I have a Carvin Bolt and Contour 66 (got them a couple years before they became Kiesel) that I really enjoy, but their headless guitars are a different story. I was once like you, and I understand where you are coming from. I'm sure dozens, if not hundreds, of you have nothing but glowing things to say about them. Mark Kiesel called me personally to resolve the problem. The first problem I ever had was with a 1990's double neck. Their customer service is a disgrace compared to what it once was. I've loved and used Carvin guitars for many decades. The quality of the metal is poor, but at least the design securely holds the strings without breaking them. I replaced it with a $4 Chinese part from Aliexpress that has a much better design. Kiesel has yet offered no reply, let alone useful help. This design is an abomination and should never be used on any guitar, let alone a $2000 guitar. They just slip through the Allen screws no matter how hard you tighten them. Now, the nut won't hold the unwound strings. You must be very very careful to screw it down hard enough, but not too hard. The line between the Allen screw holding or cutting is a very fine one. They use the ancient design, first adopted then abandoned by Kahler, where an Allen screw insert rotates directly onto the string, acting as an effective string cutter. Now, the lock nut on the headless Vader is proving to be garbage.
Since it took 12 weeks to build, and I needed the guitar to pay the bills, I kept it. What I received was exactly what I explicitly told them I did NOT want. I sent in pictures of the type and direction of flame I wanted. I also recently ordered a Vader with a $400 top to be hand-selected and fit by Jeff Kiesel. The pickups are in a drawer, where they will remain indefinitely. My inquiries to Kiesel about the proper wiring, or the possibility of assembly error, of these H22's went unanswered. They behaved, sounded, and tested wrong no matter how they were wired (and I am very experienced at this). The coil wiring and/or internal construction did not match the Carvin standard (I have successfully installed other H22, M22, C22, and Lithium pickups). One example I recently ordered a pair of H22 Holdsworth 22-pole humbuckers. But the company's quality and especially customer service, despite appearances, has gone to crap. I've been playing them as my main guitar since 1992. Two DC127's, a DN612 Double Neck, and a Vader. Please allow me to blow off some steam here.
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