own.

[@graverobber13]

Fantastic pedal bought one instantly.. Allan is something else, hoping he comes back to Texas. I think perhaps the hole he speaks of is the one he was trying to climb out of to impress his father. I think Allan had alot of internal pressure to become something far more then mundane and ordinary. Allan you did it your totally unique and astonishing. Your entire family should know how much the music world thinks of you. Your completely fearless and we love you for it..

[@BebopHardRock]

Funny guy! I studied guitar in Pasadena back in '98 and had the good luck to be invited over to his place, thanks to a common acquaintance, the ever-charming Glenn Oberholtz. (Glenn, are you out there?). Allan was a very warm host, specially after several pints of a fantastic Ale he offered.... I vividly remember how he listened back several times to Joe Pass' 'Catch Me', in awe. There was one part of the solo which made his eyes open really wide and it cracked us up, because it was very wide !!

[@harounel-poussah6936]

I can tell you he liked tequila too

[@andy-b]

I would like to see the unedited version! RIP Allan Holdsworth... the Greatest!

[@pleximanic]

This man opened my view on what is possible to do in music and playing an instrument ,basically there are no limit how deep you can go with it!

[@oldsyphilitic]

Nice to hear Allan talking about his past and blues licks. I saw him at the Farmers Inn at Thornbury in 1969 with his band 'Igginbottom. He was playing a Hofner solid through an AC30 and he played a lot of blues licks then. In Bradford he was a legend even back then and rightly so. I would really like to know what happened to his band mate and student Steve Robinson. He was a very fine player too but nobody seems to know what happened to him.

[@EgoShredder]

I'm from Bradford and I had to remind both the main local newspaper and local BBC TV station, of who Allan is and that he had just died and that the whole guitar world was paying tribute to him. One of the greatest ever musicians who just happens to come from my little part of the world, and nobody from the media even knew of him. :-( Anyway Francis Dunnery of It Bites fame and who was heavily influenced by Allan's playing and music, did a good tribute to Allan on his radio show. Listen to or download the podcast here podcasts.progzilla.com/francis/Francis_Dunnery_Radio_Show_-_041.mp3

[@orbital14]

God...I miss you Allan

[@AtanasovPetar]

Most people don't know greatness even if it hit them on the head.Most of musicians can't understand what Holdsworth is doing even if they heard him.So we don't even need to mention the general public.People deny what they do not understand.So everyone that understands what Holdsworth is doing is immediately ahead of most musicians.

[@PaoloPeschiaroli]

R.I.P Unknown friend..

[@neechee5150]

Indeed!!! AH has not recieved the credit he deserves for being a virtuoso guitarist who can shred/play with the best of them-no holds barred

[@johnoullette4908]

His dad sounds great from any references Allan's ever made about him

[@aliensporebomb]

I've long felt that Allan's father is owed a huge debt - his influence turned Allan into the player he is today - he was a hardcore jazz piano player who became a family man and music teacher.

[@skok58]

aliensporebomb Agreed!

[@steviesavage]

saw him live, and couldn't understand how the hell he did those things - and i've been playing for over 40 years!

[@combatOracle1]

Allan, why did you leave us so early?. We miss you mate.

[@federiconavarrotrias]

MR ALLAN HOLDSWORTH !!!!! Love this man ! Had the pleasure to meet him at the namm show this year .. A living legend !!

[@Bifrons]

DAMN!!! That tone!!!

[@iangarner8857]

Man I wish he was still alive. An absolute genius and lovely bloke. Rip Alan.

[@chrisvantassel8867]

Agreed, I miss big Al!!

[@edoardozampetti4601]

merry Christmas to Holdsworth's family... in loving memory Allan..

[@HarveyMushman888]

One of the most humble guys on the planet too....

[@KopoLPedov]

Despite the words about the blues, his solo at the Level 42's live performance "Love meeting love" is the highest blues standard

[@MikeBravos]

he's so innocent. Fuck, you amazing Mr. Holdsworth.

[@SuperScooter126]

I used to have one of those MXR Dist +,,but ended up installing it as a shim for the leafspring mount on my F-150 Pickup truck. The dimensions were perfect,and it welded up nicely.

[@THESTIG-cc7fq]

Allan RIP Sir

[@251dog]

This pedal is the mutts nuts.. ive just fell in love after just 15 seconds. The gain structure is just right. and the Bass Treble and Boost is great.

[@haysfordays]

Nothing not to love in this.

[@aliensporebomb]

His tone in this video is just beautiful for single note overdriven type tone - gorgeous!

[@k.padraigokane1472]

I miss him :-(

[@nohjoh08]

We would all hear Allan as sounding like Holdsworth through pretty much any piece of gear. The difference is, he loves his tone here and is inspired by how it feels/sounds to him. That is why we strive for better gear. Every Rockettpedals pedal I own is inspiring to play through. Keep it up guys.

[@joaolucianodinizcosta4095]

This guy is beyond Mozart and Beethoven. Sadly maybe only in 100 years we'll going to give the real credits to this man!

[@johnoullette4908]

Have you heard Allan's own recounting of how he developed his style ? Not only is he playing what none can match but the guy's mind is wired to subtle frequencies us mortals can only imitate

[@kurukq]

his pedal is good and all, but i really want to know what kindof lawnmower that person is using, the tone is just outstanding

[@hughjorgen5588]

Notice the difference in sound. The first minute of the video appears to be recorded using an ambient (room) microphone. The tone later changes as it would appear that the microphone(s) was(were) placed much closer to the speaker(s). A key ingredient in that thick distorted tone, without going to 11 with the overdrive setting, is a number of multi-tap delays. They provide stereo imaging and incredible thickness. This probably started during the ADA STD-1 days in the early to mid 80s.

[@benfordguitars]

Thanks for editing out the open air mic. Its nice to actually hear the tone of a pedal without the string noise bleeding in!

[@brownhooque]

That said, I love Allan's playing.

[@Timotheedle]

love this man....

[@lidesnowi]

Awesome! I love this guy! I will buy at least two of these!

[@kevfreeman5482]

That tone!! 😲👌👌👌

[@gaelsebastiani2198]

Love him forever. Miss me Legend and Maestro!

[@Tmidiman]

Nice to finally hear Allan demo the pedal. Also thanks for including the conversation as well. It would have been nice to sett the pedal and amp settings, but bravo just the same.

[@MarvinSheats]

Allan is such a musical genius and his tone is completely awesome. Thanks for the post.

[@BlairCromwell]

Tony Williams Lifetime, Believe it and Million Dollar Legs, best Allan Holdsworth playing, tone tone and more tone.

[@orlandoCF1]

This is so funny seeing Allan like this. Cool stuff.

[@aliensporebomb]

All I can say is that tone is DELICIOUS!

[@NeilRaouf]

long live the king no berklee, completely self taught. an artist of the hightest caliber!

[@robinpoindexter3271]

Need to bring this pedal back

[@hampstershat123]

I contacted the company and they said they won't be making more because the family advised them not to; I really don't get it but there ya go.

[@dgushi1]

Greatest guitar player ever all I ever what to do is play like him

[@paulauksztulewicz4803]

Those peddles now fetch a big buck. Miss Allan.

[@instrumentalist28]

I m with holdsworth on the blues thing

[@ntesslafan]

This is a fun clip to watch. Allan is special. No doubt. Thanks so much for posting.

[@Catsincages]

Sir Allan Holdsworth.

[@aliensporebomb]

Man - just practicing his tone is GIGANTIC and he's using one of those Yamaha Solid State amps, the ones with the red front panel and that Carvin guitar and the boost pedal plus a delay. MONSTER tone.

[@aliensporebomb]

Oh yeah, his sense of dynamics is wonderful too.

[@xdux]

AH - nicest guy, best guitarist ever in my book. honored to have opened for him twice in a row in miami!

[@padbrit]

I photographed Alan when he was at Mark King's Summer House Studio on the Isle of Wight recording their Guaranteed Album. Great stuff, pu the cameras down and watch the master.

[@akahanga]

master of the master´s master

[@taunokekkonen5733]

I've been trying to figure his music out, like we all try. Typically guitarists paint a picture with two notes and the relation they have. You build a tension and resolve it to the tonic. Like the sharp 4 on a Lydian followed by the 5th (ok 5th is not the tonic but still). Alan, however seems to be able to link multiple notes together to paint a flowing picture and doesn't necessarily bind himself in a rule of tension-resolve like the rest of us.

[@The_Kevinist]

RIP Allan