Nice guitar, but I don't think it's worth the extra coin over the other two brands (you pay for that Taylor name on the headstock). The T5 on the other hand costs more, even on the used market. The Carvin has to be the used value king since for $600 you can score a nice (but basic no frills model) one used on ebay just about anytime.so if funds are tight and you want a well built hybrid you can't go wrong with an AE-185. Overall, the workmanship on the Hamer seemed the best to me out of the three (shielded control cavity, aluminum plates, attention to small details, etc.) as opposed to the Carvin's copper tape and cheap looking electronics (but the rest of the Carvin looked top notch to me). Probably a wash between the Taylor and the Hamer (but I like Hamer necks, so I'd give a biased nod to the Hamer). Playability, I give the nod to the Carvin, I thought the action was low and the blended heel is nice.
The Taylor didn't really do it for me on the mag wasn't bad mind you, but I prefer the other two better.
#CARVIN GUITARS HAVE NO SOUL PLUS#
Plus the pickups in the AE-185 don't really sound that good to me (but that's a personal preference I guess). According to my friend, Carvin's customer service told him that they fixed this problem in AE-185's built from Sep. My buddie's AE-185 had an annoying buzz that came out the magnetic side when both output jacks had a 1/4" cable plugged in (one going to the PA, one to an amp.kind of like a ground loop noise?). Magnetic side, I like the Duotone the best by far.
I actually liked the T5 acoustic sound a little better than either the Hamer or Carvin (responded well to the LR Baggs perhaps?). I might give the nod to the Duo over the AE-185 for acoustic sound, but it's almost a wash depending on what piezo sound you prefer. Acoustic side (all played through a LRBaggs paracoustic DI box): I have a 3-hole mid-90's Duotone and the acoustic side sounds very much like an Ovation shallow bowl from the same era IMHO.you either like that sound or you don't. From owning the Hamer and being in bands where the other guitarist had and let me play an AE-185 and a T5, here's my thoughts on the issue.
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