• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

I'm predicting the end for Carvin.

#181
Skipped through all the posts but went to watch the Kiesel Vanquish videos on YT. They all seem to have the Carvin name on the headstock
...or is it my lying eyes:eyebrow:
Point being it seems Carvin is healthy while Kiesel is still looking for lift off.
And they sound damn good, Roy Vogt video, very convincing and a six string, they're under $1,200.
 
Last edited:
#182
As a side note, I'm predicting the end of McDonalds.

1) Americans are becoming more health conscious, and that will obviously affect their product line. In a vain attempt to stay relevant, they've introduced salads as an addition to their burgers. An obvious last gasp.

2) Increased competition from Burger King, In and Out and other restaurants have made them increasingly irrelevant.

3) It's way cheaper to make your own burgers.

4) With the increases in technology, fast food is less necessary because people have more time on their hands, which means more time to cook their own meals.

5) Their acceptance of Apple Pay ties them into Apple, which is obviously an inferior product to Android.

6) Their fries. Actually, forget that - their fries are awesome.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hrodbert696, Bassmunnky, ajkula66 and 3 others
#183
BlueMINI said:
View attachment 824707

Or maybe not... :)

Remember, several popular MIM Fenders are street-priced between $899 - $1,000 for which you get standard woods-- however, you do get to chose from as many as three, maybe four colors ;)

$1k will get you a lot of freedom in the Kiesel/Carvin builder :D
Click to expand...

Those bodies look great... I have not bought one because I can't stand their headstocks. If they were to come out with a comparable Fender style headstock with clover tuners, I would be right on their front door step, begging to come in! Plus, like some others have stated, WEIGHT is a BIGGY for me as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BlueMINI
#184
tfer said:
As a side note, I'm predicting the end of McDonalds.

1) Americans are becoming more health conscious, and that will obviously affect their product line. In a vain attempt to stay relevant, they've introduced salads as an addition to their burgers. An obvious last gasp.

2) Increased competition from Burger King, In and Out and other restaurants have made them increasingly irrelevant.

3) It's way cheaper to make your own burgers.

4) With the increases in technology, fast food is less necessary because people have more time on their hands, which means more time to cook their own meals.

5) Their acceptance of Apple Pay ties them into Apple, which is obviously an inferior product to Android.

6) Their fries. Actually, forget that - their fries are awesome.
Click to expand...


You're Funny!! But in reality... you are correct! I stopped going to ALL fast food restaurants about 4 years ago. None of them are healthy. Even their salads are GMO and have toxins in them.
I now only eat organic food as much as possible, though I know they now radiate organic. If I DO go out... it is usually an alternative place that is health conscious. Ya just gotta do the best
ya can!
 
#185
FiveStringer1 said:
You're Funny!! But in reality... you are correct! I stopped going to ALL fast food restaurants about 4 years ago. None of them are healthy. Even their salads are GMO and have toxins in them.
I now only eat organic food as much as possible, though I know they now radiate organic. If I DO go out... it is usually an alternative place that is health conscious. Ya just gotta do the best
ya can!
Click to expand...

I think about the only place to eat that's safe now is grazing in a cow pasture many miles from civilization. Just be careful of cowpies and mushrooms, especially along the gulfcoast states.
 
#187
FingerDub said:
1. The Kiesel breakoff seems to have hurt Carvin as far as BASS guitars go. IMO
2. Unusual bass styles no one has really taken to. IMO.
3. Instruments so good these days from everywhere that Carvin is not price competitive anymore.
4. But still pay US wages.
5. Poor reputation for amp failures.
6. So many quality boutique builders at competitive prices.
7. Incredible deals on all kinds of used instruments, way below Carvin prices.
8. I saw a poor instrument reveal video by the Kiesel son, which seemed unprofessional and desperate to me.
9. Carvin name is just not as powerful anymore.

It seems that until technology had caught up - that Carvin filled a real need. A quality American instrument, at below Fender prices with some customization. BACK IN THE DAY. Now, you can get what you want almost anywhere, and below Carvin prices for comparable quality or better.

I'm not too in tune with their guitar business, but I imagine that it's their pro audio gear and regular guitars that will keep them in business.
Click to expand...

This is absolute nonsense. Since when are boutique basses been competitive in price.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Watchootognbout
#192
I played their JB bass and I really liked the sound. I have a Fender Jazz bass with active pickups from overseas that I compared it to. The neck on the Kiesel was flatter and very easy to play on. The Fender had more of a round neck. The weight was 10 pounds which is not light but I would not want it any heavier. The sound was very similar to my Fender but there is a little more low end for a fuller sound. If I backed off the low end with the active controls it almost sounded the same. Quality of construction is very good and they look very nice.

Debating if I want the active Kiesel JB5 bass or a American Jazz bass with its passive pickups. They are basically the same price. The Fender Jazz Elite is like $800 more which a big price difference
 
  • Like
Reactions: hrodbert696
#193
I suspect they're not going under any time soon. It appears they don't have huge overhead. But for the record pre-SB series they made very few basses that were the complete package. They were heavy and the electronics were mediocre. With the SB series we did see an improvement we also saw a pretty good neck contour. It ended up being a great package, especially for the price. Sadly though with the exception of Brian Bloomberg very few of their endorsers on the bass side are household names. I do know a couple of their endorsers personally (Ben Jones, Tom Barney) and they're both pretty straight shooters on the endorsement side, not the kinds of guys who'd whore out gear for money.

I happen to own an old style PB5 which was given to me, it's an excellent playing instrument, pretty well put together, and it plays very nicely with great fret access. It's also fairly lightweight, its weight is almost identical to my Sadowsky Metro. But, it has serious dead spots, to the point where the D string is almost unusable between the 4th and 7th fret. The B string is also on the weak side. Needless to say it sits on a stand while the Metro gets the work, the Metro also has a heft to the sound the Carvin lacks. But my biggest issue is I called Carvin about a couple of service issues and looking for some replacement parts (truss rod cover) and they claimed it wasn't even available. Really? I've heard about some other issues with their service but that was not impressive.

Having said that I consider the poor resale a plus, I'm never buying one new and I've seen several SB's used for great prices. If I owned the company I would definitely add non OEM quality electronics as an option. But there are certainly some great Carvin/Kneisel basses out there.
 
#195
I've been a Carvin supporter for a while (had a couple of guitars built) and still stand by them as Kiesel.

I had a PB5 built that is stellar and have a used B50 that is awesome as well.

To me, the change in name (back to roots) and the splitting of amps and guitars into two separate companies is a good thing. They can now focus even more on what they do.

I even chose to have Kiesel on my headstock of my new PB5.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ShenmueTacos and Bassmunnky
#197
Hmmm... seems this thread may have been prophetic. I just got a "liquidation" email from Carvin Audio that started out, "The Carvin Audio factory will be closing our doors..." ????

Anyone else get this email? I have bought gear from both Carvin and Kiesel over the years. Sad to see this email. Wonder what this means for Kiesel?

Comments? Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
#198
Christcr said:
Hmmm... seems this thread may have been prophetic. Anyone else get a "liquidation" email from Carvin Audio that started out, "The Carvin Audio factory will be closing our doors..." ????

Anyone else get this email? I have bought gear from both Carvin and Kiesel over the years. Sad to see this email. Wonder what this means for Kiesel?

Comments? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I got the same liquidation email. Sad to hear this news.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back