Carvin Guitars

A

audioforgery

New member
Does any have (or have played) the Carvin Allan Holdsworth signature guitar? It reads like a great instrument, but I wouldn't want to buy one direct without a test run or a sparkling referral.

I understand he (Holdsworth) drove the Carvin guys nuts for years before they came up with something he liked.
 
I don't have a holdsworth, but i do have a carvin DC 135 (i think that's the #). I won't speculate on the holdsworth model but instead comment on the company. I'll never buy a mailorder axe again. I got it in and my first order of business was to adjust the trusssrod due to a slight bend in the neck(probably temp variations in shipping). Next i shipped the hardshell case back to be replaced as it was gashed open (better it than the guitar though :) )
all in all i ended up with a 'good' guitar. But not the stellar diamonds in the rough as the reviews would have me believe.

hope things work out,
rhoadz
 
I have to disagree here. I've played just about every Carvin guitar on the planet and find them to be excellent players. The necks are a little "spongy" and need regular truss adjustment, but they are among the fastest necks around, if that's what you like. The Holdsworth is a different scale than most Carvins and has sound chambers, so it has a more airy tone. I like the regular Carvins better, but the Holdsworth is still an interesting guitar worth trying out. FYI, they have a 10-day return policy.
 
Little off the topic,

I picked up a Mid-70's epiphone solid body electric, very cool. $150, plays excellent. As for Carvin, never tried them. But, I would never order a guitar direct, gotta try them out.
 
And let's not forget that these supposed "signiture guitars" are not anything near the quality coming off the production line as the one that the "custom shop" made for the endorser. These endorsements are meant to ad credibility to the line, but seldom reflect an instrument that is as good as the endorsers instrument was.

Also, the endorser does not necesarilly play the "endorsed" guitar for anything important. Sure, maybe on tour they use it for a song or two, they have to fullfill their contract with the manufacture. I think though in the studio you will find them using the regular assortment of high quality, rare find Gibsons and Fenders that have delivered those great tones for years. Bottom line is that something off the shelf will either be good, or bad. Some are exceptional.

If you are hunting for a great instrument, you really need to play it and hear what it does. I tend to try to find instruments that sound great not plugged in. You can always change pickups, adjust the action and truss rod, and change amps for what they all contribute to the sound. But the wood is wood. The nueances of a piece of wood can't be changed. If the thing sounds alive and very open and sustained acoustically, then that will translate over when plugged in.

I have a problem with buying a new guitar. I have only done this once. When I sold it, I lost money. Instruments are mostly different from electronics. If it sounds great now, it will probably only sound better 10 years from now. In the meantime, a used instrument which is every bit as good used as it is new is not going to lose resale value. Unless of course you paid too much for it. And in that case, you either just had to have it, or, you didn't hold to your guns in negotiations.

Anyway audioforgery, look into buying something used. I don't think this will take too long to find a great deal on a very high quality, great sounding instrument. Surely, you can get a guitar that is as good as the one you are looking at for about half the price. With all that money you saved, you can pay to have the frets dressed, action/intonation set, maybe new pickups if needed. You might even be able to buy more gear with all that money you saved. A used axe is going to be as good for you as anything new. There really is no difference between new and used concerning guitars. So save the bucks and find something used. In fact, on the same budget, you can probably get a much better used instrument for the same money!!!

Good luck. And keep those calauses going.
Ed
 
I am with GuitarGarden on this one. I confess that I am at a major advantage on this one, I live 15 minutes from a Carvin shop. Yes to the needing to adjust necks. But I 100% love the tremelos on these things. and the pickups are pretty hot. Yes you can add those things to any guitar. But then again why add them when you can get a machine that already has them. The reps and sales folks there are great in my expierience. Mild testimony, I feel bad that the one dude here got a lame guitar form them, but he did not mention weather or not Carvin argued at all with his requests to swap gear. I know getting a lamer sucks, but there is comfort in the good customer service too
 
You bring up a good point Even. Carvin didn't put up a fight or give me any static about my retuning the damaged goods. Perhaps i'm transposing a bad "mail order" experience to a bad "carvin" experience. They are two different beasts after all.

Thanks for the clarity
 
I have a friend locally who bought a used Carvin guitar, and he has gone through a ton of guitars. He liked the Carvin so much, he eventually bought two new custom guitars. Both of them are beautiful in sight and sound. I have had a used Charvell with Carvin electronics for several years now and have been very happy with it. I was looking at getting a new guitar and knowing how well his Carvins sounded, I have decided to get one. As for the resale value, I do not plan on getting rid of it.
 
Thanks for all the replies, everyone. I usually wouldn't consider buying anything sight unseen, but I have always heard good things about Carvins, except for the fact that they tend to be somewhat light on the tone (and light on the weight).

But everyone keeps saying that this Holdsworth model has great tone because of the chambers in the body, and has excellent action with a wide fretboard and rounded neck. If they really are on the up-and-up with their return policy, I might pursue it.
 
Carvin is a fine company making really excellent guitars, basses, anps, PA etc. I trembled in fear for 18 mos. before ordering my first carvin bass. Don't do that. I've bought lots of stuff from them, and never returned anything, though they will gladly take back anything you don't like. carvin is true relief from the pain-in-ass process of dealing with local music stores.
IMHO.
 
I have been purchasing Carvin gear since 1979 and they are the ONLY company I will 'endorse' as far as sight-unseen Quality. Sure you get nervous about mail order stuff, but this company has proved time and time again to deliver excellence. If you have any problem, they will rectify it. Need your money back? Just pay the return shipping and insurance and they will refund your money. You can't get any better than that!
 
I have never played two guitars that are exactly the same.
I had a Mexi Strat that I loved. played hundreds of martins, and was never excited by one until I played a friends $700 model.
I believe in taking everything that interests you in to a fitting room and trying it on. My last purchase was a Tacoma,I picked it up out of couriosity and haven't set it down yet.(until now,couse I am typing :D.)
Any way I would suggest a road trip to the closest dealer.

[This message has been edited by Charlie Mosbrook (edited 06-14-2000).]
 
I have a number of friends that purchased Carvin Guitars and Amps. They all look, play, ans sound great. I exchanged a blown speaker for my friend and it was hassle free and fast.

Play on
RussP
 
Hey fellas, in case you didn't notice, this thread died seven months ago.

Why resurect a dead thread?

[This message has been edited by tdukex (edited 06-17-2000).]
 
Not dead, only sleeping.

An advantage to buying used is that you see, play and hear the thing first. You also benefit from a prestabilized level of depreciation, which you lose when buying new. An advantage to buying new is that the instrument is usually in better condition, it has a warranty, and you can get rid of it if you act reasonably quickly. Used warranties can be 30 seconds or 30 feet. So it's a choice of what works, not what is "better".

The Holdsworth production models may not be what he plays (although Carvin disputes this) but even so, what difference does it make? They're not asking $3,000 for the guitar. Price them to their competition, and they are competitive and have their own feel.

If you say, "I want a Strat," you have to keep talking before it means anything, because Fender builds a lot of different kinds of guitars with that name. Some are entry level bangers, some give you religious experiences, and most are in between. But they're all Strats.

It really comes down to whether you want one, not whether they are any good or not. They're plenty good. And doing business with quality people will mean as much or more in the long run than whether you buy new or used.

We have a good guitar shop in town. The people are what make it so, not the stock. I've had good results with MF insending stuff back. Having to do that is not a bad experience, its a good one. And I've had good mail order experiences with new and used stuff from Elderly Instruments in Michigan. www.elderly.com You can track down a particular instrument and then call and get a salesman to get the guitar off the wall and go over it with you for twenty minutes over the phone. Then you lay down your $2K and say prayers for UPS. It really does work.
 
Hi,

A few years ago I played in a band that had an "A-circuit" bass player (he was slumming with us for a while! hahaha No-we were all original, and he wanted to try that route for a bit)
Anway, Our bass Player had all Carvin stuff. It was the first that I had actually seen, and He Swore up and down by his Carvin basses. The Amp sounded good, but The bass was awesome.
It led me to buy a pair of FET 1000 power Amps. i've had no problem with those, of course now-for the same price I could pick up Crowns lower lines.
The Bass had a beautiful finish and feel, and just seemed like a really well made instrument.


Tim
 
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