Purchase: Having used Carvin's equipment for several years, I finally decided to try out their guitars and in July ordered my axe directly from them. It cost little less than $1200.

Likes: The sound, looks, and playability are the best I have ever seen. I have played and owned several high-end guitars, none of which have sounded as good (or cost as little) as my Carvin. For my first axe from Carvin, I ordered the DC400C, their top-of-the-line model featuring the Original Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo system, active electronics, and abalone block inlays. This is also a highly customized axe; I ordered a bookmatched quilted maple top sprayed with a translucent sapphire blue finish, along with installed Straploks by Dunlop, 24K gold-plated hardware, and an engraved truss rod cover (bearing my last name). Its looks cannot be beat... in fact, it looks better than many guitars I've played costing $3000 or more. The sound is incredible. My DC400C is equipped with Carvin's M22V and M22SD neck and bridge humbucking pickups, and they alone have an awesome tone. The active electronics add a whole new dimension, thus allowing me to custom-tailor my sound. Other controls which allow me to fine-tune my sound include the 3-way pickup selector switch, the coil splitter switches for each pickup and the phase switch. I have instant access to the twangy sound reminiscent of a Strat as well as the more full-bodied rich tone of a Les Paul.

Dislikes: N/A

Quality: The construction is flawless and the quality is unbeatable. The neck, constructed of hard rock maple, extends all the way through the body for endless sustain and better action. The neck is extremely fast with its relatively flat radius of 15" and its 25" scale length, sure to please speed demon guitarists of all ages. The action is unbelievable; in fact, Carvin guarantees the action (as measured from the 12th fret) to be 1/16". The alder body sides and quilted maple top attribute to its amazing tone.

Summary: Since 1946, Carvin has made superb quality custom instruments for off-the-rack prices (thanks to its factory-direct sales policy). Another cool thing is that all of Carvin's custom-built axes are made in U.S.A. at its factory in San Diego. As Carvin appropriately states in its description of the DC400 both in its catalog and on its website, "The elegance of the DC400 helps inspire passionate musicians to a higher level." Bottom line: both Carvin and this guitar deserve two thumbs up and ten stars!

As is the case with most of Carvin's instruments, this axe is custom made in the U.S.A. and includes a ton of features. For those unfamiliar with it, the DC400 is Carvin's flagship electric guitar model. Abalone inlays, a bookmatched AAA flamed maple top and matching headstock, dual C22 humbucking pickups, Sperzel Trim-Lok® locking tuners, and active/passive electronics are standard features on the DC400. Unlike many guitars who use Floyd Rose-licensed tremolo systems, the DC400C is equipped with the Original Floyd Rose floating tremolo.

To my specifications, Carvin upgraded my DC400C to include rounded body sides, 24K gold plated hardware, a bookmatched 1/2" thick AAA quilted maple top and matching headstock, installed Straploks by Dunlop, an engraved truss rod cover (bearing my last name), and a transparent sapphire blue finish. For a hotter sound, I also had the standard C22 pickups replaced with Carvin's M22V neck and M22SD bridge pickups.

Featuring a relatively flat 15" fingerboard radius, a 25" scale length, and medium-jumbo frets, the neck is constructed of hard rock maple and extends all the way through the body for optimum sustain and easy access to all 24 frets. A dual-action truss rod is housed inside the neck for excellent relief control, and two graphite reinforcement rods span the length of the neck for additional support.

The body shape is based largely upon the traditional Strat-style double cutaway design. The sides are constructed of alder wood for its lightweight properties and for its tone. All in all, the guitar weighs little less than eight pounds.

The active/passive electronics module has several controls which give a wide tonal range, allowing guitarists to easily custom-tailor their sound. Active mode includes a master volume knob, a bass cut/boost knob, and a treble cut/boost knob; passive mode includes a pull-up master volume knob and a tone knob. Other controls which allow musicians to fine-tune their sound include two coil splitter switches (one for each humbucking pickup) and a phase switch, both of which work in either passive or active mode. Hence, both the twang of a Fender Stratocaster and the rich, full-bodied tone of a Gibson Les Paul are easily obtained with the flip of a few switches.

Sound: 10/10

Thanks to the active/passive electronics, Carvin's DC400C is suitable for most any type of music, ranging from country to alternative to rock to metal. For the most part, I play classically-influenced hard rock and progressive metal, and the Carvin holds its ground exceptionally.

Due in part to the quilted maple top, the DC400C has a bright sound while retaining a richness and fullness in tone. The M22 pickups sound excellent; the sound is quiet and clean, with no detectable background noise or distortion, even with all the settings cranked to the max.

Action, Fit & Finish: 10/10

After spending over a week being thrown around by the UPS, the axe arrived at my doorstep almost in tune, and the intonation was set perfectly. Impressive! The factory setup was astounding. The action on Carvin's instruments is unbelievable; in fact, Carvin guarantees its instruments to have a distance of 1/16" between the strings and the 12th fret. The individual polepieces of each coil on the humbucking pickups were adjusted perfectly. No flaws were found in the finish, and the quality of the bookmatched quilted maple top was exceptional.

Reliability/Durability: 10/10

Carvin's DC400C is ruggedly designed to withstand live playing. The hardware is top-notch and the finish is perfect: not too thick to the point where it affects the tone quality, and not too thin to the point where it easily rubs off. Overall, the DC400C is a reliable, solid instrument. However, as in any case it is wise (especially with the Floyd Rose tremolo system) to keep a backup axe closeby.

Customer Support: 10/10

Carvin's sales team was knowledgeable, friendly, and polite. They were helpful and answered every question of mine. Although Carvin has a five year warranty on all of its instruments, I have not yet had to send my DC400 in for repair and don't foresee having to do so anytime in the near future.

Overall Rating: 10/10

I've played many instruments costing as much as $3000-$4000, none of which looked or sounded anywhere near Carvin's DC400C. Its appearance is attention-catching, its sound is even better, and it plays like butter. If it were stolen or lost, I would not hesitate to purchase another one from Carvin. Bottom line: Carvin deserves two fat thumbs up and ten stars for its DC400C!