SORTED: Kiesel HH2

Moominpapa

Seriously interested in acquiring one of these.  Must have dual humbuckers and hardtail. Not too fussy about any specific wood or colour (but British Racing Green would certainly be a plus).

DrBob

Coda just got a sunburst one in on a trade in

Moominpapa

Thanks for the heads up @DrBob . That's a nice looking guitar, but a little more than I was hoping to pay for second hand. Also, is it just my poor eyesight or does the guitar they are showing in the accompanying picture have a trem (even though the description says it has a hardtail bridge)? If that isn't a trem arm it must be a weird shadow ...

DrBob

Moominpapa said:

Thanks for the heads up @DrBob . That's a nice looking guitar, but a little more than I was hoping to pay for second hand. Also, is it just my poor eyesight or does the guitar they are showing in the accompanying picture have a trem (even though the description says it has a hardtail bridge)? If that isn't a trem arm it must be a weird shadow ...

I would agree that deffo looks like a trem arm 

wizbit81

They are super rare secondhand in the UK dude, 1200 is ok for one with a nice top like that unless you fancy trying your luck importing from the US. I've seen two at 1700 which is taking the piss, and the third one I bought (I have one hardtail and one trem) Haven't seen any others in the UK and I'm pretty active on the scene. 

Schnozz

Good taste

Moominpapa

wizbit81 said:

They are super rare secondhand in the UK

Having poked about on the usual sites I'm sure you're right, and part of me is mentally gearing up towards ordering one new from Kiesel. But I thought it worth a punt here first. There might just be that one person sitting at the kitchen table, eyes flicking from the Kiesel in the corner to the post-Christmas account balance figures on their laptop screen, thinking "I could use a cash injection about now"

wizbit81

Direct from Kiesel? Ugh, prepare for terrible exchange rate plus 20% VAT, plus 100 quid delivery. Just a question, why in particular the HH2? What qualities does it have that you want?

Moominpapa

Yeah, the whole 'only available from the USA' part is a pain in the ass - but if they are rare as hen's teeth to get secondhand here ....

I want the HH2 because it will make me play like Holdsworth, of course.

I've tried some headless guitars recently - decided I really like the feel, the small size and the light weight. Don't like the Strandberg looks at al, and they are pretty expensive. But do like the looks of the Kiesel. Have really liked the sounds on the demos I've seen of the HH2.

DanR

Have you tried the ormsby headless.

Moominpapa

DanR said:

Have you tried the ormsby headless.

Hadn't heard of them - but looking online they are a wee bit pointy for me. Also not a fan of fan-fretted.

wizbit81

Hmmm ok, curvy headless and you are pretty limited. There's some custom builds floating around you can get for about the same as a Kiesel. Vaders are lot more common in the UK, you could get one of those for about a grand to 1200 I think, fair bit easier to locate. Also, as each HH2 is a custom build they vary A LOT, in look, sound, and feel!
With my 2, one is a single pup slim neck hard tail, the other is a dual bucker trem and has a neck like a bat. The single bucker is a hollowbody and the other is a solid. 
Custom build Kiesel will get you the specs you want but the cost will hurt a lot. Tough one, headless guitars are ace but not cheap and not easy to find!

guitarmangler

Keep an eye out on Reverb and get one 2nd from the US. New from Kiesel is prohibitive ( especially as they now charge you for hollow and and extra top and the bridge is different to the originals . Tho if your after fixed bridge this shouldn’t matter). Watch out for the specs tho, as they can vary quite a bit. Here’s a couple:

Carvin Holdsworth HH2 Black
https://reverb.com/item/16719091-carvin-holdsworth-hh2-black?utm_source=ios-app&utm_medium=share

Carvin Allan HOLDSWORTH  2015 Goldtop
https://reverb.com/item/10810630-carvin-allan-holdsworth-2015-goldtop?utm_source=ios-app&utm_medium=share

I quite like the look of the Zeus, too.

Carvin/Kiesel Zeus 2018 Transparent Red Headless Guitar
https://reverb.com/item/17784967-carvin-kiesel-zeus-2018-transparent-red-headless-guitar?utm_source=ios-app&utm_medium=share

Moominpapa

Hmm - that Carvin in black is schweet. Looking into that one.

guitarmangler

Carvin HH2 Holdsworth Seafoam Green Satin Finish 2013
https://reverb.com/item/17940285-carvin-hh2-holdsworth-seafoam-green-satin-finish-2013?utm_source=ios-app&utm_medium=share

Moominpapa

guitarmangler said:

Carvin HH2 Holdsworth Seafoam Green Satin Finish 2013
https://reverb.com/item/17940285-carvin-hh2-holdsworth-seafoam-green-satin-finish-2013?utm_source=ios-app&utm_medium=share

Thanks for the heads up on that , @guitarmangler . I have decided, however, that I am not going to pay over the odds for a guitar just because I happen to live in the UK. I don't mind paying a fair price for the instrument itself, but VAT and customs charges can go f*** a rusty nail. I'll either wait until a reasonably priced one appears in the UK or (more likely by the day) I'll just go for a nice tele as I had been planning to do a while back.

Moominpapa

This is just an 'on the off chance' final trawl to see if there are any UK-based Fretboarders who want to sell their (hardtail) HH2. Plan B is waiting in the wings so I'm pretty relaxed about this now.

Moominpapa

Now sorted.

Humbucked

NGD coming soon?

Moominpapa

Not for a few months, but it's coming