1995 GUITARS

A new term was added to the Carvin lexicon in 1995 - the Custom Shop. Although Carvin had technically been running a custom shop for many years, allowing customers to specify finishes, woods, pickups, tremolos, inlays and so on, in 1995 it was recognized as an official entity, with it's own logo and even a tee shirt. Although detractors would debate whether this really was a "custom shop", it was far more than any other manufacturers would offer, especially at Carvin's low direct prices. As the years passed, the Custom Shop would expand more each year, offering players the ability to design a guitar that was totally unique, from thousands of available combinations of options. Also in 1995, the original Floyd Rose tremolo, which was added back to the line in 1994, was now added as a model number option - for example, a DC127 with a Floyd was referred to as a DC127C (Wilkinson-equipped guitars were appended with "T"). As time progressed, this method of appending a modifier to a model would be greatly expanded to include other bridge options, and even a few body options.

The DC127 and DC135 were unchanged for 1995, all the way down to the prices, and shared a catalog page. The DC127 was $529, or $599 with the Wilkinson tremolo. It could also be ordered with an original Floyd Rose tremolo for $639. The DC135 was $559, $629 with the Wilkinson tremolo, or $669 with the Floyd Rose tremolo. The Winter '95 catalog showed the DC127 in Emerald Green with matching headstock and gold hardware. The DC135 was shown in Sapphire Blue with matching headstock, chrome hardware, Wilkinson tremolo and optional coil-splitter (note the 4th mini-switch).

The DC200 and DC400 were also unchanged, including the catalog photo and price. They were both available with the re-added Floyd Rose tremolo, but all other options and features remained unchanged. The Winter '95 catalog photo showed the DC200 in Pearl Blue with chrome hardware, and the DC400 in Vintage Yellow on flamed maple with Wilkinson tremolo and gold hardware.

All new for 1995 was the SC90 (below). This singlecut model was unique in the industry, and represented what would become a very popular model for Carvin. This model featured all the construction features and options of other Carvins, including the new Floyd Rose tremolo. The SC90 with FT6 bridge sold for $569, the SC90T with Wilkinson tremolo sold for $639, and the SC90C, with Floyd Rose tremolo, sold for $679. The HC12 hardshell case was $88, but under the current sale, could be had for free if $90 worth of options were ordered. The catalog showed an SC90 in classic sunburst with mahogany neck and body with cream/black pickups, and an SC90 in Vintage Yellow on flamed maple with matching headstock, gold hardware and cream/black pickups.

Carvin SC90 Guitar

The TL60 was identical in it's sophomore year, all the way down to the price and the catalog photo (and the same catalog photos would be used for several years in a row). Base price was $529, or $599 with Wilkinson tremolo. The Floyd Rose tremolo was evidently not offered. The Winter '95 catalog photo showed a TL60 in Jet Black with chrome hardware, M22 bridge pickup and Wilkinson tremolo, and in Tobacco Sunburst on quilted maple with gold hardware.


1995 ACOUSTIC ELECTRIC GUITARS

The AE185 was unchanged for it's sophomore year. The base price of the AE185 remained $799, plus $88 for the HC12 vintage tweed hardshell case. The Winter '95 catalog showed an AE185 in classic white with gold hardware, and an AE185 with clear gloss on quilted maple with matching headstock, body binding, cream pickups and gold hardware.

The AC175 got a spruce top as a standard feature, and this dropped the price down to $699 (versus $799 in 1994 with a standard flamed maple top). Otherwise, all features remained the same, including mahogany neck and body, 24-fret ebony fingerboard and ebony bridge. The Winter '95 catalog showed an AC175 with natural spruce top, body binding and gold hardware, and with clear finish on flamed maple, with inline headstock and gold hardware.


1995 BASSES

There were several interesting additions to the 1995 model lineup: the 4-string BB70, and the AC40 and AC50. The BB75 also went through a design change, with the input jack being moved from the front of the body to the side. As a precursor of things to come, a mid-range control option was added for the A500B active electronics module. Also, Sperzel tuners were phased out on Carvin basses (primarily due to availability issues), and Carvin's own line of tuners were reintroduced. The '95 catalogs showed the new guitar headstock shape, but the bass pictures still showed the older, pointed headstock. Presumably, the new rounded headstock was phased in throughout 1995, although actual images wouldn't appear until 1996.

The LB20 and LB70 remained the same as the past three years, and the catalog showed new versions of these basses. The base prices were the same as '94 at $579 and $629. The HC17 ABS case for either model was $78, and the HC18 vintage tweed hardshell case for either model was $98. The Winter '95 catalog showed an LB20F with maple neck and koa body, and an LB70F in tobacco sunburst on mahogany with fretlines, black hardware and optional midrange control.

The Bunny Brunel Signature BB75 saw some changes in '95. To facilitate the addition of the optional midrange control, the input jack was moved to the side of the bass, as on other models. However, in order to do this, the body had to be made slightly thicker, as the original BB75's had thinner bodies than their counterparts. Even with this change, the BB75 still had a thinner body than the LB series basses. The BB75 also got a little brother, the BB70. Although it wasn't pictured, it was listed on the BB75 page. And for the first time, the BB models were available in left-handed models. The LB75, which shared a page with the BB75, was unchanged from the previous year. Prices on the BB75 and LB75 were the same as '94, at $799 and $699. The new BB70 had a base price of $729. The HC17 ABS case for either model was $78, and the HC18 vintage tweed hardshell case for either model was $98. The Winter '95 catalog showed a BB75F in clear gloss on quilt with fretlines, optional midrange control and gold hardware, and an LB75 in translucent purple with midrange control and gold hardware.

The LB76 saw no changes, except the midrange control that other models also had available. The base price on this model stayed the same at $799, and the available cases were the same as the other models. The catalog showed an LB76 in mahogany with a tung-oil finish, and an LB76 in classic sunburst on flamed maple with abalone block inlays and gold hardware.

Released at the end of 1995 were the AC40 (below) and AC50 acoustic/electric basses. These basses featured a mahogany neck, mahogany body and AAA Engleman Spruce top. The AC40 was available with the traditional 2 X 2 headstock, or the inline headstock, and both models were available in lefty versions, and were available with options such as body binding, quilt or flamed tops, and fretless. These models featured active electronics with the F40 acoustic transducer pickup, and were equipped with black tape-wound acoustic strings. The base price on the AC40 was $709, and the base price on the AC50 was $789. The HC18 was the only case available for these models, and was $98. The Winter '95 catalog showed an AC40 in natural spruce with gold hardware, and an AC40 in classic sunburst on flamed maple with inline headstock and abalone inlays. An AC50, in natural, was shown in the inset.

Carvin AC40 Acoustic/Electric Bass