Carvin DC-150

**randyc** · 01-28-2010, 12:14 AM

CarvinWorld.com - Guitars, Amplifiers & Pro Audio

With the combinations/permutations of finishes/wood/frets/pickups/etc available, WHEW, what a bargain it seems to be. The 1979 Carvin DC-150 was/is the best and most versatile solid body guitar I've ever owned (or played) which makes me curious about the incursion into semi-hollowbody territory. I'm "bi-curious"; surely someone must have purchased one by now? Please reveal all ...

**bkdavidson** · 01-28-2010, 12:23 AM

That looks pretty freakin' awesome.

**randyc** · 01-28-2010, 12:50 AM

Originally Posted by bkdavidson

That looks pretty freakin' awesome.

It IS an awesome looking guitar, better looking in their mail-order catalog than on the mediocre website. As a PRS owner you may appreciate this observation or take an opposing viewpoint but I always thought that PRS took a look at Carvin styling (too avant-garde ?), took a look at Gibson styling (McCarty was involved with PRS at the time) and decided that there was a middle ground for solid body guitars - not a bad idea, IMO.

(My old Carvin is styled after Gibson Melody-Maker instruments, fine with me. The later Carvins tended to be extreme, for my taste, and the PRS styling seemed to get it right, for solid bodies.) Here's my Carvin:

cheers,
randyc

**JohnRosett** · 01-28-2010, 12:31 PM

This is the Carvin that I lust for:

**Big Ron** · 01-28-2010, 12:56 PM

I like that guitar. Would be a lot like a hollow body Les Paul. How could you go wrong? As a value, driving any new guitar out of the showroom clobbers you with depreciation immediately, and especially with a Carvin.

Ron

**lpdeluxe** · 01-28-2010, 01:02 PM

I wish Carvin offered body binding on that model. If they did, I'd probably get a Bigsby-equipped SH550.

The guy I drove to Beaumont with last week when I got the Mesa/Boogie Walkabout Scout owns several Carvins. He pulled out his koa bass from the mid-'80s and, once again, I was amazed at its light weight. Unfortunately, its pickups are weak and later (including current) pickups won't fit. I suggested he take it to a tech to professionally install Carvin's J99s (Fender Jazz clones) in it -- my LB20 had them.

**cosmic gumbo** · 01-28-2010, 02:00 PM

The flat back of the guitar disappoints me. If it had a carved back I'd consider it as a real competitor in the market. A semi hollow with interior access from the back instead of the f-holes might appeal to some people. It is pretty.

**derek** · 01-28-2010, 05:11 PM

I have owned a couple of Carvin guitars, and I wouldn't hesitate to own Carvin again. They are very well made, and considering they are built here, you would be hard pressed to find a domestic maker who comes close to the quality for the price.

The only weakness I have consistently seen in their instruments is the pickups. I have never picked up a Carvin that I wouldn't have replaced the pups. However, I see pups as accessories and replace them on many guitars I have owned, so no big deal to me.

I have had my eye on this model since it first came out. Would love to test drive one for a couple of days. Let us know if you pull the trigger.

**randyc** · 01-28-2010, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by JohnRosett

This is the Carvin that I lust for:

That is COOL, do you have any historical information on that instrument, John?

Ron, you're right about Carvin + depreciation; mine, after thirty years is worth about what I paid for it, which means that it lost value. Really a shame considering that it replaced the Stratocaster and the Les Paul that I was using until obtaining the DC-150. I just don't get why they don't appreciate.

Thanks,
Randy

**Meggy** · 01-29-2010, 10:49 AM

Like the look of it a lot - would have the standard flame top with natural gloss finish plus mahogany body/neck. Then 14" radius and stainless jumbo frets. Maybe abalone dots or left unadorned on the fingerboard. Gold hardware I think, plus the Carvin headstock logo in abalone. Maybe rosewood knobs - would stick with the simple master volume and tone controls, plus coil tap push-pull. Might be nice to have the option of binding on the neck, although I can live without it. Of course the case to keep it safe. Somewhere over $1800, plus shipping to the UK... Anyone feeling generous, my birthday's only a few months away!

**JohnRosett** · 01-29-2010, 11:34 AM

Randy-Here's everything you would want to know about vintage Carvins: The Carvin Museum

I knew a guy years ago that lived in Eugene, OR that had a Carvin doubleneck guitar/mandolin. His had a Bigsby also. I sat in with his band and played it once, and it was really fun. It didn't weigh as much as most doublenecks due to the small body that was designed to fit in a standard rectangular guitar case.

**Big Ron** · 01-29-2010, 01:22 PM

This would probably be considered a bit much, but I was in a local guitar shop the other day and they had a used guitar that was one of the low cost imported brands that is designed to appeal to teenage rock stars to be, (and there is nothing wrong with that). It had a price tag of under $300 and had a really good looking but probably fake type finish on it. It was roughly shaped like a PRS Custom 24 and it had a very thin wide 24 fret set neck on it. Had active pickups. I plugged it into a good amp and played with the tone settings a bit and darn if the thing didn't play just about as good as anything I ever held, and had a very wide range of tones to it. Other than being a brand that most serious players would throw tomatoes at I liked it a lot. Maybe I can find a Gibson decal somewhere.

I sure dont need a shredder rocker rig but if I was just fooling around I might have picked that thing up. It really was pretty and played and sounded great.

Ron

**Meggy** · 01-30-2010, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by randyc

It IS an awesome looking guitar, better looking in their mail-order catalog than on the mediocre website. As a PRS owner you may appreciate this observation or take an opposing viewpoint but I always thought that PRS took a look at Carvin styling (too avant-garde ?), took a look at Gibson styling (McCarty was involved with PRS at the time) and decided that there was a middle ground for solid body guitars - not a bad idea, IMO.

(My old Carvin is styled after Gibson Melody-Maker instruments, fine with me. The later Carvins tended to be extreme, for my taste, and the PRS styling seemed to get it right, for solid bodies.) Here's my Carvin:

cheers,
randyc

I used to own a guitar that was a very similar shape to this (sold it about 25 years ago!) - a "Vantage" (Japanese made I guess), also with a 24 fret neck and 2 humbuckers. Quite nice to play as I remember, though not as well made as the Carvin but it didn't stay in place when used with a strap - the neck end always wanted to take a nosedive! Is the Carvin better in this regard Randy?

**Steve Z** · 01-30-2010, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by randyc

CarvinWorld.com - Guitars, Amplifiers & Pro Audio

With the combinations/permutations of finishes/wood/frets/pickups/etc available, WHEW, what a bargain it seems to be. The 1979 Carvin DC-150 was/is the best and most versatile solid body guitar I've ever owned (or played) which makes me curious about the incursion into semi-hollowbody territory. I'm "bi-curious"; surely someone must have purchased one by now? Please reveal all ...

The Carvin SH550 definitely is an intriguing guitar.

Premier Guitar review...
http://www.premierguitar.com/magazin...vin_SH550.aspx

Here is a video of Carvin describing the SH575, which is the same guitar as the SH550 with added 13pin midi...

A Youtube find of a sample of some sweet jazz tone from a SH550...

Carvin Factory tour. Although the SH550 is not show, it is still pretty cool to see how the guitars are made...

**randyc** · 01-30-2010, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by Meggy

I used to own a guitar that was a very similar shape to this (sold it about 25 years ago!) - a "Vantage" (Japanese made I guess), also with a 24 fret neck and 2 humbuckers. Quite nice to play as I remember, though not as well made as the Carvin but it didn't stay in place when used with a strap - the neck end always wanted to take a nosedive! Is the Carvin better in this regard Randy?

The DC-150 is made from rock maple - it's heavier than the Les Paul that it replaced thirty years ago. Since the center of gravity is very near the center of the body itself, the weight is destributed squarely between the strap location points and it has no tendancy to move around. It's a moot point, however, since the model hasn't been made for many years.

It's my understanding that the newer Carvin styling -the styling that I don't care for, with the long "horn"- resulted from the need to move the strap mount forward to prevent the behaviour that you describe. (Perhaps rock maple is no longer being used for the body - I could understand moving to a lighter wood because the DC-150 IS very heavy -)

cheers,
randyc

**lpdeluxe** · 01-30-2010, 05:13 PM

On the other hand, I have always preferred the later solid bodies with the swoopy horn -- to me it was a graceful solution to the recurrent problem of designing a new guitar that performed its function without looking like all the others. Having said that, I found the same swoopy horn on my LB-20 to put the bass in the wrong position -- I always wished it had a 20-fret neck, too. I ended up playing Precision basses. Some of us are just not built for the postmodern age aesthetics.

**Doctor Jeff** · 01-31-2010, 02:12 PM

Thanks for the tip: that is a great-looking and sounding guitar. As a wanna-be luthier, I am very impressed with their design choices for the semihollow configuration.

Re' the clip: normally I HATE lite jazz, and find the accompaniment pretty cheesy, but I LOVE the sound of that guitar. I could listen to it all day. So I will keep this in mind if and when I am looking to invest in a new guitar.

**bkdavidson** · 01-31-2010, 03:52 PM

That is a nice sounding guitar. I looked over it and it seemed like it might not have a very semi-hollow tone due to the construction, but that clip certainly sheds a different light. And Randy, I haven't really seen enough Carvins to comment on your design theory, but it sounds good. As a PRS owner, I'll tell you one thing that really appeals to me is the 25 in. scale. However, I'm still way too content with my ES-135 to look at other semi-hollows.

**Meggy** · 02-01-2010, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by randyc

The DC-150 is made from rock maple - it's heavier than the Les Paul that it replaced thirty years ago. Since the center of gravity is very near the center of the body itself, the weight is destributed squarely between the strap location points and it has no tendancy to move around. It's a moot point, however, since the model hasn't been made for many years.

It's my understanding that the newer Carvin styling -the styling that I don't care for, with the long "horn"- resulted from the need to move the strap mount forward to prevent the behaviour that you describe. (Perhaps rock maple is no longer being used for the body - I could understand moving to a lighter wood because the DC-150 IS very heavy -)

cheers,
randyc

Thanks for explaining that Randy, a moot point really I agree, but being a guitar nerd I still find it interesting! The Vantage I had was a maple/walnut neck through body design, with ash wings to form the body. I can see how the body would be lighter overall than your Carvin, causing the issue I had with balance. What do the switches do on your guitar? Just curious!

**randyc** · 02-01-2010, 04:00 PM

The large switch is conventionally configured for pickup selection. Two of the small switches are for single/dual coil selection and the third is the out-of-phase selector. There are volume controls for each pickup but a single tone adjustment controls both. The configuration was advanced for the seventies, although these features are more common today. This guitar was inexpensive, came with a case and was so versatile that it retired both the Stratocaster and the Les Paul that I'd been using for every gig up to this point.

cheers,
randyc

**Meggy** · 02-01-2010, 04:12 PM

Originally Posted by randyc

The large switch is conventionally configured for pickup selection. Two of the small switches are for single/dual coil selection and the third is the out-of-phase selector. There are volume controls for each pickup but a single tone adjustment controls both. The configuration was advanced for the seventies, although these features are more common today. This guitar was inexpensive, came with a case and was so versatile that it retired both the Stratocaster and the Les Paul that I'd been using for every gig up to this point.

cheers,
randyc

Cheers for answering my questions Randy - a nice versatile setup I think. Also a nice guitar obviously, since you still have it! And very good value by the sounds of it, which of course still seems to be the case with Carvins. That SH550 really is growing on me!

**randyc** · 02-01-2010, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by Meggy

Cheers for answering my questions Randy - a nice versatile setup I think. Also a nice guitar obviously, since you still have it! And very good value by the sounds of it, which of course still seems to be the case with Carvins. That SH550 really is growing on me!

LOL, me too! Here's a suggestion: order one configured to your specific taste, have it shipped to me and I'll test drive it, send it back if it's not perfect. Assuming that it WILL be perfect, I'll then send it on to you

cheers !

**Meggy** · 02-01-2010, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by randyc

LOL, me too! Here's a suggestion: order one configured to your specific taste, have it shipped to me and I'll test drive it, send it back if it's not perfect. Assuming that it WILL be perfect, I'll then send it on to you

cheers !

Do I detect an ulterior motive? Thanks for your kind offer though - I would take you up on it if I had the financial means to buy one, but for the moment it will just have to go on my wish-list! One day though, you never know... I think Carvins are not cheap guitars, but they are superb value for money, given the quality you get in construction and materials.

**lpdeluxe** · 02-01-2010, 05:04 PM

Randy is one of the most generous people I know -- I can't imagine that he would have anything but your very best interest at heart.

**Meggy** · 02-01-2010, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by lpdeluxe

Randy is one of the most generous people I know -- I can't imagine that he would have anything but your very best interest at heart.

Of course he does indeed have my best interests at heart - the fact that this course of action would allow him to also appraise the guitar himself merely kills two birds with one stone as it were!