Guitars 2002 was a pretty good year for fans of Carvin guitars.  There weren't a lot of new items, but there were two:  the CC275, and the reintroduction of the DC150, which was a mainstay of the lineup in the late 70's and 80's. The CC275 was designed for longtime Carvin endorser Craig Chaquico.  It was basically a modified AC275, with standard flamed maple top, MOP inlaid eagle headstock & fingerboard, body binding and gold hardware.  The redesigned DC150 bore a passing resemblance to it's namesake, but was an all-new instrument incorporating all of Carvin's available options. 2002 Basses 2002 Guitar Amps 2002 Bass Amps Click each picture to see a larger version.

The Bolt (near left) and Bolt-T (far left) were unchanged for 2002.  The base price of the Bolt was $519, up slightly from 2001, and the Bolt-T started at $559, also up slightly.

The catalog photo showed the Bolt-T in Ruby Red Stain on quilted maple with matching headstock, Sperzel tuners, black pearloid pickguard, black hardware, and Wilkinson tremolo.  The Bolt was shown in Classic White with matching headstock, Sperzel locking tuners, no inlays, red tortoise pickguard, twinblade humbuckers and black hardware.

The DC127 (near right) and DC135 (far right), were unchanged for 2002, but were equipped with Elixir strings, as were most models this year.  Base prices remained the same on both models at $599, and both models with the Wilkinson tremolo remained $639, but the Floyd Rose-equipped models rose to $699. 

The new catalog photo showed the DC127 in Tobacco Sunburst on koa with matching headstock and rounded body sides, and with abalone block inlays and gold hardware.  The DC135 was shown in Classic Sunburst on swamp ash with matching headstock and rounded body sides, twinblade humbuckers, Wilkinson tremolo and chrome hardware.

The TL60 (left) got a new catalog photo for 2002, but was otherwise unchanged.  The base price of the TL60 remained $589 (with the FT6 fixed bridge), or $629 with a Wilkinson tremolo.  The Carvin-licensed Floyd Rose tremolo was not available on this model, although the Fishman acoustic bridge was offered.

The catalog photo showed a TL60 in Classic Sunburst on mahogany with matching headstock, standard electronics and gold hardware, and a TL60T in Sapphire Blue on quilted maple with matching traditional headstock, abalone block inlays, Fishman acoustic bridge and active electronics with humbuckers.

Carvin's 7-string guitars, the DC727 (near right) and DC747 (far right) were unchanged for 2002.  Prices remained the same, starting at $629 for the DC727 and $659 for the DC747, which had the additional middle position AP13 single-coil pickup.

The catalog photo showed the DC727 in Ruby Red Stain on quilted maple with matching headstock, abalone block inlays, gold hardware, and Carvin-licensed Floyd Rose 7-string tremolo.  The DC747 was shown in Sapphire Blue on quilted maple with matching headstock and chrome hardware.

All new for 2002 was the newly designed DC150 (far left).  This model had officially retired in 1992, after a successful 16 year run that began in 1976.  The new model took it's basic design from the original, but was more rounded (rounded body sides were standard) and had a slightly longer lower horn.  Unlike the original DC150's, this model had 22 frets (versus 24 on the original) had had a standard mahogany body and neck with figured maple top - the same construction used in the Les Paul.  A C22T and C22N pickups were standard, as was Sperzel locking tuners, and tune-o-matic bridge with stop tailpiece.  Base price on the DC150 was $699.

Unchanged for 2002 was the SC90 (near left).  The base price on the hardtail model remained $599, and the Wilkinson-equipped SC90T remained $639.  The SC90C, with original Floyd Rose tremolo, rose slightly to $699. 

The catalog photo showed the new DC150 in Classic Sunburst with abalone dot inlays and cream/black pickups.  The SC90 was shown in koa with rounded body sides and gold hardware.

The DC200 (near right) and DC400 (far right), were unchanged, and used the same catalog photo.  Base prices and Wilkinson-equipped prices remained the same, but the Floyd Rose-equipped models rose $20.

The DC120 12-string (inset photo) remained $749.

The DC400 Anniversary model, which was a highly upgraded DC400, with 5-piece maple/koa neck, flamed maple top and matching headstock, and 3 piece alder/koa/flamed maple (or Claro Walnut) body was still available as a $200 upgrade to the DC400, DC400T or DC400C.

The catalog photo showed the DC200 in Tobacco Sunburst with black painted headstock, Wilkinson tremolo, and cream pickups with black bezels, and the DC400 in Ruby Red Stain on quilted maple with matching headstock, Floyd Rose tremolo and gold hardware.

The Holdsworth H2 and HF2 were unchanged, and used the same catalog photo as in 2001.  The prices were also unchanged on all Holdsworth models for 2002.

The catalog showed the H2 in Tobacco Sunburst on quilted maple with matching headstock and black hardware, and the HF2 Fatboy in Blueburst on quilted maple with matching headstock and black hardware.

The AE185 and AE185-12 were unchanged for 2002, and used the same catalog photo.  The base price of the AE185 remained $799, and the base price of the AE185-12 was $849.  The same catalog photo was used as in 2000.

The catalog showed a AE185 in flamed koa with matching  headstock, body binding, coil splitters and phase switches and black hardware, and an AE185 in Tobacco Sunburst on quilted maple with matching headstock and coil splitters and phase switches and black hardware. 

The AC175, AC275, and  AC275-12 were unchanged for 2002.  The base price of the AC175 dropped to $699, and the AC275 dropped to $749.  The AC275-12 increased slightly, to $799.

New for 2002 was the CC275 (near left), which was designed for longtime Carvin endorser Craig Chaquico.  It was basically a modified AC275, with standard flamed maple top, MOP inlaid eagle headstock & fingerboard, body binding and gold hardware.  The CC275 sold for $899.

The catalog showed an AC175 in Classic Sunburst on flamed maple with matching headstock and body binding, and a CC275 in standard trim.

The AC375 (near right) and the CL450 (far right) were unchanged, and the base prices remained the same as 2001.

The catalog showed the AC375 in clear matte sating finish with koa headstock overlay and gold hardware, and the CL450 in clear gloss on red cedar.

The C550 (left) was unchanged, as were all Cobalts.  Base price of the C550 remained $499. Other Cobalts (right) were unchanged as well, but there were some price fluctuations.  The C250 dropped to $379, and the C250S dropped to $399.  The C350 dropped to $419.  The C750 and C850 remained the same, at $549 and $629, respectively.

Two new Cobalt models were added for 2002 - the C780 (top right) and the C980 (main image).  These were both jumbo cutaway models with Fishman Prefix Plus electronics and a Fishman Matrix pickups.  The C780 had an AA solid spruce top, with mahogany back and sides, and the C980 had an AA solid spruce top with rosewood back and sides, gold hardware, and Paua shell diamond fingerboard inlays, sound hole purfling and body trim. The C780 sold for $569, and the C980 sold for $769.