A local store has a Carvin DC127, used for $460. The condition is not too great - has a few dings on it and looks like the pickup hole cover piece (whatever they are called_ was replaced as it is tan and the pickups and the bridge one is black. They wrote the model as a D127 and a letter I am pretty sure T, but it's a DC127. It has a fixed bridge not a Wilkinson trem. Maple neck from what I recall and a rosewood fretboard. I spent more of my time actually playing it and seeing how I like the feel rather than inspecting it.

Looks like this: http://www.ke-musik.dk/ProductImages/Pic/DC1271.jpg

The neck is real thin and real straight... much better than most guitars including any other Carvin I have played. Anyway I have a chance to sell my G&L S-500 which I regard as a way overpriced mexican strat and buy the Carvin. Not sure if I want to sell my only strat... but I never do play it anyway...

All I know, is I've been digging Carvin guitars lately, especially their 7s. I really like Tony MacAlpine's sig. Nice looking guitars. One of these days, im going to get one.

I am not sure if I want to sell my only strat, but I never really play it anyway. If it was a quality Fender or a GOOD strat style guitar, then I may play it....

So I told my friend who would buy the G&L that he can pick which guitar he wants and that will choose for me.

That G&L should be a very good guitar, is it made in the US? but if you don't like it theres no point in keeping it.

Yeah it's an older, US made model... not the tribute.

I find the pickups overly bright and harsh, the frets are well worn (didn't take too long after I got it to wear either), the sperzel locking tuners have broken yet again, the neck is not too fat but just the exact wrong shape for me, the trem is aweful (but I blocked that)... the switch so I can have the neck and bridge pickups is its only advantage over your average mexican strat. It has never stayed in tune right either... just a million things I hate about that guitar...

If you dont like it that much, there is only one option - - get rid of the thing. If it isnt the guitar for you, just get something else. To me, it sounds as though there is no reason for you keeping that guitar. If it just doesnt suit you at all, get rid of it. Go for the Carvin and see how you get on.

Getting guitars is all about trial and error, you dont get one you "love" straight away. You have to get used to a guitar overtime. I still believe that some people never find that "perfect" guitar for them. I havent yet found 1 guitar, that I would say I fell in love with from the off!

Let us know how you get on with the Carvin.
Personally, I like them. If they were easier to get hold of in the UK, I may have tried one out properly by now.

Well it certainly stands out for the price. I played it next to a $2200 Jackson and an Ibanez RG420 and I thought the neck was more comfortable and it seemed better made. Additionally the neck radius as you go up the neck on the Jackson was a bit wack where it was perfect on the Carvin. The RG420 definitely screamed sustain (maple/mahogany) where the Carvin was second there (alder) but again I think the neck was better.

Those G&L's keep thier value prety well. If your letting it go to your freind for a good deal then thats cool, but if you were to auction it you could prolly get enough to buy that Carvin and another good used guitar to boot.

Go for it. Trust me, you can get a decent Mexican Strat for very cheap (often 200 to 225), and replace the individual bits on your own schedule. If the neck is godly then go for it.

Really? In the mid to late 90s the book value was only $200-$300 which means $200 in its condition. They seem to be selling for $650 tops on **** used but in much better condition than mine.

I'm heading down later tonight to buy the guitar. Maybe I will end up buying a strat that I like someday as a result of selling mine!

K, if it was good condition I would have said 650 or more, but this sounds like a good deal for you. Let us know how you like the Carvin.

I just bought the Carvin. Only played it through my Studio 15 so far as to not wake the neighbors. It still has the same tonal characteristics that I liked through the Peavey Classic 50. The fretboard is ebony - I should have known from the sound as it has the ebony punch to it, but it looked very rosewood from the light in the store.

I really dig the pickups in it. Definitely Carvin pickups, from the looks of them they are the default stock pickups in a DC127, the C22N/C22B. My favorite tone from it is a fusion tone with a bit of preamp side gain sort of like Tony Mcalpine or someone but it has nice harmonics and does it all for me. And the coil taps on this guitar are useful for me - usually I find a tapped humbucker to be too thin and too bright to be used without adjusting amp settings, but with the coil tapped or without there is a very good balance. What I like so far is to play with the neck pickups coil tapped and the bridge pup with both coils so both pickups have the same audible volume and highs and I can untap the neck pickup to solo on!

For comparison I played it alongside a Jackson and ESP both which were selling for over three times the new price of this DC127. Each appeared to have 10s where the Carvin was setup for 8s and rediculously low action. I found the Jackson and ESP to have more lows and a tighter sound and perhaps more sustain due to the mahogany / mahogany with maple top bodies as opposed to alder but I think the DC127 was much better overall. It was very apparent that neither guitar would ever have action twice as high as the Carvin and not buzz like mad and possibly skip a fret etc.

The action is rediculously low. I got a set of 9s which I will set it up for soon, but I will probably raise the action a hair just because it is so insanely low that it's a little bit too easy to play. Then again, it is a fixed bridge so I don't need to raise action so I can pull up on the trem...

Due to the small market over here, they marked the price down from $460 to $425 further. The sale tag had fallen on the floor so I never even saw it. I cannot believe I got a guitar this good for $425 (or $460). They also had the original neck pickup casing pieces (the previous owner put on tan ones but kept the originals too) so I can choose from tan and black... life is full of important choices

Last time I played a Carvin was over 10 years ago to the best of my recollection. I don't remember liking it nearly this much, but I do remember almost buying it because it was a good value. And of course my musicial tastes have changed so much since then as well.

You'll get improved tone by simply changing from 8's to 10's. I'm glad you got it and like it, Carvin makes a great guitar for the money, no doubt.

And I am not even complaining about how it sounds with 8s!

Okay I put 9s on it and it feels the same so I guess it had 9s on it. Feels like 8s if not 6s or 7s...

Ernie Balls sound great on it. I'm going to get a set of 10s tomorrow I think and try that.