Allan Holdsworth- talks about his Carvin Guitars Headless signature model

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DD2G-TfZOA

ChatGPT transcript

I love it, actually. I'm really happy because I have a long-standing relationship with Garvin for many, many years. I can't remember how many, actually. It's been decades, and I've always been a huge fan of headless guitars.

You know, if I play a regular guitar like a strap, first of all, the thing about a strap that I don't like is this: It's a full-scale-size guitar. It's a twenty-five and a half-inch scale, and the strap is twenty-five and a half inches as well. But the fingerboard surrounds, and I pull the strings off the edge of the fingerboard all the time. It's just a hassle. I just don't like it. And the other thing is, it's got all this stuff that you don't need, you know, it's just like, so when I play a Strat, it feels like a rubber band. Well, when I play, I can actually, I think I don't know if I can do this. If anybody's got a Stratocaster, you go like doesn't happen. It's stable, it's most, and it balances perfectly. And one of the things that I noticed, because I was an SG player for many, many years, was I realized, as I played violin for a little bit too, was that I was actually holding the guitar up as part of my playing. I was actually holding the guitar. So now I could just play it. I don't have to, I don't have to push it down at all. It just stays wherever I put it because it's perfect and balanced.

I change equipment all the time, you know, and that's the beauty. You're just looking for something better, you know. There we are.

The thing about the headless guitar, for me, is nothing to do with how it looks. In fact, that's one of the reasons why most people don't like them, because of the way they look, you know. They want to have a big guitar that looks kind of hefty and everything. Some people look at the guitar, they go, "Oh, it's little," but it's not little at all. This is a lot of advantages that I had with a headless guitar. You don't have to deal with the I could change your whole set of strings, not that that's of major importance, but it's one thing, probably in less time than a guy with a strap can change his high E. And plus, I think they sound really great. I think they have a really focused kind of sound.

I tried to make the shape kind of not look too crazy so that anybody who never really tried a headless guitar before could say, "Oh, it looks not too weird. Let me try one." And I've kind of been surprised by how many guys who maybe wouldn't have been into a headless guitar that try one, and then they'd go, "Oh yeah, it's pretty good." I think once you, once you get used to playing the headless guitar, it's really hard to go back.

Well, I like the shape of the original, kind of fat boy, so we kept that, nomadic, smaller, obviously because it would look stupid, like the head looks keytar with a giant body. So it was just a kind of scaled-down version of that. This guitar is chambered, so it's kind of hollow most all of the way, although this pickup sits in the solid piece of wood, so it's less likely to feedback than when the time that was hollow, like the previous version. Although the first pickup, the front pickup or the neck pickup, however you want to refer to it, is actually sitting in a chambered part, which is great because usually most people use the front pickup more for like chords and, you know, just playing cleaner lines, and then the treble pickup, I guess a lot of guys will use that more for distortion, so it feels like it's more dynamic than the original one, and they're just snappier or quicker or something. They're just something about them that it was hard for me to get used to going back. In fact, I couldn't. In the end, I tried to go back to a guitar with the headstock, but I couldn't make it.

And it's beautiful. It's really beautiful. I mean, you can, you know, I have a couple of custom guitars and some because thousands and thousands of dollars, just like most of the guys might have a couple of, you know, most exotic guitars or whatever, but I've been playing this guitar since I got the first prototype. I didn't take anything else on the road. I took this one and one other one. They're identical, you know, except for the wood. One of another Tigers right. The guitar itself is the same.

Well, I think with Kiesel, they've always, another especially over the last few years or maybe they've kind of aligned themselves with some really great players, some really great musicians, you know, like Frankenstein so I mean all those guys, they have their own, you know, they have their input and they listen, you know. Calvin listens to what they have to it, you know, what they're talking about. And I think that's another thing that pushes it along, you know, because sometimes to try and drive something without a musician on it's like they've got participation with the musician, which some companies don't have that at all. They just kind of fly it in the dark, you know. But I think Cabin has got a lot of good people working with them that can sort of say, "Oh, well, I think this wood might be better than that, or this might be better than that," and then they listen, and I think that's why this stuff is so good. They've always had great playability. I even remember when I bought a Kiesel guitar for my daughter when here a long time ago, and I just remember she had something else, and it was like, yeah, and it was a famous make it was, they might, you know, but it was like I couldn't play it. It was just a hassle, and then the Kiesel guitar was like, it was beautiful right out of the box, you know, it was just like it wasn't a very expensive guitar, you know, and it sounded really good, and it played beautifully. It was really because sometimes I think especially for young kids when they first start playing the guitar, you don't want to make it any harder for, it's hard enough, you know, you don't want to give them a guitar where you could stick a phonebook between the E string and the first fret, you know, like in the old days, a lot of guitars I played before, it's like then the E string's like here somewhere, looks like, oh. So now things have come a long way, and I think having Kiesel's out the out the gate, every one, I don't think I've played one that wasn't easy to play right out of the box. And it works perfectly for me. I love it. It's absolutely great.

YouTube transcript

I love it actually I'm really happy

because I have a long-standing

relationship with Garvin for many many

years I can remember how many actually

it's been decades and I've always been a

huge fan of headless guitars and know

like if I play a regular guitar like a

strap first of all the thing about strap

that I don't like is this is a full

scale size guitar it's twenty five and a

half inch scale and the strap is twenty

five and a half inch kill but the

fingerboard sorround and I pull the

strings off the edge of the finger but

all the time I just its cannon I just

don't like it and the other thing is

it's got all this stuff that you don't

need you know it's just just like so

when I play a strike feels like a rubber

band well I play I can actually I think

I don't know if I can do this if

anybody's got a Stratocaster you go like

doesn't happen it's stablest most and it

balances perfectly and one of the things

that I noticed because I was an SG

player for many many years was I

realized as I played violin for a little

bit too was that I was actually holding

the guitar up as part of my playing was

actually holding the guitar so now I

could just play it I don't have to I

don't have to push you down at all it

just stays wherever I put it because

it's perfect and balanced

I change equipment all the time you know

and thus that's beauty you're just

looking for something better you know

there we are

the thing about the headless guitar for

me is nothing to do with how it looks in

fact that's one of the reasons but most

people don't like them is because of the

way they look you know they want to have

a big guitar that looks like kind of

hairy and everything some people look at

the guitar they go all it's little but

it's not little at all this is a lot of

advantages that I had with a headless

guitar you don't have to deal with the I

could change your whole set of strings

not that that's of major importance but

it's one thing probably in less time

than a guy with a strap can change his

high E and plus I think they sound

really great I think they have a really

focused kind of sound

I tried to make the ship kind of not

look too crazy so that anybody who never

really tried it headless keytar before

could say oh it looks not too weird let

me try one and I've kind of been

surprised by how many guys who were

maybe wouldn't have been into a headless

keytar that try one and then they'd go

oh yeah it's pretty good I think once

once you once you get used to play the

headless guitar it's really hard to go

back

well I like the shape of the original

kind of fat boy so we kept that nomadic

smaller obviously because it would look

stupid like the head looks keytar with a

giant body so it was just a kind of

scaled-down version of that this guitar

is chambered so it's kind of hollow most

all of the way although this pickup sits

in the solid piece of wood so it's less

likely to feedback then when the time

that was hollow like the previous

version although the first pick up the

front pickup of the neck pickup however

you want to refer to it is actually

sitting in it in a chambered part which

is great because usually most people use

the front pickup more for like chords

and you know just like playing like

cleaner lines and then the treble pickup

I guess a lot of guys will use that more

for distortion so feels like it's a more

dynamic than the original one and

they're just snap here or quicker or

something they just there's just

something about them that it was hard

for me to get used to going back in fact

I couldn't in the end I tried to go back

to a guitar with the headstock but I

couldn't make it

and it's beautiful it's really beautiful

I mean you can you know I have a couple

of customer guitars and some because

thousands and thousands of dollars just

like most of the guys might have a

couple of you know most exotic guitars

or whatever but I've been playing this

guitar since I got the first prototype I

didn't take anything else on the road I

took this one and one other one they're

identical you know except for the wood

one of another Tigers right the guitar

itself is the same well I think with

Cavan they've always another especially

over the last few years or maybe they've

kind of aligned themselves with some

really great players some really great

musicians you know like Franken Steven

so I mean all those guys they have their

own you know they have their input and

they listen you know Calvin listen to

what they have to it you know what

they're talking about and I think that's

another thing that pushes it along you

know because sometimes to try and drive

something without a musician on it's

like they've got participation with the

with the musician which some companies

don't have that at all they just kind of

fly it in the dark you know but I think

cabin has got a lot of good people

working with them that can sort of say

oh well I think this wood might be

better than that or this might be better

than that and then they listen and I

think that's why this stuff is so good

they've always had like great

playability I even remember when I

bought a cou sticky table for my

daughter when here a long time ago and I

just remember she had something else and

it was like yeah and it was a famous

make it was they might you know but it

was like I couldn't play it it was just

a list and then the Cavan guitar was

like it was beautiful right out of the

box you know it was just like it wasn't

a very expensive guitar you know and it

sounded really good and it played

beautifully it was really because

sometimes I think especially for young

kids when they first start playing the

guitar you don't want to make it any

harder for it's hard enough you know you

don't want to give him a guitar where

you could stick a phonebook between the

E string and the first fret you know

like like in the old days a lot of

guitars I played before it's like then

the e strings like here somewhere looks

like oh so now things have come a long

way and I think having details out the

out the gate every one I don't think

I've played one that wasn't wasn't it

you know easy to play right out of the

box

and it works perfectly for me I love it

it's absolutely great 166 00:09:30,780 --> 00:00:00,000 you