Carvin b 2000

klangur · #1 03-08-2011, 10:29 AM

Hi everyone, I have been thinking of the Carvin B 2000 head.
and have a questions for those of you who had that head.

1) The price is so great on these amps, how do you think it
stand in quality and sound to other brands such as Epifani, Aguilar, SWR, Genz Benz ...?

2) Would you say it has good slapping tone ?

3) Carvins customer service ?

4) I have Schroeder BMF 410 and BMF 21012 how do
you think the B 2000 fits for them ?

5) Now they have been on the market for some time,
any problems ?

Thank you.

jeff7bass · #2 03-08-2011, 03:14 PM

Great amp regardless of price. Easy to dial in many tones, tons of power and runs down to a 2 ohm load, which is good if you have a pair of 4 ohm cabs.
My experience with their customer service has been very good. They sent me emails when they received my amp (MB10), then had it fixed and out the door in a week (warranty).
The negatives: you pay for shipping (to get it fixed) and a somewhat high flat rate to fix out-of-warranty amps. Considering what you get for 599.00 bucks, it’s well worth it, IMO.
I can only compare it to my old GK700rb and my newish Carvin BX1200. The B2000 beats them both unless you want the added versatility of dual amps (BX1200) and like to “tweak”.
It goes from clear + bright to punchy to warm and smooth rather easily. Warmer than both the aforementioned amps.
You’ll needs cabs with high-power handling.

Jason P Bass · #3 03-08-2011, 10:33 PM

I have had the B2000 for about a year. I pre-ordered it before they were released.

It's an extremely powerful power amp with very basic (but very effective) EQ. It sounds very clear, like playing through studio headphones, but at incredible volumes.

With the stock preamp tube, the gain ranges from totally clear to very lightly saturated. If you want fuzz, crunch, grunge, or distortion, you'll need to add it. Some people have reported good results with a different tube.

The cooling fan makes some noise, but it's a fair trade for 1300W @ 4 Ohms, in my opinion. It's very light. It's a great value for an amazingly powerful, straightforward amp.

1 year of use with no problems whatsoever.

I use mine with an FMR RNC compressor and a Low Down Sound 1212/6/1 cabinet.

Waterpilot · #4 03-08-2011, 10:44 PM

I've always heard Carvin's customer service was great but have never had to use it personally. I've had my B2000 for about 8 months or so and never had any problems. I don't slap, I'm terrible at it, so I can't help with that.

JEDI BASS · #5 03-09-2011, 05:48 AM

I've loved my B800s and B1500 over several boutique or otherwise preferred (by snobs) amps. But, I have NO experience w/ a B2000...... YET. :-) I have had to use customer service, though. They sent me some output jacks and orange cap tone pots, easily $60 in parts that I had not ordered. I had ordered some strings. I figured I'd need to ship them back w/ a credit or something... nope, got to keep the parts AND got the strings later. Very cool!

klangur · #6 03-09-2011, 09:42 AM

Hi again, and thank you for your comments

Doug Parent · #7 03-09-2011, 10:13 AM

As an owner of the B1500, even at the price I paid $650+tax, it's a good value although I highly recommend getting a used B2000 if possible....Carvin gear seems to have poor resale except for the BX500, IMHO.

I think the 19" rack mount heads are going to go the way of the dino's though since the micro-heads are doing so well.

Raymeous · #8 03-09-2011, 10:59 AM

Hey there, BX1500 owner here.

The Carvin sound is very clean and articulate, and not overly vintage. If you want super growly bass, Carvin amps don't to that really well without some help from a stomp box or two. The tube in the preamp does give you a little bit of break up and a some extra mojo, but it is only 1 12AX7 tube, and I'm not sure how much that translates in a live setting with bad acoustics, and hopefully a few screaming fans.

Can you do slap stuff on a Carvin amp? Oh hell yeah! My slap skills are one above mediocre but I love the sound I can get out of this amp, whether using the 18v preamp in my LB76 or the passive Squier P-Special. I run my BX1500 relatively flat with a moderate bass boost with a slight EQ scoop, and the built in compressor set to about 3-4. I don't even use the 9 band graphic or the biamping, but it is nice to have on hand if I ever decide to get goofy with it.

I have tried out some more high end bass stuff like the Bergentinos and Agulars and they are very nice, however I didn't feel like I was missing anything tonally from the rig I have.

This was a much longer post initially but I figured I'd shorten it up a bit.