So the value that Carvin brings to the person that wants a guitar built to his or her specs that has a budget get's a lot for the dallor. When you look at it from that perspective how much does it cost to have Suhr or PRS build you a guitar on spec, 3-4K? and you can wait up to 6 months to get it not 6 weeks. The only reason I can think of for buying a Carvin brand new is to have it built to your specs. Point being is the resale for a used guitar that you bought new for the most part you can see a 20-30% loss unless you get lucky. I had a 2007 PRS Experience solid top that I paid $2,650 brand new played it 4 years put a few dings on it and sold it for $1,675 and it needed a fret job in a bad way. The guitar was built in April 2012 nothing really special, Ebony bord, std stainless frets and a solid color not a ding on it. The 324 I bought earlier this year was a good deal, new it invoiced for $1,138 and I paid $750. This is true of any used guitar that is not a collectible. I'm not biased or anything :lol nor am I trying to stick up for what I'm using right now and I have owned other guitars including the ones I'm mentioning as an example here. When I changed the pickups on my C66 I had to drill new holes in the pickup bracket, and file down the edges so they would fit. My C66 and DC727 use three screws to mount the pickups (which is nice because you don't have rocking pickup syndrome ) and the routing is very tight. If you're planning on changing pickups, be aware that this can require a bit more work than a typical guitar. Talk to the Carvin sales people, if they can't answer your questions, they'll redirect you to someone who can. Carvin's site, and I think Stewart Mac's both have good advice on this. If you're going to get one, my advice would be to research the kinda sounds you want and what woods will give you that. My perception of the 727 vs the Ibanez 7 string I played is that the Carvin was way better built, easier to play (reaching the 24th fret is a breeze, no heal in the way), near infinite sustain, much warmer and more versatile sound. I use the piezo in it instead of bringing an acoustic to a gig. The only thing I can't quite get with it, is that chimey bridge middle combination, it doesn't have a middle pickup. The C66 has a wider range of tones than any other guitar I've ever played.

Tone wise, my Bolt sounds and plays and sounds better than any Strat I've compared it with. On the bolt kit, there was one pin point size knot in the wood on the back of the body. On the 727, there was a subtle bit of bleed where they the masked the neck for staining.

When each of these guitars arrived, I and some guitar player friends went over them looking for flaws in either the workmanship, materials or finish. Have you ever noticed with some rosewood fingerboards you can feel the pores in the wood as you play? The fingerboard on all four of these guitars are as smooth as glass. The neck profile is similar to the thinness of an Ibanez neck, but it's not quite as flat feeling. Plus, one of the guys I play with got one of the Bolt kits and loaded it with a David Gilmour strat set of electronics.Д«efore I got these guitars, I played an Ibanez RG I sold it after I got the C66. I have 3 Carvin's (and someday I'll get an AE185-12)ДC727 - Koa body, quilt maple top, ebony fingerboard I like it so much I then bought a.Д¬66 - Koa body, quilt maple top, ebony fingerboard, piezo bridge, active electronics, replaced the pickups with a SD Jeff Beck and Jazz.Д«olt - Alder body, ebony fingerboard, Fender Lace Gold pickups. You'll love playing the Carvin and if you don't like the sound you can swap pickups or you if really hate it, there's still that money back guarantee. The Ibanez would be 8 playability/8 sound The Carvins would be 9 playability/7 sound If I were to rate the Suhrs 10 playability/10 sound Ratings for playability/sound both on a ten scale: The Surhs and the Ibanez are more dynamic and more comfortable to wear. The sound of the Carvins by themselves seem pretty good, but going back and forth between my Suhrs there is little comparison.

I kept the Bolt+ stock, but have a Bill Lawrence humbucker in the kit. In fact, on the bolt kit, I deepened the lower cutaway and the tummy cut for better access and more comfort before finishing it.Д®lectronics are OK. The bodies are rather generic, i.e., the tummy cut and contours are shallow. Neck and fret work on the Carvins are excellent, close to the Suhrs and superior to the Ibanez. Ibanez Prestige FR1620, the one that looks like a tele, I think that you'd be blown away playing the Carvin, but might be left wanting a more dynamic sounding guitar.Д¬arvin Bolt+ Д¬arvin Bolt kit.

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