The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #51

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    Very sweet axe. He is building me one right now also. Seeing yours just made me more excited. Congrats !

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #52

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    Very, very nice, beautiful color too.
    Is that a mahogany neck?

  4. #53

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    Stunning looking guitar, I agree the Tailpiece & Pickguard are works of art.
    This is the nearest we will get to the JP one pickup 175 that will probably never be built.
    Can I ask the neck width In the pic it looks like 1 3/4”. ?

  5. #54

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    Beautiful appointments and color. I've got a 16"er from Mr. Holst due sometime soon. Now I'm getting anxious.

    Cincy

  6. #55

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    Steve Holst really nails that D’Aquisto laminate style. He prides his laminate plates to be as good as Roger Borys which is the gold standard. Unlike most builders Holst will do anything you want.

  7. #56

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    To answer a couple questions: Maple neck, 1.75" nut. He hand carves appointments like the tailpiece and finger-rest.

    Steve will build any guitar you want. Any available wood, any reasonable nut width. He doesn't make a "standard" model. It'll be exactly what you want. He asks a lot of questions and sends you a spreadsheet to fill out all the details of the build. All the choices are yours. He did a lot of custom work on mine with no upcharge. He's dedicated to building exactly what the customer wants and takes great pains to make sure everything is communicated.

    Cincy, I think you're gonna love your guitar. The waiting is the hardest part.

  8. #57

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    Wow! Looks awesome. What is some custom work you requested?

  9. #58

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonathan0996
    A new addition to the stable from Steve Holst:
    Congratulations! Stephen really does a great Job on his laminate plates, and they get great tone! Would you please share the dimensions of your guitar? Mine was modeled after a Borys B-120 (16" lower bout, 2.75" depth, 1.75" nut, 25" scale). I noticed that he raised the price a bit though still a relative bargain @ $3500.
    Stephen Holst Archtops-xnnzeg-jpg

  10. #59

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin
    Wow! Looks awesome. What is some custom work you requested?
    Thanks. Mainly the pickguard, tailpiece and headstock.

  11. #60

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    Quote Originally Posted by helios
    Congratulations! Stephen really does a great Job on his laminate plates, and they get great tone! Would you please share the dimensions of your guitar? Mine was modeled after a Borys B-120 (16" lower bout, 2.75" depth, 1.75" nut, 25" scale). I noticed that he raised the price a bit though still a relative bargain @ $3500.
    Thanks. It's a 16" lower bout, 2.25" deep, 1.75" nut and 25.5" scale.

  12. #61

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    ?Funny there is all this Steve Holst action here, I just ordered a carved guitar from him. Some 18 years ago or so he made me two really amazing wood tailpieces. I'll see if I can dig up the photos. Steve's an affable guy who will build you ANYTHING... If you're on Facebook you can see most of his recent work posted there. Amazing... I think when I see Vinny's guitar I'm gonna want a laminated one also... Apologies the pictures are from an old digital camera. The 175 style type tailpiece is rosewood with ebony insert in the middle and macassar ebony diamonds in the top bar... No metal frame, it's two perfectly cut pieces of wood with a steel rod and the pin for the hinge. Amazing work. The ebony D'Aquisto tailpiece on the ES150DC is just as well built...
    Stephen Holst Archtops-p2160007-jpgStephen Holst Archtops-p5040001-jpgBig


    Quote Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
    Very sweet axe. He is building me one right now also. Seeing yours just made me more excited. Congrats !

  13. #62

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    To a point, he's almost too nice! Sometimes I think he gets bogged down in customer inspired embellishments, some of which are odd and misguided IMHO, but he unfailingly does what the customer requests. I think for each guitar type (carved, laminate etc.) he should simply offer a standard model and maybe model with a fancier trim package (standard & deluxe for example) and leave it at that. Mr. Campellone seems to have come to that conclusion. Like Mr. Borys, Mr. Holst doesn't advertise or go to shows so he relies on a word-of-mouth process.

  14. #63

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    Jonathan, Did you get the guitar yet? I am curious to know how you like it.

  15. #64

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    Yeah, I got the guitar about a month ago. I like it a lot, but I knew I would.

    It's got a nice, warm, thunky sound. It doesn't really sound like a 175, but it's got its own sound with the kind of thunk you'd get with a good 175. Very meaty.

    Weight is just over 6 lbs. Playability is excellent. Pretty much what I've come to expect from Steve.

  16. #65

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    Thanks Jonathon. I am thinking about getting one. How loud it is acoustically. Is it loud enough to practice alone with out an amp?

  17. #66

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin
    Thanks Jonathon. I am thinking about getting one. How loud it is acoustically. Is it loud enough to practice alone with out an amp?
    It's a laminate guitar that's not terribly deep (2.25") so it's not very loud. I sometimes play it acoustically in a quiet room and it's fine, but it sounds better with an amp. It's really an electric guitar.

    If you were to order a carved solid top guitar from him I'm sure it'd be louder and livelier. He builds a lot of those too.
    Last edited by Jonathan0996; 07-20-2019 at 01:30 PM.

  18. #67

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    Some of you readers with severe GAS (I am a long time sufferer) will recognize Stephen Holst as a custom jazz guitar luthier of great skill. His instruments are built to spec and are offered at a price that is a bargain compared to his peers. I've wanted one for a long time but alway chased another luthier when I had the urge. Last year I finally got around to placing an order. It's ready. Standard 16" / 3 " size. Standard neck. I had him use a mounted KA handwound pickup and also had him do a violin style purfling / bead curve to set off the edges. Looks phenomenal. The subtle burst really appeals to me. Steve is a true craftsman. Should have it late this week or early next.

    Cincy

    Stephen Holst Archtops-e1-jpg
    Attached Images Attached Images Stephen Holst Archtops-e2-jpg 
    Last edited by Cincy2; 01-13-2020 at 10:06 PM.

  19. #68

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    Beautiful ! Mine is being sprayed right now. Soon for me too.
    Lovely archtop for sure.

  20. #69

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    Stephen is a great talent. I met him back in 2001 and he built a couple of custom tailpieces for me. He’s currently carving the top of a 17x3 beauty as we speak can’t wait.
    You did great by him. Keep us posted

    Big

  21. #70

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    nice!! love the violin style purfing and the understated burst..very hofner!!

    congrats & enjoy


    cheers

  22. #71

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    This is another underrated builder. He will build basically anything you want. That violin binding you know was not easy to do. He is a one of a kind guitar type builder. Congrats Cincy. Beautiful !

  23. #72

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    Stephen Holst Archtops-e13ec35c-b95e-4cb2-aa15-94d637c66184-jpgStephen Holst Archtops-9aa34e2a-ef60-467f-925f-82e973faca56-jpg

    Mine is getting close.... :-)

  24. #73

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    Progress shot, tomorrow he cuts the dovetail joint. The maple and spruce are crazy gorgeous.

    Big

    Stephen Holst Archtops-3ad05bda-66df-46fc-bde6-814c75e61783-jpg

  25. #74

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    While I've owned several archtops over the years, I never commissioned a custom instrument until this one. I only had a few special requests. The nut and string spacing are the same as my flat top acoustics as is the scale length. I wanted a single mounted Kent Armstrong pickup. I also decreased the body width to minimize feedback. Because I love the "classic" look, I asked Steve for old school F holes, violin style binding and purfling and finally a warm brown wood tone with a very mild burst. As you can see from the pictures he knocked the ball out of the park. Perfect fit and finish. Very comfortable neck. The tone is classic Kent Armstrong. Just a joy to play. Steve was great to work with and I almost feel guilty taking this level of craftsmanship at the VERY affordable price he charges. If a custom instrument is in your future, I highly recommend Steve Holst. Many others on the forum feel the same way. We're lucky to have him.

    Cincy

    Stephen Holst Archtops-unknown-5-jpegStephen Holst Archtops-unknown-8-jpegStephen Holst Archtops-unknown-11-jpegStephen Holst Archtops-unknown-7-jpegStephen Holst Archtops-unknown-10-jpegStephen Holst Archtops-unknown-6-jpegStephen Holst Archtops-unknown-9-jpeg

  26. #75

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    So you're the one who bought that guitar with the violin binding. I saw it on Steve's Facebook page. Beautiful.

    I've had a couple of Steve's guitars and I think you'll love this one. Congratulations. Enjoy. Make it sing.