You're comparing 2021 prices on new guitars to used guitars from years ago so that's not really accurate as inflation is a thing and prices have been steadily climbing every year. The massive price drop on the used market can make them a tremendous bang for buck pickup.Ĭarvin resale value has actually been rising as a result of the popularity of Kiesel. There are certain guitar brands I would never buy new that I always give a hard look at if I run into used….Carvin, made in US G&L, a couple of others. Used to use it teaching lessons….none of my students had ever seen one before, zero clue what Carvin was. I paid about half what the original buyer did (who took a serious bath when he sold it). I had a used Carvin Fatboy for a few years….all koa wood, original owner had dropped Seymour Duncans in them. they are kind of a rarity in stores, even used. It's like if people can customize an instrument completely they can’t help but take it one step too far. Usually things like really ugly neck inlays. Every single one had at least one “customization” that I thought was awful. All selling for about half the price used of the same guitar if you speced it new. I sold a guy my great Bolt+ for $500.Ī lot of people already saying something similar here but I’ll toss in my 2 cents. Lastly, they've raised prices for both models and options so much lately that I'm not sure they're the value they used to be.Īll that to say, yeah used Carvins can be incredible deals. I also kinda hate Kiesel fanboys because they can be culty and weird. I've only got one Kiesel left in the stable and I've been debating if I'd order another, just because I don't want to associate with Jeff and his cringey vibes. It's a bummer because I've been a Carvin fan for so long but I can't dissociate the Kiesel brand from that loser now. I'd still say they're maybe among the best value you can actually get on the used market though.Īnd nowadays, the company is run by someone who is absolutely terrible. You're buying some one-off whacky guitar with often terrible user-spec'd color schemes and hardware. But they were always heavier than you'd think.Īnyway, used Carvins are so cheap because there's no "I want that guitar (search Reverb) oh there it is" with Carvin. They used to list their weights in the in stock section, and no longer do. I think they take some woods that other makers would pass on due to weight, and are able to get them cheaper as a result. My headless chambered ash Kiesel was 7 pounds. Kiesels in particular are goofy heavy for what they are. The newer metal pickups I can't really give a fair shake on because that's not my style, but I owned a Kiesel with Lithiums and I thought they were just awful.Īnother thing I suspect they do at least nowadays to save money is buy woods that are heavier. The new Kiesel version of the Holdsworths are good and the Berylliums are great. The old Carvin C22s were great IMO but most of their other pickups kind of sucked in my experience. They save money by doing pickups in house. That's the only guitar I've ever owned that needed a switch replaced. The switch on one of my Carvins crapped out on me. I know Carvins used mini pots and janky switches. Their tops are ridiculously nice for the prices, but their finishes tend to have less of a 3 dimensional quality than something like a PRS.Įlectronics are one place they cut corners. Lately some Kiesels have apparently had fret sprout but the 2 Kiesels I've owned didn't have that issue. I'll die on this hill as someone who's owned and played a ton of high end guitars. I'd say they compete with a lot of the top dogs in that regard. Personally I'd say they're up there with the nicest neck/fretwork you can get.
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