Carvin C-750S Cobalt

I got my Korean (setup in San Diego) C750TS from Carvin in the mail on 1-2-09. I let it warm up from the cold trip from San Diego to SW Lower Michigan.
Right out of the box it was in perfect tune.
This dreadnought has a satin finish and a solid top. Fishman Matrix. Bound neck and headstock. No inlays around the body on mine (I went for the lower priced one, $479, about $579 with case and delivered)
Satin finish is beautiful. It has ebony bridge pins with Tusq nut and saddle.

The unplugged sound is great, but I think this guitar shines when played through the Fishman thru my PA. It has some recommended settings in the manual and I like the "cut through the mix" setting. My other Acoustic electric needed a Behringer DI Box to sound this good so now I will use that as a clean boost for riffs.
I play classic hits from the 70's and 80's with some newer stuff.

Here is where I was a little disappointed. The action was a lot higher than I wanted (hard players/strummers might like it that high). So, I emailed Carvin and asked if I should sand down the saddle or adjust the truss rod. Since the neck is perfectly straight, I didn't mess with the rod. They said sand the saddle.
Tonight I sanded down the saddle about 3/32" and re-strung it.
Wow, what a difference, my grin was ear to ear. This thing really plays low and now I see what they mean by their "rapid play" neck.
I only give an 9 because I had to do the adjustment. Everyone likes it their way.

This guitar is solid. It smells new and there was only one sand pebble I found on the top and finger-nailed it off. The rest of the guitar is immaculate with no glue or gaps showing.
Carvin requires you buy a case with their guitars (makes sense) but I did notice quite a bit of glue overlay on the bottom of the outside of the case. I haven't tried cleaning it up but will probably email them again and see what they recommend. Other than that around the btm outside, the cushioned inside fits the dreadnought nice and tight with no slopping around when you move the case.

I got all the replies to my emails the same day when I sent them before noon. I only called them on the day that I ordered it since I special requested lighter strings (at no extra charge) instead of the standard ones. The Elixirs are coated and last a long time (I've used them for awhile now). They are definitely worth the extra few bucks when buying them. I probably will try the newer D'addario's and cleartone coated strings sometime.

I have been playing 30+ years with both acoustic and electric. Too many bands to name along the way. I play Electric (Epi Les Paul), Peal acoustic-electric, and this Carvin C750TS. I fool around with bass and piano but my passion is the acoustic guitar.
I love the sound, especially the Fishman Matrix. Maybe I'll get a good paying gig and match it with the Soloamp system. I didn't compare much but knew I didn't have the money to go to Taylor or Martin. I would say you could not find a better value at this price range (under $600)...

This is a Korean made solid-top guitar. I bought the cutaway version. It has a Fishman pickup. The top is spruce, the sides and back are mahogany. You need to buy the case with this guitar, it's an extra $59, but it's a great hardcase. The guitar is shipped in the case. My finish is satin. I love the look and the feel.

I play mostly bluegrass, some strumming, some fingerstyle. The sound is outstanding. It's loud unplugged and sounds great plugged in. I'm using it with a cheap Fender amp and am amazed at the sound. I want to try the guitar with heavier strings. I'm using lights right now, good sustain, nice resonance in the body.

Guitar was set up perfect at the factory. No flaws I could find. The pickups worked well right out of the case. The action is low, it's a pleasure to play.

Not sure, haven't had it long enough to tell.

They shipped the guitar the day after I ordered. Other than that
I haven't dealt with them. They do have a neat 10 day trial policy where you only pay shipping if you return the guitar within 10 days of receiving it.

I've been playing for about 3 years. I own a Johnson acoustic and a Fender Strat. Was looking for a new solid-top acoustic in the $500 price range. I love this guitar and would buy another Carvin. I tried a variety of guitars in my local music store, Ovation, Seagull, etc. I like the look, the feel, and the sound of the Carvin better than anything in its price range.

Your average Asian made substandard acoustic guitar. Flimsy fake woods.

My $150 Epiphone sounds better.

Several finish flaws as expecteded from an Asian made guitar.

The bridge came loose after 2 months. Carvin said to return at my expense for shipping both ways. Some warranty.

They have none. I tried to post my problem on their forum since they did not return several emails over several weeks and they removed my post and banned me from their site by IP address. Rude punk ass kids run this store.

This company is run by a bunch of punk kids that need an ass whipping.

This is a new line of Imported Acoustic guitars very similiar with the other Korean made imports under several brand names that I am familiar with. Carvin control the details and quality of their particular models I supose.
The is a Dreadnaught Cutaway with a Fishman Prefix preamp system which alone is probably worth 200.00 or more.
Spruce top, Mahogony back and sides. Triple binding. The neck feels very much like a Taylor 410 neck in my opinion.
Satin finish on this model.
Very nice tuners. Overall this guitar was put together very well.

Unamplified, I was pleasently surprised. That is one reason I chose the satin finish. I didn't want a thick polycoat finish that tends to deaden the sound. I use a carvin AG100-D acoustic amp which I think is awesome and with this Guitars Fishman prefix system you can get a great booming bass and crisp highs if needed.
Amplified, It can sound how ever you want it to.

I have sold and looked at other import lines and I was impressed with this one that I have. There was no fingerprint marks under the paint, no excess glue, binding was perfect and hardware was excellant.
I did setup work to suit my taste.
The top woods coloration was not a good match. I see this in a lot of
more expensive guitars also.

I think it is a solid guitar. Not fragile at all.
The Fishman preamp is true and trusted hardware.
Tuners were high quality.
No neck strap button, but I use the one that loops around the peghead anyway.

No experience with Carvin, but they offer a 10 day refund policy.

I never expected it to be a Martin Hd-28, or Taylor 814-ce, but it plays great, sounds great and looks great and a lot less expensive. I would not be afraid to lug it around and use it in environments where I would not take a Taylor 514-ce if I had one.
If it where stolen, it would open the door to look at a lot of guitars in that price range so I would look around before buying something else.

Its a basic acoutic dreadnaught with a very advanced pickup/EQ system. 4 bands plus a EQ notch, a phase swith, volume, and another slider that doesnt do anything but look cool. the battery is easy to get to cause the pickups EQ hinges outward, giving you easy access to the battery, and, if need be, the pick that you just dropped inside!

I play blues, jazz, but mostly alternative rock, works graet for all those. Acouticly its really cool, I went to Guitar center and played some $2000 Martins and started laughing at al the idiots dumb enough to buy them. A very well balanced tone, on a scale of 1-10, id say, Bass-8, mid-6, treble-10, bright, but still had plenty of guts and growl to it. its really, really loud. Plugged in is where this baby really shines, The FishMan prefix pickup is incredible, easly the best acoutsic pickup ive ever heard. Tons of things to do with it! Really versatle for every style of music.

The action was all good, except that the G string buzzed horribly, but i took the allen wrench they provided me with and played with the truss rod a bit and viola! low action and a great feel to the playabilit. The finish is loike butter on my hands, I have not found any flaws so far, and ive had it for 2 months now. Good setup from factory.

Reliable as the devil is bad, she'll make it to the vintage list if i take care of her. If I lost her I'd probably maybe look around first, btu I'd probably end up buying her again. thick finish, solid construction. like alot.

Very Very freindly, I ordered one and I got it 1 week later, I opened the hradshell guitar case and found the top of the guitar completely smashed in! I called them imediatly and they said theyd have someone come by and get it and theyd send me a new one. They did and they were very courtious, and helpful.

Immediately impressed with what they call their "rapid play" neck. Very nice medium shape neck with superb action. Solid Spruce top with
Mahogany back and sides, 20 medium frets, Rosewood fingerboard, Satin
finish model. Fishman Prefix Plus system. Korean made. I've always been a hard pressed USA made only guy, but this one certainly changed my opinion.

Their choice of Fishman Prefix Plus with Matrix pickup just sounds incredible! There is not an EQ setting you can't dial in or out with this setup. Even unplugged yields a very full bodied rich sound. Their use of Elixir strings is a great choice as well.

Exceptionally well crafted with solid Spruce top, and Mahogany back and sides. Has binding all round with nary a flaw in sight. The Grover tuners are silky smooth and accurate. The only thing I had to
do was raise the action. More of a personal preference than a flaw
in the set up (I've found I like a higher action than a lot of players).

Owned for 2 mos., used on several rehearsals and a New Year's gig. So far it's as solid as any guitar I've owned or played(Martin,Taylors,Takamine,Yamaha), never goes out of tune, very stable.
At this point, with general reasonable care, it should last years and improve with age, judging by overall construction and materials.

Only for questions, very friendly and supportive.

I've played and owned a hundred different guitars from $100 specials to $2500 models, over my 30yrs of playing, and this is the first one I can't find fault with. Whoever they contracted to build these models is sure keeping up their end on the quality. This clearly could go head-to-head with any other makes at the $1000+ range that I've played. I've been struggling to come up with a signiificant gripe, but I honestly think it's the best $$ I've spent on a guitar.