Harrison Belew

Eng 1100
Lisa Gordon
7/20/2015
American Made Guitars- a Solution
Time and time again six strings have changed the world. From acoustic to electric,
8-string, 12-string, 6-string, and 7-string, the guitar has been a cornerstone for the entire
world of music. It makes sense that the first electric guitar was built in the home of rock
and roll, the United States of America. Like most things made in America, American
made electric guitars tend to cost quite a bit more than their foreign counter parts. This is
catch twenty-two however, because American guitars are far superior to the imported
guitars. Guitarist are currently overpaying for American made guitars,
but Kiesel/Carvin guitars may have other options.
When most people think electric guitar they think Gibson Les Paul, or Fender
Stratocaster. If you throw the name Kisel/Carvin Guitars around youll probably just get a
bunch of confused looks, however Kiesel/ Carvin played a critical role in the history of
the electric guitar. Lowell C. Kiesel founded the company under the name of L.C.
KIESEL COMPANY in 1946. The company started off winding pickups on an old
sewing machine, but by 1949 also added amplifiers and steel guitars to their product
list(Kiesel). Originally, Kiesel pickups were sold through a distributor, but Mr. Kiesel
felt he could do a better job by eliminating the middleman and selling his pickups directly
to the customer, so an idea that would last until this day was born. He changed the name

of the company to Carvin, after his two eldest sons, Carson and Gavin.(Kiesel) Today
the Kiesel/Carvin guitars and amplifier side of the business are no longer the same
company. Thus, the Kiesel/Carvin brand returns to its historic namesake.
Unlike most big name American guitar makers, Kiesel guitars produce their
guitars here in America instead of overseas. As Dave Hunter of Kiesel maintains low
prices by selling direct to the public. This is really important for players as they can
afford these very high-end American made guitars. This isnt typical of American guitars
companies as Mark E Anderson of Daily Kos states here: When my son started playing
and I got back into playing guitar we were looking at entry-level guitars. Buying
American for a beginner guitar is out of the question in todays world; however, on the
flip side the quality of these foreign made guitars is hit and miss.(Anderson)
Anderson is just proving a point of superior American craftsmanship, and also the
need for guitarist to have high quality sounding, and functioning guitars.
Kiesels newest addition to their line is called the Vader guitar. It is a headless
guitar that can be made with 6, 7, or 8 strings. There has been a lot of buzz around the
guitar world as to how this guitar compares to a similar foreign made guitar, the
Strandberg Boden OS. Luckily for the guitar players of the world Trey Xavier from Gear
Gods performed an assessment of the two guitars. Xavier had the following comment on
the article: This is far and away the most requested interview in Gear Gods history.
Having spent a great deal of time with both the Kiesel/Carvin Vader and the Strandberg
Boden OS models, Im in a pretty good position to compare them. (Xavier)
Xavier starts off by saying that both guitars are marvels of modern guitar
building, but they are different in many ways. Xavier explains thats why its important to

know the specs of both instruments in order to properly compare them. Below I have
recreated a chart found in the article from Gear Gods:
Country of Origin
Scale length
Number of strings
Multiscale?
Finish options?
Neck-through or bolt on?
Carbon fiber reinforced
neck?
Return policy
Customizable?

Kiesel/Carvin Vader
Usa
27, or 25.5 (6 and 7 string
only
6, 7, or 8
No
A multitude
Neck-through
Yes

Strandberg Boden OS
South Korea
6 or 7
6 or 7
Yes
3 colors to choose from:
Red, Black, natural. Matte
only.
Bolt-on
Yes

10 days
Very

2 weeks (only in the US)

You choose color and
fretboard material (birdseye
maple or rosewood)
Pickups
Kiesel Lithium
EMG 707x (7 string),
Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz
(6-string)
Hardware
Hipshot
Strandberg
Chambered?
Optional
Yes
Forearm/Belly Contour?
Yes/Yes
Yes/Yes
Number of frets
24
24
Price
$1195.00
$1,895.00
(Xavier) This is a lot of information to take in and consider when comparing these two
guitars. One thing to remember about these guitars is that they are both headless, meaning
that neither of them have a headstock, so the tuners are not in the usual place. This design
drastically cuts down on weight, but actually increases the resonance of the guitar. This
also means players are less fatigued when playing these instruments. In the end, Xavier
concluded:
I will say this: the Kiesels are built better than the OS series Strandbergs. There
is a difference between getting a custom made in the USA guitar and one from a Korean
factory (although Strandbergs US based quality control is very good) and I did notice a

difference in some of the details. This isnt to say that the Boden isnt an extremely wellmade guitar, becasuse it is (especially for an import); only that the Kiesels are over the
top.(Xavier)
This is a huge feat for the Kiesel because as we can tell from the chart, they are much less
expensive than the imported Strandberg series guitar, and theyre made here in America.
Cheaper and superior quality, thats what guitarist want! Dave Hunter said the following
regarding American-made guitars: we cant deny that many of the worlds finest
luthiers are at work today in small shops and larger custom shops alike in the U.S. and
elsewhere in the Western world, producing some of the very best guitars ever made, and
these remain instruments to be proud of.(Hunter)
Kiesel guitars know the ropes of the electric guitar business and can produce
extremely high quality guitars. Its quite apparent that Kiesel/Carvin quality is trusted
among artist with a huge list of endorsees: Allan Holdsworth, Frank Gambale, Jason
Becker, Neil Zaza, Brian Bromberg, Greg Howe, Rick Neilson, Alex Lifeson, Joe Walsh,
and Al Di Meola. (Kiesel) Understandably this means that Kiesel guitars can hang with
the biggest names in the industry. These bigger companies produce products of equal or
lesser value for thousands of dollars more. Gibson sells their 2015 Les Paul Standard for
$3,750(Gibson). A comparable Kiesel model called the SCB6 sells for $899(Xavier). This
price is astonishing, and may sound too good to be true, but Trey Xavier is quoted as
saying: I liken the SCB6 to a Les Paul but its updated, classier.(Xavier) Kiesels
quality is also unmatched by the overpriced Fender Stratocaster, which sells for
$1,7499.99(American). The Kiesel Bolt, which closely resembles the Stratocaster, is
price at $749.00(Custom). When Mark E Henderson finally got his son an American

made electric guitar he said: This guitar has taken my son's playing to new heightsas
he said a month after getting the guitar, "This has the fastest neck I have ever
played."(Anderson)
Quality for lesser price is something that cant be found in many markets at all
today, let alone the guitar market. Many companies move production across seas, and
forget that the instruments are made to be tools to allow one to express themself. Guitars
arent just products you can mass-produce and make money on; they are an extension of
your soul. In a world where American produced goods are rising at an ever-expediting
speed, Kiesel/Carvin stick to their roots selling direct to the public beating out the other
over priced American guitar companies.

Works Cited
"American Deluxe Stratocaster Ash." American Deluxe Stratocaster Ash. Fender Guitars,
n.d. Web. 21 July 2015.

Anderson, Mark E. "Buying an American-made Guitar." Buying an American-made Guitar.

Daily Kos, 7 July 2013. Web. 21 July 2015.

"Gibson.com: Les Paul Standard 2015." Gibson.com: Les Paul Standard 2015. GIbson Guitars,
n.d. Web. 21 July 2015.

"Custom Shop BOLT-T Bolt On Neck Guitar with Wilkinson Tremolo Serial Number 118468."
Custom Shop BOLT-T Bolt On Neck Guitar with Wilkinson Tremolo Serial Number
118468. Kiesel/guitars, n.d. Web. 21 July 2015.

Hunter, Dave. "Fable Fighters: What's the Big Deal About USA-made vs. Offshore
Guitars." Fable Fighters: What's the Big Deal About USA-made vs. Offshore Guitars.
Guitar Player Magazine, 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 16 July 2015.

Kiesel, Jeff. "Signature Artists & Endorsers | CarvinGuitars.com." Signature Artists &
Endorsers | CarvinGuitars.com. Kiesel/guitars, 5 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 July 2015.

Kiesel, Lowell. "Lowell C. Kiesel, Founder of Carvin Guitars / Kiesel Guitars |

CarvinGuitars.com." Lowell C. Kiesel, Founder of Carvin Guitars / Kiesel Guitars |
CarvinGuitars.com. Kiesel/guitars, 28 Dec. 2009. Web. 21 July 2015.

Xavier, Trey. "Battle of the Headless Guitars: Strandberg Boden OS Vs. Kiesel/Carvin Vader GearGods." GearGods. Gear Gods, 15 June 2015. Web. 16 July 2015.

Xavier, Trey. "Kiesel/Carvin Guitars SCB6 - The Gear Gods Review - GearGods." GearGods.
Gear Gods, 17 Mar. 2015. Web. 21 July 2015.