# NGD: Carvin DC800 Burl/Flame/Birdseye Maple galore!



## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 14, 2012)

Hey guys, here's my new Carvin DC800! There have been numerous DC800s NGDs as of late, but I think this one is pretty special, it really turned out amazing.

Let's start with a video, shall we?



And of course, pics! You can download hi-res versions of these shots here 
Download Carvin DC800.zip from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way










































Specs are:

- all tung oil finish
- alder wings
- flame neck through
- burl maple top
- birdseye maple fingerboard
- abalone diamond inlays
- jumbo stainless steel frets
- wooden knobs
- ivory graphtec nut
- white pearloid Sperzel buttons
- abalone Carvin logo
- Dunlop straplocks

There's a lot to say about this guitar. I originally ordered this one since I was sick of waiting for my BRJ custom order, and really needed an 8 string, so purchased this one. 
My expectations weren't super high, but this instrument has really exceeded all of them, BY FAR.

I really cannot say anything bad about the guitar, the woods are epic and overall build quality is on par with the top gamers imho. 
Fret access is unreal and it plays like a breeze. Fretwork is incredibly good, superior to many other high-end guitars I had in the past.
The neck shape is very similar to regular JP7s, only just a bit meatier and of course wider due to the 8th string.
The guitar is not harsh/trebly at all, but rather resonant and meaty. Elixir strings have more tension and I can drop E with a 68 just fine. 
It also handles tuning like nothing else, if I pick a string really hard while tuning it, the tuner stays absolutely firm and doesn't oscillate, unbelievable.

Only things I don't like that much are Sperzel's pearloid white buttons (I think I just prefer the black ones aestethically) and the pickups are very weird: these are very high output pickups that are super sensitive to height placement, the voicing is kinda weird but they definitely sound like actives. They're not bad at all, but maybe I'm just used to BKPs. These are so different I had to build a new Axe Fx II preset from the ground, rather than tweaking my existing ones.

If you have an Axe Fx II, you might be interested on the preset I've built specifically for this guitar, which you can download here http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5864881/Chuggah_v2.syx
Bear in mind, it's VERY dry and made for really high output pickups like these, it doesn't work well with my other guitars.

I hoped you liked this NGD, now lemme go back shreddin it!


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## Razzy (Mar 14, 2012)

Soooooooooo sick.


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## yuureikun (Mar 14, 2012)

Freakin' gorgeous!


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## MacTown09 (Mar 14, 2012)

So much deliciousness piled into one guitar. How does the tung oil feel? Also were the white tuners an extra option?


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## VILARIKA (Mar 14, 2012)

The wooden knobs look out of place, but in a really good way . Those specs are pretty tasty, and everything spec added together fits perfectly. This might be the best DC800 I have seen yet, Happy NGD!


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 14, 2012)

MacTown09 said:


> So much deliciousness piled into one guitar. How does the tung oil feel? Also were the white tuners an extra option?



Yes, pearloid Sperzels are a small extra.

The tung oil finish looks so much better and very smooth/3d in person, the guitar also smells like cappuccino, ain't that bad


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## Valennic (Mar 14, 2012)

Hot damn that thing's gorgeous.

Also kudos to the mini-cover, that was sick


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## guy in latvia (Mar 14, 2012)

looks and sounds awesome! congrats! what is the scale lenght?

ive got an RG2228, and a 70 for the low F# or E, and its just too loose, it actually smacks against the frets when i pick, I have no idea how you do it with a 68...could it really be elixirs vs d'addario?


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## Razzy (Mar 14, 2012)

guy in latvia said:


> looks and sounds awesome! congrats! what is the scale lenght?
> 
> ive got an RG2228, and a 70 for the low F# or E, and its just too loose, it actually smacks against the frets when i pick, I have no idea how you do it with a 68...could it really be elixirs vs d'addario?



The scale length on these is the same as the RG2228's. 27"


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 14, 2012)

guy in latvia said:


> looks and sounds awesome! congrats! what is the scale lenght?
> 
> ive got an RG2228, and a 70 for the low F# or E, and its just too loose, it actually smacks against the frets when i pick, I have no idea how you do it with a 68...could it really be elixirs vs d'addario?



Elixirs tend to have considerably more tension than D'Addarios.

I once had an 80 in my 28.6 Agile but I think the 68, while looser, isn't too terrible, instead has a more balanced sound rather than a huge low end.


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## renzoip (Mar 14, 2012)

Too awesome!


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## ImaDjentleman (Mar 14, 2012)

yay, you did as i told you haha, nice geetar


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## otisct20 (Mar 14, 2012)

Jesus H. Christ that guitar looks amazing. I wish i could afford one of those babies! HNGD


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## vitor gracie (Mar 14, 2012)

I was visiting Southern California last week and made a special trip to the San Diego Carvin store just to try these new 7 & 8 strings out. I had my BFR JPXI 7 with me to compare. I have to say that I bonded with the Carvin 8 string more then I did with the 7. The stuff people say about the necks on the 7 is true,... it's not as skinny (flat) as the JP but not too meaty either. It's in the middle. I was also pleasantly surprised by how easy the 8 was to play though. The neck profile was actually better to me then the 7 (which is weird) 

I also agree about the pickups. I am a passive PU guy all the way, and didn't care for the 7's actives, HOWEVER, the 8 string ones on the Carvin where oddly perfect for the tuning and gauge strings. I REALLY liked the sound, and yeah, it's weird...like a very hot passive pick up with some tasteful active qualities to it. It was it's own sound. I played more on the clean then I did the dirty (which was also weird) but it really had a tasty tone to it through out the range of strings. I couldn't put it down. It handled all the complex chording on the clean setting I could throw at it. You could really hear the notes very well. And the dirty didn't loose the high notes either when chording similarly. I played eleven chords and you could hear all the range of notes through out the strings from thick to thin which was impressive to me. 

I, too, had to set the amp's clean and dirty in a weird way to accomodate the tone of the 8 but I didn't mind doing that at all. Once I dialed it in I was in heaven and wanted to put down cash for the 8 right away... (but restrained myself)

I used the last 2 channel Carvin Legacy in the store (the first one not the 2nd) It was a match made in heaven. The clean was beautiful and clear, and it's own tone. It was almost made for the 8 string. The dirty was great...though there are more aggressive amps out there, I thought it sounded fine with all three guitars, especially my JP.

Lastly, FLOCK helped me out for like an hour! He is by far the coolest, most refreshing "guitar store guy" on the planet. He was thoughtful, excited and informative and set up all the guitars I tried for me including his own custom Carvin 7 so I could hear the different sounds. He had Dimarzios in his Carvin and said that if you come INSIDE the store and buy your Carvin from him, he could arrange for the builders to open up the passive slots to accept standard passive pickups though they won't install other pickups for you there. (which is what he had them do for his) He also offered to select the woods personally for your guitar as well. SUPER helpful guy! Very respectful and patient and a great ear for tone. He is also a very avid fan of 7 string and 8 string guitars for styles OTHER THEN JUST METAL which was very helpful to me. We mainly focused on the guitar's clean sounds and how different woods effect the tone.

Just wanted to share that with you guys. Flock is the man! and the new 8 strings are affordable and to die for. I think Carvin nailed it with these and am anxiously awaiting the new Legacy 3 to come out. 
Cheers on the new, sexy guitar 
-Defraim


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## Danukenator (Mar 14, 2012)

Dat Burl! This is probably the most wood porn for a DC800 yet! You just needed some quilted maple to have just about every type Carvin offers!


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## Prov1dence (Mar 14, 2012)

Welp. You've just given me a new desktop background.


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## Richie666 (Mar 14, 2012)

It's fucked up how nice that thing is! Congrats!


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## synrgy (Mar 14, 2012)




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## Goatchrist (Mar 14, 2012)

Perfect woods! Look so gorgeous! I'm very jelly!


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## sevenstringj (Mar 14, 2012)




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## The Norsemen (Mar 14, 2012)

DAT BURL


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## scherzo1928 (Mar 14, 2012)

Wow... I'm jelly.


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## HighGain510 (Mar 14, 2012)

Gorgeous piece of burl and that neck figuring is ridiculous! Congrats man, she a natural beauty!


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## Electric Wizard (Mar 14, 2012)

FrancescoFiligoi said:


> the guitar also smells like cappuccino


It's like they couldn't make it any more pleasant to look at, hear, or feel that they had to branch out into new senses. Have you tasted it yet?

Happy NGD though, definitely one of the most spec'd out 800's posted here.


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## djinn314 (Mar 14, 2012)

dude I love the look of that guitar. I remember messaging you on Youtube because at first I thought you had some sort of compensated nut. I love the looks of that thing though. The inlays, the top, dude. Good fucking choices!


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 14, 2012)

Electric Wizard said:


> It's like they couldn't make it any more pleasant to look at, hear, or feel that they had to branch out into new senses. Have you tasted it yet?
> 
> Happy NGD though, definitely one of the most spec'd out 800's posted here.



Not yet, but I'm tempted to


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## JP Universe (Mar 14, 2012)

Pretty similar to the way I specced out my Carvin.... Big congrats!!!


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## Randyrhoads123 (Mar 14, 2012)

Man, that looks f'n beautiful. Seeing everyone's NGD's here is really stressing me out to spec mine out well.


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## AfroSamurai (Mar 14, 2012)

Wow, that burl looks amazing. This has to be one of the hottest dc800 I've seen.

Congrats on that beauty, enjoy!


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## ivancic1al (Mar 14, 2012)

Dear Lord, that's some excellent figuring on that top. This is probably my favorite of the new batch of Carvin 8s so far. Congrats man!


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## DoomJazz (Mar 14, 2012)

Shit hahahahah okay, you win.


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## AngstRiddenDreams (Mar 15, 2012)

I'll be honest and say that is one of the most beautiful necks and fretboards i've EVER seen.


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 15, 2012)

Thanks guys, yeah this guitar has really surprised me, I think they chose their best woods available for this instrument. 
It also plays unbelievably well, I'm used to 25.5 scale and the 27 is definitely noticeable, but it's an awesome scale and compliments the instrument perfectly imho.


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## stuglue (Mar 15, 2012)

Is the longer scale making the strings tighter and does that make it hard work to fret the notes? Do you have to press down harder?


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## guy in latvia (Mar 15, 2012)

btw, whats the wait time on one of these?


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 15, 2012)

stuglue said:


> Is the longer scale making the strings tighter and does that make it hard work to fret the notes? Do you have to press down harder?




Longer scale = higher tension. Higher action = harder to fret notes, also a higher action contributes to the strings' stiffness.

The guitar currently has quite a low action so it's just fine with me.


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 15, 2012)

guy in latvia said:


> btw, whats the wait time on one of these?



They're currently very busy and it's around 10 weeks.


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## stuglue (Mar 15, 2012)

Is it harder on the fingers stretching them between frets 1 to 4?


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## guy in latvia (Mar 15, 2012)

FrancescoFiligoi said:


> They're currently very busy and it's around 10 weeks.



Seriously? They can go from a spec sheet to a semi custom in 3 months time? That's amazing! Gotta start looking into one of these myself...


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## AwakenNoMore (Mar 15, 2012)

I actually am so awe struck by this thing i can't think of anything witty or silly to say.

Simply amazing looking. Congrats on the purchase.


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## djinn314 (Mar 15, 2012)

FrancescoFiligoi said:


> Thanks guys, yeah this guitar has really surprised me, I think they chose their best woods available for this instrument.
> It also plays unbelievably well, I'm used to 25.5 scale and the 27 is definitely noticeable, but it's an awesome scale and compliments the instrument perfectly imho.



I couldn't have said it better. I like the 2228 for the shredding and the same scale too, but I'm about 99.9% sure my next guitar is going to be a DC400. I've always wanted a natural maple burl top but I'm planning on having mine with the "black burst" or whatever it's called on the site. And I'm really looking forward to jamming on one. I'm so jealous of you


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 15, 2012)

stuglue said:


> Is it harder on the fingers stretching them between frets 1 to 4?



My hands are not yours, so I suggest you to try a 27" whenever you have time and see for yourself  but as you can see on the video, I have girly hands and have no problem at all.


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 15, 2012)

guy in latvia said:


> Seriously? They can go from a spec sheet to a semi custom in 3 months time? That's amazing! Gotta start looking into one of these myself...



Yeah that's incredible. I'm waiting since november 2010 on my BRJ Hesperian 8, would be hilarious if the DC800 turns out to be the best of the two.


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## stuglue (Mar 15, 2012)

That's ok then cos I have tiny fingers


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 15, 2012)

On a side note, I've made a mistake: the Axe Fx II preset I've attached on the original post is not my final version, but an earlier version that is missing an EQ block and many other fine tweakings on amp block 2 and cabs. I'll upload the right version when I'm back home.


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## ShadowFactoryX (Mar 15, 2012)

this is without a doubt the best DC800 I've seen ever.
Easily within the top 3 best Carvin's I've seen as well

If I get one, it might be to that exact specs


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 16, 2012)

Here's the correct Axe Fx II preset, have fun with it! http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5864881/Chuggah_v2.syx


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## Imbrium998 (Apr 24, 2012)

What was it about the pearl buttons you didnt like? I am about to get a DC700 with pretty much same/similar options.
Have you looked into replacing the pickups yet? I am wondering what the routing would end up being like if you were to change them out


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## IronGoliath (Apr 24, 2012)

That looks really gorgeous but I honestly think if it had a bit of a bloodied red stain on it it'd sell me more.. I dunno. Not HUGE on natural finishes but this one is still really gorg. Dat grain.


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Apr 25, 2012)

Imbrium998 said:


> What was it about the pearl buttons you didnt like? I am about to get a DC700 with pretty much same/similar options.
> Have you looked into replacing the pickups yet? I am wondering what the routing would end up being like if you were to change them out



I'm probably gonna put an EMG sized Lundgren M8 and a Lace Aluma X Bar, so no routing/holes/pickup rings involved. Thanks for the interest!


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## cataclysm_child (May 9, 2012)

I love it! And I think the white sperzels fit the guitar nicely too.
If I would have to say something negative it would be the abalone logo. I would like black or white better. But that's nitpicking and just my opinion.

A friend of mine got one last week, so I tried it this weekend and you know what. I ordered one right away. I'm not even joking, I actually ordered one at his place, haha. Absolutely amazing guitar.



FrancescoFiligoi said:


> They're currently very busy and it's around 10 weeks.



9 weeks now ;D



FrancescoFiligoi said:


> Yeah that's incredible. I'm waiting since november 2010 on my BRJ Hesperian 8, would be hilarious if the DC800 turns out to be the best of the two.



I wouldn't be surprised. I've tried a BRJ 8 and I think it was horrible, both playing-wise and in build quality. Well, horrible is exaggerated, but I had such high expectations after all the talks here.


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## HexaneLake (Mar 3, 2014)

That birdseyes classy


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## Techdeath (Mar 3, 2014)

F#$% yes \m/ awesome axe and playing


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## Letuchy (Mar 31, 2014)

Sick axe bro!


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## Pandaonslaught (Mar 31, 2014)

this is my favorite carvin build to date, nice axe man!


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## Hexatticus (Apr 8, 2014)

That may be the most beautiful guitar I've ever seen.


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