I talked with Joel Kiesel (Grandson) is in AL and Carvin is alive.
Carvin Corporation
Joel Kiesel
2200 US Highway 98
Ste 4, # 326
Daphne, AL 36526-4382
Carvin Corporation
Joel Kiesel
2200 US Highway 98
Ste 4, # 326
Daphne, AL 36526-4382
Same here.
Always loved/admired Carvin independence, both Commercial and design wise.
And they made very high quality killer sounding stuff, plus gorgeous Guitars and Basses.
Pity Globalization MURDERED tons of advanced Industries, another fresh casualty being Peavey.
Not sure US is yet aware of the DEEP self inflicted wound.
Always loved/admired Carvin independence, both Commercial and design wise.
And they made very high quality killer sounding stuff, plus gorgeous Guitars and Basses.
Pity Globalization MURDERED tons of advanced Industries, another fresh casualty being Peavey.
Not sure US is yet aware of the DEEP self inflicted wound.
In 1963? Probably.
TONS of cheesy Guitars way back then.
Plus imports like those "off the wall" Teisco, Italian "VOX", early Höfner, Hagstrom, US made Danelectro, you-name-it.
And the infamous "catalog" Guitars.
But Carvin in particular took the bull by the horns and evolved into beauties like:
not only good looking but very well made and killer sounding.
TONS of cheesy Guitars way back then.
Plus imports like those "off the wall" Teisco, Italian "VOX", early Höfner, Hagstrom, US made Danelectro, you-name-it.
And the infamous "catalog" Guitars.
But Carvin in particular took the bull by the horns and evolved into beauties like:
not only good looking but very well made and killer sounding.
I bought a neck, two pickups and a guitar case from Carvin in 1973, the pickups looked the same (only black in color) as the ones on Hitsware's ~ 1963 guitar, the neck also looks the same. Built and wired a lot of electric guitar bodies back then using cheap used guitar parts, the Carvin purchase being the first "new parts".
As I recall, the Carvin catalog listed the neck as made by Höfner. It cost $100 dollars, over $600 adjusted for inflation in today's money, more than 50 hours of work at the wages I made in high school.
After a few months (when I saved up another $100) I replaced the Carvin pickups (too clean..) with Gibson P-90s, photo of the guitar below.
Unlike Hitsware's experience, my Carvin/Höfner neck still is as good now as when purchased, similar to the best Stratocaster necks I've encountered.
Still have one of the Carvin pickups mounted as a center pickup on a Kingston from the "cheesy" era.
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Mid-Eighties, I really really wanted one of their double-neck guitars, really nice flame maple DN612...oh well back in those days it was unobtainable..for me anyways.
Carvin guitars are very very good - quality is up there with the finest guitars made...- I pick up those Bolt Strat kits all the time for just under a couple hundred...about half what I find Fender MIM strat (PRE COVID).
I love those AP11 single ended pups with the 11 poles (instead of the standard 6 poles)...
One complaint I have is the 500k pot they have on those ceramic AP11 single coils...I just solder a 470k resistor across the pot and dump the bleed cap and it becomes the perfect strat pup!
I love those AP11 single ended pups with the 11 poles (instead of the standard 6 poles)...
One complaint I have is the 500k pot they have on those ceramic AP11 single coils...I just solder a 470k resistor across the pot and dump the bleed cap and it becomes the perfect strat pup!