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STRINGS
Your Carvin guitar is equipped with a high quality
set of Carvin strings. For replacement strings,
please order from our catalog. If you change to
considerably lighter or heavier strings, you may
need to adjust the truss rod in the neck to
maintain good string action. For long string life,
keep the strings clean with a soft dry cloth.
Replace strings regularly to avoid dead strings
which can cause intonation problems.
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2-WAY TRUSS ROD ADJUSTMENT
Carvin guitars come with a 2-way adjustable
truss rod, allowing you to add the proper amount
of forward bow, even to a neck with an excessive
reverse bow condition. You can check the neck
yourself for the proper amount of forward bow.
You will need a straightedge about 18” long and
a feeler gauge set. Tune the guitar to the proper
pitch and place the straightedge edgewise on the
center of the fingerboard so that it is resting on
the first and last fret. Now take the feeler gauge
set and check for clearance at the 7th fret. If
there is less than .005” clearance, the truss rod
nut must be turned counter clockwise. If more
than .015” clearance, the truss rod nut must be
turned clockwise. The optimum forward bow is
.010”. Turning the nut to the left (clockwise) will
reduce the amount of forward bow. To make
adjustments use the
1
/
4
” socket screwdriver
provided with your guitar. Turn the nut 1/10 of a
turn and recheck.
Note: If you have just received your Carvin
guitar and the string action is very low with
buzzing frets, then chances are the neck needs
adjusting because of a backbowed condition
sometimes caused during shipping. If this is the
case then remove the truss rod cover with a
small phillips screwdriver. Turn the
1
/
4
” truss rod
nut counter clockwise until you have .010”
forward bow. This is about the thickness of a
playing card.
If you don’t have a straightedge or feeler gauge
set, you can achieve great results by pressing one
of your outside strings down at the first fret and
24th fret and having a friend slide a playing card
between the 7th fret and the bottom of the string.
The card should slide under without lifting the
string up. Adjust the truss rod accordingly.
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CHANGING STRINGS WITH SPERZELS
• Loosen strings completely by turning the tuning
buttons on the Sperzel machine heads.
• Loosen the string lock thumb screws counter
clockwise on the back of the Sperzel gears.
You only need to turn theses screws about 2 or
3 turns.
• To remove strings, pull strings out of the string
post holes.
• To install strings, slide string through the small
hole in the Sperzel string post. Take up all the
slack then tighten the thumb screw on the
back. Cut off the excess string and then tune
your guitar.
• Stretch your new strings by pulling sideways on
them fairly hard and retune.
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TIPS FOR SPERZEL TUNERS
• If your guitar has a tremolo, don’t rest palm on
tremolo while tuning.
• When stringing up Sperzel tuners, do not wrap
multiple string wraps around the post. Eliminate
as many wraps as possible to keep your guitar in
better tune. 3/4 of one turn around the string
post should be considered maximum.
• You can adjust the tension of the Sperzel tuning
keys with a small slot head screwdriver. Just
tighten or loosen the screw on the end of the
button until the desired tension is obtained. To
eliminate any backlash, adjust the buttons fairly
tight. This will give your tuning buttons a more
secure feel, and will not hurt the longevity of
the internal gears.
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ADJUSTING THE FT6 FIXED BRIDGE
Each Carvin guitar is set for best possible
playing action for the average guitarist.
Guitarists with a light playing style can possibly
lower the action slightly. All guitarists with a
hard playing style will probably have to raise the
action slightly. Use a 1.5mm allen wrench.
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ADJUSTING INTONATION
Use your guitar tuner to fine tune your intonation.
With the aid of your electronic tuner, tune each
string to the proper pitch. Now check your high E
string tuning at the 12th fret. If the tuner shows
sharp, then adjust the high E bridge saddle slightly
further away from the neck. If the tuner shows
flat, adjust the saddle towards the neck. Try
moving the saddle 1/32” (about the thickness of a
dime). Retune the open E string perfectly and
recheck the octave tuning at the 12th fret. If the
tuning is perfect, you are done intonating the high
E string. If it is still sharp, then keep moving the
string saddle further away from the neck until your
intonation is perfect. Repeat this procedure for
each string. Use a #1 phillips screwdriver.
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ADJUSTING PICKUP HEIGHT
Each pickup has 2 or 3 height adjusting screws.
For maximum power output keep the pickups
adjusted as close to the strings as possible while
maintaining enough clearance so that the pickup
pole pieces will not touch the strings when
playing on the upper frets. If you want a
mellower sound, then adjust the pickups further
away from the strings. For humbucking pickups
we recommend
5
/
32
” clearance. For single coil
pickups go with
1
/
8
” clearance. Use the #1
phillips head screwdriver on the other end of
your Carvin truss rod wrench.
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ADJUSTING INDIVIDUAL PICKUP POLES
We set each magnetic screw head in both
pickups for a balanced sound. If you wish to
raise or lower the output of a certain string, then
lower or raise the adjustable screw heads until
you get the desired power output of that string.
Press strings down on the 24th fret and make
sure that you have at least
1
/
16
” clearance
between the strings and the pickup screw heads,
otherwise you may get static as a result. Keep
the pickup pole pieces clean as any metallic
particles on them can cause static.
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CLEANING AND POLISHING
For all Carvin guitars with a gloss finish, use
any good quality automobile wax or guitar polish.
To avoid scratching the finish use a clean soft
cloth. Do not get wax on the ebony fingerboard.
For Carvin guitars with the natural tung oil
finish, apply a good furniture oil such as “Old
English” lemon oil and wipe off the excess. This
should be done at least twice a year.
The ebony fingerboard should also be oiled with
lemon oil twice a year. Do this while the strings
are off the guitar. The oil will prevent the
fingerboard from receiving or loosing excess
moisture, which may cause the wood to crack.
WARNING
• Your guitar is constructed of solid wood that was
seasoned and dried to specific moisture
requirements.
• If you live in a desert, high mountain or a cold
winter region, you will experience dry and
extreme weather conditions from time to time,
which can crack your fingerboard and in severe
cases, crack other parts of your guitar and the
finish. You can prevent cracking by storing your
guitar in it’s case and by not subjecting it to
extreme heat or cold.
• If you live in humid regions such as the
Southeastern United States, or near the ocean,
you should take extra precautions and keep
your instrument in its case or gig bag as much
as possible.
• Do not leave your guitar and case in direct
sunlight or in your car when it is hot. Heat
build-up inside the case can become intense and
damage the instrument.
• When the instrument is not in use or when
shipping, do not release the tension of the
strings, as this is harmful to the neck and may
cause an irreversible backbow.
• Carvin does not warranty cracks or neck warpage
due to extreme weather conditions, improper
storage or misuse.
MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURES FOR CARVIN GUITARS
Locking
Thumb Screw
Loosen
Tension
Adjustment
String Post
1 - 8 0 0 - 8 5 4 - 2 2 3 5
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