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Browse the original 1957.
Key products, features, and themes you’ll see in this issue.
Amplifiers
The amplifier section shows Carvin moving decisively into higher-output, more professional sound reinforcement for electric instruments. The Model 12-C offers a 12-inch Jensen-based combo with vibrato, while later pages move into the 8-12-A, 8888-B, 15-B, and 2-12-8B systems with multi-speaker layouts, 5881 power tubes, tremolo, and echo speaker expansion. Carvin repeatedly argues that its factory-direct selling model allows unusually powerful and well-equipped amplifiers at lower prices than competing brands.
Amplifier and Instrument Artists
The 1957 Carvin catalog highlights several respected performers of the era who were closely associated with the company’s instruments and amplification systems. These endorsements reflect Carvin’s growing reputation among professional musicians during the mid-1950s, particularly in the worlds of country, western swing, and electric string performance. By featuring working artists who used Carvin gear on stage and in recording environments, the catalog positioned its instruments and amplifiers as serious professional tools rather than only student equipment. One of the most notable artists in the catalog is Joe Maphis, the legendary country and rockabilly guitarist known for his dazzling speed and technical skill. Maphis was widely admired for his work on television and in the California country music scene, and his association with Carvin helped reinforce the company’s credibility among electric guitar players. The catalog connects Maphis with Carvin guitars, pickups, and amplifier systems, emphasizing tone clarity and stage power suitable for professional performers. Another important figure is Larry Collins, the young guitar and mandolin prodigy who performed alongside his sister Lorrie Collins as part of the country duo The Collins Kids. Collins was known for his energetic stage performances and innovative guitar style. In the catalog he appears with Carvin electric instruments and amplifiers, highlighting the brand’s appeal to emerging performers and younger audiences who were shaping the evolving rockabilly and country sound of the late 1950s. Steel guitar player Billy Mize also appears in the catalog and represents the strong connection between Carvin and the steel guitar community. Mize was active in the West Coast country music scene and later became known as a television host and musician. His presence in the catalog reinforces Carvin’s deep roots in steel guitar design, including the multi-neck console steels that remained a centerpiece of the company’s product line. The catalog also includes Harold Hensley, a respected steel guitarist and multi-instrumentalist who performed with several well-known country acts. Hensley’s endorsement appears alongside Carvin amplifier and instrument pages, highlighting the company’s focus on tone quality and performance reliability for professional musicians. Another distinctive personality featured in the catalog is Herman the Hermit, a novelty performer and bass player known for stage showmanship. His association with Carvin’s electric bass illustrates the company’s expansion beyond steel guitars into the broader field of electric fretted instruments, including bass, mandolin, and violin. Together, these artists represent a cross-section of the musical landscape that Carvin served in the late 1950s—country, western swing, rockabilly, and steel guitar traditions. Their endorsements helped demonstrate that Carvin instruments and amplifiers were not only accessible to students and hobbyists through the company’s direct-to-customer model, but were also capable of meeting the demands of professional performers working in clubs, radio, television, and touring environments.
Steel Guitars
The 1957 catalog still treats steel guitars as the core of the Carvin identity. It starts with single-neck six- and eight-string instruments, then expands into double-, triple-, and four-neck consoles aimed at serious players. Throughout these pages, Carvin stresses eastern maple bodies, individual-pole Alnico pickups, elevated neck construction, molded hardware, and direct-sale professional value. The copy makes a clear distinction between beginner-accessible pricing and professional-grade performance, especially when the instruments are fitted with AP-series pickups.
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Year: 1957
Carvin, Carvin Corp., Martin, C. F. Martin, DeArmond, Amperite, Electromonica, Jensen, Joe Maphis, Larry Collins, Billy Mize, Harold Hensley, Herman the Hermit
1954 Carvin Catalog, vintage Carvin, guitar amplifiers, bass amplifiers, electric Hawaiian guitar, steel guitar, tube amplifier, Baldwin Park California
Carvin Models: Model #6DHG-5B, Model #6DHG-6B, Model #8DHG-5B, Model #8DHG-8B, Model #8806-B, Model #8806-C, Model #6606-B, Model #88806-B, Model #88806-C, Model #888806-B, Model #888806-C, Model #12-C, Model #1-MB, Model #2-MB, Model #1-SGB, Model #2-SGB, Model #3-SGB, Model #4-SGB, Model #5-SGB, Model #V-11A, Model #B-22A, Model #8-12-A, Model #8888-B, Model #15-B, Model #2-12-8B, Model #1-12-8B, Model #609, Model #607, Model #50-B Case, Model #55-B Case, Case No. 28, Model #1-MA, Model No. 2-SGC, Model #2-SGA, Model No. 6512, Model No. 1735, Case No. 2, No. 140, Model #6-B, Model #8-B, Model #9-B, Model #2-B Case, No. 44, No. 12, No. 65, No. 17, No. 14 Case, A-1, A-2, AP-4, AP-6, AP-8, A-30, A-3, A-4, A-7, A-8, A-9, A-10, A-11, A-12, A-46, A-47, A-13, A-14, A-26, A-42, A-43, A-15, A-16, A-17, A-23, A-25, A-24, A-22, A-29, A-21, A-31, A-32, A-33, A-34, A-35, A-36, A-37, A-38, A-39, A-41, A-40, A-28, A-44, A-27, A-48, A-49, A-50..Third Party Models: Amperite KKH, Amperite SKH, Electromonica No. 101, Electromonica No. 102, Martin D-18, Martin D-28, Martin 0-18, Martin 00-18, Martin 000-18, Martin 000-28, Martin 000-21, Martin 00-17, Martin 0-15, Martin 017T, Martin Model A Mandolin, Martin Model 2-15 Mandolin, Martin Model O Ukulele, Martin Model 1 Ukulele, Martin Model 1T Tenor Ukulele, Martin Model T15 Tiple, DeArmond No. 1000 Rhythm Chief, DeArmond No. 750C, DeArmond No. FHC-B, DeArmond No. 500, DeArmond No. RHC-B, DeArmond No. 700, DeArmond No. 900, DeArmond No. 600, DeArmond Model 40 Round Hole, DeArmond Model 41 F Hole..
single neck steel guitar, double neck steel guitar, triple neck steel guitar, four neck steel guitar, professional steel guitar, electric mandolin, solid body guitar, professional guitar, electric violin, electric bass, guitar amplifier, bass amplifier, echo speaker amplifier, Spanish electric, electric Spanish cutaway guitar, Spanish electric flat top guitar, build your own electric Hawaiian guitar, DeArmond pickups, Martin guitars
Alnico magnetic pickup, individual pole pickup, adjustable pole pickup, hi-fidelity pickup, double-powered magnets, built-in vibrato, built-in tremolo, variable tremolo, Jensen concert speaker, 5881 output tubes, 6L6 output tubes, 12AX7, 12AT7, 5V4 rectifier, push-pull output, eastern rock maple body, removable maple neck, built-in truss rod, rosewood fretboard, metal cast adjustable bridge, threaded leg adapters, telescopic chrome legs, echo speaker cabinet, non-microphonic input tube, patent pending pickup element, wide-range bass and treble controls.
Harold Hensley, Billy Mize, Larry Collins, Joe Maphis, Herman the Hermit
1957 Carvin catalog, Carvin Catalog 1957, Carvin steel guitar, Carvin single neck steel, Carvin double neck steel, Carvin triple neck steel, Carvin four neck steel, Carvin professional steel guitar, Carvin Model 12-C amplifier, Carvin 8-12-A amplifier, Carvin 8888-B amplifier, Carvin 15-B amplifier, Carvin 2-12-8B amplifier, Carvin 1-12-8B amplifier, Carvin solid body guitar, Carvin 1-SGB, Carvin 2-SGB, Carvin 3-SGB, Carvin 4-SGB, Carvin 5-SGB, Carvin electric mandolin, Carvin 1-MB mandolin, Carvin 2-MB mandolin, Carvin electric violin V-11A, Carvin electric bass B-22A, Carvin Spanish electric guitar, Carvin No. 140, Carvin Model 6-B cutaway, Carvin Model 8-B cutaway, Carvin No. 44 electric Spanish, Carvin No. 12 electric tenor, Carvin pickups AP-4, Carvin pickups AP-6, Carvin pickups AP-8, Joe Maphis Carvin, Larry Collins Carvin, Billy Mize Carvin, Harold Hensley Carvin, Herman the Hermit Carvin, Martin D-28, Martin D-18, DeArmond Rhythm Chief, DeArmond F hole pickup.