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American Carvin guitars & amp


4Hayden

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4H

 

I'm a big fan of Joe Walsh.

 

And Carvin too.

Their PA gear (powered mixers, speaker cabs) are top-notch and tough as nails.

 

I recall also that Steve Vai has worked with Carvin for many years, and his Evolution series amplifiers are made by Carvin.

 

I can't say, though, that I have ever held or touched too many Carvin guitars.

Just not that many around on the used guitar market.

 

Probably because they were custom-ordered, and the original owners cherish them and hang onto them.

 

[mellow]

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I've never played any of their guitars, but they certainly look great and sound great from the clips I've seen. I'm confident they play very nicely too.

 

I've had the Steve Via signature Legacy amp for several years now. I love that amp. It's got a unique tone. I would describe it as deep, dark, rich...and loud cool.gif

 

 

mHbfeGv.jpg

 

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Interesting.

 

I had heard about Carvin amps since way back in the late '70s but I've never seen one of their guitars hanging on the wall of a dealership.

After a quick google I see that they have now reverted to the family name of 'Kiesel'.

Some very flashy stuff on offer!

 

Pip.

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Interesting.

 

I had heard about Carvin amps since way back in the late '70s but I've never seen one of their guitars hanging on the wall of a dealership.

After a quick google I see that they have now reverted to the family name of 'Kiesel'.

Some very flashy stuff on offer!

 

Pip.

I've only seen them do retail sales out of their shop in Hollywood. Most of their guitars are way too gaudy looking for my taste, but some people love them.

 

About 8 or 9 years ago my friend and I picked up a Carvin X100B half stack from Craigslist for $200. That was a while ago but their resale value has always been poor, so it is possible to find a nice Carvin amp for dirt cheap

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I've run into and played exactly 2(two) Carvin guitars and exactly 1(one) Carvin amp since 1971. I've seen and used a bunch of PA stuff though.

 

Both guitars were spectacularly unspectacular, and this was when everyone was trying every alternative to Fender and Gibson. Carvin was definitely not it. I don't know if they are so rare because they are so coveted by their owners of if they just don't move that many guitars.

 

The amp was a bees nest of various buzzes, pops, hisses, and clanks. NOT a worthy competitor to the Twin like Traynor and Ampeg at the time.

 

PA stuff has always been PA stuff, I don't much care about it. We don't own any Carvin, but we interact with a couple bands that both have something, bottom bins or mixers or something. I don't pay much mind so I couldn't tell you.

 

rct

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I haven't heard a Carvin amp in person, but they've gotten some pretty strong endorsements.

 

I've owned an SH550, semi-hollow guitar for a little over five years. It is the most playable guitar I own, and for that reason, the most played. It is also the prettiest guitar I own, and one of the prettiest I've ever seen. The pickups are stock S22 split coil humbuckers. They have a high output, but also, great definition from top to bottom with a brightness you don't find in any Gibson humbucker... more like P90s in tone when split. Some call them lifeless and without character. I guess it just depends what you're looking for. I like them. Made in the USA, better quality than Gibson at half the price. A very solid guitar.

 

People who don't like them generally don't care for their stock pickups. Kiesel is experimenting with new pickups. It'll be interesting to see how that develops. If I had to trade mine out, I'd switch them out for some kind of boutique Burstbucker-type. Their resale value is nothing like a Gibson, and the perception is the brand is not popular. That thinking only helps the buyer. Their business model is working.

 

When they come out with a hollow bodied jazz box, that will be my last guitar.

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...I know Joe is sober but man he looked out there.

According to Joe, he only got drunk once. It lasted for 30 years, but it was only once LOL.

 

Back on topic, Joe has good taste. I bought the same Carvin (CT-6) 8-9 years ago, albeit with different fret markers. A couple of things:

I live near their Santa Ana store so went in there after looking at the website. Their "sales" people could not have been more helpful with questions, suggestions, etc. and low pressure to make the sale. If it happened, it happened, they just wanted me to be happy and satisfied.

They do most of their sales online, and if you don't like it when you get it, send it back, no questions asked.

Too lazy to go look up what p/u's I ordered, but this will do everthing that my MIM Strat does and then some, thanks to coil splitting.

Fit, finish, quality, etc. is on a par or better than any other mfgr I own (Gibby, Gretsch, Epi, Fender, etc.)

Resale does in fact suck, so don't plan on it as an investment.

Haven't tried their amps, but they come highly recommended.

As always, YMMV, and this is IMHO only.

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Man, I used to spend hours ogling the Carvin catalog as a teenager - they would send them to anyone, even kids with no money! [thumbup] I have owned a few pieces of their gear since then...

 

I have had a 1982 Carvin LB50 bass since about 1990. It's probably got the lowest action of any bass I've ever played. Super smooth and easy to play with an ebony fretboard.

 

My trio owns a small Carvin PA and it has performed very well for a few years now. It is powerful for its size and weight.

 

I owned a Carvin X100B tube head for a couple years. I was not a fan of it's overdriven sound, but if you want a powerful and reliable tube head and only have a couple hundred bucks, they cannot be beat.

 

That's all I got. Overall my experience with the brand has been nothing but positive.

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I've got a Carvin B-4 fret less bass w/ebony fret board, about 17 years old. Was a kit my wife got me for birthday. Went together beautifully and is a darn sight lighter than my Fender P- bass. have had PA, condenser mics, studio mics, cables, wireless set ups, amps, etc all bullet proof and rock solid. And for the most part made in the USA. Love their stuff.

TC

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This video is the one I saw that caused me to put up the topic of do your strings line up with your pole pieces.

 

From the replies it seems no one on this forum cares if they do or not. I had never really looked at it before I saw this vid.

 

As to Carvin equipment, I never owned any. But a guitar player I was in a band with for about 20 years ordered an amp from them once. He played a couple gigs with it and decided he didn't care for it. It was plenty loud, but he couldn't get the tones he wanted. He sent it back and they gave him a full refund no questions asked and he got a Fender instead.

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I've never owned a Carvin guitar, but I own a pair of passive speakers and a pair of active speakers.

 

They sound better than the EONs and Mackies of the same woofer size and cost less. Better bass response and tighter mids. I tried the EONs, Mackies, Samsons, Peaveys and a few others before I got the Carvins.

 

 

Insights and incites by Notes

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Interesting on different views toward Carvin. I discovered them several years back and fell in love with the SH 575 Synth. Listened to a few played on video but then found you have to buy more stuff to make them play different instruments. Thought it might be fun to play around with but never bought one.

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