Carvin AC40

Unknown what year guitar was manufactured. The guitar has a mahogany body with a clear gloss quilted maple top and matching quilted maple headstock overlay. Maple neck through, graphite reinforced construction. 34 inch scale. Guitar came with an ebony fingerboard and abalone block inlays. The body has multi-layer tortoise binding. Gold plated hardware. The bridge is ebony acoustic with string through body. 24 medium jumbo frets and L.R. Baggs ribbon transducer pickup. Active electronics with master volumn, bass and treble. Tuners are from Carvin with a 20:1 ratio (nice). Guitar weight is only 6.25 pounds.

The sound is great for nothing played heavy. Great for acoustic sets. You can get away using it for a lot of classic rock music but it doesn't fair well for heavier blues material. Currently using a Fender 400 w/4-10 & 1-15 cabinets. When used with a compressor you can do alot of cool things. Team up the Fender with a Boss chorus pedal and you can do some unbelievable things. I removed the steel roundwounds and put on a set of Fender nylon tape roundwounds and went from a brighter sound to a more warmer sound. All in all, it's pretty much a studio guitar versus a stage guitar. I really don't believe it could stand to much abuse. You definitely need an amp to get any sound out of it. Although acoustic, you don't get any volumn out of it without an amp. Tried a number of acoustic basses but the Carvin was the best in my judgement but that's only me. The guitar is only 2 inches deep and is extremely light to hold. A plus from the heaviness of my electrics. The body was smaller than I invisioned but it's not a drawback.

The guitar was bought used so I would imagine the way I bought it was pretty much the way it came from the factory. I did make a slight adjustment to the neck. The was a slight bow in it when it arrived. Less than a quarter turn took care of the problem. The action is slightly higher than what I have my other basses set at but it's an acoustic bridge so there's not too much of an option to adjust the action. It's still very playable. If you're not overly picky, it's fine. The last two fret wires at the nut have sharp edges on them. The rest of the fret wires are fine. A small amount of filing will take care of the sharp ends. The wood is excellent, the finish is outstanding, joints are tight, binding is finished perfectly. I would rate the quality of the Carvin right along side several Rickenbackers and Fenders that I have. Possibly even better!

The guitar was not built to take any abuse. It's still an acoustic. You can use it on stage but be careful with it. The gold hardware cleans up well with a little windex. I've always found windex to get off fingerprints on any hardware. No flaws on the finish. I use Dunlop 65 to clean and polish all of my guitars. I prefer it over Fender's brand. As long as you clean your guitar the finish should last a long time. The strap buttons are standard from Carvin. Screws holding the buttons on are tight and designed to get the strap on and off easily. Only one adjustment so far on the truss rod. Time will tell if I need to adjust again. As far as using it as a primary guitar on a job...NO! Not to say I don't trust it but it's an acoustic. Think about it! Anyway, I would not want to use it for all of the different types of songs we do (band). It has it's tonal limitations.

I don't know if any warranty would still apply since I purchased it used. Never had a need to get it repaired. I did e-mail Carvin with the serial number in an attempt to get a date of manufacture. I got brushed off with a feable excuse of them needing a picture of the guitar because of them being custom built, etc., etc., etc. I always thought a serial number tracked the guitar's manufacture date. Maybe because the guitar wasn't purchased from them was the "no help" reason. No big deal!

Been playing 35 years, mostly rock, classic rock, blues.
Amps owned: Fender (bass) 400 w/4-10 & 1-15 cabinets
Marshall intigrated bass amp w/1-15 cabinet
Fender Deluxe Reverb (re-issue tube)
Vox Cambridge Twin Reverb
Rickenbacker: 330 - 360 - 360WB - 370/12 - 4001 V63 - 4003S/5 - 4003
Fender: Stratocaster - Telecaster - Lead I - Lead II
Guild: Starfire (bass)
Carvin: AC40

Ordered brand-new in Oct. 99 via toll-free number. Made in USA (San Jose factory only -- unless they've added other sites I don't know of.) I read a positive review in Bass Player Magazine just when I was looking for an acoustic-electric anyway to add to my two solid-bodied basses. First instrument I've ordered sight unseen -- so I was a bit wary, but Carvin offered so many options and flavors I thought I'd give them a try. Ordered a 4-string (AC50 is their 5-string model) with matching pearl white-finish body, neck, and headstock (a no-cost base color), black-finished standard hardware and ebony fretboard with dot inlays, 4-in-line headstock, straplock hardware, left-handed model. Standard passive electronics and bridge, no modifications. Looks great and a decent value but I passed on many options, some which could add hundreds to the final price. Useful instructions on setup and maintenance are included, along with a few handy adjustment tools. The vintage style tweed case is a nice touch, and worth paying extra for -- but luckily was a free upgrade when I ordered. With all the custom-orderable combinations possible, I'd bet that no two AC40s are exactly alike. Rates a 10 if only for sheer variety of choice!

A "woody" electric/acoustic sound that suits my style (contemporary gospel and rock/pop/country), lots of warm bottom yet crystal clear. I play through a Peavey Combo with no effects. This bass fits perfectly for "unplugged" settings and melodic music (i.e., not thrash or metal). But keep in mind it is NOT a true acoustic bass in the sense of not needing amplification -- get yourself a full-bodied acoustic bass for that. The standard LaBella "Deep Talkin" black tapewound strings are a great match, and add so much to the character of the sound. It's almost the exact opposite of my Rickenbacker in many ways, but that's why I love and keep both.

Well set up at the factory, but the truss rod and other hardware seems easy to adjust. Intonation and action fine for me, no major adjustments needed just yet. Fine quality all around, no flaws worth mentioning. Surprisingly good fit and finish, which eased my worries about ordering and shipping a bass through the mail.

Being a dainty 6-pound semi-hollow beauty, I dare not abuse it or hazard a guess as to how it would hold up if thrashed. Treat it as you would any quality acoustic guitar -- enough said! All hardware and detailing shows good craftmanship, but again -- handle with care. I am easy on instruments anyway, so this is not a concern. Go ahead and spend minor bucks on the upgraded straplock hardware, it's well worth preventing you from dropping this baby even one time.

You can order a bass or guitar exactly the way you want from Carvin's website or catalog. Be sure to look over ALL possible combinations and options before ordering or calling in! With all the variations possible, your price will depend very much on the mix of features you decide to add. Basic price on the AC40 is about $700, but easily goes up from there. The Carvin personnel were most friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable (kudos to "Shaun") but do your homework so that you know exactly what you want and what it will cost you! Have not needed any warranty work, and hopefully won't anytime soon.

I've played on and off since the late 70s, also own a vintage Rickenbacker 4001 and fairly new Washburn XB. If you want to add a fine looking and sounding semi-hollow acoustic-electric to your arsenal, don't plan to abuse it, and want more of your money to go into quality & features rather than sales commissions or a traditional "name", give Carvin a try. I would not hesitate to order another bass from them again. (I now wish I had ordered their well-regarded LB-70s series solid-body first before getting my Washburn XB "off-the-rack".) And if you are a lefty like myself, ordering your next bass exactly the way you want is Southpaw Heaven!