Carvin AC375

Made in 2000,gloss finish, Spruce top, set neck,locking tuners, excellent woods, very very clean build. Fishman Prefix

For a thin guitar it does have a rich sound. I was not expecting a huge acoustic sound,that's not why I bought it. Over the last 8 years the spruce has opened up and the guitar sounds really quite nice. I have recorded with it with good results. I can get a good sound out of it either finger style or with a pick.I use a Dunlop Jazz III so less pick noise more mass etc etc.

It was set up standard when I got back in 2000 and the truss rod had moved during shipping. So what?,... I just reset the rod lowered the nut and saddle and have loved it ever since. You could fly on this if you wanted to.It plays very well indeed. Carvin makes guitars that play like a dream. The action is super low and no buzz, even with the saddle/nut at rock bottom.(just be sure it is done by a good tech) It had no flaws in the finish but the Spruce has a section from the upper bout at the neck to the middle of the sound hole that is lighter than the rest.I kind of like it that way.

I have played this guitar since 2000 and it is no different than the day it arrived. The top is flat with no movement or bellying/bowing, the neck is the same dead on angle. Mind you ,I mostly play it at home but have taken it out some.
I allowed a good friend to use it for a week or so to rehearse and play a gig. He just loved it, and said he would like to have one.

I have purchased three Carvin guitars and found the experience to be positive. Frankly I would not care if the sales person was munching on chips like I read someone complain about, I guess that fellow has never burped in his life while talking to someone. I have, I'm human. I am about to get another Carvin, but have yet to decide on a new single or semi hollow or California carved top. I have every confidence that it will be as good as the past . I'll take Carvin over the Guitar Center with all of the foul language and infighting and outright lying that goes on in the one I live near. Those guys will sell you a guitar that is plywood and tell you it's all solid. Then get cold as ice when you bring it back.

Blah Blah Blah, me me me. Fender 50th V Strat, Jackson DKMG, Ovation '97 Collectors,Gibson RD standard, 70's Fender Twin, Fender Super Champ XD, Guild Classical(China), Handmade Flamenco,Big Baby, Carvin Bolt,Carvin DC127,70's Carvin DC150.

I give the AC375 a 10 after 8 years

They claim free shipping, but charge $10.99 freight ??? go figure (strike 1). I ordered this guitar on November 19, 2007. A postcard arrived with a delivery date of January 14th. I didn???t get it until February 11th (twelve weeks ??? strike 2). I ordered mine fully loaded with: clear flamed maple top, carved top headstock, flamed headstock to match the top, abalone logo, abalone block inlays, stainless steel jumbo frets, gold hardware, engraved truss rod cover, and straplocks.

The guitar arrived in its case, in a cardboard box with no padding or paper to take up the slack. So, the guitar case could move freely inside (strike 3). I paid $30 to upgrade the Carvin logo to inlaid abalone. I asked them on the phone, and have an email reassuring me that the logo is inlaid and NOT a sticker. They flat-out lied. It???s an obvious sticker, and an expensive one to boot (strike 4).

I wanted to give it a ten. It was "acoustically" acceptable. It's too soft to jam unplugged with other boxes. I play mostly finger-style jazz, and it sounded pretty good ??? until I started strumming with a pick. There was obvious distortion/preamp overload no matter where I set the volume knob. I tried it through three different amps to make sure (strike 5).

The first thing I noticed when I opened the case was the top ??? such potential. But, there were two glaring, unacceptable problems. First, it looked like a white stripe down the middle of the top where the two ???bookmatched??? pieces joined. Very, very odd ??? you can see it on many of their tops if you look through all the clear flamed tops on their website. Also, you can clearly see on many of their tops that the tow halves are not anywhere near bookmatched. Some are, some aren???t. It???s pure luck if you get a nice one. Then, I noticed the flame pattern severely changed up near the neck. The flames got real fat, which looked like an awful blemish which only got worse the longer you looked at it. Their tops are NOT AAAA bookmatched. This top should???ve never made it out of the factory (strike 6).

The action was superb ??? very low. The guitar was in tune right out of the case. Playing it felt great, although the jumbo frets are JUMBO. I wouldn???t get them again. However, the 1st string had a pronounced buzz at the 6th fret (Bb), and would need a fret-dressing to correct (strike 7).

I next opened the battery compartment and noticed two things. As it hinged open, it struck the wood, and would have to be removed and some wood shaved to keep it from splintering after multiple openings. Then there???s the cheap Rayovac battery ??? no Duracel or Energizer (these make strike 8).

Gold hardware ??? not worth it on this model. $40 to upgrade the tuners and straplocks (that???s steep).

The guitar felt solid. I wouldn???t have any trouble traveling or gigging with it. Yes, I'd gig with it without a backup.

They were always polite, and always got back to me. I marked them down here for flat out lying about the logo, my salesman passing me off, and they couldn???t find my guitar for a couple of weeks. I called three times in January. For two weeks, no one could find my guitar. But each time they said it would ship ???next week.??? On the third call, they finally found it and said it would be delivered February 11th. Remember, once you order your guitar, your contact with your salesman is over. You can still email him, but he/she is sitting in front of a computer with NO access to any info about where your guitar is in the construction chain.

I so badly wanted to love this guitar. I forgave them for the flaws in the DC145 I bought form them in the 90???s. So now, they???ve gotten me twice with inferior workmanship. You get what you pay for! They claim their guitars would cost 2-3 times more if they were in a music store. No, they wouldn???t. No one would buy them for $2,500+ with these flaws. In fact, as soon as my refund posted, I went out and bought a Taylor T5-LTD with a bookmatched quilted maple top and binding everywhere. Now there???s a guitar that???s worth every penny. I think Carvin doesn???t distribute their guitars because they couldn???t compete with other instruments over $2,000.

Also, be aware of their forum. You are NOT allowed to post ANYTHING negative about Carvin there, lest it be yanked. There was one person that wanted to send their guitar back because it too had wood ???flaws.??? The forum told her to keep it, that the flaws gave the instrument ???character.??? I told him to return it, and they came down on me hard ??? telling me that Gibson and Fender turn out ???crap??? that???s inferior to Carvin. So, then why doesn???t everyone play Carvin?

This fiasco actually cost me almost $100 and three months of my time just to try out one of their guitars. It breaks down as follows: UPS return $50. UPS insurance $26. Engraved truss rod cover (they kept it) $10. S/H (not part of refund) $11. YOU pay these costs to return it even if the guitar has flaws!

My advice ??? Run! It will cost you $85 minimum to try out ANY Carvin, whether you like it or not.

I purchased this guitar in the spring of 2006. It took about 8 weeks to receive it. When I unpacked the guitar they had failed to pack the case in plastic and the Carvin logo was marred. Also when I opened the case the guitar had slid out of the neck slot and was resting against the side of the case.

I love the neck on this guitar and the easy access to all the frets. I got the jumbo stainless frets so it plays somewhat like an electric.

I was surprised how well this guitar sounds unplugged. It has plenty of sound to play in a jam session. I do have the Carvin acoustic amp and it has a fabulous sound played through it. I also use a Porch Board through the bass channel of the amp for percussion and that works very well.

The music I play could only be described as eclectic. Rock, folk, some jazz, blues, classical and songs I compose.

The top finish was good although, in my opinion, the wood they used should have been passed on. The book match was ok but the there is quite a contrast between the two sides. The binding had several places where the filler leached into the binding and they just finished over that. The sides are clouded and it looks as if something was spilled on the wood and then finished over. The Carvin rep told me it was "bubbles" in the finish. Also some of the same thing on the back around the edges.

Frankly, I don't know how this guitar got out of the factory, unless it was inspected by a blind person.

The action would probably be considered to be high by most guitarists. I my fingers are like steel and I don't mind that, it allows me to play real fast. Out of the case the low E had a buzz and I did a eighth of a turn on the neck rod and it went away and has not returned. The wide neck (1 3/4) is perfect, best I've ever played.

I'm giving such a low score in this category because of the lousy finish. I have an Alvarez fusion made in S. Korea I paid $550 for and it's finish puts the Carvin to shame.

Probably no experienced performer would play any guitar live without a backup. It seems like a very solid guitar. I am surprised how thick the top and sides are and the vibration it puts out for sustain.

Seems to be a well-built guitar except for the crappy finish.

I haven't found the staff at Carvin particulary friendly. They seem like they can't wait to get you off the phone. I called the same afternoon I received the guitar and told them about the poor shipping and the finish. They offered to knock a hundred dollars off and refund the case. I finally negotiated a $150.00 refund and they shipped me a new case. Incredibly, the new case had exactly the same flaws as the first one plus had some damage to it that had been poorly repaired. So I sent it back and kept the old one. Also, I had to call three times before the sent my refund check. I SHOULD MENTION that they offered for me to send the guitar back and build me another one. However, since they had allowed this guitar to leave their factory, I figured that all that talk about such impeccable quality was bunk and did not want to wait another 8 weeks for possibly the same thing.

I love the way this guitar plays. But quite frankly, if I were to try to sell it, anyone looking at it would assume it was a factory "blem". I would have expected buy this guitar for about $790.00 as a factory "blem." However, since I like the way it plays, I decided to settle on it.

I am sixty years old and found sitting and playing for long periods of time painful. I can sit on the sofa with this guitar and lean back and because the lower bout is only 14", it is very comfortable. That was my main reason for ordering it. I didn't think of it when I ordered it, but when I plug in even an L shaped plug, the guitar then becomes about 15" on the lower bout. I would have had the plug connector installed higher on the back side or fitted to the strap button.

Enough to satisfy even the picky but do use an acoustic amp!

Intonation dead on, stays in tune forever. What more do you need?

Most excellent fit and finish on this guitar, no issues whatsoever.

Been using playing it everyday for three years and the only signs of wear are the frets, go figure eh!

These guys have bent over backwards for me and several other players I know and jam with. Gibson, Fender, and others you need to take lessons from these guys!!!!!!

I don't know of any other acoustic guitar that sounds, looks and plays this good for the money. I have had Ovation's, Fender's, Gibson's, Guild's, etc over the years and Carvin just does it right for minimal buck, way to go USA Carvin!

Mine was made in 2000. I've owned it since it was new. I've played mine live and have seen others play theirs live. I do not think there is anything a person cannot do either live or at home on this guitar.
Carvin is one of the best. I tracked this company for 20 years before I ever bought one of their axes. Seemed too good to be real. Once I moved and removed the 1000 mile distance between me and Carvin I finally got one. Now I have two.

This gujitar rocks as an electric. It comes from the line of many Carvin's being played instage, you can do so much with it.

Carvin, as you probably know, can do any stinkin feature you want. That is one of the biggest appeals to most Carvin groupies. But not me. Of all the Carvin's i have owned, i always bought off of the "in-stock" list. I just love getting great guitars at wholesale prices. Feature wise, you can get whatever you want so this is an obvious 10.

If you are looking at a thin body style acoustic electric then hopefully you are realistic enough to know to judge the sound of this instrument on its plugged in sound. My sound tech, absolutally loved to mix this guitar. Through a full rock band sound, the bell-like quality of this thing cut right through the mix. Everyone always commented on it full tonal qualities. I have to give it a 7 because i don't think any acoustic electric that is thinline can be much higher. Unplugged it lacked much, but also was loud enough to practice with.

action was way too high, but they will set it up for you at no charge so no big deal. All of carvin's tops and finishes are way nice. there were no flaws

very reliable but i never play w/o a backup

they like to help

Overall, I suggest this over any other thinline acoustic. Its comfortable, lightweight, and mixes well - and hell, thats why you bought it right? Its a performance machine. I think the only improvement would be to buy a non-wood version so you can also not worry about temperature changes. Martin makes the graphite II that would work.

Thin-line electric acoustic, brown stain on quilted maple top, mahogany neck back sides, ebony board, sperzels, Fishman pickup and preamp system etc...

The unplugged sound is kinda "boxy" resulting from the small sound chamber and thick top back and sides. The acoustic sound isn't band and it's perfectly passable for banging on around the house and impromptu jams. Of course it sounds best plugged into and amp or PA. The Fishman pickup system delivers a very high quality sound without introducing any sonic artifacts.

Excellent action. Plays almost like an electric. I love Carvin necks and have owned 3 other Carvin guitars. None of the necks were exactly the same profile but they all were excellent. This is a well made instrument.

The guitar is well constructed. One of the sperzel tuners broke and will no longer lock. Not a big deal.

none necessary... but I've purchased 2 other guitars and an amp from Carvin and had no complaints about service.

I've owned it for over 2 years and enjoy playing it. It is useful for acoustic and jazz gigs and I don't really anticipate getting rid of it anytime soon. I'm a berklee grad and have been playing since 1972. My other gear includes a Carvin Bolt-T, Hamer USA Artist Custom, Fender American Series Nashville B-Bender Tele, Alvarez-Yairi DY57 acoustic.

This beautiful guitar is a 2003 model made in USA, Calfornia to be exact, at the Carvin factory. It is made of all solid, high quality woods and has a beautiful AAA solid engleman spruce top and mahagony back,sides and neck with a Koa overlay on the headstock. I chose the Hogh gloss finish and the guitar is flawless!! It has an incredible Fishman Prefix Pro pickup and preamp. The tuners are sperzel locking tuners just like all Carvin guitars. I chose jumbo frets and dunlop strap locks. It also came with a hidden Snagg chip to identify it if is was ever stolen. This is now a standard feature on Carvin guitars.

Personally, I love its unplugged acoustic sound. Although it is a thin body acoustic guitar that is only about 2.5 to 2.75 incles thick it is as loud as many dreadnaughts. It has more of a midrangey sound with a little less boomy bass than most dreadnaughts. I have found it is not only a great stage guitar but also a great recording guitar. In the studio I mic the guitar and then also plug it into a sansamp and it sounds great. I had a Carvin Cobalt that was beautiful and very loud and it was a little harder for me to record because it had so much volume and bass that it was hard not to get a too boomy sound when recording. When the new Fishman AURA is available I'm sure I'll get an even better sound than I get with the sansamp. I can't wait. For live use I use a Carvin AG100 amp or plug it into a PA system. Right now I also use a Sansamp acoustic DI which really sounds great. Normally I really don't like the sound of ANY acoustic plugged in without using a good preamp no matter if the guitar is a several thousand $$ Taylor or Martin but I have to say that I was blown away by the plugged in sound of the AC375 even without using a preamp or sansamp. Before I got my AC375, I would never have wanted to play live without my sansamp but I can honestly say that I would be very proud to play my AC375 anywhere without using an external preamp such as sansamp or AG Stomp. It sounds that good!! With the awesome Fishman Prefix pro you can get any sound you want.

As is the case with all Carvin's the factory set-up was incredible. The action was incredible. I had heard that the AC375 had string spacing like a taylor and I got to try out someone's Taylor at church and I really liked my Carvin better and my Carvin was much cheaper and better quality. The AC375 is the perfect guitar for me. It is exactly what I was looking for. I have 3 other Carvin guitars and I don't plan on ever buying another brand!! Again the woods, finish and set-up were flawless.

This guitar will definetly withstand live playing. Unlike other highend guitar makers, Carvin necks have both a two way adjustable truss rod AND 2 Graphite rods running down the inside length of the neck for unparalleled stability. In my opinion the finish is definetly durable and high quality. The strap buttons are very stable. I definetly can depend on this guitar and I would and already have played out without a backup.

Carvin is a very good company. I have dealt with them many times and I like some sales reps better than others but Carvin is a very solid company with great customer service. If you don't get a salesman you like, just call back. I have dealt with Carl several times and you couldn't ask for a better salesman. He is honest and very friendly. Carvin guitars all have a 10 day money back guarantee and a 5 year warranty. That is almost unheard of now days. Before I bought my Ac375, Albert was kind enough to answer many of my questions and then even play an AC375 and a Cobalt C750 over the phone for me so I could compare the unplugged tones.

I have been playing for about 4 years. I have a Carvin AC375, AE185, SC90 and DC120(12 string electric) and an old 60's model acoustic. I have a Carvin AG100 acoustic amp and a Line6 Flextone II modeling amp. If this guitar was stolen I would definetly buy another one but because it has a security SNAGG chip in it I would probably be able to find the low life who stole it. I don't have any complaint about this guitar. I have tried out a lot of other high end guitars and this guitar is perfect for me. I'd rather have it than a Taylor, Martin or Gibson.

It's a 2001. Mohogany body and AAA Englemen Spruce top. The controls offered are a 4-band EQ, volume, phase switch, notch filter and a led battery status. Fishman Prefix. I added a Koa headstock overlay with a clear Matte Satin finish on this beautiful thinline. Dunlop straplocks. I also added Sperzel locking tuners (gold plated) and received a very durable case at half price, free tools, Elixer strings, and a couple of picks. Left-handed model and NO COST!!!!!!!!!!!!

The sound unplugged is quite loud and unmuted for a thinline and has great punch and response for sitting around the house. I play a mix of hard acoustic rock, blues, and jazz and this little guitar demonstrates these styles adequately unplugged. However, is does lack some fullness. But when you plug it in, prepare for your mind to be blown. Everything that I said about the sound when unplugged is only amplified (pun) except that the fullness is recaptured. When plugged in direct Hi-Z, the pick-up can be manipulated by the EQ to produce almost any sound desired, from jazz to hard rock. The ffishman tends to be a little mid-heavy, so I usually bump up the lows, highs, and brilliance and drop the mids, great sound for when I don't have my effects rig. Because I'm an extremely picky person when it comes to acoustic sound, I usually plug into a 15 band EQ and then a Digitech reverb module and you would not believe the sound. It's is absolutely suitable for either live or in the studio. Sounds great for strumming but I can tell that it is a natural fingerpicking guitar. With the onboard EQ and my graphic EQ, I can even get a pretty convincing nylon string sound.

The action is great and it was shipped to me in perfect tune. The would seems to be of very good quality. Everything was is new condition. I went over it with a magnifying glass (literally). I looked at the wood (saw a couple of very small flaws that are hidden). I looked at the bridge, nut, fingerboard, etc. No other flaws. Very happy with my purchase.

The hardware will have to take quite a beating to wear out anytime soon. Since there is no pickguard, the matte finish is starting to get shiny where I rest my hand, not sure what to do about that. It was certainly built for live playing so I would bet that it will last for a long time.

My wife is the one who placed the order so I never talked to anyone. However, she knows very little about guitars and she said that the sales person (James) was very helpful and didn't try to cheat her although I sure he knew he could. With a 5 year warranty.

I've been playing for about 10 years and I've played alot of different instruments. I can say that I've heard and played alot of Carvin instruments and I've been pleased with them all. My AC375 was my first Carvin purchase, but I can say that I will be getting all of my gear from Carvin from now on. Very good quality at factory direct prices.
Quality aside, to all my fellow leftys, you won't find another manufacturer out there that will give you quality left-handed instruments (to this degree) for no additional charge.

2001 Carvin AC375, made in USA.. AAA Engleman Spruce top, mahogany back/sides, ebony fingerboard, body-binding, 21-frets, Spertzel locking tuners, fishman matrix preamp/pickup.. all the standard features as listed on www.carvin.com, with the addition of gold hardware and dunlop straplocks. The price I paid included a case (of very high quality - worth more than it cost), a new tuner (mine was broken), a strap, and they threw in a cable (of VERY POOR- almost useless- quality) and two picks.

I play a variety of styles, and this guitar has a VERY versatile sound that can be customized to match them all well. For practice and small shows, I'll run it through my Trace Elliot TA35CR. The pickup on this guitar is outstanding. The guitar's natural sound (with settings flat) is a little bright, but, as I said, this can easily be tweaked away - I can't imagine any acoustic sound that you could want that this guitar wouldn't be able to produce. Unplugged, the guitar's sound is pretty weak (even for a thin-body). It has good volume, and does manage to get past the 'muted' sound that so many thin-bodies have (as another reviewer pointed out), but it lacks ANY real tone... it sounds dull and flat, wihtout warmth or character. Again, this is a problem with all thin-bodies, but this one has a weaker unplugged sound than many others I've played. But hey, it's a thin-body, and so it's made to be amplified - and plugged in, it sounds fantastic!

Shipped all the way across the country, and arrived at my door fully in tune (probably thanks to the locking tuners, which are great). Action is better than many acoustics, not as good as other thin-bodies in the same price-range. The wood is of an outstanding quality, and the grain is beautiful. There are several flaws in the finish on the face of the guitar, which made me consider sending the instrument back to Carvin, even though they are quite small (I don't think anyone else but me has noticed them to date). Also, the finish on the face of the guitar is uneven, and is noticably too thin in one area (roughly 3x3" in size)- you can easily feel the difference just by running your hand over the face of the guitar.

The guitar seems to be well built, although I haven't really abused it. The finish on the face (in the thin part) is the only area I am very concerned about - and the guitar has a 5-year warranty, so if any problems with the finish occur, they should be covered. Otherwise, it should last. I am not concerned about the strapbuttons or other hardware - they seem solid. I believe this guitar will prove to be very dependable. Listen up kids - NEVER gig without a backup, unless you are absolutely forced to. I don't care how noce your guitar is.

I ordered the guitar over the phone through Carvin directly, and my salesperson was terrible. The guy sounded like he had no real desire to take my order, and that he wasn't listening to me when I talked. I almost hung up and cancelled the purchase altogether - maybe I should have. The guy was REALLY bad, and I'm pretty forgiving about salespeople. I was worried whether my order had even been taken correctly, so I called back later to confirm the details - he had messed the order up. The salesman I spoke with on this occasion actually sounded like he wanted to do business with me, and was very helpful in getting the problem straightened out. Also, my order was delayed several times in getting to me, which Carvin never even bothered to explain to me. They just sent out postcards saying my ordered had been delayed by so many weeks - nothing else, no other explanation. 5 year warranty.

I've said about all I have to say - it's a very good, but still flawed, guitar. I'd miss it very much if it were stolen, but I probably wouldn't buy another one. I think most of the flaws might be just in my instrument - another AC375 might have a perfect finish, better action, and certainly you might get a better salesman. Ordering form Carvin's kinda like Russian Roullette.. most of the time, you're safe (quality instruments, fair prices), but sometimes they just send out lemons. Sure, you can send the instrument back to them, but then you've wasted 8-10 weeks waiting for the thing (and 8-10 more if you let them build you a replacement...that's 4-5 months!!), plus you get stuck with all the shipping charges. You're generally better off just keeping the thing, whatever's wrong with it, and cursing Carvin's name every time you take it out of its case. That's what I do. Overall, it's a good sounding instrument, though, and if you're willing to take the risk, you might end up being very satisfied with your purchase.