Members streetknight Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 Have pretty bad Carvin gas these days. Are they worth it? How's then neck compared to more available Fenders and Gibsons? Pickups? You know the whole nine. Here's close to what I "think" I want from their site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cerebrix Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 click my sig. my dc 727 owns any other 7 string ive ever played. i also love the ct series neck profile WAY MORE than the wide thin prs neck on the custom 22 and 24's. amazing guitars for the money. heres some tips though... a) dont order anything that requires "option 50". i.e. anything completely custom (like the finish on my guitar). if you dont like how it looks, youre stuck with it anyway. thats the deal with "option 50". b) be totally patient. i never looked at my order card or ship date. i just told myself "itll be done when its done" and it turned out great that way. c) dont call and ask too many questions, i think that actually holds up a builds progress more than it helps. i had a couple burps after delivery of my guitar, but the guys at the santa ana carvin store bent over backwards to make it right. awesome customer service experience. i love my guitar, best 1700 bucks ive ever spent on an instrument, I just had one of greg howe's studio guitarists wail on mine for a few mins the other day. He thought my guitar was one of the best 7's hes ever played. youll love yours, theyre totally worth the wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitar Heel Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 I'm a big fan. It's one of the more polarized issues on the forum (but what isn't these days), but they're a unique company that builds a nice guitar. I would put the neck somewhere b/w the wide fat and wide thin of a PRS, and more comfortable than either (IMO). Thicker than a fender medium C, fatter than a Gibson 60's, more shallow than a Gibson 50's. Most people hate the stock pickups, but I think they sound pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SamsDaddy Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 Have a look at my two most recent Carvin threads for my thoughts and some pics of my new CT6. To summarize in one word: AWESOME! http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2091811 http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2094000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 If you MUST have one, buy a used one. Much better deal that way. Some folks get all bent out of shape when I say it, but none of the Carvins I owned (I've had 3) had great resale value. So, it would seem to benefit you if you let someone else take the depreciation hit...then buy it off of them... my 2 cents... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SamsDaddy Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 If you MUST have one, buy a used one. Much better deal that way. Some folks get all bent out of shape when I say it, but none of the Carvins I owned (I've had 3) had great resale value. So, it would seem to benefit you if you let someone else take the depreciation hit...then buy it off of them...my 2 cents... This is sound advice... but... I looked for a while for used ones with the specs I wanted, and it just wasn't happening. I didn't want to settle for something that didn't meet 100% of what I wanted, when I could easily order something exactly as I wanted it. To me, it was worth a little extra to get it outfitted perfectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 True. If you have very specific wants/tastes, you might not find exactly what you want used. BUT...if you're a bit flexible, you might find a deal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jbird Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 I have two, and love 'em both. I will say that the neck on my CT6 (and probably any new Carvin, for that matter) is a bit wider than I prefer, me having small hands and all. I think the Carvin Website lists them as being 1.69" wide at the nut, which is what 1 and 11/16"? I guess I'm a 1 and 5/8" guy Other than that, fantastic playability 2007 CT6 1984 DC160T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JWS Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 I have a DC135 which I got off of Ebay. Nice guitar and very good price. About half of what you would pay to get one built. I really like the guitar and enjoy playing it. However, I wish I could have afforded having one built to my specs. For example, I would have liked to have stainless steel frets and have some other cosmetic changes. These are minor though, and I think Carvin makes extremely solid guitars. I am thinking of getting another one or trying out one of their guitar kits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JWS Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 By the way, that is one beautiful guitar that started this thread. You might want to look at the guitars in stock. Sometimes they have something ready to go that meets your needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BAXANDALL Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 By the way, that is one beautiful guitar that started this thread. You might want to look at the guitars in stock. Sometimes they have something ready to go that meets your needs. This is how I got mine. I love it. I did change the pickups though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RaVenCAD Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 A Carvin thread, cool.. Haven't seen one of these in at least 2-3 days.. Carvin, oh Carvin, how I love thee, let me count the ways.. 1 - Some of the best necks I've ever played.. The CT neck is just a bit fatter than a Fender Strat neck, seems a bit wider too.. No where near as chunky as a Gibson 50's neck though. Very pleasant for extended playing sessions. GET THE TUNG OIL NECK!!!!!!! 2 - Neck joints, some of the best I've ever played, especially on the DC series.. The CT is good, but there is a step on the heel. If you are like me, it'll bug you until you play it. Now, I don't even notice it.. 3 - Finish, they do some beautiful colors. Be aware though, any use of the DTS option (deep triple staining) should be avoided with dark colors and blackburst edges.. It'll end up black. 4 - Pickups. A lot of people dog Carvin pickups, but I'd wager most either have never tried a Carvin pickup or they have very specific tones in mind that the Carvin just aren't designed for. I'm sort of a blank canvas when it comes to pickups, and I try to find the best in whatever I'm using. As such, I've really enjoyed my C22's (on the DC) and my S22's (on the CT).. The C22's are just a very smooth, almost jazz-like pickup, while the S22's are warmer, more classic/southern rockish.. Plays a mighty mean Freebird 5 - The mojo.. There is just something about playing a guitar that you custom spec'd for yourself. Yes, Carvin is NOT a true custom shop and they won't bow to your every whim. But, they have a list of options that go well beyond what most people will ever want to change on their guitar. Lots of body shapes, neck-thru, set-neck and bolt-on constructions to choose from, every color under the rainbow, plenty of hardware options, etc.. a lot of the Carvin haters around here call me a fanboy, but to that, I simply tell em to go play one and they'll understand why no one LIKES a Carvin. It's either love, or it's hate. I think you know which side of that fence I'm standing on.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kherman Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 Mine are still going strong. '94 DC400, '89 DC127, '89 DC200, '05 DC727 . I've been using them in the studio the last couple months. Hopefully by the end of October beginning of November I'll have some songs up on a my space page. I'll be using the Dc127 for in the studio this next Saturday, laying down solos and harmony parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Smitty-PNS Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 A Carvin thread, cool.. Haven't seen one of these in at least 2-3 days.. Carvin, oh Carvin, how I love thee, let me count the ways.. 1 - Some of the best necks I've ever played.. The CT neck is just a bit fatter than a Fender Strat neck, seems a bit wider too.. No where near as chunky as a Gibson 50's neck though. Very pleasant for extended playing sessions. GET THE TUNG OIL NECK!!!!!!! Is this the same RaVenCAD that hated Carvin back in April of 2006? What ever happened to change your mind? I'm not believing this!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members angry again2 Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 I do believe my next guitar will be a Carvin when I come up with the coin. I priced out a bolt plus model on the custom order page and was very surprised at the low cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members angry again2 Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 I do believe my next guitar will be a Carvin when I come up with the coin. I priced out a bolt plus model on the custom order page and was very surprised at the low cost. Compared to other guitar manufacturers who have been raising prices, Carvin seems like a no brainer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve_man Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 I do believe my next guitar will be a Carvin when I come up with the coin. I priced out a bolt plus model on the custom order page and was very surprised at the low cost. Compared to other guitar manufacturers who have been raising prices, Carvin seems like a no brainer. What kind of tone are you going for? If it's a Strat tone...you should keep on looking. I bought a Bolt+ with Strat tones in mind, and it wasn't even close. WAY too BRIGHT for my tastes. Thought about doing a Pickup swap (had the C22B & C22T), but decided to sell it and not pour more money into it. It was also a "blue"burst, but ended up being more turquoise than blue, which I didn't care for. People are going to buy what they wanna buy, and you may LOVE your Carvin. I would seriously advise finding one and playing it before you go off and order a custom. They pop up in pawn shops and even Guitar Center from time to time. In other words, don't just order one on a whim... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members streetknight Posted September 14, 2008 Author Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 I have it narrowed down between the Carvin CT3 and the PRS Mira. I can find a Mira to try, but probably not a Carvin. Here's the 2 that fuel the GAS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RaVenCAD Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 In other words, don't just order one on a whim... Yeah, cuz you sure can't send it back within 10 days if you don't like it..... oh wait......................... Smitty, yea, same one.. At the time, I was really annoyed at a paticular Carvin sales-creep that insulted me. I later learned that the dude was gone, so my grudge was overpowered by my near life-long desire to own a Carvin.. I finally gave in, now I have 2 of em.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 The ultimate Carvins ever built in my opinion were the koa neck-through ones with the compound radius fretboards. You can still find them on Ebay once in a while for around $800 but the prices are rising. Swap pickups to taste. The perfect instrument. This one just sold on Ebay for $615! I should have bid on it. SOLID KOA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RaVenCAD Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 You can still get the full Koa option if you want it, but for some reason they stopped doing the compound radius board.. Sucks, cuz that's about then only way I can think of to improve the ones I've got. Anyone know exactly when they stopped doing it? And maybe why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 There have been a lot of Carvin threads. One of two things will happen. You'll order your guitar, get exactly what you wanted and be ecstatically happy - or - Carvin will take way longer than promised, botch your order and deliver you a lemon. It's a roll of the dice which way it's going to go. As to the original questions, they're fairly small instruments, at least the DC127 is. The necks are bigger than they used to be, but a typical Strat or Gibson has a bigger neck and body. I seem to be one of the few people that actually thought the pickups sounded good. I had a mahogany bodied DC127. Perhaps the wood made a difference. One common complaint is that the electronics could be better. Seems build times are running on the longer side these days. My personal opinion is that there are better options for the same money that don't involve the wait or the crap shoot, but then I received the lemons. Others such as my good friend RavenCAD, are very happy with their Carvins and consider the wait well worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members southtexslinger Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 that there's myyyyy guitar . . . . pm'd ya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rock-lobster Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 I have it narrowed down between the Carvin CT3 and the PRS Mira. I can find a Mira to try, but probably not a Carvin. Here's the 2 that fuel the GAS mira. carvins are great guitars, but jesus christ, have you played a mira? to me, they're the best guitars ever in terms of sound and feel. and i'm not the only one who thinks that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rock-lobster Posted September 14, 2008 Members Share Posted September 14, 2008 There have been a lot of Carvin threads. One of two things will happen. You'll order your guitar, get exactly what you wanted and be ecstatically happy - or - Carvin will take way longer than promised, botch your order and deliver you a lemon. It's a roll of the dice which way it's going to go. not true. i was a mix of the two. it was a fantastic guitar exactly as i ordered it that took way longer than they promised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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