Gibson LP vs Carvin CS6

[Digital Jams]

I've owned many les pauls but always ended up ditching them in the end. What i've found is that I like playing a les paul sitting down and on the lower register but to me the upper fret access is crap (even on there axcess model) and i'm very dissapointed with gibsons quality, they generally 9 times out of 10 have the nuts cut to low which causes frets 1-3 to buzz no matter what, (even with the new plek system in place) The factory setups are usually good for a slide player! and ive seen so many microphonic pickups lately its unreal! and don't even get me started about the broken head stock issue. Gibsons customer service sucks and god forbid you ever have an issue. In my opinion , gibson aint the company it used to be and a company like Carvin slaughters there quality and customer service, and you can make a guitar to YOUR specs at a price you can afford, right here in the good ol USA.

I've owned my cs6 and dc127 carvins for a while now and just put in an order for a walnut/ maple ultra v in tung oil finish! which will be my third Carvin. I'm really happy with carvins products, they make a very nice instrument right out of the box. They stay in tune, they are setup EXCELLENT right out of the box, very stable high quality guitar to YOUR specs not someone elses, and to me that means the world.

As far as a direct comparison of the two guitars, i can tell you this,The les paul has a much louder acoustic property to it, and i believe that to be because they are chambered and have more of a break angle on the headstock and bridge. The carvin is a much more mellow sounding guitar unplugged but has really opened up over the passed few months of playing it. The neck on the carvin is really comfortable and somewhere between and 50's and 60's neck gibson style. There is always the option 50 stuff which means they can pretty much do anything you want. The word is that they have a bunch of different neck profiles scanned in from actual guitars...

The recessed bridge on the carvin is a really great idea and man can you ever get the action low if you want on it, i've never played a guitar that played so well and was so SMOOTH and easy to bend. I'd say the carvin is a mixture of a les paul and a PRS. Being a 25" scale guitar and all....

As far as plugged in , i just wrapped up tracking my bands new cd (you guys will here it soon ccv / carvin content!) and the other guitar player used and SG and we also used my Bass players les paul silverburst showcase edition. Going to tape, the carvin cut through better and just had more punch and clarity. The gibsons were muddy in comparison, the carvin breaths fire.

So to me, the Carvin is a faster supercharged version of a les paul with better playability and the best upper fret access in the business period. You can get your hand passed the last fret with the way they designed the heel. I recommend the 14 inch radius, its killer and I really hope they come out with a 24 fret version of the carvin cs6 to! Pretty amazing stuff, combine that with the fact they are totally customizable to your specs and needs, use killer locking sperzel tuners, graphtech nut, saddles, gotoh bridges, incredible fret work, bookmatching, wood choices, insane action, features, and price.... whats not to like? Plus they are made here in the usa...

Gibson is dead to me .... they are slow playing dinosaurs , and accessible only to the big boy guitar player kinda company, and they proved that to me time and time again in real life. They could give two shits about guys like you and me! They could take a lesson or two about customer service and what a custom shop really is, without leaving the hardworking american walking away like they got gaped / atm'd .....

Here is a pic of the finish on my carvin, this isn't actually my guitar but it looks exactly like it minus the floyd...

The carvin you brought to that one ampfest was the shit, great guitar.

 

[blackba]

I wish Carvin would open up a few stores across the country, so you can actually try out their stuff before hand. Just a store in NY, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, and Dallas would be nice.

The most common complaint I see from Carvin is their pickups, people either seem to love them or hate them....

 

[dawnofdreamx97]

I've owned many les pauls but always ended up ditching them in the end. What i've found is that I like playing a les paul sitting down and on the lower register but to me the upper fret access is crap (even on there axcess model) and i'm very dissapointed with gibsons quality, they generally 9 times out of 10 have the nuts cut to low which causes frets 1-3 to buzz no matter what, (even with the new plek system in place) The factory setups are usually good for a slide player! and ive seen so many microphonic pickups lately its unreal! and don't even get me started about the broken head stock issue. Gibsons customer service sucks and god forbid you ever have an issue. In my opinion , gibson aint the company it used to be and a company like Carvin slaughters there quality and customer service, and you can make a guitar to YOUR specs at a price you can afford, right here in the good ol USA.

I've owned my cs6 and dc127 carvins for a while now and just put in an order for a walnut/ maple ultra v in tung oil finish! which will be my third Carvin. I'm really happy with carvins products, they make a very nice instrument right out of the box. They stay in tune, they are setup EXCELLENT right out of the box, very stable high quality guitar to YOUR specs not someone elses, and to me that means the world.

As far as a direct comparison of the two guitars, i can tell you this,The les paul has a much louder acoustic property to it, and i believe that to be because they are chambered and have more of a break angle on the headstock and bridge. The carvin is a much more mellow sounding guitar unplugged but has really opened up over the passed few months of playing it. The neck on the carvin is really comfortable and somewhere between and 50's and 60's neck gibson style. There is always the option 50 stuff which means they can pretty much do anything you want. The word is that they have a bunch of different neck profiles scanned in from actual guitars...

The recessed bridge on the carvin is a really great idea and man can you ever get the action low if you want on it, i've never played a guitar that played so well and was so SMOOTH and easy to bend. I'd say the carvin is a mixture of a les paul and a PRS. Being a 25" scale guitar and all....

As far as plugged in , i just wrapped up tracking my bands new cd (you guys will here it soon ccv / carvin content!) and the other guitar player used and SG and we also used my Bass players les paul silverburst showcase edition. Going to tape, the carvin cut through better and just had more punch and clarity. The gibsons were muddy in comparison, the carvin breaths fire.

So to me, the Carvin is a faster supercharged version of a les paul with better playability and the best upper fret access in the business period. You can get your hand passed the last fret with the way they designed the heel. I recommend the 14 inch radius, its killer and I really hope they come out with a 24 fret version of the carvin cs6 to! Pretty amazing stuff, combine that with the fact they are totally customizable to your specs and needs, use killer locking sperzel tuners, graphtech nut, saddles, gotoh bridges, incredible fret work, bookmatching, wood choices, insane action, features, and price.... whats not to like? Plus they are made here in the usa...

Gibson is dead to me .... they are slow playing dinosaurs , and accessible only to the big boy guitar player kinda company, and they proved that to me time and time again in real life. They could give two shits about guys like you and me! They could take a lesson or two about customer service and what a custom shop really is, without leaving the hardworking american walking away like they got gaped / atm'd .....

Here is a pic of the finish on my carvin, this isn't actually my guitar but it looks exactly like it minus the floyd...

The carvin you brought to that one ampfest was the shit, great guitar.

thanks! that was my dc127 - great guitar!

 

[dawnofdreamx97]

I ordered a CS6 and hated it so I returned it. Yea, the quality is great and so is the customer service. But that hardly matters when a guitar sounds like shit. Compared to my LP's, all I can say is the finish sounds three feet thick. It sounded like mud. Almost like someone threw a blanket over my amp. I even tried swapping pickups and still no luck. If you do decide to buy one, go used. Like all Cavin stuff their resale is horrible. Just my two cents.

i felt exactly the same when i got my dc127 - after about 2 or 3 months of playing it, it really opened up alot...

 

[yngzaklynch]

I ordered a CS6 and hated it so I returned it. Yea, the quality is great and so is the customer service. But that hardly matters when a guitar sounds like shit. Compared to my LP's, all I can say is the finish sounds three feet thick. It sounded like mud. Almost like someone threw a blanket over my amp. I even tried swapping pickups and still no luck. If you do decide to buy one, go used. Like all Cavin stuff their resale is horrible. Just my two cents.

i felt exactly the same when i got my dc127 - after about 2 or 3 months of playing it, it really opened up alot...

I think I know what you mean because when I first got my EBMM it sounded kinda... not sure how to explain it... tight and stiff. It was nice but kinda dull. A year later it is just killer in everyway. Definitely better now than when I first got it.

 

[gbsmusic]

I cant comment on the Carvins but Ive owned several PRS Singlecuts and while I loved them, none of them could hang tone wise with a Les Paul.

 

[LP Freak]

I cant comment on the Carvins but Ive owned several PRS Singlecuts and while I loved them, none of them could hang tone wise with a Les Paul.

I've got one of those too. While the PRS does sound good, it's still not as good.

 

[Shawn Lutz]

there is just something odd looking about all of the Carvins, no matter how sweet the top or finish is. I can't put my finger on it other than I guess they are not for me.

 

[robertkoa]

can't comment on the cs6, but regarding carvin.. i played 2 bolts, a bolt plus, and a dc400 this weekend. i didn't plug any in, but the craftsmanship seemed top notch for all.

the necks weren't ibanez thin, but they were very fast necks. I really liked playing them. would i spend $1000ish for a new bolt? no, when $1000 can get a very nice strat. for $450ish, used, i think the bolts are great guitars. i like heavy guitars and the carvins feel light. my concern is that they may sound thin when amplified.

i'd like to check out a cs6 to see what the top-of-the-line carvins are all about.

I ordered my Bolt with Maple Neck Koa body - it has a very thick tone(s) unplugged and plugged in, lots of sustain also but IS very heavy- maybe 10 pounds or more (Stratlike but more bottom and sustain )- wonder if the weight is contributing to the thicker tones.( although I've had fat tones from 2 other Koa Guitars as well but they weren't Bolt Ons ).

Anyway, remember that you can get Mahogany or Koa bodies cheap on Custom Carvins.

+1 on the 14" Radius and Carvin uses Jescar frets, same as the boutique guys.

RE: the Les Paul - almost everyone says the LP is it's own thing nothing sounds exactly like them.

 

[snakeman1986]

I cant comment on the Carvins but Ive owned several PRS Singlecuts and while I loved them, none of them could hang tone wise with a Les Paul.

Hmmm had the opposite feeling. I preferred the PRS singlecuts in ever aspect to the Les Paul. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Definitely doesn't sound or play the same though.

 

[robertkoa]

I've had LP's before and never held on to them. I've had my Carvin CT3 for a couple of years now and it's not going anywhere. Carvin makes great guitars. Gibson makes inconsistent, overpriced guitars.

Hey ToneZone- do you think the Carved Tops WITHOUT the maple Cap like yours ( CT-3,CS-3 ) are actually a bit fatter/ warmer ?

I have a nice Bolt and have thought of a CT3 or CS3 in Koa and have a luthier put in a middle single coil - wish Carvin would do it.

 

[stringydan]

I have LP Custom silverburst. Beautiful, expensive, and heavy. Plays great and sound huge. I also have a Carvin CS6M. The Carvin is not as heavy as the LP has stainless steel frets(which I love) and a gorgeous book matched top. They are not the same or sound the same. I like them both. The carvin is the easiest to play and is easier on my back at the end of the night. I love them both and if I lost either I would replace them with similar models.

 

[bigdaddyd]

I wish Carvin would open up a few stores across the country, so you can actually try out their stuff before hand. Just a store in NY, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, and Dallas would be nice.

The most common complaint I see from Carvin is their pickups, people either seem to love them or hate them....

I have drooled over Carvin catalogs since I was a kid. Last year I was in LA and had time to go to the Carvin store. My friend and I were in there for 10min. I did 1 lap and looked at him and said "let's get the fuck out of here." There wasn't one thing there that even inspired me enough to try. I was so deflated. I've played Carvins before and know how they play and sound. I have no problems with them. I will take any Les Paul over any Carvin any day. Unless you have a fucking dead LP, the LP will win 99% of the time and in the 1% of the time, you have a defective guitar.

Other than that, you can make any guitar play well. I had a guy in my apt picking up a cab today. He gave me the whole bs about how he never played an SG that was any good, so I handed him one of mine. He loved it. I handed him another, he loved that. He asked what I did to them. I told him I put on new strings, adjusted the truss rod and lubed the nut and saddles My guitars haven't had any significant work done, but would probably be even better if they were plek'd or whatnot. If you want something custom though, Carvin is a great, inexpensive alternative. I don't need custom stuff though.