Carvin CM130CE

this is a 1980 model, les paul style. it has 24 frets, 2 volumes and one tones control. the neck and body are birdseye maple. the guitar has 2 humbuckers, 2 coil spliter switches and a out of phase switch.
this is a clear coat natural finish. it has a fixed bridge.

the sound is very weel defined. it has a lot of note definition and great bite. the guitar can produce a lot of sounds, and the phase switch kind of makes it sound like it has more distorsion. the guitar is very quiet. i like alll maple guitars.

very top notch finish and quality. a very nice looking guitar.
the action is low. solid as a rock

very reliable, this baby is 21 yrs old and still running......
the hardware is sating original looking, no color change, no corrosion.
yes, this is a very dependable guitar

usually pretty good

but, some salesmen don't know anything

been playen for 10 yrs
own a DC 150 carvin, a PRS swamp ash, fender american standard, acoustic seagul(i love), peavey patriots (i love, cheap and great sounding), carvin AE 185

I ordered mine in 1981, made in Escondido California; solid eastern hard-rock maple body and neck; glued in neck with contoured heel;clear polyurethane finish (the CE suffix stands for Clear finish / Ebony fingerboard); 24 frets with MOP dot inlays; Schaller mini-6 tuners; brass nut and tune-o-matic; 2 volumes and 2 tones; 2 coil taps - 1 for each M22 humbucker; 1 phase switch;
Les Paul body style (flat not arched); Carvin case;
neck is thin like a Strat

This guitar is a sustain machine with the brass nut; the insides are totally shielded so no discernable noise; the M22 humbuckers are very high output and can get harsh on an overdrive setting; front pickup sounds very much like my '69 Les Paul - very fat; the coil taps do allow for a semi-Strat/Tele sound but not as warm; the phase switch add a funky nasal quality to the sound which is great for a 70's disco/funk sound. It will shred with the best and will clean up somewhat when backed out considerably but the maple body makes the tone somewhat brittle. It is also pretty heavy being made from solid maple.

Factory setup was adequate with the usual tweaking shortly after arrival; the finish looks like about 20 coats of clear urethane - very thick; overall very good fit and finish; I am a little disappointed with the neck heel; it could have been done a little better as far as the shape is concerned. The switches and vol/tone controls are top quality Switchcraft components; fluid damped and very smooth.

It has held up very well over the last 20 years; the frets are now showing some wear but all of the electronics still function as good as the day it arrived in 1981. The brass nut 'catches' the G string somewhat and I lubricate it with a tiny bit of wax occasionally.

Carvin is still pretty good today but was better 20 years ago; they really valued their customers more when they were not so large a company; they have experienced the pains of a growing company and have tried to keep up with the customer satisfaction aspect of their business but I feel they are spread too thin now. Problems now take much more effort to get resolved but they do get resolved.

Been playing for 41 years; own a dozen other guitars and basses; several amps, PA system, etc. Overall it is a good guitar (now virtually vintage)and has held up very well over the years. Was designed for flexibility with the humbuckers and coil taps; it has worked well in recording sessions due to the range of sounds it can produce.