Carvin CT6 -vs- PRS Singlecut
- Thread starter Finnster
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PRS guitars work great with boogie amps, due to mid-friendly pickups. They don't sound like Fenders and Gibsons as commonly advertised. They have unique singing-sustaining tone which you either like or not. From my point of view, I sold a Carvin 747 and Ibanez JPM90th in order to buy a PRS custom.
Now, all I need is a Suhr Classic
Now, all I need is a Suhr Classic
PRS_Guitars5
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My friends that is a whale blue custom 24 10 top........being held by a platinum blonde 5'6 36DD top.
Crunchyriff
Active member
Some background on myself before I give my $.02:
At one time I owned two X100 Carvin Stacks that I used for number of years. Zero breakdowns. I couldn't say that about my next amp (sadly)- a Boog Quad Preamp.
I've also owned 4 different Carvin guitars; as well as plenty of Gibsons, Fenders, Hamers, Charvels and many others over the last 33 years of playing guitar (20 of it professionally)- including 3 80's PRS's, as well as two brand new PRS SemiHollow Singlecuts.
CT6 vs a PRS Singlecut?
Not even a fair fight.
I will first say that NO company is ever 100%. That being said, PRS' consistency, attention to detail, and quality control are second to none. Carvin's CT series is a wannabe PRS that will never be one. Pop open the control cover- Carvin's pots are garbage. PRS' aren't. And, though you take a hit on any NEW BOUGHT guitar at resale, Carvin's resale value stinks... Unless it's to a rabid Carvin fan. Carvin's latest pickups I find mediocre at best.
PRS has some great pickups, good pickups (and a few that I don't like) & they sound great through a variety of amps. Not just Boog.
Buy what floats your boat. For me, Carvin isn't one of those.
At one time I owned two X100 Carvin Stacks that I used for number of years. Zero breakdowns. I couldn't say that about my next amp (sadly)- a Boog Quad Preamp.
I've also owned 4 different Carvin guitars; as well as plenty of Gibsons, Fenders, Hamers, Charvels and many others over the last 33 years of playing guitar (20 of it professionally)- including 3 80's PRS's, as well as two brand new PRS SemiHollow Singlecuts.
CT6 vs a PRS Singlecut?
Not even a fair fight.
I will first say that NO company is ever 100%. That being said, PRS' consistency, attention to detail, and quality control are second to none. Carvin's CT series is a wannabe PRS that will never be one. Pop open the control cover- Carvin's pots are garbage. PRS' aren't. And, though you take a hit on any NEW BOUGHT guitar at resale, Carvin's resale value stinks... Unless it's to a rabid Carvin fan. Carvin's latest pickups I find mediocre at best.
PRS has some great pickups, good pickups (and a few that I don't like) & they sound great through a variety of amps. Not just Boog.
Buy what floats your boat. For me, Carvin isn't one of those.
PRS_Guitars5
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IMHO PRS forced other guitar companies to step up to the plate. (Gibson, Fender etc...) When PRS hit the stores in 85, the quality of the woods, electronics, finish etc was 10x better than anything else out there. While most guitar companies were trying to figure out how to make a cheaper guitar PRS went the other direction. The finish on a PRS is still (IMHO) the best out there. Look at the jewel that Finnster posted for example. What a beauty. As far as resale value.....all you have to do is surf around Ebay for a few minutes and you'll get the picture. They are expensive but you get what you pay for.
Don't get me wrong. I love all guitars. I wish I could aford to own one of everything. Since I can't do that I prefer to save my money and invest it in an instrument that is uncompromised. And will hold it's value (if not increase) over time.
Don't get me wrong. I love all guitars. I wish I could aford to own one of everything. Since I can't do that I prefer to save my money and invest it in an instrument that is uncompromised. And will hold it's value (if not increase) over time.
scottkahn
Well-known member
Crunchyriff said:
When someone qualifies their post like this, you know you're in for a treat.
To assume PRS attention to detail and quality is second to none is unfounded. I have found some sloppy attention to detail when looking at some PRS models and in fact thought the overall fit and finish weren't remotely worth the price of admission.
Carvin guitars today (of which I've owned, played, or handled many) have outstanding attention to detail in the fit and finish. People who claim the resale value sucks are still thinking about their old early-80s Carvins. The CT-6M holds its value quite nicely, actually, as do some of their other guitars.
I personally don't care for the sound of their pickups, but there are other players who love them. PRS pickups aren't specifically any better or worse -- they have a different sound to them, that's all.
You're right, it's not a fair fight... because the CT-6M gives you as much guitar or better for at least 30% less cost than the comparable PRS.
I agree that the PRS has a higher resale value... but I buy my guitars to be uncompromised musical instruments that I play and record with, not to be investments that I anticipate selling down the road.
Scott
PRS_Guitars5
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That's interesting. I can't recall a PRS that I have looked at that had sloppy attention to detail. Maybe on a few of the 85-86 models when they were a very small company and a truley hand made instrument. Fact is now, most all guitars are made well. Even instruments made in Mexcio, China, Indonesia or BFE.
Crunchyriff
Active member
So you are willing to give Carvin a pass on their cheap electronics? My that's consistent.
IF you correctly read my post, I said "no company is ever 100%" and I am conceding in this that PRS is included in this statement- though VERY few and far between. That being said, what makes you think I'm not familiar with the new Carvin stuff? That fact is I AM, & for a long time was a fan of this 'underdog' company as well as a user of their products- on stage & in studio.
IF I honestly thought Carvin made a guitar equal to, or better than PRS, you can bet your bottom dollar I'd be playing Carvins, and spend the money I'd saved elsewhere.
now THAT's a first among musicians.
When someone qualifies their post like this, you know you're in for a treat.
Glad your so easily entertained with simple facts of my background with Carvin...
PRS_Guitars5 said:
I have for the last 15 years been a US made guitar snob. For the last 14 of those it has been about fixed bridge neckthrough designs. Though I can say that there is merit in the other types of guitars because I have played them I am most comfortable in my little niche.
That being said, I have been finding more and more imported guitars to be stepping up to the plate as far as fit and finish. There have even been some Korean models that I would consider real players. Granted they fit into my fixed bridge neckthrough tendencies but still Korea? The current market has a grand plethora of guitars that are just incredible as compared to the offerings of yesteryear. Unless my blinders are deceiving me there might be an import or two entering my collection in the future.
Crunchyriff
Active member
Russ you are right, bro. the Asian guitar behemoth cannot be ignored any longer. Japan is finally getting its due. Korea is starting to whip out fine instruments, though the electronics still suffer in most cases.
I have two MIJ Tokais- a '58 LP spcl clone (LSS-100), and a '59 ES-335 replica (ES-120). Both are finished in nitro-lacquer & both guitars shame the avg Gibson USA (and many historics) by a sizeable margin. I've owned a HIstoric 58 LP now for about 5 years, and while it's the finest LP I've ever played or owned ( I went through 7 different historics before settling on the one I have); I like my MIJ Tokais better.
I have two MIJ Tokais- a '58 LP spcl clone (LSS-100), and a '59 ES-335 replica (ES-120). Both are finished in nitro-lacquer & both guitars shame the avg Gibson USA (and many historics) by a sizeable margin. I've owned a HIstoric 58 LP now for about 5 years, and while it's the finest LP I've ever played or owned ( I went through 7 different historics before settling on the one I have); I like my MIJ Tokais better.
scottkahn
Well-known member
True -- the imports are worthy overall these days. It's not like back in the 80s when import stuff was junk. I think the big change has to do with manufacturing technology -- the automated computer-driven machines can make a perfect neck or body in any country now!
Seriously, even Ibanez is making some of their prestige stuff in Indonesia, and with a guitar we recently tested, you could not tell the difference from a Japanese model (from the hardware assembly, fit and finish perspective).
Same thing with MIM strats -- they feel just as good as many USA versions. If you don't mind the lack of resale value and doing some minor upgrades to pickups, etc., you can be very happy with the instruments for 40% less cost.
This is all a good thing, as American manufacturers have to raise the bar higher if they expect us to keep paying a premium for made-in-usa models.
Scott
Seriously, even Ibanez is making some of their prestige stuff in Indonesia, and with a guitar we recently tested, you could not tell the difference from a Japanese model (from the hardware assembly, fit and finish perspective).
Same thing with MIM strats -- they feel just as good as many USA versions. If you don't mind the lack of resale value and doing some minor upgrades to pickups, etc., you can be very happy with the instruments for 40% less cost.
This is all a good thing, as American manufacturers have to raise the bar higher if they expect us to keep paying a premium for made-in-usa models.
Scott
I went with a friend to get her a guitar the other night to GC. She wanted something reasonably priced and decent quality. I, originally, like the salesman thought immediately SG special in a faded finish. That guitar is a decent quality flexible guitar with good tone and action. Though she liked the overall feel the neck wasn't right for her. So out came the others of all different varieties even boltons and tremolos. She was given a BC Rich neckthrough to try and that was a nice guitar. It wasn't until I looked at it closely that I realized that it wasn't a US Rich. It had all the goodies on it. It also had a nice feel to the neckjoint and a great contour for access to the upper frets. It was way better than I thought a Korean could ever be. The finish is superb. It even sounded good with whatever pickups that are in it. She ended up buying it. I might have to borrow it once in a while just for kicks.
Yeah, the search for a good Gibson is tough. Because they are all handmade they differ ever so slightly in everything about the guitar. Sometimes it is the finish that sucks, sometimes it is the tone that lacks. Personally, if I pick up a guitar it has to feel right in my fretting hand as far as the radius goes. Some radii are different due to human inconsistency but that can be good and bad. I am not sure if it is the perfect baseball bat neck that I look for or what but I just don't like more than half of them that I pick up just because they just don't feel right. Then there is the tone. I feel that sometimes the tone just isn't there which is a sad thing for guitars that are so expensive. Sometimes I find the best tone in a Studio or a Special believe it or not. I could really care less what the finish is like if the tone isn't there. Like I said in other posts here and there is that I would buy and play that Hello Kitty Squire Strat if it had the tone I was looking for or even the Daisy Rock guitars. Sad but true...
Tokai makes a hell of a product, as does Orville, Edwards, and many others. Part of where I think the inspiration stems from is that there was such a stigma associated with the import guitars and the price tags that came with the high priced US guitars that something had to give. I mean even the Mexico Strats are decent now. I played the early Mexico Strat and had to take the thing back several times in trying to find one that had no issues. I ended up with a Japanese Strat. The early ones were awesome. For some reason the quality shifted on those though. The reason why I didn't buy American then was because I wasn't looking for American then. That was a take it everywhere I went guitar that I wanted decent build quality but didn't want to ruin a nice American Strat in the meanwhile. It served its purpose. I sold it to help fund a Les Paul purchase though.
As far as Carvin goes, they are in my backyard. Well, technically not but they are located within a mile from my father's house. I just can't get into their guitars. They look pretty but I just do not like the feel of them for some reason. I think that might affect the way I play them thus the tone I end up with when I have sat down and tried them.
PRS... well, they make some nice guitars. I like the feel of them and the tone that they make but they just aren't my thing.
If I had to choose... PRS. Not because of anything other than they just feel better for some reason therefore making better tone for me because you have to be able to be comfortable with or like the guitar you are playing to get decent tone.
Yeah, the search for a good Gibson is tough. Because they are all handmade they differ ever so slightly in everything about the guitar. Sometimes it is the finish that sucks, sometimes it is the tone that lacks. Personally, if I pick up a guitar it has to feel right in my fretting hand as far as the radius goes. Some radii are different due to human inconsistency but that can be good and bad. I am not sure if it is the perfect baseball bat neck that I look for or what but I just don't like more than half of them that I pick up just because they just don't feel right. Then there is the tone. I feel that sometimes the tone just isn't there which is a sad thing for guitars that are so expensive. Sometimes I find the best tone in a Studio or a Special believe it or not. I could really care less what the finish is like if the tone isn't there. Like I said in other posts here and there is that I would buy and play that Hello Kitty Squire Strat if it had the tone I was looking for or even the Daisy Rock guitars. Sad but true...
Tokai makes a hell of a product, as does Orville, Edwards, and many others. Part of where I think the inspiration stems from is that there was such a stigma associated with the import guitars and the price tags that came with the high priced US guitars that something had to give. I mean even the Mexico Strats are decent now. I played the early Mexico Strat and had to take the thing back several times in trying to find one that had no issues. I ended up with a Japanese Strat. The early ones were awesome. For some reason the quality shifted on those though. The reason why I didn't buy American then was because I wasn't looking for American then. That was a take it everywhere I went guitar that I wanted decent build quality but didn't want to ruin a nice American Strat in the meanwhile. It served its purpose. I sold it to help fund a Les Paul purchase though.
As far as Carvin goes, they are in my backyard. Well, technically not but they are located within a mile from my father's house. I just can't get into their guitars. They look pretty but I just do not like the feel of them for some reason. I think that might affect the way I play them thus the tone I end up with when I have sat down and tried them.
PRS... well, they make some nice guitars. I like the feel of them and the tone that they make but they just aren't my thing.
If I had to choose... PRS. Not because of anything other than they just feel better for some reason therefore making better tone for me because you have to be able to be comfortable with or like the guitar you are playing to get decent tone.
