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Steven Holst Jim Hall / D’Aquisto mini review part II
Up Front – I am not an endorser for Holst nor have I received remuneration for this review.
I wanted to give an update after using it on my gig last night.
I can now say conclusively that it’s the best sounding guitar I’ve ever had.
Here are some of the guitars I’ve used on this long running gig.
- Gibson Barney Kessel,
- Heritage Eagle,
- Gibson 175 (2013 & 1989),
- Gibson L4CES,
- Ibanez Benson GB10,
- Ibanez Metheny PM120,
- Gibson 335,
- MJT Strat, (yeah, I know…),
- Steven Holst – Jim Hall / D’Aquisto
The Holst is just in another league. The sustain is wonderful, the lilt of the note’s attack is just beautiful, and I could get lost in it alone. And there is just some “je ne sais quoi” that makes it incredibly satisfying to play and lends itself to playing in a lot of different styles. Part of it may be the dynamic range. It’s got a wider dynamic range than any Gibson I’ve played in years. I have the action pretty low, so it buzzes a tiny bit if I dig in but even the quality of that buzzing is sweetness to my ear.
It’s able to reproduce a very wide range of tones based on hard I pick, whether I pick with my thumb or use a cellulose or plastic pick, etc.
It’s the first laminate guitar I’ve ever owned that sounds fantastic for octaves. And it’s interesting because on my heritage eagle, which is a solid spruce top, of course octaves sound good on it because it has that Wes-thing going on. However, the Holst sounds equally good with octaves but does not sound exactly like Wes’. I realized a few days ago that the note separation is fantastic and better than anything else I have, which – along with the dynamic range – allows octaves to just jump out as if they were fired out of a cannon. And likewise, the same with block chords.
I will post more thoughts later along with another demo. I spent about 15 takes yesterday trying to record something but my mind was not clear, so I didn’t get anything I liked. Hopefully today!
All the best,
Jack Zucker
Last edited by jzucker; 11-14-2024 at 07:48 PM.
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11-14-2024 09:11 AM
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Awesome Jack ! We love success stories
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After reading your reviews,kind of makes me wonder how the previous owners let this one get away?
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Hey Jack!
Yesterday observing your 2nd video I thought I noticed, or rather heard, clearly defined block chords, and most notable, was your octave playing.
Before viewing the video I didn’t have any idea that you possessed those elements in your repertoire. But of course I should have known better.
Personally, I’m a big fan of both octave and block chord playing. In fact, they’re my absolute favorite for any jazz guitarist. Sure, single note lines can be inventive. But for me, it’s all about block chord playing.
Why is that anyone might ask? One word: Wes
Congratulations Jack, you just may have stumbled on a guitar that suits you extremely well!
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A keeper for sure. ( Or at least, for now.
)
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Jack, your smile in the picture says it all! Great shot.
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too many guitars and retirement! I agree completely with everything jack says. Very special guitar!
Originally Posted by nyc chaz
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Thanks. I used to have octaves and block chords down a lot more but I went through a period where I was trying more modern devices and now I'm trying to recover all the old chops. Thanks for noticing and commenting. I find that as I get older, the octaves are becoming my favorite way to improvise.
Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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Sounds really good Jack! Reminds me of George Bensons tone in a way. Very Clear and Articulate! Just curious about which strings are on there Flatwound or Roundwound?
My impression is flats but you’ve turned up the treble on the amp?
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Very nice! I hear the definition you’re talking about, along with a slightly reduced lower end. You generally have such nice articulation, it’s good to have gear that supports your expression. Good choice and hard to top, but I will be disappointed if you don’t continue your tone quest and find another lovely beast to replace this one with. I would bet that a Schottmuller would suit you, from what I can gather from recordings of people who play them.
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at 67, unlikely to replace this. The Heritage Eagle and Holst are keepers as is the kessel though the kessel is now out of the rotation. Just holding onto it for its charm. I have a GB10 that was given to me so I can't get rid of it and a Ibanez Metheny that I like but isn't something I play much. So I'd consider getting rid of it. I am talking to holst about a 175 type of guitar with the decay and thunk that a 175 has but with a new build so I don't have to deal with all the issues inherent in a 30-50 year old guitar. But Steve can't use poplar like gibson uses and would have to use multiple layers of mahogany instead and it would be an experiment... Originally Posted by yebdox
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Nice sounding guitar Jack and great playing as always. Originally Posted by jzucker
The Holst experiment sounds interesting, I would just research the relative hardness of the woods, IIRC poplar is quite soft for a hardwood, that might be a contributing factor.
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yes a lovely sound indeed
what’s the pickup on that Holst
do you know ?
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Found out it's a duncan 59 Originally Posted by pingu
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Holst has done some research. Apparently gibsons typically use a think layer of maple on the top and bottom and a double thick layer of poplar in the middle. Holst feels that the poplar is absorbing energy and why the gibsons have the thuddy/thunky attack. Because of the way he presses the wood, he can't do different thicknesses and can't do poplar. He thinks that mahogany may yield similar properties but it would be an experiment. Originally Posted by bluejaybill
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flatwound thomastick JS112. I had the bright switch on and the treble on 6.5 on the virtual amp (fractal deluxe reverb). On the blues I recently recorded I turned treble down to 5 and bright off. Originally Posted by jads57
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Duncan 59 has Alnico 5 magnets? Originally Posted by jzucker
Due to your fantastic sound Jack, my preference for Alnico 2 will need to be reassessed.
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Hi Jack,
Great playing!
The guitar sounds amazing and it's as if this guitar was made especially for you.
Congrats
Kris
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yeah, it has alnico 5. Honestly, i was never a fan of this pickup in the past but I think I must have just evaluated it in an unsuitable guitar/amp/environment. Originally Posted by GuyBoden
Duncan 59 has Alnico 5 magnets?
Due to your fantastic sound Jack, my preference for Alnico 2 will need to be reassessed.
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Superb sound and playing. Glad to see your hands and picking are fine again after the surgery!
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thanks, yeah I'm finally back to where I was in 2022 before my injury. Unfortunately, the first spinal injury I had in 2003 left me with permanent nerve damage in the right arm so I can't play from the wrist. I pick from the elbow which sacrifices a lot of string to string accuracy. Originally Posted by Alter
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+1 Originally Posted by Max405
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Just listened again, and I agree with Joe, Jack, your playing is really balanced and intelligent here, and the richness and variety of the tones from that guitar.... wow. A keeper!
What's your signal chain here? Fantastic recording tone!
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I had him make me a Jim Hall style guitar based on his Sadowsky model that I had seen him play in the early 2000s. Holst made it for me and around 2006 when I lived in Oregon. I have continued playing and enjoying it ever since. I recently had the jack rewired by a guy in Michigan and he was really impressed with the craftsmanship. For a laminate top, guitar it definitely has a lot of resonance that is impressive. I also play an Ibanez JSM100-VT which is also nice, but heavier. I had Stephen make a 25 inch scale neck and it is awesome! The Ibanez is probably a little faster, but this has a little more space, great action, sound and playability.
I have considered buying another from him in 335 vein that would be lighter. Congrats on your find!
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i'm running into a fractal FM3 on the deluxe reverb amp model. Originally Posted by yebdox
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