Founded in 1946 by Lowell Kiesel as the L.C. Kiesel Company, Kiesel Guitars has hand-built tens of thousands of instruments over their 75-year history. The company changed its name in 1949 to Carvin, after Lowell's eldest children Carson and Gavin, and expanded their offerings to include instrument amplifiers and pro audio equipment. In 2015, the company split into two separate entities; the Carvin brand continued to produce amplifiers and PA gear and Kiesel Guitars focuses exclusively on guitars and bass guitars, and has significantly expanded their offerings in recent years to include multiscale instruments, headless instruments, and a much greater selection of exotic woods, finishes and other options & features.

This site is focused exclusively on Carvin and Kiesel instruments from 1946 through the present day. Amplifiers and pro audio gear are not featured here; for information on these products, visit the Carvin Musical Instruments Museum Archive.

If you own a vintage or unusual Carvin instrument, and would like it featured on this site, please contact the Curator. Of particular interest are instruments from before 1995, especially doublenecks and unusual one-off instruments.