Gibson SG Standard vs Carvin DC127

sprint

sprint

Axe-Master
OK:

I have a Gibson SG standard that I bought new in 07 and:
-has scratchy pots,
-has noisy pups,
-has a static noise that occurs in winter (I have to keep a bounce sheet near by to rub it),
-goes out of tune with the slighted change in humidity
-has nice fit and finish but is not a knock out.

I also have a Carvin DC which:
-has beautiful knock out fit and finish and superior parts and woods.
-has quiet pups and smooth non-scratchy pots.
-stays in tune for weeks.


Given this you might conclude that I love to play the Carvin - WRONG:

-The SG is a joy for me to play, feels alive in my hands, makes me want to play for hours, seems to assist me in improving my technique, makes all the compatible patches in the AxeII sound awesome.
-The Carvin feels dead, disconnected. Since the day I bought it I've never had the feeling that it is a joy to play (as much as I want it to be). Some how it is a chore to play. It makes most AxeII patches sound bad to me. I'm planning on changing the pups but I'm not sure doing that is going to transform this guitar for me.

Any thoughts on why this happens or adjustments I could make? At some point I'll have to sell it if I'm not going to play it (I'm not a believer in having guitars I don't play) but resale on Carvins is not great as I understand it.

I bought the Carvin as a shredder type guitar to replace my Jackson which I do like but I've found I am not a trem fan.


Unfortunately I am a lefty so am relegated to mail order in order to buy a good guitar at a reasonable price.
 
Last edited:
On the Carvin would find out what pups are in it if you don't already know and changes them out. Try to match the flavor and output of the pups that are in the SG. You might have a problem with this on some Carvin guitars the pickup pocket might be on the shallow side so I would do a little research first.

The electrons in the Carvin to me anyway are it's bigest down fall though some may disagree. I can't stand pots that have that sticky slow feel to them plus when compared to other pots visually that are put in other guitars (PRS for instance) they have a cheep and skimpy look right off the bat.

As to the playability of the two they both have different scale lengths, The SG @ 24 3/4" the carvin @ 25" the other factors are neck radius and carve etc.

I would also say that if the electronics in the SG are scratchy they need to be cleaned, the noisy pups could be a grounding issue hard to say though and humidity and temperature changes will reek havoc on just about any wood instrument.
 
I had a Carvin that was amazing on the eyes and not so much on the ears. Tried multiple pups until I,.. you guessed... sold it for much less than what I paid for it.
 
Sixstring said:
As to the playability of the two they both have different scale lengths, The SG @ 24 3/4" the carvin @ 25" the other factors are neck radius and carve etc.
Click to expand...
Scale is a huge factor when it comes to feel. A long-scale guitar like the Carvin has higher string tension than a short-scale like the Gibson, so it takes more force to fret a clean note. Besides, whatever you play, it's just a longer stretch for the fingers on a guitar with a longer scale.
 
cragginshred said:
I had a Carvin that was amazing on the eyes and not so much on the ears. Tried multiple pups until I,.. you guessed... sold it for much less than what I paid for it.
Click to expand...

Did you change the volume and tone pots?

I have never been lucky at making money on a guitar that I bought new or use for that matter. I bought one of my PRS guitars new @ $2,700 and sold it for much less that I payed for it... $1,850 and that was roughly the going market at the time of selling it.

Depending on the modle of Carvin, a new one can run $1,700-2K and I watch those sell on ebay in the $9-1,200 range so the percentage of decrease in value is about the same. I payed $700 for the used Carvin I have now which new I think went for close to the $1,200 range, I put another $80 into it for one of those prewired PRS volume, tone and switch harnesses. Aside from a slight difference in the way the Carvin pups sound compared to the PRS the playability is on par, though it doesn't look as nice but I got over that pretty quick.
 
Chances are it's NOT just the pups. Play 'em both unplugged - does the SG still feel alive, the Carvin dead? Several things in play: scale length, as has been pointed out, fretboard radius, string tension (affected by scale length, but other factors too), fret profile, body weight and balance, body wood resonance etc. I ONLY buy guitars that sound good, play well, unplugged. Kind of an acid test for me.

And then there's just plain old 'mojo'. You can take two SGs off the rack, made on the same production line, even on the same date, and one is going to feel better than the other. Who knows why...

Personally, changing the pups on a guitar you don't like rarely fixes things. If the feel isn't there, that is not likely to really fix it. Imagine a car with too small an engine and crappy handling - changing the engine may give you more oomph, but it's still gonna suck on cornering...
 
Last edited:
I have a couple SGs and I love them both so I know what you mean. Mine however stays in good tune. Maybe it just needs a few tweaks to get it staying in tune for you. If you are unhappy with the Carvin you could always sell it and get another SG. They are nice and light and sound great one of my favorite guitars.
 
I have to say I love all my Carvins (3 ) and especially my # 1 guitar my Carvin California Carved top . Too bad you're a lefty I'd like to see that Carvin ...
I understand though if it doesn't work for you switching p ups might not change that .
Ive played many Gibsons Les Pauls , SG's , Fenders , PRS , Ibanez etc not many of them came close to my favorte Carvin. Just my opinion . I comes down to what " feels " best to the player and that can vary widely .
 
I played a 1974 SG for many years as my only guitar. I switched to a Carvin DC-127 that I have used as my main guitar since the mid 90s.

I understand what you mean in your comparison. Carvin DC-127s are well built, use precise manufacturing techniques, great materials, fit together perfectly, etc. But they do lack something that is hard to define. The SG was part work of art. I view the Carvin as a tool. It has all the functional features I want/need (24 frets, neck through body, locking machines, Floyd Rose, small neck, desirable scale, small body, deep cutaways, inline machines that don't make the strings deflect at an angle, my choice of many options). But the SG had an intangible quality that I prefer. I replaced the Carvin pickups with Duncans, but even acoustically, I prefer almost all of my other guitars to my Carvin DC-127s.

The Carvin is my work tool. It gets the job done live better than any other guitar I can think of. Its been my workhorse for almost 20 years. But it lacks character. For sheer enjoyment (or recording), I'd prefer to play something else.
 
Sixstring said:
Are you still running the same electronics in the CT?
Click to expand...

Yes same electronics . my first Carvin was a 80's era Ultra V and that one has that special MOJO for me too .

IDK but I think across alot of brands, you'll play alot of clunkers before you find the one that speaks to you . Ive only run into a few Gibsons / Fenders, especially in stores, that were great, they're out there but you gotta look .

My very first electric was a Gibson Melody Maker mid 60s vintage it was white turned yellow had rust on it bent tuners - but man that little guitar could sing . I got it with a silverfaced Twin Reverb Man what I would give to have those back .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom