NGD with gremlins.

[Ascension]

Picked up an absolutely pristine 2013 Carvin DC 600 today but it has electrical gremlins. Carvin Kiesel has always had their own way of wiring some things so it's a little confusing. I found a correct chart but everything is exactly a it should be. 2 humbuckers and a 5 way with single volume and tone. Works in 4 positions but super low output and thin tone in Pos 1 for the full bridge bucker.
All I can figure is it has a bad 5 way and looks like it may never have been right. Would explain why it's never been played and why i got it so cheap!
Guitar is an absolute MONSTER player and you couldn't build it today may well be the best sounding Carvin Kiesel unplugged I have ever picked up and this neck just wow!
It's not very pretty to me but man does it ever have a vibe plus in the other 4 positions with the factory C 22's this thing sounds amazing. Now if I can just figure out the bridge full bucker thing. Any other ideas to look at before i grab a new switch for Kiesel on Monday?
For some reason no photos ill up load so??

 

[Mincer]

Yes, we are having issues with the photo upload. You can use an image hosting site- that seems to be working right now. I hope to have the upload for images working early next week.

 

[JamesPaul]

Picked up an absolutely pristine 2013 Carvin DC 600 today but it has electrical gremlins. Carvin Kiesel has always had their own way of wiring some things so it's a little confusing. I found a correct chart but everything is exactly a it should be. 2 humbuckers and a 5 way with single volume and tone. Works in 4 positions but super low output and thin tone in Pos 1 for the full bridge bucker.
All I can figure is it has a bad 5 way and looks like it may never have been right. Would explain why it's never been played and why i got it so cheap!
Guitar is an absolute MONSTER player and you couldn't build it today may well be the best sounding Carvin Kiesel unplugged I have ever picked up and this neck just wow!
It's not very pretty to me but man does it ever have a vibe plus in the other 4 positions with the factory C 22's this thing sounds amazing. Now if I can just figure out the bridge full bucker thing. Any other ideas to look at before i grab a new switch for Kiesel on Monday?
For some reason no photos ill up load so??

Have you sprayed that switch with some Deoxit?

 

[Ascension]

Have you sprayed that switch with some Deoxit?

First thing I did. Used real Blue Shower not Deoxit. Also found a service bill in the case from 2014 where they had taken it in for repair of the pickup selector. Guitar was built between 2012 and 2014 because of the tuners scale length and bridge it has. I wonder now if it ever was right. Would also explain why it has never been played.
Its a pearl white with Abalone diamond inlay 25 scale one of these with the recessed tunamatic style through the body M bridge.
https://reverb.com/item/43326969-kiesel-dc-600-2017-quilted-maple
The new ones are all 25.5 scale. Own 7 Carvin Kiesels now have owned more than I can count and this one may well be the best sounding one I have ever picked up unplugged. Plays like a dream and just spoke to me. Don't like the headstock look and it's kinda a plane Jane but man oh man does this one have a vibe. Carvin wiring is different and I'm having a hard time understanding it but normally works very well when its right. When we get the links back up on uploading photos where you can see the chart you will understand more. The wiring chart you will find here in this thread and my guitar is spot on it. http://www.kieselguitarsbbs.com/viewtopic.php?t=43230

 

[AlexR]

If only the full bridge humbucker position that is problematic then its that pickup which is more likely to be the culprit. Maybe 1 coil is dead, or it has been hooked up internally OOP.

 

[Ascension]

If only the full bridge humbucker position that is problematic then its that pickup which is more likely to be the culprit. Maybe 1 coil is dead, or it has been hooked up internally OOP.

That or is a bad switch are the only 2 things I can think of. It seems from a screwdriver test that in pos 4 which should be the pickup split that both coils are active and then when you go to 5 which should be full humbucker it just nose dives with super thin tone and almost no output.
Have the Carvin wiring diagram and everything is absolutely wired as it should be so?? Those are the only 2 things that make sense. Hopefully tomorrow will have some time to de solder a couple leads and put a meter on the pickup to test resistance. That should instantly tell me if the pickup is the culprit.

 

[Ascension]

Super easy fix and was a weird one. Wiring was spot on the Carvin diagrams and all the joints were bright and appeared solid. I first pulled the split green and white off the switch and suddenly everything just died. Super thin tones in every position but the neck on the 5 way so I'm going hmm?? Unsolder the green and white and then check the resistance on each coil and it around 6.75 so I'm going whaa? Cut the ends strip the insulation back and then resolder the green and white and it all comes to life. have full humbucker in the bridge and it sounds great. So I then Resolder the green and white to the switch and now suddenly everything is working as as it should be.
Everything looked absolutely perfect, solder joints were clean bright and shiny and the green and white appeared to be properly connected but were NOT. The other tec evidently didn't really do more than just look at it so they thought it had deeper issues. Worked for me as the shop that had it sold it to me for about half what there are going for on Ebay and reverb right now and this guitar is immaculate.
Guitar is an absolute beast as a player. The sustain is unreal no Les Paul or Ibanez Artist i have owned ever sustained like thing little thing does. May be that M bridge and the strings through the body but talking infinite sustain here through my Archon. It's no beauty queen it's just a plain Jane solid white guitar but man what a working players guitar this thing is!!
Will post photos when we get the up-loader fixed.

 

[Ascension]

The new DC 600

 

[Mincer]

Very cool, understated guitar (for a Carvin).

 

[Ascension]

Very cool, understated guitar (for a Carvin).

Most of mine are. I love the guitars because of how stable they are on the road and the response across the neck as players. Most of mine are not highly optioned showpieces. It was really only after the grandson Jeff Kiesel took over and they changed the name that these became the ultra boutique guitars for cork sniffers you see today. Now it's as bad or worse than the PRS crowd but wasn't always this way. I have been playing mostly Carvin Kiesel guitars on stages since the late 1980's and most were basic player guitars like this little white one.
My red Kiesel DC is absolutely the most perfect guitar I have ever seen in fit finish fretwork ect but is also a very basic maple neck alder body solid color super Strat like the white DC 600 is.
Own 7 of these guitars and the 3 best playing best sounding are just plane janes. The Red Kiesel DC 127 this White DC 600 and my plain solid black AE 185.
Another photo of the DC 600.

 

[Spaghetti Bolo]

Nice colour, I love off white guitars.

 

[Ascension]

Nice colour, I love off white guitars.

It's actually a Diamond Pearl White which a really cool color in person but hard to photograph. Looks really cool and classy in person and really works with the Abalone diamonds and MOP tuner buttons but is not over the top.

 

[Mincer]

They do really well with those understated colors. Kiesel really only showcases those hideous over-the-top finishes on their social media, though.

 

[Ascension]

They do really well with those understated colors. Kiesel really only showcases those hideous over-the-top finishes on their social media, though.

Yep agree. I particularly dislike the weird alien puke burst crazy burl wood and color stuff. Tghey are charging big money for woods that have always been in the past considered scrap junk. They can build absolutely amazing guitars that are super reliable working player guitars for fair money . Super high quality workmanship and materials at sane prices as long as you don't get all the crazy options but push only the crazy over the top super expensive builds now. I would rather play a Carvin Kiesel guitar on stage than absolutely anything else I have ever picked up but it's not because of how they look it's how they PERFORM night after night on the road. Sadly more and more the company is leaving those like me behind as they drop the more traditional lines in favor of headless guitars, weird burl woods and crazy finishes, multi scale, crazy bevels ect. I just want a nice more traditional guitar that will out last me and more and more they are not offering them anymore.

 

[Mincer]

They all look like a disease under a microscope. I swear, they charge more for that, and people fall for it.

 

[ErikH]

I like simple myself. Would much have a plain top versus maple and definitely a solid color over transparent in most cases. My Les Paul is an exception. I love the old tobacco sunburst over a plain maple top. I know the ones I've built will outlast me. Nothing crazy or fancy about them really.

I knew guys in the 80's that played Carvins and they were always raving on them. The few I've played felt amazing.

I like the simplicity and clean looks of the one you have here. That is way sharp.

 

[Ascension]

They all look like a disease under a microscope. I swear, they charge more for that, and people fall for it.

Could not agree more man. Was not like this in the past. At one time the old Carvin Forum was much like here like a family. We would have regional Carvin Bashes and a bunch of us would get together over a weekend and jam , break bread and check out each other builds. Most of our guitars were pretty basic builds and the whole vibe was really cool. Then the family feud happened and things changed. Those who ran the forum got pushed out and many of us got the left foot of fellowship and then they started pushing all this crazy boutique high end stuff. Whole vibe of the company changed. Same folks however still build the guitars and the workmanship is amazing. Carvin Kiesel fret work and overall attention to detail in my experience is the absolute best in the industry bar none. If you build a simple guitar like say a Delose they are still incredible values. A basic Delose as an example is only $1250 for a super high end maple neck ebony board alder body boutique Strat that IMO will give any Suhr or Anderson at 2x the price all it can handle.
https://www.kieselguitars.com/catalog/guitars/d6
These are the type Kiesel guitars that appeal to me not the $10K ultra exotic wood case queens.

 

[Adieu]

Could not agree more man. Was not like this in the past. At one time the old Carvin Forum was much like here like a family. We would have regional Carvin Bashes and a bunch of us would get together over a weekend and jam , break bread and check out each other builds. Most of our guitars were pretty basic builds and the whole vibe was really cool. Then the family feud happened and things changed. Those who ran the forum got pushed out and many of us got the left foot of fellowship and then they started pushing all this crazy boutique high end stuff. Whole vibe of the company changed. Same folks however still build the guitars and the workmanship is amazing. Carvin Kiesel fret work and overall attention to detail in my experience is the absolute best in the industry bar none. If you build a simple guitar like say a Delose they are still incredible values. A basic Delose as an example is only $1250 for a super high end maple neck ebony board alder body boutique Strat that IMO will give any Suhr or Anderson at 2x the price all it can handle.
https://www.kieselguitars.com/catalog/guitars/d6
These are the type Kiesel guitars that appeal to me not the $10K ultra exotic wood case queens.

Wow, that IS a lot of impressive strat for reasonable money

If only it said Carvin on the headstock...

 

[Mincer]

Wow, that IS a lot of impressive strat for reasonable money

If only it said Carvin on the headstock...

There was a time when you could ask for Carvin on the headstock.

 

[Ascension]

There was a time when you could ask for Carvin on the headstock.

The Jason Becker is still branded as a Carvin unless you order it with the Kiesel logo but that's all that is left as far as I know. When the split happened in the family the old traditional designs were suppose to stay Carvin branded and the Kiesel stuff was going to be the super high end boutique guitars. That is NOT what happened later on. The same folks are mostly still building the guitars and a number of the sales and support folk are still there from Carvin also so it's really the exact same company. The Grandson Jeff Kiesel just took over and took the guitar side in different direction is what has happened.