Carvin AE185-12

Spruce top, dark pearl blue with maple fretboard, mini toggles, Sperzels, the most basic options. Not especially pretty, but cheaper than most. Replaced stock Carvin C22 pickups with GFS Memphis - a HUGE & necessary improvement IMO. The wide, fairly flat fingerboard is a relief from the usual 12-string tight squeeze, especially for aging hands, but the back of the neck is too U-shaped for my taste. I like big necks (I have a Guild Jumbo 12) but this one is just kind of odd. I like the splitter switches but don't have much use for phase switching so I'm replacing the switches (they mount to a little PC board) with my own wiring scheme. All the pots mount to circuit cards...trouble is, the volume pot is rather stiff and too close to the bridge, and the knurling on the knobs is ground down smooth (kinda defeats the whole purpose of knurled knobs, eh, Carvin?) so you can't work the volume with your pinky - you have to actually GRIP the sucker to turn it. If I was more ambitious I'd rip all the guts out of this thing & start over with a different control scheme and no active electronics for the humbuckers, but really, it's not bad as it is. Plenty of people love it like it is.

I wasn't crazy about the stock C-22 pickups. They're not terrible by any means, but a 12-string's needs are different than a six and the stock pickups just don't bring out the best - dare I say- jangle. I installed a set of GFS Memphis pups and am now very pleased with the tone. Not that there's anything wrong with trying for a unique sound but Rickenbacker got the electric-12 sound SO right it's become the standard, and these Memphis pickups closely capture that same beautiful resonance. To me they're well worth the trouble to install - you'll have to either remove the pup covers or do some cutting to the guitar top, and owing to the delicate construction around the pickup holes, I recommend just removing the covers.

I'm also not a huge fan of the active electronics here. As an experiment I ran the pickup wiring straight to another jack and compared the straight sound to the active, and found the built-in preamp cuts some of the shimmering highs that add some nice detail. Turning up the tone control boosts the upper mids adding some edge. It would be nice to have the shimmer AND the edge. Modding this preamp is probably out of the question.

On the acoustic-electric side I've only played it through my studio setup & monitors. It sounds far better than any other acoustic w/pickup I've personally used...very realistic, almost no piezo quack and certainly no boominess or resonances from the speakers fighting the guitar. I would attribute at least some of the tone to the spruce top - if you opt for the much prettier maple or other top wood I'm not sure it would sound as good. I played it briefly as a six-string & was especially impressed when run through my Yamaha AG-Stomp....so impressed, I put a set of Graph-Tech Ghost acoustic saddles on one of my Strats.

With the acoustic-style bridge the only adjustment possible is the truss rod. Once I got it set (allow it to settle in for a couple days) it plays very nicely all the way up to the highest frets, although the intonation begins to suffer beyond the 12th. The finish has a hard brittle feel....in fact the whole guitar has a rather cheap toyish feel to it at first grasp, owing to the light weight and plastic-y finish. But once beyond that initial impression this really is a nice-playing guitar and as well-made as it needs to be and no more.

This thing feels very delicate...even the huge neck is light. I wouldn't use it to fend off drunks. But I'm confident it'll hold up for many years with normal care. The circuit boards can't take too much experimental soldering, though, I've already learned that much. Their pickup switches have a bad rep and mine feels pretty flimsy too so I'm looking for a replacement outside of Carvin.

I called Carvin a couple times to ask some technical questions about the pickups & active electronics. Once, they wouldn't put a tech on the line and the saleman knew less about the guitar than I did from reading the website. Another time I did connect with a 'tech' but he was either equally dumb or just not forthcoming. So don't expect much there.

I've been playing over 40 years and have had a number of 12-strings. Currently for electrics I have a 60's Ric 330-12, and a Danelectro RI which I keep tuned to open G or DADGAD. This Carvin is my #1 player right now since installing those cool Memphis pickups. I tinker with most of my guitars to some degree but somehow this Carvin just really seems to be 'asking for it'. It's such a good base for getting a customized sound; it does so much already & leaves room for improvement. If it was stolen I'd really be pissed but I'd buy another as soon as a nice one came up on Ebay. BTW - main amps used are Fender Deluxe Reverb, HR Deluxe, Old Princeton Reverb, Vox Valvetronix, POD.

2002 Carvin AE185-12. Koa neck and body, flamed maple top. Cherry sunburst finish. Semi-hollow body, single F-hole. Sperzel locking tuners. Mine also has a birdseye maple fretboard. AEs come standard with two humbuckers and a LR Baggs ribbon piezo; the electronics are active.

The combination of koa and maple with the semi-hollow body using the magnetic pickups produces a crisp, tight top end and a booming bottom end. Clean you get all the sparkle you could ever want; overdriven (yes, you can overdrive a 12!!) it sounds like you have a built in chorus-very cool. The piezo is good but not great-not as natural sounding as the one in my Parker Fly Deluxe, but still "acousticy" enough to cover that territory live.

Set-up perfectly. This is quite simply the best playing 12 I've ever encountered. You can play it fast, hard, bend strings, palm mute-darn near anything you could accomplish on a 6!

Well built, but given it's a semi-hollow you probably don't want to step on it! I love the, "Would you use it on a gig without a backup?" question; who the hell would be stupid enough to do that!! LOL

Carvin customer service is hit and miss; I've had great help, and I've had them screw up orders. Also, the instrument warranties are non-transferable.

I own a couple of other Carvin guitars (a Plus and a B4 bass), and have had a few others (TL60, Bolt, DC150). Carvin makes great instruments for a great price. This one is now a permanent part of the collecton (along with the Plus). Sure, it's sort of odd for the stuff I play (mostly classic rock and a little metal), but that's what makes it so cool. I mean, how many times have you heard "The Break Up Song" done with an overdriven electric 12-string? LOL :)

I've had the AE-185/12 for about 8 months now. I has all of the normal features that the others have mentioned so I don't see the need to repeat all of the info. I had the guitar built with a quilted maple top, stained a dark brown, on the mahogany body. The neck is ebony with abolone inlays, and the hardware is flat black. It's one beautiful guitar.

I play in a band that covers a wide spectrum of sounds, from 50's, 60's and 70's rock and roll to Elvis to country. Obviously this instrument doesn't fit into all of our music styles but its versatility is fantastic. Bright sound needed for the Byrds or Searchers tunes is there as is the more subtle tones used in some country or folk songs. I tried other well known 12 strings including Rickenbacher and I honestly believe that the AE185/12 beat them all.

Again I have absolutely nothing but praise for the quality of Carvins workmanship.

I take care of my instuments and even though our band is busy and on the road alot I've had no problems with this guitar.

Haven't had to deal with customer support.

I've been playing for 40 years and have owned a variety of guitars. I currently have Strat, Les Paul, Ovation and the Carvin. I wouldn't hesitate a minute to replace this guitar.

American made 12 string with electro-mag and piezo pu's which you can blend. See the manufacturer website for details. I'd say there aren't any other instruments like this and I give Carvin high marks for developing such a versatile guitar.

I do a lot of folk, singer-songwriter stuff. With such a wide palette of tones it's hard to have any gripes. The acoustic pu is a little brittle, but you can always blend in a bit of one of the humbuckers to mellow it a bit. Very easy to get a sound that sutis every need.

Carvin excells in this area. I always grab and play guitars when I stop in the local music stores and I've never played any other electrics that even comes close to the action and playablility of these guitars. The workmanship on the finish, fretwork, etc. is outstanding.

I own a 6 string version of this model which I've had for about 9 years now. No major problems, but the switches and pots on these guitars seem prone to a bit of noise. The acoustic p/u on my 6 string cuts out occassionally and I can only revive it by smacking the saddle. Can't find anything loose so I don't know. Overall, not too bad in this area.

Here's why I'm leaving feedback. I bought this guitar 5 months ago. Today I'm shipping it back for a refund after 2 ineffective repairs. Their customer service folks while polite, could not fix a simple problem - one that should have never left their factory in the first place.

Fist of all, the guitar arrived 3 weeks later than promised. When I finally plugged it in, the acoustic p/u had so much noise and distortion in it that it was a joke - sounded like you were running an electric through some cheap fuzz box. Now I already had a 6 string model of one of these so I was very familiar with the controls and what to expect. Anyway, I thought something must have been damaged in shipping so I sent the 12 string back on Carvin's dime with clear, written details on what was wrong (spoke to them on the phone as well).

Guitar comes back in a month and now the acoustic p/u has no output when the tone pot for the piezo is anywhere near the middle detent. Ship it back on Carvin's dime with clear, written details on what was wrong (spoke to them on the phone as well).

Guitar comes back in a month. Now the acoustic p/u has the original distoriton and fuzz. Blah !!!!!!!!!!!!!

During the 3 months their service guys worked on this problem, they could never tell me what they did to the guitar on each service. The fact that this item was shipped to me 3 times and never worked properly is inexcusable in my opinion. It only takes 3 mins before shipping a guitar to plug it in and check it...but apparently that was too much to expect.

Also, each time the guitar had to go back I asked Carvin to send me a UPS shipping label via email - each time they sent nothing or scheduled a pickup at my home (which I specifically requested they not do) until I called a 2nd time get things fixed........jeeeeez - c'mon guys!

I love my old 6 string AE185 and that's why I purchased the 12 string model. I have to say the 12 string purchase left me very dissatisfied. Carvin makes outstanding guitars, but they need to get their customer service and quality control in check before they're going to see any more of my money.

American made, 2001. An acoustic/electric 12-string, shaped somewhat like a Tele. The neck is slightly wider than a Tele (to fit 12 strings). It also has more frets (24) & the upper frets are easier to reach.

The design is neck-through, mahogany, 25 inch scale, with hollow mahogany sides & a solid spruce top with a single F-hole. The strings mount through the body & wrap over an acoustic guitar type saddle.

There are 2 Carvin C-22 (I think) pickups, and a piezo saddle transducer. Active circuitry includes pots for master volume, blend between piezo & magnetic pickups, and active treble cut & boost for both the piezo & the magnetics. The C-22s are selected with a 3-way toggle. There are two output jacks allowing you to send the ?acoustic? & ?electric? outputs to two different amps.

I chose mine as solid black, with black chrome hardware & no face dots on a black ebony fretboard. Looks way cool!

Also has Sperzel tuners & a tweed case.

I bought this guitar for playing in an acoustic trio ? 6 string, 12 string & congas/percussion. We all sing. We use no amps; plug everything into the PA. I use reverb from the PA, and sometimes I add the ?rotary? patch from an Alesis NanoVerb. A few of our songs need bass, so I step into my Boss Octave pedal. And, even though it?s an ?acoustic? band, I occasionally flip to just the bridge humbucker & stomp on my Boss OS-2 distortion pedal. This guitar can do it all!

One of the reasons I went with this guitar is that I wanted to blend the humbuckers with the saddle pickup. I think piezos an sound a little thin, so I like to warm them up with the neck (or both) pickup(s). I didn?t realize how much I would like the purely electric tone. I have played this through a 50s Fender Bandmaster & the bridge ?bucker ROCKS!

I have read reviews of Carvin AE185s that say the C-22 pickups don?t produce as much bottom end as the pickups on a Les Paul. That?s partially true, but I don?t think it?s the pickups' fault. This guitar doesn?t sound like a Les Paul unplugged, so the pickups shouldn?t make it sound like one plugged in. The bass tones of this guitar sound more like my SG; solid but not as thick as a Les Paul. Add to that the fact that it is mostly hollow & has a spruce top, you get a much more acoustic feel and sound than you might expect from something that feels so much like a rock machine!

I would give Carvin a ?ten? on this one except for one fault. They have had problems with their 3-way toggle switches being noisy. They know they have had this problem & they have recently changed the style of switch they use. You would think they would be sensitive to this problem & try to make sure they do NOT send out guitars with bad switches. The 3-way toggle switch on my guitar made noise from the VERY FIRST TIME I used it! They claim they tested it, but I seriously doubt it. Either they didn?t test it, OR, they tested it & knowingly sent out a bad switch. Which would be worse?

Everything els was near perfection. The finish looks like a black mirror. I checked every inch; it is beautiful!

I have made no adjustments to it other than to tune it up. I may eventually raise the bridge pickup, but if it needs this adjustment, it?s very slight.

Control cavity is extremely well shileded; looks great.

Only knock I have here was the rubbing compound caked in the edges of the F-hole. It only took a couple minutes with a Q-Tip to clean it up. A small touch, but still?

Again, I would have given them a ?10? except for the switch.

Dependability & reliability I would rate very high. This is an extremely solid guitar.

I think this is an odd question ? ?Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing?? To me, the best finish for a guitar like this are the ones that will wear off. This guitar feels like it?s ALIVE, & a thick automotive-stlye paint job would just kill the tone. I expect the finish will last, but if it wears through, that?ll just be the price for such a lively guitar.

No backup. One of the reasons for playing in an acoustic band was that I do NOT want to carry a lot of equipment. If my guitar dies, I?ll just stand there & sing like Art Garfunkle!

OK, so I got a bad switch. They sent me a new one. I installed it. The new switch is WORSE THAN THE FIRST! I talked to my Carvin rep, he said he would look into it & get back to me. It has been a week, & he hasn?t called back! I have had very good luck with Carvin in the past. I know they will make this right. But right now, I?m really PO?d!

I have no doubt that Carvin will eventually fix this.

I have owned other 12-string acoustics, but I?ve never had to play one for 4 hours a night. I bought this guitar primarily because I expected it to be the easiest playing 12-string, and it is. It plays better (in my opinion) than Richenbacher or Ovation. I expected it to play great, & it exceeds my expectations! WOW!

Again, this is just opinion, but if the electric tone were more important to you than the acoustic tone, I would recommend a maple or even a koa top. I went with the spruce top because I wanted a more acoustic tone, & I got what I was after. Really sounds great.

Playing this guitar as an electric, at stage volumes, is a real treat. There is so much energy coming out of the F-hole, you can feel it pushing your picking arm out of the way! An incredibly easy guitar to sustain feedback. Almost every note is available for infinite sustain, but the guitar was still under control. I am seriously considering a 6-string version as a blues/rock guitar.

Even with the switch problem, I?m giving this guitar an overall ?10?. Is it the perfect guitar? No way, but it does everything I wanted to do, even better than I expected. Can?t beat that!

Carvin's AE185-12 is a semi-acoustic electric 12-string. The instrument was made in year 2000 in Carvin's plant in San Diego, CA. It has mahogany side, back and neck. The top is spruce with a flamed, bookmatched, quilt maple overlay. The headstock is overlayed with quilt maple to match the body. Pickups include two Carvin C22 humbuckers and a piezoelectric imbedded under he saddle bridge. Controls for the ACTIVE electronics include a Les Paul-like 3-way switch for selecting one or more of the humbuckers. It has one volume control, a treble boost/cut, a bass boost/cut, and a "pan" control that allows infinite blending of the humbuckers and the piezo (or either the humbuckers or piezo alone). It has three small toggle switches that allow "splitting" of either humbucker (to a single coil config), and a phase switch that throws the humbuckers out of phase with each other. The finish is clear-lacquer over a deep red stain. Body binding is tortoise shell. The neck is inlaid with shimmering blue-green abalone. All hardware is gold. The body is a single-cutaway and is on the small (and light) side and has one f-cutout on the top half of the guitar. The bridge sports a cut saddle. Tuners are locking Sperzels. The neck is ebony with medium jumbo frets, and has a 15" radius. Scale is 25". A vintage case was included.

I play vintage rock, and blues. A 12-string for blues? Yes, this one works (more later). I use a variety of amps including a vintage Carvin tube (2x12"), a Peavey (1x12"), and a Hartke (1x15"). I use various pedals including an MXR Dyna-Comp, a Marshall tremelo, and various distortion pedals. The guitar's active electronics are dead-quiet. As the editor of Vintage Guitar said about the 6-string version, this guitar is like having 12 guitars. The variety of sounds is astounding. It can produce buttery jazz sounds to driving rock on the humbuckers. The piezo can produce sounds that are very close to "acoustic" -- not perfect, but close. Also, I can get mix-cutting jangle, like the Byrds' Rickenbacker 12-string. The bass output is less than my Les Paul, and that's a bit disappointing. However, the mids and highs are amazing.

I am a set-up fanatic. My guitars need to be as perfect as I can get them. The Carvin set-up was nearly dead-on. The action is just a teeny bit low for my tastes. It's so close, in fact, that I won't change it. This 12-string is so easy to play that I can chord at the 17th fret (like my Strat)! The neck is about as wide as a Les Paul -- which is quite a bit wider than a Rickenbacker (which is far too narrow for my hands). The pickups are set-up at the factory to provide even output at all poles. It seems to me it's dead-on. The top is beautifully bookmatched, the finish is nearly flawless (there's a very small scratch on the back near the battery holder). The Sperzels are tight -- the guitar holds tune for an entire day. Frets are flawless -- no unevenness or rough edges. Carvin is known for their fast necks, and this guitar is no exception. As someone else said, this guitar is a little head-heavy. It's not a problem, it's just balanced so differently than my Strat or Les Paul. The guitar has no pick-guard. I wish it did.

I haven't owned this guitar long enough to comment on it's durability. However, the controls are all tight and work with sufficient friction to give me a "quality" feel. The locking Sperzels are, well, Sperzels -- top drawer. The finish is medium thick -- I suspect it will last a long time. I didn't order the locking strap buttons, but the standard ones are solid and have caused me no problems. I believe I can depend on this guitar (so far, so good), but I always carry an extra 9-volt battery to power the on-board active electronics. Carvin says to expect about 6 months out of an alkaline battery when played 20 hrs. per week. This is about right. I would never rely on ANY guitar at a gig without a backup. Period.

The warranty is 5 years. I have always found Carvin Customer Support to be friendly and knowledgable. However, my experience is limited (thank God!)

I have been playing for 35 years. I own a Strat, a Les Paul Custom, a Fender 12-string acoustic, a Gibson 12-string acoustic, and a Yamaha bass (Jazz-like). I traveled to CA just to try this guitar on. I was so immediately taken, that I ordered one on the spot (custom made). If it were stolen or lost, I would definitely buy another. The Carvin AE-185 12-string is the only electric 12-string that is easy to play, in my opinion. Playability is on a par with my Les Paul. And I gues that's my favorite feature -- the playability. I compared this guitar to both Ric series, Epiphones, Danelectro's, Gibson, Fender, Ibanez -- anything I could find. My only disappointment is the slight lack of bass.

This guitar arrived at my door in June '97. There was a two month wait between ordering and delivery. This is a semi-hollow 12 string with one f-hole. The body is 1 3/4" thick and uses an acoustic style bridge and saddle (same design as Carvin's AE185). It comes standard with two Carvin humbuckers(C22) and a Carvin designed under saddle piezo pickup. There are two separate output jacks for acoustic and electric pickups or combined as mono from one jack. The electronics are active and require a 9V battery. The body and neck are mahogany, fingerboard is ebony, top is spruce. Standard four knobs control master volume, balance/blend for pickups and one tone each for humbuckers and piezo. Also standard are locking Sperzels, chrome hardware, strings through body and graphite nut. This guitar is jet black with no pick guard. My extras include two coil taps, one phase switch, straplocks and tortoise body binding. Standard Carvin neck through body construction - scale is 25"and radius is 15". Price includes case truss rod tool and shipping.

First of all, the acoustic bridge and semi hollow body allows for quiet unamplified playing. This translates nicely when amplified. There's a bit more harmonic complexity than with a solid body. The humbuckers don't thrill me, but are more than respectable. They are a noticeable improvement over Carvin's last design from a few years back, their M22. The piezo sounds exceptional, for a piezo. I've been amplifying my acoustics for more than 25 years and basically hate the "piezo sound". While this is still sounds like the transducer that it is, it's the nicest one I've heard of the "non-boutique" variety. My style is pop-rock. The variety of sounds available by mixing and matching pickups pretty much covers it all. From edgy Rickenbacker(ish) to warm acoustic. As expected, the coil tapped humbuckers are feeble by themselves. Still, any weaknesses that one pickup has individually is made up for with the available combinations.

The workmanship on this instrument is better than any equally priced Fender or Gibson I've pulled off the shelf. I asked for my instrument to be set up for heavy strings(12-54). They did that perfectly for the action, but not so the intonation. Upon request, they paid for shipping and cut me a new compensated saddle. This fixed the problem about 85%. I really can't fault them, they did their best. It's as good as any luthier has done for my other instruments. Is the quality control perfect? No. I moved a wire that was causing my battery to drain prematurely. Do they use the best hardware? No. I've cleaned the 3 way switch a few too many times.. Still, I consider Carvin a great company.

This is a well built instrument. I have no qualms about using it without a backup (an extra battery is a must). The finish is wonderful, but not bulletproof. Finish scratches come easily, but I think it will last - it does not appear too thin.

Warranty for guitars is 5 years. I have found sales people to be friendly and helpful. Some are more knowledgeable than others. Most are willing to take their time and do what needs to be done. The tech and repair people are harder to reach than sales. Those that I've dealt with have been, for the most part, excellent.

After playing for more than 30 years, I've always wanted an acoustic with electric sounds and an electric that responds like an acoustic. With this instrument, I get some of both - it's a good compromise. There are very few choices, especially for 12 string - bravo to Carvin for offering something that is not for everybody. It's probably realistic to say that it's more of an electric with acoustic qualities instead of the other way around. The acoustic bridge alone is worth the price of admission. Still, it's more "acoustic" than the other thinline style instruments I've tried. Let's face it, once you plug in an acoustic, it comes down to the pickup system and how it plays. In this respect, the Carvin shines. It's doesn't have the puny cramped neck that some 12's do, and can handle heavy strings. I love the light weight; it's less than 7 pounds. I don't like the fact that it's neck heavy. The balance takes some getting used to, but this is my only real complaint. I would miss it if it were lost or stolen, and would buy it again without a second thought.