Carvin C-250 Cobalt

See Carvin website or the other reviews for specs. It's a no-frills but very nicely constructed dreadnought guitar. There was a sale at the store in Santa Ana for this guitar. $300 + free gig bag! It had to be backordered, and I waited two weeks, but it was well worth it.

I just want to put in a good review for the guitar because it has a great sound for the price. Talk about bang for the buck! It sounds very bright and loud even with the light Elixir strings on there. It may not sound like top end guitars, but it sure makes me want to play more. And since I'm more of a beginner-intermediate player, this should be the acoustic guitar that every guitarist starts out on.

Carvin setup is, as always, excellent. Action is very nicely set, and the finish is impeccable. Carvin never skimps on their materials and construction.

No opinion for reliability as I haven't used it much.

Like the form says, 10 is for fantastic value. I own another Carvin, a DC135, and I can say that Carvin has my trust as an excellent guitar company. If it were stolen, I'd be very upset, since I don't have any money to spare for another guitar. If I could get some nice quality pickups for it, it would be a very nice guitar for playing live. I lead worship at my small church, and it's more than enough quality for my situation. The pictures on the website don't do justice. It's a beauty!

C250 from the Cobalt series.

features are listed at carvin.com

This guitar has a sound that is bright and clear with good note seperation. The bass is smooth but not boomy or really strong.

The factory setup of this guitar was EXCELLENT. I can't find any flaws in it whatsoever. The playability is great. The nut and saddle are setup up very well, and intonation is good.
It's also put together very cleanly. No glue drops or anything like that visible inside of the guitar. Very well put together.

This guitar seems as durable as any other acoustic guitar. Take care of it properly and it should serve you well for many years to come.

They have always been helpful and couteous in my dealing with them.

This guitar offers good sound and playability and it's also very well put together. I think it's a great value. It's as good or better than many guitars that cost more money.

The C-250 has a great top mine was book matched and very well i might add the neck is thin and fun to play the 250 has a AA grade spruce top and a solid Mohagany back the sides are laminated but i can live with that a nice pick guard nothing big but nice the head stock is very well done looks like a taylor head comes with elixer strings i like them but i might try some dean markley strings to give it some deaper bass it has a thick finish and a lot of bracing
over all worth way more then what you pay Kudos to carvin for selling it for 399.00

Wow the sound is not what I thought it would be very bright and damn loud my best friend plays on a taylor 314ce and he played mine carvin was Like wow very nice guitar it can and has held it's own next to his 2200.00 dollar taylor and that says alot for a guitar from Korea carvin has set the standard high for low cost guitars and i think we will see even better and perhaps all solid wood guitars from carvin and there magic korean factory's

Very nice as good as any martin or taylor you can buy from a store..
but some of the other guitars at carvin didint have bookmatched tops
but as guitars go each one has a soul of its own i like the one i have dosent mean everyone will!!!

I dont play live but from the way it sounds and the way it's built i think it could be a concert player and again could hold it's own with any martin or taylor but its all up to the player as far as reliability its great i have hit it a few times on table tops and doors and no scatches or dings the finish is nice and thick so it's well protected

I bought it strait from the carvin store in covina, CA the city where carvin started it buisness. the sales rep was great he threw in a free gig bag, Hat and gave me a discount on a tuner as well. he new how to do buisness. the store is about three blocks for a guitar center, and as far as getting an electric, with the sevice I got from carvin it looks like I will buy it from carvin.

I have been playing for 2 months and the carvin people and guitar has made trying to play a fun thing well worth your time and money to look at carvin

Simple elegent design, nice binding, beautiful spruce top and mahogany sides/back/neck. Nice gloss finish (satin neck). Slightly thinner neck than many acoustics. Exactly what I was looking for.

Clear, flowing, rich, bright tone. Not a lot of bass. Better for heavy strumming than for fingerstyle but not bad at that either. Fills an area wonderfully. While not a 30 year old Martin, in it's price range it should be an 11.

Virtually perfect construction and finish. Very beautiful wood and very nicely done body binding,neck binding and interior construction. The only issue the 'I' in the Carvin inlay on the headstock is a little bit misshaped. Excellent setup right out of the box. An absolute treat to play. Stays in tune well. No issues at all.

Good construction, good wood, good finish, good components + nice case = Strong expectation of durability. We'll see if it survives my 6 kids.

Called 'em once and it came when they said it would. No issues but no challenges either so I can't go more than a 9.

I'm older than lots and lots of countries and have had way too many good and bad guitars. For it's price range this is a fabulous value and it would probably be comparable to guitars in much higher price brackets. If it were stolen I'd call Carvin and order another one before I called the cops to tell them this one was gone.

Just received the C250 Monday 2/17/03. It is a dreadnought style guitar with a solid Spruce top and gloss finish. The guitar has a rapid play neck with binding on both neck and body. It is a good, clean, basic set-up that is very easy to play.

This thing sounds absolutely great! I am very pleased with the sound from this guitar. It just rings out when strummed with a beautiful clear voice. I think as I play the guitar in (break it in) it will the tone will only get better.

The guitar is very well made and the set-up was very good. I found no flaws on the guitar. I thought the finish was well done and the guitar was attractive to the eye.

I have to speculate here since I just received the guitar. Based on what I see and how it feels, I would say it will last a lifetime if cared for properly.

Have not had to deal with Carvin so I cannot comment. This guitar was a gift so I did not even talk to them when the order was placed.

I've been playing for a few years and have had two other acoustic guitars (Yamaha and Alvarez). The Carvin sounds better and plays better than either of those. I have a friend who has an $1800.00 Martin D-28 and I am looking forward to playing the C250 beside his Martin. I think he will be surprised, if not troubled.

If you are looking for a great guitar this defintely fits the category. If you are looking for the best guitar you can buy for the least amount of money this guitar probably has no equal.

new. ordered direct from carvin (the only way you can get a carvin unless you buy used). features are already listed here. for more
detail see their site: http://www.carvin.com
a brief rundown: dreadnaught style guitar, solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides, grover tuners (not sure what model).
i don't expect this type of guitar to be loaded with tons of
features. it has everything it needs.

so far i've used the strings that came on it (elixir 12-53) and d'addario silk and steel. i will probably experiment with lighter elixir strings too (10-47). i haven't decided for sure on which strings i'll use on this particular guitar.
the sound is balanced to my ears. not too boomy and not too bright.
the guitar sounds great to my ears!

the factory set-up was very good. the action is wonderful. i usually play lighter strings (10-47) and this came with 12-53 strings as imentioned above yet the action still felt great to me! nice and
low for an acoustic. i'm *very* impressed with this.
the top is natural with a nice gloss finish. i take care of my
guitars so it should hold up just fine. it does have a pickguard too.
i looked inside of the guitar and it looks clean and well put together. i don't like the plastic strap button, but it'll do. also
it doesn't have a second strap button but there's a nice place on
the neck heel to put one. i may add that later but i play sitting
down now. the saddle has some rough spots towards the back part of it but hopefully that won't hurt the string. if so i'll just sand it. it
is a good saddle otherwise.
intonation (measured with my electronic tuner) is close but not perfect on every single string. definitely acceptable.

yes, this guitar should withstand live playing. of course care must be taken as with any guitar though.
the hardware seems fine. although i did replace the tuners
with locking tuners because that is my personal preference.
the finish should last with proper care.
the strap button on it is okay (i'd rather have a brass or metal type button, but i play sitting down now so it's not a problem at the moment).
i don't think it would be wise to use any guitar on a gig without
a backup. but yah, this guitar is definitely a performance level
guitar in my opinion.

i ordered online. the online ordering system was simple to use.
i called twice to get the status on the order i'd placed. both
guys i talked to were nice and helpful. the guitar got to me
in roughly a week like they said it would. seeing as i've only
had limited dealings with customer service i won't give this
catagory a number rating.

i *really* like this guitar. it's just what i was looking for.
it has everything i need (except a pickup. there are other models with a pickup but i wanted to decide on what i want to put in it and go from there). i love the sound and the action.
this guitar is an excellent value!

This is by far the best guitar for the money.Carvin's new line for acoustic,last year. With its 20 fret fretboard,solid AA spuce top this C-250 Cavin is worth more in a shop if it were sold there.My version has no pick up add.I like to have mine custom install by a
guitar craftsman to insure the best setup. The body is full and big
which is great because in our chuch band I need a nice bright sound.The neck is mahogany and great to hold and change chords with.The finish is satin gloss which makes a nice look.For a dreadnought is a great guitar.The bridge is tusq saddle which makes a nice sound.The gover machine heads are the top of the line for the price range of the guitar.With the hardshell case is also a great price for you can't get a hardshell anywhere for that price let alone the guitar.

The sound is loud and full and is great for playing in church very bright The only thing I don't like is the nut its made of plastic with is cheap. But the price is great so I can't complain.

The action is very good for an acoustic which makes it nice for scales
I don' like the nut but that can be replaced. There are know flaws that I see it a great guitar for $400.00 And would recommend it to a well seasoned player.

It is great and will hold up in a big church or hall The hardware is strong and able to hold up for the road and beyond very solid guitar
and heavy.

The people at Carvin are nice people to talk to. Know trouble. The warranty is for 1 year and hope I don't need it.

I have been playing for 20 years and have never seen a guitar like this in that price range. I own a Seagull S6 cedar top guitar. It has
a lower tone for low end But it holds up well as far as sound but not features. I would buy this guitar if it got lost or stolen in a heartbeat. I love the rich bright tone it has.

Acoustic Guitar made in Korea, 20 frets, Mahogony back and sides, spruce top rosewood headstock. Groover tuners. Good features for an acoustic.

Loud for an acoustic, most definatly the best sound I've heard from a guitar that's less than 500 dollars. Wonderful tone. Very sparkly tone, yet full at the same time.

The lowest action I've seen on an acoustic for this price. Fast neck, absolutly flawless not a problem anywhere

oh yeah. This'll be around for quite some time. I've smacked against door knobs and it still has yet to get a scratch or a ding.

Nice people, wouldn't give me a free hat. But they're in a buisness, gots to do what they gots to do.

Playing for about nine months, I've went into guitar satan several times picked up several acoustics from martin to taylor to seagull to ovation to whatever. This thing sounds better than all of those and costs less. I love it.

Carvin Cobalt C-250 Acoustic. Your basic workhorse acoustic. Made in Korea, set-up & final assembly in USA. AA solid spruce top, mahogany neck, back & sides, tusq saddle, Grover tuners. X-Bracing. Gloss finish on body, satin finish on neck. Nice rosewood headstock with abalone 'Carvin' inlay. 15" radius fretboard, 25.4" scale length. Elixer 12-53 Nanoweb strings. Shipped with SKB style hardshell case ($59 extra). The only thing I would have changed is the nut. They could have used tusq for the nut, rather than the usual plastic.

There can't be another acoustic out there in this price range that sounds or plays this good. Bright tone, articulate, plenty of bass & overal acoustic 'volume'. Played side by side with a Martin D-1, this this sounded far better!

Carvin takes great pride in their fabulous set ups. Although manufactured in Korea, the final assembly (nut, tuners, etc.), and the set-up is done in the USA. The action is quite low & I can't find a buzz anywhere, even tuned 1/2 step low. The neck on this guitar is FANTASTIC for an acoustic. I'm very picky about set-up & am quite impressed. The finish on the other hand could use a little work. The top & sides look great. My guitar had a finish flaw about 3mm in diameter on the back. Carvin offered to replace it free of charge, but I'm not that picky.

It's hard to tell yet, but the top finish looks solid. The tuners are high quality & the saddle is made of a good material. I expect the guitar to be fairly durable.

Great. I called about the finish flaw & although I'm not going to bother returning the guitar, they were very pleasant & helpful.

I've been playing for about 12 years & was looking for a budget acoustic. I was very leary of a mail order, but decided to give it a try after talking to the folks at Carvin. Before I ordered this, I played acoustics from Fender, Seagull, Martin (low end stuff), Dean, Epiphone, Ibanez, Peavey, and Ovation (Celebrity). This thing blows them all away in terms of sound & playability. By far the best acoustic out there for under $400!