[shadowgenesis]

So I've been playing guitar for maybe 4 years, but I've only been serious in recent months (since this past summer). Being the cool kid that I am, I've made a lot of naive choices in buying gear over the years (my first real electric was a full hollow body... um. i love the thing but that hardly works out). Dream Theater is my favorite band and so obviously John Petrucci is a big influence. He, along with a lot of my other influences, play 7-strings and down-tuned guitars so I figured when I go big, I'll get myself a seven string. Over the summer i picked up a used 727 at Guitar Center and fell in love. I soon designed my "dream guitar" and convinced my parents to get it for me as an early graduation present. It arrived in February. I love the way it plays and distorted it sounds great. The versatility of the coil taps and phase switch give me a ton of versatility.But someone once told me to watch out for carvin's because they're great and play nice and blah blah blah but "they have no character". Like les pauls, strats, PRS's and Ibanezes have "character". I gotta admit, the straight humbucking clean sounds dull and boring no matter how much i tweak my AMP. Coil tapped sounds a little sweeter, but I want a thicker humbucker clean tone that moves me. It's a mahogony body with a quilt top (don't grill me. I didn't really understand the tonal applications. It's a bit brighter than I'd have hoped).
I was wondering: Is what this guy said just going to my head? Because it's hard for me to stay happy with my tone on an electric for more than a day anyway, so I might just be losing it. But if that is a common problem, is it hte construction of the guitar, or the electronics? The bridge pickup is kinda honky sounding in the midrange and i was thinking Dimarzios - blaze and air norton. Any thoughts?

update:
For the record it wasn't just a friend who said that. It was a guy who's in his 40's who works at the guitar store i frequent. I think he was saying it as a warning because he knows people who had that issue. Just so nobody's hatin on him. He's a nice guy. :-)
hrmmm. routing... as in.. taking out a little wood in the pickup cavities to make space for a bigger pickup. Anybody know much about doing that yourself? I've just started working part time agian and I've got a number of things coming up in the budget, so anywhere I can save paying, that'd be amazing. My dad's done a lot of woodworking so we have tools and he's no idiot, and i have done some soldering work. Would it be worth it or is it too much of a hassle. I know with the seperate coil taps and the phase switch there's probably a lot of wires I'd have to take care of. blergh.

[Scott]

Pickups are pretty subjective really. Obviously some sound better than others to some people. It sounds like your friend is just playing the "my brand of guitars is better than yours" fanboy card.

[7 Dying Trees]

Well, find out what your current pickups sound most like, then look at the tone characteristics, after that go try out pickups. There's no easy way, but if you like a guitar, and like how it plays then keep it. No sense going off to buy another guitar just because of hearsay.

And also, a lot of tone is in the fingers!

[7StringofAblicK]

Yea, i have a carvin and i have the stock pickups...the only arg i have with them is they feedback when the dimarzio's on my other guitars don't.

The guitar has PLENTY of character...but i think to label one brand to have character and another doesn't is bull shit. Character, to me, is in the fingers. YOu need to approach the guitar with what you want it to do...because a guitar won't do much if you don't realize what you can do for/with the guitar.

But, pickups can color the sound to your liking...so a pickup change might be good to accommodate what sound you are looking for.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Scott

Pickups are pretty subjective really. Obviously some sound better than others to some people. It sounds like your friend is just playing the "my brand of guitars is better than yours" fanboy card.

+1

he's just jealous

[keithb]

Originally Posted by Scott

Pickups are pretty subjective really. Obviously some sound better than others to some people. It sounds like your friend is just playing the "my brand of guitars is better than yours" fanboy card.

+1

I don't know what you consider "character," but to me a guitar built to my specs has waaaaaay more character than just another Gibson right off the assembly line.

[Drew]

It's a common complaint with Carvin pickups, so I'm sure it's the pickups and not the guitar. I think you MIGHT have to do a bit of routing to do a pickup swap on a Carvin, but pickup changes are pretty straightforward aside from that, so if you've got the cash to spare, you lose nothing by trying.

[zimbloth]

Yeah, with Gibsons the majority of the tone comes from the pickups. That's the "character" you speak of. Just get new pickups.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by shadowgenesis

So I've been playing guitar for maybe 4 years, but I've only been serious in recent months (since this past summer). Being the cool kid that I am, I've made a lot of naive choices in buying gear over the years (my first real electric was a full hollow body... um. i love the thing but that hardly works out). Dream Theater is my favorite band and so obviously John Petrucci is a big influence. He, along with a lot of my other influences, play 7-strings and down-tuned guitars so I figured when I go big, I'll get myself a seven string. Over the summer i picked up a used 727 at Guitar Center and fell in love. I soon designed my "dream guitar" and convinced my parents to get it for me as an early graduation present. It arrived in February. I love the way it plays and distorted it sounds great. The versatility of the coil taps and phase switch give me a ton of versatility.But someone once told me to watch out for carvin's because they're great and play nice and blah blah blah but "they have no character". Like les pauls, strats, PRS's and Ibanezes have "character". I gotta admit, the straight humbucking clean sounds dull and boring no matter how much i tweak my AMP. Coil tapped sounds a little sweeter, but I want a thicker humbucker clean tone that moves me. It's a mahogony body with a quilt top (don't grill me. I didn't really understand the tonal applications. It's a bit brighter than I'd have hoped).
I was wondering: Is what this guy said just going to my head? Because it's hard for me to stay happy with my tone on an electric for more than a day anyway, so I might just be losing it. But if that is a common problem, is it hte construction of the guitar, or the electronics? The brige pickup is kinda honky soundy and i was thinking Dimarzios - blaze and air norton. Any thoughts?

The Carvin I had did have plenty of personality. It's just not the personality that someone used to bolt-on's would be accustomed to.

I found it to sustain well, and overall it was a nice guitar. It wasn't for me, but I still think they're great guitars.

I think at most a pickup change is in order.

[SILENT FACTOR]

Carvins are great guitars and their playability/stability is unsurpassed. Dont listen to your friend its all subjective. I will tell you something though, I play ibanez and when you have to adjust the truss rod everytime a slight wind blows youll wish you had a carvin. But as said try some new pups, I think youll be happy.