Thinking of a Carvin. What do you guy...

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Author Message Funkle Username: Funkle Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Monday, October 31, 2005 - 9:36 pm:    I'm thinking of ordering one of the California Carved top models. I'm thinking of either to 100% mahogany body with a Wilkinson trem, or the Mahogany with a quilted maple top and a fixed bridge. A few finish choices. Johnm Username: Johnm Registered: 08-2001 Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 5:08 am:    I'd choose 2 or 4. JohnM Dave_g Username: Dave_g Registered: 01-2002 Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 9:18 am:    My vote is #4 very nice top...... Guitartim Username: Guitartim Registered: 04-2001 Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 10:29 am:    Very nice axes from Carvin this year! I'd recommend making a trip to one of their stores if you live on the Calif. West Coast and test drive them. Some players love the necks and others hate'em. No choices in radius or neck carve either. Have you checked Harmony Central or the Carvin discussion boards for actual user comments? And yes, I'd go with the fanciest model they offer...Carvins are notorious for depreciating rapido and fancy trimmings could offset resale losses. Funkle Username: Funkle Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 10:32 am:    Those are my favorites too. I also like the amber top - forgot to post this one Boo Username: Boo Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 10:41 am:    I like 4. It'd be sweet in a thinline. A shame about the "no choice" radius. What are they 9.50"? It better be a keeper 'cause Tim is right. They are resale bombs. Johns Username: Johns Registered: 02-2001 Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 12:12 pm:    I like the amber top, #4, and #2 in that order. Joe Walsh plays these, no? Funkle Username: Funkle Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 12:26 pm:    Actually, the resale prices surprisingly high. There are recent eBay sales of $1,150.66 and $978.00 and $900.00 for the CT_6. The used prices are about 75-90% that of a new guitar, so I'm willing to pay full price and order one new and specify all my options. I've always wanted to go through the custom order process. You can specify a different radius. Although I would be happy with stock 12". From the site: All Carvin 6 string guitars and 4 string basses now come with a 12" fingerboard radius which is the industry stan- dard and offers what we feel is the best overall combina- tion for easy string bending and chording. The optional more rounded 10" radius gives slightly more comfortable chording for many players. The optional flatter 14" radius promotes slightly easier string bending. R10 optional 10" radius (net $40) R14 optional 14" radius (net $40) Funkle Username: Funkle Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 1:05 pm:    Tim, I've been to the Carvin store in LA twice. Once last weekend. I love the feel of the necks, they feel as good as any of the Ibanez necks to me. As far as sound, many of them seem a bit bright to me. Their pickups are not my favorite. Maybe a V1/V2 set would fix that Unfortunately, I did not spend time playing the Cali. I played mainly the HF2 and some of the neck through models. The fever for the Cali Carved Top has just set in over the last week. I'll be going back down to LA mid month. -Sven Destroyer Username: Destroyer Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 8:00 pm:    I've played two Carvins and while I understand the trepidations one may have about buying a guitar without having played it first, I have to report that the fret jobs and action on the two I've played have been far superior to 95% of the Gibsons and Fenders I've pulled off the walls of music stores. Eric Guitartim Username: Guitartim Registered: 04-2001 Posted on Thursday, November 03, 2005 - 6:44 pm:    Yo, Funk~ Check out the Calif. Carve Amber/Umber Quilt on EBay... http://cgi.ebay.com/Carvin-California-Carved-Top-Quilt-Gold-G-G-Tweed-HSC_W0QQit emZ7362171081QQcategoryZ2384QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Funkle Username: Funkle Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Friday, November 04, 2005 - 2:20 am:    Just what I'm looking for aside from the gold hardware What about this one: http://www.qksrv.net/click-1802666-10381315?loc=http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI .dll%3FViewItem%26item%3D7360837863 Tonedef Username: Tonedef Registered: 03-2004 Posted on Friday, November 04, 2005 - 8:47 pm:    The guy isn't kidding about this being Carvin's best model, I think it is. Nothing but good reports on these, and they are even more beautiful in person. My friend has #002, and it is something. You'd have to go onto Carvin's website to see if the $$ are right. Tonedef Overdriver Username: Overdriver Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 4:33 pm:    They certainly look beautiful. Joe Walsh uses one with the Eagles. I'd get #2 but with cream pup rings. Agr Username: Agr Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Monday, October 02, 2006 - 9:26 am:    Funkle, Did you ever get one of these guys? I would love to get some feedback on how you liked it. Funkle Username: Funkle Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Monday, October 02, 2006 - 1:16 pm:    Agr, I went down to LA and played a bunch of the CT models, and it was quite a decent guitar. I was a little thrown off by the tone though. It has what I would call more of a strat like tone - twangy and bright, not full and midrangy like you'd expect. Nothing really wrong with that, I just don't like bright sounding guitars, period. I've since learned that this is mostly a result of the pickups Carvin uses - love 'em or hate 'em. I would heartily recommend the guitar, if you don't mind a little brightness, and are willing to do some pickup swapping. I would have preferred a smooth heel though. I actually ended up ordering a Carvin HF2 Fatboy (Holdsworth signature model) instead, and have fallen deeply in love with it. I took a chance on the guitar, and only after swapping pickups did it's personality come out. This guitar has the most wonderful resonant tone, it's really like nothing else. It's a little bit of an oddball, but I love it. Agr Username: Agr Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Monday, October 02, 2006 - 5:00 pm:    Thanks for the feedback Funkle. When you played the various models, did they have any with the hotter pickups like the M22SD? I would imagine that those might be a bit warmer. Funkle Username: Funkle Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Thursday, October 05, 2006 - 1:29 pm:    AGR, not sure about the pickups. I pretty much just wrote them all off, figuring I have my favorites already, and I'll just drop them in. The Fatboy came with the Holdsworth signature PUs, which are very hot. They were not particularly warm, and the most annoying trait was that they hat a lot of warble, and non-harmonicly pleasing distortion. like you get from a strat PU with a strong magnet placed too close to the strings. Like I said, you either love them or hate them. I don't seem to like any of them. Avidking Username: Avidking Registered: 06-2005 Posted on Sunday, October 08, 2006 - 2:30 am:    I had a Carvin guitar built for me. I built it to look and play as much as a MC550 as I could. I have a 77 Artist, I think this guitar is as good if not better... I hope she didn't hear that! Fingersmcoy Username: Fingersmcoy Registered: 10-2006 Posted on Monday, November 06, 2006 - 10:24 am:    I think carvin guitars are somewhat over rated.If they were so great you would see the super stars using them.The Carvin apms have a better reputation in my oppinion.Ive played a Carvin guitar- i wasnt that excited about it.

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