Allan Holdsworth
Solo / U.K. / Soft Machine
The man who changed guitar voicing forever. His legato technique, chordal vocabulary, and quest for horn-like sustain made him the guitarist's favorite guitarist. Pioneered fluid, vocal-like phrasing with impossibly smooth lines, redefining what's possible on the instrument through unique harmonic approaches and liquid sustain.
SIGNATURE TONE
A breathy, horn-like swell. Characterized by a complete lack of pick attack, extremely fluid legato, and a 'swell' effect often created with volume pedals and complex multi-tap delays.
SIGNAL CHAINS BY ERA
Explore how the rig evolved over time
I.O.U. / Metal Fatigue Era (1982-1985)
The definitive fusion rock era. Charvel guitars and solid state amps creating a completely unique voice.
SynthAxe Era (1986-1992)
Exploring new frontiers. Heavy use of the SynthAxe controller to trigger synthesizers and samples.
The Sixteen Men of Tain / Modern (2000-2017)
Returning to guitar focus. Using headless Carvin/Kiesel models and Yamaha modeling amps.