Carvin

Carvin was founded in 1946 by Lowell Kiesel. Kiesel relocated briefly to his home state of Nebraska, but returned to California in 1949, and changed the name of the company to Carvin, after his two eldest sons, Carson and Gavin. The company began by making pickups and other accessories, then branched out to amplifiers, guitars, basses and other gear. Early Carvin instruments were made by Lowell Kiesel, and Carvin also sold rebadged guitars made by Harmony and Kay. In the 1960s Carvin built most guitars from mainly Hofner components, before returning to manufacturing their own instruments in the 1970s. Carvin engineers are constantly improving the product lines, and Carvin's craftsmen build over 5000 custom guitars and basses each year.