Product: Carvin DC 145C Koa
Price Paid: US $I think around $900
Submitted
05/13/1998
at
05:28pm
by
Michael
Features
:
10
Manufactured, special order in 7/91. This is the all Koa wood neck-thru body Carvin that has been featured in a few reviews over the years.
I chose the H/S/H pickup configuration with the middle single coil being hum cancelling. It has a master volume, master tone, and a 5-way selector. The electronics are passive, but you can get them active. I had the clear coat finish put on the body, but had them leave the back of the 24 fret, ebony neck unfinished. The neck is a pretty flat radius, with some big ol' frets.
The trem system is a Floyd-licensed, Carvin (with the tuners on top - not the current Wilkinson system) with locking Sperzel tuners. The body is routed so the trem system sits in the guitar a bit, and has the ability to pull sharp.
The headstock has no string tree, as the neck is slightly tilted backwards with the strings riding over a graphite nut.
Carvin cases are very nice, and come with tools inside (at least at the time).
Sound
:
10
The sound is fantastic. I don't know if it's the Koa, the pickups, the neck-thru, or all of the above, but it's clear, full, and bright. Nice and crisp.
The pickups are quite powerful. Bright and loud. They utilize alinco magnets with more than you will ever need adjustable pole pieces. The 'single coil' in the middle is a bit tamer and I find myself using the 2 and 4 positions to mellow out the sound (mostly when practicing). (Actually, I ordered the guitar with a couple of extra switches for coil-splitting the humbuckers - but when it came they were not installed. It would allow me increase the number of sounds, but I doubt I would need the option. It would make more sense if you had the dual-humbucker configuration, though.)
The tone and volume pots are very nice, and have a smooth transition across the range. There is no extra noise in any setting of this guitar. The pickups are shielded, as are the electronics cavities. Great stuff.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
The action is however you want it. (You are basically having a guitar specially built for your tastes, and the action was one of the questions they asked.) The pickups are just about infinitely adjustable, but come in nice position from the factory. The fretwork is fantastic, and they diamond-grind (or something equally obsessive) the ebony fretboard!
The wood. Man the wood is beautiful. (They should make furniture.) I strongly recommend leaving the back of the neck unfinished! It feels like nothing you've ever felt. (It has a tung oil finish.) I decided to get the body clearcoated which I am glad I did. The finish is as nice (7 years later) as the day it arrived. If you have the whole body unfinished, be prepared to take care of it.
The trem system is mounted to the guitar with brass sleeves with allen wrench adjustible bolts. Nice work.
Actually, nice work all over. You pick up the guitar for the first time and you know it's solid. Fiddle around with it for a few seconds and you realize the quaility right away.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
I did use this guitar live for a while and it was just great. Solid, comfortable, dependable.
I am 100% serious when I say this guitar looks as good now, as the day it was delivered. I do pamper my guitars though.
Customer Support
:
10
The folks at Carvin good Joes. The want to make sure you are happy with your instrument. They are players themselves, know the products, and ask the right questions. I liked the fact that they called me up long distance to double check how I wanted my action - that was pretty great.
Overall Rating
:
10
Well, I was on vacation down in L.A. and was getting the catalog for a couple of years wondering what they were like. I stopped by the store and was interested in one of their amplifiers. Well, I soon lost interest completely in the amp and was salivating and caressing the guitar with which I was test driving the amp. Before I left, I put down a deposit on an order form for a guitar. It's fun to be able to pick out exactly what you want from a nice list of options/woods/configurations.
I am a Fender Junkie. I have a gaggle of vintage Fenders which I love, but I really am fond of the Carvin. It is like a custom hot rod that you take out and run on occasion...
They have a nice starting price now, and I like the trem system better. Also, they have a couple of newer models, bolt-ons, and nifty flamey/quilted and other finishes. They are quality instruments and worth looking into. They are at www.carvin.com (obviously). I would like to try out a 2x12 tweed Bel-Air combo amp they sell as well.
