Carvin vs. Warmoth

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Maybe "Carvin vs. Warmoth" is less appropriate of a title than "Carvin or Warmoth."  I'm fairly active on this forum and more of a lurker on the other.  But in both forums, the other company often comes up especially when it comes to custom options being offered for guitars and basses.  There are obvious differences in the 2, the biggest being that Warmoth strictly offers replacement parts and not finished instruments.  With assembly left to being customer sourced, either DIY or a service provided by a 3rd party, you can certainly have a finished instrument with every piece being purchased from Warmoth.  While Carvin does offer a few thing W doesn't (neck-thru, but refer back to parts vs. finished instruments), it seems Warmoth far exceeds Carvin's options especially when it comes to fretboard radius, neck profile, wood options in every category, bridge routing, headstock and body shapes, fretwire size, neck inlay, etc. etc.  Carvin won't do block inlays on Maple boards.  What am I leaving out?  Carvin's delivery time for a finished instrument is 5 to 9 weeks!  Their finish prices seem drastically lower but it is added to an inflated base price for a body.

 

[rockskate4x]

The only guitar neck size carvin offers is slightly thinner than a Warmoth standard thin, which is ok for most people, but will be the reason that I will never get a carvin guitar. I've liked the carvin basses that I have played though...

 

[Jeremiah]

Something that makes Carvin look quite attractive to me is that if I order through Carvinworld, the price on the neck builder page includes shipping and UK taxes, so I know that the price on the screen is what I would actually pay.

Carvin looks like quite good value, if you want the specs that they offer as standard (eg ebony fingerboard, which would add a fair bit to a Warmoth neck.) I also quite like the look of some of Carvin's headstock shapes.

However, as you mentioned, there are a lot fewer options (no compound radius necks, many fewer wood types etc,) and as far as I can tell, only one body shape available, at least outside the USA, so there's a good chance there wouldn't be anything you wanted.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

If you want a set neck guitar, go Carvin. If you can go bolt-on, go Warmoth.  :icon_thumright:

 

[Nando Vallart]

Never liked the designs of Carvin... Looks more like a Engineer's guitar than a rocker's guitar

 

[DangerousR6]

I love their AE series, played one at the Carvin store on Hollywood blvd in L.A., wanted one ever since.... :icon_biggrin:

 

[bagman67]

I've owned a plain vanilla, black with white pickguard, all-standard-options Carvin Bolt-T, and it was hands-down the best Strat-copy (and best strat-anything) I have played in 25 years of swingin' an axe.  Sold the damn thing under pressure from the wife; now she's gone too, and I got no more Carvin!  But I digress...

Certainly you can go nuts on options either with Warmoth or with Carvin, with the two option sets failing to overlap in ways that annoy folks from either camp - but what I think can consistently be said of the two companies is that they have very high quality construction, and very consistent performance.  All the rest is a matter of individual taste and preference.  I'm frankly not so good a player that I realize any particular advantage from a compound radius, and I can't hear the difference between a maple-capped mahogany body and an alder body, and a maple fingerboard sounds like rosewood sounds like ebony to my indifferent ear.  

I pretty much sound like me no matter what guitar I'm playing and no matter what amp I'm plugged into.  (When they say that about Eddie Van Halen, I think they mean it as a compliment; in my case, I suppose it means I won't transcend my limitations simply by adding more bitchin' technology.)  My point here is this:  beyond truly unworkable guitars and amps, reliability is as important, and perhaps more so (for me, ymmv) as a lot of the bells and whistles either company presents to the market.

 

[BigBeard]

I have a Carvin neck through neck that built a guitar for myself years ago.  I always loved the idea of building a neck-through guitar, but actually playing it, I really don't like it.  The neck is so thin.......  Most people would like that, but for me I prefer something that is similar to a Louisville Slugger!!  You just don't have the choices with Carvin as the Turtle offers.  Back when I ordered my neck (1994) you had the choice of a right handed neck blank with one headstock shape.  I don't know if that has changed or not, but that is why my guitar has a reverse headstock and side markers on both sides of the neck!  I know I will never go that route for myself again.  I'm hooked on my boatneck Turtle neck.  

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Well put Bagman.  I have both in my home, although the Carvins are electric and power speakers.  It's nice that there's both there for anyone to choose from.  And like you, technology has never made me sound better or different.

 

[The Norwegian Guy]

I'd choose warmoth before any other manufactor. I want to have a custom guitar made from a company that doesn't charge hundreds of dollars extra just because it sais fender or gibson (or carvin for that matter) on the headstock.

 

[rockskate4x]

I'd choose warmoth before any other manufactor. I want to have a custom guitar made from a company that doesn't charge hundreds of dollars extra just because it sais fender or gibson (or carvin for that matter) on the headstock.

Have you even looked at Carvin? It's almost nothing like fender or gibson and doesn't actually charge that much more compared to those companies. It will up to charge hundreds of dollars for additional custom features, but then again, so will warmoth.

 

[Superbeast520]

I owned a Carvin for quite a while and I have to agree with BigBeard I just didnt like the super thin neck, I found my hand tired easily from having it all pinched together all the time ( but then I buy the FatBack ) so it may just be my preference, I agree some people mainly the Ibanez shred crowd may like that, and I will also say Carvin does have some nice prices if you want a fairly decent premade instrument, but they also offer few features that I find attractive, such as pickup choice,bridge choice,tuner choice and most importantly neck choice, and as has been stated, once you start adding options the price skyrockets considerably.

They do offer some nice, easy to assemble kits that are a good way to get aquainted with the building game, those are a steal if you want to throw together a fun little shred guitar.

Carvin guitars to me, also seem like they wouldn't stand up to much abuse,that and the fact they dont even offer high quality parts as an option makes me view them as a cheap alternative for guys who want custom guitars but dont know alot about specifics, Im sure some of their guitars are awesome, but I have never viewed them as a serious alternative to any guitar maker like Fender,Gibson,PRS, Jackson etc., something about them strikes me as Cool to look at and maybe play in the bedroom, but they just seem like the first whack against something and they would be done.

Now Carvin amps on the other hand may be one of the best lower priced deals on the market, but I dont have any experience with them to say, would be nice to hear about however as their V3 looks like it might be a Killer amp.....  

 

 

[TBurst Std]

The only guitar neck size carvin offers is slightly thinner than a Warmoth standard thin, which is ok for most people, but will be the reason that I will never get a carvin guitar. I've liked the carvin basses that I have played though...

That blows it for me right there. The Warmoth Std Thin is too thin for me.

 

[The Norwegian Guy]

I'd choose warmoth before any other manufactor. I want to have a custom guitar made from a company that doesn't charge hundreds of dollars extra just because it sais fender or gibson (or carvin for that matter) on the headstock.

Have you even looked at Carvin? It's almost nothing like fender or gibson and doesn't actually charge that much more compared to those companies. It will up to charge hundreds of dollars for additional custom features, but then again, so will warmoth.

yes. A friend of me is a carvin fanatic.
First of all, I don't like super thin necks.
Seccond, I love the feeling that I'm making my own guitar, insted of calling a guy on the other side of the planet, to tell him what I want.

I think the difference between Warmoth players and Carvin players is whether you want to assemble the instrument yourself or not. Some people doesn't have the nerve to do that.

Another thing I like about W, is that you actually get to ser the piece of wood that is going to be your laminate top, fretboard etc.
I also like that the employees at warmoth uses this discussionboard.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

It may have been on here, in a mag, or the Carvin forum, but I read a few neat little tidbits.  Carvin and Fender got in the electric guitar biz the same year.  Carvin was originally criticized for being mailorder only, whereas a lot of places are now by necessity.  Also, since the 1940s, Fender has been bought and sold several times over and Carvin is still family owned.

 

[GoDrex]

I'm not a fan of anything Carvin. Never again for me.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Why?

 

[GoDrex]

I've owned Carvin amps and guitars. I don't like them that much. If I were to buy an amp or a guitar I would go elsewhere. I've been down the Carvin road and it's not for me.

 

[Superlizard]

Comparing Carvin to Warmoth is like comparing apples to oranges.

 

[Doughboy]

I owned a late 80s Carvix X-100B head that was really good. Versatile & excellent distortion & clean sounds. The Graphic Eq was very nice as well. Sold it to get rack gear & regreted it ever since.

Carvin makes some really good stuff & the low price makes it even more attractive.