Carvin 850 Acoustic

This guitar is loaded with features for this price point. AA Solid spruce top, very tight grain, bookmatched (at least as far as I can tell). Binding on top and back, binding around the fingerboard and headstock which is usually only reserved for the top models from other brands. Back and end binding inlays, mahogony neck with a satin finish. The body is finished in a high gloss that does not appear to be overly thick. Rosewood fingerboard and bridge topped off with ebony and abalone dot pins. Overall I am very pleased with the appearance. I pulled off the pickguard to reveal more of the awesome top. The rosewood back and sides are laminate (The back grain looks like it could be solid) ,but very beautiful. Add to all of this the Fishman Prefix Plus T preamp. A very impressive instrument.

I may be too critical of the tone with this young instrument, but I was expecting a little more in the tone department. It sounds a little weak and bright. But again I think the spruce will "open up" over time and be better, Also I will test other string brands to find one that matches this guitar. Finger picking sound is adequate, but not bold. Hard strumming is good. Pluged in this thing sounds great. The Fishman preamp really shines and amplification is very good.

Carvin did an excellent job on set-up. The action is good to very good. Intonation is good with on pich notes up to the top frets. The harmonics are a little weak, but over time should improve as it ages. Fit and set-up of the saddle and nut look great. The fret ends are smooth and uniform. The fit and finish of the body is good but not perfect. There is some glue residue at the base of the cutaway inside, but not enough to get your attention. I was inspecting the interior with an inspection mirror and an LED inspection light. Thats what I do, so I may be overly critical. The back and ends match up very nicely and like I stated before the top is extremely nice.

This guitar will not be traveling a lot, but I feel it is very well constructed and should hold up to regular gigging and transport. As with any instrument, a lot of this depends on the fortitude of the cases used and type of handling. The case it comes with is adequate for minor travel. The Grover tuners are solid and the hardware is sturdy.

I am rating this a little lower because Carvin should be offering the same warranty as the competition. Limited lifetime to the original owner. Five years seems good, but falls short of the industry standard for a guitar that would certanly stand the test of time with proper care. My experience with customer service was very good and I would rate service a 9. My original choice was backordered and the change was flawless.

This day eleven wich means I am keeping it. During my playing years I have owned Martin, Taylor, Ovation and Yamaha. For the price this guitar is very hard to beat. I would buy it again if something happened to this one and I was looking at something in this price range. When I decided to purchase another guitar I did try the Martins and Taylors. Who doesn't? But I think each of those guitars stand on their own merit and even between those makes to me there are night and day differences. For me this time I needed the most bang for the buck. I was only interested in guitars made of wood, not material made to look like wood just to get a name on the headstock. I chose Carvin because of their product not clever marketing, and I am pleased with the purchase.

Gloss AA Maple top, dreadnought body with cutaway, Grover tuners, Carvin "Rapid Play" neck, ABS plastic Carvin hardcase, Made in Korea, solid top, Rosewood back and sides, Fishman Prefix Plus preamp with Fishman Matrix piezo pickup. Abalone around sound-hole. For the price range, some great features. 5-6 years old.

Used for over 5 years now as my main acoustic guitar for leading worship. Great full sound. Works great as a solo instrument, or mixes perfectly in a band setting. Great tone, and tends to hold its tone well even with "old" strings (I always use coated strings though). I have had a feedback reducing rubber thingie in the soundhole for more than 1/2 of its life, but still sounds AWESOME plugged in.

Carvin always ships guitars set up nicely, and even though these are not USA guitars, they are first looked at by real Carvin setup guys before being shipped to you. When the guitar was brand new, it was literally perfect. The overall look is fairly standard... no special flaming in the wood, or tobacco burst colors, but looks nice.

I have played this guitar more than any other guitar I have owned. It has withstood at least 12-14 hours of performance playing every week for the past 5 years... not to mention practice time. The finish is still in great shape, the frets are only mildly worn, and plays/sounds even better now than it did when new. I have never needed to have a backup acoustic on stage with me, I have never had it fail me, no problems with the Fishman electronics, battery life is like forever... need I say more?

Carvin is one of the best companies in the world. I have bought tens of thousands of dollars worth of their pro-audio gear, guitars, and accessories. They have never let me down, they are always helpful, and they have real people at the other end of the phone. They are easy to find, don't sell products under "false names" like many other guitar manufacturers, and their factory direct prices make them the best deal out there 99% of the time.

I have been playing guitar for over 10 years. I've been a professional musician for over 5 years. I own over 16 guitars, most of which are top quality guitars. I am a professional sound and video technician advising hundreds of churches in the mid-west USA concerning technology in worship, modern worship design, and music/worship leadership.

If this guitar was stolen, I would first cry... then replace it immediately. This guitar was bought new when Carvin first released the Cobalt series of guitars, and the only thing that will pry it from my cold dead hands is... well, I guess I'd have to be dead.

I wish it was a bit prettier, but the sound, features, and best of all the price make it worth owning. I like many other mega-expensive guitar brands (Taylor, Martin, MacPherson) but I would never pay the thousands they ask for their product when I can buy an absolutely comparable product for so much less... and yes... Carvin Cobalt series guitars are ABSOLUTELY COMPARABLE to a top quality Taylor or Martin. Hands down.

Bright, full, rich sound. I think that this carvin 850 kicks ass the guitar came set up very well and has a very resonent tone I played it in my kitchen and my son could hear it clearly from the garage!
Taylor and Martin is just a name you pay money for so you can impress your friends but this delivers a clearer smooth sounds and has a fish man preamp which is what Martins use so go ahead and buy your Martins and Taylors but if you want something that sounds great and comes at a great price invest in this you'll be glad you did

I am a recording enginer My studio is GIS studios I cant wait to use this on a recording because it has a very bright sound

Very high gloss finish that will last plus it has groover tuners which keep it in tune it played great off the shelf with no fret buzzing or dead spots.If in a rare you get one that does have fret buzz you can easily adjuat it.

Yes and the straps are solid so you dont have to weary about them falling off.

I bought it from a music store so I have not had to deal with them.

I have played Martins and Taylors I have been playing guitar for 39 years and this is the best bang for your buck.

Acoustic Electric full-body. Spruce top, rosewood sides and back. Purfing on sound hole. Grover tuners.

Bright, full, rich sound. This is my first a/e. I didn't want to spend a ton of money. I played every guitar I could get my hands on in the 800 dollars and under range. They all sounded like my son's 25 dollar guitar...cheap. plunk, plunk, plunk. The Carvin delivered the sound of a Taylor or better for half the price.

True to Carvin fashion. Flawless. Again, guitars in this price range usually have poor finish, glue in the joints etc. Great action, finish, fit and set-up. Stays in tune. Love the neck.

Don't know - I have not had it long enough.

Carvin is good. Better than anybody you would find at one of the big discount centers. Don't be afraid of buying on-line without hearing or playing. Carvin offers a "ten day hands-on" return policy. Meaning - you have ten days to play the guitar, test it out etc. etc. Return it for a full refund if you don't like the guitar FOR ANY REASON. You do pay for shipping back - $25.00..but well worth it if you had to send it back.

This is my third Carvin. I'm done with everything else and all the hype and B.S. Carvin makes a great product (even though the Cobalt's are made in Korea) - for half of what you would pay. I've owned and now sold: Strats, Ephiphones, Danelectro's, BC Rich's and more.

New 2002 carvin Korean made 850 model. Cutaway, solid sprice top, rosewood back & sides ( I assume laminate), Fishman pickup and controls. Grover tuners, mohogany neck, nice HS case.Probably medium frets.

I play contemp worship & praise music live every sunday in front of 200-400 people. We run through a large PA and this guitar sounds as good as any I've owned ( Santa Cruz, Taylors, larrivee, C-Fox, Bourgeous, Adamas) through the PA, better than most. This past sunday was the first time I tried it with the band and it worked great, maintained a nice voice in the mix. Acoustically it is somewhat lacking in the low end. I was hoping the rosewood would really help here but, not so. It's not a bad sounding guitar, but it has that laminated sound. When compared to other guitars in this price range ( Takamine, Ovation, all the other overpriced cheap crap) I would say this guitar is far superior. It's not a C-Fox, but it cost $629 instead of $2500. I'd say it's a tiny step below a Taylor 310 as far as tone goes.

Action was pretty low, although I lowered is a hair more with a tiny turn of the truss rod. Top is not matched at all, but again, it cost $629. It is a very attractive guitar .. wood grain on the back and sides is very striking. Intonation seemed a little off on the low E and A but after my little adjustment it sounds much closer.

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Been playing 20 years. I own a Carr amp, Music Man and fender guitars. Custom pedal board. I've owned most of the boutique at one time or another. If you have limited funds (<1000) this is probably the best value out there. The Takamines I've played are inferior in every sense compared to the Carvin. The pickup system seems to sound better in this guitar than either of the two Taylors I owned. If you play live I think this guitar represents the best value out there.

My rating of 8 on most of the catagories should be seen as very positive. I've seen peavey guitars get 10's, which is absurd. There is alot of "overrating" in other reviews I've read.

If a C-Fox or Collings merits a 10 then this Carvin I feel is accurately rated at 8.