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so, i once had a friend who had a carvin. i played with it a couple times but this was before i got into jazz. i remember it being really nice, easy to play and cool variation of sounds. could anyone fill me in of what i have missed? would it be good for jazz? is it really that good for it's money (something my friend bragged about)?
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12-01-2007 02:08 PM
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I have been a Carvin owner, and have a buddy who has a couple. Carvin are a tremendous value for a US made instrument. They have some of the finest necks I have played, and have a wonderful system for putting together what you want.
The down side is, you can't really play before you buy, and I am not familiar with their return policy. They don't have a jazz model per se, but the Alan Holdsworth model intrigues me for jazz. I have heard a guy play one in a straight ahead jazz quartet. It was fine. Jazz can be played on any guitar, so it is up to you regarding what you think a good jazz guitar is.
I don't like their pickups, and their resale value is not very good.
However, I would not hesitate to buy Carvin again based on my past experience. Great guitars for the price, excellent quality.
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I will start off saying that I have pretty messed up hands because of some RSI. So I am a little finicy about the size of the neck on a guitar. Now, I am sure whether you are a straight ahead product guy or if service matters to you. Some people don't care...I personally care a lot. I don't have a lot of expierence with guitar manufacturers but my expierence with Carvin is pretty horrible. Only once has a sales person been as rude to me as theirs.
To give you an idea, they say that there 10" radius neck "is like a strat" and their 14" radius neck "is like a classical guitar". When I said I need numbers if I am gonna buy a $1000+ guitar sight unseen they they say that ALL of their necks are 3/4" deep and 1 11/16 wide at the nut, for all 3 of sizes, 10,12 and 14" radius. I asked how that worked since a stanard nylon string accoustic (which they said there 14" was "like") has a fret board around 2.25" wide (though I have played some as narrow as 1.9") and a strat was much closer to 1.5" (maybe a tad more)... the response I got when I asked for more numbers (like circumference etc) was...
"The center of the neck does not change, but the edges do. I gave you the center measurement and the width. If you need the specific measurements there is enough information there to get the rest of the numbers. I do not have the circumference measurements of each neck. Sorry. "
That is the complete email response. So I suppose maybe I am just really slow but I don't see that it is possible to have a 10" radius neck like a "strat" and a 14" radius neck like a "classical" and have them have the exact same diameter, width and depth. Nor will I ever understand since they told me in the next e-mail "I've answered this question as much as you need, if you have anything else you want to know please let me know. Otherwise if the answer isn't sufficent you may take your business elsewhere."
So I will and if it is too much work for them to offer diagrams showing the shape, measurements ect of their necks, especially when you have to buy sight unseen I can't imagine that Carvin will have the longevity of some of the "name brand" guitars...
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12-29-2007, 03:47 PM #4Jazzarian GuestCarvin should name it's next model "The Turkey".
Originally Posted by djibouti
Thus one would have:
Carvin "The Turkey" Model
:}
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Imagine (draw it, if you have to) a tube that has 10" radius and another tube with a 14" radius, you will see that you can cut out the necks sizes that the Carvin rep told you (i.e. 3/4" deep and 1 11/16 wide). The 14" radius will be "like" a classical guitar because it will feel flatter compared to the 10" radius. Originally Posted by MichaelJohnson@noirmusic.
As for their longevity, they have been around since 1946. That's a long time. And they have managed to stay in business and compete with big box stores by selling direct. So they must be doing something right.
My experience with Carvin has been good, but I have never bought a guitar from them. I did buy buy a couple of guitar amps and my old band bought PA equipment from them. Their service was good when I had issues with my amp. And my band had no problems returning some of the PA equipment that we did not like. However, I do not know what their return policy is for custom ordered guitars.
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If someone wants to use Carvin they are welcome to do it. I would just be aware that the staff are often extremely rude. Just go to harmonycentral.com or any other review site and look up Carvin. Often the instruments themselves score a 10 (or9) but the service often gets a 0 or 1 . The fact that they are willing on email 3 from a polite customer to say "Take your business elswhere" is ridiculous. So I did, and I suggest anyone who doesn't want to be treated like trash go with a company who wants their $1000.
I appreciate your comments regarding what Carvin means by Radii. I just wish their sales people understood it. Also I know what you are saying but if you are right the numbers they give have to be wrong. Just to give you an idea of how off that concept is...
Radius = 10 (described as a fender style neck or a soft V by some)
10=C/2pi
10=C/2.82
2.82(10)=C
28.2=C
So if the neck were actually a 10" radius neck it would be over 2' in circumference. Now try drawing a 28" circle and if they were referering to a 1 11/16" line segment of a 28" circle it would have nowhere near a "V" shape fender neck and a radius based on 14"? Would be almost flat. Also for comparison I talked to Fender and they gave me a measured diagrahm with circumference, width of fret board and widest and narrrowest, how thick the neck was...lots of usable information and if I didn't feel like I really connected with the person I e-mailed, well it IS e-mail and was a business inquiry. Up to the user really...
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While I empathize with your experience, one of the reasons Carvin guitars cost about half of what they probably should, is they do not employ a bunch of sales, customer service and other staff to handle such queries.
I work in a company where customer service is very important, and only in very difficult situations do I suggest a potential customer take their biz elsewhere. What would have been more appropriate in your situation, would be something along the lines of "I am sorry, but I am not able to answer your question any further than I have." or something to that effect.
Having said that, their price points are similar to Fender's for US made instruments, and frankly, I don't think Fender makes a product that compares with Carvin. PRS is the only company that readily comes to mind that does, and I have owned 4 PRS guitars, and they cost 2-3 tmes more than Carvins do.
I am particularly interested in Carvin's new semihollow archtop.
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Are Carvins really that much better in quality or is it just the pretty custom finishes? The reason I needed so much info is I can't find Carvins to play locally. As someone who clearly has a good feel for there instruments what makes them dollar for dollar better then say LP or Fender?
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As I said upstream a bit, I have owned Carvin, have a buddy who owns 2-3, and I have played others. I don't particularly like their pups, but I think they are wonderfully made guitars.
Fit and finish is as good as any I have seen. As you say, pretty finishes, but with most guitars, after a certain price, you are basically paying for eye candy with solid body guitars. Same with PRS and others of that ilk.
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The V that people describe on a fender neck is not the fretboard radius. It's the back of the neck. I have a 50's style strat and it has the "V" neck. And the formula for the circumference of a circle is 2*PI*Radius. PI is 3.14. So the circumference is 2*3.14*10 = 62.8". Originally Posted by MichaelJohnson@noirmusic.
I probably should have explained it better. So I'll try again...
Picture a wooden tube with 10" outer radius and inner radius of 9.25" and the length of a guitar neck. That means the wall of the tube is 3/4" thick (i.e. the neck thickness). The outer wall is the fretboard radius and the inner wall is the back of the neck. Now cut the tube lengthwise into 1 11/16 pieces. Now you have long pieces of wood with outer part having a 10" radius and 3/4" thick. The back you can carve to a "V", "C", "D" etc..., but the outer still has the 10" radius. This is your fretboard radius.
-FunkyE9th
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I did more digging and according to Fender a standard Strat neck would be a 9" and a slim Fender neck would be 8.5" So to say that the 10" of a Carvin was like a strats was misleading. Which makes sense since a 1 11.16" neck won't be the same as a 1.5" neck.
I do appreciate the analogy you gave. If you were a Carvin Rep I'd probably be a Carvin owner....
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Yeah actually still more digging, and arguing and I finally figured out what the hell was goin' on. Although it is a NECK option the 10", 12" and 14" radius is for the fretboard, which explains the ubber shallowness. Being from a classical background I've never had a guitar with a rounded fretboard but that was what they were talking about.
Final thought....as frustrating as people can be....in the end it is the guitar that matters more then who sells it to you....
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01-27-2008, 01:18 PM #13Jazzarian Guest Originally Posted by derek
Tell me Derek, have you seen this?
https://www.carvinguitars.com/catalo...hp?model=sh575
Looks to be the ultimate Swiss Army Knife of guitars! Even for just jazz, it's bound to make an ES175 or ES335 look bad in comparison.
Besides, it looks drop dead gorgeous. Not that I "need" another guitar (got 10?), but I'd love one of these.
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I'm seriously thinking about buying an SH575. I have a Godin Multiac for playing through the VG88 (and the nylon tone doesn't really work with most of the models) plus my old solid body from high school (back in the early middle-ages) plus my main axe - a pre-lawsuit Ibanez 175 copy. I'm hoping to reclaim some space by trading all of those in for an SH575 plus a "real" classical. (I'll keep my Ovation, or trade up for a Taylor some day, post-lottery...)
SO - does anyone have one of these baby's? All my research says the magnetic pickups have great tone, and the videos on the Carvin site show some nice jazz being played. That's my main requirement. The rock, piezo, and synth tones are secondary. Will I be disappointed in the jazz tone?
Is Carvin's quality control reliable enough to say that the one they make for me will sound as good and play as well as any other? Or is it just a crapshoot? I HATE buying guitars that I haven't played - especially expensive ones, like this one.
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Derek,
As an alternative for a PRS style guitar, check out an Ibanez SZ4020 Prestige. Mahogany body, Flamed Maple top, Neck-Thru, Seymour Duncan Pups...
List in $1733, musicians friend has it as a clearance at $799. You could use that info to bargain at your local music store.
To me this is a better value than a similar model from Carvin. And I've compared... I live 20 minutes from the Carvin factory so I'm lucky enough to go to the factory and try the guitars there.
And you said you don't like the Carvin pups, maybe you'll like the seymor duncans on the Ibanez.
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i own a carvin strat in the early 90s and it was a decent guitar. but sold it and bought a zion strat. since i own a carvin belair guitar amp it was okay, then last year i purchase a br615 400 watt bass amp that turn out to be a pain in the butt, iam in texas and they are in calif. it crap out few days after warranty had to resolder most of the solder joints. go to carvins own forum and read the complaints. for the money you pay for a sh575 you could buy a decent used anything iam done with carvin.
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I have 2 Carvins, and one is the best guitar I've ever played, the other is meh, but it was a gift because he dropped many times which angled the neck oddly... :P
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Hi all,
I have a Carvin CT3 and love it. It's a great guitar with a set-in neck and for the price it can't be beat. Custom made, and not just "Custom" as in another model in some manufacturers lineup, is always nice.
As for the review period? You get a full ten days to review it once you receive the guitar. If you don't like it send it back. I'm pretty sure that's where all the "guitars in stock" come from. But unless you're made of money and have played tons of $$$$$$ guitars I doubt you'll send yours back.
Carvin.com - Guitars, Amplifiers & Pro Audio: Why Buy From Carvin?
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I've had a lot of Carvin gear, including one bass. I owned PA main and monitor speakers, several stereo power amps, a headphone amp, and probably two or three other items I can't recall. The only issue I ever had was a monitor speaker with a scraping coil. The power amp I bought in 1982 is still going strong (now owned by someone else).
The instruments are the question here, however, and I offer my experience.
I ordered an LB20 bass in the summer of 2000, with a solid mahogany body and neck (this was before all the fingerboard radius options). It arrived in October, and it was a gorgeous natural mahogany, with a thin neck and a glassy finish. The build quality was close to perfect. Since then, I have seen a video of their CNC shaping machines, and I'm sure they get great consistency as a result.
The wood was flawless: a finely finished ebony fingerboard and clear grain mahogany. The electronics were neatly shielded, and each of the back plate screws threaded into a brass insert, rather than directly into the wood. For the price, it was a spectacular piece of work.
I was using it almost exclusively for recording, and it worked great. Difficulties surfaced when I began gigging with it. It turned out that, ergonomically, it wasn't suited to me to stand up and play 4 45" sets a night. I eventually traded it off and now gig regularly (and comfortably) with a Fender Precision.
So the caveat is, the shape may well not suit you, and there's no way to tell until you have one in your hands. Carvin has a return policy, which is good, and in my experience -- and I understand others have had different stories to tell -- the telephone reps were always helpful and courteous, even when I wanted something not listed in their catalog or online (this happened with a studio monitor speaker that needed a replacement driver).
Personally, I think the 575 is a gorgeous instrument, but I already have a blonde 335, so I'm not in the market.
Speaking of market, be aware that resale value on Carvins tends to be low, unless you happen to have one of the very few models that are sought after on the used marketplace.
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I've had a number of Carvins over the years. I've had nothing but great experiences with them. I have definately heard horror stories as well but
that has not been my experience.
Long story short I bought a bass on e-bay that had a bow in the neck. In trying to straighten it the truss rod nut popped off. My fault, so I was stuck with it.
I contacted the company to see if they could help me out.
Even though it was not a warranty issue they offered to rebuild the bass for me for a very reasonable price. ($350) It was a neck-thru koa instrument and they built a totally new body and neck using the original hardware. In this case I found them to be very responsive and timely in my dealings with them.
I had a TL60FA, C66C, LB-75, LB-20 and my favorite a Holdworth HF2 Fatboy. All nice guitars none of which I still own. No reflection on their quality but I went through a crazy binge of buying/selling/trading a couple years ago. I'd be glad to have any of them back.
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I bought a Carvin DC-150 in 1976, still have it. It was probably the best value for the money I've ever obtained. I have 14 guitars, five of which are Gibsons, two Fenders, A Guild, and so forth. The Carvin performs as well as any - better than most - in the areas for which it was designed.
Cheers !
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09-04-2009, 04:51 PM #22Jazzarian Guest Originally Posted by lpdeluxe
I've had a lot of Carvin gear, including one bass. I owned PA main and monitor speakers, several stereo power amps, a headphone amp, and probably two or three other items I can't recall. The only issue I ever had was a monitor speaker with a scraping coil. The power amp I bought in 1982 is still going strong (now owned by someone else).
The instruments are the question here, however, and I offer my experience.
I ordered an LB20 bass in the summer of 2000, with a solid mahogany body and neck (this was before all the fingerboard radius options). It arrived in October, and it was a gorgeous natural mahogany, with a thin neck and a glassy finish. The build quality was close to perfect. Since then, I have seen a video of their CNC shaping machines, and I'm sure they get great consistency as a result.
The wood was flawless: a finely finished ebony fingerboard and clear grain mahogany. The electronics were neatly shielded, and each of the back plate screws threaded into a brass insert, rather than directly into the wood. For the price, it was a spectacular piece of work.
I was using it almost exclusively for recording, and it worked great. Difficulties surfaced when I began gigging with it. It turned out that, ergonomically, it wasn't suited to me to stand up and play 4 45" sets a night. I eventually traded it off and now gig regularly (and comfortably) with a Fender Precision.
So the caveat is, the shape may well not suit you, and there's no way to tell until you have one in your hands. Carvin has a return policy, which is good, and in my experience -- and I understand others have had different stories to tell -- the telephone reps were always helpful and courteous, even when I wanted something not listed in their catalog or online (this happened with a studio monitor speaker that needed a replacement driver).
Personally, I think the 575 is a gorgeous instrument, but I already have a blonde 335, so I'm not in the market.
Speaking of market, be aware that resale value on Carvins tends to be low, unless you happen to have one of the very few models that are sought after on the used marketplace.
I've got lots of guitars, but I'd still love to have a Carvin SH575, just "to have". It's like a Les Paul, ES335, Taylor 614 and Fender-Roland Strat all it one.
The ultimate "if you could have just one guitar........"
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The only way I can keep my herd under control is through strict culling when I acquire something new. Soon I'll get a new bass, and two basses will leave...I have the old Samick archtop which is surplus to requirements, plus it's a full-depth jazzbo so it takes up the room of two electrics in my case rack.... Originally Posted by Jazzarian
But I'd love to have a 575. =sigh=
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Me too - good thing that these are mail order only, the chance of one sticking to me is somewhat diminished. Originally Posted by Jazzarian
cheers,
randyc
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I mentioned my guitar rack: it's a rack I made out of PVC, about 5' long, that holds about 10 guitars and basses in their cases. A good friend and his family visited and the friend reported that his wife was very impressed. "Because it looks so good?," I asked. "No, because it puts a limit on how many guitars you can own."
I try to live up to that credo.
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