Carvin Bolt Plus kit completed (lots of pics)

[potatohead]

Got this about a month ago, completed it about two weeks ago. Plays so very nice . I wish it had 24 frets but that is not a deal breaker.

I asked for a nice grain, they came through big time;





Neck with birdseye maple fretboard. My only beef if the extra "toe" on the headstock because they don't use a scarf joint... No biggie really:









Some progress pics:





After some clear...





I actually cut this logo by hand, took forever:



After buffing...



Final results:











For $750, this thing is unbeatable

[RockinJim]

Wow, very nice dude!

[rgx]

Really nice guitar! I'm considering getting a Bolt + too, but somewhat hesitating as I've never tried any Carvin, so, maybe you could shed some light on how the neck feels, say compared to Charvel Pro Mod?

[mrrs]

Looks factory. Very nice work.

[fullmetalguitar]

Awesome work. I love Carvins.

[ZZB]

Oh! Oh! That's sweet! Nice work man.

[slash]

Nice work! It feels great to play something you built

[Trussrod]

Wow!

[straycat]

Very cool love the color too!

[6string40]

Yes, they are killer. I built a walnut bolt kit for the singer in my old band...I didn't want to hand it over once I got it done. Played great and sounded even better.

Great job on the finish...I just tung oiled the walnut and it looked fantastic. Not to steal your thread and thunder, but here it is...
walnut7.jpgwalnut8.jpg

[DonP]

My only beef if the extra "toe" on the headstock because they don't use a scarf joint...

Is that the volute you mean? I'm trying to figure out the "toe".

[wetrx95]

Really nice job; looks like a great player

[potatohead]

Really nice guitar! I'm considering getting a Bolt + too, but somewhat hesitating as I've never tried any Carvin, so, maybe you could shed some light on how the neck feels, say compared to Charvel Pro Mod?

Well, I will say I was very concerned about the neck and didn't buy one for about three or four months of pondering because of it. Once I have it in my hands, it is absolutely great. The backside profile is pretty similar to a Soloist, kind of a mid thickness C shape, but the neck (across the nut) is thinner by about 2 mm or so. It still uses the R3, but the neck is definately thinner at the nut. Overall I like it a lot. Upper fret access sucks compared to my Soloist obviously, and it's not even that great compared to my bolt-on RG, but it's doable. This one has the new heel which helps.

Is that the volute you mean? I'm trying to figure out the "toe".

If you look at the tip of the headstock, you can see it's a different piece of wood. I didn't realize this when I ordered, but I made it work in the end.

Yes, they are killer. I built a walnut bolt kit for the singer in my old band...I didn't want to hand it over once I got it done. Played great and sounded even better.

Great job on the finish...I just tung oiled the walnut and it looked fantastic. Not to steal your thread and thunder, but here it is...
]

I am considering getting a Walnut kit actually, but I just don't know I'll get a killer piece of walnut like that. Walnut seems very hit and miss. Could always get a Claro top on it I guess.

Thanks for all the kind words guys.

[6string40]

I am considering getting a Walnut kit actually, but I just don't know I'll get a killer piece of walnut like that. Walnut seems very hit and miss. Could always get a Claro top on it I guess.

I don't know...I don't think Carvin messes around with suspect pieces of wood. I don't ever recall seeing a walnut, koa, flame maple or quilt maple Carvin that wasn't good quality. I didn't request anything special when I ordered the walnut, that's just what I got.

[shreddermon]

Nice job. I dig the color a lot. Congrats.