The Carvin / Kiesel thread

[Jeff]

hmm that's a nice suhr modern.

-$2000

 

[r3tr0sp3ct1v3]

Come on, they're not that ugly.

Yeahhhh I don't like diarrhea burl. Plus Kiesel charges 600 for a buckeye >.>

 

[spudmunkey]

According to Jeff, Electric City pickups is having to/had to close due to the owner's health. They have transfered over the designs and rights for the Johnny Hiland over to Kiesel, who will continue to produce them. This will also mean that you'll be able to get them on other models, as well.

Apparently before that happened, Mark Kiesel had already been working on some single coils pickups that should be ready fairly soon. No real ideal of what they are supposed to be like, except I *think* they are also individual magnets instead of bars+poles, like the Hiland sig pickups.

 

[BigViolin]

Did the lithium singles go away? What singles are actually available now other than the AP and S?

 

[Ascension]

Have had a love hate relationship with Carvin Kiesel as a company for many years but love the guitars. There are 2 mods on the Kiesel /Carvin forum still over issues that happened almost 20 years ago would still like to find in a dark ally and rearrange there face!
That said keep coming back to the guitars as they play great sound great and work every night without drama on the road every time.
Own 5 love them all play them on stage more than my other 10 guitars put together.

 

[MatiasTolkki]

that pink x220... YUMMMMM

 

[spudmunkey]

Did the lithium singles go away? What singles are actually available now other than the AP and S?

It depends on the string count, but theres the:
AP11 (on it's way out, 6 string only)

AP13 (on its eay out if not already gone, 7 string only)

S60 (6 string only)

Beryllium (I dont remember if this is 7 and 8 string, but I believe so. On the 6 string models, they are covered like the s60 except on models with a pickguard, wbere they then have exposed pole pieces. I dont know if that is also the case with the 7 string. And they dont have any pickguard 8 string models anyway).

Lithium 6, 7 and 8 string.

TBH60 (single coil sized humbuckers, only 6 string...they dont actually make this one in-house)

Johnny Hiland which will have individual magnetic pole pieces, instead of bar magnets (if I understand correctly). Not sure if they are just for 6.

Mark Kiesel's new ones, whenever those are ready, which were originally in the direction of Johnny's before they got the rights...I imagine they are a bit different. Not sure what string counts they will be in.

 

[spudmunkey]

They just announced a Zeus run, for anybody interested. all string counts, guitar and bass, straight and multiscale.

All info is on their facebook group. A new thing this year: the "Stage 1" instruments will be ordered online with a link that will be posted when it starts. Stage 2 and 3 will still need to call in.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/KieselZeusRun/

The lowest price package "stage" starts at $1300, which is $150 higher than the base price ($100 more than the base 4-string bass). It includes, in that base price, 10 different Splatter or Crackle finish options which are normally $200+, any of their 3 neck thicknesses, and a streamlined free menu of pickups, inlay shapes and colors, fretboard radius, logos, pickup configs and colors, pickup pole piece colors, optional tone knob delete. Some other limited options available, some at a discount.

 

[Albake21]

They just announced a Zeus run, for anybody interested. all string counts, guitar and bass, straight and multiscale.

All info is on their facebook group. A new thing this year: the "Stage 1" instruments will be ordered online with a link that will be posted when it starts. Stage 2 and 3 will still need to call in.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/KieselZeusRun/

The lowest price package "stage" starts at $1300, which is $150 higher than the base price ($100 more than the base 4-string bass). It includes, in that base price, 10 different Splatter or Crackle finish options which are normally $200+, any of their 3 neck thicknesses, and a streamlined free menu of pickups, inlay shapes and colors, fretboard radius, logos, pickup configs and colors, pickup pole piece colors, optional tone knob delete. Some other limited options available, some at a discount.

I was thinking about jumping onto it for a bass, only to see that Stage 1 requires a splatter or a crackle. That's an automatic no for me..

 

[spudmunkey]

black splatter on black?

Not sure I jive with the splatter color options. The black with colorshift/blue/purple one was pretty neat. I'm reeeally digging their "black with keisel racing green" scheme they showed lately, but I'm not 100% sure it's included in this run. I *think* it is...

I might...might have jumped in of the Osiris was included. But, nah...my $179 Ibanez Talman bass suits my needs just fine, if it's not the "right" spec.

I do kinda wish that they would do a run where the lowest price model was cheaper than it normally is. They did that with the Delos run. Not only did it come bundled with some options, but it was also $50 cheaper than the base model. That was reeeeeeeeeeally tempting. Although, I realize their real profit comes from the options, and that their margins are MUCH thinner on basic builds.

 

[r3tr0sp3ct1v3]

I am considering the zeus run. I am still on the fence

 

[LeviathanKiller]

I wish they would do a Theos run since that's the newest model (and the one I want haha)

 

[Seabeast2000]

So these runs (not on the FB), are discounted pre-spec'd batches?

 

[Albake21]

So these runs (not on the FB), are discounted pre-spec'd batches?

Yes and no. It really depends on the run and the specs you choose. Realistically they aren't really worth it unless you are looking for something super specific or whatever new thing Kiesel has to offer. As someone who has been on 2 runs, I'm not sure I'll get on another one. You could technically spec out a guitar that would actually cost more than normal if you don't choose a bunch of the optional free upgrades. You basically have to take advantage of most, if not all of the optional free upgrades to actually get anything out of the run (discount-wise).

 

[spudmunkey]

Basically, they put together a limited menu of options, so that they can batch them out more efficiently. This shortens leadtime, reduces impact on their normal-ordered products, and time = money. They can pre-make neck blanks, spray paint bodies in batches, etc.

They usually offer 3 "stages". Each stage getting a higher-spec bundle of included options. The cheapest is usually within spitting distance of the base model's price (in this case $100-$150 more), but in that price you get to pick from the streamlined menu of finishes that normally cost $200-$300, and then there's a handfull of other options that they are offering for free like pickup configs, pickup covers, a handfull of inlay options, etc. So if you wanted this exact spec, you could save a couple hundred bucks, ish. They also normally have a small number of upgrades available at a discount.

The delos one they did a while back was sort of rediculous...not only was the stage 1 price lower, but it came with roasted neck, and a few other options that really made it a knock-out value.

This Zeus run seems like less of a knock-out value, at least for the 1st price stage which is the only one I've really looked at. There's a Stage 2 for $1700 which comes with some higher-end specs, and then a $3K stage which has finish options that only Jeff does himself, and other upgraded woods, etc.

 

[Seabeast2000]

Thanks for the info @Albake21 , @spudmunkey ,

I

 

[spudmunkey]

The lowest price package "stage" starts at $1300, which is $150 higher than the base price ($100 more than the base 4-string bass). It includes, in that base price, 10 different Splatter or Crackle finish options which are normally $200+

A clarification/update to this: the crackle finishes are normally $300, and then because the ones here are over metallic finishes which are normally another $100, the Crackle finish choices here are normally $400. So since the guitar is $150 more than standard, the crackle finishes are technically $250 off, plus then any other of the free options you pick (like, say, fretboard radius change is like a $50 difference), so it's relatively easy to save $300.*

*(if you would have picked all of these exact options anyway)


On the Splatters, the base colors are not metallic, but some of the splatters are metallic.

 

[Hollowway]

I’m tempted to get an 8 string with trem for a stage 1. If they had a maple board, I’d definitely be in for a white base with the neon splatter colors (assuming they’re going to make that an option. It’s not on the splatter poll, but it IS in the run photo.). Otherwise I’m not sure.
I’ve also been wanting one of those ridiculous 7 string basses, so I want to do that, as well, but also a stage one. That one is a much better deal, as the 7 string option is $1300 plus $250 = $1550. The normal base for that is $1799.

@spudmunkey you haven’t seen the crackle options posted anywhere, have you? I found the splatters in your post on the BBS on the kiesel site, but nothing about the available crackles for this run.

 

[spudmunkey]

@spudmunkey you haven’t seen the crackle options posted anywhere, have you? I found the splatters in your post on the BBS on the kiesel site, but nothing about the available crackles for this run.

No, not yet. There's a silver/black Aries that they showed in the announcement vid, and that they were supposedly finishing a "Lambo orange" one, but they didn't show it yet.

 

[spudmunkey]

I’ve also been wanting one of those ridiculous 7 string basses, so I want to do that, as well, but also a stage one. That one is a much better deal, as the 7 string option is $1300 plus $250 = $1550. The normal base for that is $1799.

Add another $250. There's no 7 string non-multiscale, so it's $500 above the base bass.