2006 GUITARS
The CT Series began its 3rd year of production, and was still wildly successful. There weren't any changes to the CT6, CT4 or CT3 at the beginning of 2006, but there were slight price increases, which were actually negated by the $100 off sale. The catalog showed a CT6C in deep-triple step Tiger's Eye stain on quilted maple, with black edges and back and gold hardware; a CT6M in deep triple-step Sunsetburst on flamed maple with chrome hardware; a CT3M in Sunsetburst with maple fingerboard; a CT4M in Classic White, ans a CT4M in Jet Black.
For the 2006 NAMM Show, the Custom Shop made a unique CT6M guitar (below). It was made from a number of different top woods, with several different flamed, quilted and plain
maple tops finished in different colors. The fingerboard was made from ebony and birdseye maple, with a mixture of abalone dots and blocks. The headstock was half
flamed maple, and half quilted maple. There were other subtle touches, such as a headstock logo that was part gold and part white, different color tuners, knobs and ferrules,
and even a bridge pickup that was two different colors. This guitar is currently on display at the Escondido showroom.
The DC400 and its Anniversary and Walnut variants, and the DC200 and DC120 were unchanged at the beginning of 2006. The catalog showed an assortment of models, in Antique Brown stain, Claro Walnut, Umber Stain with Sunsetburst edges, black, flamed koa, and blueburst.
Carvin's 7-string models, the DC727 and DC747, were unchanged from 2005. The catalog showed a DC727 with maple neck, mahogany body and blackburst edges, a DC727 in flamed koa, a DC727C in blueburst on flame, and a DC747C in walnut with blackburst edges.
The other DC models, the DC127, DC135 and DC145 were unchanged, but some great examples were shown in the catalog. The catalog showed a DC127T in Sunsetburst on quilt with rosewood fingerboard; a DC127M in Umber Stain with Sunsetburst on flamed maple with CT headstock, a DC135 in Sapphire Blue on quilt, and a DC145M with a figured walnut top and birdseye maple fingerboard. The DC150 was still offered, but wasn't shown in the catalog due to space restrictions.
The SC90 and TL60 was the same as the 2005 models, and there were some interesting examples of these in the Winter catalog, including an SC90M in Sunsetburst on swamp ash with birdseye maple fingerboard, an SC90S in mahogany, a TL60 in Sunsetburst on quilt with birdseye maple fingerboard, and a TL60 in Sunsetburst on flamed maple.
The Contour C66 and Bolt were unchanged, and as had been the case in the past few catalogs, the BoltPlus wasn't pictured, although it was still available. The catalog showed a C66 in Classic Sunburst on flamed maple, a C66 in Blueburst on flamed maple, a Bolt in Classic Sunburst, and a Bolt-T in Tobacco Sunburst.
The Holdsworth HF2 Fatboy and H2 were unchanged from previous years. The catalog showed an HF2 in deep triple-step Emerald Green on quilted maple, and H2T in Blueburst on quilted maple, and an H2 in Classic Sunburst on flamed maple.
The acoustic-electric AE185 was also unchanged. The catalog showed one model in Antique Brown stain on flamed maple, one in Sapphire Blue on quilted maple with a birdseye maple fingerboard and CT headstock, one in Sunsetburst on flamed maple, and a 12-string AE185-12 in clear gloss on figured walnut with blackburst edges.
The AC175, AC275 and Craig Chaquico CC275 were the same as their 2005 counterparts. The catalog showed a CC275 in clear gloss on flamed maple, an AC275 in Sunsetburst on flamed maple, an AC275-12 in Tobacco Sunburst on quilted maple, and an AC175 in clear gloss on figured walnut.
The AC375 true acoustic and CL450 Classical were unchanged. The catalog showed an AC375 in flamed koa with blackburst edges, and AC375 in clear gloss on spruce, and a CL450 with a cedar top.
The all-new Icon bass was available as the IC4, IC5 or IC6, and everything about this instrument was totally new. It has a completely new headstock shape,
with the tuners angled slightly rearward. The body was somewhere in between the LB and BB basses, with a longer upper horn than an LB, but shorter than a
BB, with an offset rear bout, giving the overall body an unusual and interesting shape. A figured walnut or flamed maple top was standard, which was 5mm
thick. The top being thinner than other models was a deliberate design cue, so that the top was outlined by the alder body. Like the Elite Series, the
top and body were separated by a thin black phenolic layer, furthering outlining the top. Carvin also replaced the Hipshot bridge that had been used since
1998. The new bridge was also a Hipshot; the A-Style. This was a heavier bridge that the previous one, and was available with chrome, gold or black saddles.
In addition to the new design, the Icon came standard with Carvin's new soapbar pickups and electronics package. The electronics are an 18V system,
active/passive modes controlled by a push/pull volume control. The rear large knob is the pickup blend, and the lower knobs are stacked concentric
bass and high frequency, and stacked concentric mid frequency and sweep. The IC4, with standard flamed maple or figured walnut and matching headstock,
was priced at $1199. The IC5 was $1269, and the IC6 was $1349.
After numerous customer requests, a few months after the introduction of the Icon models, the Icon "S" Series was added to the lineup. This standard series model had no figured top wood or headstock; it was designed to be finished in solid or translucent finishes.
The bolt-neck B4 and B5 basses were unchanged for 2006, except for one thing - the new H50S pickups were standard, replacing the single-coil J99s that had been standard for years. The catalog photos showed the older B-style Hipshot bridge, which would remain in use on these models for a few more years until a less expensive, 3rd party bridge was added on these basses.
With the introduction of the SP2 soapbar pickups, many of the basses in the 2006 catalogs were shown loaded with them. The H50S pickups were standard, and the HB2 humbuckers were optional, as were the SB2s, however, all LB series basses were now equipped with 18V electronics, with improved bass mid and treble controls. Although the walnut LB70P and Timothy B. Schmit signature model TBS4 were shown with the old Hipshot bridge, these were old photos that had been used in previous catalogs. Like the LB70, the LB75 and extended scale XB75 and LB76 and extended scale XB76 had H50S pickups standard, but could be ordered with SP2 pickups. They also had the upgraded 18V electronics, as well as the new Hipshot bridge. The Anniversary and Claro Walnut models - which were basically upgraded LB Series instruments - also had the new 18V electronics standard with H50S humbuckers.
The Bunny Brunel series basses also came standard with H50S pickups and the new A-Style bridge, and as the catalog showed, the SB2 soapbar pickups could be ordered for an additional $60.00. Other than that, the BB70, BB75 and BB76 remained the same as previous years.
The AC40 and AC50 basses were unchanged from the 2005. The catalog showed an AC40F fretless in figured walnut, and AC40 in Sunsetburst on quilt, and AC50F fretless in black, and an AC50F fretless in flamed koa.