Still hard to believe I got this for a grand, and yes.. I know why, but just goes to show “brands” are stupid sometimes

[JKingV2]

I got Carvin on Reverb and it was right before the Kiesel brand switch, so safe to say, it’s a Kiesel at heart but Carvins, in my opinion, have always been on par with everything else…. And yes, I know the deal with Carvins and why they sell for cheap on the used market, I don’t need y’all to remind me, but this thing is just too cool for school… genuine mahogany with a quartersawn mahogany neck thru design and a damn near spot on bookmatched flame maple top that just looks sick to my eyes… plus the color is awesome.. ebony board. These are the first gen Lithium pickups and at first I was gonna immediately swap out for Duncans (something I do on almost all guitars) but I kept these ones in because they’re just great. Hipshot bridge and open gear tuners.. neck feels like a wizard for an 8 string with a compound radius which makes this thing play like a dream. What are y’all’s thought on these 2014-2016ish Carvins, right before the switch to Kiesel?

 

[RaceU4her]

that thing looks amazing. i never understood all the criticism of Carvin as my old V220 is the most comfortable and best playing guitar i have and sounds great with the X500xl i have in there. if i was going to have a custom guitar made i would want that neck profile.

 

[Mike Oxhuge]

Looks beautiful. Only Carvin guitar I ever owned was a CT6 and is was beautiful and played great but never found a pickup that made it sound good. I even tried rewiring it all and it just was lifeless sounding. Too bad because it was amazing otherwise. Glad you got a good one and it looks amazing

 

[cobrahead1030]

I played a neck thru Carvin for years.

They’re a great score if you find a nice deal.

 

[tallcoolone]

if i was going to have a custom guitar made i would want that neck profile.

This is exactly why I’ve never wanted a Carvin/Kiesel—one neck profile. One size doesn’t fit all.

 

[Wrong-answers-only]

Love my DC800. Though I think yours is more beautiful, and I appreciate the unmarked ebony board. Only weakness, for me, is the stock pickups.

 

[Robostyle]

Always liked Carvin. Good for you OP

 

[Deleted member 8175]

This is exactly why I’ve never wanted a Carvin/Kiesel—one neck profile. One size doesn’t fit all.

They have a stock shape on many of their models, but they also offer thinner and thicker profile necks.

Back in the day, if you wanted your new Carvin to have a neck just like your favorite guitar, they would scan your neck for around 300 bucks.

 

[japetus]

Badass find!!!!!!

 

[Noch]

that is a beautiful guitar my friend.

i have 8 carvin dc800's and 1 kiesel "kiesel edition" dc800

all of them have 5pc laminate necks.

one of them has a 5pc Mahogany/maple neck.

i can without a doubt feel the neck vibrate more on the Mahogany necked guitar. it has more mids. i can bend the neck and change intonation. its a lot of fun. im wonder with your single piece neck if this is more exaggerated. not sure though.

i have put bare knuckles, seymour duncans, lundgrens in these and would argue that in my amps nothing tops emg's for these. go for the ones with the newer x models of whatever series you choose.

play in good health!

if you ever wish to sell let me know.

 

[Wrong-answers-only]

that is a beautiful guitar my friend.

i have 8 carvin dc800's and 1 kiesel "kiesel edition" dc800

all of them have 5pc laminate necks.

one of them has a 5pc Mahogany/maple neck.

i can without a doubt feel the neck vibrate more on the Mahogany necked guitar. it has more mids. i can bend the neck and change intonation. its a lot of fun. im wonder with your single piece neck if this is more exaggerated. not sure though.

i have put bare knuckles, seymour duncans, lundgrens in these and would argue that in my amps nothing tops emg's for these. go for the ones with the newer x models of whatever series you choose.

play in good health!

if you ever wish to sell let me know.

I am looking to move mine on - elbow and wrist issues have sadly rendered it unplayable, for me.

 

[JimAnsell2]

why are carvins so bad on the resale market? just because they're all cnc built one offs essentially? i really don't know...

 

[Noch]

why are carvins so bad on the resale market? just because they're all cnc built one offs essentially? i really don't know...

thats what is suspected but also bias for many reasons : wannabe fender, wannabe prs, wannabe gibson...who knows.
i have had many electrics and the carvins i have kept are top of the line. stable. incredible tonewoods. joy to play.

 

[JimAnsell2]

i had the catalogs as a kid, and priced out different custom guitars for fun sometimes. i thought they had a cool thing going. the original x-100b tolex verion is a sleeper amp too.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Carvins and Kiesels can be amazing! The good news is you avoided the clown upgrades lol

 

[CrystalSky]

What a sexy DC800! Back in 2010s was the best 8 string in price-quality equation.

And what is that “deal” why Carvins sell low?

 

[TheGreatGreen]

Carvins were always well made but the fact that they were one-off custom jobs meant you were always buying “someone else’s” guitar in every sense of the word.

With most standard model guitars you can reason that they’re made to fit the most people, but a used Carvin was like a suit tailored for somebody else. The implication, true or not, felt like even if the guitar was nice, it probably wouldn’t fit you.

 

[CrystalSky]

Carvins were always well made but the fact that they were one-off custom jobs meant you were always buying “someone else’s” guitar in every sense of the word.

With most standard model guitars you can reason that they’re made to fit the most people, but a used Carvin was like a suit tailored for somebody else. The implication, true or not, felt like even if the guitar was nice, it probably wouldn’t fit you.

Curious. I’m not that picky though.

UPD: thanks for the answer

 

[BeZo]

Yeah, bespoke instruments don't have a good resale value because they are bespoke. I can't tell you how many Carvin/Kiesel guitars (or Balaguer for that matter) that I passed on because of a feature or finish. I start to think that I would have ordered it different, and then price out the build. If it's only a small percentage more to get exactly what I want, why settle for a compromise? Then they sit on the resale market until the price comes down, or somebody finds the exact build they want for cheaper. So, even though they are great guitars, they don't have a high resale value.

 

[Wayniac3]

I've had several 7 strings over the years as well as 4 and 5 string bass. Great quality and the ebony they used was always great.
No reflection on the Carvin quality - I just decided to flip them.
I currently only have a 12 string electric which is awesome.
Congrats on your score!