tjon901 « One of the few reasonable lefty 7 strings »
Published on 12/27/11 at 16:02Carvin is a music equipment maker out of California that makes just about everything you need to put on the live gig. They are mostly known for their built to order semi-custom guitars. They have a line of guitars and you can pick out all the different options you want on the instrument. This is their lefty 7 string model. This model is one of the few reasonaly priced left handed 7 string guitars on the market today. With lefty guitars they are either super low end or unbelievably expensive. These Carvin guitars are right in the reasonable range and you can get all the specs and pieces you like. The example I tested out was not too exotic. It came with a maple neck through body with mahogany wings. The pickups were in an HH configuration with Carvin 7 string pickups. The fretboard was ebony with a nice flat radius and jumbo stainless steel frets. The whole guitar was finished in a satin black that gave it a nice smooth finish. The hardware was black as well with a Fender style hardtail bridge. Controls were basic with a volume and tone with a 3 way switch.
UTILIZATION
The playability on these models is great. Carvin uses something called rapid play technology. These guitars come from the factory with a super low action. This combined with the jumbo stainless steel frets means you get a super smooth feel when you are playing. The ebony fretboard contributes to this. I am not the biggest fan of the Fender style bridge. I wish you could get a 7 string tune-o-matic bridge for the 7 strings. This is all just personal preference. Since the guitar has neck through construction that means there is very little neck joint heel to get in the way. The satin finish on this example covers the entire guitar and gives it a super smooth feel and on the back of the neck this is great for playability.
SOUNDS
The pickups in these Carvins is usually the weakest part. They make their own pickups as well as everything else so they are not up to par with specialized pickup makers. The pickups in this guitar were the stock Carvin units and they were pretty decent. If you are looking for good overall tone and versatility you could very well keep them. The bridge is a bit tighter than you would expect out of a Carvin pickup. This is probably due to it being a 7 string pickup. The neck pickup is smooth with a bit of bite. It sounds very modern like the other Carvin pickups I have heard. The output on either pickup isnt very extreme as these seem to be for all around tone and general styles. Like all Carvin pickups these units have a ton of pole pieces so you do not get any dead zones between strings.
OVERALL OPINION
If you are left handed and are looking for a good solid 7 string your options are pretty limited. With Carvin you can get a 7 string the way you want it with all the stuff you like on a guitar. If you like rosewood instead of ebony you can get either or even maple. You have your choice of bodywoods as well. The type of bridge is your choice as well as the frets and radius. With Carvin all the little details are up to you and if you buy a Carvin new and you dont like it that is most likely your fault.
UTILIZATION
The playability on these models is great. Carvin uses something called rapid play technology. These guitars come from the factory with a super low action. This combined with the jumbo stainless steel frets means you get a super smooth feel when you are playing. The ebony fretboard contributes to this. I am not the biggest fan of the Fender style bridge. I wish you could get a 7 string tune-o-matic bridge for the 7 strings. This is all just personal preference. Since the guitar has neck through construction that means there is very little neck joint heel to get in the way. The satin finish on this example covers the entire guitar and gives it a super smooth feel and on the back of the neck this is great for playability.
SOUNDS
The pickups in these Carvins is usually the weakest part. They make their own pickups as well as everything else so they are not up to par with specialized pickup makers. The pickups in this guitar were the stock Carvin units and they were pretty decent. If you are looking for good overall tone and versatility you could very well keep them. The bridge is a bit tighter than you would expect out of a Carvin pickup. This is probably due to it being a 7 string pickup. The neck pickup is smooth with a bit of bite. It sounds very modern like the other Carvin pickups I have heard. The output on either pickup isnt very extreme as these seem to be for all around tone and general styles. Like all Carvin pickups these units have a ton of pole pieces so you do not get any dead zones between strings.
OVERALL OPINION
If you are left handed and are looking for a good solid 7 string your options are pretty limited. With Carvin you can get a 7 string the way you want it with all the stuff you like on a guitar. If you like rosewood instead of ebony you can get either or even maple. You have your choice of bodywoods as well. The type of bridge is your choice as well as the frets and radius. With Carvin all the little details are up to you and if you buy a Carvin new and you dont like it that is most likely your fault.