[monroe]

Hey Now! I've scrimped and scrounged, and have finally drawn enough aces to order my Carvin Wolf. I've been planning this for quite some time, and I've pretty much mapped out the same specs that Brutusbuck used for his Carvin (see this post for pics and specs forum/viewtopic.php?f=309&t=8578). Man I can't wait! How the heck am I going to get through the next 5 - 7 weeks waiting for it to arrive?!?!?!

Brutus ... now that you've had your Carvin Wolf for awhile ... do you still love it as much as you did from day 1? Anything you'd do differently if you were doing it a second time around???

[brutusbuck45]

As TP and the HB once said... the waiting is the hardest part. Congrats on your order!

About your question if I love it as much as I did the first day, my reply is an unequivocal and resounding: YES! I have not regretted this purchase one time. The tone produced by this guitar from both choice of wood and the DC-145 PUP configuration (H-S-H) is exactly what I was hoping for when I spec'd it out. I am not sure that I would have done much, if anything, differently looking backward. As with most everyone, the amount that I was able to spend was a major factor. And realistically, this was a motivation for first investigating and ultimately choosing Carvin in the first place. They have the reputation for building a quality, custom-made instrument at very fair and reasonable price point. If I had the coin for a luthier-built, handmade guitar, I would have certainly investigated that more closely. But, I think when a respected master luthier like Tom Lieber weighed in with a favorable opinion of the Carvin product, that provided some piece of mind and "icing on the cake".

I wish you the best of luck and hope you get all that you are hoping for with it. My advice if you have not already submitted your order is: Do your homework. I used their Builder Tool for for several weeks spec'ing out different builds before I actually pulled the trigger. Research the materials and their tonal characteristics and compare that to what you are expecting. I am sure you are aware of this, but I will put it out there anyway. If you do change your mind about something in your order mid-build, there is a $100 change fee per item. This could get very expensive!

Carvin does also have a 10 day return policy- no questions asked. This speaks volumes about the confidence they have in their product and attention to customer satisfaction. You are only responsible for the return shipping cost. Fortunately, I did not even once consider returning mine.

Again, good luck and enjoy your Carvin!

~Brutus

DSC01922 (Custom).JPG

[Counterstriker]

How long does it take to build?

[monroe]

First off, I assume your screenname was chosen cause you play counter-strike? Awesome. how often do you meet a fellow CS player in a Grateful Dead forum!?! I've been playing that game since the first beta versions were out back around 1998!

Right now, Carvin lists the bulid time at 5 - 7 weeks on their site. the upcoming holidays is either going to help me or kill me. On the one hand, they probably ramp up staff and such to handle the larger volume of orders to get them done quicker and shipped out in time for Christmas. On the other hand, the larger volume could mean a longer wait. Hopefully mine will be in the former category. 5-7 weeks is the lowest I've seen the build time go on their site, so maybe their all staffed up for the holidays, but haven't seen the increased order volume yet. Hopefully since I'm ordering early, it'll get done and sent to me. Longest 5-7 weeks ever!

Thanks for all your insight Brutus! I've been researching as well for several months what I want in terms of build specs. Funny thing is, before you posted pics and specs of yours, I had pretty much settled on most of the exact same specs. The only differences I had at that point were the body wood (was leaning toward the default alder body), and I was going to go with a straight clear finish instead of the yellow. But after seeing your pics, yellow is definatley the way to go. And I'm going to go with the walnut as well. I've done some research on the tonal characteristics, and I think I'll be happy with the walnut (except maybe for the weight .

[jerrys.kids]

sick man. hope they bring on some extra elves to help get that built quicker.

[rugger]

Go with the stainless frets. They're awesome and well worth the upcharge.

John in San Diego

[Jon S.]

I waited 26 months for my Philtone Jerrycaster Tiger so you'll have to excuse me if I don't get overly concerned over your 5-7 week build time.

Congrats on moving forward!

[gr8fulbluz]

I know what it is like spec'ing out a Carvin. My first was a DC150 which isn't even made anymore i dont think. But then I wanted a piezo bridge so I had to narrow down the choice and I think it forced me into active only electronics and the DC 127 style is where i ended up.

I sort O' regretted the active only at first but for the last couple of years I guess I have grown to accustomed to the electronics. But that is about it.

General thoughts.
The ebony fretboard, I like very much. The abalone Inlays are beautiful, but i could take it or leave it but at the time i had to have them. Now I would get a Birdseye fretboard with no inlay, i dunno?
Locking tuners are very nice indeed I would get again.
Humbucker coil splits and out of phase switch, I would get again as well.
The peizo bridge is something I would get again as well but doesnt apply to the dc145
Straplocks, I didnt but should have gotten.
Stainless frets, I dont think was an option but I hear great things about them and wished I had them.
Tung oil back of neck, I love it and would get it again.
i got the swamp ash body wings mine took the stain and/or paint really well but I understand swamp ash can be difficult to finish, I dunno.
I also got a maple neck and flamed maple top. It is a bright sounding guitar. I dont play alot of electric so maybe I am off.
I wasn't looking for a Garcia-type/style looking guitar, but I wanted a crystal clear tone almost Violin -ish, if that makes any sense. However my first color choice was yellow flamed maple top, but i wanted a dark color guitar, i dunno.

The fit and finish is very good still after 7 or 8 years it polishes up real well. The frets show some wear but nothing unexpected. It was quite a process for me and if i did it today some would be different but a lot would be the same there is just too many choices for a wacko like me.

this is what it looked like when it arrived, in early 2003. Jack a Roe, the cat, checking it out as usual.
Thumb clicky>

[keirweir]

I waited 26 months for my Philtone Jerrycaster Tiger so you'll have to excuse me if I don't get overly concerned over your 5-7 week build time.

Congrats on moving forward!

I waited a year for my Ressurection Eagle! 5-7 weeks!

I would love to hear some sound clips of those Carvin PU's... Anyone?

[monroe]

Thanks for all the info and advice! I don't see how some of you waited 1 -2 YEARS for your guitar!! I'm definitely happy with the options I chose. I did indeed go with the stainless frets. Now I just need to find someone in my area (Louisville) who can help me with an OBEL and buffer! And my order just went from "new order" to "processing" .. yay!

[vwjodyme]

just curious, does carvin allow you to put the single at the neck or is it strictly H-S-H?

[monroe]

just curious, does carvin allow you to put the single at the neck or is it strictly H-S-H?

they don't give you the H-H-S option on the web site configuration tool, but they might do it if asked. I'm actually going to call them tomorrow with another question, I'll ask about that while I've got them on the line. On their 2 pickup models, they offer "active electronics", where they put a buffer (and 9v battery) in. They don't offer that option on the 3 pickup models (I've read that they won't even take special requests for it), but I'm going to ask if they'll still go ahead an carve out the chamber for it, even if they won't include the buffer itself. Then it'll at least be ready to go so I could put in a waldo buffer on my own if I want to.

[monroe]

So I talked to Carvin folks.

RE: doing H-H-S configuration, he wasn't sure on that. Said I'd have to talk to sales, but he felt like they'd probably do that on the condition that the sale would be final (you wouldn't be able to return it in the 10 period if you don't like it).

RE: their "active electronics" (which is their version of an onboard buffer), he confirmed that they can't/won't include active electronics on the 3 pickup version of the DC (which is what I ordered). I asked if they could still route out the cavity for the active electronics, and just leave it empty so I could add them on my own later. He has to ask the shop on that, and took my info to get in touch with me on Monday to let me know if they can do it. I'll post again when I hear from them on Monday ....

[vwjodyme]

did you ever hear back from them on the h-h-s or the cavity? I tried emailing (from work) last week and they never got back to me...probably pretty swamped i imagine

[monroe]

ON the H-H-S, I was told to ask sales. I didn't call back to talk to a sales rep since I've already placed my order.

On the cavity, I found out through my own research that they actually make the main cavity big enough to fit the buffer, so for that part I should be good to go. They do add a 2nd cavity for the 9v battery with a nice battery door. I called about that, and the support rep transferred me to talk directly to the builder who is building my guitar. I thought that was pretty darn cool of them to let me talk straight to the builder. Unfortunately, he told me that adding the 9v cavity would mean I'd have no warranty at all, so I opted out of it. The main cavity should be big enough to include the 9v, and they do sell the battery door on the parts section of their site for $9, so I could always add it later myself.