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Carvin guitars. Anyone besides me lose the love?

8K views 64 replies 31 participants last post by  Christopher Bechtel 
#1 ·
Im asking this question because ive noticed something about myself concerning carvin guitars and im curious as to how many other people might feel the same way to verify im not bonkers. If you are a fan of carvin guitar by all means that is awesome. I know many people are happy with them and if that is the case for you then this thread simply doesnt apply to you.

My issue with them is that in my experience they make a beautiful guitar. Many of the guitars Ive ordered or picked up used have been as close to physical perfection as humanly possible. Paint is always flawless. The woods always have tons of figure. But I have to say most of them that I have owned sound and feel dead. Now mind you Ive been a carvin fanboy since 2005. I nearly played them exclusively for that long. In those years I have owned over 10 of their instruments. And out of those 10 only one of them sticks out in my mind as actually being a keeper.

The issues I had with them is that they for the most part sounded dead. You know that sound you get when you have old strings on your guitar? Thats what most of them sounded like even with fresh cobalts on them. I also noticed that the ones that were really really bad in the tone department were exceptionally heavy weight wise. Im curious if carvin is drying their wood properly. In my long membership on carvin devoted forums I have witnessed several paint separation issues and Im wondering if the wood on some of their instruments have too much moisture left in them creating that dull feel and sound as well as the paint issues. Its either that or maybe they just werent for me?

I am curious though how the people who have stopped playing carvin guitars feel about them and why they may have moved on. Some people just upgrade to higher prestige brands and never look back. Im more looking for responses with those who actually felt that the carvin product is somehow inferior. I dont believe I'm the only one as I seem to see carvin fans cycling through carvin guitars very quickly. It seems that within 6 months to a year nearly every carvin NGD ends up on the chopping block. Many times I see the same exact guitar never finding a permanent home. Thoughts?
 
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#2 ·
That has ALWAYS been my problem with Carvin. I've maybe played three over the years that I would consider worth owning. Most of them are shrill and dead above the twelfth fret.
 
#4 ·
You got lucky, although I've heard the CT and CS line are much better than the DC line. I've played exactly one 7-string DC that wasn't a pile of crap.
 
#8 ·
I've played four or five Carvin basses, which were solid and excellent value for money.

I've played maybe three Carvin guitars: Chris's CS4, which is fantastic; my old guitarist's CT4, which was incredible; and Eric's Bolt, which was excellent. I haven't spent any appreciable time with the DC series.
 
#9 ·
I've owned numerous Carvins that dated from the early '80s all the way up to the mid 2000s, and I've always found the DC line to be shrill-sounding and not very lively. The pre-1988 setneck DCs were better in that regard, but still not great. The CT and CS guitars are entirely different, and I've liked the ones I've played (never owned one, though).

The sonic problems with the DCs seem partially tied to their thin bodies. The bodies are a good 1/2" thinner than a Jackson Soloist, and that does make a difference. However, that can't explain it all. It's not the pickups, since even DCs where I swapped pickups still sounded crappy. It could be related to the truss-rods, or it could be how the neckthru portion is constructed so that the strings sit pretty high off the body. I just don't know. Even all-mahogany DCs aren't as warm or rich as a Gibson SG, which has an even thinner body. :shrug:
 
#19 ·
I think that in the case of the DCs, some of them are just a little less awesome than they look, but acceptable considering how much you get for the price. I think the other half of the equation can be chalked up to cork-sniffing gear mongers who overstate how "bad" they sound.

My 727 was meh, but with decent pickups it was certainly a decent guitar for the ~$600 or something that I paid for it.
 
#22 ·
Basically, it seems to be the non-DCs are well-thought of (Bolts, Holdsworth, CT, CS) :lol:
 
#28 ·
I had a XB76 for a while. It was solid, but the thing that killed it was a couple of dead spots on the fingerboard. That can happen to any bass from any builder, though. That and the pickups were uninspiring. Other than that, I'd definitely consider getting another. Especially now that you can epoxy your fingerboards.
 
#33 ·
Two of the best sounding Ibbys I've played were my Royal Blue 1527 and Vince's gun metal grey 7620. Awesome guitars. I still love my current Ibbys to this day, and will never part with them.

The DC I had was dead. Seriously sounded like 100 year old strings with a brand new set. The only thing that redeemed the guitar was a set of EMGS which every guitar sound the same with them. I did have one CT that was goddly. INSANELY good sounding. But as usual I just got bored with it. My second CT624 was not the same. It was a floyd and I just didnt bond with it. There have only been 2 constants in my dislike of certain carvin guitars. 5 piece necks and walnut. The delaming finish issues though that I have seen and the dull sound really have me wondering about their kiln drying process. It sucks though. They are so damn pretty. If I could find one that played and sounded like they look it would be a good day in my life as a musician.

they will do it if you supply the wood or if they are experimenting with it at that time. That is how I snagged getting a CT made with a Black Limba body. Sold that one too. It was super nice but again, I didnt bond with it.

I thought the same thing. Hell I think I have defended carvins in the past using almost the exact same coining only I believe I called them "cork sniffing Tone mongers". But my situation is different. I actually played much more expensive guitars before I got into carvins and now believe it or not I have found a new home with the LTD elite line from esp of which I couldnt be more happy with. The only real differnce these days Is im now judging guitars with my fingers and my ears rather than my eyes and the opinions of those who I want to impress.
No, there's kind of a running joke about wenge necks, because I've got a Warmoth super Strat that while it's a really nice guitar, the neck shifts if you fart. I'm replacing it with a 1/4sawn maple neck with an ebony board at some point.
 
#42 · (Edited)
Sorry but I have to disagree except for the one guitar I previously mentioned. While this was the case with a single guitar that I admitted I simply got bored with the majority of the carvins I have owned I NEVER liked from the moment I played them. It wasnt as If I got the guitar and just loved it and eventually got bored with it like the single CT. Its a case where the guitar came in and I either wished I hadnt bought it used so I could return it or I wished I hadnt got option 50's so that I could again return it. Trust me, I have REALLY been trying my hardest to love carvin guitars. On paper on as far as looks go they are very very impressive.
I have tried pickup swaps, bridge swaps, and various models. Ive had DC's, CT's, Ultra V's and even an SH550 hollow body. I may try them again but I may try the C66 next. And it will for sure NOT have a multi piece neck. But after 10+ plus instruments, one tends to get discouraged.

Hmm, this may hinder/help my DC800 GAS. I played one earlier this year that was great, but if it was the best of a bad bunch like it sounds, maybe I'd be better looking elsewhere anyway. That or only ever buy one I can try in person.
hey dont let a few opinions on the internet deter you. Pick ANY brand of guitar and you will find people who both like and dislike the brand. I have NEVER found a single guitar brand that it was all positives. With that said my best advice is to just make sure that you 1. Order the guitar without option 50s. Anything special that isnt in the builder will mean you cant return it. and 2. Make sure that when it comes in you spend all 10 days of the trial period playing the hell out of the thing and make sure you truly like it. 3. Dont let the thrill/high of a new instrument cloud your judgement. If you find yourself going "i like it except for this, that and the other thing and I'm pretty sure a pickups swap and other stuff will make it better" then it may not be meant to be. Play the guitar acoustically. I have found that a truly good guitar will sound and feel amazing unplugged. I feel that your tone is only as good as its origins.
 
#35 ·
I have two DC747c's.
One koa with a maple top and one alder with a maple top.
The koa was my first and I put many hours into that guitar. Its a solid workhorse of a guitar. The sound was decent, not great but decent.
The alder one I got years later and its the same spec except for the body wood. The alder to me is a lot more lively and resonant. Has more of a focus on the low midrange. It also sets up better. I get better playability and action than the koa guitar.
I have a killer LB76p bass that rocks wholesale. I think I like their basses better than their guitars.:agreed:
 
#40 ·
I have owned 2 DC800's and both were stunning instruments. I still own one of them and it will never leave me. Resonant, alive, and some of the best wood choices I've ever seen. I love it to pieces.

It's just like anything though, you do get bad ones. I've tried a 6 and a 7 in the past that I really wasn't very impressed with at all.
 
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