Anyone Compared a Gib LP with a Carvin CS6?

[J.L.C.]

I've been poking around the net as I decide whether or not to pull the trigger on a used R8 (plain top) and I started looking at the Carvins.

 

My other guitars are 25" scale, I like the string through option.....plus they're a lot cheaper.

 

But, that makes me wonder about the whole 'too good to be true' deal.

 

How are the Carvins? How are the pups? How do they compare to a Gibbo?

[Vantango84]

I've heard that pups are one of the weaker points on Carvins, but you can also change those out.

[benzem]

Carvins are great quality guitars and the phrase too good to be true doesn't apply here. In fact as gibson goes, I would say you don't always get what you overpay for. Honestly you can't go wrong as both are excellent guitars. Just don't assume more cost equals better guitar. One you might consider is Ibanez Artist. My 76' is double cut, mahog, maple top, dual hums, 24 big frets and a ebony fretboard! Solid guitar looks new but better. I could buy(and have) several great gtrs for the price of one brand name. Hmm. Tokai and Burny make great LP's too.

[mattbaer355]

I was in the same situation as you and after about 3 months of looking at Gibbies and playing some of my band mates gibbies I came to the conclusion that my edwards LP is just as good as my band mate's original les paul and I ordered a CS6. I wanted an ebony board and a flame top but all of the gibsons were over $2500 for what I wanted. I got everything I wanted with the CS6 and spent $1600. If I do not like the pickups I will change them out but I heard the newer metal covered pickups are a tad hotter than standard carvin pickups. We'll see how much I like it when I receive it in Aug.

[C-4]

Carvin makes a great looking guitar, but the electronics are inexpensive, asian type parts.

 

I ordered and waited 12 weeks for a SH-550. After receiving it, although it looked fabulous, it sounded terrible, and was sent back within 1/2 hour of getting it.

 

The workmanship was there, but it had no tone, and the notes played up on the neck stopped vibrating instantly...and yes, it was set up correctly when I received it.

 

I looked for 5 months to find a great Gibson ES-339 and finally found one that is incredible. Finding any guitar takes time, if you know and understand what you are looking for in a guitar, no matter which company makes it.

 

You can find great Carvins, Edwards, Tokai's, and even Gibsons, if you know wazzup.

 

Carvin, unfortunately, tries to save a few bucks by installing less then quality parts, and it shows. When I received my SH-550, the toggle switch was bent, nearly in half. Too bad their hardware and electronics are not up to par with the wood building side of their company.

[GCDEF]

I haven't compared it directly, but those that have say the Carvin is competing more directly with the PRS single cut than a Les Paul. That's the way it appears to me too. Apparently they far enough that they don't really compare directly.

 

As to the comment that you can't go wrong with Carvin, my experience was a lot different.

 

Look at the Heritage H-150 for a slightly lower cost alternative to Gibson. Heritage quality is first rate and very consistent. Carvin's a real crap shoot, especially given that you have to wait several months to see if you even like what they send you.

[GCDEF]

 

You will NOT get a good gibson for under three grand

 

 

Bull{censored}.

[vcnyls]

 

You will NOT get a good gibson for under three grand...its a better bet to get a similar body style and wood (knockoff mebbe?) and replace with pickups. I used to have a Samick Avion (les paul knockoff, mahogany) and all i did was throw in some dimarzios (Air Norton neck, Super 3 bridge) and the guitar sounded better than all my buddies LP studios and Standards. A nice cheap LP is the Epi lp elitist...its cheap (900-1000) (but good quality) and underrated...it kicks the gibby Lp studios ass

 

 

Aw not this {censored} again...

[GarysBlues]

 

You will NOT get a good gibson for under three grand...its a better bet to get a similar body style and wood (knockoff mebbe?) and replace with pickups. I used to have a Samick Avion (les paul knockoff, mahogany) and all i did was throw in some dimarzios (Air Norton neck, Super 3 bridge) and the guitar sounded better than all my buddies LP studios and Standards. A nice cheap LP is the Epi lp elitist...its cheap (900-1000) (but good quality) and underrated...it kicks the gibby Lp studios ass

 

 

You know what? If this is really how you feel and think? Then thats what you should be playing.

[Bradmeister]

JLC, I've been on the same quest as you the past two months, after playing a friend's Les Paul. I checked out Carvin's site, and bam!, they finally make a guitar I might actually want. I've often admired the ability to order exactly what I want, but never wanted their guitars...until the CS6.

 

Anyway, I'm on a business trip, and I routed myself through Santa Ana with a long layover so I could check out a CS6 at the store there. It's a beautiful guitar, plays well, and sounds great. The new pickups are definitely better than the older ones. (I compared on two Contours they had.) If you are weighing the CS6 against an R8, I would go for the R8. It has better sound. If the used R8 is much more expensive, you might consider the CS6. (Unless, of course, you must have the sound only a good LP can give you.)

 

I found the CS6 had good sustain and sound. However, it is definitely not as good as a Gibson Custom Shop LP. If you are looking at a chambered LP, buy the Carvin instead. It's cheaper, sounds similar, and you get exactly what you want wrt finishes, etc. IMO, the chambered LP does not really have that LP sound (at least not like the reissues). I've also tried the weight relieved LPs, and think they are comparable to the CS6. They may have better pickups, but you still can get the CS6 guitar and pickups cheaper than a new Standard LP.

 

I've also just tried out a new LP "Traditional." Even though that thing is Plek'd, the action was high, and I wasn't impressed with the feel as much as I thought I would be. The sound was okay, but still on par with the Carvin, minus the pickups. (The LP pickups are probably better.)

 

I would echo others' statements about the PRS Singlecut. If you are considering that, get the CS6 instead, get *exactly* what you want, and save $$$. (Even if you replace the PU's.) I've tried a low-end Custom 22, and would say they are comparable.

 

So, in summary, if you are getting anything less than a Gibson Custom Shop Reissue, I say get the CS6. (Unless, maybe, you are getting a used LP from a few years back. I fell in love with my friend's 2000 faded standard, and that's what started this whole LP journey.) I've played several chambered and weight relieved Standards from 2007, the 2008 Traditional, a VOS R8, and a used 1999 R9. The R9 is by far the best I've tried so far, and hits that LP sound dead on. The R8 is next, and the others are far back in the pack and bunched together, with the chambered being last. I'm going for the LP sound that you can't get from any other instrument. To get that, you gotta spend $$$, apparently, and buy a reissue. I've gone through a lot to find that out. I'm also a little disappointed that the Gibson LP Standards, though well made, don't really sound any more like a "real" Les Paul than the Carvin.

 

-Brad

[maltomario]

 

Bull{censored}.

 

 

agreed. My LP standard, non-chambered was about $1500 new, and, save for a few minor defects which were easily fixed. Unlike my band's old singer, it has always sounded great to my ears.

 

best guitar i own, hands down. some clips.

 

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[MichaelSaulnier]

I think it's funny that people compare two different guitars to one another.

 

Apples and Oranges and Kiwis.

 

Which is the best?

 

Hmmm.

 

M

[RaVenCAD]

I think it's funny that people compare two different guitars to one another. Apples and Oranges and Kiwis. Which is the best? Hmmm. M

 

Yeah, but it's an obvious comparisson to make. The CS is aimed directly at the market the LP and PRS SC are aimed at. Visually, the CS doesn't do much for me. I think it's the headstock. But, at the same time, I love that headstock on my CT.

 

re: the pickups.. I own 2 Carvins, a DC127 and a CT4. The DC has the C22 pups and the CT has the S22 pups. A lot of people dog Carvin pups, but honestly, I really, really like mine. No, it doesnt' sound like a PAF equipped '59 Les Paul. But it does sound like an S22 equipped Carvin CT, and I think that's pretty cool. I do a lot of clean playing, and it really covers the full spektrum from glassy chime (tapped neck, or maybe tapped neck+bridge if I'm feeling sassy) to Joe Pass-esque round jazz tone (neck + rolled back tone).. The CT won't pull off "strat", at all, but then I wouldn't expect that from a set neck, mahogany bodied guitar with 2 humbucker voiced for warm, classic rock sounding stuff.. The DC, on the other hand, can pull off just about whatever I try on it. It can do strat quack (tapped neck pickup + a 75/25 blend of magnetic pickup/piezo bridge), it can do Les Paul clean (neck pup with a slightly rolled back tone), Les Paul raunchy lead (bridge, wide open) and spunky strat lead (bridge + a 75/25 blend of magnetic/piezo bridge)..

 

My point is, Carvin pups aren't the dogs that most people make them out to be. You aren't going to love everything they do probably, but there is still plenty there to love IF YOU'LL LET YOURSELF.. I honestly think most people just don't like the 12 pole piece look and it has nothing to do with the sound..

 

People that have exact, specific expectations need to avoid Carvin, cuz they're not going to get it 100% dead nuts everytime. I sent one back cuz I thought the paintjob was too black, and it was, but I've since learned that you have to hold Carvin's hand if you want something to look a specific way. Don't expect perfection, but they do get pretty dang close to it.

 

As for the electronics being cheap, all I can say is whatever.. If you spend your time poking around inside your guitar, that's cool, but I play mine, and as long as everything is doing what everything is sposta do, I'm cool with it. I know my CT has a tiny little pot in there, but ya know what? It works.. It makes volume go up and volume go down. Can it be made better? Maybe, but then so can just about everything else on the market unless you can spec what electronics they're to use. People change electronics on everything around here for recreation anyway lol. I don't see a need, but I know it's a simple process to do if I ever decide it isn't working for me. Sending a beautiful guitar back because of cheap pots if {censored}tarded.. Blaming Carvin for a bent toggle switch? Give me a break! If that switch was bent when it left the factory, I'll eat my hat.. Obviously a shipping problem (or a post-delivery problem).. As I said, no one is perfect, but there is no way in hell I can see a bent switch getting through final inspection. I've heard stories of them scrapping entire builds because of bad fretwork or finishes, so they'd certainly take a minute to replace that switch.

 

To summarize, you can get some amazing stuff from Carvin, but understand that every guitar isn't perfect, and every piece of the guitar may or may not be up to a cork sniffer's specs.

 

 

 

 

For the record, I do have one regret about my Carvins.. I regret that it took me so long to order them. In 1989, I got my first Carvin catalog. In 2008, I got my first Carvin. That's 19 years I wasted on other guitars. That mistake won't happen again. My next guitar will be another Carvin, and another, and another..

[StralianKiwi]

I think it's funny that people compare two different guitars to one another. Apples and Oranges and Kiwis. Which is the best? Hmmm. M

 

Kiwis are always the best 'bro!