someone please explain Carvin to me???

[adambomb]

How can anyone be confident in ordering from them when their staunchest supporters on the Carvin message boards routinely post threads like:

 

"Just got my new Carvin, but they forgot such and such option"

or "Just got my Carvin but am sending back for a rebuild"

or "Gee my new Carvin is great, but what a shame the headstock is not the one i ordered so i'm sending it back"

 

or my favorite: "Dunno if I'm gonna keep her yet, (such and such) is all wrong."

 

And these are the true-blue Carvin fans on their own board! Yet it seems like next to noone gets a guitar without something {censored}ed up.

 

Is it me, or is sending guitars back for rebuilds just about the biggest bitch you can think of, especially when they seem to screw up the most fundemental things on a shockingly regular basis....I mean if the fan-boys on the Carvin message boards are regularly posting "New pics of my Carvin that i have to send back" posts, why aren't they looking into like, uhm, improving their quality control?

this isn't a Carvin bashing thread, i'm seriously baffled with that company.

 

If they stepped up their profile with the carve-top, why are they throwing it all away with scathing reports of their evidently rotten customer service,

shoddy, no make that horrible, quality control that is evident from their own supporters' posts? (this is all from what i read, not my opinion)

I've even read more than one review in magazines that the test instrument sent had something wrong with it.

 

I said to myself "let me save a few bucks and get a carvin strat neck with an unshaped headstock, instead of a Warmoth. I'll have the CBS strat headstock, with ss frets and flat radius for less money"

Then I looked at the reviews of their replacement necks on this very site and was shocked!. I quickly changed my mind after seeing more 1's and 2's for feedback scores than i could shake a stick at!

 

I truly don't understand what they're doing....I can't get by the fact that the Carvin-fans on their own boards unveil more shoddy QC issues than a raving hater could.

I knew a bunch of people in the eighties who never had one complaint about their Carvins then.

 

So someone enlighten me: What's the appeal of ordering from a company whose biggest fans report consistent failure from these people ?

Do they care they dropped the ball?

Are they aware of this?

Do they realise that ALOT of people in recent years have been talking about this and no longer consider Carvin the ole' "just as good as Jackson for less" brand that guys my age remember from the eighties?

[Axeslinger]

:rolleyes:

 

I used to be Carvin's harshest critic. I ordered my 3rd on 8/1..

 

If there is a problem. I will say so.. If they do well, I will say so..

 

If YOU don't want a Carvin,, then don't order one. Pretty simple concept really..

[GCDEF]

Carvin's marketing and advertising is first rate. They print really good catalogs with really good pictures and make people think they're getting a top-shelf, custom made guitar for the price of a standard production guitar. People are basically gullible by nature and will often overlook the negative. One guy recently mentioned his $1370 order and when hearing reports of cheap electronics and frequent failures took that attitude that electronics would be cheap to replace anyway. People believe what they want to believe many times without letting the facts get in the way.

[ieso]

I don't know what's going on with Carvin, maybe it's just growing pains, but whatever they do they need to seriously reconsider their customer service model. My guitar should be here next week but I'll be damned if I ever order anything from them again (and I've been buying Carvin gear since the early 90s). The guitar world is full to the brim with high quality products. A compnay has to distinguish itself when it comes to customer service and clear, accurate, quick communications.

[GilmourD]

Just remember that the empty can rattles the most. People that are happy are too busy playing their guitars to complain.

[Chris B.]

Nice troll, bud.

[Help!I'maRock!]

i'm selling mine and keeping my PRS.

[angus_old]

carvin is stuck in the 80s

[metallica_00]

Their whole selling point is they can get you a semi-custom USA-made guitar with a high-grade wood top for cheaper than the other guys...there's got to be a catch somewhere, you know?

[cogdog]

It's cool that you can custom order a guitar that's made in the USA ...for the prices they offer, it's freakin great. I've looked at their order process, it seems a little confusing, some of the descriptions do not make sense of seem to contradict a previous option, I think that might be part of the problem, maybe dudes are clicking boxes they think means something else, the guitar maybe exactly what they order just not what they thought.

[BloodRose]

I'll be brief. most of the time people take time to complain, but rarely do they take time to praise.. For every X amount guitars they do right, there may be a incorrect one go out. The players with the perfect ones are playing, the others are complaining. Granted, in a perfect world, there would be no mistakes. However, if they do mess up, they will rebuild another that is correct..

 

I find flaws on MANY guitars at guitar shops.. I cant send those back.. I can either pass or buy it flawed. So Mistakes are not a Carvin exclusive.

[Mr. Steve]

Anytime I have ordered from Carvin, I did it over the phone. Their website does not have all options listed and last I heard they were going to correct that issue. Most of Carvin's customers do not post on their BBS. The one's that do post are a small percentage. It's been said that Carvin produces between 400-500 instruments a month and the number of returns may be 1-3 per month. That is a pretty low number that may slip through the cracks comparing to other guitar/bass manufacturers and most of them do not offer custom options. I can see how much of a pain it would be if you had to send your order back to be fixed but they are known for making things right if that happens.

[DeathMonkey]

I'll agree 100% that the ordering process needs to have more fail-safe mechanisms in place to catch the ordering snafus that crop up. Detailed lists of options ordered in time to catch any mistakes from the salesperson or the customer seems like a no-brainer, and plenty of people have expressed that.

 

Some salespeople seem to really be different than others at Carvin. My two ordering experiences have been very different from each other.

 

Part of the thing is that the Carvin faithful realize that since introducing the CT's and especially since the V220/Ultra V reissues, they've been swamped. Now, this is no excuse, just an observation. I would agree that trying to meet current demand with current production is stretching their resources to the limit - but will it be sustainable in order to justify expansion? Carvin obviously needs to make some changes in customer service to accommodate the increased traffic.

 

As a caveat, however, I also know that in a business where every single one of their guitars gets put under the utmost scrutiny, they have a pretty good track record. Other guitar manufacturers send out clunkers all day - they rot in GC warehouses all over. I wonder how Gibson or even Fender would fare with the scrutiny that is placed on Carvins - every person who orders a Carvin is ordering their dream guitar - if they just sold them from their stores, some of these complaints ("the burst edges aren't wide enough", "the top wasn't as quilty as I'd hoped") wouldn't be made. Expectations about what one is getting can be difficult to reconcile immediately when the guitar gets there. You have a picture in your minds eye about what the guitar will look like, and if it differs from that, you're going to be disappointed. Read those complaint threads later, and you see quite a few people adjust their thinking away from their expectations ( but not lower their standards) to accept the reality. A majority of those owners end up keeping and loving those guitars.

 

Complaints about hardware, however, are valid and yes, part of getting a "$3k custom guitar for $1500" is that shortcuts can be evident. I know that GCDEF has had terrible luck with Carvin failing, and has a valid point in that regard. The output jack and the toggle switch are of particular concern to me - those are the two weakest links IMHO.

 

The bottom line, I guess to me, is the fact is that no one builds guitars with the specs I want but Carvin. I have 3 CTs and two Ultra Vs on the way, and I love em. My CTs were flawless when I got them, and I've beaten the Hell out of them since. They stand up to any other guitar I own (including my PRSs), any they cost less. I can take a $1500 Carvin out and feel OK about it, rather than worry about gigging my $3k PRSs.

 

Carvin occupies a specific niche in the market, and for what they do, offer a well built product at a very reasonable price point - built in the USA, no less. Are they perfect? Nope. And believe you me, we let them know. I concur 100% that they should do more to eliminate the early mistakes that occur during what is a very confusing ordering process.

 

I've gigged my CTs for almost a year now, and I love em. Can't wait for my Ultra Vs to get here. Guitars are so subjective, I don't blame anyone for not liking Carvins, but it seems that there is a trend to think that we who DO like Carvins are some sort of brainwashed cult who defend the company uber alles, and that's just not true. We do love our guitars, and take it a bit personally when people bash em. But in the end, I get to strap these babies on and play... I understand the concern, but IMHO, it's worth it

 

[almightycrunch]

Yeah, but you also wear a skirt. LOL j/k man!!!!!

[DeathMonkey]

Yeah, but you also wear a skirt. LOL j/k man!!!!!

 

See? My guitars are so cool that I can ever wear a leather kilt onstage and get away with it! :

[almightycrunch]

Kilt????, thats a skirt!!!! kilts are red and black plaid!!!! LOL

[Phil051300]

 

That goldtop is hawt.

[leftyjazzbass]

I have ordered two LB75's and an SC90 back in the late 90's, all arrived exactly as I ordered. I honestly don't imagine what a guitar is going to look like before I actually receive it, that sounds crazy to me. If I ordered a quilt (not ever going to happen) I would expect a quilt, nothing more specific then that.

 

I'm a Fender guy now, I can't justify buying a guitar that costs $1000.00 from any other manufacturer then Fender. But, eventually I will buy another Carvin.

 

If it helps any, my old LB75's were put together just as well as my old MIA Precision Bass and my CIJ Fender Jazz (which is actually nicer somewhat then the old MIA Precision). Their top quality MIA guitars, nothing more and nothing less. Like any guitar builder you run the risk of buying a clunker every single time you make a purchase. Everyone knows this so I never understand the hatred expressed here towards Carvin. People go to GC and try out dozens of MIA Fender Strats and only are able to find one or two that are up to their "standards", yet it rarely get's mentioned in any negative way. But if Carvin ships out a guitar that doesn't meet the buyers expectations then it's all over the message boards that same day (and generally it's fairly nasty). It's like the "Les Paul's are {censored}ty guitars" crowd, you would have to be moron to believe that. You might not agree with the price tag but that's a different matter entirely. Carvin's are the same way, their great guitars, if you don't like them that really doesn't matter, their still good guitars. I hate Schecter, but your not going to see me post anything negative about them, it's good stuff but not my kind of thing.

 

And I see a lot of talk concerning the Carvin message board. It's not any worse then the dozens of Fender related message boards. It's specifically designed for people who love a specific brand of guitar (I don't belong to any of them), you have to expect a little bit of homer ism, it's stupid to pretend all Carvin fans are like the people who post over at Carvin.com.

 

Basically, it's just a {censored}'n guitar.

[pink freud]

 

carvin is stuck in the 80s

 

 

and so are thousands, if not tens of thousands of people.

 

seems like a pretty good marketing strategy.

[ratkent]

I think you always hear more about the bad products than the good with just about any manufacturer.

 

I can only relate my own experience and my CT4 has been a real workhorse. I got it because it had features that were not available in an "off the shelf" guitar: stainless frets, mahogany body with Floyd. If the Carvin did not work out the next step was to get an Anderson or a Suhr.

 

As far as the reliability of the electronics I can't say because I replaced the pickups and electronics like I do in every guitar I've ever owned.

 

The body and hardware have held up great with only one set up in two years of 200 shows a year. The stainless frets will probably last forever.

 

Very solid guitar and while it was the only Carvin I had ever touched up to when I bought it I would have to recommend it to anyone who is having trouble finding exactly the features they want in an off the shelf guitar.

 

[guitarcapo]

I own two koa Carvins that I paid about 800 each for. Both of them are entirely made of koa wood. Neck through. Locking tuners. Ebony board. Most importantly: multi-radius fingerboard. They play fantastic but I will admit that I had to change the pickups on them a bit. Their neck pickups are fine but their bridge pickups aren't to my liking.

But if you can find a guitar made anywhere on the planet with features like that for that price PLEASE PM me.

I love my Carvins.

 

[Majai]

Multi-radius fingerboard? Is that an option that Carvin used to have but don't have anymore? Nowdays, on a DC127 you can get it with a 10", a 12", or a 14" fingerboard radius.

[Chris B.]

 

I'll be brief. most of the time people take time to complain, but rarely do they take time to praise.. For every X amount guitars they do right, there may be a incorrect one go out. The players with the perfect ones are playing, the others are complaining. Granted, in a perfect world, there would be no mistakes. However, if they do mess up, they will rebuild another that is correct.. I find flaws on MANY guitars at guitar shops.. I cant send those back.. I can either pass or buy it flawed. So Mistakes are not a Carvin exclusive.

 

 

Wow. Common sense. Who knew?

[Chris B.]

The REAL question is: Has the OP actually BOUGHT a Carvin? I am guessing no and he is trolling about a company he has NO actual experience with.

[kherman]

Yes, I have had issues with my Carvins in the past.

But, Carvin has always been quick to resolve them for me.

 

1. My very, very first '89 Carvin Dc127 had the Kahler 2700 Falcrum trem.

I was expecting a Floyd style locking nut. That's what the catalog pics showed. It came with the Kahler Flip lock. Hated the flip lock.

Sent it back.

Instead of just replacing the fliplock and nut with a FLoyd nut, the built me an entire new guitar.

2. This '89 DC127.

They threw in the ST body option and coil taps (a option at that time)

for free. And built it with a Schaller Floyd II instead of the Kahler.

Covered under warranty and 10 day trial period. No cost to me.

That Schaller Floyd II eventually stripped on me. They have a very soft base.

And the saddle screw holes strip easely. Carvin's fault? No, Schallers.

I returned the guitar. Carvin removed the Schaller trem and rerouted the guitar and placed a Kahler Steeler trem in.

Again no charge. Covered under warranty.

Schaller has since placed inserts into the their licensed Floyd to prevent stripping. So, apparantly I'm not the only one who had issues with Schaller lic. trems.

 

3. This is my '94 Dc400.

Eventually had a crackling issue with the Switchcraft (yes, switchcraft) jack.

Carvin sent me one out immediately. Again, covered under waaranty. No charge.

 

4. My '02 DC727.

In '05 it developed a truss rod issue.

I sent it back to Carvin.

They looked it over.

And built me this.

My '05 DC727.

Again, covered under warranty. No Charge.

Excellent guitar.

 

This is why I "LIKE" Carvin.

When an issue does come up, they resolve it.

They stand behind their product.

It's one on one.

No dealer go between.

Me talking direct to them.

 

Don't we all wish we could talk directly to Gibson, Fender, or Ibanez when a issue arises?

 

5. Here's my late '88 or early '89 DC200.

Found it used around '93 or '94.

Doesn't have the actives.

Called Carvin about it.

They took the time to scrounge around and find the old wiring diagrams for the pre-actives electronics. Fairly quickly too.

And sent them out to me.

Again, no charge for the diagram.

It's a 2 vol. 2 tone layout with 3 way toggle, 2 coil taps and a phase switch.

They could have told me to pound sand.

 

Am I a Carvin fanboy? I say no.

I play other guitars as well.

Fernandes, Schecter, Parker, Diodati, Edwards.

I've had Gibson, Jackson, and Ibanez in the past as well.

 

But, that Yellow '89 Dc127 above is still my main guitar.

And all in all is holding up great.

I still think Carvin makes a great product.