Carvin DC127

2008 Made in USA. 24 frets, maple neck through alder solid body in a very smooth, perfect solid white gloss finish. Volume and Tone knobs, a 3 way pickup switch, and 2 coil splitting switches. Pickup configuration Humbucker/Humbucker using Carvin stock passive S22's with black covers. Body style similar to a Strat with a fixed Carvin FT6 bridge and Sperzel locking tuners. Neck is ebony fretboard with dot inlays and medium jumbo frets. Included ABS molded and padded case and strap locks.

I play several types of guitar driven music. I use Guitar Rig 3 for my guitar modeling. The only noise I hear is when the buckers are split and I am using only one coil and even then it's not that bad, buzzy like a Strat. Believe it or not Carvin makes some of the most underrated pickups on the market and they are almost half the price of leading replacement pickups. The guitar is full sounding but bright, not too bright on the bridge bucker and nice and smooth and warm using the neck bucker. I am not a person who likes to use both together so I have no opinion on that. Good versatility for almost any music form I can think of.

The guitar came in nearless flawless and the action was just about as good as it gets out there in guitar land. I was skeptical because I hate ordering guitars by mail without touching or hearing first. I once ordered three Ibanez guitars (same model) and each one had a completely different feel and neck profile, I mean really not even close, so I thinned to one and got this Carvin.

looks and feels sturdy and tough. The hardware looks great in black on a white guitar. I think this guitar is a keeper for a long time to come.

Carvin has always been good to me. Hopefully it stays that way. Shipping has always been lightning fast.

10,10,10. Consider the DC 127. Consider the DC 127. Consider the DC 127!!!!!! Especially for the price this guitar is probably in all reality unbeatable.

Late 90's early 2000's all USA made DC127 Lefty in trans Vintage yellow. Thin Compound radius Neck, 24 Jumbo frets, Ebony Board, Locking Sperzel Tuners. Hard tail, stock Carvin pickups, H/H design with 3 way toggle and phase switches. Alder wings with maple neck thru body with super smooth uninhibited reach right to 24. I'm giving this a 9 simply because it needs a Graphite nut instead of plastic and it has a generic bridge, could use some graph techs saddles. having a generic bridge and plastic nut doesn't hurt the guitar at all, just upgrading them would improve tuning stability a little more, and are really the only areas of improvement I could find on the guitar, everything else is flawless.

Played thought a Pod Pro preamp or a Mesa Studio Tube Preamp and a Carvin TS-100 all tube power amp into a Mesa 1x12 thiele ported cab with EVL12M. This guitar is beyond magnificent in both sound and playability. The Ebony board give the tone a little snappy brightness like maple and added sustain, which this guitar has tons of due to the neck thru. It will do everything from bone crushing metal to blues, jazz and clean playing with ease, these Carvin pickups are some of the best, if not the best stock pickups I have ever played on. I'm a hardcore Dimarzio fan and for the first time I haven't felt like ripping these pickups out 2 seconds after playing the guitar. They remind me of Super Distortions, with plenty of harmonics and sustain, with the ability to change character just by backing the volume down. Even in standard tuning you can get a very mean crushing metal sound, then shred to your hearts delight. There is an option the throw them out of phase, but this option only sounds good in the middle position with a clean or blues sound, since the other two have some hum, which is inevitable.

Since I got it used I really can't comment to much on this, it played really well before I set it up, I can get the action very low with minimal buzzing. The fret ends are a little sharp, this may just be due to the natural shrinkage of the ebony. Either way, not a major issue and easy fix.

This guitar is solid as a rock and could easily stand up to a world tour or just a bar gig or two. The volume pot loosened up a little, easy fix though and happens to all guitars.

No opinion since I have never delt with them directly, but everything I hear is that there great.

I am absolutely in love with this guitar. I Own a Ibanez Jem 77BFP/rg550 hybrid, a super rare Ibanez rg3120TW Prestige, a ESP m-207L, I've also owned a slew of others including Kramer, Fender, Schecter and Jackson and this guitar can hold its own to all of them. us leftys don't get many options but Carvin really comes through. I think I'm going to order a 727 soon. Grab one if you can!

Alder body, super strat, ebony fret board, sst frets. carvin crapistic pickups.

This guitar sounds like a carvin----bleh. Frumpish and uninteresting. If i could get a fender to sound this bad, i would be able to open up a factory in china. thin, man, thin, thats all i can say about the sound.

this is where carvin is good. the frets are pretty good for this price range, maybe two high or low ones (i cant tell). but it only rattles at the 14th fret and frets out at the 17th. the finish is sunburst and it is flawless

it is built quite well. i use it for rehersals at a friends house mainly because the sound is not siotable for live playing IMO (too thin). i would say it is pretty dependable aside from too frequent truss rod adjusting.

Carvin customer service is like a crap fish that ate a crap stack burger at the crap shack and took a giant crap in a porto-crapper bathroom and then smeared crap on the walls. these losers are a joke. They were rude to me on the phone when i ordered. I heard wrappers rustling around in the background and i think the guy burped while he was on the phone with me. Yeah he was actually eating potato chips while on the phone with me, and he burped at me. i actually still think that is hilarious. they never get back to you when they say they are going to. this guitar was 3 weeks late and they never notified me of when it was going to be shipped. i missed the UPS guys and had to go pick it up myself, why, because i had no idea it was on its way!

this guitar is OK for the price. carvin has seriouse probs with their cust. service.

200? Carvin DC-127. Mahogany Neck-thru, Mahogany Body. Clear Gloss finish. 24 Fret, 25" scale. Ebony fretboard with Large Abalone shell fret markers. Master volume, master tone, two coil tap switches and a phase switch. Stap-locks. String through body bridge. Seymour Duncan SH-PG-1 Pearly Gates in the neck and a SH-13 Dime-Bucker in the bridge position. Sperzel locking tuners. Chrome plated metal pickup rings also added. Carvin Tweed case. Individual volume and tone controls would give it a 10 score.

EXCELLENT TONE and sustain. BIG sounding. This guitar can cover about any type of music, period. The taped coil sounds are very nice played clean, and can be further thinned out with the phase switch. Splitting the coil of the Dime-Bucker is actually closer to the output of a good Tele/Strat single coil. In single coil mode the guitar sounds very good with light to mediun-heavy distortion. Both humbuckers sound great clean as well. The Dime-Bucker needs the volume rolled back a tad bit though for the really clean stuff in humbucker mode. The guitar is nothing short of fantastic with the bridge pickup,under High/Ultra Gain settings. The treble bite of the Dime-Bucker is a perfect match for the ALL MAHOGANY body and neck, with Ebony Fretboard. Never muddy, and powerful indeed.

Very Low action!!! SUPER-FAST Neck with perfect frets. Beautiful Clear-Gloss finish. Excellent Abalone inlay in the Ebony fretboard with no sign of filler. Light, comfortable, and balanced well. Top quality build! I cant find anything that is not perfect. Excellent tuning stabilty.

Built like a Bomb-Shelter. SOLID...It will outlast me. I am 45

Honestly, I have never had to deal with Carvin, though I own several Carvin produts. I must leave no opinion.

QUALITY-QUALITY-QUALITY!!! Great guitar at any cost, period! Would sell other guitars I own, and pay Full Price, if I had to replce it. Hard to believe one guitar could sound so good Clean, and be such a Beast through a even the highest gain settings. I bought it like new but used, with case, and have about $725.00 total, counting the Duncans. The stock M-22 pickups sounded very good with the Mahogany, but the Duncans have a small bit more output when tapped, and can do the more extreme gain settings.

Updated review. I reviewed this a few years back and really burned it. I was PO'd because I couldn't get a replacement armseat for the Wilkinson Trem. I still haven't found one, but after getting it out of it's case for the first time in many many months and cleaning the hell out of the pots and resoldering the battery box, I repost.
It's all black with unfinished ebony neck SS frets, Sperzel tuners and active electronics HH, coil split, I don't know what some of the switches and knobs do, and a carvin case. Bought used for 500. I think it's a late 90's in good condition, no scratches. Tons of features.

I play blues and classic rock. I play through what ever is at the studios I rehearse at. Like jazz 120, Fender blues jr., Matchless. They lined the control with copper and it is not noisy. I use Tube screamer, Dunlop wah, boss dd3. It sounds fairly full and manly on full HH setting. Other settings get thin to wierd. Sounds really good straight to BJ. I wish I could get the trem going without spending 100 for a whole unit. Great for tapping, speed, and variety. Wish I could play better to see it's full potential.

Got used. The pots had a major dirt problem. Lowest, fastest, action possible, stailess on elbony is slick and bright. Black gloss finish is flawless, kinda funny but clean where it stops at the neck.

Could play live definately but, with the electronics a little finicky and after the promblem with the battery wires coming off, I'd bring backup, my Les Paul or US Strat, just in case I broke a string.

Since I didn't buy new I felt they treated me like s**t when I tried to get the "seat" for the trem arm. Not good for biz but they don't seem to care. Worthless to this second hand buyers. I don't mean to devalue the resale value but that's my experience.

Player 27 years, own a ton, Gibsons, Fenders, Martins, PRS, and much more. Marshall, Jazz 120, US blues jr., recording stuff, too. The guy who sold it to me said it would be easy to replace the bar, not. I wouldn't sell it but wouldn't but another. Their 15 watt amps look cool. I love the action, unpluged is awsome. Plugged in needs more mojo. Wish it had the trem. I think it's a good git for the money, BUY MADE IN USA

Most notably I added a flame top over the alder sides and 5 piece neck to the options which makes it look beautiful, gloss finished body tung oiled neck Koa and maple. I went active electronics, maintained the hardtail bridge, and went for pearl inlays. Plus straplocks.

All of the features I picked out are extremely elegant and practical. The guitar looks classy yet is a real workhorse that can take some abuse and really perform.

With the right pickups, there is no way this won't be a 10. Acoustically the instrument sounds great and the tone woods available are wonderful. Personally I wasn't thrilled with the sound with the carvin pickups but after changing them I really started to dig the sound.

Personally the number one thing I look for in a guitar is playability, comfort and look. Of course you need good tone woods for an exceptional guitar, but carvin has that covered.

With the forward midrange and volume of this guitar, I'm sure I'll make this guitar sound a 10 after another pickup swap.

This is where the guitar really shines, the combonation of a tung oiled neck, stainless steel frets, and ebony fretboard makes for the best playing guitar I have ever played. Also to me, neck through guitars play better and don't inhibit where you can move(because there is no neck heel. The playability on this instrument is outstanding and not even the more expensive Ibanez JEM beats its playability. The shape is extremely comfortable, and honestly it allows you to move freely. Mine is lightweight and never fatigues me.

Of coure the look is immaculate, but the frets are also very well done. As carvin is famous for, the guitar arrived in tune. Absolutely incredible how much care the people at carvin put into their instruments.

Everything on this guitar is cosmetically perfect and plays better than any other guitar on the market.

Another strong point of the carvin is the fact that they don't break easily. Playing in a metal band I've accidentally hit walls amps and band members with it, and it can take alot of abuse and still work great. I was very impressed with how this axe has held up over the 3 years I have had it so far.

Carvin builds its instruments so well that support really isn't neccessary. I haven't had to deal with them yet and I think thats a good thing.

While carvin pickups aren't the be all end all, the guitar certainly is. I could not be more proud of my purchase, and I have not stopped receiving complements on it since I first laid eyes upon it. Carvin takes pride in their work, and their instruments portray their values.

If stolen or lost I would absolutely buy another, I really do love this guitar.

1993 DC 127 model. Has upgraded Tom Anderson humbucker pickups, Kahler Steeler tremolo system, alder body with poplar wings, maple neck-thru. Beautiful birdseye maple fingerboard. Features Carvin tuners and additionally, one volume knob, 1 3-way pickup selector, and a coil tap for the bridge. Absolutely beautiful translucent vintage yellow finish.

I play primarily 80s metal and shred. The Tom Anderson pickups are fantastic, the cleans are amazing full and rich. I'm running these through a Line 6 Podxt Live. The distortion is excellent, it's bright, but that makes it fantastic for a lead tone. It can produce jazzy cleans to strat type classic rock to full on heavy metal tones.

The action is very low, making it very easy to play. I bought it in used condition, however everything is in great condition, including the neck which is nice and thin. The bridge is set parallel, pickups in perfect position, everything is great.

This guitar is built rock solid. Has solid strap buttons, durable finish, and excellent electronics. I would certainly use this for gigging without a doubt.

N/A

I've been playing for a little over a year, and this guitar is everything I could ever want. I would certainly buy this one again if it were possible. I love the neck, as well as the bridge. Finally, I think this is a one of a kind find that is fantastic.

DC127C-2006-Black stain on Quilted Maple top w/ matching headstock-Rounded body sides-Floyd Rose w/ locking nut-stainless frets-ebony fingerboard-no inlays-M22SD & C22N PUs-just the basic elect- Tung oil finish on back of neck-Black hardware-Strap locks- Tweed case

M22SD sounds great but the M22N is sorta underpowered. Had a few slight adjustmants to make when I got it and the coilsplitter for the neck PU didn't work for single coil mode(don't use single anyway). They sent me a new one right away.

All great

Gotta love it

They do take care of me

This guitar will do it all. My particular model has a fixed bridge and no trem, but you can have the same guitar built with a trem if you like. I have an Ibanez Jem which has a great trem, the best available IMO so having a guitar without a trem that can change tunings quickly is more valueable to me at the moment anyway.

I believe mine is the standard trim from Carvin for a DC127: alder body, ebony fretboard, 24 frets, neck-thru construction, 12" radius fretboard, pearl dot inlays, fixed strat style bridge, 2 humbuckers with coil splits for each. I am 99% sure the pickups are the default Carvin models C22N/C22B - whatever they are they are definitely Alnico V magnets and sound great.

If mine does not have the feature that you want, such as trapezoid inlays, mahogany neck and body with or without a maple body, or a fretboard perhaps made of rosewood or maple instead of ebony, you can have one made however you want which is a really cool option. The guys at Carvin do a really good job and it's all factory direct so that makes Carvins a really good value.

I play a variety of styles like classic rock, hard rock, progressive rock, blues, metal, etc. I should mention that I am a tone freak, and will not even use some equipment out there if it was free.

So far I played the guitar more in the store through a Peavey Classic 50 more than I have through any of my all-tube Marshalls or my Vox AC30, but I find my favorite sound is a mildly overdriven fusion tone. It sounds great both clean and distorted, and the pickups also have rich harmonics which is rare for pickups to do clean and distorted so nicely.

I compared the guitar to a Jackson, and an ESP which both sell new for over three times the price of the Carvin DC127. They both had 10s on them where the DC127 only had what I am fairly sure is a set of 8s, and the DC127 was easily the best of the bunch and sells new for a third the price! After playing the DC127, I was not expecting to like either guitar better, but I thought they would be able to hold their own. They had more lows and a tigher sound, but there was an inch difference in action and they did not even sound nearly as good until you get a real heavy amount of gain on either.

I was totally shocked at how good the Carvin stock pickups sound in contrast with the wood. The alder top gives the guitar a fairly balanced tone with rich midranges. The coil tap switches add so much more versatility. Most coil tap switches that I have seen I would never use because the contrast is too harsh - the humbucker has a big mean sound and the single coil sounds very thin in contrast.

On my Carvin DC127, the single coils do sound a little thinner as to be expected, but as single coils they are not overly bright or harsh sounding in comparison to the full humbucker. Additionally, the guitar sounds equally good with the coils tapped as without. My favorite combination right off the bat is using the bridge as a humbucker and tapping the coil of the neck pickup which makes both pickups sound the same volume (and the highs are about the same that way as well). I can turn the coil tap switch off and use the neck pickup to solo and it gives the appropriate boost and makes a tube amp sound really warm.

This is easily one of the better sounding guitars that I have ever played.

I bought it used and it was setup for 8s. The action was insanely low when I got it.

The particular model is a little bit beat up and the price was affordable which is what attracted my attention, but after playing the guitar I had to check the price tag again to make sure that I was reading it correctly. The neck is perfectly straight and the radius is even, and the neck is about just right - it is slightly fatter than the neck on my Ibanez Jem with a slightly different shape to it, which felt very natural to me.

I compared it with an ESP and Jackson just as a reference, both which cost over three times more new than the baseline DC127. I really expected more from both of them. There was absolutely no comparision - the only thing either had on the DC127 was a little more low end, and possibly better sustain (from the mahogany body / maple tops). Additionally, the action was not even close and it was apparent to me, being as I am very proficient in doing setups on guitars that either guitar would never have action twice that of the Carvin DC127 without skipping a note and buzzing horrendously.

The only thing that I do not like about the guitar is that it has Sperzel locking tuners. I have had a really bad past with the same tuners on my G&L which regularly slip and break for me.

It seems like it is made like a rock. If I owned it for longer I would be able to better judge.

Bought it used. No dealings with the company.

The price tag initially attracted me to the guitar. I have played one Carvin before many years ago, and do not remember it being that good but I played a very different style of music back then and I do remember considering buying that guitar because it was a great value.

I was only looking for a banger when I came across my DC127 that I could carry around and not care if it gets stolen, damaged or destroyed, but this guitar is well beyond my wildest dreams for a "banger" price - all of $425 plus tax. Even for the new price, the value of this guitar is amazing and I was blown away by the quality of the entire instrument throughout.

Judging by my DC127, Carvin will build you whatever you want at great quality and price that makes gas look cheap. My only problem is that you don't get to walk into a store and play one new. Fortunately, I happened to be in the store at the right time and got myself a hell of a steal.

carvin dc127, made in usa, 2005. 24 fret. maple neck through alder body. rosewood fretboard (extra cost option). pickups- c22n, neck, c22b, bridge. three way switch, neck/bridge/both. dual to single coil switch for each pickup. ft6 fixed bridge (string through body). sperzel locking tuners. passive electronics. chrome hardware. strat style double cutaway body. translucent finish, vintage yellow face with cherry burst edges. black pickups, black bezels. 14 inch radius fretboard. (extra cost option)-seperate volume and tone for each pickup instead of standard one volume and tone for all.

suits my style, which is varied. blues, rock,country, folk, psuedo classical/jazz. this guitar could produce the tones to work for any. absolutely silent! no noise, buzz, hum. pickups loud and strong. clean and bright on bridge p/u single coil. mellow and smooth on neck p/u. humbucker mode really brought out harmonics, real nice full sound. finger picking would almost sound like two instruments. sustain went on and on and on. however, i ended up returning the guitar because of crosstalk on the volume controls. adjusting the volume on one pickup actively changed the volume on the other. it was impossible to replicate tones by adjusting/mixing volumes of the pickups. oh yeah, no effects just on old 50 watt silvertone tube amp(rescued from the dump) pumping through 2 12inch 100 watt speakers.

action fit and finish were immpecable. set up was excellent. a really good looking guitar that plays very nice and easy! no fret buzz on any string at any fret. neck properly bowed, action extremely low.

seems to be rock solid and high quality all the way. gig with out a backup? yes. but i have never gigged with a backup. so that's a wash.

warranty-5 years for manufacturing defects. carvin covered the shipping both ways on my return for repair. you get 10 days to try it before you buy it. on the eleventh day, you can return it for credit on your next purchase from carvin, but you won't get your money back. sales people are freindly enough, most want to help you get exactly the guitar you want, but they are not experts and there are options not listed in the catalog. and there are options they don't know about or are not aware of. Technical support at carvin really, really sucks. no answer, differing answers, always referred to some guy i could never get ahold of. came close one time...probably should have used the name Joe Walsh or Keith Richards.

played 1965-75 for my second income. 20 year break for marriage, kids, canoe trips etc. from then to present playing all i can when i can. gear- that '63 silvertone amp i mentioned, a model 5060 Alvarez Yairi acoustic, 1969 silvertone electric guitar and a few garage sale types acoutic and electric. also a fuzz and a wah-wah from the late '60's but i haven't used them in quite a while. oh yeah and a carvin dc 135. if lost or stolen i'd look at a lot more guitars before i'd decide. $900 is a lot of money to me, and every guitar is different. just like fingerprints no two are identical. don't love it, don't hate it. it is a very very good guitar. except for the volume control problems on the dc 127.oh, i read on the carvin bulletin board chat that returned guitars are sent to one of the two carvin stores in calif. the dc127 i sent back showed up on the in stock ready to ship list on carvins web site. really dude, same serial number and all. probably with the same problem i sent it back for. ??? oh before you order, check sale prices in catalog and sale prices on line-ask for the better price

My guitar was made in 2005. It has a maple neck with an ebony fret board, koa overlay on the headstock, mahogany body with a koa top, gold hardware, Allan Holdsworth pickups, thru-body bridge, stainless steel frets, rounded body, no fret board markers-side dots only, tung oil finish body-and back of neck. Came with a nice case standard.

Sounds awesome! It has nice balanced tone with great articulation! Sounds rich, warm, yet clear and somewhat open...as you can gather I really like the tone....part of it is probably the Allan Holdsworth pickups, which sound great to me, the othe part is the combination of woods that I choose....they just sound really good together!

Better then the rest of the factory made guitars except for maybe PRS.

No problems yet....none detected.

Better then some....worse then others......the customer support people are doing their jobs as they are supposed to for the people they work for.....they must have some manegment problems to even allow customer support to have as many issues as they do with their customers....boooooooooo......a mark against them...to bad.

I have been playing for a long time. I love the way it sounds and plays...the vway it feels...looks nice too! I play it through a VHT Pitbull Classic and a Bogner Ecstacy 101B with a Trutone bottem open back cabinet loaded with Weber Alnico Blue Dog and Silver Bell speakers. I have allot of other guitars this is the only one with the pickups it came with....they're that good in my opinion. Most of my other guitars have WCR pickups and one has seymour duncans; if I thought the pickups weren't some of the best there are I would have changed them. If you don't get the tone your looking for with one of these guitars try a different set of pickups....they are built better then most and at least half of your tone is in the pickups that you use. If you overlook the customer support issues, which I had none it easily gets a 10!

2002 dc127 black, active, locking tuners. 2 hummers. Carvin case.

I play blues and rock mainly strats through marshalls loud. This git bites, has no souls, sucks the soul from your fingers. It sounds from bad to worse. Only unplugged is it nice.

Neck is out of line so the high E falls off, I don't know how they did that on a neck through. Frets stick out from neck, everyone of them Ha Ha. It's a bad joke... sick. All the pot are junk I spent hours try ing to clean them and the jack, useless. Now I know why everybody buy Chineese it's not only cheap but better built. This workmanship is a crime.

I wouldn't be caught dead having this cheap noisy toy around my neck. I tried to get the tremo arm and holder replaced and thoses monkeys said I had to buy a whole new unit @$100. not what I wanted to hear.

After hours on hold I was left pissed and used. E-mail were unreturned. Stuff they sent was the wrong matterial at overnight rates, what a ripoff.

It's a loosy git. I've been playying 30 years and have everything, now I know why I've never seen one on stage. The pickups sound like dish water. The neck is wierd. Even the case is crap. I think I'll burn it in the park, the charmas so bad on it, It's a bad trip.

Well, I've had this guitar for a while and its about damn time I got around to writing a review on it:

My DC127 was made in 2003 in the US as are all Carvins. 24 frets maple neck through body with an ebony fingerboard with no inlays on the guitar and a tung oiled walnut body. It has the M22V in the bridge and the M22n in the neck, more on those in the sound section, three way pickup selector, coil splitters for each humbucker and a phase switch. All passive electronics. It has a string through body stop tailpiece bridge, I'm not a big fan of trems. Sperzel locking tuners, normal size frets, and a 25 1/2 inch scale. When you can coustimize the features that you get on a guitar I really have to give this the best rank. I mean the finish looks fantastic and everything else I asked for so I have absoultly no complaints.

Ok as far as the pickups go I'm quite satisfied with the neck pickup, it delivers a very warm rich tone and I'm absoultly in love with it. The brige is a nice sounding pickup with distortion, but its a little thin sounding when I play clean. Its not noisy at all on any setting, except when I split the coil on the bridge humbucker with distortion. But thats to be expected. I'm using this with a Carvin SX200H head into a fender cab or just recording driect into my computer. I'll give the pickups a 7 because of the fact that I love the neck but am not quite satisfied with the bridge.

The guitar came from the factory set up with elixer 9's on it. I changed the strings to my usual Erine Ball 10's and couldn' be happier with the feel of the guitar. Its got a nice thin U neck profile, low action and with the tung oiled body and neck a very fast neck. The finish on the wood is absoultly flawless, its a beuitiful walnut.

I have and will continue to use this guitar in live situations, its continued to hold up aginst all that I can throw it up aginst. The strap buttons a solid, I got it with straplocks installed and they've never failed me. The only flaws in the finish have come from me banging it on things or hitting it with stuff accidently. I would gig without a backup if necessary but I always bring a backup just in case.

On the few occasions I've delt with Carvin support they've been more than helpful. I honestly think they're one of the best companies I've ever delt with. They quoted me 6 weeks for my guitar to be built, plus shipping. It was at my door in 5 and a half weeks much to my suprise. They did screw up the order with my amp head, they forgot to include the cover I ordered for it. I called them and they overnighted it to me the next day for no charge. I absoultly love their service and would reccomend them to anyone and would love to have the extra cash to be able to deal with them again.

I've been playing guitar for about 6 years and this is the absoultly best guitar I've owned or played on. I would buy another one in an instant, if I wasn't a broke college student. If this were stolen I would be devistated and would do my best to get a new one asap.

I don't know the year - possibly a 2000 It's the standard DC127 with a fixed bridge. Maple neck with mahogany body sides. Classic sunburst finish. Tung oil neck (great feature). Black hardware. Straplocks installed (a must). Tweed case. Otherwise pretty stock. Just looking at their options make this a fantastic guitar for features.

I do some rock/pop songwriting/recording at home with my carvin. I don't know which pickups came with the guitar (used), but I suspect it's the standard C series humbuckers. I love the middle position and neck position. The bridge is a little too treble when clean, but with distortion, it does smoke pretty well. I've read a lot of these reviews here, and overall, I'm very happy with the stock pickups. I play through a pod (v2.0) directly into my computer through some Event reference monitors and it smokes the old American Standard strat I once had. Very versatile with the coil taps.

After I got the guitar (again, used), I brought it to a local tech for a setup. He got the action real low. There's a dab of buzz but it's not overwhelming. The intonation on the Low E string wasn't right though, and it appears that the saddle can't go far enough back to properly intonate. The tech said it looks like the bridge wasn't laid out properly. I don't know, but it bothered me at first. Truth is, it's not really a problem - it's only out a dab. Recently (had the guitar for two years), I'm noticing some fretting out at the 20th fret or so on the high E. But it just needs the action raised a tad. Overall, the finish is amazing, and everything is great. My only gripe overall is the neck shape. I have small hands, and it's a really flat wide neck. I've gotten used to it, but it still doesn't feel like "home".

Can't see any problems. I don't really gig with it. The finish looks brand new after 2 years. Seems fine.

N/A - never had to deal with them.

I've been playing guitar for 18 years or so. Not really my primary instrument, but it's become my primary instrument. I teach guitar about 25 hours a week, and I'm using the Carvin now as my teaching guitar. I grow to like it more and more each day. Aside from the wide neck, I can't complain at all. I love it so much I put an order in last week for a new Carvin carved top model, and I stare at the pictures onlive every day in anticipation. You can't go wrong with Carvin - top notch!

2001 Made in USA. Neck through body. One volume, one tone control, 3 way switch. Two humbuckers. Pickups: M22T, M22v Passive electronics Mahogany body with clear finish, Strat style. fixed bridge. Sperzel locking tuners. Mahogany neck. Tweed case(optional)

I play rock, blues and jazz. I prefer a clean sound with some reverb. This guitar is bright even though it's all Mahogany. The middle switch position, (using both pickups) sounds like it's single coil, probably because it has 24 fret, thus putting the neck position pickup closer to the bridge. I don't like this tone at all. I sold the guitar because of this sound!

The guitar was set up very well. The action is good. There were no flaws and Carvin stands up to it's reputation as a good builder. The 3 way switch had to be replaced shortly after I bought it. It started out as scratchy and noisy, then went bad.

It's a very solid guitar and will stand up to live playing for a long time. The hardware is good, finish is fine. strap buttons solid and dependable. No backup needed

I have not dealt with Carvin for service. Warranty? Maybe 2 years

I've played for 30 years. I have a Fender Strat, Telecaster, Gibson ES135. If it was lost or stolen I would not replace it (but I sold it) I find the DC127 to be physically too small. It looks like a tiny guitar, not substantial enough. This always bothered me. The tone is only average. I've compared it to other guitars and I gave it a fair chance. I thought I'd gamble on it because I had received catalogs from Carvin for years. My advice: Get a Fender, you won't go wrong there. The tone is thin and the guitar is tiny. I don't speak poorly of companies, just an honest evaluation.

Three C22 pickups (humbucker at bridge), alder body. It's cherry red - sounded a bit gay when I ordered this over the phone from Sydney but actually looks awesome.

One feature I don't like is the whammy bar doesn't screw in, it just slides in (and thus falls out all the time) - very annoying. I suppose I should get round to just finding a screw in one that fits.

The tuning system is absolutely awesome. I don't know why ALL guitars don't have this system.

The pots are kind of cheap - I'm going to replace them soon. The volume has been fuzzy when I turn it since shortly after I bought the guitar.

I can't get the action very low without buzzing... a bit disappointing because Carvins seem to have a reputation for playability.

It is generally a very bright sound. The pickups are not that good, as most ppl have said... sounds great though when you get some Seymor Duncans in.

Remember though - this is a VERY light guitar. Of course its not going to sound as fat as a big heavy Gibson or hollow body.

Unfortunately the main advantage of a thin neck (playability), is hindered by not being able to get the action low.

I play every style through this guitar. Its basically got that Fenderish sound because of the lighter weight and single coils, but can cross over into more Ibanez style shredding. I guess it's like a PRS in many ways.

It was mostly set up fine... just needed the usual adjustments... except that - for some odd reason - someone had wrongly cut the back plate that hides the underside of the bridge. I couldn't access the strings. Not wanting to weaken the plate more than I had to, this was a weird problem to fix and ended up having to request a new one be sent.

The pots are going to need replacing.

Everything else is very well made and will last. In terms of body, tuners, bridge, electronic set up - this is how a guitar should be made.

I live in Melbourne, Australia and I got this guitar sent from Sydney. You can't use the custom online ordering thing like you can in the states (unless you pay heaps more)... but it's still fun buying it from the Sydney shop because they have heaps to choose from. Just make sure you read heaps of these reviews so that you really know what you're getting.

They didn't give me a whammy bar and the back plate was wrongly cut, so I wrote to them and asked for a new one which was sent with a bonus pack of picks to cheer me up.

This is a fine guitar... very professional and well worth the money. It looks great. One guy I know... who really knows his guitars... said it was the best looking guitar (in terms of construction) he had ever seen!

Obviously there is the problem with the pickups... but the only stock pickups I have ever liked are gibson ones.

The main other problem is with the action, but apparantly most Carvins are not like this.

I suggest getting the Carvin as a comparable alternative to models like Fenders, PRS, Ibanez. It is not like a Gibson.

Made in 2003 in San Diego CA. 24 Fret solid body, Mahogany under Walnut top. Active electronics : 2 coil splitters for the 2 humbuckers, 1 phase switch, 3-way pick up selector. The pickups were the standard pu's that come with the guitar. The neck is a 5 piece laminated neck which runs through the body. There are abalone block inlays on the neck. Back of the neck is tung-oiled. Sperzel locking tuners and string saver saddles. Came with tweed case.

I really recommend getting the tung-oiled neck option. The back of the neck feels like very smooth natural wood. Once you start rockin out, other guitar necks can get kinda slippery. The natural feel of the neck is really nice.

I am running this DC127 through my Dunlop Cry Baby Wah->Demeter compressor->Legendary Tones Time Machine (Signal Booster)->Ibanez TS-9DX Tube Screamer->Guyatone P3 Phaser->Carr 4x10 Imperial Tube amp. I play in a jam-rock-funk band and we cover a wide array of styles. Check out www.evidencebomb.com !

<<I very much recommend the Legendary Tones Time Machine and the Carr Amp. Check reviews of the Time Machine on Harmony Central.>>

To be honest the stock pickups sound very trebly and bright to me. The active electronics are great but there is no 'meat' to the sound. I'm used to playing my Epiphone Dot semi-hollow body with dual humbuckers. The Carvin is a much stronger and clearer sound but it loses that analog 'something' and is REALLY bright... for lack of a better word. It is very hard to describe. Even when I turn up the bass on the guitar, the low end is kinda boomy and does not give the same feel as my Epiphone. For strictly lead playing, it is fine. It really does scream. But I play more rhythm than lead so it was not doing it for me.

So I changed the pickups to Seymour Duncans. I put a Jazz in the neck position and a JB in the bridge. Now we are talkin! It is still not the same as the Epiphone but in a lot of ways it is much better. The active electronics and the phase switch and single coil taps really make this an all-in-one guitar. In a flick you can turn your meaty rock and roll tone into a funky-strat like sound. I was looking for 1 guitar that would give the the ability to do many different styles. This is it. I very much recommend putting in some Seymours ! I'll give it a 6 with the old pickups and a 9 with the new.

The action is a little high and I do get some buzz on the frets. But it is really not a big deal. (I use .010" strings.) Everything else on the guitar was flawless.

Even for 3x the money, you can't get a better looking guitar with these features. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it. It feels great ! That is why I spent so much time and money getting the pickups worked out. This guitar feels like a million bucks. Go to Carvin.com and custom order a guitar or you can browse their pre-made guitars on hand. It takes about 4-weeks for them to make the guitar for you but you get everything you want. Their site is very interactive and you'd be crazy not to at least take a look. But if you are reading this you have probably already been there-done-that.

I do gig with this guitar and I have had it for about 7 months. It is fantasic. Especially now that I have all the pedals and crap that make it sound just like it sounds in my head... even better sometimes :)

Carvin has a special process where they don't need to put too many coats of clear-coat on the guitar. I don't know how long it will last with the fewer coats but it really lets the wood or color come through very well. A PRS is kiddie toy compared to these guitars. You know it the second you pick one up.

I did have a problem with one of my Sperzel locking tuners and had to get a new one sent to me. I just called 'em up and said that the string was not locking in properly and they shipped it out no charge. Of course I am the original owner so I got no hassle.

Been playing for 8 years... other gear I have is listed above. If it were lost or stolen I'd be PISSED. In all honesty I would proably play a few more guitars from some custom builders and like their guitars but laugh when they want $2,000 - $5,000 for a guitar. I'd then go right back on the Carvin site and order a new DC127.

Here is the bottom line.. why pay well over $1000 - $3000 for a good Gibson/Fender/PRS? All of these guitars only have a couple of different tones and they don't even come close to feeling or looking as good as a Carvin. Besides, every Joe-Schmo has one of those... who has a Carvin?

I am giving it a 9 for value only because I had to change out the pickups to suit my taste.

2003 Custom
Neck Thru
Active Pickups (3 switches: 2 single coil splitters, one phase)
Beautiful Saphire Flame Top Finish
Sperzel Locking Tuners
Fixed Bridge
Swamp Ash neck (=ORGASMIC)
Case included
Made in USA
Active electronics (bass, treble, and volume)

***WARNING***
The pickups are NOT big enough for Seymour Duncans or EMGs. They are only big enough for Carvin pickups unless you want to waste tons and tons of $ and ruin the guitar! U dont need to anyways, it SLAYS!

I play a Peavey Classic VTX hybrid tube-solid state amp, 65 watts. I run a BOSS TU-2, Cry Baby, to an A/B Switch (B goes to Clean Fender amp)...then it runs Radial Tonebone, Boss EQ, Then to Johnson J Station with Footswitch. To be honest the amp and the J Station dont sound too good on their own. Its eitehr too much treble or too much bass, I can never seem to get a great sound. :/ but when I plug the Carvin into it, with its active electronics (controll for bass, volume, and treble) this SOB SINGS! I can EQ it from the guitar so I can get a good basic sound, but through any amp on any setting this guitar is a monster. GREAT low end and the swamp ash neck is perfect for fast playing....it never seems to get any residue from my sweat!! This guitar is a dream come true..its fucking amazing. Hard to think I got it used (and in great condition) for only $450!! Its extremely vesitale and perfect if you are looking for that Fender Strat/Tele mixed with a Gibson Les Paul and even a ESP Kirk Hammett!!! I love it!!!!!!!

But best of all...
IT STAYS IN TUNE!

Perfect action, CAN get fret buzz but not often.

The pickups never need any adjusting.

The Brige is just fine, IT NEVER COMES OUTTA TUNE!

The finish...omg its so gorgeous. Flame top Saphire blue top...=orgasmic...its amazing how beautiful it is. Matching headstock with bodom and a swamp ash neck..it looks like heaven but rips like hell! \m/

Never gotten messed up, and I beat my guitars up sometimes. Never any problems with electronics. Never had to contact Carvin. Its perfectly sound and dependable.

Never used em, but Im sure they're nice!

Greatest guitar ever.

Sounds good. Alot of nice options on the active electronics

Horrible. Was not bought brand new, but only 4 months old. Defective, the bridge needs to be reset and since its 2nd hand, the warrenty is not transferable (bull sh*t , it hasnt been registered). Gotta send it off and pay bout 80 bucks.

read about my problem above

Bad. HOrrible. Couldn't flex a little, warranty was never registered by original owner , but they couldnt transfer it to me. This is bull, they need to be a little bit more flexible. This is why i sometimes hate large manufactures.

aside from crappy service and the defect, everything is fine. This is my second carvin, the first i have had all great experiences with, b ut then again , i never had to reach customer service.

DC127 2003 USA 24 Frets
quilted AAAA top, 2 humbuckers w/ 3way&coil taps&phase switch
seperate pan for acoustic and electric or combining both
M22SD, bridge(highly reccommended) M22V neck
body and neck Koa wood fretboard birdseye maple
custom requested blue stain/sappire burst reminicent of a Phill Collen model Jackson $100.00 additional charge
Fishman acoustic bridge, sperzel tuners
comfy neck, just right tickness
opted for tweed regular case, sick of those shaped cases closing on me and whacking into my axes while removing from case

perfect fro my rock/metal/new rock style
running through GSP2101 digitech/QSC power amp/marshall 4x12
sounds fantastic, plenty of sustain, nice fat full sound
I send the acoustic output(2nd Jack) to the mixing board and mix in acoustic on the fly via pan control.
Only dislike is the day I put the first ding in the finish!

Guitar set up just how I like it. Perfect action to me is if you slide a penny under the 12th fret and it the string is just touching.
had to raise the pickups to suit my style(more output!)
The finish and overall apperence of the guitar is nothing short of FANTASTIC,AMAZING,FLAWLESS or however you want to put it. The depth and beauty of the quilt is among the best I've seen. The color is just right. The Blue stain and Sappire Blue worked great together. I took a gamble ordering something never done before but it was well worth it.

completly reliable
get straplock option-there is nothing worse than dropping your prized possetion
completely dependable
gig with my carvins exclusively

No problems ever.

Don't be afraid to buy from Carvin direct. They make great instruments that are of the highest quality. You will be satisfied.

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.