Allan Holdsworth- talks about his Carvin Guitars Headless signature model
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
