Carvin V220 - who has one?

[zeegler]

I have been looking at some of these, and judging by what I've heard about Carvin stuff, they're definitely worth the money.

Let's hear from some Carvin owners, and post pics if ya got em.

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: Carvin V220 - who has one?

Check out Carvin's message board...lots of knowledgeable guys over there.

[pro-fusion]

Re: Carvin V220 - who has one?

I had a V220 very briefly early this year--mine needed too much work for me to get that enthused about it. But the basic guitar was really cool--the shape is very comfortable both standing and sitting down, unlike most odd-shaped guitars, and it had a very solid, but biting tone. The neck is very typical Carvin from that era--nice shape and size, but could maybe use bigger frets. The worst thing about the V220 was its weight--they were made entirely of maple and are heavy as hell.

The only other downside (for me) is that most were made with Kahler trems--mine had a non-trem Kahler 3310 retrofitted onto it by the previous owner, but I still didn't like the tone.

Interestingly, the V220 seems to be one of the few Carvins that is starting to appreciate in value. The ones with quilted maple bodies (quilted all the way around, not just on the top) or the ones with the Schaller fixed bridges are started to command nice dollars. The most recent quilted V220 on eBay went for around $800, which is about twice what other Carvins from the '80s typically go for.

I recommend trying one out.