Carvin vs. Warmoth

[elfro89]

I've never played a carvin but I've wanted to for a long time! I never even realisted they offered a custom service. Doesn't matter to me though cause i know what i want from warmoth and i doubt carvin will be able to match it exactly for less, so warmoth it is!

 

[pabloman]

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.

So you don't think Original Floyds, Sperzels, and Wilky's are quality parts? What about the guitars seems fragile? It seems like theres no substantial complaint about the quality of the product. Everyones gripe is with specs and like saying a shoe is a POS beacause you have the wrong size. I bought a used DC something or other from the 90's and it was a great guitar. It was neck thru wilth a Wilkinson and locking Sperzels. That thing was rock solid. I don't really judge guitars by how much I can abuse them but it did fall once or twice and has been bumped on the occasion but it didn't fall apart. I didn't like the guitar because it was too small for me. I'm a big fat guy and I looked like I was playing a ukulele.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Comparing Carvin to Warmoth is like comparing apples to oranges.

Not entirely.  While we feel there is no comparison, someone wanting a semi-custom build might consider either.  They are both targeting the same demographic.  The edge might go to Warmoth because they are technically parts.  Every Fender owner is automatically a future, potential Warmoth customer.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Comparing Carvin to Warmoth is like comparing apples to oranges.

Not entirely.  While we feel there is no comparison, someone wanting a semi-custom build might consider either.  They are both targeting the same demographic.  The edge might go to Warmoth because they are technically parts.  Every Fender owner is automatically a future, potential Warmoth customer.

Bolt on go with Warmoth
Neck thru or set neck go with Carvin

You won't be disappointed with either.  :icon_thumright:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

The raw exotic unfinshed necks W makes are lost on most and it kind of caters to a niche market.  For some W owners, a raw exotic might have been a selling point but is so foreign to many.  Look at most of the showcase necks, they are Maple.  While Warmoth may offer more custom options, Carvin offers enough, and might be the right ones for the biggest amount of people. 

 

[Doughboy]

How thin are Csrvin necks on the CS6 Les Paul models? I like super thin necks & get a wizard profile on all my guitars. Are the Carvin necks as thin as the Wizards?

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

How thin are Csrvin necks on the CS6 Les Paul models? I like super thin necks & get a wizard profile on all my guitars. Are the Carvin necks as thin as the Wizards?

They've got to be close because by all reports, the Carvin standard neck contour is thinner than the Fender American Standard which is close to a Warmoth Standard.  The Wizard is thinner than both of those.

 

[Cagey]

How thin are Csrvin necks on the CS6 Les Paul models? I like super thin necks & get a wizard profile on all my guitars. Are the Carvin necks as thin as the Wizards?

They've got to be close because by all reports, the Carvin standard neck contour is thinner than the Fender American Standard which is close to a Warmoth Standard.  The Wizard is thinner than both of those.

I just happen to have a Carvin bolt-on neck here and I just went down and measured it. It's .800" at the 1st fret, and .840" at the 12th. The Warmoth "standard thin" is .800 and .850, so virtually identical. The Carvin comes with an ebony board over maple back, jumbo frets (I didn't measure, but I suspect they're 6150s), and a pre-slotted graphite nut 1-11/16" wide. Truss rod adjustment is at the headstock, which tilts back but the neck is one-piece.

For $159, it's a pretty damn nice neck. But, it's unfinished, so you have to deal with that, and I think the new ones just have paddle headstocks - you have to shape them and drill them for tuners yourself. A similar neck from Warmoth would run you $237, but you wouldn't have to deal with shaping the headstock or drilling tuner holes. So, probably a wash.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

A Maple/Ebony Warmoth Pro is $192 with no finish and it's Fender licensed (it meets or exceeds Fender quality) and 2 year warranteed.

 

[Cagey]

That price doesn't include a nylon/graphite nut or MOP dot fret markers, although in review I see Carvin doesn't put MOP markers on by default anymore, they use some unidentified white material, so the price should be $222 rather than the $237 I first mentioned.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

touche'

 

[Vaper]

I just happen to have a Carvin bolt-on neck here and I just went down and measured it. It's .800" at the 1st fret, and .840" at the 12th. The Warmoth "standard thin" is .800 and .850, so virtually identical. The Carvin comes with an ebony board over maple back, jumbo frets (I didn't measure, but I suspect they're 6150s), and a pre-slotted graphite nut 1-11/16" wide. Truss rod adjustment is at the headstock, which tilts back but the neck is one-piece.

Thanks for doing the measurements. I built a Carvin Bolt kit several years back and their thin necks fit my small hands better than any other I've ever played. I'm getting ready to build a Warmoth now and getting a neck as close in size to Carvin's as possible is the most important aspect for me in this build.

And you are correct about fret sizes. The 6150's are the closest match to the "medium jumbo" 0.103" x 0.48" frets that come standard on Carvin necks.

 

[JamesL]

Mannnn you guys are nuts. Carvin makes some of the best guitars on the planet. Hands down! And as far as carvin's necks being thinner than a standard thin from W... I have two Carvin's, a v220 and a CT6? California carved top as well as a cobalt acoustic. both of those necks are identical and I find them to feel thicker than my two standard thins from W. But I've never measured to be certain.

That being said... I own PRS's se's Epiphones schecters fenders fender customs Ibanezs two Completed W guitars (and two more on the way  :laughing7:.) etc... And out of everything I own I consider the carvins and my custom shop tele to be my favorites.

I just love carvin guitars... I HATE their headstocks though  :-\ They can be pretty hideous.

No offense to Warmoth.. I Love them as well, which is why I have the ones I have and more coming haha.  ccasion14:

 

[Jusatele]

I love the Carvin neck thrus
Just a great guitar, one of the best guitars built period
but, I have no experience with their kit guitars
I actually live a hour from the factory and showroom, if I am going to SD I try to budget time to stop and play the guitars.

 

[Cagey]

Carvin's "kit" guitars are nice pieces of work, albeit a bit plain relative to what you can do from companies like Warmoth, USACG, et al. You don't have all the choices of woods, finishes, hardware and configurations the others provide. But, they're damn hard to beat for the money if you want something American made. In fact, at the price, they're about the only game in town. Not that you have to suffer - the necks are hard rock maple with ebony boards and good, well-dressed frets. The bodies are alder or swamp ash. The hardware is industry standard or better. If you want something more than that, then you go to the alternatives (including their own builds) and the price goes up, or you go overseas.

 

[AGWAN]

I was thinking of getting a Carvin or Guitar Fetish kit to practice my painting skills on before I did it to a Warmoth.

somehow, Screwing up one of those would make me much less sad then doing it to a Warmoth.  :laughing7:

 

[Vaper]

Carvin offers quite a few options for bodies besides just alder and ash. They're also offer more wood choices in necks as well. The customization options still fall short of Warmoths though. If they didn't, I wouldn't even be looking at Warmoth, especially since my friend works for Carvin and I could get his 20% employee discount.

 

[Jusatele]

I was thinking of getting a Carvin or Guitar Fetish kit to practice my painting skills on before I did it to a Warmoth.

somehow, Screwing up one of those would make me much less sad then doing it to a Warmoth.  :laughing7:

I just went to the lumber yard and bought a 6 foot piece of 1x8 and have cut it into 6 pieces. My project is really kinda hard to do, I will be callin it the BARN DOOR TELE, I want it to look like I cut the wood for the body from an old dilapidated barn.  So what is hard about that? well you want it to look like an old junk piece of wood, not a  bad die job, and that is proving hard to do I am almost ready to scream. But I am making progress. And it is a lot cheaper than buying guitars to practice on.

 

[stultzies9]

I owned a Carvin Bolt-T for about 5 years.  IT was hands down the nicest Strat-esque guitar I'd ever played at the time.  When I built my Warmoth parts Chambered Strat, the Bolt sat in my closet untouched for two years, at which point I sold it.  It was a fantastic piece of guitar, but the Chambered Strat just filled that position a little bit better.  Eventually, I intend to own one of their set necks.

I'm a HUGE fan of their amps.  I currently own a late 80's X60B head and a Legacy I head.  Are they the greatest amps ever?  Probably not.  Have I ever run into anything as good at the same price point?  Nope.  Next on the list is either a new X100B or a V3.

 

[JamesL]

I owned a Carvin Bolt-T for about 5 years.  IT was hands down the nicest Strat-esque guitar I'd ever played at the time.  When I built my Warmoth parts Chambered Strat, the Bolt sat in my closet untouched for two years, at which point I sold it.  It was a fantastic piece of guitar, but the Chambered Strat just filled that position a little bit better.  Eventually, I intend to own one of their set necks.

I'm a HUGE fan of their amps.  I currently own a late 80's X60B head and a Legacy I head.  Are they the greatest amps ever?  Probably not.  Have I ever run into anything as good at the same price point?  Nope.  Next on the list is either a new X100B or a V3.

I have a V3 as well.. It's amazing, especially for the money