# Allan Holdsworth with a new Carvin... but with how many strings?



## Dominoes282 (May 20, 2015)

Just when you thought it was safe to assume a normal existence. 







I think every 8 string player just took a crap


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## Randy (May 20, 2015)

Photo-op because he's their token "headless guy" and possibly for some noodling around with at home. This far into his career, I'd be surprised if you ever hear him play a note below E2.


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## Dominoes282 (May 20, 2015)

Randy said:


> Photo-op because he's their token "headless guy" and possibly for some noodling around with at home. This far into his career, I'd be surprised if you ever hear him play a note below E2.



Eh I think he saw Robert Fripp get an eight string and he scrambled to get one as fast as possible . On a serious note though he could be setting it up for BEADGBEA which would mean the chord possibilities just increased .

Edit: Case in point, this guy is a Holdsworth purist.


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## InfinityCollision (May 21, 2015)

Not at that scale length he's not, and wasn't the guitar we saw Fripp with a shop model/someone else's rather than part of his collection?


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## GuitarBizarre (May 21, 2015)

InfinityCollision said:


> Not at that scale length he's not, and wasn't the guitar we saw Fripp with a shop model/someone else's rather than part of his collection?



The Fripp 8 string guitar was a stock instrument from Ben Crowe/Crimson Guitars, yes. A customer of theirs changed spec mid-build and Ben completed and sold the first version as a stock instrument. Fripp showed up in the shop one day for other work and bam, photo.


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## vick1000 (May 21, 2015)

Why would 8 string players suddenly take a crap? No one gives a crap when someone decides to pick up an 8.


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## All_¥our_Bass (May 21, 2015)

vick1000 said:


> Why would 8 string players suddenly take a crap?


Because it's Holdsworth.


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## The Spanish Inquisition (May 21, 2015)

Randy said:


> Photo-op because he's their token "headless guy" and possibly for some noodling around with at home. This far into his career, I'd be surprised if you ever hear him play a note below E2.



He actually once had a massive baritone guitar on which he played in Bb I think.


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## jwade (May 21, 2015)

Considering that 98% of the people who pick up 8 strings don't/can't play anything like Holdsworth, I don't see how any 'just took a crap'.


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## Fathand (May 21, 2015)

If Holdsworth did play the 8, no one would have time to take a crap. 

The sheer vastness of the chord shapes + ethereal chorus/delay would immerse the universe immediately to the netherworld, where the only sound would be the eternal repetitive legato in different modes of F#.

So, the same rules apply as with Fripp/King Crimson. Forbidden by higher laws, just can't do it.


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## the.godfather (May 21, 2015)

Photo-op or not, can you just imagine the sort of insane stuff Holdsworth could forge on that headless Vader 8? Endless possiblities for a monster player such as him. 

One of my favourite players.


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## technomancer (May 21, 2015)

Holdsworth has been openly dismissive of 7/8 string guitars for a LONG time. IIRC he's said they don't sound like a guitar, and he actually had several massive scale baritones built to experiment with lower tunings instead of adding strings (there's a vid posted of one of the baritones above).

So yeah, Jeff grabbed him and went, "Here hold this while we get a pic."


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## Dominoes282 (May 21, 2015)

technomancer said:


> Holdsworth has been openly dismissive of 7/8 string guitars for a LONG time. IIRC he's said they don't sound like a guitar, and he actually had several massive scale baritones built to experiment with lower tunings instead of adding strings (there's a vid posted of one of the baritones above).
> 
> So yeah, Jeff grabbed him and went, "Here hold this while we get a pic."



IIRC Holdsworth said he hates the sound of every guitar and he would rather play a french horn, but here we are


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## stevexc (May 21, 2015)

Here's the context from Jeff's instagram:



> So yeah that happened today.... Allan Holdsworth is a very close friend of mine. Today when he came by he kept picking up the eight string Vader, final he asks "Jeff I love the way this feels and sounds do you mind if I borrow one". I say no problem 6,7 or 8. He says "I think it's time I try eight string".



Sauce

Sounds like he's a lot less opposed to playing an 8 string than you guys would expect, although he could have just been playing nice to Jeff.


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## InfinityCollision (May 21, 2015)

Dominoes282 said:


> IIRC Holdsworth said he hates the sound of every guitar and he would rather play a french horn, but here we are


Saxophone, though he's also taken an interest in violin over the years.



stevexc said:


> Here's the context from Jeff's instagram:
> 
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> ...


Well, color me pleasantly surprised I suppose. Curious if anything will actually come of it.


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## ChrisH (May 21, 2015)

I think Holdsworth's words in response the the 6, 7, or 8 question was "if I'm going to do it I might as well go straight to an 8 instead of dicking around with a 7. I think it's time."

Or something along those lines. He actually took that one home and we have an 8 string being built to the specs he likes on his HH series guitars. Solid color as per usual but he told Jeff to surprise him with the color.

As soon as Allan said he wanted to borrow one Jeff told him that we had to get a picture because people would probably freak out and Allan agreed.

Edit:

I'm sure people aren't going to believe me since I work for the company but Allan actually asked to pick one up and play instead of Jeff handing it to him to try it out. Allan has this weird thing about not picking up and playing guitars while he's down here unless he's R&D'ing things so for him to ask to play something is out of the ordinary. This is why we were freaking out thinking the world was going to end! haha

This seriously blew my mind when it happened.


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## Dominoes282 (May 21, 2015)

ChrisH said:


> I think Holdsworth's words in response the the 6, 7, or 8 question was "if I'm going to do it I might as well go straight to an 8 instead of dicking around with a 7. I think it's time."
> 
> Or something along those lines. He actually took that one home and we have an 8 string being built to the specs he likes on his HH series guitars. Solid color as per usual but he told Jeff to surprise him with the color.
> 
> ...



If anyone would know, it would be you, Chris! Awesome to get confirmation on this .


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## sevenstringj (May 21, 2015)

vick1000 said:


> Why would 8 string players suddenly take a crap? No one gives a crap when someone decides to pick up an 8.





jwade said:


> Considering that 98% of the people who pick up 8 strings don't/can't play anything like Holdsworth, I don't see how any 'just took a crap'.



I almost _s_hit my pants because I had visions of an 8 string headless with trem.


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## Alice AKW (May 21, 2015)

Dominoes282 said:


> Just when you thought it was safe to assume a normal existence.



That sounds familiar.


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## technomancer (May 21, 2015)

ChrisH said:


> Or something along those lines. He actually took that one home and we have an 8 string being built to the specs he likes on his HH series guitars. Solid color as per usual but he told Jeff to surprise him with the color.



Damn it I had to reread that, thought that said an 8 string HH for a minute


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## Dominoes282 (May 21, 2015)

Alice AKW said:


> That sounds familiar.




You found me out...


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## ChrisH (May 21, 2015)

technomancer said:


> Damn it I had to reread that, thought that said an 8 string HH for a minute



lol yeah! People have started emailing me about 7 and 8 string HH guitars again it's annoying! lol

You know what's funny is that a little while ago one of our other salesdudes asked Allan in the showroom if he was going to pick up a 7 or 8 any time soon and he just said "No, I can barely manage 6 anyways" or something to that effect.

And here I thought I was barely managing


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## technomancer (May 21, 2015)

ChrisH said:


> lol yeah! People have started emailing me about 7 and 8 string HH guitars again it's annoying! lol
> 
> You know what's funny is that a little while ago one of our other salesdudes asked Allan in the showroom if he was going to pick up a 7 or 8 any time soon and he just said "No, I can barely manage 6 anyways" or something to that effect.
> 
> And here I thought I was barely managing



Yeah it is mind-boggling that Holdsworth seems to be genuinely disappointed with his playing a lot of the time


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## Electric Wizard (May 21, 2015)

I've already decided that I want to save for a Vader when I've got more income, but if an HH8 is announced I'll be out working the street corners.


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## InfinityCollision (May 22, 2015)

technomancer said:


> Yeah it is mind-boggling that Holdsworth seems to be genuinely disappointed with his playing a lot of the time



Considering what he achieves on those nights where everything comes together perfectly and he can let just the notes flow, I'm not. It's an immensely satisfying, even addictive feeling to reach that state. Anything less is just not good enough anymore, especially for a man with as much drive as Holdsworth.


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## Slunk Dragon (May 22, 2015)

So he has in fact gotten himself an eight.

Ohhhhhhhhh lord, the world was not meant to end like this...


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## Fathand (May 22, 2015)

ChrisH said:


> I think Holdsworth's words in response the the 6, 7, or 8 question was "if I'm going to do it I might as well go straight to an 8 instead of dicking around with a 7. I think it's time."
> 
> Or something along those lines. He actually took that one home and we have an 8 string being built to the specs he likes on his HH series guitars. Solid color as per usual but he told Jeff to surprise him with the color.
> 
> ...



How cool is that. Very.


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## the.godfather (May 22, 2015)

That's just a brilliant story Chris. Great news that he actually took it home! 

And to think that Allan is probably at home noodling around on that 8-string Vader right now...creating all kinds of havoc!


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## FRETPICK (May 22, 2015)

Doesn't play notes behind the nut. Next.


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## HighGain510 (May 22, 2015)

InfinityCollision said:


> Considering what he achieves on those nights where everything comes together perfectly and he can let just the notes flow, I'm not. It's an immensely satisfying, even addictive feeling to reach that state. Anything less is just not good enough anymore, especially for a man with as much drive as Holdsworth.



He just seems to *boost* himself to another level, so much *drive* indeed!







Sorry... I had to.


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## The Spanish Inquisition (May 22, 2015)

HighGain510 said:


> He just seems to *boost* himself to another level, so much *drive* indeed!
> 
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> ...



There's the door


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## asher (May 22, 2015)

HighGain510 said:


> He just seems to *boost* himself to another level, so much *drive* indeed!
> 
> 
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