Carvin AE185

1998 model bought used on EBay 1/2003. Made in USA, 24 frets Semi hollow body, mahogany sides, spruce top, toroise binging, gold hardware, sperzel locking tuners, coil splitters. Although I did not order this from the factory, Carvin builds to order so there should never be a bad mark for features, right?

Three MAJOR Caveats: 1) Wood choices play a pivotal role in the sound of the guitar 2) You can't expect wood/combinations of woods used on a solid body (ie: Mahogany/Maple on a Les Paul) to sound the same in a semi-hollow body guitar 3) You can't expect a thinline acoustic guitar to sound exactly like a dreadnought. For that matter, if you're looking for an exact, specific sound, get the real deal or you will be dissapointed. This having been said, I am very happy with the sound of this guitar. I closely- and I say closely- replicate sounds from SRV to Steve Howe, Larry Carlton, and beyond. And close is definitely good enough for me! Heck, even your hands affect tone, and every guitar is different. So you'll never have the 'exact' sound of your idols , even with identical gear. I run the electric out to a Line 6 Flextone IIXL and it sounds amazing. The acoustic out I run straight to the console or mixing board and process from there. Not a totally authentic acoustic, but a good sound to get the acoustic feel across, especially in live situations. Good tight acoustic rhythm sound for recording.

The workmanship was excellent. The only flaw was that the neck shrunk and bowed slightly from a lack of humidity where the previous owner stored it. A shim in the bridge, quick filing of the sides of the frets, and a neck adjustment were all that was needed to erradicate the problem. No gaps in the binding, all gluing and fret work clean as a whistle. The finish was flawless and the spruce had an irradescent quality about it. Not exactly book matched, but I happen to like the way the two pieces 'flip flop' when you hold it at different angles. Others might not be satisfied with this asthetic. It's a beautiful looking guitar. Would've been a '10' but since top was not exactly book matched as touted, I have to drop the score a notch, even though it's ok with me.

No doubt it's a well built guitar. Another review here states it's not "a tank like a Strat". Totally unfair to compare a semi-hollow body with a thin resonating top to a solid body. It's like saying a sheet of veneer is not as sturdy as a plank. Same reviewer didn't like the lack of a pickguard. Sounds like he has a heavy hand, and this guitar is not really suited for that type of playing. Granted, you do have to treat it a little more carefully than a solid body, but that's not a reason to trash the axe.

CS at Carvin is spotty. If you get a good person, it's great service. If not, it sucks.

I've been playing over 30 years professionally and have played everything from Les Pauls to Strats to BC Rich to Guild- YOU NAME IT. I have had incredible luck with Carvins (I own 4). The only guitar I regretted parting with was a Hamer Sunburst (s/n 0007) that was THE best sounding guitar straight up, without any embellishments. I have never looked for the exact sound of other guitars in Carvins, so I have been very satified. They have a tone of their own which is just as good as anything else out there (see caveats!) Quality for the buck is unsurpassed, but like anything else there are good and bad coming out of the shop. But at least youcan return/replace what you get until it's right.

2002 USA Carvin AE-185. 24 fret very smooth tung oil neck and Mother of Pearl block inlays. I wish the neck were a little rounder or not as wide, its quite wide and flat. It harder to pick quickly with wide string spacing. Its got a GORGEOUS Flamed Koa top, I think I really got the pick of the lot. I ordered it with the H2 pickups, and its standard with the acoustic bridge (I REALLY would prefer a hardtail). Locking tuners are a must. They arn't the same gold as the rest of the hardware however. Finally I got coil splitters and phase switch (a must)

THIS IS NOT WHAT THEY ADVERTISE IT AS!

This guitar can do intresting hybrid sounds, but don't treat it as both an electric and acoustic. Its primarily an electric wish so so acoustic tones. However its still not what I expected. It's not as magnificent as I thought it would be. It does good jazz tones, I can get some pretty good crunch of it, but I have trouble getting really warm cleans (non jazz). I think I'll do better with it as I mess around more.

I'm thinking of changing to some Gibson 57s, but I'm not sure yet.

I give it a 7 because its clearly not an acoustic, and its not the best electric I've heard.

The finish isn't perfect, had 2 or 3 small flaws, but all on the back so it wasn't that big of a deal. The Flamed Koa top is breaktaking.

The action has much to be desired when your as picky as I am. Its very difficult to adjust the action on ones own b/c of the acoustic bridge and I still don't understand why there isn't a hardtail option. The action is good, but its not SUPER low like Carvin advertises. Definatly not 1/16th of an inch. I've had 1 truss rod adjustment, but I think I might need to sand down the saddle next, I really want low action. Also the string tension is quite high, bends arn't as easy as you would think. I think its because of the string through body.

Finish and Action is good, just not what I was expecting.

This thing is light and fragile, I've already dented it up too much. It's easy to make the smallest nick, and one has to be VERY careful with this guitar.

I doubt it would ever fail on me, its well built and all, but its not a tank like a strat is.

I wanted a tung oil neck and the option wasn't on the website and I had to call in to get it. No problems. Did have to wait around a bit on the line though.

This is a decent guitar but certainly not my last. Nothing is as good as I expected with the exception of looks, its a beautiful guitar. The tones and action arn't top notch so I need to figure out what to do in that department, I think with the right pickups and a more perfected action this guitar could be really really great. The string tension issue is really unfixable, its just the nature of the gutiar, most likely tha acoustic string through bridge.

4/2002 Semi solid body acoustic elect. guitar made in USA,flamed tobacco sunburst 1/8" maple top on mahogany ,25 fret ebony neck with abalone dot markers,medium jumbo frets,Sperzel locking tuners,gold hardware,body binding,Active H22T and H22N humbuckers. LA Bags acoustic pickup mounted under an acoustic bridge.Humbuckers have coil splitters/phase switch..010 Elixir nano web strings.

When I first played this guitar unamplified I found it to not have the unamplified acoustic sound that I was expecting.
However I imediately like that feel and action.
Played through a Marshall 100w half stack the sound is full and rich. The guitar is bright and I had to lower treble mid and presence settings on the Marshall and tone controls of the guitar. That not to say that you can't get bass out of the lower notes. It just different than my Les Paul or Washburn 335. On the Carvin discussion board,people comment that they think it's a great guitar and they can't wait to change out pickups or strings. I think the Carvin stuff sounds good.
Yes thats right it sounds like a Carvin. That's what I was looking for when I bought it.The comments I got from my other band members was that it was a smooth sounding guitar and then that they could hear what I was playing. I play rhythm and if you've ever been there you know it's not just a matter of turning up the volume. Remember, I'm playing a Marshall.

The guitar comes strung with Elixir nano web .010's. which is the gage I use but the AE185's action seems slinkier more like .009's
The guitar is almost feather weight 6 1/2lbs.The finish was flawless.
The flamed maple is indeed beautiful but is unlike the Les Paul flame that were used to seeing. Again Carvin has a look unto itself.
The Sperzel locking tuners are a must however the gold finish has more of a mat than a gloss finish. Maybe that finish will be more durable? I know my gold Les Paul tuners look partially silver now.

My AE185 is almost 8 months old. I've replaced the 9v battery once.
Carvin recomends a change every 6 mo. The guitar has performed well for me, I live in New England now and the guitar has stood up to both a humid summer and now the beginning of a cold winter.The big news is I've only just recently changed the Elixir strings for the first time. The Sperzel had me changing them in record time.
I've read on the Carvin discussion board that some have had difficulty learning to re-string with these locking tuners but I had no trouble.
Many also have changed string brands,either not liking the sound or feel. I'm not one of those I'll stick with Elixirs.

The guitar has a 5yr. warranty but I can't really comment on Customer Service.I ordered online and had no problems.

I have been playing guitar for 30 years and would I replace this guitar if lost In a heartbeat.
It's not an acoustic guitar,it's an electric -acoustic guitar with a variety of good sounds. Please don't ask me if it sounds like a Gibson or a Strat. It sounds like a Carvin. Yes... I know I sound like a Carvin salesman.

Made in the usa, I received it on Oct. 9, 2002. Has 22 frets, two coil taps and a phase switch, inline headstock, C22 carvin pickups, Koa body with koa head stock, active electronics, with an acoustic bridge

I like to play Jazz/Blues/Rock basically anything i feel like at the time. The sound on the guitar not plugged in is very rich and full which is common for a semi hollow body guitar. When plugged in the guitar is very tinny there is nothing special about the stock pickups on this guitar. I figured, when I bought the guitar,that with the coil taps, phase switch and acoustic bridge that I would be able to play any style I wanted with a flick of a switch. WRONG!!! Instead of having one really good sound from a guitar I have the option of about 7 different crappy tinny sounds. I would not buy this guitar for the pickups!!!

The action on this guitar is amazing it's exactly what I wanted. The finish is very bright and clear. The guitar came in mint condition it's truely a beautiful guitar

Perfect very light weight and durable.

The costumer support is great.

I've been playing for about 5 years I've played gibsons, fenders, peaveys, Ibanez, PRS, basically all the name brands. I love everything about this guitar but the sound which shouldn't be a problem after I change the pickups. If it were lost or stolen I would buy another one without their pickups. If possible I would just buy the body.

2002 Made in USA. 2 Humbuckers plus piezo acoustic pickup. Active electronics. Pickups have coil tap and phase switching. Active electronics. The humbuckers and piezo are blendable for an incredible array of sounds. Mahogany neck through body with clear flame maple top.

This guitar has a incredible amount of tones. I play jazz/blues/rock and I can get plenty of tones for each style. The ability to blend the acoustic sound into the electric is a blast. I play the guitar into a old Fender Twin (72ish). The guitar sounds a little brighter than I expected considering it has humbuckers on it.
The acoustic tone is good, but not great by itself. It works great for some acoustic fill-in. I gave the sound a 10 because of the blended tones that are possible.

The guitar played perfectly from the time that I purchased it. The flame maple top could have matched up a little better.

This is the only guitar I have been playing for the last 2 months. It has replaced 2 zions and a vintage 62 jazzmaster. I have totally depended on it during live performance and it hasn't let me down.
It does tend to go out of tune quicker than my other guitars.

The warranty on the guitar is 5 years. I haven't had any problems with it. All of the people were great where I purchased it. (Carvin store in West Covina, CA)

I have been playing for over 20 years. I would definitely purchase another one if this was lost or stolen. I love the ability to blend to acoustic and electric tones together, and the overall sound of the guitar. The neck is fast. Another nice thing is the guitar is at least a pound lighter than my other electrics. This is very nice during long playing sessions.

The thing I would change about the guitar is the body of the guitar. The telecaster shape is fine, but it would be nice if it was contoured like a Warmoth Telecaster body.

2001 Carvin AE185, C22 pickups, Blueburst on quilted maple finish, chrome hardware, abalone dot inlays, multi-laminate body binding, active electronics, coil taps and phase switch. This was one of the In-stock guitars, so I only had to wait 6 days to get it. Showed up in perfect condition, and not a scratch on it. Every time I open the case my jaw hits the floor...this is the most beautiful guitar I've ever owned. The features of this guitar are impressive: Acoustic-style bridge, chambered body, mahogany neck, magnetic and acoustic pickups...it's really versatile. You can split the acoustic and electric signals into seperate output jacks, or blend them into one.

The acoustic-style bridge isn't for everyone...it's got a compensated saddle, and (as with all guitars using this kind of bridge) you won't get drop-dead perfect intonation. The trade-off is a bridge that contributes to this guitar's unique sound.

The AE185 sounds great, but more impressive is the amount (wide variety) of sounds you can get. The acoustic pickup provides a nice warm acoustic tone, very similar to many of today's slimline acoustics. Using the magnetic pickups and coil taps, you can go from bluesy single coil tones to an all-out shred-fest. The Carvin pickups are great sounding pickups, with no shortage of brightness. The active electronics allow you to dial in the right balance of lows and highs. Best of all, you can blend electric and acoustic sounds together and create wonderful composite tones. Unique sounds that won't leave you sounding like every other guitar player out there!

This guitar arrived in perfect condition...neck relief was right around .007" at the 7th fret, guitar was in tune, etc. No complaints with the setup. As for the fit and finish, like all other Carvins, it's handmade...the top was matched perfectly, the paint is clean and evenly applied, the electronics cavity properly sheilded...etc.

This guitar isn't going out on gigs with me...it's just too beautiful to take out of the house. Although the body is very light, it seems to be built very solidly. I'm sure it would stand up to road use, but I like it too much to risk it.

I own a few other Carvin guitars, so I've had the opportunity to talk with the Carvin folks many times. I only had one experience where I wasn't happy with the attitude of the chap on the other end of the line, so I simply hung up and called back and spoke with someone else. Simple fix. All the other times, I was helped beyond my expectations. As for the service department, I have only dealt with them once when I broke a screw on a Wilkinson trem (tightened it too much). I sent the part in for repair, and within 6 days they sent me back and entire new tremolo assembly. Try getting Ibanez to do that.

You can't get much better than Carvin right now, even if you do not take into account the great prices.

I cannot believe the negative reviews I see here on this board for this Carvin AE-185. I have a 1995 with 2 humbuckers and the piezo in the bridge. I have a 3 position selector switch and pan knob between piezo and humbuckers. It has a master volume and 2 separate tone knobs controlling acoustic sound or electric sound. I have 3+3 tuner setup on the headstock with gold Sperzel tuners. It has an ebony fretboard and medium wide neck. It's a 24 fret fingerboard with easy access battery compartment for the active electronics in the back of the body. It's a thru body neck with nice feeling smooth transition area around the 24th fret that allows comfortable playing. The body is hollow and has one f-hole.

I have used this in a variety band and had no trouble producing funky sounds and quickly changing to heavy rock sounds. I have also used this as an acoustic electric and gotten wonderful full bodied country acoustic sound. It will do piercing treble tones and mellow jazz tones. I have played it with a Boss multi effects unit and have loved the result. I play it mainly through a Rivera Thirty Twelve model amp with 12 inch speaker. I have sometimes split the acoustic sound and electric sound through the Rivera and a Musicman. I have also used this with a Park practice amp with 8 inch speaker which sounds a little snarly and lacks bottom end. I find the Carvin very clean with little background hum or hiss. If I use only one humbucker at a time I have experienced typical phase problems but only in some rooms. I love the overall sound choices the AE-185 offers me.

The action cannot be beat. This guitar was made for my large hands. I find the neck great for fast lead passages and stretch fills. The action is very low and true. It does make acoustic style playing not feel genuine due to the light action. If I were to change another identical AE-185 to be my primary acoustic stage guitar, I'd raise the action and put heavier strings on it. I have a solid black body and neck on my AE-185. The hardware is gold and the binding is tortise. I played the guitar at some outdoor gigs in the summertime and noticed the top warped a slight bit. I only see it when I hold it a certain way under a light. I have found no flaws on this guitar and have been playing it for 7 years. It was set up perfectly from the factory.

Except for the top warp I mentioned in the last category, I have to say that it would withstand any amount of stage use. Any semihollow body electric is more fragile than a solid piece of wood, but this 6 and a half pound well balanced instrument will compete in durability with any other I have seen. I have a few scratches on the back of my Carvin but that is all. The gold seems to be wearing normally and I have not noticed the bridge or Sperzel tuners wearing in any way at all. I would not hesitate to do gigs without a backup guitar.

The Carvin Sales rep was very friendly and informative when I initially discussed options and orders this custom shop product. I called for a status report and was received with respect.

I have been playing since 1964. I owned a Teisco and a Les paul in the late sixties then a Telecaster and a Strat in the seventies. I have a Danelectro electric 12 string and an Epiphone Nighthawk today besides the Carvin. I also own and play 5 bass guitars. Fender Jazz, Fender Precision,Ibanez,Univox and Rogue violin bass. I have a home recording studio and also play keyboard and drums. I have written over 200 songs and have recorded all of them either with band projects or in my studio without other musicians. I guess I'm a sixties musician carried over to 2002. I am currently in a British Invasion cover band that loves the music of the late sixties and early seventies.

Standard AE-185 features with the following extras: H22T & H22N Holdsworth pickups, coil splitter, phase switch, Mahogany neck through body, Koa top, matching koa head stock, Clear Gloss finish.
Major drawback: No Pick Guard.
Also, I've never had Sperzel tuners before. But Carvin says you shouldn't wrap the string more than 3/4 of 1 turn. Maybe with practice it gets easier, but I've strung my guitars hundreds of times with no problems, and I've never had such a hard time stringing a guitar.
Also, the color the guitar comes in as usually a few shades lighter than it appears in the catalog or on the website.

Here's the problem I had with the guitar. It was truly a beautiful looking guitar. But the sound was no good. I did a ton of research before buying this guitar. I had read that the holdsworth pickups really helped the sound of this guitar. The major problem is that they bill this as a guitar that can move from an electric sound to an acoustic sound. I found that this was simply not true. I got one good sound out of it which was an electric hollow body sound. When you think about it, that's essentially what it is. I found the straight electric and acoustic sound to be lacking. The only time it sounded good was when I blended the two sounds. I'm giving this such a low rating because the Carvin rep and the advertisement in the Carvin catalog maintained that this had two separate and excellent sounds. Simply not true in my opinion.

If you want a hollow body electric, you will find the action and neck to be super fast. However, when playing more on the acoustic side, I found the strings too close to the neck causing them to vibrate. So I had to raise the action for acoustic playing, which killed the electric action. So if you want one or the other I give it an 8.
But, because they say it can do both...

The damn case weighed more than the guitar! I only had it for 7 days because I returnded it. So I can't really comment on this but to say that it seems fairly sturdy.

If you do even a little research on Carvin, you know that their customer service stinks. I was surprised at just how bad it was. Once they take your order, you become just another number. And my rep was supposed to be good! I'd hate to get a bad rep. Well, my guitar was late in shipping, not because it took them extra time to build it, because the guys went home early, then the guy forgot, then the guys were busy, then the shipping dept all left early, then the guitar tech found there was trouble with the electronics, then he just didn't get to it. My rep started calling me back when he thought I was about to cancel the order, then I got some decent, not good, decent service. So the damn thing finally ships. And the high e string is broken. So I had to restring it, that's OK though, these things happen. The guitar came with regular strap knobs even though I ordered strap locks. Their service is sucky. If you hear, "Hey Bro..." on the other end of the phone, head for zee hills.

After trying numerous adjustments, I couldn't get more than one good electric hollow body sound and a few decent sounds. I have a pretty negative review of this guitar. I want people to know that even though I hate their service, the 1 and only reason I sent my guitar back for the refund is that I didn't like the sound enough to pay $1,000 dollars for it. If this was a $300-$400 guitar, it would be worth it. You can try it free if you like, but don't forget you will be out at least $40 for shipping round trip if you don't like it.

You will have to come to your own conclusions, but I was genuinely expecting to love this guitar even with all of the service problems, and it fell far short of the mark. I have a 10 year old Cort fender strat copy that I paid $100 for over 10 years ago that sounds almost as good as the guitar I received.

This is the AE 185 6 sting model. I got the same configuration as the picture in the catalog. The only exception is that I got the inline headstock instead of the 3+3. The tobacco stained quilted maple top is beautiful and it was this that orignally got me interested in the guitar. The finish is flawless. I have looked for any extra finish drops or blobs and I can find nothing wrong. The mahogany neck is through the body and the neck heel is very smooth. The pickups are the neck C22 and bridge C22 humbuckers with an acoustic piezo pickup in the acoustic style bridge. There is a pan control that allows you to blend the humbuckers with the piezo for a variety of sounds. The humbuckers and the acoustic each have their own tone post for adjustments. The locking sperzel tuners work well and need little tuning after they are set. The neck is medium. I am used to the Ibanez JEM thin, fast neck so this one feels a bit bigger. It's not near as big as the Les Paul's neck

I can get all sorts of great sounds out of this gutar. The power of the C22 is perfect for a full rock sound yet I can also get a shimmery jazz solo sound from the neck C22 as well. It has been said that the C22 pickups are too trebly but that can be easlily adjusted with the guitar's treble control. The acoustic piezo is beautiful. It is not a dreadnought sound by any means but it comes as close to acoustic as you can get. I play it through a Johnson Millenium 150 modeling amp and this adds to the variety of sounds. It comes equipped with Elixir strings. WHile these can be a bit slippery, I have noticed that there is very little finger squeak noise; this is a definite plus for me.

As stated before, I could find no probelms with this guitar. Even though it was shipped via UPS, all that was needed was tuning. I will see if the action needs any fine tuning, but there is no bowing and the action is fine. The body binding is thick and does not lok like cheap binding.

As far as this category goes, what impressed me is the thickness of the finish. I always think it is best to have a backup guitar, although I can see this one being tough enough to last.

The salesman wasn't the best. I seemed to be annoying him by making a purchase. I've talked to others at Carvin who were more interested in me than my initial saleman. I will try to get someone else next time.

I play for my own fun, nothing serious. I like to get a good sound that will serve whatever mood I'm in. This guitar is capable of doing many things right. I would get another one if necessary. I chose this because I was able to play one at a Carvin factory store in CA and I was amazed by the sounds. My only wish is that there could be either an adjustable bridge or tremolo option. I also feel that it is an honest price to pay for something so well made.

1999 - Base model - Mahogany neck and body with Spruce top. The stock active electronics (dual humbuckers and piezo pickup system in the bridge) but also includes the coil splitters/phase switch upgrade for the humbuckers. The dual pickup system is what makes this guitar a unique hybrid. Finish is clear matte. Sperzel locking tuners, chrome hardware. Semi-hollow Telecaster body style. Nothing 'special' to look at. Just pure function.

I replaced three guitars with the AE185. A new Gibson SG LE (cheapest SG), an Ovation Celebrity accoustic/electric, and an ancient Fender Mustang. The AE185 mimics all the sounds I got from those three, and adds the unique sound of blending the piezo/accostic tones with the humbuckers. Some reviews complain that the Carvin humbuckers are 'thin' or 'shrill'. I think that a lot of that has to do with the woods chosen. I see a lot of Carvins with maple necks and maple caps on the body. Sure, they look pretty, but add (too) much high-end to the sound. The AE185 with mahogany and spruce construction gets great warm tones from the neck pickup, and good, bright mid-rangey tone from the bridge pickup. And you get a decent piezo tone from the bridge. This certainly is the most versatile guitar I have ever owned sound-wise. If you get one get the coil splitter/phase switch options. They add even more versatility to your tonal arsenal. My main amp is a Valvestate Marshall, dual channel switching. I sometimes run the 'buckers through the Marshall, and the Piezo through an old Fender Twin Reverb - pseudo stereo and wow! A wall of sound!

Bought used on ebay. Arrived with a set of .009's. Guitar is set up by Carvin with .10's, so I changed the .009's out. Intonation on the G string immediately improved to be about as good as any other guitar I have owned. (The AE185 has a non-adjustable accoustic style bridge). This is the one downside to the guitar. The only action adjustment is the truss rod. I tightened the truss rod, but the action was still a bit high on the upper frets ... I suspect it was 'unhappy' living with .009's for a couple of years. So I took out the one-piece bridge, and (gasp!) sanded it down a bit. Eventually I got the action to where I wanted it. Now the neck is straight and flat and fast ... just awesome. As good as any ever made. That's the Carvin mystique ... fast, fast fast! The finish (matte) is thin, and noting to rave about. But as good as the one on my 2000 SG ... Because of the bridge design I knock it down two points...

Neck-through body construction. Dual reinforced neck plus the truss rod. Built like a tank. It's not gonna break but gigging without a backup for *all* your equipment is nuts. Finish like I said before is thin. But it is built better than the Gibson SG which cost 50% more.

I posted some Q's on the Carvin bulletin board system and they got back to me same day. Otherwise, I haven't dealt with them.

It's the only (electric) guitar I'll ever need. It makes all the right sounds, is very easy to play (it's also relatively light so it's easy on my back). I've been playing guitar since 1962 - it's the best guitar I have ever owned and I have had 'em all - ES-335, SG, Strat, Guild. If lost/stolen I'd order another one with the same wood/construction.