Carvin C980T Cobalt Jumbo Acoustic

It's the standard C980T, AA solid spruce top, rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck. The top and sides are all gloss finish and the neck is satin-finish, which I love - it's very comfortable. It's a jumbo body with abalone inlay around the sound hole, on the neck markers, on the Carvin logo on the head, and on the bridge pins. It has Grover tuners and the Fishman Matrix pickup system with the built-in tuner, which really comes in handy. They also threw in their molded plastic case for it, which is just ok. Carvin's plastic cases are pretty cheap - I have this guitar and a really nice Carvin bass (BB75), but both of them need new cases because theirs don't hold up so well. They seem to warp and not line up really well after awhile, but hey, I'd rather the cheap case get dinged up than my guitar! All in all, I'd say this guitar came pretty much loaded with good usable features. Carvin buys these overseas (mine's from Korea, serial #A018078) and then they finish them and complete the package at their San Diego location (where I bought it).

I recently put on some light guage strings out of sheer curiosity, I've played mediums on this ever since I bought it. With light strings it sounds really tinny and I had to EQ some bottom end to make it sound normal (I couldn't stand it!) - I suppose this is a matter of personal taste. With medium strings (I use D'Addario XP's), I love the sound. I've been complimented on the guitar's warmth and bright high end many times since I've owned it, playing both plugged and unplugged. The onboard EQ works good, but I'm not wild about the midrange control, playing with it too much is like asking, "How many different ways can I make this sound bad?". The suggested middle-of-the-road settings in Fishman's included booklet are where I leave the little EQ and I leave the rest of the EQ'ing to my sound guy or when I play through my acoustic amp - a Crate CA125. I don't think there's a huge variety of tones you can get out of this thing, but what I do get out of it I like very much.

It really is a very nice-looking guitar. I think Carvin put together a very attractive package here - the spruce top isn't the most beautiful wood I've ever seen selected for a guitar, but it does look good and is holding it's light color nicely. The sides and back are very deep in color and really are beatiful, the bookmatched back is gorgeous. The abalone is really pretty and they didn't go overboard with it, there's just enough of it and it looks great. I like that they did it on the bridge pins, too. The gold-plated tuners really match the wood well. When I bought it I really went over the whole thing with a fine-tooth comb and I honestly couldn't find any mistakes. The fit and finish is wonderful and the neck is fantastic and very easy to play, which is why I ended up buying it in the first place. I've adjusted the truss rod a couple times and it worked fine and achieved exactly what I was looking for. You can put your nose up in the air and join the legions who will dismiss it because it's not a Taylor, but it really is a very nice guitar. Very well put together, great action, looks and sounds great. What more could you ask for at this price?

I play it multiple times every week including Sundays at church. The guitar is holding up very well, I can't find any cracking, splitting, or signs of structural weakness or failure anywhere (maintenance is part of the equation - I keep is humidified in the case and I clean and oil the neck every six months or so). The nut, bridge, and all the frets are still rock-solid and the EQ and tuner are still fine. This guitar will absolutely withstand live playing and lots of it, I think I can say that after over two years without a problem, ever. The hardware is holding up fine, the strap buttons are still solid as the day I bought it. I play it every single week with no backup guitar and have never had a problem. I strum a little wild and I have scratched up the finish pretty good around and on the pick guard, but you can't tell from more than a couple feet away. I think it's holding up as well as could be expected, I played with a "jellyfish" pick for a little while and I think that's where alot of the scratches came from. Certainly not Carvin's fault. Carvin really deserves 10 for this category, it really is very well put together.

I've been dealing with Carvin for years and although I've read other people's horror stories, I truthfully don't have one of my own. This guitar has a 5 year warranty against manufacturing defects but I doubt that I'll need to use it (although I do keep all my receipts and warranty info, you never know!). I've had a Carvin BB75 Bunny Brunel bass for over 5 years now, as well as their 210 Cabinet and R1000 bass head. Our church's mainspeakers are Carvin, and they are holding up like champs after 8+ years of use and occasional abuse. As for their employees, I think those guys are great. I was in their showroom talking to one of them about replacing the bridge on my daughter's Washburn acoustic, and he walked out onto the factory floor and brought me back one of their bridges, no charge. After years of dealing with them they have yet to give me any reason to be unhappy.

I've been playing bass for over 20 years, and have been playing acoustic guitar for about 4 years now. This is my one and only acoustic guitar, and I have an Acoustec multi-effects pedal (don't use it too much though) and I play the 980 through my Crate CA-125 amp that I upgraded with Eminence NH-2008 speakers (Eminence is awesome and their speakers sound amazing!). As previously mentioned I have Carvin's Bunny Brunel 5-string bass and a Carvin 210 cabinet with their R1000 bass head. I also have an old Sigma acoustic/electric bass that I converted to fretless, it's sweet... see what happens when you get someone talking about gear?

As for this guitar, overall I would have to give it a pretty high rating in terms of getting what you paid for. It's a solid buy, a sturdy and well-constructed instrument. It's also got great setup and intonation, and is remarkably easy and fun to play. I love the looks and it's got great tone and playability. I also love the fact that I know I can depend on it. I don't like the cheap plastic case it came in and the onboard EQ, it's ok but nothing to write home about - if you're going to do any real EQ'ing, it will NOT be happening onboard anyway!

I bought this over a Taylor, despite the urging of my friend who swears by Taylor. I played both and honestly found this easier and more fun to play, although the fact that this was over $1000 dollars cheaper did factor into my decision; $2000+ for guitar is ALOT of money. For me, an instrument that expensive is like beautiful furniture with plastic covers on them; not that comfortable to sit on and you watch people who touch it like a hawk. I'd rather have something well-made but less expensive that looks good, sounds good, and has everything I need. I'd rather sit with my feet up and not mind when friends who come over do the same. Know what I mean?

If this guitar were to be lost or stolen, I would either replace it or try something along the lines of an acoustic/electric, like a Carvin AC175 or something similar. Over two years after buying it, I'm still really, really glad I did.

10 Loaded. This guitar has it all. I was amazaed with everything I saw.

It sounded like a cheap import. Thin and twangy. I have a Taylor 414 and it doesn't come close. To compare the sound isn't fair to either instrument.

When you use the onboard electronics it sounds good, but still not great.

The intonation was solid all the way up the neck out of the box, that was impressive and it felt great!

In this catagory it was amazing that a guitar could be this well put together for $800. It's impressive. It just sounded terrible.

I only kept the guitar for a few days and returned it to Carvin. I wouldn't use it on a gig. I do a strictly acoustic thing with amplification and the sound wouldn't cut it.

I had it shipped from Carvin in San Diego. Customer service was top drawer in both getting the instrument here and then arranging for the thing to be sent back. They seemed to understand about the sound thing. It sounded like I wasn't the first guy to send one back.

I've been playing professionally for about forty years. I own a Taylor 414 which I truly love. I own and operate a teaching/production studio in the SF Bay area. I wanted to believe the sales story about this Carvin, but after having one for a few days I'm glad my wife recommended that I send in back and save my $$ for a Larrivee cutaway.

Gloss body, satin neck finish, diamond inlays, etc. Case was extra charge. Good electronics-Fishman Prefix Pro with tuner. Spruce top, laminated rosewood back and sides. Abalone rosette and binding. Full body, neck and headstock binding.

THIS IS NOT A TAYLOR! I bought this guitar based on all the people that said these Cobalt acoustics are "as good as their friend's Taylor, etc." I have owned many Taylors and I would but one of the lower end (say a Big Baby or a 110) Taylor against this guitar. Sound was thin for rosewood.

Seemed OK, but I would compare it with a Takamineand not a Taylor. Set up and construction are on par with other mid-level import guitars. Seemed a bit brittle.

The electronics are great, so I would play it live. I don't think it would last forever, but probably a good coffeehouse guitar.

Hit or miss with Carvin.

Again, don't use this guitar as a comparison to a Taylor like many other reviewers do. It is more in line with a Takamine or an Ibanez. For the money, I would definitely buy a lower model Taylor even though they don't have the frills (inlays, abalone). I was not overly impressed. I will send it back.

This guitar has quite a few features for it's price. The fishman pickup
system is wonderful, and I really like the onboard tuner. The Abalone
and binding work give the instrument a lot of bling. The laminated
rosewood back and sides are gorgeous, and I always like Grover tuners.
Overall, a very delux instrument.

The guitar has a rich full tone, very smooth and full in the midrange,
could use a little more bottom end. I'm still experimenting with
different strings for this guitar, so I'm sure it will get better, once
I find a set that really works good with this guitar. Plugged in it
sounds great. The Fishman system is quite flexible, and really helps
to zero in on the sound you're looking for. It seems to sound great
with any amp that has a decent clean channel.

The guitar is very solididly built. I can't find even the slightest flaw
in the workmanship. The finish is beautiful on this guitar, and it looks
much nicer in person than it does in the catalog or on the website. The
setup was good right out of the box. I made a tiny truss rod adjustment
to suit my playing prefernce, and then I was good to go. The neck is
quite comfortable and easy to play. The intonation seems perfect.

Although I've owned it less than a year, I've had no problems with it.
This guitar feels like solidly built professional quality instrument.
I expect it will probably outlive me. I intend to baby my instrument,
but if I was touring with it, I would get a heavier duty case.

I've bought several items from Carvin. Their customer support is pretty
good. The first C980T they sent had gotten slammed around during
delivery, and had a good nick in the case, and a tiny hairline crack in
the finish on the outside edge of the top, where it had been hit. There
was no problems in returning the guitar for an exchange, but it took a
week to UPS it back, a week for them to inspect it and sent out another,
and another week for the new guitar to arrive. That was a bit of a drag.

I've been playing for nearly 30 years and own over a dozen guitars,
mostly electrics. I decided it was time to get myself a really nice
acoustic, but didn't find anything that grabbed me at my local music
stores. I'm glad that I ordered this guitar from Carvin, rather than
buying something locally that wouldn't have satisfied me as much.