About GH Services

Hello! I'm Greg Holmes, owner of GH Services. I've been a musician, composer, producer, and technical specialist for over 40 years, involved in everything from rock and pop, to jazz and classical. I am an award-winning vocalist and play many instruments: guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards, but also Chapman Stick and the 8-string NS/Stick, which is a combination of guitar and bass. Find out more about my musical endeavors at www.gregholmes.com.

Philosophy

My mission is to find unique and high-quality products and provide them to my extended family of clients to solve their needs. I'm always looking for items that are not available in local music stores or from big online retailers.

I spend a considerable amount of time researching and evaluating new products, and I have a deep knowledge of the products that I carry. In many cases, I have had input into the design of the products and can customize them to suit your needs (see list below).

Yes, I represent the manufacturers, but I'm also your advocate, acting as an interface to bring everyone together.

History

I started GH Services in 1983, featuring the Fairlight Computer Musical Instrument (CMI for short). The CMI is an Australian-made digital sampling computer, which was used to create unique audio tracks. I have maintained my original Fairlight site here.

I was a freelance "hired gun" around the Toronto area, providing the Fairlight CMI and my technical and musical services for rock bands, composers, video production companies, television networks, and music studios. I have worked with Lucasfilms, Nelvana, Rush, Lee Aaron, Platinum Blonde, CTV, and others.

In the 1990's, I shifted towards computer programming and consulting, working with Bell Canada, Ontario Hydro, Ceridian, and others. I invented several database and communication technologies. I also created and taught computer programming courses, and explored the ethics of artificial intelligence.

In 2002 I began my relationship with BassLab of Germany. Physicist Heiko Hoepfinger, the owner of BassLab, used his knowledge of materials to create a unique tunable composite that has fabulous acoustic properties. The other products I represent are also considered best-of-breed.

Milestones

Because I believe that my clients should not just settle for off-the-shelf products or what is already available, I sometimes get involved in design and development. Here are some achievements:

• I enabled the collaboration between Stick Enterprises of California and BassLab of Germany, and acted as a technical liason. This resulted in the development of the The Stick XBL36™, which uses the BassLab tunable composite material. Top players have called the instrument the best-sounding Stick ever made, and it was a favorite of Emmett Chapman himself.
• As a result of this collaboration, BassLab also worked with visionary designer Ned Steinberger on some new instruments.
• I initiated and tested the Live Loops feature of the Jamstix VST plugin by Rayzoon, and I also wrote the documentation.
• Provided technical direction to integrate the MIDIjet Pro wireless MIDI into clients' keyboards (including using the existing power supplies).
• I contributed to the development of the AccuGroove Synergy amp.
• I was the first dealer of Upton basses in the world.
• I suggested many features that were incorporated into the Advantage Database Server, and contributed to the stability of the product.
• For the largest North American electrical utility, I created data synchronization, replication, and networking technologies, plus front-end, back-end, and UI/UX tools for an integrated system that included remote field units and central data repositories with cloud architecture and dashboards. It operated bug-free for more than a decade.