The Carvin / Kiesel thread

[Jeff]

Received my first Vader V6X build a week ago. Build quality was essentially flawless. Some of the cleanest wiring I’ve seen. Fretwork was excellent. Overall just a high quality instrument and sounded a lot meaner and fuller than I was expecting for such a tiny, chambered swamp ash bodied guitar. I still ended up selling it though. The body was so small I could just never get comfortable with it.

Well that was quick! That's a shame you didn't gel with it, because it's a great looking guitar.

 

[jeb]

So!! I ordered an Aries on black Friday. I asked for the lightest guitar possible to help with my arthrosis problems.
I play in a Celtic Punk/rock band and we are on tour during March.... The Leprechaun did is magic!! I got the guitar on the Saint-Patrick's day directly at the venue!!

I got 5.8 lbs of pure joy!! This is my second Kiesel, the first is a TL60. As the first this one is flawless!

I can understand all the rants about Kiesel, but as a lefty player, I can't find any other company that gives the same options for the right handed players and lefty players at this price point!

Chris Hong at Kiesel is the man!! It's just great and easy to deal with this guy!

Sláinte
Jeb

 

[cip 123]

Geez, they can't even build a guitar the right way round.

 

[TheAegisInitiative]

That’s a really tastefully spec’d Aries. I think they’re really good looking guitars without the wacky top woods and simpler finishes.

 

[spudmunkey]

Is that something like Trans Yellow on AAT in...raw tone satin?

 

[jeb]

Geez, they can't even build a guitar the right way round.

I know right!!!

 

[jeb]

Is that something like Trans Yellow on AAT in...raw tone satin?

This is the raw tone wiskey brown finish.
I'm really happy how it turned out!

Jeb

 

[Jeff]

So!! I ordered an Aries on black Friday. I asked for the lightest guitar possible to help with my arthrosis problems.
I play in a Celtic Punk/rock band and we are on tour during March.... The Leprechaun did is magic!! I got the guitar on the Saint-Patrick's day directly at the venue!!

I got 5.8 lbs of pure joy!! This is my second Kiesel, the first is a TL60. As the first this one is flawless!

I can understand all the rants about Kiesel, but as a lefty player, I can't find any other company that gives the same options for the right handed players and lefty players at this price point!

Chris Hong at Kiesel is the man!! It's just great and easy to deal with this guy!

View attachment 67874
View attachment 67877
View attachment 67878

Sláinte
Jeb

That's stunning. It really is! Honestly, especially after playing several Kiesels now, I'm convinced that A. the Kiesel troubles were tied to the break-up and their move, and B. Jeff Kiesel is still pretty douchey, but if you can get past that, you get a great guitar for a decent buck.

 

[Seabeast2000]

I don't remember if I asked yet here....but anyway..
Anyone replace a Carvin FT6 bridge with anything from Hipshot?

 

[spudmunkey]

The mounting holes are in completely different locations...but do you have a specific question?

The few times I played a Carvin with the FT6, it seemed fine. No better or worse than my hipshot, other than it looks a little cheaper. Both are string-through and function identically.

 

[Seabeast2000]

The mounting holes are in completely different locations...but do you have a specific question?

The few times I played a Carvin with the FT6, it seemed fine. No better or worse than my hipshot, other than it looks a little cheaper. Both are string-through and function identically.

More or less, just wanted to see what options exist if not a direct match for holes, then something bigger like the High Mass perhaps that would cover up the old holes. thanks! I never dug the silver saddles w/ otherwise black hardware on the FT6 but I guess could just upgrade saddles with someone else's saddles....

 

[spudmunkey]

Ahh, gotcha. Yeah, at some point years ago they switched from having coordinating-color-plated saddles to the all gunmetal-y colored ones for all finishes. Looked quite goofy with the gold...although the String Saver Saddles also looked a bit like that...and the piezo saddles...

The string spacing on the "Ibby HM" bridge is slightly wider than even Hipshot's own fixed bridge that looks like the FT6. I don't remember what the FT6 spacing measurements are, though...but another measurement beyond physical size to keep in mind.

 

[spudmunkey]

Apparently they seem to be diving head-first into roasting woods. In today's group of facebook pics from the factory, they included a Zeus with a roasted ash body, and in yesterday's "pick your top tuesday" live video (also on facebook) they had a CT6 body with a roasted slamed maple carved top, and also at least one one other bookmatched flamed maple top. They did specifically say they they would not be available on models with a bent forearm contour (so no DC6700 or Delos, for example, but could work on a SCB, beveled Aries, Vanquish, or a Solo (if you got binding, which gives up the forearm contour)).

 

[spudmunkey]

Kiesel is doing a run for their newish Delos model.

For $1095 starting ($1000 base price (which is $49 lower than the normal base price for this model) + case + shipping in the US) for the lowest-price tier (Stage 1), they are throwing in roasted maple neck and fretboard, and if you get the raw tone satin finish, an ash body upgrade. As normal, all builds have stainless frets, luminlay side dots, and for this run, all guitars will have no truss rod cover.

They are also offering a few new pickguard materials for the run, but not all colors are available for all "stages". Mint, Vintage White, and Black Pearloid.

For the stage 1, which is obviously the best value, there are a few no-upcharge choices available in this run:

Fret Count on 6 string: 24 / 22
Stainless Frets: Med-Jumbo / Jumbo / Regular Vintage
Inlay Shape: Centered Dots / No Inlays
Inlay Material: Acrylic Black / Mother Of Pearl
Fretboard Radius: 10 / 12 / 14 / 20
Graphtech Nut: Black / White TUSQ
Headstock Shape: GT / GTR
Logo: White / Black
Pickguard: White / Black / Mint / Vintage White
Pickups: Beryllium / Lithium / Thorium
Pickup Configuration: HH / SSS / HSS
Pickup Color: Black / White / Cream
Knobs: Black Plastic / White Plastic
Body: Swamp Ash with RTF / Alder with Gloss
Finish: Black / White / Surf Green / Light Blue / Light Pink / Clear
Top coat: RTF (Swamp Ash Body) / Gloss (Alder Body)

Other options available for this lowest-priced tier (many are discounted):
Neck Profile Options: +$30 Thinner (THNN) / Thicker (THKN)
Left Handed $0.00
Bridge Type: Kiesel Trem +$100 / Gohto 510 Trem 6 string only +$100
7 string +$50
Finish Options:
Antique Ash Treatment +$100 (RTF Only)
Select Whiskey Brown +$200 (RTF Only)
Metal Flake / Sparkle finish +$300: Aqua, Blue, Purple, Green, Red, Pink, Silver


i won't bother posting the specs for the other two stages ($1500 and $2500 base prices), but that info is all available in the Facebook Group for the Delos Run. but, I thought I'd share this one because $1095 for a US-made "strat" with stainless frets, roasted maple neck and fretboard, for $1095, or $1195 with a Hipshot or Gotoh trem is really a rocking deal, i think, compared to Suhr or even most off-the-rack Fender US Strats.

 

[MatiasTolkki]

Did they switch to the 1996E or something? What do you mean gotoh trem? Wilkie?

 

[spudmunkey]

No. For this model only, they are also offering the Gotoh 510 (the one that just looks like a 2-point Strat bridge). When the model was launched, they assumed traditionalists would want a bridge as close to a Strat as they could get, so they were originally going to offer a 6-screw trem. After NAMM, he got enough feed back that there wouldn't really be that much demand for that, and that people would likely prefer this bridge (seemingly the #1 bridge that people "upgrade" to on their strats), so it's what they decided to go with.

From what i understand, if you get the 24-fret model, it's full-floating, but if you get the 22-fret, like a Strat, it's decked (dive only), like a Strat. I remember hearing that, but sometimes things change, and I haven't heard anyone else confirm it, so i could be on crack with that part...but I'm at least 77% sure I'm right.

 

[Hollowway]

This is the first run I've been tempted by in a long time. I'm considering a 7 trem pink sparkle. The discount on the pink sparkle is really the only thing that makes me want to jump in. But, I could get the transparent pearl pink on a non-run delos, and I like that color, too, so I can't make up my mind. As usual.

@spudmunkey off the top of your mind, do you know if the TPP color is the same price as the other transparent colors? It's not on the builder, so I don't know if it's an upcharge, or what.

 

[spudmunkey]

Transparent pearl pink, in addition to the blue and green, were technically discontinued in July of 2018. I can't tell you if they still have it or if they still will do it, or if any of their trans pinks are just a pearl-less version of the same color.

 

[Hollowway]

Transparent pearl pink, in addition to the blue and green, were technically discontinued in July of 2018. I can't tell you if they still have it or if they still will do it, or if any of their trans pinks are just a pearl-less version of the same color.

Ah, ok, thanks. I love the TPP, but can't stand the "light pink" color. I like my pinks like I like my Van Halen - 100% '80s!

 

[spudmunkey]

I know there's a "highlighter pink" but i don't know if it's an opaque or transparent pink. A there's one is called "Transparent Flamingo Pink"..and I have no idea how either of those differ IRL from Transparent Hot Pink...

Transparent Flamingo Pink:

Supposedly this is Transparent Flamingo Pink without AAT:

Trans hot pink, which *seems* more purple-y

Then there's the non-transparent Hot Pink:

And this is supposed to be the same non-transparent Hot Pink...but it looks like a different color.

Same...