Thoughts on Carvin/Kiesel SH550?

**vp101** · 09-28-2024, 02:12 PM

Hey Folks,

Hope all well.

Wanted to know if anyone here has any experience with the Kiesel (Earlier, Carvin) SH550?

I am thinking of ordering one and stringing it up with flats. While I'm a bit apprehensive about getting a full hollow-body with laminate construction due to my concerns about its reliability and propensity for feedback, I'm also intrigued about the SH550 due to its similarity with Pat Martino's signature Benedetto at a fraction of the cost.

Bear in mind that I'm not a jazz guitar player exclusively. I mostly play strat style guitars and love the blues (Albert King, SRV, etc.).

Would be great to hear your feedback about the SH550 and if you have any experience with it, and whether or not it was an instrument you were satisfied with.

thanks!

**jads57** · 09-29-2024, 10:55 AM

So here’s my experience with playing one. They are definitely more akin to a heavily chambered solid body as opposed to a laminate thinline construction. So feedback will not be any problem at all.

Carvin/Kiesel are very precise CNC built guitars. I guess most are these days as well. They pretty much are all alike depending on wood and hardware choices. That can be really good if you like the particular design.
I myself play the Alan Holdsworth headless model as well as an older Carvin Fat Boy model. And overall they are great.

My advice is to buy one used, even if it’s not exactly to your spec. That way if it doesn’t work you won’t lose your investment.

**dconeill** · 10-01-2024, 04:39 PM

I only had experience with one Carvin SH550 that was on the wall of a used-guitar store. It was really heavy. (I usually use a Gibson ES-335 that weighs about 8.7 pounds.) I thought it would sound like a semihollow but it didn't - it sounded like a solid body. I don't recall exactly why I didn't like it (apart from the weight), but I didn't like it.

Among single-cutaway semihollows I'd look at the Comins GCS-1 and -1ES and the D'Angelico SS models. I've played each of those and liked them, but I have more sense than money these days (that's a new thing for me) so I didn't buy any of them. I've also liked the PRS SE Hollowbodys, available in several models. All of these evaluations are based on playing examples in music stores, so take them with grains of salt.

I've had the ES-335 since 1986 so I guess I'm kind of used to it. I also have a Fat Tele.

**Mick-7** · 10-01-2024, 05:10 PM

You folks are reinventing the forum wheel -- Carvin SH-550 - A Comprehensive Evaluation

**arnie65** · 10-01-2024, 06:35 PM

I owned a H550 for about a year, back in 2015. Weather Carvin or Kiesel, they are built the same way by the same people. It is a quality instrument that produces all the tones a Les Paul would, but due to its chambered construction, it's more leaning towards a 335 tone than a Les Paul. It has a beautiful tone for Jazz or Blues, and can certainly do Rock too. The issue with it (to me) was the weight; it is a boat anchor "heavy", and my back couldn't take any gigs longer than 30 mins with it. It certainly has an attractive price, tone, woods, and quality, if you're willing to carry the weight.... I now play a Fibenare "Basic Jazz" model, which is close to the same thing (kind of a chambered Les Paul that has the Martino tone) but weights less than 7 lbs, although it is twice the price of the H550.

Cheers,
Arnie...