Carvin vs. Mesa Cabs

tubaman2 · #1 02-23-2011, 02:35 PM

What do each of these cabs sound like? What kind of tone do they get? Which gives a better bang for the buck? The Carvins are significantly cheaper, but do they sacrifice quality? I was looking at a 2x10 cab from each company by the way. Thanks

Calaverasgrande · #2 02-23-2011, 02:46 PM

thats not a very good comparison. Mesa is known for building heavy duty yet boutique gear. Carvin is kind of the "good for the price" company. Their basses are really good for the price but there is better. Their amps. Meh. I havnet even tried a carvin cab in years because the last time I tried a friends carvin stack with my head I was blown away about how a huge stack was so much LESS sensitive than my 2x15. And it weighed a ton!
Last I checked they were in quite different price ranges as well. If the Carvin are that cheap, I wonder how they break even? I would look into Avatar speaker cabs if I was on a budget. Lots of folks seem to dig theirs.

RCCollins · #3 02-23-2011, 02:48 PM

Carvin cabs are lighter! Any other criteria, Mesa wins. Easily.

millsbass5 · #4 02-23-2011, 03:05 PM

I haven't played either of the cabs that you're referring to. But,I will vouch for the quality of Carvin's stuff. Right on-par (or,above),with all else out there,for sure.
People have a severe misconception about Carvin products,all because they are cheaper than the competition. They sell factory-direct!! It's such a shame Carvin doesn't get the accolades they deserve.

That just goes to show you. People are used to getting less than what they pay for,with the majority of companies out there. And it's sad that it takes spending more $$$ for some people to be satisfied with their purchase. Simply because they pay more $$$$!! Go figure....

RCCollins · #5 02-23-2011, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by millsbass5

I haven't played either of the cabs that you're referring to.

That much is abundantly clear.

onegunguitar · #6 02-23-2011, 03:15 PM

You get what ya pay for...Mesa,IMO,is way better gear. Plus,a Mesa will hold it's value. I owned a BX1200 Carvin head and my Mesa M6 blows it away,hands down. Along time ago(when I was playing guitar) I swore I'd never spend more than $700 on an amp head,well,I eventually spent $2000 on an ENGL and it made a believer out of me..Then I switched over to bass,got the Carvin BX1200,wasn't a bad amp but the tone and quality of my M6 is top notch. I have the combo version M6 and the 2x12 is superb sounding. Spend the extra,you won't be sorry....

christw · #7 02-23-2011, 03:26 PM

This thread is all about the difference between saying "That's pretty good." and "Wow!"

SlingBass4 · #8 02-23-2011, 03:38 PM

I concur with the others, above - one usually gets what they pay for

jaywa · #9 02-23-2011, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCCollins

Carvin cabs are lighter! Any other criteria, Mesa wins. Easily.

I have to concur with this.

georgestrings · #10 02-23-2011, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by millsbass5

I haven't played either of the cabs that you're referring to. But,I will vouch for the quality of Carvin's stuff. Right on-par (or,above),with all else out there,for sure.
People have a severe misconception about Carvin products,all because they are cheaper than the competition. They sell factory-direct!! It's such a shame Carvin doesn't get the accolades they deserve.

That just goes to show you. People are used to getting less than what they pay for,with the majority of companies out there. And it's sad that it takes spending more $$$ for some people to be satisfied with their purchase. Simply because they pay more $$$$!! Go figure....

No misconception whatsoever - Carvin cabs cannot compare to cabs by Mesa, Eden, Bergantino, SWR, Aguilar, Genz-Benz, and many other manufacturers - saying that they do is either being uninformed, or dishonest...

- georgestrings

jeff7bass · #11 02-23-2011, 04:31 PM

Don't listen to the Carvin haters, many of them have been preaching the same thing for decades even though Carvin's quality and Customer Service has improved dramatically in the past few years.

The way to buy cabs is to set a limit for how much you're going to spend and then compare the best cabs in that price range. This is where Carvin beats most competitors. Many manufacturers (Carvin included) have a cheaper line and a more expensive line, so the comparisons should be "this cab vs that cab", not "this manufacturer vs that manufacturer".

Calaverasgrande · #12 02-23-2011, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by millsbass5

I haven't played either of the cabs that you're referring to. But,I will vouch for the quality of Carvin's stuff. Right on-par (or,above),with all else out there,for sure.
People have a severe misconception about Carvin products,all because they are cheaper than the competition. They sell factory-direct!! It's such a shame Carvin doesn't get the accolades they deserve.

That just goes to show you. People are used to getting less than what they pay for,with the majority of companies out there. And it's sad that it takes spending more $$$ for some people to be satisfied with their purchase. Simply because they pay more $$$$!! Go figure....

I have no misconception. I have tried to like Carvin stuff. I did until recently get that carvin catalog in the mail, and it all looks really fun. Every once in a while I will sit in on someones Carvin gear. You know, with a drummer and guitarist and all? and it just sounds kind of flat and boring to me. One thing I know about Mesa is that the guys that design, test and build that stuff either are now or have formerly been in bands. They know a bass amp has to not only sound good on its own, but sound good in a band, and be able to "cut" in situations that call for it.
Carvin gear seems to be able to sound great in the bedroom/garage, but kind of falls flat on stage. Their amps have interesting features and their cabs are cheap. I just have never heard a Carvin I would pay money for. First time I heard a Mesa bass amp the first thought that came to mind was "WOW! WHAT IS THAT!"

DGilpatrick · #13 02-23-2011, 05:19 PM

I had used Carvin gear for the past 35 years, and still do for their bass guitars (I know my picture shows a Jazz bass, but that's my spare). But, when I came upon a cheap used Mesa cab paired with an M-Pulse 600, I realized that I had found the sound I've been searching for most of my life. I will never buy anything other than Mesa again, in fact I just purchased a second cab and am looking for a third.

RickenBoogie · #14 02-23-2011, 05:39 PM

I'm a big Mesa fan, but I've also played with several peices of Carvin gear, and as stated, the two are in different leagues altogether. Carvin is not bad, and certainly affordable, but to compare Carvin's top of the line 210 vs. Mesa's Powerhouse series is a bit of a laugh- if you're serious about your bass gear.

jeff7bass · #15 02-23-2011, 06:02 PM

I have compared Carvin's BRX10.2 to Mesa's Powerhouse 210, have any of you?

Quite honestly I didn't hear TWICE the quality of sound coming from the Mesa, not even close.

The Mesa is a very solid cab, for $730.00. The Carvin is extraordinary for $369.00. The fact that you can stack a pair of the Carvin's for the price of the Mesa pretty much seals the deal for many people.

klejst · #16 02-23-2011, 06:23 PM

My two cents is Mesa would be the sure choice. Like others have said the only Carvin would possibly have over Mesa is lighter weight and possibly a smaller size. I have a Mesa PowerHouse 6x10 cabinet and I love it!

Marko5657 · #17 02-23-2011, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeff7bass

I have compared Carvin's BRX10.2 to Mesa's Powerhouse 210, have any of you?

Quite honestly I didn't hear TWICE the quality of sound coming from the Mesa, not even close.

The Mesa is a very solid cab, for $730.00. The Carvin is extraordinary for $369.00. The fact that you can stack a pair of the Carvin's for the price of the Mesa pretty much seals the deal for many people.

I don’t expect “twice” the quality for twice the price… 20%, maybe 50% at-best, but that’s good enough for me.

If I lived in California, I’d consider Carvin products, but living in Ohio, I’d need reviews that convinced me that their products were an exceptional value, exceptionally dependable, or their customer service was exceptional, but from everything I’ve read, they’ve fallen far short on all counts.

georgestrings · #18 02-23-2011, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeff7bass

Don't listen to the Carvin haters, many of them have been preaching the same thing for decades even though Carvin's quality and Customer Service has improved dramatically in the past few years.

The way to buy cabs is to set a limit for how much you're going to spend and then compare the best cabs in that price range. This is where Carvin beats most competitors. Many manufacturers (Carvin included) have a cheaper line and a more expensive line, so the comparisons should be "this cab vs that cab", not "this manufacturer vs that manufacturer".

It's not a matter of "hating" Carvin - anyone who has compared them in person to Mesa knows that Carvin isn't in the same league...

- georgestrings

georgestrings · #19 02-23-2011, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeff7bass

I have compared Carvin's BRX10.2 to Mesa's Powerhouse 210, have any of you?

Quite honestly I didn't hear TWICE the quality of sound coming from the Mesa, not even close.

The Mesa is a very solid cab, for $730.00. The Carvin is extraordinary for $369.00. The fact that you can stack a pair of the Carvin's for the price of the Mesa pretty much seals the deal for many people.

Some of us value quality over quantity - I would rather have one outstanding cab than 2 average cabs, personally...

Also, even though Mesa is alot more expensive than Carvin, they probably still outsell Carvin - most likely because of their higher quality...

YMMV,

- georgestrings

Calaverasgrande · #20 02-23-2011, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marko5657

I don’t expect “twice” the quality for twice the price… 20%, maybe 50% at-best, but that’s good enough for me.

If I lived in California, I’d consider Carvin products, but living in Ohio, I’d need reviews that convinced me that their products were an exceptional value, exceptionally dependable, or their customer service was exceptional, but from everything I’ve read, they’ve fallen far short on all counts.

actually our sales tax here in CA is 9.75%! Which is a very good reason not to buy from Carvin for me. That sales tax adds up fast when you are spending a few hundred or more.
I bought my last Macbook pro from B&H in NYC because they werent charging me sales tax AND they gave me parallels free!