Kiesel Guitars

For 75 years, Kiesel Guitars have been building high-quality guitars, basses, pickups, and accessories for pro and hobbyist musicians alike. Because we sell directly to the customer, with no middle man, we offer much higher value with products that would sell for 2 to 3 times more if sold through traditional retail outlets. Kiesel was founded in 1946 by Lowell Kiesel as the L. C. Kiesel Company in Los Angeles. Kiesel relocated briefly to his home state of Nebraska, but returned to California in 1949, and changed the name of the company to Carvin, after his two eldest sons, Carson and Gavin. The company began by making pickups and other accessories, then branched out to guitars, basses and other gear. Early Carvin instruments were made by Lowell Kiesel, and Carvin also sold rebadged guitars made by Harmony and Kay. Originally, Carvin advertised in the back of publications such as Popular Mechanics, and sent out one-sheet product information at customers' requests. In 1954, the first Carvin mail-order catalog was produced, establishing the direct-to-customer business model that is still used today. In the 1960s Carvin built most guitars from mainly Hofner components, before returning to manufacturing their own instruments in the 1970s when Mark Kiesel took over the guitar department and developed the Custom Shop.