# NGD - Spalted DC800 (not happy)



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

Received my DC800 today and absolutely hate the way it looks. I paid extra and sent them a photo of another Carvin with highly active spalted maple and what I got IMO looks like pure shit, I hate it. I've emailed my rep to see what options I have cause I honestly don't want this guitar though I know I'll be stuck with it because of the two options 50's (only one pot and one inlay). Anyhow, on to the few crappy pics I took since I didn't care to waste any more time photographing it.




























Rev.


----------



## Mik3D23 (Jun 12, 2014)

Could you mayhaps upload the picture you sent Carvin?


----------



## stevexc (Jun 12, 2014)

Man, I'm not gonna lie, I think it looks pretty damn good... although I do see what you mean, it's more flamed than spalted.


----------



## Nag (Jun 12, 2014)

That's more than enough figure IMO. Dunno if Carvin even stock AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA quality woods... 

too bad you don't like it. But I think you're asking for a bit much, if that's not good enough for you.

My 2 cents. Don't hate.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

Mik3D23 said:


> Could you mayhaps upload the picture you sent Carvin?



Below:


----------



## Cloudy (Jun 12, 2014)

That figuring is fantastic, not sure what youre going on about.


----------



## illimmigrant (Jun 12, 2014)

Rev2010 said:


> Received my DC800 today and absolutely hate the way it looks. I paid extra and sent them a photo of another Carvin with highly active spalted maple and what I got IMO looks like pure shit, I hate it. I've emailed my rep to see what options I have cause I honestly don't want this guitar though I know I'll be stuck with it because of the two options 50's (only one pot and one inlay). Anyhow, on to the few crappy pics I took since I didn't care to waste any more time photographing it.
> Rev.


 
Can't tell if serious.
If serious and you can't return it, I'm sure you can sell it pretty easily for a minor loss. I actually love how it came out, unfortunately I don't play 8's.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

stevexc said:


> Man, I'm not gonna lie, I think it looks pretty damn good... although I do see what you mean, it's more flamed than spalted.



Yeah, and I asked them for as little flame as possible! No joke, that was the stressed point, highly active with as little flame as possible. My order confirmation actually has it written as "No flame". Which I don't mind that much, so long as it's highly active. Also, the color is like mustard brown or something. I dunno, I probably just should even have paid for a hand picked top, seems to have bit me in the ass rather than helped.


Rev.


----------



## theoctopus (Jun 12, 2014)

Your top is much nicer than the one in your reference photo. You should consider yourself lucky, it's rare to find a spalted maple top with such nice and consistent flame.

Edit: I see that you requested no flame. That's a bummer, then. Obviously some crossed wires between the staff that take orders and the production team. In all fairness, though, you asked for a "highly active" top and provided reference photos that had a fair amount of flame.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

Cloudy said:


> That figuring is fantastic, not sure what youre going on about.



Let's be real, it's a lot of empty space. The upper horn, empty space, the headstock, mostly empty space. Point is I paid for highly active and just hate what I received. Do we all have to pacify ourselves into loving everything we get just because? I paid nearly 2 grand for it and am just not happy with the spalt I got. That's all.


Rev.


----------



## RV350ALSCYTHE (Jun 12, 2014)

Looks like there is more brown to the pics you sent in.
Yours looks more yellowish overall.

I still like it though, very similar to the spalt top I received. Mine came heavily flamed as well.

I have to admit that the pics you sent in as reference look pretty sweet, the spalt is very bold especially on that headstock.


----------



## Chi (Jun 12, 2014)

It's looks absolutely fantastic. I'd take it in a heartbeat.

Edit: Just mixed up your Carvin with the pics you sent via e-mail. Yeah, there's a lot of emptiness going on there compared to it.


----------



## Nag (Jun 12, 2014)

just send them a polite "are you ....ing kidding me ?" e-mail and ask for a return/rebuild or whatever is best for you. 

also yes, if you're THAT picky with your woods, hand-pick them.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

RV350ALSCYTHE said:


> Yours looks more yellowish overall



Correct, sorry I did mean to say mustard yellow


----------



## Cloudy (Jun 12, 2014)

Rev2010 said:


> Let's be real, it's a lot of empty space. The upper horn, empty space, the headstock, mostly empty space. Point is I paid for highly active and just hate what I received. Do we all have to pacify ourselves into loving everything we get just because? I paid nearly 2 grand for it and am just not happy with the spalt I got. That's all.
> 
> 
> Rev.



Aye I see now that you requested no flame, I get that.

A bit lame on Carvins part for not following that request given this piece is HIGHLY flamed. I really dig the bookmatch on yours though, really sick spalt down the middle.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

Nagash said:


> just send them a polite "are you ....ing kidding me ?" e-mail and ask for a return/rebuild or whatever is best for you.



Yeah I sent my rep an email and the pics to show. He'll probably just refund the $100 upcharge. We'll see.


Rev.


----------



## SpaceDock (Jun 12, 2014)

I think you got way too spoiled by that Jackson, this guitar looks great.


----------



## Noxon (Jun 12, 2014)

Sorry you don't like it, Rev. If I had the $$$, I would buy it from you right now. It looks awesome to me, man.


----------



## ncfiala (Jun 12, 2014)

I think it looks pretty awesome. Except for the two sperms swimming in opposite directions inlay.


----------



## ForThisGift (Jun 12, 2014)

I know it only matters what YOU think, but the top you got has a lot going for it. The flame is VERY consistent and the ink lines are very well defined because of the drastic differences between the more heavily flamed parts and the parts without any flame at all. 

Overall, that is a very very nice spalted top. Most people would have been psyched that they got such a nice piece without hand selecting.


----------



## shawnperolis (Jun 12, 2014)

Sucks you aren't happy with it. If I had the money I'd buy it off of you, because I think it looks like pure sex.


----------



## atticus1088 (Jun 12, 2014)

I'm in the boat that thinks the top is stunning.
I've never seen that much consistent flame in spalted maple.

But, I completely understand that you specified "no flame". I'd be upset as well if I had a certain idea of the outcome of the guitar for 3 months, and find it came different then expected. 

I'm surprised no one saw the "no flame" note, and called you about the order to see if you would be OK with it.


----------



## cwhitey2 (Jun 12, 2014)

If I played eight stringers I would buy it from you.


----------



## jerm (Jun 12, 2014)

Man seems like you never get exactly what you want on your custom orders whether it be a $4.5K Jackson Custom Shop or a $2K Carvin haha 

Kinda sucks but I think it looks awesome...


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

jerm said:


> Man seems like you never get exactly what you want on your custom orders whether it be a $4.5K Jackson Custom Shop or a $2K Carvin haha



Well with the Jackson I got everything I wanted except they messed up the frets, which they've corrected. So I'm as happy as a pig in shit with my Kelly!! I'm really in love with the thing. When I got my last Claro Walnut topped DC800 I LOVED the way it looked as well, they nailed it. Only problem with the guitar was just too darn bright sounding so I sold it off and this time stuck to a mahogany body/neck which has always been my favorite wood.

Here's the order just so you all can see the top specification:


**** SALES ORDER **** PAGE: 1 
ORDER NUMBER: 1649016 
Ship To: ORDER DATE: 03/31/14 09:43 AM 
Residential AD CODE: RC CLERK:219 
CARVIN CORPORATION SALESPERSON: 10SS WHSE: 010 
12340 WORLD TRADE DRIVE CUSTOMER NO: 1239748 
SAN DIEGO, CA 92128 PAY TYPE 1:V 
(858) 487-1600 
CARD 1:xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx 
(858) 487-1600 
SALES TAX CODE: N 



SOLD TO: SHIP TO: 





------------------------------------------------------
CUSTOMER P.O. SHIP VIA: TERMS 
Residential - U PREPAID 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ITEM NO. ORDERED SHIPPED BACK ORD PRICE AMOUNT 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$150.00 Customer statisfaction per Mark K 
2647198 07/10/13 deducted off main price 
DC800 1 ________ ________ 849.00 849.00 
8-STRING ACTIVE GUITAR FIXED B 
50 1 ________ ________ 100.00 100.00 
*match photo grian / no flame* 
SM 1 ________ ________ 400.00 400.00 
SPALTED MAPLE TOP 
THNN 1 ________ ________ 60.00 60.00 
THINNER NECK PROFILE 
NMAH 1 ________ ________ 100.00 100.00 
MAHOGANY NECK & BODY 
BGB 1 ________ ________ 50.00 50.00 
BLACK GLOSS BACK & SIDES 
SMPH 1 ________ ________ 60.00 60.00 
SPALTED MAPLE HEADSTOCK 
EFB 1 ________ ________ 30.00 30.00 
EBONY FRETBOARD, BLACK 
MPS 1 ________ ________ 60.00 60.00 
WHITE MOTHERofPEARL SIG INLAYS 
inlays 12th fret only 



STJF 1 ________ ________ 40.00 40.00 
STAINLESS STEEL JUMBO FRET 
R14 1 ________ ________ 40.00 40.00 
14" fretboard radius 



/GD 50.00 
Vol only in tone position 
BC 1 ________ ________ 30.00 30.00 
BLACK CHROME PLATED HARDWARE 
UCS 1 ________ ________ .00 .00 
USE CUSTOMER'S STRINGS 
BL 1 ________ ________ .00 .00 
BLACK CARVIN LOGO 
SC10 1 ________ ________ 59.00 59.00 
ULTIMATE SOFT GUITAR CASE  
OPTDISC-100 1 ________ ________ 100.00- 100.00-
-100.00 PROMO FOR OPTION DISCO 

Just to be clear I didn't tell the rep _no_ flame at all. I told him as highly active with as little flame as possible.


Rev.


----------



## ncfiala (Jun 12, 2014)

I just got a spalted DC7X and I wasn't totally happy with the top either. I love it though.


----------



## TheEmptyCell (Jun 12, 2014)

I dunno, without having a hand in selecting the top, I'd say you should remain f**ked. You opted for two option 50s and didn't even consider asking to see what the top might look like? Seems fool-hardy to me.

Personally, I think it looks great.


----------



## russmuller (Jun 12, 2014)

Sorry to hear you're not happy with it. FWIW, I think it looks pretty awesome, but I'm not you so I imagine that doesn't help at all.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

TheEmptyCell said:


> You opted for two option 50s and didn't even consider asking to see what the top might look like? Seems fool-hardy to me.



AFAIK they don't offer that option. Jackson sent a pic of the spalt to my dealer for me to approve, there was communication there... but Carvin's not selling $4600 customs so I dunno. As already mentioned, on my last DC800 they gave me a killer figured claro walnut top which I paid the extra $100 for hand picked, so how is it foolhardy to have expected a repeat of an awesome top? Especially when they've been posting awesome spalted tops pretty much daily in their "Pics of the day" on their Facebook page. 


Rev.


----------



## TedEH (Jun 12, 2014)

I feel kinda divided on this one- 'cause it looks pretty good to me, but I'm not picky- on the other hand, the horn with all the empty space does stand out pretty clearly....


----------



## Mike (Jun 12, 2014)

Well this is off the unhappy topic, but have you had a chance to play it plugged in yet? Did the new wood combos resolve the tone problems you had with your previous DC800?


----------



## theoctopus (Jun 12, 2014)

Rev2010 said:


> Address and phone number.



Pranks incoming.


----------



## Alberto7 (Jun 12, 2014)

Damn, dude, that sucks you don't like it.  I personally really dig it! I think you might be a little too picky, but, then again, it's not for me to call out, and you have every right to be so. It DOES suck about the no-flame option having been ignored though. Shoot them a polite message and let them know! Or contact ChrisH here; he might be able to help out. Good luck sorting it out, man.


----------



## Zado (Jun 12, 2014)

btw,I'm sorry that you don't like it mate,really


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

Mike said:


> Well this is off the unhappy topic, but have you had a chance to play it plugged in yet? Did the new wood combos resolve the tone problems you had with your previous DC800?



Have not yet as I'm still at work. I'll report back when I do though  I'm very curious to find out as well.


Rev.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

theoctopus said:


> Pranks incoming.



Wow, thanks for the heads up bro! I've removed that info. Thanks again and plus rep 


Rev.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

Alberto7 said:


> I think you might be a little too picky, but, then again, it's not for me to call out, and you have every right to be so.



Oh I am, I have no shame in admitting I'm a picky little bitch. I just figured hey, if they give the option to pay to ensure you get a top that's hand picked to what you're looking for I'll always opt for to pay the extra. The problem I have though is I want a nearly $2000 to not just sound and play good but to look good too. Unfortunately, when you get a top you absolutely dislike there's no way to fix it. With sound and playability there are plenty of options.


Rev.


----------



## ilyti (Jun 12, 2014)

You're a spalt brat, Rev. That thing is beautiful.


----------



## Convictional (Jun 12, 2014)

incoming.

I would just try to appreciate the piece of spalt for how it looks with your guitar instead of obsessing over what's wrong with it. I really haven't seen Carvin put out a bad looking spalt top. Sure, your piece isn't exactly the way you want it, but it's also possible Carvin didn't have a piece that would have made you happy anyway so they had to settle with what was in stock. Figured tops are too hit or miss for a 200-400 dollar gamble.


----------



## ceiling_fan (Jun 12, 2014)

It must suck to open up the case and be immediately disappointed. I'm really curious to see how it sounds with a wood combo more suited to your taste and how you like the thinner neck profile.

Because the order form says no flame, I would imagine you can return it even with the Op 50s.


----------



## mphsc (Jun 12, 2014)

Sounds like you should have gotten a Kiesel edition, good luck man. But it looks killer IMO, which is worth nothing. 

Hope it works out, third time a charm, right?


----------



## atticus1088 (Jun 12, 2014)

Hows da tone?


----------



## lewstherin006 (Jun 12, 2014)

I know it sucks that you didnt get what you asked for, which is strange considering Carvin is usually pretty good about this. I think it looks pretty damn cool! You want a walnut top DC800? I will trade you mine!


----------



## Hollowway (Jun 12, 2014)

Yeah, I personally think that looks highly spalted. There is definitely flame, but to me that means it's an even NICER cut of wood. Frankly, I'm shocked you aren't thrilled with it. It's not my call, but I'd be totally stoked if I got that. If you don't like that I'd say stay away from any builds that you cannot see the actual top. 99% of the world would be stoked with that, so I don't consider this a Carvin screw up. Maybe go with a smaller shop luthier who will let you hand pick the lumber? Or negotiate with Carvin to let you send in your own wood?


----------



## GRIZ (Jun 12, 2014)

I think this thing is gorgeous. But I can understand your frustration. It's tough when you don't get an option for which piece of wood they use. I like when luthiers have images of the tops they have available. 

I'll buy it from you lol


----------



## TremontiFan16 (Jun 12, 2014)

For me I can't imagine opening any custom and hating it,unless it was damaged.
She is super sick looking,I would be happy but whatever you want is what you want.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

GRIZ said:


> I think this thing is gorgeous. But I can understand your frustration. It's tough when you don't get an option for which piece of wood they use. I like when luthiers have images of the tops they have available.
> 
> I'll buy it from you lol



Thanks. As mentioned when I ordered my custom Kelly 7 Jackson sent my rep a pic. It was highly flamed though so I inquired about getting a piece with less flame. They said they went through a whole pallat and if I want highly figured that piece was the best they could do in regard to minimal flame. I felt a bit stuck but then I had an idea. I asked them to flip the trace so that more of the figured parts would be in the body of the guitar and it would also push most of the flame outside the body boundary. They were perfectly accepting of that and I'm glad I had them flip it. My Kelly still has a bunch of flame, a lot actually, but I can live with that is the spalt is highly textured over most of the guitar. It came out quite awesome. Definitely would be great if Carvin could offer the option to see the wood ahead of time. I guess though they would be swamped with people flip flopping or having them keep digging through stacks of wood. Might not be too much an issue when someone is spending 4K+ on a guitar but sub 2K would be a good amount of wasted man hours I figure.


Rev.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

TremontiFan16 said:


> For me I can't imagine opening any custom and hating it,unless it was damaged.



Have you ever ordered a custom before?

I dunno, I don't see what the difference is between seriously disliking the looks of it and a bride putting on a $2K wedding dress and deciding she hates this one. Heck, there's a whole show about it called "Say Yes To The Dress". Only difference is the brides get to see the dresses before hand. Can you imagine the percentile of upset brides if they only got to send a picture giving a rough idea of what they want just to have the dress show up, be disappointing, and non-returnable?

Look guys, I know I sound like a spoiled brat - guilty as charged. But it's easy to mis-comprehend one's disappointment. I paid for this, it wasn't given to me as a gift or something. I paid extra for a highly textured top and headstock. It's just not at all what I wanted and there is nothing *I* can do about it. Sound and playability I can manipulate, looks, nope.


Rev.


----------



## Lorcan Ward (Jun 12, 2014)

I really like it but if I went for a spalted top guitar I would want a crazy piece with figure on ever inch so I can see where you're coming from.


----------



## TremontiFan16 (Jun 12, 2014)

Rev2010 said:


> Have you ever ordered a custom before?
> 
> I dunno, I don't see what the difference is between seriously disliking the looks of it and a bride putting on a $2K wedding dress and deciding she hates this one. Heck, there's a whole show about it called "Say Yes To The Dress". Only difference is the brides get to see the dresses before hand. Can you imagine the percentile of upset brides if they only got to send a picture giving a rough idea of what they want just to have the dress show up, be disappointing, and non-returnable?
> 
> ...



Yeah I haven't ever ordered a custom.
I can see where you are upset though,if I got opposite of what I ordered I would be upset too.Like ordering BKPs and not getting the model you wanted.
Although it is a one of kind instrument,I think it looks good with less splat ness,but that's just me
Hopefully you get it sorted out if you can.


----------



## technomancer (Jun 12, 2014)

That looks fantastic  (and I say that as someone who usually doesn't like spalted tops)


----------



## bugmenot1 (Jun 12, 2014)

Sorry you don't like it, but add me to the list of people that thinks yours looks way better than the picture you sent them. 

If I was ordering one, I'd probably send them the picture of yours as a reference.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

Here's the exact reference pic I sent them, just dug it up. 







Rev.


----------



## leonardo7 (Jun 12, 2014)

So how does it sound and play?

Eventually Im gonna get a Carvin just to try out. Im leaning towards a CT7 but might do an 8 with maple/koa neck, alder wings, and koa top


----------



## Nag (Jun 12, 2014)

I love the irony... everyone loves this guitar, except the owner


----------



## ChrisH (Jun 12, 2014)

In all honesty I personally don't think it should matter if other people like it more than the original owner. If he sells it then sure, someone might get a really awesome guitar. But I mean, if the OP wanted people to talk them into liking it then maybe but when it comes down to it, as the owner if you're not happy with the way it turned out you're definitely entitled to it. After all, it is your custom. I'd feel the same way if I wanted things differently too.

Just my opinion though as a musician and guitar enthusiast.


----------



## Hollowway (Jun 12, 2014)

And once again, this is why Carvin is an awesome company. Plenty of shops would have said, "Shove it, dude!" But here you have a Carvin rep on your side. 

For me, this is a bit of a dilemma, because on the one hand, Carvin's policy is that if you ask for an Option 50, you cannot get a refund. You knew that going in, so at this point, since the order is correct, and it's just your estimation that the top is not what you were expecting, it's completely reasonable for Carvin to say tough beans. It's wood, after all, so you can't ask for an exact piece. It's just one person's opinion over another.

On the other hand, "the customer is always right" in the sense that it makes good business sense to lose a few hundred dollars to make a customer happy, and gain thousands of dollars from new customers.

There is the careful issue of not setting a precedent, however.

And Rev, I have numerous customs, and I can assure you, getting a custom that nice is not common. At least you GOT the guitar, got in in a reasonable time, have side dots that line up, no chips in the finish, side dots that aren't painted on, a top that isn't separating from the body, a truss rod screw that's not stripped, a truss rod cavity that's not bigger than its cover, the wood you actually ordered, no flaws in the wood, the correct scale length, the correct pickups, a decent setup, the correct color paint, the right nut, correctly soldered electronics, a fretboard free of stains, etc. (Note that those are all problems on my customs. All problems that were met with a "Don't like it? Come at me, bro," type response. Not to be a negative Nancy about it (though, I am quite jaded), but I am saying what you are asking for, while completely your call, is very far to the end of the spectrum of what might be reasonable. (Of course, the whole spectrum is shifted to the other side by shoddy luthiers, and these days I'm just happy to GET a guitar I paid for.)


----------



## capoeiraesp (Jun 12, 2014)

I think you're being a bit precious. That is a gorgeous piece of spalt and if I was in the market for a Carvin like that I'd buy it off of you.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

ChrisH said:


> In all honesty I personally don't think it should matter if other people like it more than the original owner.



Just want to address this great point by Chris here. I share my opinions on gear here whether positive or negative. Unfortunately it seems on this forum if you're not uber stocked about something you paid for you're simply classified as a whining bitch, which I just very well be  You don't have to like me or agree, but since posting this thread and accidentally including my contact info in the Carvin specs I've gotten prank text messages and an unsigned neg rep. I'd like to have thought we were a bit more mature around here but I guess I was wrong. I'm now thinking I should probably just lurk more and not really share shit anymore. I didn't bother to mention the UPS fiasco I had with the delivery. 100% correct address yet it wasn't delivered, then I went home and later saw an exception saying the address was incorrect. UPS verified it was 100% correct, contacted the local hub which called me and again verified it was 100% correct and couldn't figure out why it wasn't delivered. So I was already in a state of annoyance.

Sure, maybe my wording wasn't the best, I'm only human, but I'm still dissatisfied with the top - though please keep in mind I paid a total of $560 extra for the spalted top and headstock. Sure, part of me is kicking myself for not changing the order to that red/black schema I'd posted about. That would've been amazing, but I stuck with it only to feel let down. That's that. I'm still awaiting word from Carvin on this so we'll see how it goes. But with the prank texts and anonymous neg I really wonder wtf I bother to post anything not 100% glowing on here. Now to a short review post of the guitars sound and playability.


Rev.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

So I've had some short time to plug it in and try it out. As always, the playability and setup is *excellent*. Carvin's price point provides guitars that feel and play like customs twice the price. The guitar did come though with the locking tuners seriously loosened and I can't believe it was all from transportation. One locking tuner was loosened nearly all the way, I was surprised the string didn't pop out. I'd sent them a set of Circle K (Kalium) strings and they seem to have drilled out the lowest string tuner since it's fully strung through and is a .079. On my last Carvin I couldn't fit a lower gauge through the tuner. Kudos to them for widening the hole. The guitar feels feather light, completely in contrast to the uber heavy koa DC800 I had. Matter of fact, it's lighter than my Jackson Slatfxmg3-8. 

Now the sound, it's definitely warmer, nowhere near as thin and tinny as the koa DC800 I had. It's still brighter than my Jackson even though the DC800 has a slightly heavier string gauge. Sounds good though, very clear. I think the sound is perfectly fine and I have two EMG's to install into it, an 808 and an 85-8 that I will use for neck position.

Anyhow, outside of not being happy with the spalted top it's great in every other way.

*EDIT - Oh, and the new Carvin gig bag is awesome!! I highly recommend it. Very sturdy, protective... I think it's better than the hard case 


Rev.


----------



## HighGain510 (Jun 12, 2014)

Hollowway said:


> On the other hand, "the customer is always right" in the sense that it makes good business sense to lose a few hundred dollars to make a customer happy, and gain thousands of dollars from new customers.



Unfortunately, and sorry to pick on you here Rev, it seems he has a history of being... shall we say "difficult to please" when it comes to custom orders. I've seen this with another guy and the PRS Private Stock program where he claims EVERY time he orders, something with the order is not right and every time blames PRS despite some of the shit he claims is an issue is entirely subjective or is due to his wood choices (i.e. choosing the wood via pictures and then getting mad at PRS because the stain didn't come out the perfect shade he wanted due to the piece of maple that *HE* chose...). Keep seeing that pattern. 




Hollowway said:


> There is the careful issue of not setting a precedent, however.



Yep, and then there is that too. If they start over-turning the whole "Option 50 is not returnable" deal, Carvin could end up with a bunch of in-stock models they might struggle selling or getting stuck giving more and more discounts for "wrong/incorrect" builds when the issues might be subjective like they are in this case. Also with the order info posted, it is apparent that Rev has already received an additional discount of $150 up front on top of the $100 option discount. 



Rev2010 said:


> Here's the order just so you all can see the top specification:
> 
> 
> **** SALES ORDER **** PAGE: 1
> ...




I don't know if "customer satisfaction" is code for "guy called and complained previously, we offered a discount on a future order to make up for it", but that would be my guess. 

With regard to this order, my guess is they did the best they could with the wood they had in stock. Despite the odd request, if they don't have the very particular piece of spalted maple in stock, what were you expecting them to do? Custom order a single top for this DC800 order? Make no mistake, they seem to have a lot of nice woods in stock, but you're dealing with a company that delivers customized PRODUCTION models, not a true custom shop like Jackson CS or PRS Private Stock where you get more control over the specific pieces of wood you are getting for the top.  

While it's unfortunate that the top has too much flame/figure (that's a new one on this forum I think! ) and not enough of the spalted figuring look you were hoping for, it seems they built a sweet DC800 and none of the actual build specs were wrong aside from the subjective "top issue", so I don't know that they would be in the wrong if they told you "This was a discounted Option 50 order, sorry no returns!" 

I think maybe that whole Jackson CS fiasco spoiled you!


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

HighGain510 said:


> Also with the order info posted, it is apparent that Rev has already received an additional discount of $150 up front on top of the $100 option discount.



You know, you don't really need to use the same dose of emoticons in every lambasting post of yours 

The $150 discount was because there was a finish blemish in the DC800 I'd ordered. The finish at the edge of the butt of the guitar was peeling off. I called about it and was told I can take a $150 credit or ship it back for them to fix it. Since I wasn't keen on the brightness of the guitar and planned on possibly selling it I took the credit figuring I'd order from them again, which I did. So go ahead and sue me... I stuck with Carvin. Big god damn crime there. They sent me a guitar which wasn't even finished properly and the polyurethane coat was peeling along the edge and I'm the f'ing bad guy!!??? What's up with some of you on here??? I've had some bad luck, am I supposed to just smile and drink the kool-aid? I had that, then Jackson, after waiting 25 months fk'd up and gave me nickel frets instead of the stainless I ordered on a $4600 guitar, but I'm the dick for bitching about it?


Rev.


----------



## MetalDaze (Jun 12, 2014)

At first, I looked at the guitar and thought, "man, that's beautiful, what is Rev talking about?" Then, I saw some of the plain areas on the top and saw where he's coming from.

I've sent back guitars where I nit picked on certain things that probably wouldn't bother other people. The difference is I didn't do a NGD on those  In some cases, I didn't even bother to take them home from work (where I get all of my stuff delivered). It went right back in the box 

I actually had 2-3 of those in a row and decided I needed to take a break. After a few months, I ordered something else and it was magic all over again. Maybe I had NGD burn out 

Enough about the top. How about that double sperm inlay!


----------



## Hollowway (Jun 12, 2014)

Rev2010 said:


> I paid a total of $560 extra for the spalted top and headstock.



Whoa, I didn't realize that was how much it was to have them hand pick the piece! In that instance, yeah, you'd have been better off just picking a regular spalt and save yourself the $560. Is this because you asked for a specific piece of wood or something? I thought I'd heard of people sending in pictures and asking for a specific type of finish, and only having to pay $100 extra or something. Why so much on this one?


----------



## Avogadr0 (Jun 12, 2014)

It's a shame you didn't get the top wood you wanted, especially since waiting for a Carvin is no easy feat. But honestly, I've seen spalt that was awful compared to that, and most of them from companies which charge much more money than Carvin. What is this??







My walnut top kind of grew on me, and when you're rocking out, no one is going to be looking at that figuring, just at your fingers tearing it up on that sexy ebony. 

HNGD!


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 12, 2014)

@Hollowway - no no, it was $100 for hand picked to match what I wanted. I was saying that the full cost for the spalted top and headstock was $560 cause the base charge for spalted top and headstock is $460. Was just kinda saying if I had any inkling I wouldn't be happy with the top I'd have saved the $560 and went solid color or something. I've loved the stealth Carvins I've seen some others order. 


Rev.


----------



## broj15 (Jun 12, 2014)

Sorry the top didn't turn out how you wanted man. I feel like this isn't the first time I've read about people being displeased with the "handpicked wood" option from Carvin. Hopefully you can sell it and not take too big of a hit if carvin decides you're SOL. 



Avogadr0 said:


> HNGD!



fwiw, my old guitar instructor has that same model tele and the spalted top on his is way more intense (actually, a lot like what OP wanted on his DC). From what I remember those weren't (using this tense because IDK if they're still available) a super high end model (like $900-$1200 iirc) so I'm sure a few went out the door with less than stellar tops .


----------



## TheWarAgainstTime (Jun 13, 2014)

Partial refunds are cool and all, but we all know you won't ever be truly happy until you ship that guitar my way  

Sorry to see that you didn't like it  that's part of why I went with a solid color on my TL60 honestly.


----------



## HUGH JAYNUS (Jun 13, 2014)

I love it. You could call it a hybrid


----------



## Spaced Out Ace (Jun 13, 2014)

Hollowway said:


> Whoa, I didn't realize that was how much it was to have them hand pick the piece! In that instance, yeah, you'd have been better off just picking a regular spalt and save yourself the $560. Is this because you asked for a specific piece of wood or something? I thought I'd heard of people sending in pictures and asking for a specific type of finish, and only having to pay $100 extra or something. Why so much on this one?



A spalted top is $400 for the body. I think the spalted option all together was 560.


----------



## Convictional (Jun 13, 2014)

I'm starting to sympathize with Rev here. People are being a bit too aggressive. Yes he's made clear his dissatisfaction and people have posed counter arguments, but there's really no need to make insulting claims. I actually find a majority of Rev's posts informative and the threads are rather interesting despite some of the controversies that pop up.

As a side note, a good lesson from this thread is that if you're going to add option 50s and you're considering playing roulette with Carvin tops, go with something more reliable like a solid or transparent quilt/flame finish. That's hard to screw up and obvious when it is.


----------



## Hollowway (Jun 13, 2014)

Rev2010 said:


> @Hollowway - no no, it was $100 for hand picked to match what I wanted. I was saying that the full cost for the spalted top and headstock was $560 cause the base charge for spalted top and headstock is $460. Was just kinda saying if I had any inkling I wouldn't be happy with the top I'd have saved the $560 and went solid color or something. I've loved the stealth Carvins I've seen some others order.
> 
> 
> Rev.



Ah, OK, gotcha. Well, FWIW, that is a pretty hot looking guitar, so I would bet you could sell it for dangerously close to what you paid for it. $100 markup for that top would be all I would expect Carvin would refund you, since, that top would be at least good enough to be considered standard fare. If I were Carvin I'd probably offer $100 refund. My guess is that they would sell it in a heartbeat if you returned it, but, again, that sets a dangerous precedent.

On another note, I'm happy to see you went with the black gloss back. I have a Strictly 7 8 string I specced the exact same way (but with a different neck and FB). I think that black makes the spalt lines pop MUCH better than a raw mahogany back, like so many others opt for.


----------



## Hollowway (Jun 13, 2014)

Convictional said:


> I'm starting to sympathize with Rev here. People are being a bit too aggressive. Yes he's made clear his dissatisfaction and people have posed counter arguments, but there's really no need to make insulting claims.




Yeah, I think it's that it comes off like, "I requested a hot actress, and sent in a picture of Scarlett Johansson, and said I didn't want her too curvy. And they gave me Megan Fox. And she's kind of curvy, and her right foot isn't nearly as hot as Scarlett's!" But I get that he doesn't like it. It's just that it looks hot to just about everyone else. But hey, it's in the eye of the beholder.


----------



## Lorcan Ward (Jun 13, 2014)

leonardo7 said:


> Eventually Im gonna get a Carvin just to try out. Im leaning towards a CT7 but might do an 8 with maple/koa neck, alder wings, and koa top



You've never played a Carvin?


----------



## Edika (Jun 13, 2014)

It seems you got some sick wood but not as sick as you'd like!

Now that I got this stupid pun out of my system all I have to say is if you don't like it you don't like it. These option 50's are not that drastic for it not to resell if Carvin takes it back but if they don't accept any of these guitars then your best bet is to put up for sale. I think there would be several candidates to take it of your hands even for the original price.
If you still want another guitar from Carvin then you can track down a spalted top you like, with the dimensions required by Carvin, and send it to them. Other people have done it here. The main problems would be however the hassle of hunting down a top and organizing the whole thing and that something else goes wrong then again you can't return it.


----------



## tssb (Jun 13, 2014)

Avogadr0 said:


> What is this??



I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Suhr ? If not, Tom Anderson ?


----------



## Hyacinth (Jun 13, 2014)

I honestly thought you were joking when I read your original post and at any moment I was waiting to scroll down and see you say, "Psyche!" 

I think it looks beautiful, man. Each spalt pattern is unique, that's what makes me love it. Like it or not, there's no other guitar with that figuring.


----------



## HighGain510 (Jun 13, 2014)

Rev2010 said:


> You know, you don't really need to use the same dose of emoticons in every lambasting post of yours
> 
> The $150 discount was because there was a finish blemish in the DC800 I'd ordered. The finish at the edge of the butt of the guitar was peeling off. I called about it and was told I can take a $150 credit or ship it back for them to fix it. Since I wasn't keen on the brightness of the guitar and planned on possibly selling it I took the credit figuring I'd order from them again, which I did. So go ahead and sue me... I stuck with Carvin. Big god damn crime there. They sent me a guitar which wasn't even finished properly and the polyurethane coat was peeling along the edge and I'm the f'ing bad guy!!??? What's up with some of you on here??? I've had some bad luck, am I supposed to just smile and drink the kool-aid? I had that, then Jackson, after waiting 25 months fk'd up and gave me nickel frets instead of the stainless I ordered on a $4600 guitar, but I'm the dick for bitching about it?
> 
> ...




See... just by that response above, you can see how utterly dramatic you get about everything dude.  You took what was simply a comment on how it seems you are VERY difficult to please (you order a guitar with a bunch of bright tone woods, and then complain they delivered a bright-sounding guitar?  C'mon man... ) based on your previous posting history and interactions with a few different custom orders and take it to 11 with "ZOMG I CAN'T SPEND $4600 AND THEN BITCH ABOUT THE GUITAR WHEN I FEEL IT HAS ISSUES ?! DAFUQ?!?!?! " rather than taking my post for what it was: simply pointing out facts based on previous posts. 


You PM'd me previously asking me to remove one of my posts quoting you in the Jackson Custom Shop rant thread because you changed your mind about throwing the dealer under the bus after you had already slammed both Jackson AND the dealer who were both in the middle of TRYING TO HELP YOU. That post showed yet another recent event where you were being overly-dramatic once again, getting called out by multiple people for it, and then attempting to erase it. Sorry man, that historical record remains and it's a testament to stuff like this happening over and over again. If you learned the lesson previously, you would have done the smart thing and *WORKED OUT ALL OF YOUR ISSUES BEHIND THE SCENES FIRST*. Any time I see someone publicly flaming a builder/company for an issue they have PRIOR to attempting to work it out with them, it's essentially one of two things:

1) A public outcry for attention

or

2) An attempt to publicly shame the company into submission to fix whatever you feel the issues might be.


In the case of your Jackson, both the dealer AND Jackson took EXCELLENT care of you, and it was NOT because you decided to storm on here and throw the public hissy fit, I assure you. I've seen the exact same thing done by that other dude with the PRS Private Stock Program which is why it's funny to see if happening with another person as it's old hat on the forums where he does it. He feels like he's being a whistle-blower and doing everyone a service by pointing out his issues publicly rather than bringing them to the attention of the company and letting them sort out the issue for him FIRST so his initial post would be "I had this problem, but the company fixed it! Look at how great this thing is?!" vs "OMG let me tell you about how badly XYZ company _f_ucked up! THIS KIND OF _F_UCK UP CAN AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!!! GET THE PITCHFORKS FELLAS!!!"  That guy comes off as a serious douche (especially when you see how well he's been treated by the company in return), and folks have tried to explain this to you previously, but clearly it seems you did not get the message. 


I understand that you're unhappy with the order, and I can sympathize with ordering something and having a certain expectation you felt should have been met better, however in a case like this I don't necessarily agree with your issue regarding the top. You can send pictures of what you're expecting to them all day long of your dream tops, but at the end of the day Carvin is a PRODUCTION-BASED CUSTOM SHOP so they are limited to what they have in stock for the exotic woods at the time of your order. They don't typically custom-order tops in a onesie-twosie manner as they are not a small builder or something like the Jackson Custom Shop where stuff like that would be the norm. They will customize production models with limited options, and they happen to offer an option to let you pay a small up-charge for them to ATTEMPT to find a piece of similar wood for you. As you're well-aware, each piece of wood is unique and stuff like spalted maple is absolutely a mixed bag as far as both color and figure goes. You probably should have specified that you would ONLY be placing the order with them on the condition that they had a piece of spalted maple that would match what you wanted precisely, and that if they didn't have a piece that EXACTLY matched what you were looking for then they needed to tell you so you could have saved yourself the aggravation in the first place. The forum also wouldn't be jumping on your back for complaining about a beautiful guitar that was *too* highly figured/didn't have the right kind of figure for you if you avoided the entire situation as well, FWIW. 


I'm not going out of my way to lambaste you every time you post one of these "SOMEBODY _F_UCKED UP!!!" threads, but I hope you realize that you make it VERY hard for folks to agree with your point of view simply because of the way you choose to handle things. Do you think I've never had issues on high-dollar guitars before? Of course I have. The difference there is that in EVERY case, I've given the builder/company the benefit of the doubt and have given them a chance to fix things BEFORE I go running to the forums to slam them for something I feel was missed or not done correctly. 99.9% of the time, they will make it right, especially in this day and age when most companies take their internet presence and public reputation very seriously and would prefer to work with a customer to make them happy instead of putting out fires when guys hold public hate sessions.  My thought here is that you should have gone to Carvin first and worked all of this out behind the scenes until you reached resolution (whether that means sending it back, keeping it with a discount, whatever the case may be) and THEN post your NGD thread, so it's not the constant "NGD: I'm Unhappy" threads over and over again. If you're just trying to complain publicly so they rebuild your guitar quickly with special treatment for top selection or give you a bigger discount to shut you up, that's on you, but as I said above, posting these kinds of threads is not something that is going to earn you anything beyond what you've been receiving in these threads lately and I'm not sure why you immediately try to play the overly-dramatic victim every time as if you don't know exactly how you're coming across to others when you do this.  Just stop the charade already. 


Pro-Tip - Here is something you ALWAYS need to take into account when posting on internet forums (or life in general): It's not always just what you say, but also *HOW YOU SAY IT*. Presentation is not your strong suit, and I suggest you review how you post and maybe you'll figure out why folks have been giving you such a hard time lately. If you feel you need to resort to lurking again, so be it, but continuing to have these public airing of grievances sessions isn't going to earn you much support from anyone other than the folks who think shitting on companies before giving them a chance to make it right is okay. 

Carvin isn't perfect by any means, I have to send one of my guitars back to have a finish issue ironed out as well, but that's the big difference between you and I... you don't see me posting threads bashing them saying "CHECK THIS SHIT OUT GUYS!!! CARVIN HAS _F_UCKED UP ONCE AGAIN!!!" because I have the good sense to know nothing positive will come from threads like that. If you demand another trainwreck of a thread, feel free to keep posting stuff in this manner, but personally I'll be giving Carvin the chance to fix the issue privately instead of flaming them publicly without giving them the chance to make it right.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 13, 2014)

Dude, I said I hated the spalted top I got. I didn't tell anyone to avoid buying from Carvin or anything like that. I think you're being as melodramatic as you're making me out to be. 


Rev.


----------



## Avogadr0 (Jun 13, 2014)

Are people really losing sleep over this? A man is entitled to his opinion.


----------



## Randy (Jun 13, 2014)

To my eyes, your guitar has near identical amount of spalting and flame to the guitar you sent them as an example.


----------



## Cloudy (Jun 13, 2014)

tssb said:


> I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Suhr ? If not, Tom Anderson ?



Its actually a fender special.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 13, 2014)

Randy said:


> To my eyes, your guitar has near identical amount of spalting and flame to the guitar you sent them as an example.



Alright, well I guess I'm just nuts. I concede, I lost the internet  I've definitely learned from this that I'm uber anal about how my top woods look. Any future figured woods I'd have to see in person or send in my own piece. I've posted very positive NGD's in the past for other guitars like my BC Rich Warlock, Jackson 8, and Jackson 7, so I'm not just on here always raging. But yeah, I gotta dial that shit down when I'm annoyed about something. I speak too quickly.


Rev.


----------



## mnemonic (Jun 13, 2014)

I can certainly see where you're coming from. You specified no flame, and they sent a piece with lots of flame. I figure that would be similar to opt. 50-ing no tone knob, and them putting one in anyway. Its an incorrect option at the end of the day. If they had no un-flamed spalt in stock, I would prefer them to tell me, at which point I'd probably say to just hold off on the build until they got some in. 

I wonder, if I ordered a Carvin with a plain maple fretboard, and I got sent a birdseye maple fretboard, would I be not allowed to be upset about the incorrect board because I got a more-figured board that I wanted?


rev- I know you're picky about your woods (rightfully so, I say. I'm honestly not that picky about this kind of thing, but when you're spending $2k+ on a guitar, I say you have the right to be picky). If you decide to move this guitar on, I think your best option is to independently find your own piece of top wood and send it to carvin to use. That way you know exactly what it will look like.


----------



## Hollowway (Jun 13, 2014)

Yeah, I think if ok ordered a guitar with plain maple and they sent Birdseye that would be a different issue. In Carvin's defense, the photo said he wanted a top figured like that, and he wanted the least amount of flame possible. It's probable that the piece he got is the most figured with the lease amount of flame when compared to everything they had in stock. Carvin is not going to keep looking for tops for him - they're not that kind of shop. It kind of reminds me of that S7 I was talking about - I asked for the reddest piece of bloodwood he could find for the FB. The actual board I got was not as red as I hoped - but it was the best he could find in the lumber he had access to.


----------



## TRENCHLORD (Jun 13, 2014)

IMO it looks damned good. Everyone is different though.


----------



## Convictional (Jun 13, 2014)

You wouldn't see Megan Fox's thumbs if you were making sweet love to her anyway. You'd be too busy with her other assets.

That's actually a quaint analogy for what has happened here too.


----------



## tssb (Jun 13, 2014)

Cloudy said:


> Its actually a fender special.



Cool, I was going by the oversized-looking dots


----------



## ferret (Jun 13, 2014)

mnemonic said:


> I can certainly see where you're coming from. You specified no flame, and they sent a piece with lots of flame. I figure that would be similar to opt. 50-ing no tone knob, and them putting one in anyway. Its an incorrect option at the end of the day. If they had no un-flamed spalt in stock, I would prefer them to tell me, at which point I'd probably say to just hold off on the build until they got some in.



Maybe/Hopefully ChrisH will chime in, but my understanding is when you opt50 for them to pick a wood, they make no promises about an exact match. The opt50 is essentially "Instead of taking the next piece of spalt, look through the stack and come as close as you can."

If it turns out they don't see exactly what you want, they make a (subjective) choice and move on with the build. That's the semi-custom production line aspect of it.

I'm not in the boat that thinks Rev should just learn to love it, I lean the same way as him on this, very active spalt with very low or no flame. I see a lot of flame here, and not a whole lot of spalt lines, etc. It's not bad spalt, but it's not what I'd want.

But I also think the opt50 process is what it is. In the end it's a bit of a gamble, especially with something like spalt. I probably will never order spalt simply because of how much variation there is from piece to piece. I think how Carvin handles Claro walnut also falls into this category, since they don't divide it into "flamed" versus "figured" versus the more "burlish" look.


----------



## Edika (Jun 13, 2014)

Two more things to dislike about Megan Fox, aside from her face and last name that seems too coincidental to be true, her thumb and Marilyn Monroe tattoo. I don't mind the rest though !

Back to the guitar talk now!


----------



## Spaced Out Ace (Jun 13, 2014)

ferret said:


> I'm not in the boat that thinks Rev should just learn to love it, I lean the same way as him on this, very active spalt with very low or no flame. I see a lot of flame here, and not a whole lot of spalt lines, etc. It's not bad spalt, but it's not what I'd want.



I think the reason people think this way is the way he's going about it and things that have happened in the past. Not to mention he got a nice guitar that most will either never be able to afford or be lucky enough to get someday. The only part I could see a complaint about is the upper horn.


----------



## Hollowway (Jun 13, 2014)

Lulz at Megan Fox's toe-thumbs. I thought of that while writing the post, but most people hate those thumbs so much it probably would be a deal breaker.


----------



## Spaced Out Ace (Jun 13, 2014)

Hollowway said:


> Lulz at Megan Fox's toe-thumbs. I thought of that while writing the post, but most people hate those thumbs so much it probably would be a deal breaker.



Is for me. Those toe thumbs are kinda creepy. Maybe if I could hold her hands behind her back it wouldn't be a big deal. I'd prefer Danielle Fishell over Megan Fox.


----------



## ferret (Jun 13, 2014)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> I think the reason people think this way is the way he's going about it and things that have happened in the past. Not to mention he got a nice guitar that most will either never be able to afford or be lucky enough to get someday. The only part I could see a complaint about is the upper horn.



In an effort to get back on topic....

Yes, it's a very nice guitar.

Sometimes, you don't like what you paid for, no matter how nice it is. Plenty of people buy cars, furniture, any number of items and examples I could come up with, thinking they'll love it and ultimately being unhappy with it. The fact that those items are still "nice" or "expensive" has no bearing on it. They don't like it, they're disappointed.

It's all opinion. Those differ.

You guys like this guitar. That's great, maybe Rev will have it up in the market place soon and you guys get a shot. I personally wouldn't buy it for myself if, for example, I were browsing in the Carvin store.


----------



## MetalThrasher (Jun 13, 2014)

Rev, it's a nice guitar but I agree with you. It's not what you wanted top wise which blows and you paid a decent chuck of change for it. Going to the guitar itself, how does the it sound and play? I think the killer Jackson you got spoiled you in a good way but like others said it's Carvin not Jackson. I would call Carvin and see what they say. Just be nice on the phone and they may do something for you. I've had a few small issues with mine and when I called they took good care of me. BTW I hope you are jamming on that right now!


----------



## Philligan (Jun 13, 2014)

I skimmed the thread and didn't see anything, sorry if I'm repeating someone else's question.

Can you order a Carvin with the volume pot in the tone position now? Or did you just order a single tone pot with the intent of swapping the pickups?


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 13, 2014)

Philligan said:


> I skimmed the thread and didn't see anything, sorry if I'm repeating someone else's question.
> 
> Can you order a Carvin with the volume pot in the tone position now? Or did you just order a single tone pot with the intent of swapping the pickups?



You can order a single volume knob with no tone but in the tone pot position, which is what I ordered, but they consider it an option 50 so it's non returnable. There's also an extra $50 charge for that request. 


Rev.


----------



## Spaced Out Ace (Jun 13, 2014)

ferret said:


> In an effort to get back on topic....
> 
> Yes, it's a very nice guitar.
> 
> ...



That's understandable. If I was unsatisfied, I would've seen what they could do about it as there was more flame than he hoped for and not enough spalting according to his tastes, and then from there either decided "I can live with that, proceed with NGD thread" or "I'm still unsatisfied, so I think I'll sell it straight away and possibly choose a different company". Personally, I think that's what he needs to do, but it's his decision. Why I say this is because his first guitar -- while based on his wood choices -- was too bright and he didn't like it and this guitar isn't up to par visually, so perhaps Carvin just isn't for him or something. 

That said, I wonder what a sick ass green or royal purple or royal blue stain to that guitar would look like with the spalted top. I'm probably alone in that, but so be it. Hmm... actually, add that as option three to the above if I were in Rev's shoes.

In closing, like that Roseanne episode, as Jackie said, there is a big difference between he and I.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 13, 2014)

MetalThrasher said:


> Going to the guitar itself, how does the it sound and play?



Here's the post from page 3 I think on how it plays and sounds: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/4070141-post60.html

Plays amazing as Carvins always do, and sounds a lot better than the very thin sounding all koa one I'd ordered prior though still brighter than any other 8 string I've owned, but also the strings are brand new so that's something to keep in mind. I'm personally not a fan of the Carvin pickups though, so it would likely sound even better with the EMG's I bought to install. Just haven't yet figured out whether to install them or not. Still not sure whether I want to keep it or sell it.


Rev.


----------



## MetalThrasher (Jun 13, 2014)

Honestly Rev I think the stock active pickups are good on the Carvin. I haven't heard the eight string pickup but my actives on the 7's I have I like! They do seem to be hotter than the EMG's so you need to adjust the settings on the amp to compensate this.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 13, 2014)

MetalThrasher said:


> Honestly Rev I think the stock active pickups are good on the Carvin. I haven't heard the eight string pickup but my actives on the 7's I have I like! They do seem to be hotter than the EMG's so you need to adjust the settings on the amp to compensate this.



They're not bad by any means, I've just grown to be an emg fan. The higher output of the Carvin pickups do seem to lead to more noise while playing. I'll also say outright I'm a HUGE alnico fan and the Carvins are ceramic, so it's just a preference thing. 


Rev.


----------



## Philligan (Jun 13, 2014)

Rev2010 said:


> You can order a single volume knob with no tone but in the tone pot position, which is what I ordered, but they consider it an option 50 so it's non returnable. There's also an extra $50 charge for that request.
> 
> 
> Rev.



That would make a huge difference for me if I were to buy a 700 or 800 from Carvin. I knew it was an option 50, but as far as I knew, they used an off-board preamp in the control cavity for the active pickups, and the pots were hardwired to that and couldn't be moved. Good to hear.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 13, 2014)

They do use a circuit board preamp that is housed inside the cavity instead of being built into the pickups. The pots are hard wired to the board so they just only wire the one pot. Replacing their pickups with EMG's is a real simple process and doesn't require any modifications. 


Rev.


----------



## rainbowbrite (Jun 14, 2014)

you seem to be a miserable person.


----------



## Noxon (Jun 14, 2014)

rainbowbrite said:


> you seem to be a miserable person.



EDIT: Not even worth it.


----------



## MethDetal (Jun 14, 2014)

rainbowbrite said:


> you seem to be a miserable person.



Troll much?


----------



## littledoc (Jun 15, 2014)

Well Rev, considering that the guitar you posted as what you wanted is my DC700, I feel for you. The guitar you got does not look like mine.

But honestly, I have no idea why that matters. The best part about spalt is that no two pieces look the same. And it's not like Carvin has an endless supply of wood from which to choose; spalt likely comes in relatively small quantities and they pick as best they can. If you've gotta have this or that exact wood, probably better to just source it yourself. And frankly you've got no one to blame but yourself for ordering option 50s on a guitar with a highly variable, limited-supply top wood.

Personally I think your guitar looks badass, and if my DC700 had shown up looking like that I would have had no complaints. In fact I totally love that part below the bridge. That's insanely cool and I've never seen a pattern like that in a spalt. 

Also, my guitar actually has quite a bit of flame, though maybe those pictures don't quite do it justice. I'm pretty sure Carvin lists it as "flamed spalted maple", so....


----------



## jephjacques (Jun 15, 2014)

Yeah personally I think that top looks lovely and I'd happily keep it. But if you're really displeased, that sucks. It sounds like you wouldn't have too much trouble moving this guitar if you wanted to.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 15, 2014)

@littledoc - I know it's flamed spalted maple, like I mentioned, I didn't tell my rep no flame, I said as little flame as possible. He just happened to put it in the spec sheet as no flame. I was more concerned about as highly figured as possible. My Jackson custom has a tremendous amount of flame but Jackson sent me the photo and said it was the most figured with the least flame they had so I was fine with it and I love the spalt on my Jackson. 

I was pissed off when I posted. I'm really not insanely mad about it. Now it's just a bit disappointing, that's all. I'm just not going to post shit when in a pissed off state anymore 

Rev.


----------



## SkullCrusher (Jun 15, 2014)

Rev, like myself knows exactly what he wants. 

How can you disagree with that?


----------



## Spamspam (Jun 19, 2014)

I was disappointed with my claro topped DC700 when I got it. Then I played it. Then, as I was playing it (and loving it), I realized that I couldn't see the top anyway... So I calmed down, took some more pictures, and realized that not every piece of highly figured wood is going to look like the rest. Now I love that guitar. It's beautiful, just in a different way then envisioned.

It's cool that you are disappointed. Give it a little time to grow on you though. That top is far from what I would call bad. I think it is gorgeous.


----------



## Rev2010 (Jun 19, 2014)

Spamspam said:


> It's cool that you are disappointed. Give it a little time to grow on you though. That top is far from what I would call bad. I think it is gorgeous.



Nah, mentioned above ^^^ I've chilled out about it. Unwisely, I posted literally a few minutes after opening the case and being really pissed that the top I got is really nothing like the pic I sent in. I'm keeping it. Plays wonderfully and sounds great, and will sound even better IMO when I install my EMG's in it. 


Rev.


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate (Jul 13, 2014)

This is one of the most whiney white-people problem threads i'v seen in a while


----------



## NickS (Jul 13, 2014)

It's what you call a "First World Problem". Keep in mind that we are lucky enough to have things like this be our biggest personal issue


----------



## Emperor Guillotine (Jul 13, 2014)

Someone on here will buy it to skip the waiting time if they have the extra cash I'm sure. Still...lookin' nice, Rev. Just remember, aesthetics aren't everything. (90% of the populace on this board can't seem to understand that. They think: "it looks pretty; therefore, it must play pretty."


----------



## Spaced Out Ace (Jul 13, 2014)

7 Strings of Hate said:


> This is one of the most whiney white-people problem threads i'v seen in a while



This.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim (Jul 13, 2014)

Just think, if that's what they gave him when he asked for the least flamed piece of spalted maple they had, imagine what you'd get if you asked for something with the _most_ flamed piece of spalted maple they had. It'd probably cause you to go blind and/or insane.


----------



## Spaced Out Ace (Jul 14, 2014)

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Just think, if that's what they gave him when he asked for the least flamed piece of spalted maple they had, imagine what you'd get if you asked for something with the _most_ flamed piece of spalted maple they had. *It'd probably cause you to go* blind and/or *insane.*



>>Indicating that isn't already the case... [with me. Don't want any undue butthurt over a miscommunication]


----------



## Jacobine (Jul 14, 2014)

I honestly like the top. I find it to have the prefect amount of "flavor" in its lines but enough breathing room too.

I didnt notice the emptiness in the upper horn until it was pointed out. And why not just magic marker some more lines in the horn? It could make it look better to you and maybe the time you spent doodling it on could be what youre most proud of about it. 

Like instead of looking at it and being upset you could be all "Yeeeeah I fixed that and made it look perfect"


----------



## HaloHat (Jul 14, 2014)

Carvin will let you send in your own wood. While that makes the guitar not returnable, yours was that way anyways. You also have to pay a fee usually to provide your own wood [about $150] and Carvin will make sure and get it to the proper moisture content [6-8%] and finish cutting it to size, the wood brokers will not cut it to size. They get it close and Carvin will finish the cuts.

If you want all the DC7X wood sizes for the complete DC7X check my post at the Carvin forum under the "Exotic Woods Club" thread, other detail relevant are posted there as well. 

Here are two good wood brokers. One right down the street from Carvin and one in Oregon that I have had good experience with.

Marty Talcove
Tropical Exotic Hardwoods
2270-C Camino Vida Roble
Carlsbad, CA 92011
760-268-1080
*Tropical Exotic Hardwoods*

Marc Culbertson
Gilmer Wood Company
2211 NW St. Helens Road
Portland, Oregon 97210
www.gilmerwood.com/


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate (Jul 16, 2014)

7 Strings of Hate said:


> This is one of the most whiney white-people problem threads i'v seen in a while



For the guys that said i was racist in the rep comments for saying white people problems? Well, I'v never heard a black rapper get called racist for using the N word in a song. 
Well, I'm white people and i'm certianly allowed to say what I want about them. So eat a bag of dicks


----------



## ceiling_fan (Jul 16, 2014)

How are you liking the Thinner Neck Profile option? How much thinner is it?


----------



## Dominoes282 (Jul 16, 2014)

Probably not the right time buuuut, check this tasty spalted maple out that showed up in Carvin's pics of the day yesterday. Yummy


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate (Jul 16, 2014)

Dominoes282 said:


> Probably not the right time buuuut, check this tasty spalted maple out that showed up in Carvin's pics of the day yesterday. Yummy


Wound salter


----------



## Rev2010 (Jul 16, 2014)

ceiling_fan said:


> How are you liking the Thinner Neck Profile option? How much thinner is it?



It's noticeable but barely really. The difference is very very small - as most have said online it's just under 1mm difference in thickness. Not sure if it's worth it for $60 unless one absolutely has to have the thinnest Carvin will offer. But it feels pretty good.

@7 Strings of Hate - just for the record that wasn't me, I sign all my rep and typically only rep for real bad stuff.

@Dominoes282 - lol, yeah I'm following their Facebook page and I've seen oh so many awesome pieces of spalt cross their daily postings.

Oh well. As I've said I'm long over it and loving the way it plays and sounds.


Rev.


----------



## Dominoes282 (Jul 16, 2014)

Rev2010 said:


> Oh well. As I've said I'm long over it and loving the way it plays and sounds.
> 
> 
> Rev.



That's all that *should* matter. The first time I ding my brand new guitar I go insane for about 2 days and I get used to it. Same case here I guess


----------



## potatohead (Jul 17, 2014)

Did they end up refunding you anything? I find they're pretty tight fisted about handing out refunds.


----------



## notasian (Jul 19, 2014)

i saw this thread had 6 pages so i assumed there was a big fight going on haha i wanted to read some drama


----------



## Rev2010 (Jul 19, 2014)

notasian said:


> i saw this thread had 6 pages so i assumed there was a big fight going on haha i wanted to read some drama



Nah, most of the drama is in my rep, I got spanked real good  Guess I totally deserved it though. 


Rev


----------

