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 For
50 years Carvin has been trumpeting the "factory direct" manufacturing
strategy. If you've ever purchased one of their electric guitars or basses
you would probably agree that their non-retailer approach has been a success.
Now
they are debuting a new line of acoustic guitars that is a bit of a departure
for them in two different  ways.
First of all, it is the first time they have ever offered full-bodied
dreadnought acoustic instruments. Secondly, the majority of all that Carvin
makes is traditionally made in the U.S. But to bring the Cobalt Series
of acoustic guitars in at a price point that would work, they went overseas
for the manufacturing.
Carvin has hooked up with what they believe is the best quality Korean
builder out there. They use premium woods and each guitar that arrives
in San Diego is given a Tusq saddle, a set of Elixir guitar strings and
an extensive final set-up. I was sent the C850, which sports an AA solid
spruce top, with a beautiful solid rosewood back and rosewood sides. Also
the satin finish neck and high gloss body just looked great. The solid
spruce top had a nice tight woodgrain and the binding work was well done.
Other
well-heeled features include immaculate fretwork, a rosewood headstock,
Grover tuners and abalone sound hole purfling (even abalone topped end
pins!). The body style comes equipped with a cut-a-way for easier access
to the higher register. The instrument already comes with the Fishman
Prefix Plus for superb electric tone when you want to plug-in.
As far as playability goes, the C850 scored high. You could run your hand
up and down the sides of the fretboard and not feel any unevenly cut frets
either. Whether chording or just riffing around, the C850 felt good to
your left hand.
I
was surprised with the tone as well. The bass, middle and treble tones
were balanced. The bass wasn't overly deep; but still the entire sound
spectrum resonated well, especially for an acoustic guitar in this price
range. The optional hard-shell molded case has Carvin's name embossed
on it and seemed more than sturdy enough to protect your instrument. Over
all, we really liked the whole package. Good quality components built
to Carvin's high standards and personally set up by their Custom Shop
in San Diego.
Cobalt
Series C850 List Price $1,269.00 - Direct to you price of $629.00 (optional
case direct price of $59.00) Contact Carvin at 800-854-2235 or at www.carvin.com.
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