Holdsworth hates gear talk

[skunkyfunk]

Taken from first hand experience of a HC member:

Went to see him play for the first time last night and it might have been one time too many. Amazing technicality but i think there is a huge difference between technicality and musicality and i dont think the latter was there.Heres the story. After the show they're all packing up their stuff and his amp was at the edge of the stage with the back plate off so i could see some of the tubes. Two TAD el34 and two 12ax7s but the writing on those was facing in so i couldnt see so i asked allen since he was onstage

me: hey what kind of 12ax7s do you have in your amp
him: huh?
me: what kind of 12ax7s do you have in your amp
him:
me: tubes...the tubes
him: there are no good tubes anymore
me: maybe but you still use some in your amp...what kind do you like
him: anything that i can find
me: where do you get them from? watford valves?
him: anyplace...anyplace that sells them
me: so you dont have any preference between certain tubes...obviously some are gonna sound different that others.
him: i dont know...(shakes his head)....groove tubes....there are some really bad tube amps out there
me: ok. but there are some really great ones too...and there are some really bad solid state amps...and some decent ones...
him: yeah. but there arent any more good tubes...they were gone long ago
me: see ya

im thinking come on man...you've been playing since the 70s and you dont even know what tubes are going in your amp...im not an idiot...you obviously know and have tried lots of different kinds...but then again maybe he really hasnt...either way it wasnt worth the money to see

[Targa_midbass]

baka madamot sya sa tone secrets nya hehe.

[titser_marco]

Or baka naman talagang busy lang sa pag-iimpake kaya he couldn't pay attention to the guy or be bothered to think hard about tubes. Pagod din yung tao, so I guess that could also be a reason.

[bluebossa]

Or baka naman talagang busy lang sa pag-iimpake kaya he couldn't pay attention to the guy or be bothered to think hard about tubes. Pagod din yung tao, so I guess that could also be a reason.

pwede.siguro nakulitan lang si AH. tsaka sobrang technical naman kasi...basta o.k yung tunog,yun na yon.

[skunkyfunk]

Or baka naman talagang busy lang sa pag-iimpake kaya he couldn't pay attention to the guy or be bothered to think hard about tubes. Pagod din yung tao, so I guess that could also be a reason.

Possible...  I hate it when people bug you when you're busy.

[el dorko]

Possible...  I hate it when people bug you when you're busy.

Or Holdsworth couldn't care less since the writer wanted to talk about tubes instead of, I dunno, Holdsworth's set? 

[Phil]

skunky you should be writing for a Tabloid. joks 

[skunkyfunk]

skunky you should be writing for a Tabloid. joks 

Anu ba itech?  Pang Philmyusik lang byuti ko. 

[kawayan_strat]

Taken from first hand experience of a HC member:

Went to see him play for the first time last night and it might have been one time too many. Amazing technicality but i think there is a huge difference between technicality and musicality and i dont think the latter was there.Heres the story. After the show they're all packing up their stuff and his amp was at the edge of the stage with the back plate off so i could see some of the tubes. Two TAD el34 and two 12ax7s but the writing on those was facing in so i couldnt see so i asked allen since he was onstage

me: hey what kind of 12ax7s do you have in your amp
him: huh?
me: what kind of 12ax7s do you have in your amp
him:
me: tubes...the tubes
him: there are no good tubes anymore
me: maybe but you still use some in your amp...what kind do you like
him: anything that i can find
me: where do you get them from? watford valves?
him: anyplace...anyplace that sells them
me: so you dont have any preference between certain tubes...obviously some are gonna sound different that others.
him: i dont know...(shakes his head)....groove tubes....there are some really bad tube amps out there
me: ok. but there are some really great ones too...and there are some really bad solid state amps...and some decent ones...
him: yeah. but there arent any more good tubes...they were gone long ago
me: see ya

im thinking come on man...you've been playing since the 70s and you dont even know what tubes are going in your amp...im not an idiot...you obviously know and have tried lots of different kinds...but then again maybe he really hasnt...either way it wasnt worth the money to see

Aw c'mon,Holdsworth revealing his stuffs to the general public? We might have seen tons of pictures on the net about his rig,but NOT detailed ones.

[Chito]

He probably doesn't know nor doesn't care. These guys are more concerned about the music they are playing and not the gear they are using. For instance if they don't like the sound of the amp they are using, do you think they will go to the trouble of changing tubes or finding out what is wrong with the amp. No, they just tell their techies to figure why, or just ask them to find a replacement. Yeah there are some who are gear whores but don't expect every well known artist to know what's in the guts of his amplifier. Most of them don't care. Why? Coz it's all about the music. And shouldn't it really be?

[william251082]

Taken from first hand experience of a HC member:

Went to see him play for the first time last night and it might have been one time too many. Amazing technicality but i think there is a huge difference between technicality and musicality and i dont think the latter was there.Heres the story. After the show they're all packing up their stuff and his amp was at the edge of the stage with the back plate off so i could see some of the tubes. Two TAD el34 and two 12ax7s but the writing on those was facing in so i couldnt see so i asked allen since he was onstage

me: hey what kind of 12ax7s do you have in your amp
him: huh?
me: what kind of 12ax7s do you have in your amp
him:
me: tubes...the tubes
him: there are no good tubes anymore
me: maybe but you still use some in your amp...what kind do you like
him: anything that i can find
me: where do you get them from? watford valves?
him: anyplace...anyplace that sells them
me: so you dont have any preference between certain tubes...obviously some are gonna sound different that others.
him: i dont know...(shakes his head)....groove tubes....there are some really bad tube amps out there
me: ok. but there are some really great ones too...and there are some really bad solid state amps...and some decent ones...
him: yeah. but there arent any more good tubes...they were gone long ago
me: see ya

im thinking come on man...you've been playing since the 70s and you dont even know what tubes are going in your amp...im not an idiot...you obviously know and have tried lots of different kinds...but then again maybe he really hasnt...either way it wasnt worth the money to see

sna tungkol sa music nya ang tinanong mo hindi gear...

[bluejem]

He probably doesn't know nor doesn't care. These guys are more concerned about the music they are playing and not the gear they are using. For instance if they don't like the sound of the amp they are using, do you think they will go to the trouble of changing tubes or finding out what is wrong with the amp. No, they just tell their techies to figure why, or just ask them to find a replacement. Yeah there are some who are gear whores but don't expect every well known artist to know what's in the guts of his amplifier. Most of them don't care. Why? Coz it's all about the music. And shouldn't it really be?

yeah!!!  +1000 to you sir,right to the point imho.

[obetski]

I am too lucky to attend Holdsworth master clinic in July 2006 in singapore. He sound exactly the same as my old cassette tapes, live. The thing is , only the headless steinberger guitar and about 3 stomp pedals are his own gear, the rest are provided for him by an ordinary instrument rental company.

He doesnt give a damn about details much. I believe you can hand him anything and still sound him. Holdswroth was 62 yrs old then. but he shred and jazzed like nobody else.. Chad Wackerman on drums and Jimmy Johnson on bass. It was heaven.

Somebody asked what are those chords that he played. He answered, "I dont know their names. I just stacked some notes until I hear what I want. you can call them
whatever."

After the clinic, he even let us touch his gear. believe me it is nothing extra ordinary. just a normal set up, guitar pedals and amps. It is Holdsworth that is extra ordinary.

then we are asked to queue up outside for autographs and pictures, everybody's matured adult musicians, acting like teenage girls hoping to get a picture of a matinee idol. we all didnt mind. really.

[abstract]

If youll watch his interviews sinasabi nya na in the 1st place ayaw naman nya talaga sa gitara, no choice lang talaga siya kasi walang pambili yung tatay nya ng saxophone nung bata sya so sa gitara sya napunta, kahit hangang ngayon ayaw nya nakiki jam sa kapwa nya guitarista. hehe  sa gear naman he describes it as a tool/screwdriver just to make the job done so mas impt. talaga sa kanya is yung  music or yung compositions. Parang sa artist/painter naman pwede siya gumamit ng kahit anong medium, it can be anything na mailalagay mo sa canvass basta mailabas mo yung idea or ano mang nilalaman ng utak. 

pero siguro talagang busy lang si holdsworth nung time na yun or medyo nag sawa na siya sa kakasagot pag may lumalapit sa kanya at magtatanong tungkol sa gear nya  he he

[deltaslim]

Can't blame Holdsworth.  He seems to be such a cerebral guitarist that he cares less about appearance than substance.

[nathanmanansala]

some of them really dont care much about gear anyway. its just us mad buggers who talk about it ad nauseam

friedman doesnt talk much about it. i think bettencourt didnt went through a phase where he actually didnt like talking about guitar playing itself.

[astro_cigarette]

I am too lucky to attend Holdsworth master clinic in July 2006 in singapore. He sound exactly the same as my old cassette tapes, live. The thing is , only the headless steinberger guitar and about 3 stomp pedals are his own gear, the rest are provided for him by an ordinary instrument rental company.

He doesnt give a damn about details much. I believe you can hand him anything and still sound him. Holdswroth was 62 yrs old then. but he shred and jazzed like nobody else.. Chad Wackerman on drums and Jimmy Johnson on bass. It was heaven.

Somebody asked what are those chords that he played. He answered, "I dont know their names. I just stacked some notes until I hear what I want. you can call them
whatever."

After the clinic, he even let us touch his gear. believe me it is nothing extra ordinary. just a normal set up, guitar pedals and amps. It is Holdsworth that is extra ordinary.

then we are asked to queue up outside for autographs and pictures, everybody's matured adult musicians, acting like teenage girls hoping to get a picture of a matinee idol. we all didnt mind. really.

wow, to think na talagang ang focus nya is musicality at its best, nakakainspire...

[psychic_sushi]

some of them really dont care much about gear anyway. its just us mad buggers who talk about it ad nauseam

friedman doesnt talk much about it. i think bettencourt didnt went through a phase where he actually didnt like talking about guitar playing itself.

yup yup!

i'm kinda hunching that he wasnt in the mood to chit chat about gear. artists are moody, and i seriously think a brilliant artist of AH's character would have his four seasons in a day.

AH is mucho finicky about his gear. retrace past articles and the talk he has about the experimentation he does to capture the sound in his head and you will be surprised. he also dabbles in electronics, has made (and marketed for a brief time) a load box called the "harness" (I & II), and has been known to tweak his guitar and amps himself. hes adept at that.

but if i were to meet AH, i surely wouldn't talk about gear 

its more a matter of buying him his favorite beer, getting him drunk, THEN bombarding him about questions on technique and gear, then getting his number on my freaking speed dial!!!! 

[william251082]

yup yup!

i'm kinda hunching that he wasnt in the mood to chit chat about gear. artists are moody, and i seriously think a brilliant artist of AH's character would have his four seasons in a day.

AH is mucho finicky about his gear. retrace past articles and the talk he has about the experimentation he does to capture the sound in his head and you will be surprised. he also dabbles in electronics, has made (and marketed for a brief time) a load box called the "harness" (I & II), and has been known to tweak his guitar and amps himself. hes adept at that.

but if i were to meet AH, i surely wouldn't talk about gear 

its more a matter of buying him his favorite beer, getting him drunk, THEN bombarding him about questions on technique and gear, then getting his number on my freaking speed dial!!!! 

oy ganayan din ang gagawin ko!!!

[obetski]

I actually read an article of him long time ago, he doesnt consider himself a guitarist, he consider himself a musician who holds a guitar.

[ibysdad]

maybe he didn't like the way he sounded that night? that's why Allan was saying "there are no good tubes these days". Maybe to the crowd, he sounded good but to his very discriminating ears....his tone wasn't the way he expected, plus, he has to look after his gear after that concert.

Let's not forget that Allan is always so critical about his playing and his tone.

To see him play live would be like fulfilling a lifelong dream, I should be visiting his site more often to see if he can have a clinic or concerts to nearby countries again, or much better, here in the Philippines.

[tam_guitar]

yup yup!

i'm kinda hunching that he wasnt in the mood to chit chat about gear. artists are moody, and i seriously think a brilliant artist of AH's character would have his four seasons in a day.

AH is mucho finicky about his gear. retrace past articles and the talk he has about the experimentation he does to capture the sound in his head and you will be surprised. he also dabbles in electronics, has made (and marketed for a brief time) a load box called the "harness" (I & II), and has been known to tweak his guitar and amps himself. hes adept at that.

but if i were to meet AH, i surely wouldn't talk about gear 

its more a matter of buying him his favorite beer, getting him drunk, THEN bombarding him about questions on technique and gear, then getting his number on my freaking speed dial!!!! 

hahaha...dude ur funny!

[william251082]

Aside from all his technical stuff (which i'm not that interested because i don't have any technical talent), I really think that he's a great jazz musician!

[obetski]

asked about his influences, he answered "coltrane.. i forgot the beatles after i heard coltrane. everybody else were plugged into their amps. coltrane is plugged into heaven"