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I'm predicting the end for Carvin.
- Thread starter FingerDub
- Start date
That's because the company doing sound is not the same as the company doing instruments.
Agreed. Whenever you see moves like the split that usually a sign that they are struggling and getting desperate.
Kiesel or Carvin as I still call them have updated their bass line recently but the basses that they have updated with IMO are hiddious. I wouldn't pay $100 for that headless Vader bass let alone $1,200. IMO.
They definitely have their target customer. Whether I like their stuff or not, they seem to be doing well. They were hiring new staff.
You know Rich, I've been seeing a lot of Kiesel basses for sale on CL and EBay. And in a lot of cases the sellers haven't even had them 6 months.
They sell ten plus guitars for every bass sold. I think they should sell a vintage style guitar similar to a Jaguar. I think that’s their biggest hole in the lineup.
I'm very happy with my 2x115mbe stack. Sad that Carvin is liquidating. Made in the USA at a reasonable price is a dying breed. 
I had to stop following a Kiesel group on Facebook. I still follow the company business page as I like seeing their workshop tours and instruments going out of the door but the community that has amassed under the Kiesel brand is just utterly foul. It was incessant fanboi drivel and brand bashing. I like to think as musicians, we can all get along but evidently we're not there yet.
As for the Carvin name, I think that is dead and gone, along with the hallmark of integrity it bore. I used to think of Carvin as endearingly 'mom and pop', making quality American guitars at a good price with a range that had something for everyone. Not to mention, they had some serious players on their books like Tony MacAlpine, Allan Holdworth etc etc.
Kiesel has neen dogged by some dubious episodes that, whilst I wouldn't say bring the legacy of Carvin into disrepute, they make it clear it's a whole new enterprise with a different focus. A focus that has perhaps deviated from Carvin's insistence of putting the customer first.
I found the whole fake 'robbery' thing quite distasteful, especially when the announcement video included an appeal for viewers to make new orders to help them at that difficult time. I've seen a few threads elsewhere about QC issues and a dispute over an option 50 paint job that didn't cover Kiesel in glory.
It's a real shame as in 2015, I was dreaming of ordering a Carvin H2 (and I was going to specify the Carvin logo!). A guitar I've dreamed of for years. My brother talked sense into me and told me to undertake due diligence. After all, I'm on the other side of the Atlantic from Kiesel and I'd cop for the import duty abd VAT so the guitar would have to be truly next level. The result of several weeks of consideration was that the company and player base had just moved so far away from what I valued that I felt there was no connection between me and the brand anymore and I decided not to make an order. I can admit, that matters to me. I know there are a lot of old Carvin staff working at Kiesel and I feel for them, to see the Carvin we knew and loved being erased.
As for the Carvin name, I think that is dead and gone, along with the hallmark of integrity it bore. I used to think of Carvin as endearingly 'mom and pop', making quality American guitars at a good price with a range that had something for everyone. Not to mention, they had some serious players on their books like Tony MacAlpine, Allan Holdworth etc etc.
Kiesel has neen dogged by some dubious episodes that, whilst I wouldn't say bring the legacy of Carvin into disrepute, they make it clear it's a whole new enterprise with a different focus. A focus that has perhaps deviated from Carvin's insistence of putting the customer first.
I found the whole fake 'robbery' thing quite distasteful, especially when the announcement video included an appeal for viewers to make new orders to help them at that difficult time. I've seen a few threads elsewhere about QC issues and a dispute over an option 50 paint job that didn't cover Kiesel in glory.
It's a real shame as in 2015, I was dreaming of ordering a Carvin H2 (and I was going to specify the Carvin logo!). A guitar I've dreamed of for years. My brother talked sense into me and told me to undertake due diligence. After all, I'm on the other side of the Atlantic from Kiesel and I'd cop for the import duty abd VAT so the guitar would have to be truly next level. The result of several weeks of consideration was that the company and player base had just moved so far away from what I valued that I felt there was no connection between me and the brand anymore and I decided not to make an order. I can admit, that matters to me. I know there are a lot of old Carvin staff working at Kiesel and I feel for them, to see the Carvin we knew and loved being erased.
wmhill
Inactive
- Aug 20, 2012
- 4,054
- 17,209
- Disclosures
- MTD basses endorsed artist Bartolini pickups emerging artist TECAMP bass players gear endorsed
wmhill
Inactive
- Aug 20, 2012
- 4,054
- 17,209
- Disclosures
- MTD basses endorsed artist Bartolini pickups emerging artist TECAMP bass players gear endorsed
I was never a Carvin fan, but I hate to see any music gear company go under.
That's too bad. I have a F600 power amp I bought new over 20 years ago for my MB1 bass rig. It is still going strong. I also just recently picked up a wireless IEM system from them. It's pretty nicely done, especially for the price. I better order spare parts for it quick.
I've got 2 Carvin basses hanging on the wall beside me, and have had a ton of there amps and cabs. I've never found any fault with their gear. I hope the guitar line keeps rolling.
