Carvin AC175, AE185-12, AC275-12, AC275, AC375 Owner's Manual

MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURES FOR CARVIN GUITARS

when playing on the upper frets. If you want a

n 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.

n 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.
Viewing from the tip of the headstock (with the
frets facing away from you), the truss rod nut
must be turned left (counter clockwise) if there is
less than .005” clearance at the 7th fret. If more
than .015” clearance, the truss rod nut must be
turned clockwise. The optimum forward bow is
.010”. Turning the nut to the right (clockwise)
will reduce the amount of forward bow. To make
adjustments use the 4mm hex wrench provided
with your guitar. A 5/32” hex wrench will also
work. Turn the nut 1/10 of a turn and recheck. Do
Not force or over tighten the truss rod!
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 truss rod
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.

n 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.

76-00004C 0808

String Post

Tension
Adjustment

Loosen

Locking
Thumb Screw

Stretch your new strings by pulling sideways
on them fairly hard and retune.

n 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.

n BRIDGE HIGHT ADJUSTMENT

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.
FT6 Hardtail Bridge: Each saddle can be adjusted
individually for height with a 1.5mm hex wrench.
M- style Tun e-O-M atic bri dge: Adj ust the
bridge height with the proper size screwdriver.
Recomended slot size .250 wide x .055 wide.

n 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.

n 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

•
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.

n 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.

n 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 inside
a car’s trunk can exceed 130˚. 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.

c