Carvin BC130

Made in 1991, this is a bolt on neck guitar. Strat style with 22 frets. It has a humbucker and 2 single coil pickups with passive electronics. Kahler (Floyd) tremolo with locking nut. 5 way switch, one volume and one tone control knob. Body is white and neck has tung oil finish. Standard tuners, not Sperzels. Straplocks installed after purchase. I have owned this guitar for over 9 years. My first Carvin. Now I have 8 of them...guess that says something about the quality.

I play rock, country and ballads. The guitar handles all these styles nicely. I use a Peavey Bandit, Peavey Transfex, Peavey Blazer and Carvin AG100 acoustic guitar amp. I use minimal effects except for chorus, delay and reverb. Sounds good through all of my amps. It's a quiet axe with a number of very useful sounds. I feel that a lot of the tone comes from the player's hands so my opinion of it's sounds are based upon my own experience with this axe.

I got this in used/brand new condition. The original owner was trying to learn to play and gave up. When I opened the case for the first time that "new car" smell greeted my nose and I was 90% sold on it before I even picked it up. It was dead mint. The fit and finish are like all Carvins, beautiful. This was my first guitar with an oiled or unfinished feeling neck and I have since become a big fan of that feature. The Kahler (Floyd) trem is floating and really gives the sound a vocal quality when it is employed. The locking system keeps it in tune even after the most radical whammy action.

This guitar is a veteran of more than 600 gigs and it has never let me down. I always bring both an electric and acoustic guitar to gigs and can cover most of my songs on either. Since I already have 2 guitars with me on stage a back up axe seemed unnecessary. With the exception of a few little dings the guitar looks as good as when I bought it.

One of the reasons for it's great condition is that I use common sense and just don't let anyone except for my closest friends play it. It always amazes me when I see some tipsy customer at a bar ask the guitar player if he can play their axe. If you let them handle your guitar you are taking a big risk of getting your axe damaged or scratched. I try to be nice about refusing to let them use my guitar but I've had a few guys get pissed off at me. Fortunately that's their problem, not mine. Nuff said about that!

Here's where Carvin really shines. Everyone at Carvin has always treated me with respect and given me great service. After almost 10 years I have just had the 5 way switch replaced and the frets dressed by the factory in San Diego. It's like new again and plays better than ever. This is my only Carvin with a bolt on neck. Most Carvins with the exception of the Bolt are neck through body.

I have been playing for 30 years. I own 8 Carvins which are beautiful instruments but this relatively plain-jane axe is my favorite because we have a history together. It has been a great friend to me. I also have a large collection of amps, effects and other musical gear.

My favorite features are the responsiveness and of course, the beautiful feeling neck. This is a very comfortable guitar to play. Anyone who has tried it has offered to buy it from me but it's not for sale. I doubt that I'd find another guitar that plays exactly like this one.

If I lost this guitar I would replace it with another bolt on neck Carvin. The BC130 has been discontinued so I would have to go with a Carvin Bolt.

I have owned more than 100 guitars and have finally found my perfect guitar with Carvin. In my humble opinion, they give the most bang for the buck in terms of quality and service.

I would like to share my thoughts about guitars in general. First of all I think you should buy the best quality guitar that you can afford. There are a lot of very pretty guitars hanging on the wall at the local music store. Don't be taken in by a pretty face. A lot of these axes are strong cosmetically buy are not very good guitars in terms of quality. Take the time to check the hardware, fit and finish, intonation, electronics, etc., before you lay your money on the table.

Conversely, the most expensive guitar will sound terrible if your chops are not good. A real pro like Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen or Eric Clapton can take a cheap guitar and make it sound a lot better than the novice strumming a $4,000 PRS. Take the time to learn how to play properly and you will be rewarded with a skill that'll stay with you all your life.

Lastly, take care of your guitar. Change strings regularly, keep it clean inside and out. A little shot of contact cleaner inside the control cavity will keep your guitar from sounding scratchy with static. Clean the fretboard and keep the guitar polished. Take care of your instrument and it will take care of you.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions I can help you with. Good luck and keep rockin'