Perhaps the most compelling feature of the Carvin Bolt-T is the price. The humbucker and single coil combination allow you to cover just about any sonic territory you wish. The pickups allowed for an amazing amount of tonal versatility. Of course, we also opted for the locking Sperzel tuners, so those coupled with the Graphtech nut went a long way towards keeping the Carvin Bolt-T in perfect tune. Try as we could, we just couldn’t get the Wilkinson bridge to go out of tune, and that was with some serious whammy-bar action. Like all Carvin guitars we’ve ever played, the Bolt-T was smooth, fast, and silky. The guitar’s 25.5″ scale and 15″ radius felt extremely comfortable, and the necks tung oil finish was very smooth and added to the playability. We also have a mini-toggle that taps the bridge humbucker.Ĭarvin necks are some of the best in the business, and the Bolt-T is no exception. The guitar also came with a mini-toggle that lets you add the bridge pickup in positions four and five. The Bolt-T has a master volume and tone pot with a standard five-way switch. We also opted for the Wilkinson tremolo system, an ebony fingerboard, and 22 medium-jumbo stainless steel necks. We stuck with single coils in the middle and neck position just so we could cop some convincing Strat tones. A black pickguard was custom ordered as was a humbucker in the bridge. Our review model had an alder body with a flamed maple top, and a crimson red finish. Like all of Carvin’s guitars, the Bolt comes with a variety of options regarding color, wood, hardware, and electronics.

Read on and see why the Bolt is one of the best kept secrets in the guitar industry. The Carvin Bolt is their low cost Strat-style guitar, but don’t confuse the Bolt’s low price with low quality. In recent years, Carvin has branched out from the “shredder” market they were known for in the 1980’s, offering a wide variety of instruments at a reasonable cost. Because of their direct only sales, you either had to know someone who owned a Carvin or be lucky enough to find a used one locally, which was rare.

The Carvin Bolt-T is a world-class instrument at a pawn shop cost, offering world-class playability, looks, and tones.įor some time, Carvin guitars were sort of an “inside” secret amongst guitar players.

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