Boy that brings back a memory of a strat style brown wood with darker, almost black, neck through with black hardware ad seared into my brain! Thanks for the reminder!! ✌️
@@gunsofsteele the Carvin image seared into my mind is the cover of a catalog with an amber and a ruby red guitar, both with flame maple tops/ dark necks/ black humbuckers. To a 13/14 year old me they were the most beautiful guitars I had ever seen
Carvin used to sell their necks and pickups, I built an awesome super strat with one of their neck-through-body necks back in the early 90s. I also used some of their pickups on a couple other guitars. Great quality stuff at real good prices back in the day. Now days they're not as bargain priced, but apparently still decent stuff.
@@Zundfolge They've started making the M22 again (or maybe more accurately they've started selling it direct again). It's just in 6 pole form and renamed the M12SD.
From what I remember of Carvin, they did not really do production runs like Gibson or Fender. Carvin's were mostly custom ordered from a web site. You would log in and pick the model, the color, and the features that you wanted. The guitar was then built and shipped to you.
They were doing that before web sites were a thing. But basically yes you pretty much ordered what you wanted. Their amps and pa systems were bullet proof
@@thomasmoore1003 Steve Vai was a big fan of Carvin Amps and had his own signature model. The Synergy module that he uses today is based off his Carvin amp.
@@cmet8280 the one I lived by was in PQ, maybe it was the amp division that was mentioned. Either way I was down there often as a kid to get strings and parts and jam on their instruments.
The good thing is they learned over the years and many of the critiques you have about the Carvin guitar Kiesel has since fixed in recent years. They now come standard with an oaks grigsby switch and better electronics. They also now come standard with stainless steel frets, luminlay side dots, carbon fiber rods in the neck, and quarter sawn necks. I have about 15 Custom Kiesels and love them. Became a fan through my dad, who played Carvin basses and amps. Great brand all around! Really enjoyed this deep dive into one!
I have a Koa DC127 from the early nineties that my brother bought new and gave to me. I love that guitar. In fact, I just played it ten minutes before I saw this video. :-)
@@jonathanhudak2059 When I had it built it was $1600, to build it on the Kiesel builder now is about $6k due to the regulations of harvesting Koa and how costly it has become.
Carving is a great American company... I'm surprised that you thought they were cheaper imports. They make killer one off custom guitars! I have several. Excellent instrument for the money
Like a lot of "quality off brands", yo simply don't see them that often to make a judgment on. The only place to find them just hanging up on a rack to try was LA to San Diego. I did find a couple used in NY.
@@rocketpigrecords3719In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, up until the transition to Kiesel, they had several outlet stores, most of them in Southern California, but they finally opened one up in Sacramento, about an hour’s drive from me. I was in there about once a month, buying strings and straps-I still have a couple of the Carvin leather straps-and I got two guitars from them as well. I miss those outlet stores, but Jeff Kiesel has said that their sales actually went up after they closed the stores. You can’t even get into the factory showroom any more without an appointment, and that’s for a fifteen minute window to place an order.
Having currently 4 Gibsons, including an R0, two LPCs and a Standard, my 2008 Carving SH575 and 2023 Kiesel CT6, the Carvin/Kiesel are a work of art! No QC issues, absolutely gorgeous. Yes, I'll say it - better than Gibson.
I've got a left-handed CT6 I ordered from the in-stock selection this year, and I also have Gibsons, Schecters, Fenders, a Badlands GX-1, etc., and my CT6 is my best guitar hands down and it's really not even close...except the electronics, which could be better considering they lined the control cavity with copper.
I own three Carvins. Being a left handed player they were/are the place to go. Back in the 80's there were no other options that I knew about. Just bought (Reverb) a 1964 Carvin Left handed SGB, very rare in almost mint condition. Looks unplayed. Love them.
I’ve owned Carvin guitars since the 80s, they were made by Kiesel guitars and are great quality! All made in the USA, I’ve owned the AE185 that was a thin line semi hollow with dual hum buckets and a piezo pickup with 2 cord jacks, one for electric and the other for the piezo that can be played through 2 amps. I also own an AE185 12 string that plays like a 6 string. The other one was a DC135t which is their version of a Stratocaster and again, it plays great with no problems ever!
I remember Carvin. I used to receive their catalogs. I can remember reading them during class in middle school. You could basically mail order a custom options guitar. Always thought they were cool. Especially some of the double cut/ s type bodies. They did Carvin branded tube amps too
Carvin made great custom built guitars. My brother had them make a hard tail HSH super Strat looking guitar with those 22 pole pickups! He still has it. Someday I hope to have a custom Kiesel guitar. I own a Carvin 4x10 open back speaker cabinet. I bought it from their catalog, sight unseen. It was the most affordable 4x10 cabinet on the market and it sounds wonderful! 😊
Yeah, he had 2 different signatures with them. He was also featured in an hour long dvd featurette alongside Steve Vai, Tony McAlpine and other licensed Carvin artists. I still have that dvd. Allan's second signature had such a unique sound to it.
I have a Carvin C66 that I had built for me when I graduated from college in '06, absolutely superb guitar and my favorite to this day. Since they've morphed into Keisel, I've heard some nightmare stories about Jeff Kiesel (there are RUclips videos) and his treatment of customers regarding what they received but those were years ago and the build quality is still exceptional.
I love Carvin stuff. I had a V220 trimmed to be a blunt version of the Ultra V. Loved getting the catalog and building one in my head. The one I had in my head was an Ultra V in this blue they had (it was dark but had a metallic vibe), kahler, reverse headstock, HH, ebony board with MOP blocks. Man, wish I had the cash, I would swoop this up. Thanks for checking one out, bro.
I had a first year ultra v The corners where more round like a gibson. The headstock was like a gibson v. The v220 had two more points on the neck end of the body like a dean. Even our bass player played a carvin.
When I was a kid, I would get a Carvin catalog every year. Early Carvin guitars, I believe, were mad by Hoffner. When Carvin started making their own guitars, the color options were black, white, or natural. Around 1980, they offered red as an option. It wasn't until 1985 when I bought a Carvin DC100 in white with the Shaller fine tuner bridge. The jack cavity was already routed for two jacks. So, I ordered the hardware and converted the guitar to a DC150 Stereo with the coil splitters and phase switches. Over the years, Carvin expanded their options to anything you could imagine. In 1988, I wanted the Carvin semi hollow body SH225 in a 12 string like the one pictured in their catalog with Roy Clark. They said it wasn't available. So, I bought a Hamer. I still think the best example of a Carvin would be the DC160 Stereo with the Quilted Maple body and the fine tuner bridge. That would be an awesome video to see you document.
The old CARVIN guitars were very high quality. I had a DC125 in Ferrari Red, single humbucker. Was one of the very early models with the hockey stick headstock they only made for like 2 years if my memory is right. 👍 Gave $140 for it at a pawnshop. Was virtually brand new.
I have a Carvin DC-127 Mahogany body and neck with flamed maple top. It is all stock with the lower output pickups. I bought it new 20 years ago. I also have higher end custom shop guitars from other manufacturers, that cost 4x what the Carvin cost. The Carvin is easily my #1, and will be the last guitar I own someday.
I’ve been a Carvin fan and patriot for a number of years. I would look forward to the small but packed catalog they would send out periodically. I specked out numerous guitars with all the options they had available but never pulled the trigger. I did buy one of their guitar amps before they shut down that part of the factory. I even visited the show room back in the late 80s when I was stationed at Norton AFB in San Bernardino Ca. Through the years and different bands we used Carvin PA gear speakers amps microphones all good quality stuff and they generally cut out the middle man so hence the catalogs. Order direct through them save no money because shipping usually added up to what was supposed to be saved. Even with that said I was bummed when they shut it down. I always loved having that option available. And they backed everything they manufactured up with replacement or repair without hassle. In my experience anyway… You rock as always, glad you got to explore that avenue. There are some real nice gems out there that Carvin made. Take care…
Trogly, you explained the Carvin name correctly. It was an "Anagram" that Lowell came up with, because his Kiesel surname was embroiled in a contract he needed to leave behind on an earlier company, making the AP-6 pickup for Rickenbacker and Mosrite, etc. Man, love ya, but you are definitely Gibson focused only until recent times. Carvin is LEGENDARY to many players since the 1970s as people and famous players became more aware, with endorsers (Joe Walsh, Alan Holdsworth, Steve Vai, etc.), of their built in the USA San Diego, CA top quality, with premium materials and construction. Ebony fingerboards, Sperzel locking tuners and neck through construction were considered stock features. Carvin and Fender are definitely contemporaries in Southern CA, although Fender is far better known and affluent. Carvins were completely customizable upwards to 50,000 different combinations between their various models by the early 2000s. However they did seem to be hard to understand, not being handled by brick and mortar dealers, and not necessarily always obtainable used for many folks east of the MS River, as many Eastern folks wanted to start out by trying a used one versus using their custom shop to buy new. They had always eliminated the middle man from the start, and their guitars were absolutely steals new at reasonable prices. On the used market even cheaper, so I owned a lot of them since the 1990s, including both an AE185 and DC145 that I custom ordered new. I bought their pickups as early as 1979, putting a pair of M22s on a Gibson Les Paul Standard. Their pups are awesome. They were very affordable instruments on both the new and used markets, but when Lowell's grandson rebranded the company in honor of his grandfather Lowell, Kiesel became a top shelf brand, which also drove up the recognition, demand and prices of used Carvins. Sort of like the secret finally got out, which truly also is one of the most amazing rebranding successes in guitar history, ha. In 2003, I ordered my DC145 (HSH) with all the bells and whistles I wanted and tweed OHSC shipped to my door for $736. You can't get that deal now with Kiesel, thank God I still have my DC145. But, I got to respect the grandson for finally bringing the legacy of Lowell Kiesel to full fruition. If you research his history he was far more influential behind the scenes than you might know. He was a Godly man originally from Nebraska and Kansas, and always had a scripture on his catalogs, which I enjoyed from the mid 1970s. Carvin Audio still exists separate from Kiesel, but cut back on its line after returning from a temporary closure. I still own some great Carvin tube amps, 4x12 cab, 12 channel powered PA head/mixer, two monitors, a sizable Carvin bass rig, and two solid state portable amps of the AG series, useful for PA/voice, acoustic guitar (the AG part) and electric guitars, keys and bass. I own four of their M50 microphones that I got for like $30 each on a sale years ago that blow away the other Shure, AKG, and Beyer Dynamic mics I have in my SKB 12 mic case. The quality of the AG amps is fantastic for smaller solo or duo, etc. acts. I have a mid 1990s original AG100 (no digital effects like the newer AG100D) still going strong that I bought new circa 1997, perhaps earlier, that I mostly used for keys in several bands, which they also do great. Anyway, I hope you will become more aware of the quality and innovation of the Carvin and Kiesel products as time goes by.
Visited the Carvin factory shop near San Diego many years ago and played everything they had that day. I came home with the sweetest bolt on T of all time…it was a custom order someone rejected…sunburst, gold hardware, reverse headstock, tweed case with a chime that to this day out sparkles all of the Strats in my collection (and I have some good ones). On gig days, I do not leave home without it. $900 all in. I’ve seen mixed reviews of Carvins over the years, but this one is truly a gem. The stars were definitely aligned the day it was built.
Modern day Keisel customer service and QC issues are known and suspect. BUT those old Carvins are exceptionally well playing instruments. Used they’re a bargain for an American made semi custom option for around $1k. I’d love to have an old Holdsworth headless or fat boy one day.
They put out thousands of guitars a year and you only hear about the few bad experiences. Saying they have bad QC is insane though, I've never heard of them not instantly returning the instrument and repairing anything reported. One of mine incurred a chip in the headstock in shipping and they sent a return form right away, they paid the shipping all the way back to them from Ireland and I had the guitar back with me in 2 weeks, perfectly repaired. As far as customer service goes, I've no idea what people are complaining about. You pick your specs, work through a sales guy (they're helpful) and once you place the order that's it until the guitar arrives. Are people expecting minute to minute updates on their build?
Kiesel are great guitars. However, since most are one off customs designed by the customer that originally bought them, selling them (if you so choose) is a bit of a challenge. It is hard to find a buyer for something that was designed by a specific customer. The reality is you can go design one for yourself on their configuration tool for not much more than people are trying to sell their used ones.
Carvins were great guitars. I’ve got four of them-they used to be the best unknown bargain in the guitar world. When they became Kiesel in 2015, the prices started going up, and they seemed to be concentrating more on heavy-metal guitars, but their quality seems to still be there. They’ve discontinued most of my favorite models from the ‘90s and 2000s-most of their endorsers seem to be metal players. Jeff Kiesel, who runs the company now, admits to being a metalhead, so most of the players he knows personally are metal guys (and girls-Sophie Lloyd has a Kiesel signature model. Speaking of which, the inlays on that Ultra V were called Signature inlays-they weren’t very popular, and they’re not available any more. Their pickups have changed too; they don’t offer the 22-pole ones any more. The old H22 (Allan Holdsworth) pickups are some of the best-sounding pickups I’ve tried, from anybody. They still offer a Holdsworth 12-pole pickup, and if it sounds as good as the old Carvin ones, they’ll be killer!
I love those old Carvin AP-6 pickups. They look like somebody’s school science project inside, but they sound awesome-somewhere between a P-90 and a Jazzmaster. They haven’t been made since the early ‘70s.
Carvin/Kiesel has always operated as Direct-to-consumer bespoke guitars. While they do carry some stock, the majority of them are custom ordered to the original buyer's specs, and you can choose the model, woods, headstock style, tuners, bridge and Nut combination, pickups, wiring, etc.... Each one is going to be unique.
Friend of mine had 2 custom made SG style Carvins and they were flamethrowers, very clean no quality issues he loved them and paid a good amount, custom ordered.
Been a fan of Carvin since the late 80's. Everything was a custom build. Basically you could start with a base model and add in tons of upgrades. amazing guitars. Fairly affordable for a custom built to your specks. The guy from Starship used to play a sweet one. Stars in my eyes! Cheers!
The kid from Hammerhedd (a young band of literal brothers that I've been following on YT) has been rocking an V220 as his main axe so if you want to see what one can do, he pushes it hard and it keeps producing great tones.
I grew up as a Bass player starting around 99 - Carvin was definitely one of the more well-known and regarded Made to Order companies in the late mid 80s/90s when exotic woods were becoming more available. I played a few at shops around New England in the 2000s and always liked the feel but I think they mostly stocked Bartolini soapbars, not my favorite pickup. I feel like they probably had a bigger market share in the bass world than guitar world, I don't remember seeing the guitars in shops but I was much more keyed in on bass gear until recently.
Late 70s and early 80s Carvin had catalogs that were quite popular with budding teen guitarists. A few guys played them (lead guitarist in Starship). Seems like Joe Walsh endorsed them at one point. I’ve never actually seen one in person.
I remember Joe doing an advert for them, he was saying something about the pick-up pole pieces actually being in line with the strings which is not always the case with other brands.
LOOK Left see my beautiful blue flame Carvin ct6 it's loadled with fishman fluence pickups, and I would put it up against any 10 top PRS guitar. They build great guitars
MOST Carvin guitars had their own active electronics, with three small switches for coil cut and all. They also had a strat style body and this is a really rare shape. The guitars and amps had ALL the features pro players want, on stage. 'If the pick-ups are good enough for Frank Zappa, they are good enough for you - I told people that asked about me using their pickups and electronics in my protoypes.
Most did not have active electronics. I have been using their stuff since the 80s. The DC200 had actives(now a Jason Becker model) and some of the later Basses. Depending on the year Actives could be an option. I have a '93 TL60 that had an option of putting DC127 electronics in it.
Joe Walsh has several Carvin guitars as does Timothy B Schmidt. Very well made instruments. They made very good amps also. You generally don’t sit with a guitar, you play it standing up.
I remember his gushing endorsement. Then I remember his gushing endorsement of PRS. He’s possibly my favourite guitar player of all time… his endorsement history? I dunno.
There is a seller on Ebay selling one of Joe's guitars he bought at an estate sale. I helped him find a Carvin ad to match the quilt top pattern. He wanted $20,000! 😂 Now reduced to the bargain price if $16,000. Lol.
Back in the early '90's when I was first getting my gear together, Carvin offered direct to customer sales only. Cutting out the middleman made their products extremely affordable. I had a 300 watt bass amp and 4X10 Cabinet from them as well as a 2X12 solid state guitar combo amp. Their instruments were super high quality too, all with neck-through construction. In bass player magazine they won all of the intro bass shootouts simply because no other manufacturer could provide that level of quality for the price. The only downside, is they looked a bit too metal for most of us who were into "alternative" music. Oh, and it seemed I got a catalog in the mail every other week, lol.
As someone who's been a Carvin fan (my first guitar was an 87 DC135 with a Kahler Pro trem) since the early 80s, THE most criminal thing is how badly they hold their value in the used market for a made in the US guitar. Super happy you got one to demo and I wish more guitar channels would feature them.
I was just going to comment on the resale value. Fine with me. Then I could find cheap. About 14 years ago I picked up a 1988 "Jackson" headstock DC125 for $399. I find it funny now people are pricing Carvins for 2 to 4 times what they are worth. Even Trogly has this V at $1,650(I'm sure some wiggle room). In reality a $800-$900 guitar. But he may get a fan that will pay a bit more.
A lot of people don't get the pickups and immediately replace them; there are a lot of them on the market and while they don't sound typical they can do the typical if you're patient enough to learn how they work and way more on top of that. They'll be rounder like the "old smoothie" bass - the pickup is build sort of like that, the old smoothie uses a 5 pole pickup on a 4 string bass (the strings are between the poles). You get all the girth and depth without the icepicking (Peavey T60 is famous for its "icepick" mode lol) or twitchy breakover behavior of overwound or tighter pots. :-)
Carvin was famous for selling custom guitars and basses direct to the customer. They built in USA (CA), so the instruments generally hold their value pretty well. Used to love reading their catalogs and going through all the different build options they offered (pickups, finishes, hardware, etc.). Finally got a Carvin bass in 2009; love it.
Carvin(Keisel) offers several headstock options. The reason the V is reversed is because it would infringe on Jackson Copyrights. Carvin got a cease and desist when they made the "Jackson" headstock that was an option in 1987 and 1988. The SD for the pickup stands for Super Distortion. I tried to get Jeff to make me a V like the Randy Rhoads. I am just a bedroom player and told Jeff it would never be played in public, but for obvious reasons he wouldnt do it. You need to play through a high gain amp to get the most out of the bridge pickup. Side note, the 2nd most regugitated comment is "Carvin makes nice guitars, but I dont like their pickups." 1st being the hate on a floyd rose. 😂 FYI. $1,650 is never going to happen unless you have a mega fan of yours that wants it people think because Carvin stopped making guitars, they are now worth 2 to 3 times the worth. You would be lucky to get $800.
WOAH!! I have a Carvin 1X12 Tube amp and loved it. Yea, built in CA - Check out Keisel Listen, I LOVE your Gibson info, please don't stray from your main vids, but once in a while I get giddy seeing you cover something different. I think I'm just a huge fan of your channel because of your passion for guitars. Thank you!
Back in the 90s when I started out, Carvin was like the Rolls-Royce rendition of Brands like Ibanez, ESP, Charvel, PRS, Schechter or Ernie Ball that were a little more modern than Fender and Gibson. Getting a model like that, progressing ahead to when the Kiesel name was adapted for this manufacturer, always appeared to mean you had plenty of money to get models that you could have custom tailored to your specifics. In the middle of the COVID-19 lockdown, an old friend who had purchased a four-string fretless bass from Carvin back in 2000 played it a couple of times and left it in the case afterward ended up selling it to me at a sweet discount. Since the beginning of 2021, that bass has been a highly valued assistant. If I had money to burn on a custom guitar built by Kiesel, I would consider getting a headless model. I totally blew it with the only headless guitar I've ever owned, but I can imagine that what let me down about that model wouldn't be an issue with a Kiesel model.
We used to play them in the 1980’s. Excellent build quality, played like a Les Paul without the weight, and very versatile sonically. Not necessarily the best sounding for recording, but excellent for live. You could play a high quality guitar that stayed in tune but you didn’t have to take out a second on your house to replace if necessary. I never found a Carvin guitar, amp, or PA equipment that I wasn’t happy with.
As a rule, no you cant substitute the Keisel logo with a Carvin. I asked and Jeff even addresses it in a video. Not sure if they still do but there were a couple artist model that wanted to keep Carvin on their guitars. I think Allan Holdsworth, Craig Chaquico, Tony Macalpine and Jason Becker. May have changed.
My dad had a dc400. I dont want a kiesel l. I want a carvin. Petty yes. But I have no connection to kiesel. That was a stupid marketing move. They should have called the top end kiesels or something to honor the creator. Just throw away years of history
I have an older (early 00s) Carvin super strat called the bolt plus, i believe. Found it at GC years ago. Has a nice flame maple top, ebony board, locking tuners, graphite nut, and an original Floyd Rose. I don't use a FR so i blocked it off and have a killer, HH, super strat with 5 way switching that i paid $400 for, with case! I love that guitar! It's just as good as any of my other American made guitars if not better? Plays like butter!
For a USA made guitar, Carvins weren't pricey at all. On the other hand Keisels can go off the charts with some of their exotic custom wood/paint options.
I got my first carvin last week. Its superb. A neck through bass from the 2000's. Very cost freindly and better quality than 95% of the guitars/bass out there.
Alan Holdsworth and George Lynch were their star endorsements back in the 80s / 90s. George Lynch had a great looking blue burst double cut LP'ish sized guitar that he played back then, and they were the makers of Holdsworth's tiny headless things. Used to get the catalogs in the mail back then.
I love Carvin and use to get their catalog in the mail every other month when I was a teenager but never could afford one, now I have several. That cheap wiring and pots/jack/switch is surprising.
used to love the carvin catalogs...ordered two Floyd Rose originals from them in the mid 90's...the only place I could find them back then...cheers all!!!
I have had a Carvin DC127 neck -thru that was lipstick red. I traded a 2003 USA Strat for it. I did not bond with the thin neck or the 25" scale, so I traded it for a Marshall amp. I also had a Holdsworth signature H2 Fatboy that I got for $350 on craigslist. Someone had drilled holes in the top for a synth pickup. I patched the holes and sold it for $800. It was okay. It had a thicker neck, but the super rounded edges were always sliding around on my lap.
Both Frank Zappa and Steve Vai worked with Carvin, mainly on the amp side. I remember them advertising in Guitar Player in the 80s. They sold direct, which was not really an option over here in the UK! Lovely looking guitar, not quite my bag but looks really solid.
If I remember correctly the story Jeff Kiesel told about this weird looking desing is because of copyright. He said they would get in trouble if they would make a proper V-sign guitar. Same goes for the headstock shape. They couldn't replicate a Jackson headstock due to copyright. And yeah, very positive they use metal threading for the control plate. But ironacilly they don't have this for their tremelo plates. Weird. I wished all guitar brands would use metal threadings instead of ordinary screws into the wood. Yngwie Malmsteen even has this with his neck attached to the body. Very smart of Yngwie.
My first really good guitar was a 1985 Carvin DC200 (basically a Super Strat with a Les Paul style headstock) with a Kahler tremolo. I LOVE the Kahler! I also loved the pickups so much I bought some later to put in a Gibson Flying V.
The brand Carvin always straight away reminds me of The Bangles' guitarist Vicki Peterson, who'd played pink Carvin guitars in the 80's and through Carvin amps 😊
The Carvin M22SD is a 22 pole Super Distortion clone. Always loved their 90s catalogs. Well made, but when I went to their SoCal showrooms, I was more impressed by their basses than their guitars.
Like others commenting,I started getting Carvin catalogs while in jr High mid 60s. Their guitars were primitive very basic slab bodied with single coil pickups similar to Moserites at the time. By 1977 I had moved to California and was wanting one of their single cut Les Paul birdseye maple solid bodied 2 single coil guitars. With a cashed paycheck ,I drove to their factory and showroom in Escondido,north San Diego. The model I wanted, was no longer available andI left withtheir new double cut with 2 humbuckers. It was stereo wired, and had 2 coil tap switches and a phase switch, ahead of its time for a production guitar, similar to custom work done by Guitar Lab in NY city in 1970. I still have my DC- 150 ,a great deal for under 400 bucks
Carviin used to be so expensive new then sell used for nothing. The Kiesel brand is doing better on resale and have kept costs low for custom USA production. That is a Jackson like head stock. They will still do that stuff on the builder or if you call. Maybe not an exact Jackson one still.
Carvin guitars are actually Kiesel guitars now but have the option to put there old logo name on the guitar. Some of the older Carvin guitars are regarded as some of the best guitars available ive heard
Carvin always made top tier stuff, but in those days it was gibson, fender, maybe bcrich, and that was it, no other guitar makers could get any love, even hamer struggled. i had a guitar shop all thru the 80s and i got carven catalogs thru the late 70s. they made guitars, pa gear, then guitar amps, they just never nailed an identity. everything was made in a factory in escondido california and it was really good stuff. like i said they just never had designes that would get them any love.
I have the black V and a custom built Strat type body that I went to the showroom in LaJolla to put my order in (about 18 years ago). That one came out super nice
So Carvin/Keisel essentially build each one to order and with loads of options. I always viewed them like an easier way to get a unique custom guitar without paying luthier prices etc. There were very few dealers in the UK but there was one nest me a few years ago. I tried s couple out. Very very nice guitars.
Still have my Carvin C66 I had built in 05. Still one of the best guitars I have played. Also back in 05 you couldn't get any other guitars built to your specs, with locking tuners, and stainless steel frets for anywhere near the price of a Carvin.
I had a 1990 Ultra V in a rare reverse wing. The long wing on top, short on the bottom. It was just a solid fuchsia finish. It wasnt my first choice of color but it was the nicest one I played. Bought it at the Hollywood Carvin store. It had 24 frets and an ebony board. It played amazing! I think I sold it between 28 and 32. I dont remember. EIven with the solid finish, mine was so much nicer than this one. At least I think so......And it was mint.t was on Reverb. I should have asked more! I actually sold it to a current Carvin employee. If it was Facebook Id post a picture for you. I have a bunch of them. Feed the patch cord through the shoulder strap above the rear strap button to get the cord out of your way. Just leave a bit of slack so the cord isnt pulled tight from the input jack
Those of us who came of age in the 80s know Carvin pretty well. They were one of the original direct-to-consumer brands. I still have one of their old catalogs and like others have commented, used to think up custom builds. In the days before the internet, you had to use your imagination about what the guitar would look like. Their neck-thru guitars are usually 25" scale. Carvin then and Kiesel now are mostly a custom, made-to-order brand and they have never sold many "stock" models. Years ago I had a Carvin TL (Tele) model that wasn't bad. I currently own a Kiesel Vader from early 2017. I don't play it a lot, but it's a fun travel guitar. For better or worse, resale value has never been one of their strong points.
I remember getting the Carvin catalog many times back in the '80s and wishing I could get one of their guitars because I loved the way they look. I've watched a lot of reviews and demos over the past several years and they seem very well made, but I can't help thinking that the pickups sound a bit nondescript. They're probably a great pedal platform, but they just don't have much character of their own.
Carvin makes a fine guitar. have played several, all top notch. so were the amps i've used. all great. i like the shape and overall appearance of this one as well. it's a little odd but it's not too weird. nice demo, too.
I fell in love with a teal Carvin California Carved Top doublecut on their old Gallery page. Then I saw the exact piece for sale on Reverb, but didn’t buy. It came up for sale again a year or so later, and I bought it. It was nice, but I recall a bit heavy, with significant fret sprout. I moved it on. But now I own (again) a great TLB60 that I’d bought and sold to a buddy. They did make some great guitars. 🎸
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I used to get Carvin catalogs in the mail and write down all my dream builds
Boy that brings back a memory of a strat style brown wood with darker, almost black, neck through with black hardware ad seared into my brain! Thanks for the reminder!! ✌️
@@gunsofsteele the Carvin image seared into my mind is the cover of a catalog with an amber and a ruby red guitar, both with flame maple tops/ dark necks/ black humbuckers. To a 13/14 year old me they were the most beautiful guitars I had ever seen
Same
Yep, never actually got one, but looked constantly at those little catalogs.
I did that back in high school instead of focusing on assignments, I'd make build sheets instead.
You should TOTALLY customize your own Kiesel and review it on the channel.
They have Semi Hollow and everything he was looking for in that signature April fools. He might have to ship them a staple pickup.
@@zanzabar4ky7 True Kiesel would do the sickest Trogly signature ever. I bet they would be in for some fun.
I support this 100%
A custom Halo guitar would be cooler.
Yes I was just about to comment that he should get a keisel
Carvin used to sell their necks and pickups, I built an awesome super strat with one of their neck-through-body necks back in the early 90s. I also used some of their pickups on a couple other guitars. Great quality stuff at real good prices back in the day. Now days they're not as bargain priced, but apparently still decent stuff.
My strat is loaded with a carvin pick guard and carvin pickups HSS with coil tap. Sounds great, going on 24 years now.
Apparently Kiesel still sells their pickups (which are probably fine, and look reasonably priced) but not the old 11/22 pole piece ones.
@@Zundfolge They've started making the M22 again (or maybe more accurately they've started selling it direct again). It's just in 6 pole form and renamed the M12SD.
From what I remember of Carvin, they did not really do production runs like Gibson or Fender. Carvin's were mostly custom ordered from a web site. You would log in and pick the model, the color, and the features that you wanted. The guitar was then built and shipped to you.
They were doing that before web sites were a thing. But basically yes you pretty much ordered what you wanted. Their amps and pa systems were bullet proof
@@thomasmoore1003 Steve Vai was a big fan of Carvin Amps and had his own signature model. The Synergy module that he uses today is based off his Carvin amp.
They also used to sell kits for you to spec out and then assemble and finish them yourself.
I used to live about 10 minutes from Carvin's factory in San Diego, I've owned two of em. Great guitars
Their factory was in Escondido, about thirty miles north of San Diego. I've been there many times.
@@cmet8280 the one I lived by was in PQ, maybe it was the amp division that was mentioned. Either way I was down there often as a kid to get strings and parts and jam on their instruments.
Carvin was where Holdsworth had landed. Great instruments
I remember seeing Craig Chaquico from Jefferson Starship playing a Carvin and Joe Walsh
The good thing is they learned over the years and many of the critiques you have about the Carvin guitar Kiesel has since fixed in recent years. They now come standard with an oaks grigsby switch and better electronics. They also now come standard with stainless steel frets, luminlay side dots, carbon fiber rods in the neck, and quarter sawn necks. I have about 15 Custom Kiesels and love them. Became a fan through my dad, who played Carvin basses and amps. Great brand all around! Really enjoyed this deep dive into one!
I have watched a few of your videos. You have a VERY nice collection.
I had Carvin build my DC127 in 1996. All koa , neck through. To this day, still my favorite and best playing guitar.
Cool! What did that guitar cost you back then if I may ask?
I have a Koa DC127 from the early nineties that my brother bought new and gave to me. I love that guitar. In fact, I just played it ten minutes before I saw this video. :-)
@@jonathanhudak2059$800-$850. I has a SC90 built in 2004 with all the bells and whistles and was a little over $1,200 with a hardshell tweed case.
@@jonathanhudak2059 When I had it built it was $1600, to build it on the Kiesel builder now is about $6k due to the regulations of harvesting Koa and how costly it has become.
@@tanker5207 Oh Killer! Love mine so much. Nothing else has the feel or tone. Simply perfection.
Carving is a great American company... I'm surprised that you thought they were cheaper imports. They make killer one off custom guitars! I have several. Excellent instrument for the money
Like a lot of "quality off brands", yo simply don't see them that often to make a judgment on.
The only place to find them just hanging up on a rack to try was LA to San Diego. I did find a couple used in NY.
@@rocketpigrecords3719In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, up until the transition to Kiesel, they had several outlet stores, most of them in Southern California, but they finally opened one up in Sacramento, about an hour’s drive from me. I was in there about once a month, buying strings and straps-I still have a couple of the Carvin leather straps-and I got two guitars from them as well. I miss those outlet stores, but Jeff Kiesel has said that their sales actually went up after they closed the stores. You can’t even get into the factory showroom any more without an appointment, and that’s for a fifteen minute window to place an order.
Having currently 4 Gibsons, including an R0, two LPCs and a Standard, my 2008 Carving SH575 and 2023 Kiesel CT6, the Carvin/Kiesel are a work of art! No QC issues, absolutely gorgeous. Yes, I'll say it - better than Gibson.
I've got a left-handed CT6 I ordered from the in-stock selection this year, and I also have Gibsons, Schecters, Fenders, a Badlands GX-1, etc., and my CT6 is my best guitar hands down and it's really not even close...except the electronics, which could be better considering they lined the control cavity with copper.
I mean, that’s not the highest bar in the the world lol.
I own three Carvins. Being a left handed player they were/are the place to go. Back in the 80's there were no other options that I knew about.
Just bought (Reverb) a 1964 Carvin Left handed SGB, very rare in almost mint condition. Looks unplayed. Love them.
Zappa had Carvin pickups in one of his Les Paul Customs and he used Carvin amps some too.
Great to see a Carvin. Dinosaurs like myself appreciate it.
I’ve owned Carvin guitars since the 80s, they were made by Kiesel guitars and are great quality! All made in the USA, I’ve owned the AE185 that was a thin line semi hollow with dual hum buckets and a piezo pickup with 2 cord jacks, one for electric and the other for the piezo that can be played through 2 amps. I also own an AE185 12 string that plays like a 6 string. The other one was a DC135t which is their version of a Stratocaster and again, it plays great with no problems ever!
I remember Carvin. I used to receive their catalogs. I can remember reading them during class in middle school. You could basically mail order a custom options guitar. Always thought they were cool. Especially some of the double cut/ s type bodies. They did Carvin branded tube amps too
Carvin made great custom built guitars. My brother had them make a hard tail HSH super Strat looking guitar with those 22 pole pickups! He still has it. Someday I hope to have a custom Kiesel guitar. I own a Carvin 4x10 open back speaker cabinet. I bought it from their catalog, sight unseen. It was the most affordable 4x10 cabinet on the market and it sounds wonderful! 😊
Hell yeah! Trogls reviewing non Gibson or Fender guitars are the coolest episodes.
Man I feel old remembering getting the catalogs in the mail and Trogly has barely heard of them. 😆
Does anybody remember Allan Holdsworth having a signature guitar or being a spokesman for carvin in the 90s I think.
Yeah, he had 2 different signatures with them. He was also featured in an hour long dvd featurette alongside Steve Vai, Tony McAlpine and other licensed Carvin artists. I still have that dvd. Allan's second signature had such a unique sound to it.
Yup. They still have Holdsworth pickups as an option at Kiesel
Oh yeah I remember that as well as getting their little catalogs in the mail
@@tinystar3010Yep. He had the standard and the Fat Boy. Didn't keisel just put some new ones out? Maybe a limited run?
I wanted to say that Craig Chaquico was a player of this model but he actually had a star shape but reversed like the ultra v is
That was the V220.
I think Norm's still has a blue autographed DC125.
Factory direct. They made badass amps too!!
I gigged with two fifty watt combos for about fifteen years, great amps with seven band EQ's, loved them.
I have a Carvin C66 that I had built for me when I graduated from college in '06, absolutely superb guitar and my favorite to this day. Since they've morphed into Keisel, I've heard some nightmare stories about Jeff Kiesel (there are RUclips videos) and his treatment of customers regarding what they received but those were years ago and the build quality is still exceptional.
Carvin had some sick Koa bodies in the 80’s😎
I remember getting the Carvin catalog in the mail and adding up all the customizations I would get. Good times.
I love Carvin stuff. I had a V220 trimmed to be a blunt version of the Ultra V. Loved getting the catalog and building one in my head. The one I had in my head was an Ultra V in this blue they had (it was dark but had a metallic vibe), kahler, reverse headstock, HH, ebony board with MOP blocks. Man, wish I had the cash, I would swoop this up. Thanks for checking one out, bro.
I had a first year ultra v
The corners where more round like a gibson. The headstock was like a gibson v. The v220 had two more points on the neck end of the body like a dean. Even our bass player played a carvin.
My girlfriend gave me a catalogue in 76. It taught me so much. The 22 pole pickups were a huge innovation.
When I was a kid, I would get a Carvin catalog every year. Early Carvin guitars, I believe, were mad by Hoffner. When Carvin started making their own guitars, the color options were black, white, or natural. Around 1980, they offered red as an option. It wasn't until 1985 when I bought a Carvin DC100 in white with the Shaller fine tuner bridge. The jack cavity was already routed for two jacks. So, I ordered the hardware and converted the guitar to a DC150 Stereo with the coil splitters and phase switches. Over the years, Carvin expanded their options to anything you could imagine. In 1988, I wanted the Carvin semi hollow body SH225 in a 12 string like the one pictured in their catalog with Roy Clark. They said it wasn't available. So, I bought a Hamer. I still think the best example of a Carvin would be the DC160 Stereo with the Quilted Maple body and the fine tuner bridge. That would be an awesome video to see you document.
The old CARVIN guitars were very high quality. I had a DC125 in Ferrari Red, single humbucker. Was one of the very early models with the hockey stick headstock they only made for like 2 years if my memory is right. 👍 Gave $140 for it at a pawnshop. Was virtually brand new.
1987 and 1988 they had the "Jackson" headstock. I have a pearl blue '88. 💙
I have a Carvin DC-127 Mahogany body and neck with flamed maple top. It is all stock with the lower output pickups. I bought it new 20 years ago. I also have higher end custom shop guitars from other manufacturers, that cost 4x what the Carvin cost. The Carvin is easily my #1, and will be the last guitar I own someday.
Love the way the pickups sound.
Love the upside down rhoads body!
I’ve been a Carvin fan and patriot for a number of years. I would look forward to the small but packed catalog they would send out periodically. I specked out numerous guitars with all the options they had available but never pulled the trigger. I did buy one of their guitar amps before they shut down that part of the factory. I even visited the show room back in the late 80s when I was stationed at Norton AFB in San Bernardino Ca. Through the years and different bands we used Carvin PA gear speakers amps microphones all good quality stuff and they generally cut out the middle man so hence the catalogs. Order direct through them save no money because shipping usually added up to what was supposed to be saved. Even with that said I was bummed when they shut it down. I always loved having that option available. And they backed everything they manufactured up with replacement or repair without hassle. In my experience anyway… You rock as always, glad you got to explore that avenue. There are some real nice gems out there that Carvin made. Take care…
Trogly, you explained the Carvin name correctly. It was an "Anagram" that Lowell came up with, because his Kiesel surname was embroiled in a contract he needed to leave behind on an earlier company, making the AP-6 pickup for Rickenbacker and Mosrite, etc. Man, love ya, but you are definitely Gibson focused only until recent times. Carvin is LEGENDARY to many players since the 1970s as people and famous players became more aware, with endorsers (Joe Walsh, Alan Holdsworth, Steve Vai, etc.), of their built in the USA San Diego, CA top quality, with premium materials and construction. Ebony fingerboards, Sperzel locking tuners and neck through construction were considered stock features. Carvin and Fender are definitely contemporaries in Southern CA, although Fender is far better known and affluent. Carvins were completely customizable upwards to 50,000 different combinations between their various models by the early 2000s. However they did seem to be hard to understand, not being handled by brick and mortar dealers, and not necessarily always obtainable used for many folks east of the MS River, as many Eastern folks wanted to start out by trying a used one versus using their custom shop to buy new. They had always eliminated the middle man from the start, and their guitars were absolutely steals new at reasonable prices. On the used market even cheaper, so I owned a lot of them since the 1990s, including both an AE185 and DC145 that I custom ordered new. I bought their pickups as early as 1979, putting a pair of M22s on a Gibson Les Paul Standard. Their pups are awesome. They were very affordable instruments on both the new and used markets, but when Lowell's grandson rebranded the company in honor of his grandfather Lowell, Kiesel became a top shelf brand, which also drove up the recognition, demand and prices of used Carvins. Sort of like the secret finally got out, which truly also is one of the most amazing rebranding successes in guitar history, ha. In 2003, I ordered my DC145 (HSH) with all the bells and whistles I wanted and tweed OHSC shipped to my door for $736. You can't get that deal now with Kiesel, thank God I still have my DC145. But, I got to respect the grandson for finally bringing the legacy of Lowell Kiesel to full fruition. If you research his history he was far more influential behind the scenes than you might know. He was a Godly man originally from Nebraska and Kansas, and always had a scripture on his catalogs, which I enjoyed from the mid 1970s. Carvin Audio still exists separate from Kiesel, but cut back on its line after returning from a temporary closure. I still own some great Carvin tube amps, 4x12 cab, 12 channel powered PA head/mixer, two monitors, a sizable Carvin bass rig, and two solid state portable amps of the AG series, useful for PA/voice, acoustic guitar (the AG part) and electric guitars, keys and bass. I own four of their M50 microphones that I got for like $30 each on a sale years ago that blow away the other Shure, AKG, and Beyer Dynamic mics I have in my SKB 12 mic case. The quality of the AG amps is fantastic for smaller solo or duo, etc. acts. I have a mid 1990s original AG100 (no digital effects like the newer AG100D) still going strong that I bought new circa 1997, perhaps earlier, that I mostly used for keys in several bands, which they also do great. Anyway, I hope you will become more aware of the quality and innovation of the Carvin and Kiesel products as time goes by.
Visited the Carvin factory shop near San Diego many years ago and played everything they had that day. I came home with the sweetest bolt on T of all time…it was a custom order someone rejected…sunburst, gold hardware, reverse headstock, tweed case with a chime that to this day out sparkles all of the Strats in my collection (and I have some good ones). On gig days, I do not leave home without it. $900 all in. I’ve seen mixed reviews of Carvins over the years, but this one is truly a gem. The stars were definitely aligned the day it was built.
Modern day Keisel customer service and QC issues are known and suspect. BUT those old Carvins are exceptionally well playing instruments. Used they’re a bargain for an American made semi custom option for around $1k. I’d love to have an old Holdsworth headless or fat boy one day.
They put out thousands of guitars a year and you only hear about the few bad experiences. Saying they have bad QC is insane though, I've never heard of them not instantly returning the instrument and repairing anything reported. One of mine incurred a chip in the headstock in shipping and they sent a return form right away, they paid the shipping all the way back to them from Ireland and I had the guitar back with me in 2 weeks, perfectly repaired. As far as customer service goes, I've no idea what people are complaining about. You pick your specs, work through a sales guy (they're helpful) and once you place the order that's it until the guitar arrives. Are people expecting minute to minute updates on their build?
Kiesel are great guitars. However, since most are one off customs designed by the customer that originally bought them, selling them (if you so choose) is a bit of a challenge. It is hard to find a buyer for something that was designed by a specific customer. The reality is you can go design one for yourself on their configuration tool for not much more than people are trying to sell their used ones.
Carvins were great guitars. I’ve got four of them-they used to be the best unknown bargain in the guitar world. When they became Kiesel in 2015, the prices started going up, and they seemed to be concentrating more on heavy-metal guitars, but their quality seems to still be there. They’ve discontinued most of my favorite models from the ‘90s and 2000s-most of their endorsers seem to be metal players. Jeff Kiesel, who runs the company now, admits to being a metalhead, so most of the players he knows personally are metal guys (and girls-Sophie Lloyd has a Kiesel signature model. Speaking of which, the inlays on that Ultra V were called Signature inlays-they weren’t very popular, and they’re not available any more. Their pickups have changed too; they don’t offer the 22-pole ones any more. The old H22 (Allan Holdsworth) pickups are some of the best-sounding pickups I’ve tried, from anybody. They still offer a Holdsworth 12-pole pickup, and if it sounds as good as the old Carvin ones, they’ll be killer!
Lowell Kiesel also designed the pickups for Mosrite guitars early on. I've got a Carvin amp I bought 10+ years ago and I love it
I love those old Carvin AP-6 pickups. They look like somebody’s school science project inside, but they sound awesome-somewhere between a P-90 and a Jazzmaster. They haven’t been made since the early ‘70s.
Carvin/Kiesel has always operated as Direct-to-consumer bespoke guitars. While they do carry some stock, the majority of them are custom ordered to the original buyer's specs, and you can choose the model, woods, headstock style, tuners, bridge and Nut combination, pickups, wiring, etc.... Each one is going to be unique.
I'm surprised he didn't mention how clean the pickup routes were vs Gibson Custom shop "hacked out with a blunt screwdriver" look
Friend of mine had 2 custom made SG style Carvins and they were flamethrowers, very clean no quality issues he loved them and paid a good amount, custom ordered.
Carvin never made a "SG" style.
Used to build my dream guitar online all the time. Never got one. I imagine that it was a lot cheaper to do back then.
Carvin guitars are absolutely fantastic instruments.
Been a fan of Carvin since the late 80's. Everything was a custom build. Basically you could start with a base model and add in tons of upgrades. amazing guitars. Fairly affordable for a custom built to your specks. The guy from Starship used to play a sweet one. Stars in my eyes! Cheers!
The kid from Hammerhedd (a young band of literal brothers that I've been following on YT) has been rocking an V220 as his main axe so if you want to see what one can do, he pushes it hard and it keeps producing great tones.
My buddy loves Hammerhead. 👍
I have multiple 80's-90's Carvin guitars and basses that I ordered brand new. I really love them. This thing is gorgeous.
I miss the Carvin of old. Not a huge fan of the direction Kiesel currently went though.
Beautiful guitars, but yeah Jeff is definitely all about money. That usually happens when the Sons take over.
I grew up as a Bass player starting around 99 - Carvin was definitely one of the more well-known and regarded Made to Order companies in the late mid 80s/90s when exotic woods were becoming more available. I played a few at shops around New England in the 2000s and always liked the feel but I think they mostly stocked Bartolini soapbars, not my favorite pickup. I feel like they probably had a bigger market share in the bass world than guitar world, I don't remember seeing the guitars in shops but I was much more keyed in on bass gear until recently.
Late 70s and early 80s Carvin had catalogs that were quite popular with budding teen guitarists. A few guys played them (lead guitarist in Starship). Seems like Joe Walsh endorsed them at one point. I’ve never actually seen one in person.
I remember Joe doing an advert for them, he was saying something about the pick-up pole pieces actually being in line with the strings which is not always the case with other brands.
LOOK Left see my beautiful blue flame Carvin ct6 it's loadled with fishman fluence pickups, and I would put it up against any 10 top PRS guitar. They build great guitars
MOST Carvin guitars had their own active electronics, with three small switches for coil cut and all. They also had a strat style body and this is a really rare shape.
The guitars and amps had ALL the features pro players want, on stage.
'If the pick-ups are good enough for Frank Zappa, they are good enough for you - I told people that asked about me using their pickups and electronics in my protoypes.
Most did not have active electronics. I have been using their stuff since the 80s. The DC200 had actives(now a Jason Becker model) and some of the later Basses. Depending on the year Actives could be an option. I have a '93 TL60 that had an option of putting DC127 electronics in it.
M22SD is an awesome pickup
my band in the 80s had a carvin endorsement, they were made in my hometown of San Diego, really underrated guitars and basses.
Joe Walsh has several Carvin guitars as does Timothy B Schmidt. Very well made instruments. They made very good amps also. You generally don’t sit with a guitar, you play it standing up.
I remember his gushing endorsement. Then I remember his gushing endorsement of PRS. He’s possibly my favourite guitar player of all time… his endorsement history? I dunno.
Yeah, Joe was all over the place. I honestly only remember seeing him play Fender and Gibson though. Regardless, one of my favorite players as well.
@@deanmccaskill5495Joe's endorsements have no worth. He goes to whoever pays him.
There is a seller on Ebay selling one of Joe's guitars he bought at an estate sale. I helped him find a Carvin ad to match the quilt top pattern. He wanted $20,000! 😂 Now reduced to the bargain price if $16,000. Lol.
Back in the early '90's when I was first getting my gear together, Carvin offered direct to customer sales only. Cutting out the middleman made their products extremely affordable. I had a 300 watt bass amp and 4X10 Cabinet from them as well as a 2X12 solid state guitar combo amp. Their instruments were super high quality too, all with neck-through construction. In bass player magazine they won all of the intro bass shootouts simply because no other manufacturer could provide that level of quality for the price. The only downside, is they looked a bit too metal for most of us who were into "alternative" music. Oh, and it seemed I got a catalog in the mail every other week, lol.
As someone who's been a Carvin fan (my first guitar was an 87 DC135 with a Kahler Pro trem) since the early 80s, THE most criminal thing is how badly they hold their value in the used market for a made in the US guitar. Super happy you got one to demo and I wish more guitar channels would feature them.
I was just going to comment on the resale value. Fine with me. Then I could find cheap. About 14 years ago I picked up a 1988 "Jackson" headstock DC125 for $399. I find it funny now people are pricing Carvins for 2 to 4 times what they are worth. Even Trogly has this V at $1,650(I'm sure some wiggle room). In reality a $800-$900 guitar. But he may get a fan that will pay a bit more.
Carvin guitars Rocked the 80s and 90s
A lot of people don't get the pickups and immediately replace them; there are a lot of them on the market and while they don't sound typical they can do the typical if you're patient enough to learn how they work and way more on top of that.
They'll be rounder like the "old smoothie" bass - the pickup is build sort of like that, the old smoothie uses a 5 pole pickup on a 4 string bass (the strings are between the poles). You get all the girth and depth without the icepicking (Peavey T60 is famous for its "icepick" mode lol) or twitchy breakover behavior of overwound or tighter pots. :-)
Carvin was famous for selling custom guitars and basses direct to the customer. They built in USA (CA), so the instruments generally hold their value pretty well. Used to love reading their catalogs and going through all the different build options they offered (pickups, finishes, hardware, etc.). Finally got a Carvin bass in 2009; love it.
Actually that is the biggest downfall, resell value. Don't believe prices on Ebay. They aren't selling at $1,800-$3,000
@@crosswalklarry Interesting.
@@Morbid0007 yeah. Back in 2000's I remember people on guitar forums 'warning' about low resell value and I think it hampered new sales.
Carvin(Keisel) offers several headstock options. The reason the V is reversed is because it would infringe on Jackson Copyrights. Carvin got a cease and desist when they made the "Jackson" headstock that was an option in 1987 and 1988. The SD for the pickup stands for Super Distortion. I tried to get Jeff to make me a V like the Randy Rhoads. I am just a bedroom player and told Jeff it would never be played in public, but for obvious reasons he wouldnt do it. You need to play through a high gain amp to get the most out of the bridge pickup. Side note, the 2nd most regugitated comment is "Carvin makes nice guitars, but I dont like their pickups." 1st being the hate on a floyd rose. 😂 FYI. $1,650 is never going to happen unless you have a mega fan of yours that wants it people think because Carvin stopped making guitars, they are now worth 2 to 3 times the worth. You would be lucky to get $800.
WOAH!! I have a Carvin 1X12 Tube amp and loved it. Yea, built in CA - Check out Keisel Listen, I LOVE your Gibson info, please don't stray from your main vids, but once in a while I get giddy seeing you cover something different. I think I'm just a huge fan of your channel because of your passion for guitars. Thank you!
Back in the 90s when I started out, Carvin was like the Rolls-Royce rendition of Brands like Ibanez, ESP, Charvel, PRS, Schechter or Ernie Ball that were a little more modern than Fender and Gibson. Getting a model like that, progressing ahead to when the Kiesel name was adapted for this manufacturer, always appeared to mean you had plenty of money to get models that you could have custom tailored to your specifics. In the middle of the COVID-19 lockdown, an old friend who had purchased a four-string fretless bass from Carvin back in 2000 played it a couple of times and left it in the case afterward ended up selling it to me at a sweet discount. Since the beginning of 2021, that bass has been a highly valued assistant.
If I had money to burn on a custom guitar built by Kiesel, I would consider getting a headless model. I totally blew it with the only headless guitar I've ever owned, but I can imagine that what let me down about that model wouldn't be an issue with a Kiesel model.
Back in the 1970s Carvin sold AMP kits for bass or guitar. And, build your own guitar kits too. Your example looks and sounds great! 👍
Whoa! Digging that! Love that offset V, Paul Stanley had a cool custom offset V (more rounded on the points) that was really cool.
We used to play them in the 1980’s. Excellent build quality, played like a Les Paul without the weight, and very versatile sonically. Not necessarily the best sounding for recording, but excellent for live. You could play a high quality guitar that stayed in tune but you didn’t have to take out a second on your house to replace if necessary.
I never found a Carvin guitar, amp, or PA equipment that I wasn’t happy with.
you can still order them with the carvin logo. the name change didnt sit right with me, its been a carvin to me my whole life.
As a rule, no you cant substitute the Keisel logo with a Carvin. I asked and Jeff even addresses it in a video. Not sure if they still do but there were a couple artist model that wanted to keep Carvin on their guitars. I think Allan Holdsworth, Craig Chaquico, Tony Macalpine and Jason Becker. May have changed.
@@crosswalklarry I played a Jason Becker that's probably it
My dad had a dc400. I dont want a kiesel l. I want a carvin. Petty yes. But I have no connection to kiesel. That was a stupid marketing move. They should have called the top end kiesels or something to honor the creator.
Just throw away years of history
@@amfk8079Love the Becker model. 👍
@@amfk8079I think Jeff's ego got involved going with Kiesel.
I've never owned a Carvin, but I've loved the ones I have picked up and played. You can feel the quality in them.
I have an older (early 00s) Carvin super strat called the bolt plus, i believe. Found it at GC years ago. Has a nice flame maple top, ebony board, locking tuners, graphite nut, and an original Floyd Rose. I don't use a FR so i blocked it off and have a killer, HH, super strat with 5 way switching that i paid $400 for, with case! I love that guitar! It's just as good as any of my other American made guitars if not better? Plays like butter!
I always thought that Carvin stuff was a bit pricey, and that's why you didn't hear about it all the time. A fine instrument, that's for sure.
For a USA made guitar, Carvins weren't pricey at all. On the other hand Keisels can go off the charts with some of their exotic custom wood/paint options.
I got my first carvin last week. Its superb. A neck through bass from the 2000's. Very cost freindly and better quality than 95% of the guitars/bass out there.
Alan Holdsworth and George Lynch were their star endorsements back in the 80s / 90s. George Lynch had a great looking blue burst double cut LP'ish sized guitar that he played back then, and they were the makers of Holdsworth's tiny headless things. Used to get the catalogs in the mail back then.
I love Carvin and use to get their catalog in the mail every other month when I was a teenager but never could afford one, now I have several. That cheap wiring and pots/jack/switch is surprising.
used to love the carvin catalogs...ordered two Floyd Rose originals from them in the mid 90's...the only place I could find them back then...cheers all!!!
I have had a Carvin DC127 neck -thru that was lipstick red. I traded a 2003 USA Strat for it. I did not bond with the thin neck or the 25" scale, so I traded it for a Marshall amp. I also had a Holdsworth signature H2 Fatboy that I got for $350 on craigslist. Someone had drilled holes in the top for a synth pickup. I patched the holes and sold it for $800. It was okay. It had a thicker neck, but the super rounded edges were always sliding around on my lap.
Both Frank Zappa and Steve Vai worked with Carvin, mainly on the amp side. I remember them advertising in Guitar Player in the 80s. They sold direct, which was not really an option over here in the UK!
Lovely looking guitar, not quite my bag but looks really solid.
If I remember correctly the story Jeff Kiesel told about this weird looking desing is because of copyright. He said they would get in trouble if they would make a proper V-sign guitar. Same goes for the headstock shape. They couldn't replicate a Jackson headstock due to copyright.
And yeah, very positive they use metal threading for the control plate. But ironacilly they don't have this for their tremelo plates. Weird. I wished all guitar brands would use metal threadings instead of ordinary screws into the wood. Yngwie Malmsteen even has this with his neck attached to the body. Very smart of Yngwie.
My first really good guitar was a 1985 Carvin DC200 (basically a Super Strat with a Les Paul style headstock) with a Kahler tremolo. I LOVE the Kahler! I also loved the pickups so much I bought some later to put in a Gibson Flying V.
The brand Carvin always straight away reminds me of The Bangles' guitarist Vicki Peterson, who'd played pink Carvin guitars in the 80's and through Carvin amps 😊
The Carvin M22SD is a 22 pole Super Distortion clone.
Always loved their 90s catalogs. Well made, but when I went to their SoCal showrooms, I was more impressed by their basses than their guitars.
Like others commenting,I started getting Carvin catalogs while in jr High mid 60s. Their guitars were primitive very basic slab bodied with single coil pickups similar to Moserites at the time. By 1977 I had moved to California and was wanting one of their single cut Les Paul birdseye maple solid bodied 2 single coil guitars. With a cashed
paycheck ,I drove to their factory
and showroom in Escondido,north
San Diego. The model I wanted, was no longer available andI left withtheir new double cut with 2 humbuckers. It was stereo wired, and had 2 coil tap switches and a phase switch, ahead of its time for a production guitar, similar to custom work done by Guitar Lab in NY city in 1970. I still have my
DC- 150 ,a great deal for under 400 bucks
I jammed with a guy that had a Carvin. I wish I remembered the model. It was fantastic. Checked every box
One of the best sounding guitars I've heard on this channel yet
Carviin used to be so expensive new then sell used for nothing. The Kiesel brand is doing better on resale and have kept costs low for custom USA production.
That is a Jackson like head stock. They will still do that stuff on the builder or if you call. Maybe not an exact Jackson one still.
The longer horn is supposed to rest against the inside of your leg. Makes it very comfortable.
Carvin guitars are actually Kiesel guitars now but have the option to put there old logo name on the guitar.
Some of the older Carvin guitars are regarded as some of the best guitars available ive heard
Those Carvin pickups sound great ,clean,defined yet they can growl and maintain definition.Some of the best pickups I’ve heard on your site,Trogly.
Carvin always made top tier stuff, but in those days it was gibson, fender, maybe bcrich, and that was it, no other guitar makers could get any love, even hamer struggled. i had a guitar shop all thru the 80s and i got carven catalogs thru the late 70s. they made guitars, pa gear, then guitar amps, they just never nailed an identity. everything was made in a factory in escondido california and it was really good stuff. like i said they just never had designes that would get them any love.
I have the black V and a custom built Strat type body that I went to the showroom in LaJolla to put my order in (about 18 years ago). That one came out super nice
Oh wow finally,nice Carvin guitar, classic.
So Carvin/Keisel essentially build each one to order and with loads of options. I always viewed them like an easier way to get a unique custom guitar without paying luthier prices etc. There were very few dealers in the UK but there was one nest me a few years ago. I tried s couple out. Very very nice guitars.
Carvin gear was EXPENSIVE back in the 80s but it always looked great in the brochures.
Still have my Carvin C66 I had built in 05. Still one of the best guitars I have played.
Also back in 05 you couldn't get any other guitars built to your specs, with locking tuners, and stainless steel frets for anywhere near the price of a Carvin.
I had a 1990 Ultra V in a rare reverse wing. The long wing on top, short on the bottom. It was just a solid fuchsia finish. It wasnt my first choice of color but it was the nicest one I played. Bought it at the Hollywood Carvin store. It had 24 frets and an ebony board. It played amazing! I think I sold it between 28 and 32. I dont remember. EIven with the solid finish, mine was so much nicer than this one. At least I think so......And it was mint.t was on Reverb. I should have asked more! I actually sold it to a current Carvin employee. If it was Facebook Id post a picture for you. I have a bunch of them. Feed the patch cord through the shoulder strap above the rear strap button to get the cord out of your way. Just leave a bit of slack so the cord isnt pulled tight from the input jack
Those of us who came of age in the 80s know Carvin pretty well. They were one of the original direct-to-consumer brands. I still have one of their old catalogs and like others have commented, used to think up custom builds. In the days before the internet, you had to use your imagination about what the guitar would look like. Their neck-thru guitars are usually 25" scale. Carvin then and Kiesel now are mostly a custom, made-to-order brand and they have never sold many "stock" models. Years ago I had a Carvin TL (Tele) model that wasn't bad. I currently own a Kiesel Vader from early 2017. I don't play it a lot, but it's a fun travel guitar.
For better or worse, resale value has never been one of their strong points.
I remember getting the Carvin catalog many times back in the '80s and wishing I could get one of their guitars because I loved the way they look. I've watched a lot of reviews and demos over the past several years and they seem very well made, but I can't help thinking that the pickups sound a bit nondescript. They're probably a great pedal platform, but they just don't have much character of their own.
I have a Carvin bass and love it! No need to get any other bass, it does what I want it to do and plays great
Carvin makes a fine guitar. have played several, all top notch. so were the amps i've used. all great. i like the shape and overall appearance of this one as well. it's a little odd but it's not too weird. nice demo, too.
I fell in love with a teal Carvin California Carved Top doublecut on their old Gallery page. Then I saw the exact piece for sale on Reverb, but didn’t buy. It came up for sale again a year or so later, and I bought it. It was nice, but I recall a bit heavy, with significant fret sprout. I moved it on. But now I own (again) a great TLB60 that I’d bought and sold to a buddy. They did make some great guitars. 🎸
I love my Kiesel, like a Les Paul if they fixed everything wrong with Gibsons.