CARVIN Amps: Out of Business!

syscokid

syscokid

Ambassador of War & Peace
Country flag
This happened 2 months ago, but I just heard of it today. 71 years in business. I feel bad for their employees, and the end of a history for a successful American manufacturer. Their guitar production, Kiesel Guitars is unaffected.

Link:
Carvin Audio Announces Closure After 70 Years in Business

Currently, I have an old Carvin Vintage 16... a rocking screamer, that's been heavily modified. About 12 years ago, for a couple of years, I had the first generation Legacy 100 watt combo amp. Great sounding amp... when it was working... o_O
 
Last edited:
I always heard good things about Carvin amps. RIP Carvin or maybe it can be reborn by someone else of good quality.

Rogers drum company is actually undergoing this as we speak. No more permanent death or Yamaha owned.
 
Steve Vai and Frank Zappa with a Carvin X-100B behind them. They both used and endorsed the X-100B at the time.

vai_zappa001.jpg

Later on, Vai and Carvin develop the Legacy as Vai's signature amp.

1382519617263_670_6.jpg
 
It's really too bad. I have always liked Carvin amps and I knew a couple of people that used X100B's back in the day as "secret weapons" to eat the Marshalls everyone else played because they were a little under the radar. They were always affordable too, but I think it was their business model that both kept them relatively inexpensive and killed them. Players had to order them on faith as there was no dealer network, and most people weren't willing to spend that kind of money without at least trying them out.
 
Mom used to be one of their artists. We constantly had Carvin stuff given to us. It was really good quality stuff.
 
Besides guitar and bass amps, Carvin produced an extensive line of PA products, too. Power amps, mixing boards, speaker cabs, conditioners, mics, cables, etc...
 
syscokid said:
Besides guitar and bass amps, Carvin produced an extensive line of PA products, too. Power amps, mixing boards, speaker cabs, conditioners, mics, cables, etc...
Click to expand...

Yep! They did the complete install in Mom's Ranch House Studios - Consoles, cables, mic's, speaker cabinets, 2 way intercom, everything....
 
Bummer, Carvin has been around for a long time. I can remember ordering a pickup from Carvin by phone when I was a teenager; first time ordering from them. Back then you had to fill out an order form and mail it in with a check, which my mom did. A few days later the pickup was sitting at the door. I can remember my mom saying she just mailed the order out (yesterday type thing) and Carvin had to send pickup before getting the check. So, evidently, the Carvin guy in California I spoke to on the phone must have got a kick out of the poor young teenager from NY and mailed it out when he got off the phone with me. The memory still makes me smile, not a lot of truly cool people like that in the world - know what I mean...
 
Drumoid said:
Bummer, Carvin has been around for a long time. I can remember ordering a pickup from Carvin by phone when I was a teenager; first time ordering from them. Back then you had to fill out an order form and mail it in with a check, which my mom did. A few days later the pickup was sitting at the door. I can remember my mom saying she just mailed the order out (yesterday type thing) and Carvin had to send pickup before getting the check. So, evidently, the Carvin guy in California I spoke to on the phone must have got a kick out of the poor young teenager from NY and mailed it out when he got off the phone with me. The memory still makes me smile, not a lot of truly cool people like that in the world - know what I mean...
Click to expand...

Drum, I had a story experience somewhat different, but somewhat unique comparable story.
I once bought an ammo reloading press that was made up in New England. When I opened the box to begin surveying the parts inside, I noticed they use high tech materials to cushion the parts. Scraps of the local newspaper.

If memory serves correctly, I called them to let them know how much I liked the touch. When the phone rang and was answered on their end, no one answered, but instead I got a message saying " now I know you likely hoped to talk to a real person when you called, but... if you will leave a message, we will be glad to give you a call as soon as we are available."

None of this Press one for Spanish, 2 for English 3 for ... crap...
 
Drumoid said:
Bummer, Carvin has been around for a long time. I can remember ordering a pickup from Carvin by phone when I was a teenager; first time ordering from them. Back then you had to fill out an order form and mail it in with a check, which my mom did. A few days later the pickup was sitting at the door. I can remember my mom saying she just mailed the order out (yesterday type thing) and Carvin had to send pickup before getting the check. So, evidently, the Carvin guy in California I spoke to on the phone must have got a kick out of the poor young teenager from NY and mailed it out when he got off the phone with me. The memory still makes me smile, not a lot of truly cool people like that in the world - know what I mean...
Click to expand...

You could still get that pickup! Carvin/Kiesel Guitars didn't go out of business. Carvin Audio did. The guitar and amplifier/audio sides split and became separate business entities in 2015. The guitar business is alive and well.
 
Drumoid said:
Bummer, Carvin has been around for a long time. I can remember ordering a pickup from Carvin by phone when I was a teenager; first time ordering from them. Back then you had to fill out an order form and mail it in with a check, which my mom did. A few days later the pickup was sitting at the door. I can remember my mom saying she just mailed the order out (yesterday type thing) and Carvin had to send pickup before getting the check. So, evidently, the Carvin guy in California I spoke to on the phone must have got a kick out of the poor young teenager from NY and mailed it out when he got off the phone with me. The memory still makes me smile, not a lot of truly cool people like that in the world - know what I mean...
Click to expand...


I got my very first M22SD from them....
 
smitty_p said:
You could still get that pickup! Carvin/Kiesel Guitars didn't go out of business. Carvin Audio did. The guitar and amplifier/audio sides split and became separate business entities in 2015. The guitar business is alive and well.
Click to expand...

True...
 
I wonder if the shuttering of Carvin Audio means that Kiesel Guitars could go back to using the Carvin name on their guitars and basses?
 
Tony M. said:
They have their own good reputation now as Kiesel.
Why would they adopt the name of a failed company?
I know that sounds harsh on Carvin but they are no more.
Click to expand...
:iagree:
The Kiesel name is here to stay. Lowell Kiesel, who past away 8 years ago, was the original founder of Carvin. The Carvin name came from a combination of a couple of Lowell's sons first names: Carson and Gavin. The whole company is still family operated. In honor of the founder and family, the Kiesel name makes sense.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top