The Atavachron
Frequently Asked Questions
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Version 2.1
Section Two: Guitar-Related
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Last Updated 6/26/96
Please send corrections, additions and comments to :
atavachron-request@addimension.com
Transcriptions included are "The Abingdon Chasp," "Fred," "Home," "Letters of Marque," "Shallow Sea," "Temporary Fault," "Three Sheets To The Wind," "Tokyo Dream," "The Unmerry-Go-Round," and "White Line"; transcriptions are by Fred Amendola and edited by John Cerullo.
The book was first published in 1985 by 21st Century Music Productions, Inc. (P.O. Box 1816, Wayne, NJ 07470 USA); see this related question for information regarding mail-order sources.
For a more current list of sites carrying tablature in general, check out the Usenet newsgroup 'rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature'.
Also note that if you have an original transcription of a Holdsworthian nature, I'd be happy to include it in a future section dealing with transcriptions -- e-mail me at jeff@addimension.com .
What kind of [insert gear here] does Allan use?That's a good question for which there will probably be no meaningful answer, sorry. Allan doesn't generally go into detail about his gear. We know he's currently using custom guitars built by California luthier Bill DeLap, and some amplification equipment by Mesa-Boogie (very unspecific, I know), and some digital delays by Lexicon. He also has a few devices in his rack which he has built himself. |
 Doubleneck guitar built by luthier Bill Delap; contributed by Elliot Freedman |
Allan is also now working with Carvin (San Diego-based manufacturer of guitars, amps and P.A. equipment) on prototypes for an eventual "signature model" guitar.
Ex-Igginbottom drummer Dave Freeman and Allan display two DeLap guitars: A
baritone ("Boris") and a piccolo ("Ygor"). Taken at Allan's home studio, The Brewery. |
What are these DeLap guitars, and where can I find one?Allan currently uses a number of custom-made semi-hollowbody guitars and baritone guitars built by luthier Bill DeLap. Bill started out by building Allan a baritone guitar (a guitar which in theory was to have a longer scale length than a normal guitar but would retain the same scale; i.e. 25.5 inches from the bridge to the fret position where E-B-G-D-A-E would be found), but once Allan played the baritone guitars ("Boris," the 34-inch scaled model; "Natasha," the 36-inch scaled model, and; "Gonan," the 38-inch scaled model -- the latter being so large that Allan says it is "... beyond my capability to play it..."), he let Bill study his Steinberger GL2T in an attempt to build a normal-scale all-wood guitar with similar properties; this is the guitar which appears on the cover of the REH video and Just For The Curious. Incidentally, it appears that Allan sold one of these instruments to a Tokyo guitar broker during the May 1995 tour. |
As far as I know, none of these are available at any retail outlet, but Bill can be reached at:
What's the story on the SynthAxe?The SynthAxe, designed by British inventor Bill Aitken, and first used by Allan on the album Atavachron in 1986, is a highly sophisticated MIDI controller. It has allowed Allan to realize a life-long dream: making melodies with a guitar-like instrument which can be shaped and sculpted to sound more like a horn than a percussive instrument. Unfortunately, the level of sophistication of the device led to its demise in the marketplace; it was prone to numerous software errors and other problems which made it highly unreliable in a live performance setting. It was also very costly (the retail price was over $10,000 U.S.), and as such never built a large enough customer- base to warrant continued development. Aitken's company went out of business in 1990. |
SynthAxe controller diagram; contributed by Elliot Freedman |
Demonstrating the use of the breath controller feature of the SynthAxe; contributed by M.P. Hughes |
To make matters worse, Allan eventually sold the two SynthAxe units he owned, and has regretted the move ever since. The SynthAxe heard on Wardenclyffe Tower and Hard Hat Area is actually a borrowed unit. Allan had a borrowed SynthAxe controller (as opposed to the entire SynthAxe system) stolen in November, 1994, from the Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood, California, while booked for a week of shows. What made this especially frustrating is the fact that the controller is totally useless without the console and footswitch unit. However, Claire Holdsworth reported in late April, 1995, that the "alternative rock" band, Stone Temple Pilots, heard of Allan's predicament, and bought him a replacement! Way to go, guys! UPDATE: the stolen controller was spotted in late 1995 at a nearby Hollywood pawn shop by a co-worker of Chris Hoard's, coincidentally, and recovered shortly afterward. |
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