It's kind of a standard mod that most people do when they want to eliminate electronic issues in the housing. Guitars above 1K should honestly all have that
I didn't like how he went out of his way to try to bash other companies though, big and small. I get that it's a competitive marketplace but let your product speak for itself, if it can.
If his way is superior, it's not bashing, just informing. I can tell you by experience, their instruments are immaculate and the best quality for price- bar none.
That was an absolute stellar presentation of how a guitar should be built. Well spoken and knew every aspect down to pole pieces. Jeff represents his company with absolute attention to detail. Great job! Great guitars! Great company! I have four Carvins and every one of them is pristine to play.
Plek is not a substitute for leveling a fingerboard before fretting. After the fingerboard is properly leveled, you fret and then level the frets with or without a Plek. The Plek is the same comparison as Jeff uses here which I agree with when he talks about CNC. If you want that accuracy in other aspects of the build, why not in the leveling of the frets while the neck is under string tension. A Plek is simply a CMM, software and a CNC based fret leveler. To use it as a Bandaide would be wrong but the majority of Plek users don't use it that way.
He is wrong about the Plek machines. It's fine to make sure the fretboard is perfect before pressing in frets (which I think any manufacturer would do), but it's the unpredictable way the neck will move when under string tension that you can't plan into the fretboard. That is what Plek does - it takes readings of the neck with strings installed and tuned to pitch, then without strings on, and factors in any changes between the two when dressing the frets.
Funny enough yesterday I ordered a guitar through Kisel with an unlisted color and the salesman said it would take extra weeks because Jeff would have to do it. And now I know who Jeff is. This is some great stuff
I really give credit to companies like Carvin,Suhr,PRS,Vigier,MusicMan because they're run by people who are instrument builders and care about making quality products.Sure,they are also businessmen and wanna make profit,but just compare this video with the factory tour of Gibson,on the PremierGuitar channel and you will see what I mean.Plus,their instruments are really reasonable priced,even with the VAT taxes & shipping,a custom made Carvin will cost me far less then a similar instrument,of one of the aforementioned companies.
+greekfreak1980 That depends on the PRS. It looks to me like these guys don't have a "cheaper" line. They just have different levels of "fancy", but they're all made to the same standards with the same quality materials. A "cheap" PRS is a pretty good guitar, but there is a distinct difference between the cheap ones and the good ones.
+Mickey Bitsko Nothing against PRS,I own a second hand US Cu24 and a SE Tremonti Custom,both great.BUT,they're charging you an absurd amount of money for options that Carvin offers as standard.Not to mention they don't do some options,unless you're endorsed by them or a famous rockstar.For example,try to get a Cu 24 7-string,with OFR,stainless steel jumbo frets and burl maple top with a finish like the one in my avatar pic.You got a 50% change they will say no and even if they agree,they will charge you a fortune.Kiesel/Carvin offers a CT7 with these options as standard and for a much reasonable price.
I love to see someone that truly loves their job and is so excited to do it well. Jeff has just awesome integrity and is passionate and a perfectionist about the whole process. Really nice to see people like this out there. Really enjoyed this thanks for posting I've wanted a Carvin for years!
Jeff Kiesel is a awesome person to have a conversation with in person. I met him last week and he brought out a few Vaders to check out and we were blown away with the look and sound of the instruments. Nothing to compare them to in the market. Got a chance to play the first 8 string Vader ever made while there, amazing experience totally worth the money. Can't wait to see what my Custom Vanquish 6 string Bass looks like in person. #customshoppride
I really really respect what these guys are doing, and it's great to see such a quality made instrument. I know some people are turned off by Jeff's strong wording about some things, or want to pick apart what he's saying - but he is passionate and genuinely cares about what he's making. I most def respect the guy. Best of luck to Kiesel in the future.
So cool to see a company like this...still going on in the US...Makes me love my PB 5 even more..keep up the good work..and...add some vintagey bass colors!
I've actually been watching factory tours lately and I've gotta say that this is one is my favorite. Having Jeff himself on the tour and explaining everything says a lot about the company. I only heard about Carvin last year after stumbling across the band Rivers of Nihil and I've gotta say, since looking into Carvin more I'm aching for one. I'm hoping to be able to put in an order for one day cause these are beautiful, and you can tell that a lot of love, care, and attention go into these guitars.
Yeah, that AC375 is a stunner! Thanks for doing this video. Never knew Kiesel/Carvin guitars were such high quality builds. Now looking forward to owning a Ultra V.
i had a carvin custom built V220T made about 30 years ago.. bloody beautiful axe.. still got it today.. have no plans on selling it either.. one of my favs.. CARVIN rocks!!
Those are some special guitars you have shown us. Thank you for such an in depth view. And the individuals who shine by their craftmanship. Bless you all....
Cool! I had to send my Carvin back to the factory to be repaired, and Albert was the guy I had to go through. It was great to actually see him, since I talked to him so many times. I usually build my own guitars, but I STILL love Cavin guitars. I have wanted one for so many years and was lucky to find one online from a guy that didn't know what he had. Strung it with giant acoustic strings and bent the neck really bad, fried the electronics and just disrespected it. After I got it and sent it in for repair... It is the top of my stable. Thanks Carvin for the fantastic guitars you build! And thanks also for showing me how to build a better guitar!
Jeff Kiesel, Manny, Albert, Mike, Flock, Chris H & the entire Carvin team just cares about every element of making these guitars! You can see it in this video & hear the passion in Jeff's voice too! 2-perfect builds & a special 3rd one being created right now as we speak. Keep going in this direction Jeff, everything that you're doing is spot on! Thanks & peace! X-Mann \m/
Wow, what an amazing tour! I didn't know you folks were in San Diego. I'm very impressed by your commitment to quality. I'm going to definitely look into playing/buying one of your guitars. Thanks again.
i had a LTD viper 400 that played really well, with the earvana nut and seymour duncan humbuckers in it. like most LTDs though, it was a little dark in the tone department. i drove off to basic in early july with it in my car packed full of stuff, and it sat in the car at Fort Sill Oklahoma from July through October in mostly 110 degree weather, just cooking durring the day, then heat cycling at night to lower 70s. When i got to virginia later on in november, it sounded so goddamn good, i can't even explain it. every note rang like a bell, from the top to the bottom, and i'm pretty sure it did something to the pickups too, because the tone coming out of that LTD sounded so sweet after that. i guess it's like accelerated aging for an instrument, going through crazy heat cycles like that. maybe that's why vintage instruments have such good tone, because they are old as hell and the wood has done been stretched to it's limit and settled in.
Disneyland was great but I wanted to take a factory tour and now I got the next best thing! Just amazing! Loved these guys from the time I flipped thru a catalog 25 years ago. CARVIN and now Kiesel are the best! Bring back he LB90 limited run please!
Great comment about how you are affordable, and in that respect, Carvin has always, at least since I got my first job in 1982, been a fantastic value. My first was a CM130 (single-cutaway solid-body baby). It was just fantastic, and I think back then only about $700.
Great video! Always been a fan of Carvin! I miss my 80s X-100B. Sweet sweet carpet covered goodness. I'll be saving my pennies for a Carvin guitar soon.
Amazing tour! I want to work for you guys now! I'd start sweeping the floor. With the CNC machines cutting frets can't you leave the end of the board uncut so you don't have to use filler? I want to see the LB 90 return I love that shape! Beautiful guitars! Thanks for the tour.
Great video. Some beautiful work they're doing. Some people are saying he's cocky. I think he's just trying to sell his company, and the work they do. He takes a few shots at smaller companies, but he's got to push his ideas as better, he's a salesman. And he seems to know his shit, and he's a great speaker and good representative for the company.
What a great tour that was! Great company too (actually both Kiesel & Carvin). I'm sure Jeff's Grandpa would be proud. I've bought 1 guitar from Carvin and some other assorted gear, microphones etc. I sure plan on getting a few more things, like a headless guitar, tube amp, acoustic/electric nylon string guitar and an acoustic amp... and the list goes on... ;)
I'm not versed on Carvin's history, but it seems Jeff has brought the "gotta have it" factor that was always missing when I was growing up (80's - 90's). The "Kiesel" branding and great newer body and headstock designs, for instance. Also, the direct sales / custom build business model is now more relevant and viable than ever with TH-cam and social media word-of-mouth. I see more and more quality US made products sold this way. Nice.
I have a question about the carbon fiber reinforcements in their 27" guitars. Is this something they've done from the beginning when they offered the DC800, or something they've started doing at a later time? I'm just wondering if my DC800's have it or not...
Say what you want, I am impressed. Check out Gibson's Factory and see how they try to CNC and automate as much as possible for maximum production output and profit. Kiesel seems like a hybrid to me. CNC where it works, and by hand where it results in better quality. The advantage Kiesel and Gibson has over the boutique builder is money. Kiesel can afford the CNC machines. They can afford to experiment to find the best methods. They can do R&D. The advantage of Kiesel over Gibson is Jeff runs the show. It's his name on there and he cares. He has the fine CNC accuracy of the a big factory, but doesn't skimp on the hand process where it counts. Gibson will Plek a neck in 10 minutes and owns 8 Plek machines while Kiesel still hand dresses which takes 45 minutes each. There are some small hand builders that are great. Some of them like PRS, Tom Anderson, and John Suhr were great and expanded to the big leagues. But with others there is no guarantee of the quality. At least with Kiesel it's simple for the everyday joe to jump on the website and order up a custom guitar, have it build to the exact same quality as every other guitar leaving the factory, have it made in a reasonable time frame, and you're paying what a standard Fender or Gibson USA costs. Get some of those custom Fender or Gibsons and you are in $5000+ territory and sometimes over $10,000.
I guess the archtop (spruce) guitars that are on the low end may be flat with a duplicarver, but I can't imagine that the better arch tops that are hand made aren't hand relieved on the back to relatively even thickness (just like a violin would be).
3:26 A hair is 0.003" diameter, so if that CNC had a tolerance of 0.0001, "which it doesn't" you'd have to split that hair into 30 pieces, not 4, but it doesn't matter because the heat generated by that ball mill's friction will cause the wood to expand a couple thousandths anyway.
It's to bad that Carvin doesn't do the sound reinforcement anymore....a bud of mine bought a complete PA from Carvin back in the day and it was a great PA system from the floor monitors to the amps. , bass bottoms witch were the 2x18 speakers in them to the top speakers plus the 32 channel board awesome setup and I got to play with it all the time when they did a show....one flaw in the amps, is they use to get hot and shut down but I fixed that by putting a fan behind the amp rack worked really well....but all in all it was a great system...."Nunca pare la Musica"
Hey jeff, your pristine builds are my next goal in life, but i was also wondering if you have any available jobs. . . I can do sweeps. . . *picks up broom and shreds shavings like a madman*
can i work here plzzzzzz ? i love carvin too much and i stay far far away in india. it sucks. Want to get v220 custom asap. it wld b a dream come true to visit this place.
I doubt any of their guitars are as good as George Wilson's guitars, which are generally hand made. I get what he's saying, though - that repetition means you can tell every customer that the guitars are the same profile (if they say the neck is kind of fat , etc). I just made my first guitar. Mostly by hand. There are little nits on it (it's a telecaster copy), but it's far nicer to play than the mex telecaster that I just got (or am-standard telecaster that I recently sold) and just feels more expensive because I could profile the neck entirely by hand, and do the fretwork entirely by hand, and polishing and leveling by hand, and troubleshooting the nut so that everything is perfect string height at the first fret and 12th fret. The trouble with that with shystery one-man shops, some of them really do every guitar well, but a lot of them are guys who have been building guitars for 20 years, and you lose your enthusiasm really quickly. That's if you don't have trouble with them making your guitar in the first place after they have your down payment - lots of them are not good businessmen. One other side comment, George had mentioned to me that he could tell that the original dangelico guitars were made mostly by hand, because they "weren't as perfect as factory instruments". Some of the little details are rough, but the big details haven't been compromised. For a person like me who is willing to do everything by hand, a factory guitar is never going to satisfy. It also cost me about $350 to build a guitar exactly the way I wanted it (with two american made pickups, kluson tuners and high quality prewired switch components (CTS pots with orange drop caps, etc). . As to the comments about accuracy, you can work to a fraction of a thousandth of an inch by hand if it's warranted. The things he says about the plek - those don't exist when you're working by hand - you'll make a fingerboard, glue it to the guitar and get everything trimmed up, and if you have a modicum of skill, you'll do the rough sizing and flattening with a hand plane, and then sand out any minor faceting.
One ten thousandth of an inch (.0001) is a human hair split 40x. One thousandth of an inch (.001) a human hair split 4x. Yes, that CNC Haas Mill is accurate to .0001", but .001" is the best you'll get out of any wood. I have over 25 years on set up, programming and running both the Haas and Fadal mills. Awesome set up though!
Wait a second. If that guy doing frets 12:03 is doing that 30-40 times a day it takes 22.5-30 hours/day. Where do you get all those extra hours, you got some time twisting machine also? Does this guy even have lunch break, looks pretty thin?
Small guitar builder here. First I want to say I respect Jeff and love his guitars, however, I want to dispell some of the things he said. First, we usually buy our wood already kiln dried and to a moisture content of 6 - 8% humidity. If not, you can let them naturally sit and lose moisture over time. So this is flat out FALSE. Second, repeatability and how we cant do that. Sorry, there are templates and measurements and forms we have too. You admitted to making CNC copies of your HAND MADE guitar. So it's cool to reproduce what you made by hand with a CNC, but not to do it again by hand? You spend weeks fine tuning one BY HAND so you can spend seconds reproducing it WITH A CNC. I spend weeks on EVERY single guitar. You can't sit there and say you make copies of your HAND MADE guitars then say you don't want a hand made guitar. So why would people want a copy? AGAIN FALSE! Everybody pre-radiuses their fretboards before pressing frets in. This was just again false. Pleks only level the frets, they don't to jack to the fretboard itself. AGAIN FALSE! I also guarantee you cannot tell the difference between a torq head pole piece or any other in a blind test. AGAIN FALSE! You can hand cut in your inlays, something that requires extreme precision but you DON'T want a hand made guitar? Come on..... Here are some of the advantages I feel smaller builders have over you. I can only speak for myself on this but I know the other smaller builders have the same operation for the most part. I get to hand select each board, you get yours in bulk and use all of what you get, where as I get to pick only the best of the best. My fretboards are faux bound, therefor no tangs at the end to have to worry about, a smoother feeling and playing neck. We can do whatever type of finish, poly, UV, nitro.....etc Yes, I do know how to do all the steps. I do it all, from buying wood to pressing frets to shooting the clear and color sanding and even winding my own pickups. How do I know what your turnover rate there is? How can I know it's not the persons first day on the job versus my years of building? I'm really insulted by the time you spent insulting the small builders. We didn't have grandfathers and fathers with guitar factories for us to work in and take over someday. I do this because I love it, and I started at ground level and took years to hone my craft. I don't have employees or 3 axis CNC machines or Duplicarvers to do my work for me. Although I agree CNC is just a tool and an effective one, but they make copies of your HAND MADE guitars. So to downtalk them so much is ludicrous. Keep on keeping on, but try to keep your foot off the throat of others while you continue to build what are really some awesome guitars. Love your guitars, but your philisophies lack quite a bit.
JE Guitars, it appears his grandfather and father did the building back in the day. It appears he knows only what he's been told and has never really spent any time doing this. I'm not a guitar builder but I have been a machinist over 25 years and have worked as a guitar repair technicians at several music stores. This clown is just a pencil pusher. His descriptions are either inaccurate or overly basic for someone who's ever worked on the factory floor.
Why would you hand build a guitar and make a copy of it? He probably means, first we hand build it, then refine/correct it in 3D and make more accurate versions via CNC.
Jim - I'm kind of surprised by the time you took to write this response. As someone who has built a few guitars in their day, I can tell you there is nothing you can say or do that will make someone choose one of yours over theirs or vice versa. You know like I do, 99% of the people that ORDER a guitar already have in their minds what they want before they order, maybe only options will change as they place the order. I'm sorry you got triggered over what Jeff said, and I can see where you're coming from with a lot of that even though a lot of it is really subjective (like the tonewood argument and your point about a torq head pole piece - it's not a factual comparison). You're really splitting hairs here and being familiar with your work as well as your persona, you're not sounding like yourself with this post. I know it was made a while back, but really, your quality and attention to detail speak a lot more than a post on YT does. You know like I do that not all small builders care as much as you do, so don't take his statement personally, because Jeff is just being as passionate as you are. I just felt a little embarrassed for you reading what you wrote above that's all.
I wish you had factory here in Jacksonville, FL. There are lots of possibilities re: inexpensive space for creating a second world-class space. Inexpensive real estate, tax options, world-wide shipping opportunities, and a friendly business atmosphere.
So the fret perfections take about 45 minutes per guitar, but they do 30-40 a day..? 🤔 The average there is 35. That would equal 26.25 hours of work lol
This guy contradicts himself in so many levels. First he says that machines are betterr and hand made instruments are incosistance , later he says his people do it perfect because of experience. So what is it. Maybe he can't afford more machines, or more people what's his vision statement?
Almost every factory worker was Mexican or Asian yet people moan that they don't want a guitar made in Mexico or Indo/Korea/China. Human hands are human hands...Just a funny point that might make people question themselves.
the brass inserts and copper lining in the electronics housing is genius. i wish all companies did that. really good attention to detail.
It's kind of a standard mod that most people do when they want to eliminate electronic issues in the housing. Guitars above 1K should honestly all have that
Jeff just killed that tour, the man knows his job really well, awesome tour
And today, Jeff is killed by his OWN VOICE hahahha
@@javierherrera8782 true lol
Such a well-spoken representative of his company, you can tell he cares a lot!
*****
Tell that to Peavey ;)
Mitch Baker yeah, he's really good. Likeable and knows what he's talking about. You can tell there's a lot of thought that has gone into their process
I didn't like how he went out of his way to try to bash other companies though, big and small. I get that it's a competitive marketplace but let your product speak for itself, if it can.
If his way is superior, it's not bashing, just informing. I can tell you by experience, their instruments are immaculate and the best quality for price- bar none.
RootsRockRebel * Totally agree. That is so low class! * Also pulled the guitar out of Employee's hand while he was sanding Semi Hollow body. RUDE! *
That was an absolute stellar presentation of how a guitar should be built. Well spoken and knew every aspect down to pole pieces. Jeff represents his company with absolute attention to detail. Great job! Great guitars! Great company! I have four Carvins and every one of them is pristine to play.
Jeebus...I used to be a huge Carvin fan, then I moved to Fender Telecasters....but now I'm salivating over these new Kiesel guitars.....
Plek is not a substitute for leveling a fingerboard before fretting. After the fingerboard is properly leveled, you fret and then level the frets with or without a Plek. The Plek is the same comparison as Jeff uses here which I agree with when he talks about CNC. If you want that accuracy in other aspects of the build, why not in the leveling of the frets while the neck is under string tension. A Plek is simply a CMM, software and a CNC based fret leveler. To use it as a Bandaide would be wrong but the majority of Plek users don't use it that way.
He is wrong about the Plek machines. It's fine to make sure the fretboard is perfect before pressing in frets (which I think any manufacturer would do), but it's the unpredictable way the neck will move when under string tension that you can't plan into the fretboard.
That is what Plek does - it takes readings of the neck with strings installed and tuned to pitch, then without strings on, and factors in any changes between the two when dressing the frets.
George Tsikouras yea I think your right ,I would rather have one plek,d
Funny enough yesterday I ordered a guitar through Kisel with an unlisted color and the salesman said it would take extra weeks because Jeff would have to do it.
And now I know who Jeff is. This is some great stuff
I really give credit to companies like Carvin,Suhr,PRS,Vigier,MusicMan because they're run by people who are instrument builders and care about making quality products.Sure,they are also businessmen and wanna make profit,but just compare this video with the factory tour of Gibson,on the PremierGuitar channel and you will see what I mean.Plus,their instruments are really reasonable priced,even with the VAT taxes & shipping,a custom made Carvin will cost me far less then a similar instrument,of one of the aforementioned companies.
+greekfreak1980 That depends on the PRS. It looks to me like these guys don't have a "cheaper" line. They just have different levels of "fancy", but they're all made to the same standards with the same quality materials.
A "cheap" PRS is a pretty good guitar, but there is a distinct difference between the cheap ones and the good ones.
+Mickey Bitsko Nothing against PRS,I own a second hand US Cu24 and a SE Tremonti Custom,both great.BUT,they're charging you an absurd amount of money for options that Carvin offers as standard.Not to mention they don't do some options,unless you're endorsed by them or a famous rockstar.For example,try to get a Cu 24 7-string,with OFR,stainless steel jumbo frets and burl maple top with a finish like the one in my avatar pic.You got a 50% change they will say no and even if they agree,they will charge you a fortune.Kiesel/Carvin offers a CT7 with these options as standard and for a much reasonable price.
I love to see someone that truly loves their job and is so excited to do it well. Jeff has just awesome integrity and is passionate and a perfectionist about the whole process. Really nice to see people like this out there. Really enjoyed this thanks for posting I've wanted a Carvin for years!
Jeff Kiesel is a awesome person to have a conversation with in person. I met him last week and he brought out a few Vaders to check out and we were blown away with the look and sound of the instruments. Nothing to compare them to in the market. Got a chance to play the first 8 string Vader ever made while there, amazing experience totally worth the money. Can't wait to see what my Custom Vanquish 6 string Bass looks like in person. #customshoppride
Thank you for taking the time to show us your factory.
Cheers from the UK
I really really respect what these guys are doing, and it's great to see such a quality made instrument. I know some people are turned off by Jeff's strong wording about some things, or want to pick apart what he's saying - but he is passionate and genuinely cares about what he's making. I most def respect the guy. Best of luck to Kiesel in the future.
I absolutely love my Kiesel! The attention to detail these guys put in is incredible!
Very cool! I have a bass on order and look forward to seeing the quality product that comes out of this factory.
very very impressive factory tour, this excellent presentation has put usa carvin on my radar !
So cool to see a company like this...still going on in the US...Makes me love my PB 5 even more..keep up the good work..and...add some vintagey bass colors!
THANKS for good CAMERA work :)
I've actually been watching factory tours lately and I've gotta say that this is one is my favorite. Having Jeff himself on the tour and explaining everything says a lot about the company. I only heard about Carvin last year after stumbling across the band Rivers of Nihil and I've gotta say, since looking into Carvin more I'm aching for one. I'm hoping to be able to put in an order for one day cause these are beautiful, and you can tell that a lot of love, care, and attention go into these guitars.
Yeah, that AC375 is a stunner! Thanks for doing this video. Never knew Kiesel/Carvin guitars were such high quality builds. Now looking forward to owning a Ultra V.
i had a carvin custom built V220T made about 30 years ago.. bloody beautiful axe.. still got it today.. have no plans on selling it either.. one of my favs.. CARVIN rocks!!
Those are some special guitars you have shown us. Thank you for such an in depth view. And the individuals who shine by their craftmanship. Bless you all....
Cool! I had to send my Carvin back to the factory to be repaired, and Albert was the guy I had to go through. It was great to actually see him, since I talked to him so many times. I usually build my own guitars, but I STILL love Cavin guitars. I have wanted one for so many years and was lucky to find one online from a guy that didn't know what he had. Strung it with giant acoustic strings and bent the neck really bad, fried the electronics and just disrespected it. After I got it and sent it in for repair... It is the top of my stable. Thanks Carvin for the fantastic guitars you build! And thanks also for showing me how to build a better guitar!
Jeff seems like a cool passionate dude. The right guy to move the company forward. Thanks for the tour!
Jeff Kiesel, Manny, Albert, Mike, Flock, Chris H & the entire Carvin team just cares about every element of making these guitars! You can see it in this video & hear the passion in Jeff's voice too! 2-perfect builds & a special 3rd one being created right now as we speak. Keep going in this direction Jeff, everything that you're doing is spot on! Thanks & peace! X-Mann \m/
Wow, what an amazing tour! I didn't know you folks were in San Diego. I'm very impressed by your commitment to quality. I'm going to definitely look into playing/buying one of your guitars. Thanks again.
Jeff seems like such an approachable chill dude, I'd love to check out the factory one day 🙏🏼 great video!
That was really interesting. Thanks for sharing.
My step daughter won't stop touching the tuning knobs. She doesn't even know what a Freebird is. Excellent work guys!
Amazing! I'm loving this company even more . Can't wait to order my first guitar from them.
i had a LTD viper 400 that played really well, with the earvana nut and seymour duncan humbuckers in it. like most LTDs though, it was a little dark in the tone department. i drove off to basic in early july with it in my car packed full of stuff, and it sat in the car at Fort Sill Oklahoma from July through October in mostly 110 degree weather, just cooking durring the day, then heat cycling at night to lower 70s. When i got to virginia later on in november, it sounded so goddamn good, i can't even explain it. every note rang like a bell, from the top to the bottom, and i'm pretty sure it did something to the pickups too, because the tone coming out of that LTD sounded so sweet after that. i guess it's like accelerated aging for an instrument, going through crazy heat cycles like that. maybe that's why vintage instruments have such good tone, because they are old as hell and the wood has done been stretched to it's limit and settled in.
I want to see how they color their fretboards!
Hank Hill Im sure they use good ol fashion propane.
It's a company secret!
+Kieren Brereton it's no secret... It's called hand staining.
I have 3 Carvin Custom Guitars ... THANKS Jeff ! The hardest thing is deciding what to get next.
Beautiful guitars and great summarization of the process each guitar goes through! Awesome!
Disneyland was great but I wanted to take a factory tour and now I got the next best thing! Just amazing! Loved these guys from the time I flipped thru a catalog 25 years ago. CARVIN and now Kiesel are the best! Bring back he LB90 limited run please!
Kiesel guitars are exceptional , they bring out the best of your genius !
Great comment about how you are affordable, and in that respect, Carvin has always, at least since I got my first job in 1982, been a fantastic value. My first was a CM130 (single-cutaway solid-body baby). It was just fantastic, and I think back then only about $700.
Great video! Always been a fan of Carvin! I miss my 80s X-100B. Sweet sweet carpet covered goodness. I'll be saving my pennies for a Carvin guitar soon.
Amazing tour! I want to work for you guys now! I'd start sweeping the floor. With the CNC machines cutting frets can't you leave the end of the board uncut so you don't have to use filler? I want to see the LB 90 return I love that shape! Beautiful guitars! Thanks for the tour.
19:35 That guy Jeff wears a Los Pollos Hermanos hoodie :)
Great video. Some beautiful work they're doing. Some people are saying he's cocky. I think he's just trying to sell his company, and the work they do. He takes a few shots at smaller companies, but he's got to push his ideas as better, he's a salesman. And he seems to know his shit, and he's a great speaker and good representative for the company.
What a great tour that was! Great company too (actually both Kiesel & Carvin). I'm sure Jeff's Grandpa would be proud. I've bought 1 guitar from Carvin and some other assorted gear, microphones etc. I sure plan on getting a few more things, like a headless guitar, tube amp, acoustic/electric nylon string guitar and an acoustic amp... and the list goes on... ;)
Just ordered a CT6 because of Tone Kings walk through video. I think you should give him commission!
I'm not versed on Carvin's history, but it seems Jeff has brought the "gotta have it" factor that was always missing when I was growing up (80's - 90's). The "Kiesel" branding and great newer body and headstock designs, for instance. Also, the direct sales / custom build business model is now more relevant and viable than ever with TH-cam and social media word-of-mouth. I see more and more quality US made products sold this way. Nice.
So many folks butt hurt because he matter of factly stated he was more confidant in his processes vs. smaller builders. Check your blood pressure.
David Blair yea I feel like Kiesel really wants to give people a high quality guitar.
I have a question about the carbon fiber reinforcements in their 27" guitars. Is this something they've done from the beginning when they offered the DC800, or something they've started doing at a later time?
I'm just wondering if my DC800's have it or not...
Michael, we started putting the carbon fiber rods in our DC800's around May of 2014.
Carvin Guitars - Thanks for quick reply. That feel when I bought four DC800's in 2012 ;(
Fucking awesome. I would drop everything to go to San Diego and be apprenticed by this guy.
So I was watching this video and realized at 13:09 that was my guitar being built last year. How awesome. Jeff touched my guitar lol.
+Lesspaw41 He said in the video that he does most of the finish work, so he touches a majority of the guitars at some point. :)
So that's what the elves are reaallly building at the North Pole...
That guitar at 21:30 was amazing, i really like this operation.
Say what you want, I am impressed. Check out Gibson's Factory and see how they try to CNC and automate as much as possible for maximum production output and profit. Kiesel seems like a hybrid to me. CNC where it works, and by hand where it results in better quality.
The advantage Kiesel and Gibson has over the boutique builder is money. Kiesel can afford the CNC machines. They can afford to experiment to find the best methods. They can do R&D. The advantage of Kiesel over Gibson is Jeff runs the show. It's his name on there and he cares. He has the fine CNC accuracy of the a big factory, but doesn't skimp on the hand process where it counts. Gibson will Plek a neck in 10 minutes and owns 8 Plek machines while Kiesel still hand dresses which takes 45 minutes each.
There are some small hand builders that are great. Some of them like PRS, Tom Anderson, and John Suhr were great and expanded to the big leagues. But with others there is no guarantee of the quality. At least with Kiesel it's simple for the everyday joe to jump on the website and order up a custom guitar, have it build to the exact same quality as every other guitar leaving the factory, have it made in a reasonable time frame, and you're paying what a standard Fender or Gibson USA costs. Get some of those custom Fender or Gibsons and you are in $5000+ territory and sometimes over $10,000.
I guess the archtop (spruce) guitars that are on the low end may be flat with a duplicarver, but I can't imagine that the better arch tops that are hand made aren't hand relieved on the back to relatively even thickness (just like a violin would be).
I think I was making the same face when he pulled that custom Accoustic/elec with inlayed body out of the rack.
Holy shit. Those NAMM guitars are sick!
These guys make the most amazing guitars. I should know, I own five of 'em!
Love your reviews/unboxings! Got any on the way? haha
Ninaman598 Well, not another Carvin at this time, but I do have a Jay Turser Strat copy on the way. Don't tell anybody, though!
Bitch, please:
goo.gl/TAwMFk
;)
***** are those yours? If so Ive seen your posts on SSO haha. Fantastic collection. Ordering myself a DC7X w/ Claro top soon ;)
Yup! Sold three of them now though...
well I think I may buy a carvin now
3:26 A hair is 0.003" diameter, so if that CNC had a tolerance of 0.0001, "which it doesn't" you'd have to split that hair into 30 pieces, not 4, but it doesn't matter because the heat generated by that ball mill's friction will cause the wood to expand a couple thousandths anyway.
that double sided quilt guitar is fappable, its gone beyond being a guitar
I agree, I came when I saw it
It's to bad that Carvin doesn't do the sound reinforcement anymore....a bud of mine bought a complete PA from Carvin back in the day and it was a great PA system from the floor monitors to the amps. , bass bottoms witch were the 2x18 speakers in them to the top speakers plus the 32 channel board awesome setup and I got to play with it all the time when they did a show....one flaw in the amps, is they use to get hot and shut down but I fixed that by putting a fan behind the amp rack worked really well....but all in all it was a great system...."Nunca pare la Musica"
Great shop! Thanks!
I'd be really interested to know if they also use machine inserts instead of wood screws for the bolt-on necks.
T\I think this is the best factory walk-through I've ever seen.
Hey jeff, your pristine builds are my next goal in life, but i was also wondering if you have any available jobs. . . I can do sweeps. . . *picks up broom and shreds shavings like a madman*
Had a carvin once years ago. My favorite. Best guitar in my world. Then it was stolen. I Hope One day again.
Had 5 Carvins. Awesome.
I think I'm sold.
Never heard of em. I'm in love!
I really want my next guitar(s) to be from these guys!
can i work here plzzzzzz ? i love carvin too much and i stay far far away in india. it sucks. Want to get v220 custom asap. it wld b a dream come true to visit this place.
What type of glue are they using on these guitars?
Dear Lord that Acoustic @ 20:18 is magnificent!
Nice video, enjoyed watching it!
where is your factory located
how about single pole pieces for the bass strings and multipiece for the treble strings. How would that sound?
PRS Farms out the inlays, these guys do it in house!
what is that finish called on that guitar at 13:29 ?
So you make active pickups?
Next guitar i will own, is deffinatley gonna be a kiesel!!
great video, thanks!
I doubt any of their guitars are as good as George Wilson's guitars, which are generally hand made.
I get what he's saying, though - that repetition means you can tell every customer that the guitars are the same profile (if they say the neck is kind of fat , etc).
I just made my first guitar. Mostly by hand. There are little nits on it (it's a telecaster copy), but it's far nicer to play than the mex telecaster that I just got (or am-standard telecaster that I recently sold) and just feels more expensive because I could profile the neck entirely by hand, and do the fretwork entirely by hand, and polishing and leveling by hand, and troubleshooting the nut so that everything is perfect string height at the first fret and 12th fret.
The trouble with that with shystery one-man shops, some of them really do every guitar well, but a lot of them are guys who have been building guitars for 20 years, and you lose your enthusiasm really quickly. That's if you don't have trouble with them making your guitar in the first place after they have your down payment - lots of them are not good businessmen.
One other side comment, George had mentioned to me that he could tell that the original dangelico guitars were made mostly by hand, because they "weren't as perfect as factory instruments". Some of the little details are rough, but the big details haven't been compromised.
For a person like me who is willing to do everything by hand, a factory guitar is never going to satisfy. It also cost me about $350 to build a guitar exactly the way I wanted it (with two american made pickups, kluson tuners and high quality prewired switch components (CTS pots with orange drop caps, etc). .
As to the comments about accuracy, you can work to a fraction of a thousandth of an inch by hand if it's warranted. The things he says about the plek - those don't exist when you're working by hand - you'll make a fingerboard, glue it to the guitar and get everything trimmed up, and if you have a modicum of skill, you'll do the rough sizing and flattening with a hand plane, and then sand out any minor faceting.
One ten thousandth of an inch (.0001) is a human hair split 40x. One thousandth of an inch (.001) a human hair split 4x. Yes, that CNC Haas Mill is accurate to .0001", but .001" is the best you'll get out of any wood. I have over 25 years on set up, programming and running both the Haas and Fadal mills. Awesome set up though!
Wow, love it Man! Need a few axes like that! Ahaha
Wait a second. If that guy doing frets 12:03 is doing that 30-40 times a day it takes 22.5-30 hours/day. Where do you get all those extra hours, you got some time twisting machine also? Does this guy even have lunch break, looks pretty thin?
Small guitar builder here. First I want to say I respect Jeff and love his guitars, however, I want to dispell some of the things he said.
First, we usually buy our wood already kiln dried and to a moisture content of 6 - 8% humidity. If not, you can let them naturally sit and lose moisture over time. So this is flat out FALSE.
Second, repeatability and how we cant do that. Sorry, there are templates and measurements and forms we have too. You admitted to making CNC copies of your HAND MADE guitar. So it's cool to reproduce what you made by hand with a CNC, but not to do it again by hand? You spend weeks fine tuning one BY HAND so you can spend seconds reproducing it WITH A CNC. I spend weeks on EVERY single guitar. You can't sit there and say you make copies of your HAND MADE guitars then say you don't want a hand made guitar. So why would people want a copy? AGAIN FALSE!
Everybody pre-radiuses their fretboards before pressing frets in. This was just again false. Pleks only level the frets, they don't to jack to the fretboard itself. AGAIN FALSE!
I also guarantee you cannot tell the difference between a torq head pole piece or any other in a blind test. AGAIN FALSE!
You can hand cut in your inlays, something that requires extreme precision but you DON'T want a hand made guitar? Come on.....
Here are some of the advantages I feel smaller builders have over you. I can only speak for myself on this but I know the other smaller builders have the same operation for the most part.
I get to hand select each board, you get yours in bulk and use all of what you get, where as I get to pick only the best of the best.
My fretboards are faux bound, therefor no tangs at the end to have to worry about, a smoother feeling and playing neck.
We can do whatever type of finish, poly, UV, nitro.....etc
Yes, I do know how to do all the steps. I do it all, from buying wood to pressing frets to shooting the clear and color sanding and even winding my own pickups. How do I know what your turnover rate there is? How can I know it's not the persons first day on the job versus my years of building?
I'm really insulted by the time you spent insulting the small builders. We didn't have grandfathers and fathers with guitar factories for us to work in and take over someday. I do this because I love it, and I started at ground level and took years to hone my craft. I don't have employees or 3 axis CNC machines or Duplicarvers to do my work for me. Although I agree CNC is just a tool and an effective one, but they make copies of your HAND MADE guitars. So to downtalk them so much is ludicrous.
Keep on keeping on, but try to keep your foot off the throat of others while you continue to build what are really some awesome guitars. Love your guitars, but your philisophies lack quite a bit.
I get what you're saying but it's business. He's trying to steer customers to his brand. Just like you would.
JE Guitars, it appears his grandfather and father did the building back in the day. It appears he knows only what he's been told and has never really spent any time doing this. I'm not a guitar builder but I have been a machinist over 25 years and have worked as a guitar repair technicians at several music stores. This clown is just a pencil pusher. His descriptions are either inaccurate or overly basic for someone who's ever worked on the factory floor.
Why would you hand build a guitar and make a copy of it? He probably means, first we hand build it, then refine/correct it in 3D and make more accurate versions via CNC.
Jim - I'm kind of surprised by the time you took to write this response. As someone who has built a few guitars in their day, I can tell you there is nothing you can say or do that will make someone choose one of yours over theirs or vice versa. You know like I do, 99% of the people that ORDER a guitar already have in their minds what they want before they order, maybe only options will change as they place the order. I'm sorry you got triggered over what Jeff said, and I can see where you're coming from with a lot of that even though a lot of it is really subjective (like the tonewood argument and your point about a torq head pole piece - it's not a factual comparison). You're really splitting hairs here and being familiar with your work as well as your persona, you're not sounding like yourself with this post. I know it was made a while back, but really, your quality and attention to detail speak a lot more than a post on YT does. You know like I do that not all small builders care as much as you do, so don't take his statement personally, because Jeff is just being as passionate as you are. I just felt a little embarrassed for you reading what you wrote above that's all.
I wish you had factory here in Jacksonville, FL. There are lots of possibilities re: inexpensive space for creating a second world-class space. Inexpensive real estate, tax options, world-wide shipping opportunities, and a friendly business atmosphere.
daytona beach here..yeah and there'd certainly be no shortage of SWAMP ASH wood ;P
The machine is not thinking about your girlfriend?
Bob Wreck You can't argue with that.
Bob Wreck give it some time and it will do xD
That's just what it wants you to think...
And now that I have saved up for the Carvin amp I want CARVIN HAS CLOSED!!! no more amps. Spread the word. Only the guitars remain!
I always wondered why guitar companies weren't using more technology in the build process.
Some of the best guitars ever made... why not tell your people your thankful for them
I love KIESEL guitar
LOL at 20:23. Sup Trey?
I really like their guitars, honestly. But I just get this vibe that Jeff Kiesel doesn't seem like to be a person you'd want to hang with.
I have a CS6 and it's amazing
Beautiful guitars
So the fret perfections take about 45 minutes per guitar, but they do 30-40 a day..? 🤔
The average there is 35. That would equal 26.25 hours of work lol
This man sells the guitars by himself!
Great looking sweat shop
Albert is the man!
This guy contradicts himself in so many levels. First he says that machines are betterr and hand made instruments are incosistance , later he says his people do it perfect because of experience. So what is it. Maybe he can't afford more machines, or more people what's his vision statement?
Machines are obviously good at somethings and humans at others...
Almost every factory worker was Mexican or Asian yet people moan that they don't want a guitar made in Mexico or Indo/Korea/China.
Human hands are human hands...Just a funny point that might make people question themselves.
Ed Tryhardy it has nothing to do with race....its about the $ a poor country isnt going to have a high standard..
What? No they weren’t.