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New vid from Carvin! The man himself speaks.
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02-23-2013 10:19 PM
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I think the real attraction to me of this guitar is the playing position is seems to land in when it's hanging on a strap. The angle just seems perfect to me.
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Indeed. It hangs perfectly for me when I am playing with it strapped on. At first I was frustrated playing it sitting down, but once I strapped it on it was in the perfect ergonomic position.
Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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Sitting or standing, I use the same very short strap with the guitar so high that it never touches my lap. Ideally the guitar sits in the exact same position either way. It's probably not for everybody but it works really well for me and it takes a lot of the pressure off my lower back and moves to my shoulders where I'm a lot stronger. Originally Posted by GreyJazz90
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Totally off-topic, but as Allan gets older, he seems to look like a mix of Paul McCartney and Michael Palin. In all seriousness, thanks for posting!
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I don't have a carvin headless guitar, but the steinberger spirit with some mods ( I have 2 passive HB, 3way switch and string adaptor for normal strings) and what I like the most, is that it's light as a feather and of course the playing position. I play this guitar the most because of weight and the comfort in general and if you are 2 m tall than your back already has enough to struggle with.
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Yeah, the web site says this model is about 5 pounds (without trem).
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Cool, thanks for sharing. Great performance clips too. It's an ad, but still entertaining.
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How easy would it be to travel with that guitar? It's pretty much the size of a travel guitar, easily fits in the overhead bin.
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The catch is the case size. For reasons that I don't understand, they're using a shortened version of the standard G&G rectangular case. To really get the full travel benefits out of it requires a custom third party case. That was a bit disappointing to learn. Originally Posted by fep
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I think that new Carvin AH model is a very comfortable guitar.
Sounds very good in a style of Allan H. music.
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And here is Allans Strandberg-guitar : #36 ? Allan Holdsworth | .strandberg* Guitars
Last edited by jazzkatten; 02-25-2013 at 10:53 AM.
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Anyone try one of these Strandbergs for jazz? They look really comfortable, but I've only seen them demoed by rock or fusion players.
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I had one of the 8 string fanned fret models for a few months, and it was a great guitar. I had the Endurneck on mine, which while great for some things, is really tailored to playing in the more classical style of thumb behind the neck at all times while playing.
The guitar was outrageously light and fun to play, but I found that as I progressed more towards straight ahead jazz, it didn't work for me. The guitar is capable of whatever you can throw at it. The Lace pickups are super clear and I think can be eq-ed to do anything.
Granted, mine was a production model (recent thing for Ola), but it was a great guitar, just not for me.
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Thx for the reply. How did it not work for jazz? Was it not a good sound for you?
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Geez....I just checked out the ad for the Carvin headless. Alan makes a great case for it, and he sounds fantastic on the clip! He does a real good job discussing its comfort. Carvin is within easy driving distance, and it's a new year. Might have to plan a visit.
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The sound was not right for me, and having 8 strings threw me around a lot. I bought the guitar when I was really into metal, and I started taking lessons for the first time in my life after playing for over 10 years. I had no intention of learning jazz, but it's funny the way life works out. Had I been stronger in my theory, I probably would have kept playing it, but I am not the kind of person to have many guitars, and when I wanted an archtop, I knew it had to go. Originally Posted by srlank
I don't miss the guitar, as neat as it was.
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What I found amazing was his comment about always holding up the standard guitar neck with the left arm while playing. That is what caused my left elbow & bicep RSI issues when playing Classical Guitar, and the guitar NEVER feeling secure and stable on my leg.
After letting the arm heal for about 5 years, strengthening the arm, and Yoga, I'm getting back to playing. During the rest period I bought all kinds of short scale and small body guitars. The most fun to play; the easiest to play; the no RSI while playing; the most balanced to play is my Hohner G3T. Like Allan says once you play a headless guitar you'll never go back. Time to set up a search on EBay for one of the Carvin guitars.
I am about to install a GFS vintage wind (6K.) Lil Killer in the neck with push pull vol pot, and a GFS Lil Killer Modern wind (10 K.) in the middle slot.
Ed S.
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I'm not a fan of headless guitars. It throws off my sense of where the frets are
IMO, if you have to give the guitar neck any support with your left hand you're either holding it wrong or the guitar has a bad balance, i.e. too heavy in the headstock/light in the body. When playing strats/teles on a strap, it's useful to use a strap that has a bit of "grip" on the side that lays on the shoulder. I use a cheap cotton strap and it works quite well. I take my hands off the guitar and it doesn't move from playing position. When playing classical if you have to use any support with the left hand, again, you're holding it wrong. The weight of the right forearm on the top edge of the guitar should be all the pressure needed to hold the guitar rock steady.
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When I played CG I started with the standard foot stool. That caused all kinds of back and hip problems. Then I tried just about every guitar support invented. I even went to using a guitar strap with large suction cups as strap buttons. I don't think the CG is a very ergonomic guitar. I would say 3/4 of CG players have RSI issues. The CG has a large, deep body, a stubby 12 fret neck, a fingerboard as wide as an aircraft carrier deck. If I squeeze the guitar body to my torso, the right arm would start to complain. Even with the strap and suction cups the guitar's playing & fretting surface were way out there in front. Nothing made the guitar feel stable, for me. Originally Posted by D.G.
I'm not a fan of headless guitars. It throws off my sense of where the frets are
IMO, if you have to give the guitar neck any support with your left hand you're either holding it wrong or the guitar has a bad balance, i.e. too heavy in the headstock/light in the body. When playing strats/teles on a strap, it's useful to use a strap that has a bit of "grip" on the side that lays on the shoulder. I use a cheap cotton strap and it works quite well. I take my hands off the guitar and it doesn't move from playing position. When playing classical if you have to use any support with the left hand, again, you're holding it wrong. The weight of the right forearm on the top edge of the guitar should be all the pressure needed to hold the guitar rock steady.
Here's the most telling part of the search for a solution. At the height of the pain I could still play an electric guitar or an electric bass guitar with out any pain. How weird is that?
The CG world still forces every player to be jammed into the Segovia mold for every aspect of CG. I miss playing in a guitar ensemble but I don't miss playing an actual classical guitar.
I bet you are sandbagging me and you play CG all the time, but have you ever practiced playing CG an hour a day, 6 days a week, for say 5 years?
Ed S.
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Classical guitar performance degree here. Anywhere from 4-6hrs per day, 7 days a week, for 5 yrs. After graduation, around 2 hrs per day until I got sucked into rock-n-roll and other styles Originally Posted by edspyhill01
These days I don't play classical and I certainly don't call myself a classical player anymore. My nails are in terrible shape 
However, you do need to take breaks with that kind of schedule and move around. Many problems tend to be caused by too much tension in a rigidly held position. Foot stool height is also important. I would always change it around, lower to higher, front to back. Twisting the torso to stare at the left hand is another common problem.
However, regardless of the above, everyone is built differently and for some it just can't be made to work. And of course, advancing age has its own set of challenges...
Back on topic, if a headless guitar works for you, great! Rock that thing!! There's plenty of room in the world for different kinds of guitars.
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I knew I should have canceled that last reply. Originally Posted by D.G.
Classical guitar performance degree here. Anywhere from 4-6hrs per day, 7 days a week, for 5 yrs. After graduation, around 2 hrs per day until I got sucked into rock-n-roll and other styles These days I don't play classical and I certainly don't call myself a classical player anymore. My nails are in terrible shape
However, you do need to take breaks with that kind of schedule and move around. Many problems tend to be caused by too much tension in a rigidly held position. Foot stool height is also important. I would always change it around, lower to higher, front to back. Twisting the torso to stare at the left hand is another common problem.
However, regardless of the above, everyone is built differently and for some it just can't be made to work. And of course, advancing age has its own set of challenges...
Back on topic, if a headless guitar works for you, great! Rock that thing!! There's plenty of room in the world for different kinds of guitars.
Ed
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i've tried a couple of the carvin holdsworth guitars and never bonded with them. The fat boy had a weird midrange resonant peak that caused a few notes in the upper register to just die as soon as you hit them. Additionally they were very neck heavy. Having no headstock should solve the latter problem but the few times I've played a headless guitar it just felt very weird. I'm also not a fan of tremelos on jazz guitar, lol
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You can get the Headless Holdsworth guitar with a trem. If your eyes are closed, can you tell a guitar is headless?
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The Carvin headless has a lot of nice features, but for myself, comfort is a key factor. Being neck-heavy doesn't sound very comfortable and definitely a deal-breaker. But it could be according to individual body-type. That's how come I could never see buying without trying. Originally Posted by jzucker
Last edited by srlank; 01-04-2014 at 05:17 PM.
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