In 1946, Lowell Kiesel founded Kiesel Electronics in Los Angeles, CA. In 1947, they had produced their first guitar amplifiers. Two years later, the Kiesel family settled in Covina, CA, and began the original catalog business of manufacturing and distributing lap steel guitars, small tube amps, and pickups. The Carvin trademark was derived from Kiesel's two oldest sons, Carson and Gavin. Guitars were originally offered in kit form, or by parts since 1949, and Carvin began building complete guitars in 1956. By 1978, the glued set-neck design replaced the bolt-on necks. The majority of the current guitar and bass models currently feature a neck-through design.
Carvin started out as a mail-order-only company, and they continue to offer players a wide range of options on their individual models through their catalog and website. However, Carvin now has five retail stores in California where products can be tested before purchase, but they do not sell to independent dealers.
The Carvin company also offers mixing boards, power amplifiers, power mixers, P.A. speakers, monitor speakers, guitar combo amps/heads/cabinets, and bass amps/cabinets. Lowell Kiesel passed away on December 28, 2009. For more information, visit Carvin's website or contact them directly.
Amplifiers, speaker cabinets, and various other accessories currently produced in San Diego, CA since 1946. Carvin instruments are sold through direct catalog sales, as well as through five factory stores in CA: Covina, Hollywood, Sacramento, San Diego, and Santa Ana.