Carvin Bolt Plus

2004 Bolt Plus model, 22 fret, HSH p/u configuration with 1 tone, 1 volume, 5-way selector and on/off switch for middle p/u, 2-piece mahogany neck and body w/ quilted maple top, ebony fingerboard, sapphire blue tranluscent finish with tung-oiled neck, ft6 bridge, Sperzel tuners, Dunlop straplocks, vintage tweed case and truss-rod adjustment tool/2 medium picks.

Carvin is the best, this is as close as can be to a completely custom guitar for less than a grand.

Basically got exactly what I asked for.

I play through a 10-watt Electar Tube 10 combo (saving up for a THD Univalve) plugged into an Avatar GH212 cab, this baby has a full, warm sound comparable to a les paul, great for rhythm playing and can make a pretty decent strat-type sound with the split pups.
The on/off switch for the middle pup gives more options and can be combined with a split bridge or neck pup. Needs hotter pups, however, for heavy duty distortion sounds but otherwise the mahogany/maple combo provides the more "musical" sound that I was after.
Will try out some Bill Lawrence pups in the future.

The overall fit and finish pretty good, the guitar arrived almost in tune and just needed a minor truss rod adjustment. The 2-piece mahogany neck is better than I expected with some minor fret blemishes (this is nitpicking though). I was initially unimpressed with the quilt pattern but it has since grown on me and now I find it rather beautiful to behold.

Should be able to withstand a live gig without a problem but one should always have a backup in case the inevitable happens.

They're very acommodating and generally very helpful although you might have to call once or twice to get the right person. Best stick to your guitar adviser.

Been playing for approx. 5 years, also own a '95 Carvin DC127T, Taylor 510 and a strat copy, would definitely get another one if lost or stolen. Looked long and hard at other guitar makes/models but eventually decided that Carvin was simply the best value out there for the money. I basically noted the best features of other guitar makes and asked Carvin to build me one according to what I thought my dream guitar should be. Perhaps some better pups would improve the sound but they certainly exceeded my expectations and I plan to order from them again in the future.

This is a 2003 Carvin Bolt plus with the following options: Fishman string-thru-body fixed bridge with piezo, active electronics package (including 2 Carvin "vintage" humbuckers w/coil-splitters, phase switch, and dual mono outputs), transparent traditional sunburst finish over flame maple top, flame maple overlay (and matching finish) on headstock, and gold hardware.
Like other Carvins, it was lovingly built in their California factory. It has the standard 2-pc alder body of Carvin bolt-ons(albeit w/ flame maple top veneer), and tung-oiled, hard maple neck with ebony fingerboard and MOP dot inlays. Comes with 22 frets (unlike virtually all of Carvin's neck-thru designs, which come with full two-octave necks). For those not familiar with Carvin's active electronics setup, it is as follows: two humbuckers with a 3-way selector, a coil-tap switch for each pickup, a phase switch, a master volume, a blend knob, and a tone for each pickup. For those guitars with the piezo bridge (like mine), there is a master tone for the two magnetic pickups and a tone for the piezo, and the blend knob ranges from full magnetic to full piezo, instead of from bridge to neck position pickups. So, in gaining the piezo option, we lose a little tweakability in the magnetics, due to the replacement of the bridge/neck blend knob with the mag/piezo blend knob. Of course, there's a three-way selector toggle to select between bridge/both/neck pickups. In case you're lost, that's a total of four toggles, four knobs, and two jacks. And for those who can't resist trying to fix what ain't broke, it's possible to make further adjustments to the piezo settings upon removal of the rear control plate, but I wouldn't recommend this.
The body style is basically a strat without a pickguard. The neck is on the thin side of standard, oh-so smooth with low action and med-jumbo frets. Tuners by Sperzel, locking (of course).
I purchased Carvin's tweed "vintage" case with this guitar, which is stunning, sturdy, and a good deal more lightweight than I expected. It came with adjusting tools, a sheet detailing the numerous controls on the guitar, and the omnipresent silica gel packet (do not eat).
As far as rating this guitar on <<features>>, this is a do-all guitar: humbucker tones, single-coil tones, piezo tones, and blends of all the above. Also premium features like a silky-smooth, ebony fingerboard, locking tuners, gold hardware, a stunning, flawless finish over an AAA flame maple top, and truly excellent American craftsmanship and professional setup. The features are numerous, desireable, and of the highest quality. Unlike all these other yayhoos, I don't give a 10 for anything unless I'm backed into a corner (see my review of the Burns Steer and compare to others if you don't believe me), but any other answer would be wrong. This guitar deserves a 10 for features. In fact, that's the main reason I bought it.

I got this guitar because I wanted a versatile guitar for recording in many different styles of music, with a wide variety of amp settings and effects. In addition to being a versatile guitar, it's a fairly "neutral" guitar with a crisp, detailed sound. It's very quiet (ie virtually no background noise or hum) and clean sounding. Even when overdriven into tha 'brown,' its sounds have a crystalline, sharp character--as is typical for a guitar with active electronics. Because of the copious switching and tweaking options built into this guitar, I haven't even begun to explore what this guitar can do sonically. However, I can give you my first impressions: I'm not personally too into jazz as a genre (too much fruitless, self-indulgent noodling; too much of a seemingly pathological need to impress intellectually and gymnastically; not enough just letting music be music. Or, occasionally, alternately: sappy, elevator muzak--how did THAT ever become "jazz"? Sad that this is what supposedly the most pure and direct music has become--respectability can do that to you, unless you don't care about being the next so-and-so. Of course, there's exceptions--listen to James Carter.)...where was I...oh yeah...I'm not really into playing jazz, but this guitar turned me into a wannabe jazz poseur right from the start. Something about the combination of the in-your-face intimacy of the piezo combined with the woody, mellow neck humbucker tone really sent me on a trip. Oh, and the AMAZING dynamic responsiveness. Also, the light, dry, smooth and funky feel of the rounded alder body, along with a neck that could have been engineered by NASA (oops...I meant that in a good way), plus the incredibly classy, simple beauty of this guitar. It all sent me down a musical road I wouldn't normally travel on, and got me doing things I didn't know I could do. This is the kind of inspiration one looks for in a guitar--no, in an INSTRUMENT.
With that off my chest, I'll list a few other things this guitar excels at, sonically speaking: ringing, cutting arpeggios, crystalline textures of every kind, and the kind of crisp, loud guitar sounds that the hair bands we all love to hate were all about. Despite Carvin's use of the term "vintage" to describe this particular specie of pickups, this guitar does not have that "fat, meaty, bluesy" tone we all love to love. Which doesn't mean that a TROO BLOOZ PLAYA could not make this guitar his 'sound(s)' and do wonderful things. After all, we know to be a TROO BLOOZ PLAYA, ya gotta be one of those guys who finds one thing he likes and sticks with it, like a certain git-tar. It's just that what I'm trying to say is that you can do a lot of things with this guitar, but it's not what a lot of people are looking for these days in terms of tone--it's not a voodoo hoodoo mojo-type guitar, if you know what I mean (if you do, please explain it to me.) It's much more brighter. If you wanted a guitar that could double as a dental instrument (for those of you who know that your hygiene is not a strongpoint, and I suspect that that's probably most of you reading this), this could be the ONE. As for me, it's just what the doctor ordered, because (hygenic concerns aside--and believe me, I have 'em!) my main guitars are trashy blooz machines, or in some cases, golden tone battleaxes, or in some cases, antique Japanese curiosities...but then actually most of them don't have cases after all.
To bring this walrus home, this thing has got many different notes in it, and many good notes in it, but it may not have the ONE NOTE your looking for in it. But it's good to explore with, and it does many things that I need it to do that other guitars I own don't do. But then, to the utter astonishment of all, he only gave it an <<<8>>> for sound! I'm tough.

Action, Fit and Finish:
PERFECT.
Let me say that again
---PERFECT--- ---PERFECT---

PERFECT
It would be better than perfect, if there were such a thing. (And I'm tough.)

I'm like the Russian figure-skating judge. I won't give a ten unless I they threaten to cut off my hands (I guess that would be the Chechnyian figure skating judge). But I've never seen BETTER quality craftsmanship, and I've played several $3-5K guitars (fancier, yes; BETTER quality, no). In fact there isn't better craftsmanship to be had in a guitar < $1000. Never.
But...I wouldn't use this (or any other) guitar on a gig without a backup. (Who writes these questions anyway?)

They get confused now and again. It's happened to me many times (I own some other Carvin gear, too). That is, they've gotten confused, not me...I think. But it's not a disaster. If you keep reminding them, they'll fix the problem eventually. And even if they never get it right, you'll love their guitars (and prices) enough that you'll buy more stuff from them eventually, anyway.

I have been playing since 1987, but in spirit for a few years before that. Other guitars that I (currently) own: Fender reissue tele custom with torres replacement pickup (it is da bomb) and some narly custom wiring, a '57 Guild X50 archtop, a (recent) Dano Innuendo fitted with Sperzels, an LSR nut and a Roland GK-2A--yes, I'm a fool, but I know what I like--, a Burns Steer, a 60s Zenon with a caved in fingerboard and an absolutely fantastic sound, a Brian Moore i21.13 (which I absolutely detest and will soon sell on ebay--it is the anti-Carvin: a guitar that aims at having the same features but utterly fails on all levels except perhaps physical appearance), a cheap but effective Rogue resonator, a Fender American Jazz Bass, a (1989 1/2) Carvin LB75F, various homemade and deconstructed guitars, and many other non-guitar instruments, plus a lot of fancy recording gear. Amps: Johnson Millenium Stereo 150, 1930's Rickenbacker Lap-steel amp, cheap early 60s japanese tube combo, a pignose, and some deconstructed/homemade swapmeet valvorama concoctions, plus the usual assortment of plastic, battery-powered amps with 2" speakers. Also a pretty decent Carvin PB200 combo bass amp (it's solid state).
I'm happy with this guitar as is. It's what I wanted, what I hoped for, and then some (and I've played Carvins before and know all about them). If it were stolen or lost, I would hesitate to buy another, because I'm getting ready to get married (aren't I being helpful?). What do I love about it?--see the above review. Pretty much everything. Exploration. Control. Going to new levels. Doing things I can't do with other guitars. The sense that I'm playing a special instrument that has personality and was crafted with love by people on a mission to get great custom instruments in the hands of everyday people. I got this guitar because it can do a million different things, and if can do a lot of things really well. Also, it's got fantastic playability and a really light touch. Although I'm not a "light touch" kinda guy, it sort of brings out a different side of me (Aaaawww). In conclusion (you thought I'd never shut up), I'm very excited about the things I'm going to do with this guitar. It inspires me. And it's a great value.

2003 Model, made in the USA. 22 frets in a 25 1/2" scale, hard-rock maple bolt-on neck with an ebony fretboard. Shaped much like a stratocaster, but with no pick guard. Mine has a flamed maple AAA bookmatched top (a $100 upgrade) with an alder body. Two humbucking pick-ups (I ordered mine with a C22 and M22SD). One volume, one tone, and a five way selector switch that engages (in order) the bridge humbucker, bridge split, bridge split plus neck split (essentially like a center humbucker), neck split, and neck humbucker. FT6 (feed through the body) fixed bridge, Sperzel locking tuners, and a graphite nut. If I'd spent more money, I could have added a center single coil, tremolo, quilted maple, etc.. The only limit as to how feature-laden you'd like your Carvin is your wallet!

I like to play a variety of harder rock (old stuff, new stuff). This guitar will do that no problem. The middle position ("center" humbucker) gives me a great rythym sound through my Marshall JMC 800 series combo-think AC/DC here. The bridge pick-up sounds much like a Dimarzio Super Distortion, albeit one with a little more midrange and a little less treble. The neck can give you a nice, full sound, or "twang" away when split (like a strat's single coil). The humbuckers are very quiet, but they get a little noisy when split-nothing obnoxious, just a bity of audible hiss.

The guitar was shipped from Carvin's place in San Diego, CA to my house in Canton, OH via UPS and arrived perfectly in tune-AMAZING!!! It's set up to 1/16 of an inch, with absolutey NO buzzing. The finish is flawless... the AAA bookmatched flamed maple top is well worth the upgrade. I did lower the bridge pick-up slightly, but that's a personal preference of mine. Build qualiy is top-notch.

I have no reason to doubt this instrument will last... it's put together better than any guitar I've ever owned (and I've owned Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, etc.).

It's easy to get a hold of Carvin... but not always easy to talk to someone helpful. You may need to pester them a bit to get the information you need. They are VERY good about changing your order and/or fixing any build problems, but the wait time can stretch into weeks. Also, double and triple check that they have your order correct. I received my Bolt Plus without the matching painted head stock I ordered (instead I got a more expensive flamed maple overlay-go figure!).

I've been playing for about 19 years now (God, has it been that long already?!). I've played a lot of very good and very bad gear-this guitar has to be one of the best purchases I have ever made. I fully intended to buy a Fender Fat Strat before I ordered from Carvin, but I just could not find an American Fat Strat that had the build quality and finish I was looking for-not to mention the ridiculous $1200 plus price tag on some of them! This Carvin is more guitar for about 1/2 the money. I liked it so much I've ordered another Carvin. 'Nuff said.