All user reviews of 5/5 for the Carvin DC127

$585 (shipping included) from eBay Jan. 2005 -- would cost approx. $850 new. I've been impressed with Carvin guitars since the '80s, and finally decided to own one.

All-black (body, neck [ebony is standard fretboard wood on this model -- very nice], headstock, hardware) except for the neck dots -- the "Darth Vader" of axes! One understated, yet mean looking mother of a guitar! And that's just the cosmetics. The action is low and fast with no buzz from the locking nut to the last (24th) fret. Ergonomically, the guitar feels great (see my comments on its relatively light weight below) and balances well when played with a strap. Very versatile range of sounds since you can split the humbuckers -- can play all-out metal to match its looks, or warm and full for the tastiest of blues jams! Carvin's stock pick-ups are absolutely first-rate. You can truly see, hear and otherwise tell that every aspect of the guitar was well conceived, and that the particular strengths and nuances of the chosen components were factored into, not shoehorned into the design. Nothing about this guitar seems arbitrary or compromised.

Truly no meaningful complaints about the guitar itself. Aesthetically, if I had to nitpick, I felt that the spindly looking toggle switch that controls pick-up selection seemed underwhelming considering the prey-cat, powerful yet sleek look and feel of the rest of the guitar. Yet when you actually use the switch, it feels butter-smooth and solid -- a nice complement to the equally high-quality tone and volume pots. I could fatten up the switch with a coat of black handle grip dip, but anyone who's played a Carvin knows that the switches are fine as is. Other than that, the hardshell Carvin case that came with the guitar could benefit from a thicker outer plastic shell since the surface has become concave. However, the case's overall integrity remains solid.

Neck is straight and true, and the neck-through-body construction makes the guitar feel like it's cut from a single piece of wood. The guitar is lightweight (relative to a Stratocaster, let alone a Les Paul), yet feels more solid than either of the two venerable models I just mentioned. I own a beautiful HSS American Strat (my brother owns the Les Paul), and all I can say is, if you hold each of the three guitars one after the other, you can simply FEEL the structural superiority of the DC127. The electronics are butter smooth and tolerance tight. Despite the fact that I bought the guitar used, and the previous owner certainly played it and didn't baby it (judging by the condition of the case which I detailed above), the finish to the body remains near flawless despite a few pin-prick size dings and some pick swirl marks which I'll polish out.

I agree with other user and professional reviewers who marvel at how Carvin can produce such quality instruments offered at price points necessarily low to maintain some market share. My Strat HSS w/Sienna sunburst cost me $900 new in mid-2004 -- haggled like crazy with the boys at Guitar Center to get that price. To me that was quite a bargain (came with a hard-shell Fender case) then and now for a U.S. Strat of that quality. Yet this is approximately what one would have to pay for a new version of the blacked-out DC127 (as of Feb. 2005). I've not played any PRS guitars, but for the premium you'd pay for PRS over Carvin, I don't see how you could arrive at a cost benefit unless a PRS simply feels and/or sounds better to you. I've not seen any meaningful boasts that PRS' quality outshines Carvin's, so given the price difference, I don't see how it's justifiable for the vast majority of guitarists to pick PRS over Carvin. So here's the upshot. Considering that the DC127 is completely custom built and equals or outshines my Strat in playability, construction quality and flat-out value, I'd encourage anyone looking for a new electric guitar to visit Carvin's website (www.carvin.com) and create a profile of his/her dream guitar. When you sit back drooling at the virtual axe you've built, then get the price, I'm sure you'll have a hard time not following through on the order!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

450 on Ebay

The neck-thru design gives wonderful sustain and effortless access to the high frets. The active controls are very powerful and help you acheive many tones. The wilkinson trem and sperzel tuners are top notch.

You can customize any guitar that you order from the factory, and it only takes two months for them to build it for you.

Not much to dislike. My only hangup is that there are so many controls that it detracts from the beauty of the instrument. They should put some of the switches into push/pull pots. I'm ordering a new one with passive controls.

Excellent construction. Quality is outstanding. A wonderful USA made product.

I have continued to search for the perfect guitar. Every time I come home from the guitar store, I am more in love with this instrument.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Carvin has been hand making guitars in the USA for 30 years. Every guitar they make is made to order and sold directly by them. There is no middle man when it comes to Carvin guitars and this allows them to give everyone factory direct prices. They save the cost of selling to suppliers and pass the savings on to the customer. The customer is able to customize any part of their guitar and get any kind of wood or electronics configuration they want. The DC127 was introduced in 1990 and is Carvins most popular model. You can get pretty much any wood you want with this guitar but the standard options are still great. Standard the DC127 comes with an alder body with a maple neck through design. The neck comes standard with a ebony fretboard with the 25 inch Carvin scale. The model I tested had a tune-o-matic string through bridge although you can get a Wilkinson or Fender style hardtail or even a Floyd Rose. I even hear now that you can get a Bigsby. The guitar comes with C22 pickups and they can be split with a push pull pot. The guitar has a master volume and tone knob with a 5 way switcher.

UTILIZATION

The playability on the DC Carvins is great. The neck through construction means that you have no neck joint heel. The cutaways are deep and you can easily reach up into the highest frets. The neck radius and fret size and material are all selected by the user. You can have a fretless wonder Gibson fretboard or a super flat fretboard with extra jumbo stainless steel frets. It is all up to you. One thing that I have noticed with Carvins is that when you select the option for the Floyd Rose the option of a locking nut is not automatically selected. I have seen many useless Carvins for sale second hand because the original purchaser forgot to select a locking nut with their Floyd Rose.

SOUNDS

The Carvin pickups are pretty basic. They are good for light to moderate gain and blues or jazz. They are super clear but do not have much output to them. The pickups seemed to be voiced more for jazz or classic rock than hard rock and metal. You can get nice smooth sounds from the neck position and even jazzy tones. The bridge position is pretty weak. For heavy music I would recommend changing out at least the bridge pickup. For this type of guitar I would probably drop in a Seymour Duncan custom or something similar to that. Just changing out one pickup wouldnt really call for a active EMG to be dropped in.

OVERALL OPINION

Not many people think about Carvin when they think of a high end custom guitar but these guitars are some of the best out there. Carvin is a small American company that does everything in house and cuts out the middle man. Once you get a guitar from the factory through the wholeseller and to the vendor you have added on a few hundred dollars to the price in most cases. This you are buying these guitars staright from Carvin you are saving a lot of money and getting exactly what you want.

Alder body with mahogany wings
solid maple neck
24 fret ebony fret board
jumbo frets
original Floyd rose
1 volume/ 1 tone
coil taps on each pickup
3 way selector
Sperzel locking tuners
unfinished neck

Made in U.S.A.


UTILIZATION

For me this guitar is just about perfect. The fret board feels great and there is absolutely no heel at the neck joint which makes access to all 24 frets a breeze. The unfinished neck is much more comfortable than a painted one especially since I live in Florida and mixing the humidity with a painted neck can sometimes get a nasty sticky feeling. The placement of the controls are good for me because I tend to strum pretty wildly and these stay out of the way although I would like the selector just about closer to the bridge. The weight is also great as it's not too heavy but not so light that it feels like a toy and it resonates really well even with a Floyd rose on it. The Floyd rose also retains tuning incredibly well.

SOUNDS

My main amp is a Framus cobra 100 watt tube amp and I also sometimes use a H&K Triamp or Peavey 5150. I use lots of effects and play a mix of metal/rock/prog

When I first bought this guitar I figured I would be replacing the pickups. I figured right. The pickups were not terrible for rock tones or clean sounds but they did not give me what I wanted for the majority of the stuff I play. As of now it has a set of Bare knuckles in it with a nail bomb bridge and cold sweat neck. I have tried the Duncan invader (flubby and shrill) EMG 81/85 (one trick pony) the Dimarzio tone zone ( good for rock) and some others I can't think of right now.

With the Bare knuckles I get exactly what I want in a guitar. On the bridge the bass is tight but not completely unforgiving, the top end is just right so it cuts through without getting shrill, chords are well defined even under distortion, and single note runs have a thick sound. I only use the neck pickup for clean and the occasional lead which also sound great. Clean chords are thick with a nice top end and lead work on the distortion channel has that nice fluid sound. I could go for a little more high end on the neck pickup but after all the pickups I've tried I think I'll settle here.

OVERALL OPINION

I bought this guitar almost ten years ago without ever trying one which was probably kind of silly but it turned out great. there have been times where I thought a knew guitar would takes it's spot as number one but as soon as I pick the Carvin back up it's like being home again. The only thing I sometimes wish it had was a 25 1/2" scale length because I love that about my ESPSc6. Who knows how that would actually feel on this guitar though. My only real beefs with the guitar were the electronics seemed a little cheap (they did not fail before I changed them) and the pickup mounting rings do not work with other manufacturers pickups. I bought it knowing I would swap the electronics anyways so it's not a big deal and I know other people who have bought Carvins on my recommendation and love the pickups. It's all personal preference. I'm contemplating buying a California carved now too since they make them with 24 frets now.

Neck through, ebony fingerboard
Kahler tremolo
2x Carvin Humbucker
5 position selector
+ Split pickups.

Made in USA of course.

I would rather have a Floyd Rose (easier to change the parts that Kahler), but given the age of skyscrapers is Kahler!

UTILIZATION

Excellent ergonomics, easy handling

SOUNDS

Typed rock, this guitar is no exception in its clear, with a sound that can be very round, but also very clear from micro splits, etc. ...

The sustain is the rendezvous, this guitar plays the competition with my Ibanez J-custom, quality violin is present and makes itself felt.

With distortion, its grain is very balanced, a little bump in the mids, less sharp than a skyscraper in EMG, but I prefer this way, the neck pickup looks like a Paf pro, bridge to a low of less ToneZone Round but lower medium.

OVERALL OPINION

In view of the exchange I am to buy this guitar, I'm an excellent deal in terms of quality / value of the instrument.

Good ole' Carvin. Made in the USA. 24 frets, ebony fretboard, Wilkinson tremolo. C22N and C22B, volume, tone, 3 way toggle switch. Mini toggles for coil tapping. Sperzel locking tuners. Sweet mahogany neck with Tung-oil finish. I also had a mahogany body model with a reverse headstock. Very fast. This guitar is built to burn.

UTILIZATION

The neck has a GREAT feel. Overall "C" shape neck... not super thin like an Ibanez Wizard... but every bit as fast. Maybe with even a greater range of control for serious bends.. more thumb pivot. Access to upper frets is without parallel. Smooth as butter and prices that compete with imports. Very balanced instrument.. comfortable weight distribution for long sets. This guitar does get a nice sound right out of the box, but I did change the bridge pickup out. More in "Sounds"

SOUNDS

This guitar should be able to suit anyone's style except for maybe die-hard Jazz guys. (and gals ) It can pull off ANYTHING. Funk, Metal, Blues, Hard rock, etc. Perfect for studio use. It CAN do jazz as well... make no mistake! It just may not suit someone who lives for that semi hollow body sound. You can achieve loads of styles, and the coil taps increase your options greatly. Really decent single coil approximations... not exactly Strat-like.. but close enough.. maybe even brighter! I needed a guitar that had a little hotter bridge pickup, and the C22 would have to be my least favorite aspect of this guitar. Not a great pickup. Not horrible... but a bit lifeless and low output.. hard to describe. The M22T pickup from Carvin is great.. don't know why they came up with this thing. Anyway... switched it out for a Seymour Duncan JB (which coil taps on a mahogany bodied guitar very, very well.) and had much more gain. The C22N pickup is nice... I guess they are trying to get a 50's guitar sound. Not sure it was a success, but the neck pickup was worth keeping. Taps nicely.. and responds to cleans extremely well. Distortions..mmm.. well, certainly good enough. Quiet. Not super fat with a lot of distortion, but it can hang.
Hard to pick a favorite sound.. the cleans are very nice.. but with the JB... it definitely lends itself to shredding.

OVERALL OPINION

Had this guitar for about 3 years.. decided to go a bit more the "Classic" route.. I own a lot more Strats, Tele's, Gibson's, etc. And yes, I still have a few straight up metal type guitars.. but have gotten rid of most of my "All-in-one" type guitars. Loved the versatility.. but aesthetically, this was not really my cup of tea. Not really a metal guitar..(i.e. Jackson) and not really a classic ( Strat for instance ) and I guess I need more black and white options for my music gear. I have owned many guitars.. and yes, if I had unlimited resources and room to keep a bunch more guitars then I would own one of these.
My strongest feeling about the Carvin is that if you can afford ONE guitar.. get this one. It can literally do it ALL in one guitar. The mainstay is versatility.. and you definitely get the most bang-for-your-buck with this axe! Champagne features on a beer budget. This guitar is technically (way) better than any Les Paul or Strat... it just does not have their vibe or status. If that does not matter to you... you should definitely consider this guitar!