Carvin Guitars

[Tipperman]

Anybody have any experience with Carvin guitars? Thoughts, any input? KIND OF looking at one, maybe a wood mounted humbucker one? They look cool. Are they good/worth the price? I honestly don't know much about guitar companies beyond Warmoth/Fender. Thanks for any input, guys!

 

[reinhold]

I have a carvin 5 string neckthrough bass and I love it, the only bad thing is the neck is warping slightly so it requires constant attention.  This is not a normal problem with these though from what I've heard (duh), For some reason mine is just doing the pretzel act.  Despite that it's the smoothest bass I've ever played before besides a friends Warmoth.

 

[Cagey]

If you like the feel of a PRS, you'll probably like a Carvin. 25" scale, 12" radius neck, 24 medium jumbo frets, usually ebony over maple. Quality is first-rate. A wide variety of wood species, finishes, and hardware available, all at a reasonable price. If I was buying a guitar off the shelf, I'd take one of these long before I'd settle for a Fender or Gibson.

As for sound, who knows what sounds good? Besides, you can change pickups if you need to.

 

[Tweed]

I had a TL60. I only sold it because my preferences have refined since I ordered that custom one.
Their stuff is as perfect as is possible on an imperfect instrument like a guitar.

 

[Damon]

I've had a Carvin DC127, LB75 and 2x12 cab. All were top-notch. For what they cost, you're not going to find anything better, and probably not even close. Would buy another Carvin bass in an instant, but I can't play the guitars anymore because I need the thickest necks I can find to mitigate a nerve problem in my hand and Carvin's necks just aren't thick enough. Loved them before I had the hand problem, though.

 

[bagman67]

I had a Bolt - straight ahead strat ripoff.  Best strat copy I've ever played.  Period.

 

[Tipperman]

I was thinking like, I could get a Carvin ST300C made the way I want it for $1160 (Including obviously a floyd rose with locking nut, walnut body and neck, rosewood fretboard, etc in white with BLACK hardware!  :toothy12 or a PRS CE22 on ebay for like 1100-1300. Which would be the better buy? My friend has a CE22, I really like it, but I would really like an OFR equipped guitar too.

 

[Jusatele]

Carvin is top stuff. I think if they ever started mass market they would lose out. Best bang for the buck out there

 

[anorakDan]

I have a lovely AE 185. It's a semi-hollow, single f-hole, neck through beauty. Flamed koa over mahogany, mahogany neck, coil splitters and acoustic pickup. Very versatile and a warm tone. My only complaint is the neck is a little wide at the nut for my hands. That's it! They built it exactly as I ordered and it's worth every penny I spent.

But my next guitar is a Warmoth. And maybe the next and the one after that.

 

[Tipperman]

You guys have convinced me. If I get the money together, I am going to put my plans for a jaguar on hold and grab a Carvin (The jaguar was mainly going to be for aesthetic as I have NO idea what they sound like? I like to take risks with guitars.)

White with black hardware has always been kind of a dream guitar thing for me. What humbooglers would you folks recommend? What I really want is a walnut body and neck, neckthrough, with a rosewood fretboard. I was considering Bare Knuckles, though they're expensive. Yes, I know the Carvin comes with pups but I am pretty finicky. Any personal recommendations? I like the appearance of EMGs, but I don't know what they sound like. I'd like to be able to go from a decent clean/mild overdrive sound to all out balls to the wall heavy for versatility, though I don't really play heavy. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

 

[Damon]

Give the Carvin pups a try before you discount them. They're actually quite good pickups. Use their pickup chart to find the ones that most closely match the characteristics of the pickups you generally like and order it with those.

Also, fair warning, unless you get their covered pickups, the routes are too shallow for most aftermarket pickups to fit right. Even though I had no problems with the factory pickups in my DC127 I had it in my head that I wanted EMGs in it and ended up having to route out the pickups cavities with my dremel by probably almost a quarter of an inch. I understand that their covered pickups (which they didn't offer at the time) are "normal" humbucker dimensions.

 

[Superlizard]

I got a DC150 back in '04 and it's a fantastic guitar.

- neck through
- all mahogany
- ebony fretboard
- 25" scale neck
- TOM & stop tailpiece
- fat tone that sustains a long time

Only things that I didn't like were:

- double truss rod (scoops some mids out of the tone)
- Sperzel locking tuners (don't like the sharp knurled locking knobs)
- pickups (C22s, IIRC - too hot [I stick to vintage output only] and AlNiCo-5 magnets)

I swapped the pickups out for a pair of SD Seth Lovers... did have to route just a tiny
bit of wood in the pickup cavities (back then, Carvin buckers were smaller than standard;
apparently now that's not the case).  And added some white plastics to complete
the look:

 

[Doughboy]

Amazing high quality guitars. I played a CS6 & it was the best Les Paul style guitar I have ever played. The detail & craftsmanship is the best I have ever seen & you can't beat the prices.

I ordered a flame maple CS6 that should arrive in about 3-4 weeks, so I'll give you a better update then.

 

[Cagey]

I got a DC150 back in '04 and it's a fantastic guitar.

Only things that I didn't like were:

- double truss rod (scoops some mids out of the tone)
- Sperzel locking tuners (don't like the sharp knurled locking knobs)
- pickups (C22s, IIRC - too hot [I stick to vintage output only] and AlNiCo-5 magnets)

How do you know, or what makes you think that having a double-acting truss rod scoops out some mids in your tone? Did it have a single-acting rod in it before? If so, was the new double rod installed without otherwise touching the neck? That is, no new routing, no new glue, no new finish, etc. The reason I ask is because if you didn't switch it out in a sterile manner, you have no way of knowing what effect that truss rod has other than to bend the neck forward or back. You have nothing to compare it to that isn't dramatically different in many other ways to begin with.

I agree on the Sperzels to some degree. I've switched over to Schaller mini-lockers for that very reason. But, I used the Sperzels on a number of guitars in the past and over time learned that you don't really need to reef on the things to get your string locked in place. Just a firm finger tightening is sufficient, and that's easily enough undone that you don't need vice grips to undo it. Of course, the same is true of the Schallers, and because the locking flange is a bit taller, it's even easier. So, given a choice, I'd choose the Schallers. But, I wouldn't replace Sperzels.

 

[Superlizard]

How do you know, or what makes you think that having a double-acting truss rod scoops out some mids in your tone? Did it have a single-acting rod in it before? If so, was the new double rod installed without otherwise touching the neck? That is, no new routing, no new glue, no new finish, etc. The reason I ask is because if you didn't switch it out in a sterile manner, you have no way of knowing what effect that truss rod has other than to bend the neck forward or back. You have nothing to compare it to that isn't dramatically different in many other ways to begin with.

The board has been down this road before and it got ugly.   :laughing7:

Let's just say that I have in the past procured both "Pro" and "Vintage Modern" necks with the same wood specs
from Warmoth, and the VM has more mids (I call "mids-center" ~1kHz).

As well, whenever you pluck a note or strum a chord, it's well known the neck vibrates along with it - right
to the very end of the headstock.  There is no reason to believe that the truss rod is not part of this vibration as well.

The more metal in your trussrod, the less warmth.

Some people like it that way (scooped - the metal genre for example); others can't hear a difference and some prefer a single truss.

 

[Superlizard]

I'd like to be able to go from a decent clean/mild overdrive sound to all out balls to the wall heavy for versatility

If you want versatility, your best bet are low-output pickups... and let the rest of your gear provide the
varying amount of gain as needed.

 

[MikeW]

I live pretty close to the new Carvin showroom and have been over there a couple times to check out the new V3M. I've pulled down a DC300 and a Bolt to use while I was checking out the amp. Their guitars, as others have said, are really top notch stuff. Their wood selection is second only to Warmoth IMHO, and I was really impressed with the finish and the sound of the DC300. Definitely go for the Carvin if the W you're planning isn't going to be an every-day player.

 

[Cagey]

As well, whenever you pluck a note or strum a chord, it's well known the neck vibrates along with it - right
to the very end of the headstock.  There is no reason to believe that the truss rod is not part of this vibration as well.

It would be a strange world indeed, were that not true.

The more metal in your trussrod, the less warmth.

That's quite a leap. It's along the lines of "The more grass in your yard, the less potato chips."

Don't get me wrong; I'm not looking for an argument and am more than willing to be convinced. But "because I said so" isn't much of a proof, nor is setting up a false dichotomy. There may, and almost certainly are other factors in play.

If it's true, do you suppose it's because there's more mass to the neck? If that's the case, then what's the deal with fat necks? They have more wood to them, and therefore more mass. My guess is that extra wood vibrates along with the rest of the neck, no? So, do fat necks sound thin?

 

[Superlizard]

Don't get me wrong; I'm not looking for an argument and am more than willing to be convinced. But "because I said so" isn't much of a proof, nor is setting up a false dichotomy. There may, and almost certainly are other factors in play.

I quit the business of trying to convince others; a passing rite of older age, I suppose.  :icon_jokercolor:

I am going by experience with both single and dual truss rods, deductive reasoning - and by what my ears tell me.

If it's true, do you suppose it's because there's more mass to the neck? If that's the case, then what's the deal with fat necks? They have more wood to them, and therefore more mass. My guess is that extra wood vibrates along with the rest of the neck, no? So, do fat necks sound thin?

In your example - more mass, certainly - but more mass wood-wise vs. metal-wise (truss).  I am positive metal
handles vibrations differently than wood.  I am also positive that any given "typical" metal is denser than wood.

 

[bagman67]

Mmmmm, potato chips!