Carvin Bolt Kit

2004. Hard tail with black matte finish. Had the neck tung oiled also. Had all humbuckers installed (2 minis and the standard bridge bucker. It also has a coil splitter switch on the bridge bucker. The usual features for a strat style axe. Purchased with case.

Its hard to talk about guitar tone in absence of incudinng you whole tone chain in the discussion. I'm running this guitar into a Fender Deville with the usual suspects for distortion (Rat, Drivetrain, ettc.) This guitar has great tone and sustain. It almost plays itself. I have a Paul, but was looking to get a less bassy/muddy sound, yet I'm not into single coils per se. This guitar equipped with humbuckers fits the bill. I offed a deluxe strat to get this, though the Strat was twice as much money. Why? I didn't like how the tremolo bridge killed the sustain. This guitar gives me alot of warmth, but more note separation and punch than the Paul. But, as always - there is a compromise - you don't get quite the fat notes on the low strings as the Paul. Not bad, just different. The best way to describe this is a middle ground tone between a Strat and a Paul with it being a bit closer to the Paul tonal spectrum. I think it cuts thhrough the mix a little better than the Paul. I'm very happy with this guitar - it truly is a great value.

Like I said, with the sustain and resonance of this guitar, you barely have to apply picking pressure to the strings. Liewise, the fretting hand gets a break as well. A blast to play and not too heavy. As far as the neck feel - on the thinner side of the spectrum - BUT - recently they thickened the wood a touch on the neck, so its easier to play than earlier versions (one of which I had, but got rid of because neck was to thin!!). I'd still like the neck a touch thicker, but this is not a major issue. Frework? Outstanding - very clean - no fret buzzes - read other reviews on this topic - no one doubts Carvin's ability on neck and fretwork.

Can't say - too soon. My last Carvin guitar held up. What goes wrong with guitars anyway if you don't drop them?

Good - responsive to questions

See Sound Quality/Fit and Finish. I would buy this guitar again if losst/stolen. For cover band stuff, its now my number one!

Mine is a 2003 model Bolt Kit.
New compound neck radius.
Two AP11s in the neck and middle and the M22SD in the bridge.
Alder Body.
Fixed Bridge.
Sperzel Locking Tuners.
Black Hardware.

The AP11s are like standard strat pickups on speed. The neck has a very jazzy sound when the amp is dialed clean. It also has a great blues tone when you add some grit and distortion. The M22SD in the bridge is Carvin's pickup with the highest output. It is great for a hard rock tone and it absolutley shreds. I am playing through a Carvin MTS tube amp (Yea, I'm a Carvinite) and I can get some very nice, useful tones from this kit.

The finish is up to you.

I first chose to do the tung oil finish. I rushed through the process and a few months later I wasn't very proud of the results. Some words of advice, TAKE YOUR TIME WITH THE FINISH. Right now I am in the process of staining it with red analine dye. I am then going to use some Nitrocellulose lacquer to make a nice, durable finish.

The guitar was a snap to set up. The neck and saddles needed almost no adjustment. All the components went together smoothly. You can be brain-dead and still have a playable guitar.

The reliability depends on the finish you put on it. The tung oil doesn't protect from scratches or dents well so I would suggest a more durable finish.

The hardware is top notch. Everything seems sturdy. I would gig without a backup.

All of my experiences with Carvin were excellent. The salesmen were very helpful and patient when it came to picking out all the options. I called a few weeks later in need of some extra screws and a few days later I found some spares in my mailbox, no questions asked!

I have been playing for about 5 years. I've owned and played many guitars but this is by far my favorite. Building these kits give you a wonderful sense of pride and accomplishment. Not only that, but they are tough and they sound great. I have no complaints at all. Good job Carvin!

I built one of these with a Ash body, and twinblade humbucker neck pickup, and a full sized (C22B) humbucker at the bridge.

Let me say that there are several things good about the features on this kit, and Carvin guitars in general. Most notably, that they have hardtails as the default bridge type (I'm not a fan of guitars with trems). Also, the ebony fretboard is a major plus (Ebony is many times more expensive than rosewood or maple, which is why you rarely see it on factory guitars), IMHO ebony is one of the very best fingerboard woods.

I have always felt that the second tone knob on a strat was excessive, and it's good to find a company that does something else with that spot on the pickguard (In this case, a coil tap).

With the tappable bridge humbucker, neck humbucker, and 5 way switch, you can get any sound you would reasonably expect from a strat/superstrat type guitar.

This guitar gets a great "in between" , "quack" type strat sound. It has a very lively tone, and is very strat like (of all the strats I have had, it sounds the most like a '62 reissue) when using the middle single coil.

When using the bridge humbucker, the standard humbucking tones are there, and this guitar sounds quite good. The

In retrospect, I would not have added the twinblade humbucker in the neck, not that it sounds bad, just that I haven't ended up using the neck pickup soloed much. Also, the lack of a neck coilsplitter eliminates the mid/neck single coil combo, which might be useful. Of course, this is no fault of carvin, as the guitar comes with a single in the neck by default!

I'm using it with a Peavey Prowler, and through a Sans Amp GK into a bass AMP!

Since this is a kit, a lot of this section doesn't apply.

I will say that for their part, Carvin did a great job. All the components are well made.

This seems like a fairly sturdy guitar, as are most bolt on neck strat types. The headstock is a tilt back, which I feel are a little more fragile than the standard Fender shape. I doubt I will ever break it though, and if I do, replacements are available from Carvin.

The hardware is quite good!

I finished this guitar with a light nitro finish. The body doesn't have that much finish on it at all. I doubt the finish is durable, but this is no fault of Carvins!

The strap buttons that were provided with the guitar I didn't even bother to put in. The were the standard cheap kind that I always replace with strap locks.

I would never gig without a backup, but this guitar is as dependable as the get.

When I ordered this guitar, I used the internet form, and ordered an extra twinblade pickup (for another guitar). When it arrived, it had the extra twinblade installed in the middle position (I had selected a twinblade in the neck with the guitar as a $10 option). This wasn't what I wanted, and I was missing the middle pickup, which provides many useful sounds.

I called up carvin, and after a bit of confusion about which department would address this issue (I was ping ponged between sales and service a few times each), I eventually got a helpful guy who listened, and shipped out the missing single coil at no charge. I got it a few days later, no problem.

I think the problem was they were being TOO helpful by installing the extra pickup for me!

In addition, I have bought from Carvin before, and they were very helpful. They seem pretty good to deal with.

I have been playing for 21 years. I have owned over 100 guitars and basses (not at one time!). I can honestly say that this guitar is one of the best I have ever had. If it was lost or stolen, I would order another without hesitation.

A couple of points/observations:

1) If you are even the least bit capable with the assembly and set up of this guitar, you will get a finished product equal to guitars 2 and 3 times the cost IMHO. It just walks all over guitars in the $350-$400 price range. Also, unless I am mistaken, the neck and body (and probably the pickups) are made in the USA.

2) If you finish a Ash body, grain filler might be a good idea. I didn't use it, and I had to work extra. I used nitrocellous finish from Home Depot ( a gallon for $13 or so), and brushed it on. In retrospect, a spray finish might have been easier, or even the ultra easy tung oil. I think one of the advantages of doing it yourself is that you can avoid thick finishes that may hurt the guitars sound.

3) This guitar is easy to assemble. Seriously. Not hard at all.
You can do it. I did break out the soldering iron instead of using the wirenut they provided, and I recommend you do as well.

4) As someone else mentioned (either here or on Carvin's discussion board) the copper shielding foil is very sharp. Be careful, or it will cut you!

This is a Strat-style kit. It comes in a box with everything needed to assemble the guitar except for sandpaper, tung oil (or whatever you decide to use to finish the wood), and basic hand tools.

The body for this kit was Swamp Ash (a $30 upgrade from the standard Alder). The neck is Maple.

The pickups are Carvin...I opted for the two single coils for the neck and middle with a humbucker in the bridge position.

The finish is up to the builder. I chose to stain the body and the headstock with a dark red stain, then applied several coats of Tung Oil.

Bridge is fixed (Tremolo is an option), with each string full adjustable for height and intonation.

Tuners are standard Carvin (Sperzel optional).

The neck is VERY thin, with wide frets.

I purchased the optional case. The case has the "Carvin" logo, but appears to be built by SKB. The case was only $44.00 when purchased with the guitar kit.

With this combination of pickups, it is a very versatile guitar. I play everything from very clean jazz/country to old Van Halen. This guitar does well on the full range...much better than my other guitar (a '66 Jazzmaster).

This pickup combination also includes a coil splitter switch for the Humbucker.

I have a Behringer 2X12 Combo amp with a Digitech RP300A effects box. I leave the amp set very clean and use the box to control all the effects.

This guitar sounds good and lively even when it isn't plugged in. The sustain is much better than I expected and the sound quality and versatility vastly exceeded my expectations.

I've heard others gripe about Carvin pickups, but I think these sound terrific.

Not really applicable since I did all of this work. It was very enjoyable to do the finish work and set up the guitar myself. The intonation was only off a little and was easy to correct.

I lowered the strings nearly down to the fingerboard and raised the pickups to within about 1/8" or so of the strings. There's no significant buzzing (with 9-42 Elixers), and the neck is extremely fast and the intonation is spot-on.

The only problems I had with the build were self-inflicted. My decision to stain the body and the headstock before the Tung Oil added a couple of days to the build process. I discovered that wood finishing is not as easy as it looks, but you can always break out the sandpaper and start over (as I did, twice).

Most of the hardware seems to be of high quality. I'm not too sure about the electronics...the switchgear seems a bit suspect and the volume/tone pots don't have very good modulation...they behave more like switches than pots.

If I were gigging, I'd not be afraid to go without a backup.

Not applicable. The ordering process was painless.

I've been playing for over 25 years. I primarly play acoustic (I have a Taylor 414CE and a 710CE). My only other electric is a '66 Fender Jazzmaster. It's a very nice vintage guitar, but the electronics don't really produce the sounds I wanted. I'll use this guitar just for fun and some recording work.

I enjoyed building this guitar very much...I feel like I have a better understanding of how solid-body guitars actually work and I understand how to set one up.

I expected this guitar to sound decent and be serviceable, kind of like a Squier or Japanese Strat. However, it's much more than that. It plays and sounds as good as any electric I've ever played.

If it were stolen, I'd definitely build another one. I may build another one anyway!

If you like to build things, I highly recommend it. If you take your time and do it right, you'll end up with a GREAT guitar for well under $500.

2001 USA 22 medium frets on ebony (nice!) fretboard, great maple neck (same dimensions as Ibanez Wizard), abalone dot inlays (look like little planets, ash body (originally stained walnut, then blue bursted the whole thing), red tortoise pickguard with three twinblade humbuckers, vol., tone, coil tap for bridge ( switched to Fender single coils on black pearloid, will be going to L-280s on black abalone), gold hardware, Sperzels (they don't really lock), Wilkinson tremelo (better than vintage or Floyd Rose type), straplocks (nice), case (nice) & tools.

I have a Pignose G40V w/ 1x12 (using 10 w/split), crate MX120, Carvin SX300 full stack. Heavy acid blues/metal/rock. The original twinblades were OK, but not as good a range as I wanted and had a drainpipe sound I could not stand (cheaper humbuckers do), switched to fender singles but then too glassy and bell like (told it was not the swamp ash, but still suspect it), going to Bill Lawrence L-280 set. I'll see. I've always been able to rock out with it, the neck is fast. I think the sound I want for this guitar will come with the L-280s. The sustain is great and the whammy is the best. It does go out of tune with the Sperzels as much as any other tuning machines.

Action fantastic. Everything went together well except one trem post had to be glued in because the hole was a little big and it wouldn't stick. One Sperzel mounting peg broke and had to be glued in the hole. Ash looked good, but walnut (alcohol and powder) was a mistake because it didn't variate like real walnut or walnut stain on pine. After 6 mos. I blue bursted it (I loved the ones in the catalog), came out OK, but shouldn't have done the neck (now I have to wax it every time I play). I'm only rating the action.

It has and will withstand live playing without backup (with Fender super bullet 250s 10-46), hardware and straplocks will last. If I can, I do like to bring more guitars for a wider variety of sound.

They originally didn't send the gold pickguard screws, so I used brass from the hardware store until the requested screws came in a week and a half. Supportive with all questions and purchases.

I've been playing 28yrs. Have got 10 other guitars of all types. I had heard Carvin is great quality and price, and they are compared to the other out of whack American greed companies. I wanted a reverse headstock and all the fancy stuff for my dream guitar, but really all of them are. I built a Saga kit from ebay for $91 total added Ping Tuners instead for $22 and have a convincing Stratocaster. I wish I would have known, but did not have a computer and ebay back then. I would not get out what I put in the Carvin if sold. I would track down and kill anyone who stole it, but wouldn't replace it. I've got others. I would consider one of their factory built thru neck other models with Wilkinson.

2003 Carvin Bolt Kit, American Made Parts. I upgraded to sperzel locking tuners, black hardware, red tortoise shell pickguard, and went
with the HSS pickup configuration. The body is Alder, Maple neck/Ebony
fingerboard.

I play mostly blues and classic/modern rock. The Carvin is very versatile and I am pleased with the overall sound quality of this instrument. I am currently playing thru my 4x10 Fender Deville. I am not big on effects. The clean tone of this guitar is outstanding. The controls are responsive, although I have noticed the single coils seem
to lose a little brightness at lower volume levels. The guitar is noticeably quieter than my strat.

The guitar went together VERY easily. I opted for the tung oil finish and it turned out really nice. I did have one complaint... The headstock came drilled for standard tuners,not sperzels. I called Carvin and they told me to ship the neck back and they would send me another one. I decided it was more trouble than it was worth. I redrilled the neck and filled the original holes. Looks fine, the action is great. Carvin makes great necks. Overall workmanship great.

I have had the Bolt since Jan. 2003. No problems with anything on the guitar. It still looks new except for the scratches on the pickguard. The tung oil finish is holdind up better than I expected. I dont really play out any more, but this guitar is more than adequate to gig
with without a backup. The guitar is rock solid, stays in tune, and has fairly quiet electronics.

Carvin has a good reputation as far as I know. They are going to lose
a couple of points for the tuner hole issue. They could have offered to pay for shipping, but didn't. They were however, very helpful during the ordering process.

I have been playing 25 years and have had 7 or 8 electrics. Gibsons,Charvels,Takamines,B.C. richs, Fenders. The Carvin holds it's own. My other primary guitar is a Mexican Strat I hot rodded with all american hardware and a set of Texas Specials. The carvin has a faster
neck and really sounds better, especially when playing clean. If it were stolen I would consider buying a new one. These kits are a great
value. You would have a hard time finding anything close for $400...

Custom order for ebony fretboard, black chrome hardware, including locking Sperzel tuners, black pearliod scratchplate and bridge humbucker (holdsworth model).
Finished in Tung oil, as recommended, and it's still in really good form almost exactly a year after I put it together. Only thing I have issue with is the Wilkinson trem arm, which is held in by a grub screw and eventually "unwinds" out of the arm socket. It also gets loose pretty quickly, which I can't remember happening in the Patrick Eggle I owned a few years ago with the same model bridge. I would get standard chrome hardware next time round.

Currently goes through a POD and a Crate 2 by 12 combo (looking to try a Carvin Legacy half-stack soon...). Holdsworth pickup sounds great for me (I don't sound like Holdsworth, I just like that tasty mid with bite), very responsive and doesn't crush the tone of the guitar. Good variety of the usual superstrat tones, with the added joy of a coil-tap. Good versatile axe.

I put it together and set it up, but Carvin made the job super-easy. This guitar goes together like a dream. The wood was plain grained bit looked cool when I got the tung oil on. A couple of drippy bits, my bad (couldn't be bothered to wet'n dry them off... wanted to get this baby together and PLAY!). Been playing, custom rodding and setting up guitars for 20-odd years, so I have a pretty good set up
regarding pick ups and string action. Best action of ANY guitar I have ever owned, including my old Les Paul, which was very sweet to play.

Never gigged this guitar, but it's built like a Strat (ie. brick s**thouse), and I reckon it would last the pace of some intensive live work. The black chrome will wear off eventually, but that's black chrome...
If I knew my srings were fresh, I'd definitely gig this axe with no back-up (I play 10's and pick heavy).

Carvin are great to deal with, no hassle, no fuss and the stuff arrives in short order. Multo happy to deal with them again in the future...

Been playing for 20-odd years, owned Fender Strats (5 or 6) Ibanez (5) Charvel (2) Yamaha (1) PRS (1) Pattrick Eggle (1) Gibson Les Paul (1)
Washburn (1) Aria (2) Blah, blah blah. Have 2 Strats (one with hot rails) and the Carvin at the moment. Ya can't play 12 guitars! I would replace this guitar if it went missing. As soon as I put it together, it was one of the most comfortable necks I had ever played. Great tone, great playability, and I wish I had a single-coil version! Only gripe is the black-chrome finish, but I play the damn thing, it isn't an ornament... overall, great guitar, and I put her together!

I bought this a little over a year ago direct from Carvin, made in 2002. It is an alder body, maple neck with EBONY fretboard. Carvin doesn't even offer rosewood, so some of you reviewers really need to get your facts straight. This is the cream of the crop as far as fingerboards go. Standard Carvin tuners, very nice. I got it with a black pearl pickgaurd, which isn't as nice as some of the Fender one's I've seen, but that may just be the only thing that Fender can make better these days. Pickups are two twinblade humbuckers and a C22 bridge humbucker. The C22 is the only thing I'm taking a point off for, although this is probably personal preference. More on that later.

Anyone who dislikes these twinblade pickups has got to be deaf. Sound is bell-clear and balanced in the neck and middle, with the neck being exceptionally beefy clean. Together they quack just like any guitar of this type, but this sound is a little more refined on this guitar, usefull even for jazz. Single notes have almost a piano-like attack-ther're that clear. Turn up the gain and they deliver. Definately a lot of output, but there is quite a difference between the two even through a Marshall stack which usually can make any pickup sound the same. The sound is actually somewhere between that of a single coil and a humbucker. I can cop a lot of Fenderish tones, and I can do it under any conditions without worrying about hum. My only gripe is the bridge humbucker. Some others might like this, but it's just not to my taste. If I had it to do over I'd either get three twinblades or the M22sd(super ditortion). The whole point, for me, in having a humbucker at the bridge was more gain than the other pickups. I like making my Fender Champ sound like a 60's Marshall! This pickup, however, isn't very satisfying until the gain is WAY up, and even then my SG sounds way thicker at the bridge. I've played a guitar with the M22 and thre just isn't any comparison. I'm pretty sure this would sound good in a good country picker's hands, though. I'm not taking off any points, though, because like I said this is just my opinion, and otherwise this is a superior sounding instrument.

I set this guitar up, not Carvin. If you expect to buy a kit and have the action and intonation right on as soon as it's strung up, you don't understand guitars. After I gave it a good set up, and after a couple months of settling in, this is a very fine playing instrument. Yes, the neck moved after the initial setup, but ALL NECKS DO. Period. After the second month I had it, the action has never changed again in over a year. Every hole was drilled right on, frets were as close to perfect as anything has a right to be,and speeking of frets, these are much bigger(and more playable)than Fender. The tilted headstock makes a big difference, too.

A few gripes. The twinblades bobbins stick out on either side, so if you play hard, the high E can actually get caught on your pickups. Because of the way they're made, this exerts some pressure between the bobbins and the baseplate, which can be enough to break the connection to the coil wires. This actually happened to me twice, on both pickups, within two weeks of each other, causing my pickups to go completely DEAD. Got new ones under warranty without any hassles. The solution is to file down the edge of the bobbin on the treble side until it's even with the tape over the coils. After doing this, this has been my main gigging guitar with NO problems. These guitars are actually almost indesructible otherwise. I stopped bringing a backup a while ago.

No problems with their service except that if something does break, you have to cover the cost of shipping it back in order to get replacements under their warranty. THIS IS NOT SMART. It could really suck if it happened to be a big, heavy item. Their warranty is rock solid, though.

If you know a little about guitars or have access to a good luthier, by all means go for it. This one will never be parted from me. Sounds great through my Bassman, Champ, Marshall, Music Man, and Carvin amps. Will probably do it again.

kit, standard strat w/ bridge humbucker

sounds like a strat, good tones all the way, neck humbucker is not especially crunchy, but very detailed and crisp.

I built it, I set it up. Strung with 11's, good action. I know what I like, and the Carvin neck is a bit on the thin side, but good technique can deal with anything.

Tone pot stopped working after one week. Pickguard was prewired at the factory, so it it their flaw...
otherwise, seems reasonably sturdy. I got it to be a cheap backup to my PRS, so I'm not really that concerned.

In my long career as a musician, I have dealt with carvin on a few occasions. They seem to have bored, rude, and whiny people running their phones. The actual tech guys are cool though.

For 375, it's a fantastic guitar. ridiculuously easy to build. So easy that I was actually disappointed. Anyway, I enjoy playing it a lot. Took it to my last gig as a backup, decided to start with it and never put it down.
As all experienced pros know, the player makes the guitar, not the other way around. A very different guitar than my PRS, certainly a lot cheaper. Just as usable, just as effective, just effective for different things.
If you want a strat and aren't worried about fancy tops or colors, I say go for it. It does what I tell it to.

I bought this kit for myself about two years ago. It was "made" in my basement from good ol' USA based Carvin parts. The features are pretty much up to you, but Carvin certainly offers a pretty wide selection. The thing I've always lovee about Carvins is the neck, and this beauty is no exception. I also have an American Standard Strat - a very nice guitar that I bought over 10 years ago for about twice as much money - and I will hold this Carvin up against the Strat any time in just about any category... The one drawback is that unless you are a pro painter, you're stuck with a wood finish - personally, I like the way the swamp ash wood looks a LOT, so I'm not complaining. I would also add that I would've liked to see a P-90 pickup option. Not a complaint, just a suggestion for Carvin. Some earlier posts weren't happy with what they got (probably the main reason I posted) - I couldn't be happier...

I play mainly blues, rockabily, 70s Rock, and country through Marshall tubes with minimal effects. This guitar has a very bright sound - twangy when it needs to be, but pretty full in the neck position. It cuts through the mix nicely.

Putting this together myself made me pretty nervous, but I figured there were enough people out there that went for it that were as klutzy as me, so I gave it a shot. After I got it together I took it to a guitar store to have someone with a little more experience set it up. Best $35 I've ever spent. The tech who did the work was just gushing over the guitar when I went to pick it up. That was about two years ago, and it's been a phenominal guitar ever since. The neck really does it for me... Again, if there are unsatisfied customers out there, try to get it tweeked a little by your local luthier - that may be all it needs.

So far (two years) it's held up very well. Seems like it should last long enough for me to go from rock-n-roll to rock-n-chair.

I've bought a few things from Carvin over the years, and my experience with the people at Carvin has been excellent. There was a problem with the kit when I received it. One phone call and a couple of days later, and the problem was gone. What else can you ask for?

I've been playing longer than I care to admit - mostly for fun, but I've played out enough to know what I like, and I really like this guitar. Absolutely NOT a "cheapo beater". Extremely good tone, and a wonderfully playable neck - at about 1/10th the cost of a premium guitar. Restores my faith in mankind!