Is it hard to get good tone with AXEFX using Carvin Neck Thru all Koa guitars?

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I am planning to buy the AXE FX XL within the next few weeks.

I am also planning to have a Carvin guitar made which will be Neck Thru, stainless steel jumbo frets, All Koa neck & body, with a ebony fretboard.
I'm having a Dimarzio Super Distortion put in the bridge & a Texas Special single coil put in the neck.
The guitar will be a Hardtail, string thru with a TOM bridge.
I will be replacing all of the electronics with the best wiring/electronics available.
It's a 25" scale length, 14" radius, thin neck, with sperzel tuners, and a locking nut even though it's a hardtail, I just like the feel of metal nuts.
There also will be no tone control as I dislike them.
The headstock is the pointy angled kind. 24 frets. Thin neck profile.

So those are the specs of the guitar.

I've read online where some people are saying that Carvin guitars sound cold, lifeless, sterile, mechanical.
I've read where some people say that neck thru combined with stainless frets/ebony fingerboard etc makes the guitars sound overly bright and thin. Lifeless.

I also read that neck thrus usually sound more bright & compressed due to most people use maple, which is why I'm going to use all Koa to try and avoid that issue.

What can anyone on here tell me about the compatibility of this guitar build used with the axe fx, what results would it most likely produce?

The Carvin I'm going to get built is going to be customized to a point it will not be able to be returned like most of their guitars can be in the 10 day period.

So I am trying to get some feedback from other users on here that use Carvin neck thru guitars with their Axe Fx, preferably Koa.

I just don't want to put the money into a Axe and a custom Carvin only to be held back in tone by the Carvin if in fact the Carvin is a bad match for the Axe Fx.

I really want to do this Carvin build because Gibson & Fender guitars always leave me so unsatisfied as far as playability, I hate the 25 1/2 scale and 21 frets of Fender, and I hate the neck joint/access and 22 frets and thick necks of les pauls.

Plus I prefer the tone of Alder vs Mahogany as I think Mohogany is too dark and muddy sounding, where from what I read Koa has a more balanced tone, all the benfits of Mohagany the sustain, and the warmth and top end of Alder.

So do yall think a Koa neck thru Carvin is a good match with Axe Fx or is this going to be a tone disaster that will sound horrible?
 
I think you're getting lost in the minutia. A lot.

I play a Carvin Holdsworth though my Axe FX. If you can't get good tone out of it with those, then you probably can't get a good tone out of anything.

Relax about the details. Just play and use your ears.
 
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Don't believe what others write, just believe what you hear and feel. Carvin makes good guitars and your lady seems to be made as a Fine piece of Gear...

And there is no Tool on this planet, that lets you "Customizing" your tone like the Way the Axe can do it....so go ahead without it any doubt....too much brainfucking kills the Fun in making music...

And keep it simple first....Start with the Amp You Love in Real live and your preferred Cab as IR ...and it will work out Fine.
 
This makes no sense. The Axe-fx doesn't have likes and dislikes. It simply reproduces what is put in to it. Crap in = crap out, quality in = quality out.
Carvin does make quality guitars. So you are not in the crap in side of things. Every guitar will want eq and levels dialed in.
Carvin should have a return policy if you feel you got a lemon, but I doubt you will. It does take a little work on your end too. So don't blame the axe or the Carvin if you don't have a good tone. Also pickup heights are huge. It's is a good practice to take a new guitar to your local tech, tell him your likes and what strings and equipment you use and have your new guitar properly set up before spending hours dialing in frustration, a poorly set up guitar (not implying that Carvin sends out poorly set up guitars, but it is not uncommon even with a brand new Gibson to get one that is not spot on)
 
I haven't gotten the Carvin guitar yet, I am about to order it though.
It just seems like not many people on here use Carvin Neck Thrus.
But I really want to get this Carvin because it seems like it will be what I want as far as design & playability.
Do any of you know of any good youtube videos of people using carvin with axefx? I tried to find some so I could hear, but I could only find 1 or 2 and the recording quality wasn't very good.
 
At a jam the other night we ran my mates cheap knock off second hand guitar through one of my buttery patches on the axe and it sounded great, sure the pickups had their own sound, but i was very surprised by the sound

What was the difference between a 4.5k Suhr and a second hand shop cheap knock off worth about $300... not a lot

you'll be fine
 
I have a Carvin DC727, ordered with active pickups. The tone with AXE was hot but cold. Than I brought the guitar to a luthier and he rewired it and made it passive. since than I'm happy with the sound. Like mentioned above, if the guitar is a decent one, the AXE offers you a tool box big enough to sculpt a tone to your taste with a minimum effort.

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To be completely honest, it sounds to me like you are designing something extremely specific for reasons you have no practical experience with...

We can't really say how the guitar you are talking about will sound with the Axe Fx any more than we could any other piece of gear.

Especially as you have given zero information on what type of sounds you plan to achieve :)

As someone else has mentioned already, the Axe Fx has a lot more options for dialing your sound in than a typical amp... So if you can't get that guitar to sound good with it then it's very likely it isn't going to sound good with anything!

Hearing someone else play a Carvin neck-thru guitar into an Axe Fx is probably not going to prove much, as their guitar will almost surely not be the same specs as yours and neither will their fingers ;)


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As far as tones I like... Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, CC Deville, David Gilmour, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eddie Van Halen, Slash and Randy Rhoads.

I've had strats, les pauls, Ibanez jems, and jacksons. But I want something closer to the bc rich I have, except my bc rich isn't neck thru, but I like the idea of the smooth access to the 24 frets.

My favorite guitar neck is on a bolt on bc rich I have, but the body is made out of plywood.

I originally thought about upgrading the electronics on my bc rich, but everyone says good tone is impossible to get with a plywood body, so that's what led me to looking at getting a custom carvin with a good choice of wood.
 
Have you played any neck-thru guitars? I used to have a 24-fret Mockingbird back in the day... I don't really think the difference will be that dramatic compared to a well designed heel on a bolt-on.

I don't have any experience with Koa... But I have heard that SS frets are a bit brighter sounding, and I do feel like ebony fretboards impart a bit more definition and a little less warmth than a rosewood neck.

Many guitar builders seem to think that a maple cap on a mahogany body is the best tonal balance.

One thing to note is that I don't think I have heard any of the guitarists you mention in relation to Koa guitars.

I would say they probably are split about 50/50 ash (or alder) and Mahogany.


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Guitar sound good = Axe FX II sounds good.

FWIW, The AxII is an AMP. Any personality exhibited by the guitar will correspondingly be translated through an amp.

I have a number of low $$$ guitars that sound like a pro through my rig.

While you're understandably curious...would you really pose these questions about a *real* amp? Especially one that has 185 models to choose from? Sounds more like an introduction, in which case, welcome, and buy with confidence...

R
 
I've owned 3 Carvin's, an '82 B.C. Rich Bich customized for me, all sight unseen. I knew they would be quality instruments and all exceeded my expectations.
Carvin has a 10-day money back guarantee. What mods did you ask them to make to it so it wouldn't be returnable?
Just don't replace the electronics in it right when you get it. See how it sounds the way they made it first.

Quality companies like Carvin and Fractal who offer that money back guarantee understand you're buying directly from the manufacturer.
Fractal Audio has also exceeded my expectations. I believe most everyone here would agree with that.

Don't worry about anything, seriously.
Just enjoy the anticipation!
Jeff
 
The guitar sounds like a big investment in ingredients. With the right recipe, it should be great. Carvin can certainly do a great build. But, please understand, no one here can judge how something that hasn't been built, seen, or played will come out for sure. And, no one really knows what your tastes are.

Back in the day I was an apprentice luthier. Many a custom concoction, was great in the mind of the buyer, but was wanting in some area when placed in their hand. Check out how many "custom" necks and bodies end up on ebay. I remember a guy that had to have a Soloist built with a giant Brian May neck profile. He wanted to love it. Turns out he didn't have Brian May's hands. The guitar was returned. If you haven't done a custom build before, consider shopping "off the rack" guitars real hard. Be open falling in love with something you can play and feel, or to really nail down your must haves.

I would suggest holding off on the guitar, and focus on the amp, cab, or monitor(s) that follows the XL. Then, it will be easy to turn your attention to finding your next guitar(s).
 
I would second not gutting the electronics on the Carvin right away. They make great stuff, and unless you are absolutely dead set on the sound of those specific pickups, why not try out the stock Carvin stuff first? It'll save you a couple hundred bucks.

It sounds like the only thing that would be voiding their 10-day return is the lack of tone control. Personally, I can't live without a tone knob as clean tones are way, way too harsh on most electrics with the tone on 10. Distortion, on the other hand, I love to keep it on 10. In fact, I prefer having separate tone knobs for each pickup to accommodate this.
 
MesaGuitarGuy said:
Carvin has a 10-day money back guarantee. What mods did you ask them to make to it so it wouldn't be returnable?
Click to expand...


The thin neck profile he listed is an "Option50" and voids the 10-day guarantee (same goes for if he is going to have Carvin install the aftermarket pickups he listed).
 
shredi knight said:
The thin neck profile he listed is an "Option50" and voids the 10-day guarantee (same goes for if he is going to have Carvin install the aftermarket pickups he listed).
Click to expand...

Ah, I missed the neck profile part. Carvin doesn't do aftermarket pickup installation, even on request.
 
Don't sweat it.

Think of the Axe-FX as an amp collection that grows over time. Something in that collection is bound to sound great with any guitar.

If it can't make that guitar sound good, likely nothing else can.
 
I'm using a Carvin neck-thru. It's a DC145 walnut body w/maple top. Can't get a bad tone from it. Plays great also - very low action and a simply wonderful neck. Generally any patch on the Ax that I run any guitar through requires minor tweaking due to each guitar's "personality" and the Carvin is no exception. Definitely take the plunge - you won't be sorry. IMHO, they're world-class instruments.
 
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