The Kiesel you all never saw...

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mystixboi

mystixboi

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in early February of this year, I ordered this custom Kiesel Aries 6. I was excited because they were finally offering a custom color shift. After many months of waiting(maybe 5 weeks after they said it would be done), I received the guitar and within 10 minutes it was packed up ready to go back.

In a nutshell, it played great, but the color doesn't pop like it does in this pic. It was more dark green and I couldn't really make out the color shift. It actually looked kind of cheap in real life.

As far as tone, it sounded full and the Lithium pickups were articulate.

As nice as the guitar was, it didn't have that mojo. There was no "it" factor. It was just there and didn't inspire my playing.

So back it went. Here is a pic:

3F52EA8A-88C9-4905-9F5B-D7F16BCB2F8A.jpg


24 fret bolt-on neck
scale length 25.5"
Stainless steel frets
fingerboard flamed maple with MOP diamond inlays, 14" radius
bridge Hipshot™ hardtail, strings through body
tuners Kiesel Guitars locking tuners, 19:1 ratio
neck width 1.68" wide @ nut, 2.22" wide @ 24th fret, .780" thick at 1st fret, .870" thick at 12th fret
dimensions 38.25" long, 1.65" thick body, 12.5" wide body

I'll also be candid. I've ordered a bunch of carvins and kiesels over the past decade or so. While they are making some great guitars, my suhrs, Prs and music mans are still way above them in just about every aspect. Also, I've seen too many threads on different forums and facebook of them dropping the ball in different customer service issues. It all leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
 
If you're looking for a super strat type of guitar, check out Mayones, Aristides, and RAN.
 
I've never seen a Carvin in real life. I wouldn't mind trying out a Kiesel with similar specs to one of my Duvells. But yeah, they kinda look cheap in a way sometimes with the overly gaudy colors and stuff people always spec for them. I enjoy watching the factory videos of them being made though.
 
So you spec'd a guitar from a company. They built it. You get it and it wasn't exactly what you thought it would be so you send it back at their loss because it didn't have "it" as you perceive it?
Ok. :thumbsdown:
 
Rezamatix":396sv2s3 said:
but they have ALWAYS felt cheap and despite the nice pricing, they never rang out like a real quality guitar does. They always felt like a cheap facsimile of what a guitar should feel like.
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For the right price, I'm not mad at at them. If they feel cheap, and are cheap, I think that's fair. It's cool to be able to get a decent quality semi custom guitar for $1000-1200. But as they've gotten more expensive, it seems like you're truly only paying for cosmetics, with the same decent guitar underneath. It's one thing to pay a premium for an Artist Package PRS, which in many ways just looks fancier than a standard Core model. But it's such a well made guitar to start with, that it's worth upgrading if that's your thing. A decent guitar with $1500 in cosmetic options is just a fancy looking decent guitar.
 
I know Carvin/Kiesel has that type of rep and I can agree to an extent, because I was never totally floored by any Carvins that I had played or owned and had ultimately let them go. However, that changed when I got my first Kiesel Aries. Sure, it's not the greatest guitar I've ever played or owned, but it really works for me. So much so, that I picked up another one on the used market. I genuinely like the way they play and sound and the looks don't bother me like they do some people. I just take them at face value. I don't look at them as a custom guitar that I want to trick out like one might do for a Suhr or T/A. For me, they are not worth the money for doing that type of thing. That's why I stick with basic builds for the ones I have...SS jumbo frets and I'm set for the most part. The Kiesel pickups work well for me than past Carvin p/u's I've heard. Again, not the best, but they work for what I do. I don't think Carvins/Kiesels "suck" by any means. You could do much worse. But, I know they don't appeal to many out there.
 
I want a multi scale & Kiesel Rondo are the only choices out there less than 2k
The new stuff has been getting great reviews
 
crankyrayhanky":3bjzw02x said:
I want a multi scale & Kiesel Rondo are the only choices out there less than 2k
The new stuff has been getting great reviews
Click to expand...

Check out Ormsby Guitars if you want a Multiscale under that price.....
 
xzacx":312qq28w said:
Rezamatix":312qq28w said:
but they have ALWAYS felt cheap and despite the nice pricing, they never rang out like a real quality guitar does. They always felt like a cheap facsimile of what a guitar should feel like.
Click to expand...

For the right price, I'm not mad at at them. If they feel cheap, and are cheap, I think that's fair. It's cool to be able to get a decent quality semi custom guitar for $1000-1200. But as they've gotten more expensive, it seems like you're truly only paying for cosmetics, with the same decent guitar underneath. It's one thing to pay a premium for an Artist Package PRS, which in many ways just looks fancier than a standard Core model. But it's such a well made guitar to start with, that it's worth upgrading if that's your thing. A decent guitar with $1500 in cosmetic options is just a fancy looking decent guitar.
Click to expand...

That's exactly it!!!! It was $1600 or so but didn't feel like $1600. My suhrs feel and sound like a 2K guitar sounds. This guitar felt average at best.
 
Badronald":24dogbg0 said:
So you spec'd a guitar from a company. They built it. You get it and it wasn't exactly what you thought it would be so you send it back at their loss because it didn't have "it" as you perceive it?
Ok. :thumbsdown:
Click to expand...

Why not? Do you mean to imply that you've never read specs on a guitar and thought it was just about perfect for your tastes and when you finally got to try it, it fell short to what you expected?

Please....
 
Of course they suck. Except they don't. Like anything else, they're not for everyone. I have 2 and they're great. The Bolt+ I just got a few months ago is easily one of the best playing guitars I've ever had. I also have 2 Suhr Modern's. Would I give up my Suhrs for the Kiesels? No, but I'd be splitting hairs. But to say they suck is just clueless. One thing is for sure: There is no better value out there. None. Period.

I don't love the Lithium pickups but the djent dudes usually do. That said, yes, some of the wood/color combos people use are just stupid. But again, different strokes. The worst part of the guitar isn't the company or the product but the "off the charts" fan bois that spend what seems to be all day, on their forum. God forbid you have a customer service issue and you try and post about it on the site. Don't get me started on that.

I was in GC on Thursday and saw a used DC145 for $599 there. Red paint and an oiled mahogany neck, ebony board and HSH. Off the wall it was the best guitar in the building and sounded great. If you spec'd a guitar from anyone else, I doubt they'd let you send it back if you didn't like it and refund your money. Not too many manufacturers stand behind their product like that.

If you're looking for a pro level guitar and want something a little unique, you have to look at Kiesel.

Dave
 
The color issue isn't their fault, well I guess it sort of is, but isn't. Those color shift chameleon paints work by reflecting light, so in order for them to work they need a bright light source to hit them and create the color change on the different angles and curves of the body. They need the sun. That paint was developed for cars that are outside in the sun all the time and full of different curves to take advantage of the bright light and the color shifting. Thus why you saw it as more green and didn't see much color shift. It probably looks awesome outside in the sun but boring as can be indoors in typical room lighting. That's an outdoor sunny day gig guitar haha.
 
If only you played that guitar as a blind man you'd likely have a bit more appreciation for it. Maybe the lack of color pop blinded you into thinking the guitar was crap. We judge so much by visual aspect alone we tend to neglect how to really judge a guitar (same goes for a lot of things in life as well). Ex - you can't tell me that a 10 top PRS actually plays and sounds better than a non-10 top.

If it was an off the shelf guitar I'd be more understanding about returning it so quick. But a custom build to your specs? I dunno man...

/flamesuit
 
If Carvin's policy allows him to return it, then I don't see an issue. I don't think he brow beat them into taking the guitar back. I think their policy is that if you don't like it, return it. So he did.
 
sahlomonic":kn4zp9f1 said:
If only you played that guitar as a blind man you'd likely have a bit more appreciation for it. Maybe the lack of color pop blinded you into thinking the guitar was crap. We judge so much by visual aspect alone we tend to neglect how to really judge a guitar (same goes for a lot of things in life as well). Ex - you can't tell me that a 10 top PRS actually plays and sounds better than a non-10 top.

If it was an off the shelf guitar I'd be more understanding about returning it so quick. But a custom build to your specs? I dunno man...

/flamesuit
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I never said it was crap.
 
I had one that was built by Jeff for me and it was great. No complaints.
 
Well, I've had my share of PRSs over the years, many of which were pre-factory, as well as my share of Suhrs, Andersons, McInturfs, USA Jacksons and the usual blending of Gibsons and Fenders. My current guitars are both Carvin CT624Ms and they are, without a doubt, the finest playing, best feeling guitars I've ever owned. The Kiesel lithium pickups have great articulation, are very responsive to picking dynamics, and sound PDG through my Bogner Shiva and my Landry LS100 G3. Not sure why Carvin/Kiesel gets such a bad rap, but it seems these opinions are usually generated by non-Carvin/Kiesel owners. All I can say is these guitars have ended my guitar GAS, and I haven't bought, nor desired, another guitar in over 3 years (and have no plans to do so in the near future).
 
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