Carvin DC127M

Was ordered December 2007 arrived late January 2008. Super-Strat body style with 24 stainless steel jumbo frets on a 14" radius ebony fretboard with abalone dot inlays. Black stain finish on quilted maple top with mahogany body and maple neck with a tung oil finish on the back of it. Headstock is the pointed angle headstock that is painted to match the body and has an abalone "Carvin" logo (pointed headstock looks so cool btw...very metal!) The bridge is a Tune-o-Matic with strings through the body (as indicated by the "M" suffix). Pickups are Carvin's own...M22V in the neck and M22SD in the bridge. Got Dunlop Straplocks (of course), black chrome hardware, Sperzel locking tuners (come standard) and a pretty nice tweed case. It's made in the USA. As you can see, it's pretty tricked out! The options on Carvin guitars are pretty much endless so it's hard not to give a 10.

I play in a metal band and mostly play metal and rock in my spare time, though I do like to jam out to some blues and prog-rock tunes. Most people's gripe with Carvin is their pickups. The M22V in the neck is a little under-powered for my taste/needs. The M22SD on the other hand, sounds quite nice to my ears. It's not brutally loud but gets the job done. Lots of mids and upper-mids but not a whole lot of bass. It gets a nice chunky rhythm tone and a nice searing lead tone especially with my Crybaby 535Q and a hint of delay. I spend most time on the bridge pickup. Both are splittable via 2 toggle switches but I rarely split them. I will likely experiment with a different pickup combination sometime to get some more output and a beefier sound. The guitar is pretty bright sounding due to the maple top and ebony fretboard. At home I play through a Boss GT-3 processor for preamp and effects into a Peavey Bandit 112. With my band I am currently using a Carvin MTS3200 through a Peavey 4x12.

This is where the Carvin really stands apart from its competitors. The guitar came to Baltimore from San Diego and barely needed a tune up! Just a slight lowering of the action and some minor intonation adjustments and it was all ready to go. The setups done by Carvin are second to none. This is my 3rd Carvin electric and second DC127 and they are quite consistent with the quality in their instruments. The tung oil finish on the back of the neck is incredible. I always read that in the reviews on HC but had no idea it would feel so comfortable. So much smoother than a painted neck. Going up and down the fretboard is effortless and makes fast runs and legato lines much easier. I highly recommend the tung oil finish! Stainless steel frets are beautiful as is the quilted top. You'd practically have to buy a handmade guitar for better assembled guitar.

First off, I would never gig without a backup guitar. I think that's a stupid question. It is very solid. The straplocks give me a sense of comfort. Finish seems like it will hold up but it's a little hard to tell. The guitar seems to hold its tune incredibly well. I noticed the same thing about my other DC127 which is now 7 years old...always holds its tune very well no matter how hard you play it or bend the strings. I would buy a guitar if I didn't think I could depend on it.

Carvin's support can be hit or miss. I've spoken with some very nice individuals at Carvin and also with some a-holes. Always got an answer to my questions though. Ordering it was very easy too.

I have been playing for about 10 years and this is my 3rd Carvin electric. The best feature of this guitar is the playability and the way it fits perfectly in my hands. The neck is the perfect shape...it's thin and round, not flat like Ibanez Wizard necks. I looked at other guitars from Ibanez, ESP, Jackson, etc. but kept coming back to Carvin. It offers professional features in combinations that simply aren't achievable on high end Jacksons or ESPs. There is no better value out there, period!

I bought this guitar as a "In stock". It is the DC127ML, the "L" means that it is a lefty. It is a neck through Flame maple surface with an umber stain and maroon sunburst.....it is absolutely breath taking. The headstock is matching also. It is 24 fret with Jumbo frets and abalone fret markers. It has the stock pickups in it. It has the tune-o-matic bridge with a string through body. I like that configuration because the strings become part of the body and overall sound.

It came stock with Spretzel locking tuners which is my first exposure to using them......I LOVE THEM!

It has to switches for "phase" switching. I have messed with flipping them, but havent messed with them more than that.

It came stock with the generic case which is good, not great...but since I don't gig outside of church...it is ok. Later on, might order a custom case or a tweed one from Carvin.

When I first got it out of the box I immediately fell in love again. It played sooooo nice. I had tried a lefty Les Paul and I didn't like the feel, the weight and the sound...I know...a guitarist not liking a LP...but, hey, this is my review!

I play it through a Line6 PODxt Live and it makes a good mae for it.....it is versatile for the praise songs we do.

It isn't noisy at all...no grounding out "buzz".

Out of the box it was the most playable guitar I have played or owned. Shipped over 600 miles on a truck or plane....out of the box was in tune....yes...in tune. The action is a little higher than I normally like, but, that was easily changed with a couple of turns of the screwdriver. My only complaint (which isn't anything against Carvin at all), I didn't like the strings that came stock on it....Elixers. I am a DR guy and once I replaced them........I almost teared up!

The finish is a Flame Maple top with an Umber stain and maroon sunburst....it is gorgeous...I spray it and wipe it down everytime I play it.

Will this guitar withstand live playing? Absolutely!...I play only at church though...but I have no doubt that it would.

Does the hardware seem like it will last?
Carvin only uses top quality hardware...it will last

Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing?
It seems like it will last for years....get back to me in 20 years and I will let you know!

Are the strap buttons solid? I did replace the strap buttons with Dean Markley locking straps, this wasn't because I didn't trust Carvin....I don't trust my strap and having it pop off the butt of the guitar while playing....I talk from experience.


Can you depend on it?
Would you use it on a gig without a backup?

When I ordered this.....I called them directly. The sales guy put me on hold, came back 2 mins. later and said "OK, I pulled it out of stock, wiped it down and put it in a case". I had put a down payment only on it. I paid it off a week later and within 2 weeks of initially ordering it (down payment), I had it in my hands. I called them up after a week of receiving it and said that one of the pots seems loose a little (nothing to fret about..lol), the sales guy said "send it back and we will fix it for you". I haven't yet because it isn't an issue. I called about a month later and asked how much a custom engraved truss rod cover would cost. He said they can do it no problem. I like the fact that I didn't have to "press 1 if you want...Tech support, press 2 for sales". I got a human being after about the 4th ring.

I have been playing off and on for 24 years, but steady for the last 4. I have 2 other guitars...a ESP/LTD and a parts built Chandler with a Sandoval neck. They all have there own unique voice and have there place in my life.

What do you love about it? Has to be the finish and sound

What do you hate? My only only MINOR complaint is that if I would have custom ordered this and not got it from the "in-stock" selection, I would have had to wait 8 - 12 weeks. While that isn't that long....try telling a kid that you will get him the newest Video game in 8 to 12 weeks and see what happens.

What is your favorite feature? Has to be the sound and finish and the price!

Did you compare it to other guitars? I played a Les Paul lefty and a Strat...didn't care to much for them.

Why did you choose this one? For a few reasons. Carvin makes custom guitars for people without having to pay the price. Every guitar from Carvin that I have touched, has the custom quality to it...and to get it at about 1/2 the price of an entry level custom guitar (i.e. try getting a custom Ibanez for under $1100).

Why did you choose this one? Well, for the price, quality of work and for pete's sake, it is made in the USA!

Anything you wish it had? I wish mine had the Fishman accoustice electronics....but that is me...not Carvin.

Anything else you'd like to share?

If this guitar was lost or stolen, after I got over the initial shock, I would buy one in a heartbeat, in fact, I might get one next year or the year after.

I bought it because 1) it was affordable. 2) It was in stock. I have been a fan of Carvin for over 24 years with my friend playing the VX220. I ordered the DVD months ago and saw how they made each guitar

Normal features: Double cut, H-H, 24 frets, locking tuners, graphite nut, neck through.

Extra features: Tune-o-matic bridge, mahog neck and body, maple top, maple fretboard, stainless steel frets, phase switch.

The reason I ordered a Carvin was because of the customizability. My only wish is that I could have a 5-way blade switch instead of a 3-way with coil taps. It has most of what I like about my Charvel 750XL, but with stuff I wish that had, as well as stuff I liked about the Musicman JP that I this is really comfortable to play.

I play mostly hard rock/progressive metal. I used to own an alder body DC127 with M22 pickups and it was BRIIIGHT. This one is way more balanced sounding (the mahog mellows out the brightness from the neck through).

I play into a Boogie Mark III stack. I swapped the pickups up after I got it with a Dimarzio D-Sonic and Dimarzio Air Norton (the stock pickups really only sounded good when out of phase and combined, on a clean channel). The guitar sounds awesome now, though, and has more fatness then my LP (mostly due to the D-Sonic). It's so balanced, with the right amount of presence and warmth. And with the phase and coil taps, I have some useful clean sounds (and some unuseful ones).

It doesn't vibrate and resonate like my strats do, but mahog doesn't do that anyway. For hard rock, this guitar configuration rules.

Action is great, and the finish is flawless. Birdseye maple is stunning looking. Plays amazing. I replaced the 3-way switch when I swapped the pickups out, since it was flimsy feeling. Other than that, though, its grade A. My number 1 guitar.

The electronics and switches are par, at best. I would recommend replacing the switches as soon as you can so they don't break on stage. Not sure how the pots will hold up; they feel solid.

Carvin support, although I haven't used them, seem to be a nice bunch of guys.

My number one guitar, and I now own 5 electrics (LP, two strats, Charvel). I've been playing 6 years.

Made in spring 2004. The M in DC127M means Tune-O-Matic bridge, with strings feeding through the body. The DC127 has two humbuckers with 3-way selector and coil splitters.

Ok, you already know the rest of the basic specs that the Carvin guys offer, so I?m only gonna tell you what makes mine special. I opted for mahogany neck and body, flamed maple top and a transparent sapphire blue finish. The neck is thicker than I expected it to be, which I am happy about. The fret board is pretty wide at the first fret, which works fine for me, but if you have small hands it might take some getting used to. The only thing I am not happy about is the fact that the neck extends pretty far from the body to give better access to the higher frets. This is not really a problem, but moving the neck an inch further into the body would make it more balanced.

I use this to play mostly 70s type rock through a Traynor YCV20WR Class A tube amp. The mahogany neck and body produce a deep warm sound with extra definition provided by the maple top and ebony fret board. The guitar sounds very good unplugged, with tons of sustain. Plugged in it sounds even better. The standard Carvin pickups are great with lots of overtones! The volume pot is reasonably responsive and can be used to roll off some edge for a cleaner sound. The tone knob does what it?s supposed to. The coil-splitters are quite effective, and the single coil sounds are far from harsh, although I would have preferred push/pull knobs instead, since that looks better and the knobs are easier to reach when playing. The guitar came with Elixir coated strings installed, and while they might last longer the guitar, to my ears, sounds much more resonant with non-coated strings. Overall this is one versatile axe and I am sure it will suit just about any style of playing!

The guitar came perfectly set up, intonated and in tune! All I had to do was raise the action a little bit to suit my taste. The finish is flawless and the sapphire blue over the flame top is absolutely gorgeous! The neck is rock solid and the frets are perfectly polished. No matter how much I bend the strings the guitar stays in tune, thanks to the graphite nut and Sperzel tuners.

I treat this guitar like a baby. After two years of weekly playing and one bumpy transatlantic checked-baggage-roller-coaster ride, the guitar still doesn?t have a scratch, and the vintage tweed case that houses it is in surprisingly good condition too!

I called them twice with some questions before ordering the guitar, and the people I spoke to were very helpful and knowledgeable. I have since e-mailed them three times with a complaint about a crappy pickup selector I bought from them, and they haven?t gotten back to me yet. I think I?ll stick with the phone!

I have been playing on and off for about 12 years, and I?ve owned and played enough guitars to know that this is a real winner and super value for money! I alternate between this guitar, a Jimmy Page Les Paul, and a Peavey Wolfgang (USA) and the Carvin is every bit as good as either of those two. The only thing this model lacks is a carved top, but Carvin offer that on another model that I have yet to check out.

Mine is pretty simple. Maple thru alder sides, 2 hum+TOM bridge, oil finish on neck, stainless steel frets and pearl silver finish.
The oil finish and the stainless frets are not standard features. They are not expensive and they are AWESOME!. more on the finish later.

Here is where the interesting story begins. Right out of the box, I was appalled by how terrible this guitar sounded! I compared it with my other much cheaper guitars plugged-in and acoustically and just couldn't believe it. It was so dull it sounded like it was made of composite wood. You see, I've been playing for a few years but I've never tried any coated strings. I didn't know what to expect and it didn't even occur to me it was those elixirs. Then I changed them to regular DiDario 9's and WOW! It sounded unbelievable. Acoustically it has a very wide and open wooden tone and plugged it sounded clear, full and very balanced. These are probably the best guitar maker made pickups I have ever heard.
I am playing blues and hard rock with this thing and This thing is perfect. I am currently using a marshall valvestate combo and a boss and a digitech pedal. The only complaint I have is the same as the previous reviewer had: single coil mode and hum mode have little difference. My previous experience is when you tap a humbucker, you cut down the volume and mids. Here, the volume dropped a little and the mid didn't change at all. So it sounded like a more vintage humbucker. With some distortion or overdrive, there is no difference at all.
My motivation of getting this guitar was to get a no-floyd Jackson Soloist sound. Jackson just made TOM bridge an option last year but it was toooooo expensive. It costs about twice the price what I payed for this 127M. Soloists come with JB and Jazz which is for metal. That's not exactly the sound I am looking for in this guitar. As much as I like these pickups, I will probably change them into some duncans. I am currently thinking Custom5 for the bridge and Jazz for the neck. I am gonna stay away from JB because this thing sounds too good to play heavy distortion:). I have Custom5 in a maple bolt-on alder guitar it sounds great. I can't even image how good the combination that is gonna be in this baby.

For the this price, the craftsmenship is unreal!. Setup was perfect considering it doesn't have a trem so setup is simple. The fret work is an ART piece! and because frets are made of stainless steel they are gonna remain an ART piece for a long time!. The oil finished neck is good as expected. I wasn't surprised by that because I have an Ibanez RG prestige. Those prestige models all have that kind of neck finish and it was actually a little better while new than the carvin now. The most striking feature on this thing you notice when you look at it is the SILVER PEARL finish. That finish is soooo worth the extra $20.It's smooth and shiny and has a metallic feel. It looks as good as some chrome or silver or sparkle finishes on some much more expensive jackson or ibanez or esp models. Tuners and the nut are a little tight because it's new.

Once again, no trem makes it reliable and easy to maintein.

I just called carvin asking some questions about changing pickups and neck adjustment. The guitar tech was very friendly and helpful. They sounded very confident with their products. Well done! carvin.

I have been playing seriously for about 3 years. I started 10 years ago. I have an Ibanez RG3120 with DiMarzio tonezone and paf pro pickups and a cheap ibanez talman. I love my RG. It has a maple neck bolt on mahogany body with lo-pro edge trem. That is a no-nonsense heavy metal guitar. It is dark and powerful sounds like a wall. The more distortion you use the better it sounds. So I want a guitar that is 180 degree different from my RG and I have to say I nail it. Maple thru alder with TOM bridge gives me a clear, punchy, bright and open sound. Sustain is endless because of the bridge and construction. Neck shape is rounded which is fun to play with compared to the super flat RG wizard. Some people like to have a versatile guitar But sometimes they end up being jack of all traits and master of none. I have two guitars that sound completely different. Either rules for what it's intended.

2004 Carvin Dc127m made in San Diego, Cali. 24 frets, neckthru and stringthru bridge. I had jumbo frets, tung oiled neck and rounded body sides as additional features on my Dc127m. Two humbuckers that are passive with a coil splitter for each. Sperzel tuners. All maple neck thru an alder body. I give it a ten because I got to choose every feature that I wanted...how could this not be a ten then?

I like rock/metal. I found the tone to be REMARKABLY balanced and full. It is a bit brighter than my Ibanez USA Custom but I was kinda hoping that it would be. The single coil splitters only really seem "effective" imo on clean parts. In distorted playing...I notice next to NO difference at all.

This is where Carvin REALLY shines. Best fret job straight from a manufacturer ever imho. Everything is ROCK solid and the pickup adjustment was dead nuts on. To repeat this general statement about every component is a waste of time...but true nonetheless.

FYI-The tung oiled neck feels like a dream and I would HIGHLY recommend this feature.

Only had it for a month now...so no real comment.

Seems rock solid to me...

The gloss finish on the body combined with the deep purple finish attracts fingerprints like none other though! :)

if I need them...then I'll update this.

I've been playing 12 years.

Have/had -
Ibanez - '90 USA Custom, first Satriani model (1991)
Charvel - Model 6
Fender - Japanese Stratocaster
Hamer - '94 USA deluxe
Ovation - Celebrity Acoustic


Carvin flat out makes a fantastic guitar for the $$$. You can get similar quality from other companies...but it will cost you more. Your choice of course! ;)