Incoming KOA!

[Ascension]

This guitar has been hanging on the rack at one of our shops for years and before I went to work for these guys made several offers on it. Had been on layaway for months but was never paid out so--- today when it came out I locked it down with a number could live with on a layaway till I get caught back up over the month of Flu mess and will take her home. 1993 Carvin DC 127 in solid KOA. the neck was a one year only profile and also was the only year the 25 scale did not have the graphite rods. SUPER fast thin neck that feels so comfy in my hand it haunted me. No beauty queen but one HECK of a player that every time I pick up feels like shaking the hand of an old friend. Well looks like as of today this old girl now has a new home!

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Incoming KOA!

Sweet, congrats!

 

[Demanic]

Re: Incoming KOA!

Looks like a beauty queen to me.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[Mincer]

Re: Incoming KOA!

I always loved their koa guitars from the old catalogs. Is this one heavy?

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Incoming KOA!

Awesome!

Some day I hope to have a Koa Taylor.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Incoming KOA!

another great score Bro!! Congrats! Good info on the neck too.. All 93s that profile?? Thinner than their normal neck?

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Incoming KOA!

Sweet one, at least to my eyes. Congrats!!!

 

[Ascension]

Re: Incoming KOA!

I always loved their koa guitars from the old catalogs. Is this one heavy?

No it's actually very comfortable weight wise. Now I played a Sapphire Blue flame 1989 DC 200 on stage for many many years that was a freekin BOAT ANCHOR!! Solid rock maple stable as heck and a real BEAST of a guitar + stunning to look at but heavy as all get out ( think about 11.5 lbs hanging on your shoulder all night!). This one is only around maybe 7.5 to 8 lbs or so.
This is the boat anchor heavy DC200C PS this is according to Neil's comment when he first played it was the very First Carvin DC guitar Neil Zaza ever played. We hooked up and hung out after at a clinic here in Birmingham while he was working for Hamer as I knew him from working for another Hamer dealer and doing a couple clinics there. I was drooling over his neck through Spiderman graphic Hamer Californian and he was checking out my Carvin.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Incoming KOA!

another great score Bro!! Congrats! Good info on the neck too.. All 93s that profile?? Thinner than their normal neck?

Yep and the late 92-early 94 transition neck from the 24.75 scale IMO was the best playing neck in 25 scale Carvin ever did. This one is thinner in fact than my 17 with the thin neck option. Fairly close to the profile on that WM Washburn you had with a 16 radius.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Incoming KOA!

Looks like a beauty queen to me.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

First hand right now it's just encrusted in gunk. I didn't have what I wanted to use to clean it up today before I put it in the case so will be a big motivation to get her home ASAP. Seriously this guitar had been in our shop since get this 2010! For years in pawn then out on the wall for at least 4 years. Wanted WAY to much for it and that shop manager flat would not deal on it so it just sat in the shop hanging on the wall. Amazingly though the neck itself while it has a little minor fret wear is perfect. Just amazing to me that it stayed so stable all these years hanging on the wall like that!
This one seems was just supposed to be mine LOL!

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Incoming KOA!

Nice! Congrats!

Bill

 

[dave74]

Re: Incoming KOA!

What pup models she rock'n?



surely a c22 set

 

[Mincer]

Re: Incoming KOA!

How much did the original person pay on layaway? Did you just take over the payments, or did you have to start over?

 

[RorySquier]

Re: Incoming KOA!

Carvin guitars are really well made. I almost wanted to buy a Carvin guitar over 20 years ago after seeing an ad in a guitar magazine and the body was KOA wood with a neck through design. I was impressed by it. Congrats on your purchase.



;>)/

 

[Ascension]

Re: Incoming KOA!

How much did the original person pay on layaway? Did you just take over the payments, or did you have to start over?

Didn't look he had not paid in over a year and the phone # we had was no longer active so while I had been out sick the shop had pulled the layaway and set him up a store credit for what he had $ - a small fee. It was on the rack and priced when I came in Friday and fair game. I picked it up told the story and threw the current manager an offer that he took so--. Would have been nice 4 years ago when I first saw it and made an offer ---:smack: just sayin LOL.
I did ok on her but doubt this one will go anywhere after I get her home. LOVE this neck + needed a double Humbucker fixed bridge 24 fret 25 scale guitar in my stable. Has the old maple spacer wire wrap shield M22's in it so might actually leave this one be when I get it as even crusty with dead strings this thing sounds amazing!.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Incoming KOA!

How are the M22s? I never actually tried them...

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Incoming KOA!

Yep and the late 92-early 94 transition neck from the 24.75 scale IMO was the best playing neck in 25 scale Carvin ever did. This one is thinner in fact than my 17 with the thin neck option. Fairly close to the profile on that WM Washburn you had with a 16 radius.

Nice!! I loved that 526 and HATE myself for selling it. The only reason I sold it was that even tho the neck profile and flat board were great, the fretboard was a tiny bit wider than I prefer. Same with Jacksons. ALWAYS wanted a Soloist, but the Jackson boards are just a tiny bit wider than I prefer. Charvels are perfect.

Thanks for the info on the years!!

 

[Ascension]

Re: Incoming KOA!

How are the M22s? I never actually tried them...

These in this particular guitar are really nice. I have had many of these guitars and these older M22's sound different than the newer ones. Keissel started in the 1940's as a pickup and amp company so have been in the pickup side almost as long as Rick has. Longer than both Fender and Gibson have built pickups in fact. It was a pickup contract gone bad that forced the name change in I believe it was 1946 or 48 from Keissel to Carvin due to having to fold the company under the Keissel name then reorganize. The Carvin name was half on the 2 sons put together. It's also why they can build double cream buckers without paying the Dimarzio patent as they were building them many years before Dimarzio existed.
These are very sweet and warm in this particular guitar and will likely stay put. I pulled the SD out of the 17 Keissel however in favor of a Perpetual Burn because that one was very compressed and did not open up like I wanted it to with a volume roll off. These however are very nice and also very expressive.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Incoming KOA!

Well she came hame with me on Friday. Man was this one a freekin MESS! Took me a good 2 hours to really get it clean as I had to just soak a rag in Old English Lemon oil ( Carvins recommendation to clean the Tung Oil Koa BTW and it WORKED!!) soak it all down let it sit for a few then SCRUB and repeat a few times to cut the layers of gluck off the Koa body neck and Ebony fret board.
Thought I was going to have a serious issue with this fretboard on this one as after the cleaning there were hair line grain separation cracks showing between every fret from the 13th up to the 24th. Not deep cracks and not just straight up the board but up the grain in random lines between each fret showing due to the board drying out under all the skin and just gunk from all these years. This is the second guitar with a super dry fret board that one product I use has helped me save. The product is something called Fret Doctor and it for real has saved 2 guitars over the years for me.
Hit it with a good coat of the fret doctor on the board and let it sit and soak in for a couple hours. Helped but still was showing a little grain separation after the 1st app had completely soaked in so did a second round let it set for about half an hour then strung the guitar. After it sat over night today there are absolutely NO hairline cracks showing AT ALL on this board and it is back to a slick solid black color also. Tone is also noticeably warmer, rounder and less pingy now. I SWEAR by this stuff so if you guys don't know about it check it out!!!
http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm
Was going to take her out this morning to play at Church but during our Warm up the volume suddenly jumped to wide open with the volume control rolled all the way off. Looks like I have a bad volume pot as cleaned the controls last night and then all seemed well. This morning however it did it a second time as I worked the pot just after the 1st spike.
Guitar sounds and plays fantastic and was really looking forward to playing it out this morning but because of the bad pot was forced to use my Ruby Quilt 02 Carvin DC 400 instead.
BTW this old girl is considerably lighter that the 400 and also lighter than the new 17 Keissel DC 135, my guess is she comes in around 7 lbs flat or so.
Truly a special guitar this one is!!
Will try to get photos of her up tomorrow.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Incoming KOA!

Nice!! I loved that 526 and HATE myself for selling it. The only reason I sold it was that even tho the neck profile and flat board were great, the fretboard was a tiny bit wider than I prefer. Same with Jacksons. ALWAYS wanted a Soloist, but the Jackson boards are just a tiny bit wider than I prefer. Charvels are perfect.

Thanks for the info on the years!!

REALLY wish i would have had the cash for that WM 526 bro as that was a real monster of a guitar! I want one of those badly but man are they scarce. Bet there were less than 200 built. Yours was also 1 of 1 built with that Black Galaxy finish so--. Dead seriously thought about offering you my PRS Custom 24 for it. Just could not bring myself to let go of this particular guitar though.