Carvin DC127

2002 dc-127,solid hondouras mahoghany neck-thru construction,crimson transparent finish.String thru fixed bridge,black hardware,two hummers,and two coil tap switches.Not a ton of features,but more than enough for me.

THIS BABY FLAT OUT SCREAMS!This is the first guitar i've ever owned where i don't feel the need to modify anything on it.With the coil splitters i can get any sound i want,and this thing sustains more than any guitar i've ever owned,and i've owned quite a few in my time.I won't drop names,but if i had the chance to get my hands on one of these sooner i wold've saved ALOT of bread.IMHO THESE ARE THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN THE GUITAR INDUSTRY!

I bought this used,but the set-up was still immpecable!This slab of wood seems to play itself,and i can get lost in {the zone} for hours.

Too early to tell,we"ll see

Carvin dc127 , made in san Diego California, 24 frets, solid top, volume,
passive, active treble, active bass, Bridge and neck splits, and a phase switch. Has the Sperzel locking tuners, they same okay so far. The neck is somwhat fatter then advertised, I have small fingers, and am having trouble with the flat finger board. It feels like an Ibenaz I used to play, I may return it because of the fret board is just to wide for my small fingers. I wish they gave a couple of choices of neck sizes like PRS does. I always play with .010-.046, so thats how I orederd it, perhaps I use to smaller nuts with .010s on other guitars and thats why it feel wide to me, I'm not sure. Buts is tough to play with short fingers.

I have 2 Marshalls, a Randall, and a Mesa-Boogie, the guitar sounds good, somewhat versitile, I like the phase switch. Although I also have a Gary Jacobs guitar with Seymour Duncan pickups, with just 2 volumes, 2 tones, and splitters, and it does not compare to the Symour Duncans very well even with all its fancy options. The Seymour Duncans make you feel like your part of the guitar when your play it, the Carvins are just there, good, but not better then good. If Carvin offered Seymour Duncans, these guitars would be untouchable for any price.

I ordered a jet black finish with black hardware. It looks cool. The workmanship is fantistic, the neck joint (or lack of it) is by far the best in the business. You can play this baby no problem to the 24th fret, it makes a PRS look silly, I love the feel of this guitar (except for the fret board), its balanced, a nice weight, and comfortably as all hell to play. (I ordered mine with the rounded body sides) I owned a PRS, if you can forgoe the great PRS AAA tops, this is a much better guitar.

I have only had this guitar 5 days, but I am sure it is well made and would withstand anything any other guitar would or better. The finish is good, its solid with a strap on, (no hands needed). I'm sure its dependable although it is my first guitar with a battery in it and active pickups. Its a great fell for live playing and I would trust it with no backup since it works without the battery as well.

I dealt with the company to arrange a shipping date so it would not come when I was out of town, they where very helpful. Although, I would expect them to automatically send notice when the guitar was completed with a shipping tracking number, they do not do this. I don't know why not, I order vitiams and they send email me a tracking number for vitiam C.

I've been playing 38 years, I own a Les Paul and a Gary Jacobs, and 2 Martins. I traded a PRS for the Gary Jacobs. Carvin is onto something great here, all they need is to offer is a couple of pickup choices (other manufactures) and 2-3 different size necks like PRS, they would have the best guitar for any price (Yes, any price). It is still a better guitar for the money then a PRS and many other overpriced guitars and a great value. The best for the money no doubt.

Model year 2002 USA DC127. Twenty four frets, 1/2" quilted top option.
I opted for the fishman piezo bridge. Has seperate output jacks for regular pickups and one for the piezo. It has a pan control so you can mix the acoustic with your electric sounds. I usually send the acoustic output to the mixing board via direct box, and business as usual with the regular output to my amp. If you are into hard rock/heavy music get the M22SD pickups! Much fatter and nicer I think.
Body wood is neck thru koa and quilted top(AAA grade). Get straplock option! Sperzel locking tuners very nice. Neck feels just right.

For my classic rock, hard rock and metal this guitar fits the bill.
You can tell a good resonating guitar if it sounds good unplugged.
I use Digitech 2101 and QSC power amp. I have to back off on the volume conrol a tad because this baby is so powerful with the active electronics and fat sounding SD pickup. I primarily stick with the bridge pickup for sounds but do occasionally flick on the neck pickup for some nasty lead tones.

Guitar was set up nicely, I did have to make a slight adjustment of intonation an the b, and g strings but this is rare for Carvin guitars are usually perfectly set up. Quilt top very nice, AAA grade.
For $150 this is a great deal. Of course if you want AAAAA grade you can go to someone like Mc naught but pay big bucks for that type of quality. but the Carvin top looks just fine. Nice translucent blueburst finish looks awesome.

I used to be a floyd rose guy but am a die hard non trem player now.
This guitar stays in tune perfectly. I don't use the trem bar anymore so the non trem is great, much nicer for ease of tuning. Tremlos are ugly and cumbersome, the guitar looks ond sounds better without one in my opinion. Electronics look nice and the finish is flawless.
Very dependable guitar.

customer support is just fine

I have been playing for 17 years. I will play nothing but Carvin. I want more! This model has super high output so you may have to back off the volume a tad. Blows the doors off many brands compares to PRS in playability. 25 inch scale very nice. String tension just right.

Mahogany body and neck, traditional headstock, 1046 strings, standard hardware, rounded body sides, graphite saddle, C22 pups, tung-oil finish. Ican't rate the features as they are custom and what I wanted.

The guitar when not plugged is clear and loud. Unlike an acoustic, which has volume, this guitar can easily be played without an amp. Understand I am referring to playing alone in a relatively quiet room. Pinched harmonics are not a problem with this guitar. When plugged in, the tone is to die for. With the pick selector switch on the bridge pup, the guitar speaks with authority. Move it to both pups and she mellows out. Still has a bite but a little more tame. Selector switch to the neck produces jazz tones rivaled by full body guitars. The guitar also has coil tap switches that allow single coil selection. Like most single coil guitars, there is a little hum. Nothing to write home about.

The action was perfect right out of the case. Neck is straight and the strings the correct height above the fret board. My only regret was getting standard frets. Next guitar will have the small frets. The guitar is well balanced. I can let go of it and it will stay in the same position I left it in. This even with a nylon strap. Finish is one of the finest I have ever seen. This is pure wood with not a stitch of paint anywhere. I like to feel the grain of the wood under my hand. It has a rough texture that is associated with bare wood.

I have banged the poor instruments a few times and dropped it once. The only marks are on the edge of the tip of the headstock where the wood is sharp. On the rounded body, there is no indication that the instrument hit anything.

I have only had to use Carvin customer support once. It was not related to this guitar though. I am very pleased with the people at Carvin. They have been known to ?bend over backwards? for the customer. This you do not find much anymore.

I have been playing long enough to know a good instrument when I see one. Prior to ordering the DC127, I had a LoneStar Strat. Shortly after receiving the DC127, the strat left my inventory. I use DC127 exclusivly with my band West 78 (www.west78.com). It works with my Carvin Legacy VL812. Once you have had a guitar with no paint, you will find a whole new world. If this guitar were ever stolen or damaged beyond repair, I would have another one made immediately. Regardless of what others have said, the pickups on Carvin guitars are extremly dynamic.

Just wanted to send an update to my last review to be fair. Looks like I got ripped off and I should have only paid around $30 bucks to ship the guitar back to Cali instead of the $57 I paid. I guess it was a $27 piece of tape that they put on top. Oh well, I know one place that I'll never ship anything from again.

I still hate the pickups. If they ever decide to go with some, what I would call "real" pickups, I might give it another shot. Until then, got my eyes on a Godin. $120 bucks more than the Carvin and I pick up MIDI and piezo sounds along with Seymour Duncan pickups.

coil splitters
black stain on quilted maple
tung oil neck
sperzel tuners

The pickups were terrible. A very compressed sound and the single coil sounds were even worse. Everyone has a different ear, but if you get this guitar, I'd highly recommend getting a set of replacement pickups from your favorite supplier. I think that the pickups is Carvin's Achille's heel. Again, just an opinion.

Setup very well. A little less than sharp intersection between the fretboard and neck near the nut, but nothing major. The guitar even arrived in tune!

But the quilted finish had none of the depth and pizzaz that is shown in the catalog. It really looked more like the photo finishes you see on cheap guitars.

No opinion. I only kept it for a very short time and sent it back. Seems like it would hold up well.

Sometimes it's a 10, sometimes it's a 1. Find a good guitar salesperson and talk to them. Don't bother sending email. I've heard that another group other than sales answers email and you either don't hear a response or you get incorrect information.

So, I'm giving them the average of the two. I've seen good things posted about Sean, Doc and Raul on the BBS. You can't go wrong with either of them.

After reading the reviews that raved about the guitar, I was very excited. After getting the guitar, underwhelmed. It really had the vibe of a $400-$500 import guitar. You'll see reviews saying that it's just as good or better than a US made Jackson or PRS, but don't believe the hype. Your mileage may vary, but in my opinion, they aren't that great.

Also, big warning -- I cost me $57 to ship the guitar back to Carvin. So, I'm out $80 total to try the guitar. Unless you've tried one of these before and like them, I would highly suggest that you buy something off the rack at your local music store. At least you know what you're getting. Carvin honors their 10 day trial offer, but it can be a little expensive. Think about going to your local music store and having the salesperson say, "That'll be $80, plus you'll need to pay for the guitar in full" each time you want to try a guitar. I think you see my point.

Also, make sure you order online. I ordered by phone and ended up without a trem. I called and they would have made it right, but I just didn't like the guitar so there wasn't a point in making another.

I ordered a power amp from them a year ago and it turned out to be great. So, I'm even more disappointed with the guitar. I had high hopes...

Bought this bad boy nearly 6 years ago. Here is what is on mine:

Emerald green paint job
Wilkinson tremolo
Neck through body design
24 frets
Gold plated hardware
M22N neck pickup
M22SD bridge pickup

This guitar flat rules. I used to own about 5 different guitars at one time. I had a Alvarez, Ibanez (lower end model), Fender american strat, Charvel, and my Carvin. The others were pretty much collecting dust as I loved how my Carvin sounded and played. With the tung oil finish the neck just feels so silky smooth!! Buy one and you MUST have the tung oil finish on back of neck, trust me you will love it. I have 2 amps, a Carvin Belair 212 and a DOD Grind 60w. For effects I use the Zoom 9002 multieffects. I can get such a smooth distortion out of this setup till its not even funny. Even just straight guitar through the amp you get some really good tones. Using on a clean channel the pickups can stay dead quiet. On distortion you can get a rich full sound with enough bite to rip off some harmonics. The one thing I didnt like though was this is just a little bright sounding so you may need to tweak your eq's to help balance it out.

The action on this thing is just beautiful. Man the thing almost seems to play itself. Even after several years this looks just like new.

I did have one small problem though. When I would switch from the bridge to the neck pickup the neck pickup would cut out. I have sent this back and they fixed it.

Great support. They fixed my guitar with no hassles.

I am die hard Carvin now as nothing feels or sounds like one. You have got to own one!!

Carvin DC 127, Koa neck thru Koa body.All gold hardware,Floyd rose (which I aint really crazy about, they seem to be more trouble than they're worth) Sperzel tuners,locking nut,(kinda redundant,I know) 1 vol,1 tone,3 pos pickup selecter,2 m22 humbuckers with ciol splitter switches,Abalone block inlay on an ebony fingerboard, and rounded body sides.

This guitar is QUIET! Even when It's cranked all the way up, it's CLEAN but BALLSY. Sounds great thru a Fender Dual Showman, or a Roland Jazz Chorus 120. Hell,it sounds great thru a Fender can amp.I dont use any effects when evaluating a guitar,because I want to know how the GUITAR sounds.I am currently recording with it played STRAIGHT thru a Carvin 32 channel board powered by a Carvin 1000 watt PA amp.No guitar amp!Can you believe that? EVERYTHING we play thru this settup sounds incredible!!! If you have GOT, to have effects pedals to make your guitar sound good,If thats the only way you can pull it off,either your guitar sounds lousy,or your playing sucks

Action fit and finish are equall to any thing out there reguardless of price! Period

I think it can take anything I can dish out.I wouldn't use ANY guitar without a backup.

Dont know cause I bought it used.

This guitar listed for $1300. so even with the undesirable gold hardware(because gold usually tarnishes, although this one hasn't)and the floyd rose tremelo (which I wouldn't kick a hog in the ass with,because less is better) I still got an incredible deal on this thing at $379.00. If I ordered one it would be a hardtail with chrome

2002, Made in USA, CARVIN DC-127, Sperzel locking tuners, factory case, (2) C22 humbuckers, excellent pearl blue finish, maple neck & body, rapid play neck. I bought this one off the rack, pearl blue finish with black fretboard, black pickups, satin silver machine heads. If you really want a nice looking custom guitar you'll have to pay for it, the options really add up fast. The stock ones work well for myself and the level that I am playing.

rock/metal/blues played on a sx-200 (100w) amp, sounds good with the C22 pickups...wish I would have upgraded to the M22SD pickups for a fatter sound.

very low action with no buzz, I made a slight pickup adjustment with a few of the screws...just for myself. Otherwise it was in perfect condition. I really did look it over in the store (carvin - Santa Ana) and at home - couldnt find any flaws.

purchased 04/02...nothing wrong so far. Seems as if it should last for several yrs. I believe it also comes with a 5 yr.

I did see one guy in the store bringing a guitar back for something? The customer service seemed to really take care of him, not sure what was up...I just know he walked out satisfied. I also didnt receive much info on the actual guitar itself...the sales rep at carvin santa ana me was a nice guy...just didnt seem to know much about the products (maybe a new guy?)

I was very satisfied for the level of quality that I had received for only $520 brand new (sale price). I would have easily paid twice that for another major brand. I really think it would be almost impossible to find something of this level for the same price.

This is a 2002 model DC127, made in the U.S.A. It came with a huge list of options I could choose from, depending on my budget. The DC 127 came with standard 24 fret (24.5" scale) fingerboard made of ebony. The maple neck (medium thickness) through alder body design is also standard on these guitars. I added a solid quilted maple top with ruby red stain to the body, along with a tung oiled back of neck. I upgraded the bridge humbucker to the M22SD, for a higher output. It has a fixed bridge, standard Sprezel tuners, optional Dunlop straplocks, rounded body sides, jumbo frets, matching quilted headstock, engraved truss rod cover. The guitar was shipped factory direct in a sturdy hardshell case.

I play directly through a Marshall Valvestate 102 amp, and suits my style very well (metal). The bridge pickup has a full, insane crunchiness, just right for metal. The neck pickup gives a nice, warm sound for when I need it. The sustain is unlike anything I've played before (mostly due to the neck through design), and harmonics scream. The notes are clear, and there is absolutely no feed back in high gain situations.

I was surprised when I first opened the case, to find the guitar perfectly in tune. There was absolutley nothing needing adjusting. The action was very low, making playing a dream. The pickups were adjusted exactly for maximum sound and noise reduction. I examined this thing from top to bottom. The only flaw I could find was during shipping, the case key fell out of the storage compartment, and rubbed against the body side, leaving a small scuff mark. The factory strings are o.k. but I will replace them sooner than normal.

This guitar without a doubt will withstand live playing. I'm a little paranoid of damaging it with such a beautiful finish on it. The finish is not whimpy, though, and with a little care will last forever. This is the most solid, dependable guitar I have played yet. The fixed bridge gives me the option of playing live and not stopping even with a broken string. String changes are quick.

The customer service was exceptional, once I actually made the order. My first impression, though was not as good. Getting an estimate, the salesman seemed impatient, and cold. This did change, though once I made the order. They even phoned me to tell me it was being shipped early, and gave me the UPS tracking number so I could follow up if I wanted.

I've been playing for twelve years, and have not yet seen this kind of quality in a guitar. I was a little unsure of ordering a guitar sight unseen, but now I can say this was the best choice. I had researched guitars for over a year, and for the money to quality ratio, this one easily comes out on top! I would recommend to those doing research as I was, to seriously consider a Carvin, you won't be disappointed. The only thing I would change on this guitar, besides the strings, is I would like an option of a thinner neck available.