Carvin C980 Reviews 5

Purchased direct from Carvin. I was intrigued by the rave reviews the Cobalt series of guitars was getting. The purchase price was $787.00 plus $59.00 for a hardshell case.

There is so much to like about this guitar. Killer good looks with it's solid spruce top and Paua shell inlay, rosewood back and sides. The tone is rich and full but very balanced with no strings sounding out louder than the others and jumping out at you. You have to go to $2,000+ guitars to get this kind of tone and I know because I've owned them (Taylor, Martin, Takamine LTD) The C980 is truly that nice of a guitar. The electronics are nothing short of stunning. The Fishman Matrix and Prefix Plus are just amazing. You can dial in any sound you want with the EQ system. Very accurate acoustic reproduction. I played it through a Carvin AG100D amp and BOSS GT-5 processor and I'm surprised I didn't short it out from the drool! Seriously. I've played high end Taylor's with the same electronics and they don't sound any better.I'm not saying that the C980 sounds exactly like a Taylor, just like a Martin D-28 doesn't sound like a Taylor. Each has it's own sound and it's a matter of preference but they all sound outstanding and The C980 can compete with any guitar in the $2000-3000 price range...period. The action is actually better than any Martin or Taylor that I've played. Very solid feel and FAST! What can I say? Just a great guitar!

No dislikes! Really, I haven't found anything yet.

Construction is impeccable. No excess glue. Paua shell inlay around sound hole and around binding is flawless. Woods are absolutely gorgeous and the bracing is perfect. Not a heavy instrument but a solid feel with great intonation and sustain.

The bottom line is if you want a $2000 dollar sound for under a thousand you'd be silly not to check out the Cobalt series of guitars. The return policy is more than fair and if you love the sound of a high end acoustic guitar with stunning sound, electronics, and looks to match you won't be sending it back.

Bobby Rennert rated this unit 5 on 2003-05-14.

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