Carvin Guitars

[MikeStrat]

I've been thinking possibly sorta maybe considering buying a California Carved Top. Any opinions on Carvin guitars? They look like high quality guitars but....I've never played or seen one in person. I've also been looking at a PRS but they don't have that feel that Jackson has. What say you?

[metaljunkie]

Re: Carvin Guitars

I love my DC400! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[1trussell]

Re: Carvin Guitars

The guys over at the Carvin board can say no bad things about the CT series guitars, but that figures. There are a couple of guys here who have one, so see if one of them chimes in. There are two things that have kept me from getting a Carvin CT. 1) I can't play it before I buy it. 2) I'm a big Hamer fan and I would prefer to spend the money on a Studio than a Carvin CT. But that's just me.

[gemini8026]

Re: Carvin Guitars

I have owned 2 Carvin guitars. Not a fan of the 25" scale length, but they are GREAT!

Best bang for your made in the USA buck!

However, for the cost of a NEW CT, you could get a used PRS if you want a CT series, and the PRS will hold its value a lot better!

[ChickenScratch]

Re: Carvin Guitars

Let me tell you how god Carvins are ok. Last year I got one used off Ebay, loved it so much I got one made 3 months after from the factory and a couple weeks ago I baught one off of a friend of mine. Yes they are that good that I sold Jacksons (imports boys, calm down) to buy more Carvins.

Don't have the carved top one though.

[toejam]

Re: Carvin Guitars

Carvins rock!! I have an SC90, had a DC400 (got off ebay), and DC120 12-string (traded the DC400 to Jgcable for this, wound up selling it on ebay to another Carvin board member since I wasn't digging the extra strings so much). The SC90 was the first Carvin I got, saw it in their In-Stock section of their website in '02. I figured if I didn't care for it, I could send it back within 10 days. The funny thing is, at the time I didn't care for guitars with maple boards, reverse headstocks or single cutaways... now I love them and don't think I could part with this guitar! Just the combo of the classic white paint with gold hardware, creme pups and rings and maple board did something to me and I had to jump on it. Their maple boards have a light matte satin finish and feel awesome!! It plays amazing, and now it actually has an extra volume and tone control in place of the two coil tap switches, a DiMarzio Super D and Super 2, and a DiMarzio Petrucci selector switch to get the inner coils of both pups on together in the middle position. The neck profile feels just like the old Charvels I used to own... an '87 Model 6 and an '88 Model 5A. Here's a pic.

[SEEGERMANY]

Re: Carvin Guitars

^^^ That is still one of the finest guitars I've ever seen! I'm still scratching my head wondering why I haven't had the same guitar built. :dumbass:

[slayer]

Re: Carvin Guitars

I had a DC150 a couple of years ago, and the craftsmanship was great, materials were great, but I didn`t like their pickups at that time, and I didn`t like alot of the wood in the neck taken up by dual graphite trussrods, great for stability, but robs a little tone. They are worth the money though. Jack.

[shreddermon]

Re: Carvin Guitars

I've got one of their acoustic/electrics. It's a great axe, with some unique features that no-one else offers.

I think Carvin makes real nice stuff. High end. Not quite on the same level as USA J/Cs, IMHO, but pretty close. Bang for the buck, you just can't beat them.

I definitely prefer 25.5 scale guitars. I really just cannot get used to 24.75 short-scale guitars but, strangely, Carvin's "in between" 25 scale doesn't bother me - it feels reasonably comfortable. And Carvin has started offering true jumbo frets as an option, so that's a big plus to me. Their pickups are only so-so IMHO, but that's an easy swap.

Probably the only thing holding me back from owning more Carvins is that I can't seem to love a lot of their body/headstock styling. They're nice, but just a little bit offbeat, IMHO. The California Carved Top model is definitely an exception, though. IMHO, that guitar's styling is spot on great. I must admit that I've been drooling over it, and GAS'ing for one. I'd much rather buy one of those than a PRS - its styling is just that much more attractive to me.

[jgcable]

Re: Carvin Guitars

[ QUOTE ]
^^^ That is still one of the finest guitars I've ever seen! I'm still scratching my head wondering why I haven't had the same guitar built. :dumbass:

[/ QUOTE ]

Mark... I agree. Everytime he posts a pic of that Carvin I get the chills. What an outstanding looking guitar.

[jgcable]

Re: Carvin Guitars

I am a long time Carvin player.
I currently own a 1986 V220 and a 1989 DC127.
I have owned just about every model of Carvin. They were all excellent guitars.
I will tell you one thing though.. You mentioned that you preferred your Jacksons over PRS. If thats the case you might not like the Carvin Carved top because it was created to compete with PRS. Carvin neck profiles vary. I would think the standard neck profile on a Carvin Carved top would be similar to a PRS wide/thin carve which is COMPLETELY different from your typical Jackson profile.

[hammer84]

Re: Carvin Guitars

Ther are quite a few guys on the PRS boards that have Carvin CTs and like them alot. I don't think I have ever read any bad reviews of them.

[toejam]

Re: Carvin Guitars

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
^^^ That is still one of the finest guitars I've ever seen! I'm still scratching my head wondering why I haven't had the same guitar built. :dumbass:

[/ QUOTE ]

Mark... I agree. Everytime he posts a pic of that Carvin I get the chills. What an outstanding looking guitar.

[/ QUOTE ]
It plays and sounds great, too! It's got a swamp ash body with maple neck-thru. Very lightweight with great tone.

[dannyr]

Re: Carvin Guitars

I can't speak about the Carvin CT specificly, but I can assure you that Carvin makes quality guitars and amps at reasonable prices. Also, their customer service is really good. Just my 2 cents.

[metaljunkie]

Re: Carvin Guitars

My DC400 neck feels like a Charvel model 2.