Opinions on the Carvin Cobalt C980T?

[JoshuaLogan]

I'm thinking about buying a new acoustic, and the Carvin Cobalt C980T kinda caught my eye... looks pretty nice. just wondering if anyone here owns one or has played one and what you all think about it?

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Never played one, myself, but Boggs swears by 'em, and his is an opinion worth listening to. I believe they're built by Cort in China, same as many Epis, Alvarezes, etc.

 

I've been using Carvin PA and bass gear for about 30 years and haven't had a bad piece yet...they stand behind what they sell, so if you're not happy w/ it, you can send it back w/o any hassle.

[0rbitz9]

I've owned a C980T for a year now. I've been very happy with it. It's built

like a tank, plays easy and sounds great. The Fishman pickup system offers

a lot of tonal flexibility, and is very good at filtering out feedback at loud

volume levels, without killing the tone. It doesn't have quite as much bottom

end as I expected for a jumbo body guitar, but I'm still happy with the sound.

The onboard tuner is a great feature. Lately I've been using my Carvin to

play in a few different alternative tunings, since the tuner is so convenient.

 

The Cobalts are in fact made by Cort guitars in Korea. I also own a Cort

acoustic, which is also a wonderful guitar. My Carvin came with a little better

setup from the factory than my Cort, and also has better quality bridge pins.

You might want to take a look at this guitar to compare the simularities:

http://www.drclucks.net/fusemain.cfm?section=xpic&itemnumber=843

 

I also saw something recently on the Carvin discussion boards about the

Cobalts being backordered for a few weeks, so you might want to check

into that if you're seriously considering buying one.

[Hudman]

They are made by Cort to Carvin's standards.

 

Every guitar get's inspected and set up by Carvin in the USA before being shipped.

 

They seem to be very nice guitars. A bit expensive, but nice.

[jbschaufele]

I own a Carvin Cobalt C850. I love it. I bought it around 2001 (or whenevcer the second catalog came out after their introduction.) I was saving up for a Martin/Gibson/Taylor type of instrument, but my Seagull S6 cutaway started having action problems. So I decided to buy one, because I had enough $$$, it was rosewood, and I love Carvin gear. I took the plunge. I have never been sorry (except I paid about $150-$200 more than then the price they are selling for now.) IMHO, It blows away the tone and playability of similarly priced Takamines and Washburns and Seagulls. It isn't a Martin D-35, but what else is. For the price, I don't believe you can beat the Cobalt. I was thinking about saving up for a C980T, because I want a bigger sound. But I think I will hold out for my D-35 this time.

 

BTW, the problem with my S6 cutaway was me not the instrument. I had apparently way over adjusted the truss rod. I got a pro setup and re-strining from the Appalachian Bluegrass shop nearby, and it plays like a beauty again. I wish I had taken better care of her. Oh well, my daughter is enjoying it now. (She finally has an ear and can hear that real wood sounds better than that crappy plastic Ovation sound.)

 

JS

[LiveMusic]

I'm thinking about buying a new acoustic, and the Carvin Cobalt C980T kinda caught my eye... looks pretty nice. just wondering if anyone here owns one or has played one and what you all think about it?

 

I have a 780 I'll sell. I've bragged on it for years. I bought the 780 because I didn't want to pay so much extra for a little bit of bling. I am getting ready to thin the herd, I have way too many guitars and I am moving and I have been upgrading to higher end guitars for awhile now. I bought this Carvin a few years back because people on here bragged on their quality and I was told it would play like a Taylor -- easy! And that is very true, it has great action.

[Cortfan]

The Cobalt line is indeed built by Cort, but I'm pretty sure they moved operations to China a few years back. Check the label to confirm. Still very nice guitars.