# NGD: DC800 #2 Burl of My Eye



## Uncreative123 (Mar 28, 2012)

Gotta do this real quick because I'm leaving in about 10 minutes.

Specs:

Burled Maple Top
Birdseye Maple fretboard- w/abalone dot inlays
Gold hardware/ Abalone logo
Med. SS frets
Walnut body/neck +2 maple stripes
Dunlop straplocks (oooooops, they had to mess something up though right? Thankfully it was that and not something else that's actually important)

Only got to play on it for about 10 minutes but instantly I loved the tone more than the Koa one I had. Not enough time to go into detail on it...but wow. Love the hell out of this thing so far.

Pics: I apologize if some of them are flipped; photobucket is a nightmare and constantly does this for no reason.

New Carvin cases? Last one said "CARVIN" on it- doesn't appear anywhere on this one, but still the same case

















The burl top on this thing is siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick; Supposedly one of the owners and the guy I had been dealing with went down to hand-pick this one personally for me as I was pretty adamant about getting a "nice top":


















The walnut on the back is gorgeous and really dark; the pictures definitely don't do it justice. This one was the closest to the actual color:


























Bonus top shot:












Oh yeah, and then there's this:








lol


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## SYLrules88 (Mar 28, 2012)

...i dont even know what to say...yours makes me hate mine!  almost


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## mphsc (Mar 28, 2012)

That top is sick, I can literally see the tree it was cut from. Never been a fan of gold hardware but it looks really good with those wood combos.

Congrats!


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## renzoip (Mar 28, 2012)

Looks freaking awesome, congrats!!


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## Diggy (Mar 28, 2012)

that guitar is fucking awesome !!!!!!


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## GazPots (Mar 28, 2012)

What am i looking at in the last picture? 


Also nice burl. Can't beat some burl action with some maple fretboard goodness. 



Also i didn't notice any flipped pictures.


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## ZEBOV (Mar 28, 2012)

FUCK YOU! lol
This made me order a DC800 on the spot! The only differences will be a swamp ash body, Graphtech TUSQ nut, a cream trussrod cover with my name engraved on it, and no Dunlop strap locks.

EDIT: And mine will have a gold plated logo.


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## MJS (Mar 28, 2012)

Damn, that's nice. Bonus cool points for the back being as easy on the eyes as the front.  

Did you actually have to spec any of that stuff out, or was there just a single check box on the order form for a "Perfect Guitar" option?


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## stuglue (Mar 28, 2012)

Gorgeous, not a huge fan of gold hardware but looks fantastic


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## Hollowway (Mar 28, 2012)

Yup, loving that combo. That's the second one with those specs I've seen, and definitely my favorite. It would be cool to option a 50 and get the sides and back oiled, but I'm not even sure that's possible.  Nice move up from the Koa!


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## Goatchrist (Mar 28, 2012)

Oh god, this Carvin 8s keep getting better and better..
Congrats!


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## AngstRiddenDreams (Mar 28, 2012)

Holy shit, that just made my day.


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## Alimination (Mar 28, 2012)

Major upgrade man! Looks lovely. Congrats!


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## AfroSamurai (Mar 28, 2012)

Awesome, that burl is out of this world. I'm glad that they took care of you, the previous koa top was pretty plain.


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## HighGain510 (Mar 28, 2012)

Glad this one was free of any major/non-fixable errors!  That burl top looks awesome, congrats!


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## technomancer (Mar 28, 2012)

FINALLY one of these with a decent top! Nice piece of burl on that, congrats


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## groovemasta (Mar 28, 2012)

yes!! that burl is awesome


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## mishabasi (Mar 28, 2012)

are they ever gonna darken the ink on those cards? mine was so difficult to read that the secretary at work almost didn't know it was for me.

'Nough of that. These are by far the finest woods i've seen on the DC800. The burl maple is incredible and the walnut is just as stunning. 

HNGD :]


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## ziggystarpuff (Mar 28, 2012)

this makes waiting til June even harder for mine, good lord that is a beauty! +1 on that DC800!


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## Galius (Mar 28, 2012)

Aside from the gold hardware its looking mighty tasty to me. Glad they got you all taken care of.


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## kevdes93 (Mar 28, 2012)

i haven't seen a dc800 yet that hasnt given me a boner


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## Uncreative123 (Mar 29, 2012)

mphsc said:


> That top is sick, I can literally see the tree it was cut from. Never been a fan of gold hardware but it looks really good with those wood combos.
> 
> Congrats!


 

You and me both; I'm usually the no.1 hater of gold hardware, but I just couldn't see it any other way on this. 




GazPots said:


> What am i looking at in the last picture?


 
3 order cards from Carvin. Next one is due 4/11 I think. 



Hollowway said:


> Yup, loving that combo. That's the second one with those specs I've seen, and definitely my favorite. It would be cool to option a 50 and get the sides and back oiled, but I'm not even sure that's possible.  Nice move up from the Koa!



Thanks mane. It's actually the first with those specs. There have been two other burl tops; the first with an ebony board/walnut body/black hardware (which gave me the idea for this one) and the second which was more like this but I think regular maple board, oiled finish, and ash or alder body.

Don't worry, the third is like nothing but op. 50's...





technomancer said:


> FINALLY one of these with a decent top! Nice piece of burl on that, congrats




Haha thanks. I think the other burl tops were pretty sharp. I really love the detail in this one though.


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## JamesM (Mar 29, 2012)

Uncreative123 said:


> 3 order cards from Carvin. Next one is due 4/11 I think.



What do you do for a living?!

I can't wait to be done with school.


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## MacTown09 (Mar 29, 2012)

The Armada said:


> What do you do for a living?!
> 
> I can't wait to be done with school.



Haha I was thinkin the same thing when i saw those three Carvin Cards on the fridge. I am so happy after saving for 3 years to buy a new guitar to have a single Carvin card on my fridge


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## Hollowway (Mar 29, 2012)

Uncreative123 said:


> There have been two other burl tops; the first with an ebony board/walnut body/black hardware (which gave me the idea ).



Oh, I know! The one on the carvin forum, right? Believe me, I know what yours costs down to the penny - I've specced that exact build out (well, with black HW- but good call with the gold!) probably once a week for the past 3 months!  I just can't pull the trigger because I can't rationalize getting another 8. But I will be getting something with a maple burl at some point!


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## Slunk Dragon (Mar 29, 2012)

Dude... every single aspect of that guitar just... it just works. I could even stare at the back of that guitar forever, and that's saying something. You've got a one in a million, I'd say.


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## Contra (Mar 29, 2012)

Oh, you lucky bastard. Every inch of that looks remarkable.


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## Uncreative123 (Mar 29, 2012)

The Armada said:


> What do you do for a living?!
> 
> I can't wait to be done with school.




I'm a guitar instructor. I have just over 50 students so I'm doing better now than I was in the past. Aside from a six-figure student loan debt and rent, I really don't have much for bills each month and I don't spend money on frivolous shit so I'm able to save quite a bit. I'm also able to deduct these as expenses for my taxes which this past year was rather helpful.
Plus these Carvin's are fairly cheap- compared to what I previously owned anyway.



There might be a possible issue with this one, I'm not sure yet. Usually when you go looking for a problem, you'll find one. Taking a picture of it would be impossible. There is about a 1" area where the top meets the body on the top side where if you run your fingernail across that area where they meet you'll just barely snag this microscopic groove that separates the two. Sometimes it takes a couple tries. It seems to only be in that area. While it's not an immediate concern, I'm worried about months/years down the road if this could become worse and become a real problem. I don't know the technical jargon to explain the issue, but if anyone else does and has an opinion on it, I'd love to hear it.


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## Razzy (Mar 29, 2012)

Uncreative123 said:


> I'm a guitar instructor. I have just over 50 students so I'm doing better now than I was in the past. Aside from a six-figure student loan debt and rent, I really don't have much for bills each month and I don't spend money on frivolous shit so I'm able to save quite a bit. I'm also able to deduct these as expenses for my taxes which this past year was rather helpful.
> Plus these Carvin's are fairly cheap- compared to what I previously owned anyway.
> 
> 
> ...



I wouldn't worry about it, it just sounds like the seam settled right there or something. I guarantee the top isn't going to just fall off of the guitar, lol.


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## zappatton2 (Mar 29, 2012)

Wow, this one is my favorite yet. And that top... it almost looks more like granite or some other rock formation rather than wood grain. Love it!!!


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## Alberto7 (Mar 29, 2012)

Uncreative123 said:


> There might be a possible issue with this one, I'm not sure yet. Usually when you go looking for a problem, you'll find one. Taking a picture of it would be impossible. There is about a 1" area where the top meets the body on the top side where if you run your fingernail across that area where they meet you'll just barely snag this microscopic groove that separates the two. Sometimes it takes a couple tries. It seems to only be in that area. While it's not an immediate concern, I'm worried about months/years down the road if this could become worse and become a real problem. I don't know the technical jargon to explain the issue, but if anyone else does and has an opinion on it, I'd love to hear it.



My Carvin has had that ever since I remember. It's been almost 2 years since I got it, and it has survived chilly winter temperatures, and 100% humidity 50 Celsius summers (even though it's mostly at home, but not 100% protected against humidity), and it hasn't changed a bit. I wouldn't worry about it.

Also, fuck you for owning this guitar and not me . That top is fan-fucking-tastic. Congratulations!


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## brector (Mar 29, 2012)

Hollowway said:


> It would be cool to option a 50 and get the sides and back oiled, but I'm not even sure that's possible.  Nice move up from the Koa!



I believe it is once you change the top wood. I wanted mine black on the top and sides w/ clear satin finish on the back and neck. They told me I could do it if I went with a top - but I didn't want to shell out $400 more for just that

-Brian


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## Ocara-Jacob (Mar 29, 2012)

Holy crap that thing is GORGEOUS. I need one...


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## ZEBOV (Mar 29, 2012)

brector said:


> I believe it is once you change the top wood. I wanted mine black on the top and sides w/ clear satin finish on the back and neck. They told me I could do it if I went with a top - but I didn't want to shell out $400 more for just that
> 
> -Brian



You don't have to spend $400 on the top if you just want to paint over it. A plain maple top is just $80. Don't get burled maple and cover it with paint.


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## brector (Mar 29, 2012)

ZEBOV said:


> You don't have to spend $400 on the top if you just want to paint over it. A plain maple top is just $80. Don't get burled maple and cover it with paint.



Damnit! Oh well, it will be here Monday. Live and learn. And I guess the plus side is since I didn't option 50 it, I can send it back

-Brian


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## fusion1 (Mar 29, 2012)

just curious if the Burl of your eye was some sort of reference to the song curl of the burl ?


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## Uncreative123 (Mar 29, 2012)

fusion1 said:


> just curious if the Burl of your eye was some sort of reference to the song curl of the burl ?




No, just a play on words; ref: "pearl of my eye".


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## iRaiseTheDead (Mar 29, 2012)

Wow. Is the only word I can think to say.


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## intense134 (Mar 30, 2012)

I love everything about that , gold hardware also .


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## TRENCHLORD (Mar 30, 2012)

Freakishly awsome from every angle.
Top almost looks like marble.

Great to know what a fine job Carvin does in making sure their customers are pleased.


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## MAJ Meadows SF (Mar 30, 2012)

Best Carvin top I have ever seen. Beautiful guitar!


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## NixerX (Mar 30, 2012)

Secks.......pure hawt.

mine will never get here fast enough.


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## Splinterhead (Mar 30, 2012)

I gotta agree, i'm definitely down with the curl of that burl!
Congrats on a one of a kind guitar!


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## myrtorp (Mar 30, 2012)

HOT!


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## larry (Mar 30, 2012)

oh god, it makes me want an all walnut version.
congrats man! oh-- and i'm jelous of your job
guitar instructor beats mechanical assembly 
any day.

back on topic though; i hope you grab another
dc800. the ngd's on 'em have been getting
progressively sexier.


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## MiPwnYew (Mar 31, 2012)

Blows my mind every time I look at it..


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## BTFStan (Mar 31, 2012)

god dude that is sick!!!! should of tung oiled that neck


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## fusion1 (Mar 31, 2012)

Haha I knew someone was going to reference "Curl of the Burl" in this thread based on the "burl of my eye" statement. I think Mastodon approves of this nice burled Carvin DC800!!!



Splinterhead said:


> I gotta agree, i'm definitely down with the curl of that burl!
> Congrats on a one of a kind guitar!


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## ViolaceousVerdance (Apr 1, 2012)

Holy sheeeet that top is gorgeouusss. This compounds the indecision in the woods I want on my guitar.


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## Metalus (Apr 1, 2012)

Wow that is one of the sexiest burl tops I've ever seen next to Nolly's Blackmachine. This makes me look forward to my Aura even more 

Congrats dude


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## jon66 (Apr 3, 2012)

Wow, congratz man, that thing is STUNNING!!! *drool*

Fuck, I've went thru the builder like 250 times now, and I can't decide on specs. 

I almost wish Carvin had a Mr. Potato-Head option, where u could order a bunch of different tops and hardware colors and just pop 'em on and off when the mood strikes. It'd make the decision of picking ONE so much easier... lol


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## XxSilverburstDiezelxX (Apr 3, 2012)

Any chance of a written review and or video?


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## Uncreative123 (Apr 4, 2012)

XxSilverburstDiezelxX said:


> Any chance of a written review and or video?




Yeah I'm kind of working on it. The day after I got this I got hit up by a band and I really need to get their songs down first. They're all on seven strings though, so I've basically just been trying to learn it on this one, but it's not the easiest. I actually had to order a 7 string today just to make learning these songs easier. They are absolutely insane. So really any free time I have right now is going towards that.


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## XxSilverburstDiezelxX (Apr 4, 2012)

Uncreative123 said:


> Yeah I'm kind of working on it. The day after I got this I got hit up by a band and I really need to get their songs down first. They're all on seven strings though, so I've basically just been trying to learn it on this one, but it's not the easiest. I actually had to order a 7 string today just to make learning these songs easier. They are absolutely insane. So really any free time I have right now is going towards that.



Well I appreciate the reply none the less.

My Dc800 is due 5.18.2012


Burled Maple Top
Flamed maple neck
Birdseye maple fingerboard
Swamp Ash wings
Black Hardware
Dunlop straplocks
Engrave truss rod cover (TMS)
Medium SS frets
No inlays

Just wondering what your overall opinion of the guitar is. Tonally, weight wise, playability, quality of construction..ect. 

Would really appreciate a few quick words, to ease the wait and keep me excited. 


If you don't have time I understand as well! Thanks for the pictures boss!


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## trickae (Apr 4, 2012)

Hollowway said:


> Oh, I know! The one on the carvin forum, right? Believe me, I know what yours costs down to the penny - I've specced that exact build out (well, with black HW- but good call with the gold!) probably once a week for the past 3 months!  I just can't pull the trigger because I can't rationalize getting another 8. But I will be getting something with a maple burl at some point!



dude how much does it cost? That top is amazing. Walnut for the body looks killer, but it must weigh a tonne!


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## fusion1 (Apr 4, 2012)

jon66 said:


> I almost wish Carvin had a Mr. Potato-Head option, where u could order a bunch of different tops and hardware colors and just pop 'em on and off when the mood strikes. It'd make the decision of picking ONE so much easier... lol


 
I have requested this before as well, sort of like a Kisekae mock up builder so you can actually SEE the options as you add them. Would make sense for a custom builder like this. I'm saying this after buying a Carvin DC800 already, I'd probably have bought mine sooner had I been able to see a mock prior to making the call and placing the order. That said with a Kisekae app I bet they would sell a lot more guitars this way and I'd probably buy more myself.


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## DeSouzaDan (Apr 4, 2012)

That burl is the reason why Darth Vader can't breathe.


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## Uncreative123 (Apr 4, 2012)

trickae said:


> dude how much does it cost? That top is amazing. Walnut for the body looks killer, but it must weigh a tonne!




lol, I don't know why you're asking him how much my guitar weighs, but it's lighter than the JP7s that I owned. And it's going to be a lot lighter than the 3rd DC800 I just paid my massive and non-refundable deposit on. I'm pretty confident in saying that it will put this one to shame.


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## s_k_mullins (Apr 4, 2012)

Uncreative123: The guitar is absolutely gorgeous! You did an excellent job spec'ing this one out. Congrats dude!


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## ASoC (Apr 5, 2012)

That thing looks amazing 

How does it play/sound? (specifically the clarity) 

I've specced one out and I'm trying to convince my benefactors that I deserve one for graduation


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## AngstRiddenDreams (Apr 5, 2012)

All this time and i still can't get over how beautiful that guitar is man.


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## sleightest (Apr 6, 2012)

wow


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## Diggi (Apr 6, 2012)

ZEBOV said:


> FUCK YOU! lol
> This made me order a DC800 on the spot! The only differences will be a swamp ash body, Graphtech TUSQ nut, a cream trussrod cover with my name engraved on it, and no Dunlop strap locks.
> 
> EDIT: And mine will have a gold plated logo.



What's the lead time on delivery? I hope you post some pics man!


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## Uncreative123 (Apr 6, 2012)

XxSilverburstDiezelxX said:


> Well I appreciate the reply none the less.
> 
> Just wondering what your overall opinion of the guitar is. Tonally, weight wise, playability, quality of construction..ect.
> 
> ...




Overall opinion so far is that the honeymoon phase will be long-lasting. It's the first guitar where even when I'm playing it I'm thinking about how great looking it is, lol. I love the birdseye-maple/abalone dot combo. When the light hits it right, it looks like they're LEDs. 
Tonally it's a lot better than the Koa one I had. The Koa I thought was kind of muddy/warm. 
Weight-wise, it's the same as the other. MUCH lighter than you would expect. These are very light guitars. Lighter than my JP7s. 
Playability is fine. Just took some work for me because I'm use to 25.5" scale. I have it in a weird tuning right now while I'm learning this band's songs, but the low F# is dropped to E; Whether it's E or F# it's still pretty flubby. Not ideal for fast, tight playing. I'm not really using that string a lot at the moment anyway so I haven't had a reason to change the strings yet.
Quality is immaculate. The fretwork is great; better than on the Prestige Ibanez I use to have. 

I have two more on the way if that says anything....


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## AnarchyDivine88 (Apr 7, 2012)

I love burl tops and this is one beautiful burl. Congrats dude!

Now where's the video?!  jk


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## ZEBOV (Apr 8, 2012)

ZEBOV said:


> FUCK YOU! lol
> This made me order a DC800 on the spot! The only differences will be a swamp ash body, Graphtech TUSQ nut, a cream trussrod cover with my name engraved on it, and no Dunlop strap locks.
> 
> EDIT: And mine will have a gold plated logo.



And no inlays.

@ Diggi: When I ordered, Eddie Fuentes said that the build time will be about 10 weeks. He didn't give me a date, but that's no big deal. I'm just happy to know that my Carvin XB76 is on the way.


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## HexaneLake (Apr 12, 2012)

Pretty.


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## Compton (Apr 12, 2012)

That thing is insane! Congratzz


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## Stealthdjentstic (Apr 12, 2012)

Looks fucking gorgeous. Definitely not helping me kill the wait for my own burled beauty


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## dkuehn1 (Apr 19, 2012)

Wow definitely a gorgeous instrument! I have heard great things across the boards! But people, just because this man can own a piece of art CERTAINLY does not mean your 8 string sucks! Think of the starts of so many greats. They didnt acquire shit for expensive and overly pretty things until they were ALREADY launched into a respectable and large musical career! I have multiple guitars that cost me under 600 dollars that I would record, depend upon and desire to be buried with! This is a mans dream machine! As well as his next few! Play it, love, shut it. Then, eventually, most could own one of these masterpieces! 

Carvin was my first choice for an 8, but I got such a deal on a Schecter 8 I just couldnt pass it up! I am in love! I am glad you love yours too! More play!!!!!!!


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