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Painless hot rod job on my Holdsworth...

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  • Painless hot rod job on my Holdsworth...

    My Charvel Allan Holdsworth is a wonderful little guitar, with quite a provenance.
    I guess most old timers around here know about it, I think it used to belong to Tim Rose, then it went to Keegs, then Romain who quickly flipped it over on ebay and I bought it.
    I then sold it to Chuck about a year later, and bought it back from him in 2007!
    Couldn't live without my AH! It had become an obsession until I finally got it back...

    Anyway, I own or have owned now about 12 Charvels, among original SD's, 1995-95 SD I/II reissues, new SD custom shop pieces, you name it, and this one is by far the best playing and best sounding Charvel I have.

    Actually, in terms of tone and playability it's probably the best guitar I own period, maybe on par with my Gretsch White Falcon Stephen Stern masterbuilt.

    The only issue for me was that I've always missed not having a neck pickup, so I've decided to gently hotrod it and add a neck pickup and a 3-way selector switch.
    I could have simply cut out the original pickguard and add a neck pickup and switch, but I didn't want to tamper with the original parts, also because this particular SD '59 bridge pickup is simply magic, never found one voiced like this one (I wonder whether at the time it was wound differently and voiced like one of AH's pickups?).

    So I had an exact duplicate pickguard cut by the fine folks at Deadlight Customs, I gently aged it to simulate pick wear, and got brand new electronics to go with it.

    For pickups I chose the new Seymour Duncan Antiquity Jazz/JB set, and I specifically asked for single conductor, unpotted and wound by MJ, with the JB bridge pickup slightly underwound.
    I thought that, given the guitar unplugged is extremely resonant, a set of fairly microphonic, slightly degaussed pickups would both be historically correct and sound best!
    The pot is one of those new CTS close tolerance ones with solid brass shaft, which measures exactly 496 Ohm.

    So here it is as it was:



    My lady ready for minor surgery (note the bad routing scar, I wonder whether there was a preamp circuit in there:



    Original pickguard:



    And the original SD '59 pickup, tonal awesomeness to the max!



    The new SD Custom Shop pickups:



    New & old pickguards side by side. How do you like the zebra/black combo?



    And finally, my Charvel Sand Dimas Allan Holdsworth, 2.0!!!





    Tonally this thing is now a monster! I get all those really open, crunchy and dry bridge tones I had before, plus the crispy creaminess of the new neck humbucker and in the middle position an amazing funky Strat-like almost SRV sound, couldn't be happier!
    This little mod is totally reversible, so no permanent damage done here...

    Also, this was a good opportunity to experiment and perhaps erase some misconceptions. For example, I always thought that a flush tremolo sounds best and ensure optimum sustain, because the bridge is coupled to the body.
    Well, I've tried setting the DiMarzio tremolo up with a bit of float. and guess what, the sustain, which was already magnificent, with no dead spots anywhere on the neck, has actually improved!!!
    Perhaps this is not news to many tinkerers, I mean, after all, every banjo player knows that one quick and effective way to improve a banjo's sustain is to thin out the bridge as much as possible, reducing the contact surface with the head...

    And of course, the biggest improvement tone-wise is the period correct Santa Cruz screaming hand sticker!

    So, what do you think? Better now or in its original form?
    Last edited by surfreak; 07-01-2011, 06:49 AM.

  • #2
    I like the pups, sticker not too fond of unless its covering some sort of gak

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    • #3
      what year is this one....
      i like it....

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      • #4
        1984.

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        • #5
          Bad ass IMO enjoy the Charvie all over again.
          Really? well screw Mark Twain.

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          • #6
            Killer
            Charvel 7308 (TMZ 008), Charvel Pro-mod (yellow), Jackson Soloist Custom (Yellow), Jackson SL2H-V Natural, Gibson LPS DB, Gibson LPS EB, Gibson LPCC C, Charvel Model 2 (scalloped), Jackson DK2M (white), Charvel Journeyman, Fender Classic Player 60's strat, Carvin C66, Musikraft strat mutt, Warmoth Strat mutt, Fender MIM Jazz bass, Epiphone Classical, Takamine parlor. Marshall 2203, Marshall JVM 210H, Splawn Nitro, Fender Supersonic 22, Line 6 AX2 212, Marshall 4X12.

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            • #7
              i love giant huge frets, look at that last picture, they look awfully large to me. I have big hands so
              the bigger the better
              Not helping the situation since 1965!

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              • #8
                nice!!! i have always liked holdsworth guitars, from the charvel to the ibanez and even the carvin.
                GEAR:

                some guitars...WITH STRINGS!!!! most of them have those sticks like on guitar hero....AWESOME!!!!

                some amps...they have some glowing bottle like things in them...i think my amps do that modelling thing....COOL, huh?!?!?!

                and finally....

                i have those little plastic "chips" used to hit the strings...WHOA!!!!

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                • #9
                  Very cool! Looks great both ways.
                  I feel my soul go cold... only the dead are smiling.

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                  • #10
                    i love it -- TIGER BLOOD all the way!

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                    • #11
                      holdsworth dna
                      Not helping the situation since 1965!

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by atomic charvel guy View Post
                        I have big hands so the bigger the better
                        You're just saying that to get the chicks Tommy!
                        GTWGITS! - RacerX

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                        • #13
                          Awesome mod! Great job! I love that it's reversable but you'll probably never do it!
                          "I have so much gayness at times. My wife walks in my music room, and there I am, in my undies, listening to "Sister Christian" while lighting fireworks..doin' blow." - Bill Z

                          "I leave off the back plate and pinch my forskin between the tension springs. That may not work for everyone. But I find that the people love it. Half the tone is in the pud." - Bill Z

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                          • #14
                            Nice. Not big on the sticker or the zebra but overall a killer axe.
                            -------------------------
                            Blank yo!

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                            • #15
                              Hey i used to have that sticker on my blue aria pro knight warrior.

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