The Carvin SH-550 Review

[randyc]

I'm sorry to be the bearer of ill tidings but the review will be delayed. It was scheduled to be completed right .... about .... NOW.

Some of you may recall that I drug my feet for quite a while before deciding to buy the guitar. The simple reason is that I have no need of it, I have an ES-135 that works well for a semi-hollow body role. While I don't seem to mind buying any number of quality hollow-body archtops, I was reluctant to purchase another semi-hollow.

I decided to go ahead and purchase the guitar for the reason that I believe Carvin is the most unappreciated guitar manufacturer in the world. I believe their products to be unparalleled and the cost of these high-quality instruments are on par with Chinese guitars that don't come close in material, workmanship, overall quality (and, I believe, do not have a lifetime warranty).

OK so I delayed for about a month ... then it took Carvin another month to produce the instrument with the various options that I specified. FINALLY the guitar was shipped to Bryan Davidson in St. Louis and the round of evaluations started. At the moment the guitar - having made it's way from Missouri to Illinois to Montana and to Texas - may not ever be seen in my home town of Eureka, California.

This is because a friend of LPDeluxe (LPD is evaluating the guitar at present) has decided that he can't live without the SH-550 and has bought it from me (in a second-party verbal contract, if such a thing exists). Further, LPDeluxe wants a long-time associate and fellow musician who is flying in from the East Coast in a couple of weeks to experience the instrument.

Although I'd hoped that the evaluation would be completed by this time, I sort of no longer own the instrument, LOL, so the current plan is for the review to be completed by the first week of August. As planned from the beginning, my role will be to collate and summarize the reviews of the others.

Sorry for the delay and I hope that when the evaluation gets published here it will have been worth the wait.

Cheers,
Randy

[derek]

Funny story Randy. That sort of thing happens all the time with test drive programs I guess. I was supposed to get a Malinoski last week of June/first week of July. Still hasn't come, and may not, as the two guys before me on the list have kept it much longer than they are supposed to. The guy who has it now may buy it. If he does, Pete will send me another.

So I guess it is good the Carvin made the rounds for review and found a home. Whether this week or next month, I look forward to the findings. Thanks for the update.

Btw, if you want some seriously cool, but a bit out there guitar designs, check the Malinoski site here. I am to test drive the teleish looking model (Rodeo).

Peter MalinoskiArt Guitars

[lpdeluxe]

Being the guilty party in this conspiracy, I'll confess to delay but not to dragging my feet. I will probably curtail the formal evaluation, since this is a guitar that does not require a lot of time to come to a decision about its merits. It will take a few days for the guitar to be photographed (since it's not returning to Randy to allow him perform that function) and I will write up my own part of the report without the input of my East Coast friend. Yes, I want his opinion, but the guitar will be on hand and I can't imagine his views will differ from mine and the person who is buying the guitar from Randy.

I hope to have it wrapped up for Randy in a week; he will then assemble the different evaluations and publish the results here.

[bluemood]

What are the specs of your guitar fret size ECT? Thanks

[randyc]

bluemood, Carvin offers a selection of fretwire and I believe I chose medium jumbo for the frets on the guitar. I can probably find the order confirmation if I look back over old e-mails. If so, I'll post it in the final review.

LPD, sounds good - you can always append your buddy's impressions to the thread after it's been posted.

[Squint]

well, i guess the $ I pulled out of the 401K will go back in there.

I was waiting to order one until I saw the reviews.

But there is a Campbell American Nelsonic Transitone at McCabe's that I've had my eye on...

If it's still there, I might just pick it up Saturday.

One window closes, another opens, as they say...

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...26tbs%3Disch:1

And some info from Seymour Duncan
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...26tbs%3Disch:1

[msr13]

I am looking forward to the pics and the review when they are ready. Frankly, I think the best review is that it didn't even make it to Randy before someone insisted on keeping. Pretty good statement, there!

[Steve Z]

As like others, I am looking forward to the review when it is completed and I appreciate the time the reviewers are taking to complete the task. No pressure on the time, but the latest Carvin catalog has a sale for a month or so... 1/2 price on options! I will not be purchasing a new guitar anytime soon, but if others decide the Carvin SH550 sounds like the right guitar for them, this sale could save a few hundred dollars depending on options.


Cheers,
Steve

[lpdeluxe]

I have finished a draft of my section, and now the only thing lacking is photographs. The buyer is a photographer (among other talents) so I don't expect to wait long.

[randyc]

Originally Posted by derek

... I was supposed to get a Malinoski last week of June/first week of July. Still hasn't come, and may not, as the two guys before me on the list have kept it much longer than they are supposed to...

LOL, I feel your pain, Derek.

I wish that there was a source of unbiased reviews. Manufacturers' hype, magazine evaluations (that depend on advertising income) or what passes for "honesty" on Harmony Central aren't credible to those who have passed two-score years or so in age ...

The auto-defense mechanism engages the moment one plunks down currency for ANY product - not just a guitar or an amplifier. The most fiercely defensive commentary usually originates from purchasers of the least expensive products. I've read maybe THREE reviews (from buyers) that were unbiased, based on informed comparison with similar or superior products. (I intend to expand on this concept in the SH-550 review.)

Note that my definition of "unbiased" is dependant on my "bias", of course.

I thought to improve <slightly> on the evaluation process but this is hard work, even with volunteer labor, LOL. I attempt to state what is measurable and observable. The tactile, tonal, colorative, emotional, artistic context of these tools is the responsibility of reviewers that have no financial stake in the evaluation - not even shipping costs.

Please NOTE that many forum members have handled, and passed along, expensive equipment entrusted to them. We have been as trustful of one another as if we'd known each other for years - perhaps representive of the membership of this forum. I've made many friends here and hope to meet more. (Sorry for the diversion.)

Manufacturers who provide individuals with product for evaluation rely upon our opinions of their work for obvious reasons - they hope for positive feedback. There is a substantial amount of disengenuous behavior in the process on both sides. (One must take care to prevent the apparent generosity of the manufacturer from influencing opinion.)

If the audience is not well-informed of the technology discussed and if the readers assume a level of expertise from the reviewers, it is especially important that evaluators express their opinions to the best of their experience and knowledge without external influence.

The process works - IF it works - because of the very different musicians involved in the evaluation. These guys are talented, possess years of experience at many musical genres, they are articulate at expressing their opinions and not the least bit hesitant to express them !

For what it's worth,
Randy

[Silentwiz]

Sheesh -- this is going to be one heck of a review! Can't wait!

[derek]

Originally Posted by randyc

LOL, I feel your pain, Derek.

I wish that there was a source of unbiased reviews. Manufacturers' hype, magazine evaluations (that depend on advertising income) or what passes for "honesty" on Harmony Central aren't credible to those who have passed two-score years or so in age ...

The auto-defense mechanism engages the moment one plunks down currency for ANY product - not just a guitar or an amplifier. The most fiercely defensive commentary usually originates from purchasers of the least expensive products. I've read maybe THREE reviews (from buyers) that were unbiased, based on informed comparison with similar or superior products. (I intend to expand on this concept in the SH-550 review.)

Note that my definition of "unbiased" is dependant on my "bias", of course.

I thought to improve <slightly> on the evaluation process but this is hard work, even with volunteer labor, LOL. I attempt to state what is measurable and observable. The tactile, tonal, colorative, emotional, artistic context of these tools is the responsibility of reviewers that have no financial stake in the evaluation - not even shipping costs.

Please NOTE that many forum members have handled, and passed along, expensive equipment entrusted to them. We have been as trustful of one another as if we'd known each other for years - perhaps representive of the membership of this forum. I've made many friends here and hope to meet more. (Sorry for the diversion.)

Manufacturers who provide individuals with product for evaluation rely upon our opinions of their work for obvious reasons - they hope for positive feedback. There is a substantial amount of disengenuous behavior in the process on both sides. (One must take care to prevent the apparent generosity of the manufacturer from influencing opinion.)

If the audience is not well-informed of the technology discussed and if the readers assume a level of expertise from the reviewers, it is especially important that evaluators express their opinions to the best of their experience and knowledge without external influence.

The process works - IF it works - because of the very different musicians involved in the evaluation. These guys are talented, possess years of experience at many musical genres, they are articulate at expressing their opinions and not the least bit hesitant to express them !

For what it's worth,
Randy

Matt, Dale & I decided early on that we would be as objective as possible in our reviews of gear with the podcasts we do. However, it never pays to be negative about anyone's work imo. I would rather return the item and not conduct a review than pan someone's work, whether online or in a publication.

As a general forum member, I have no problem talking about my experiences with various instruments and gear. I am a consumer like everyone else, and my ears/hands favor certain brands/models over others. So if I have a negative experience with such, I will mention it, but try to temper it.

That is probably why I like youtube demos so much, especially in the hands of guys who can play. That way I can hear/experience for myself, just short of having it in hand.

[Silentwiz]

Is there a single place that houses these reviews/youtube demos? Please link.

[randyc]

Originally Posted by derek

Matt, Dale & I decided early on that we would be as objective as possible in our reviews of gear with the podcasts we do. However, it never pays to be negative about anyone's work imo. I would rather return the item and not conduct a review than pan someone's work, whether online or in a publication.

As a general forum member, I have no problem talking about my experiences with various instruments and gear. I am a consumer like everyone else, and my ears/hands favor certain brands/models over others. So if I have a negative experience with such, I will mention it, but try to temper it.

That is probably why I like youtube demos so much, especially in the hands of guys who can play. That way I can hear/experience for myself, just short of having it in hand.

Derek, my comments were generic - NOT directed at you (or anyone else on the forum - just indulging my crankiness.

Cheers,
Randy

[derek]

Originally Posted by randyc

Derek, my comments were generic - NOT directed at you (or anyone else on the forum - just indulging my crankiness.

Cheers,
Randy

Oh, I didn't take it that way at all. Just your post got me thinking about the whole notion of conducting reviews and the paradigm one works from. I quoted you because I wanted to give you credit for stimulating my thoughts.

[lpdeluxe]

Randy has my evaluation, and I hope to photograph the guitar tomorrow (don't ask -- too many things going on!) and once I do that I will e-mail the pics to Mr Randy.

[randyc]

Maybe someone will mail me a check, too

Cheers,
Randy

[musicalbodger]

Originally Posted by randyc

Please NOTE that many forum members have handled, and passed along, expensive equipment entrusted to them. We have been as trustful of one another as if we'd known each other for years - perhaps representive of the membership of this forum. I've made many friends here and hope to meet more.

That, for me, is probably the most encouraging, thought provoking and uplifting aspect of the whole enterprise.