Curious about Carvin basses

[WoodyG3]

Originally Posted by Green Lantern

Carvin j pickups are bright and not as full sounding in the mids like stock Fender American jazz pick ups. If yiu want a warmer sounding bass, look else where. So if you like that modern jazz sound, it is a great option. Plus with being able to customize the bass the way you want it is another plus. Craftsmanship is just as good as anything out there.

I agree that the new pickup/preamp combo on the SB series basses is brighter than most Jazz basses. String selection can change things quite a bit, IME. The passive tone control along with the treble control on the preamp can also really change things up. Still, to get a mellower tone, probably the best option would be the H50 stacked humbuckers.

I'll echo the comments about customization and high build quality. That's a big part of the reason I own 4 Carvins.

[johnclassick]

I have to agree with many here that have said that the build, action, and feel of the bass is superb. It is. The interesting thing about my active 5-string is that I almost never like the sound of it live. For live gigs I almost exclusively use my Lakland or Fenders. The only way I can describe it is to say that there's something "souless" about the sound. It's somehow not funky enough. It's almost too perfect.

However, the bass RECORDS unbelievably well. It's as if the thing that makes me not like it for live stuff is the thing that makes me love it for recording. It sounds even, fat, punchy, and also has a sort of invisible quality. I can get a variety of tones out of it, from rock, to thin sounding jazz, to everything in between. When I go to recording sessions, I bring the Fenders and the Carvin. Producers are almost always surprised when they see me pull out the Carvin, and I often almost have to convince them to give it a shot. When they do, they're generally pretty surprised.

Anyway, my two cents. It wouldn't be my only bass, but it certainly is a fantastic bass to have in a collection, and for the money, I don't think you can beat it.

www.johnclassick.com

[Chatdawg]

I have wanted a BB75 for years, but I put it off because of all the horror stories I've heard about Carvin pickups and electronics. Bunny Brunel has said for years that the signature basses he plays are "stock" models that he ordered just like everyone else. Famed bassist teacher-instructor Roy Vogt has played Carvings for years and uses them exclusively in his instructional videos. I will probably be ordering a BB75 soon. Hope I'm not disappointed.

[Grateful]

Originally Posted by Chatdawg

I have wanted a BB75 for years, but I put it off because of all the horror stories I've heard about Carvin pickups and electronics.

Then you have heard very old stories. The Carvin electronics from the last 5 years or so are top notch, IMHO.

[Jarrett]

Not to mention they have a 10 day trial.

[DiabolusInMusic]

Originally Posted by Grateful

Then you have heard very old stories. The Carvin electronics from the last 5 years or so are top notch, IMHO.

I know exactly what he is referring to. And I can confirm it.

The Carvin electronics are still very bland. They aren't terrible they just lack the character and definition of other brands, say a Dingwall or a Stingray.

My LB76 has radiused humbuckers and though I do enjoy them, they are more bland than my other basses.

I think somebody else said it nicely earlier in the thread, they are almost too perfect.

[Jarrett]

I can only speak for the SB series electronics, they sound fantastic. Better than much more expensive basses I've owned/played.

[pica]

If you want a Carvin, I don't know why you couldn't order it from them directly in San Diego. I'm sure they do international shipping.

[unclejane]

Originally Posted by Chatdawg

I have wanted a BB75 for years, but I put it off because of all the horror stories I've heard about Carvin pickups and electronics. Bunny Brunel has said for years that the signature basses he plays are "stock" models that he ordered just like everyone else. Famed bassist teacher-instructor Roy Vogt has played Carvings for years and uses them exclusively in his instructional videos. I will probably be ordering a BB75 soon. Hope I'm not disappointed.

If you get yours with the stock MM humbucker at the bridge, you'll be quite shocked at how much you sound like Bunny Brunel when you do play it. Especially if you get the fretless model, it'll sound exactly like him. That's how successful it is as a signature instrument.

The 6 string model has the best sound I've ever heard in any bass period. Again mine is the fretless version, but it's got a Bunny tone with a little scoop in the mids and a very characteristic "pop" when you pluck the note. Quite different in sound from my 4 string version.

You won't believe how quiet and smooth the tone is. For more agression you might do better with a fretted....

But the electronics, especially the preamp, it's pretty high end in terms of quietness and sound quality, etc.

LS

[WoodyG3]

I just have to laugh at the persistent comments about Carvin electronics. I can make my Carvins, both old and new, sound the way I want a bass to sound. Not so with a few basses I've owned that have "their own characteristic or signature" tone.

[Bassist4Eris]

Another Carvin fan here. I have three of them. They are not the only good bass out there, but in terms of value, measured as a ratio of cost to quality, they are unbeatable. That is, if you live in the US. Outside the US, they are apparently pricier, but are certainly the equals of anything else you'd find in that price range.

I purchased my first Carvin, an LB76, in 2007, on the used market, for about $650. It immediately became my main bass. I have little idea what year it is. Based on features, it was manufactured no earlier than 1999 (it has the Music Man-style bridge humbucker) and no later than 2005 (preamp is 9v). It has had neck problems. I believe these problems to be at least in part my own fault. I lived in a very hot, dry apartment for awhile, and didn't have good sense enough to run a humidifier or keep the bass in its case. My local shop had it sent out to be "steam treated" and were able to make the neck good again. It has been fine since.

The electronics in it are weird, and I don't know if it's because the factory messed up, or the previous owner tried to rewire something and messed it up. But it seems to have two bass boost/cuts, and no treble. They're not pickup-specific; you can solo each pup and both knobs still affect your tone, and both are definitely bass controls. Weird. Because of this, I generally don't use the tone controls on this axe, just set everything flat. Like many of my basses, I prefer the blend knob to favor the neck pickup slightly.

But for all that, the bass still sounds good. However, it cannot compare to my LB76W, which I ordered new in 2010. This is where I can attest to the improvement in electronics, especially since I ordered it with the same pup configuration. (I made the neck J a stacking humbucker. I don't know what the neck J is on the first bass). It's 18v instead of 9v. And it sounds incredible in active or passive modes. And you can dial in pert near any tone you want. The tone of the first one was good, but this one is noticeably punchier, with a bit of an aggressive growl (not like a Warwick, though; more subtle, like some J's are).

I liked it so much, I decided to try my hand at a kit, and "built" a bolt neck 4-string later that year, also with a walnut body. That's got a pair of stacked J's in it. I actually like it better in passive mode. It does the J bass thing nicely, and slaps like a dream. It can also do more modern tones too, and I think of her as the "little sister" to the LB76W.

[carvinbassplyr]

I was turned onto Carvin basses by the 2 main players I looked up to growing up in church. I purchased mine used my junior year of high school (2002) and never regretted it! It is my main bass to this day even though I have since acquired an older Tobias Classic V. Now mind you the first thing I did was ditch the stock pickups/electronics. The build quality and feel of these basses, especially w/the asymmetrical neck, is AWESOME, but the electronics (@ least the ones mine came with) tend to be a bit "sterile" sounding. Mine started as a J/MM pickup setup. I then installed a Bartolini HR5.4 preamp which added quite a bit of mids/warmth to the tone (Barts signature quality). Next I put Bartolini pickups in which added even more mids to the tone (ended up being to much). I stuck with that combo for quite a few years because it was pretty flexible since the MM pickup was coil tapped so I could get J bass and MusicMan tones. After a while I started to realize that the all Bartolini setup was a bit to dark/woolly for me and kinda missed the tones I got when it was the still Carvin pickups with the Bartolini preamp. So ditched the bart pickups and completely changed the pickup setup to 2 MM pickups. I went with the bassline SMB5D and LOVE them! Now my Carvin bass can really do everything. All 4 coils for a ken smith sound, tapped coils for J-bass, bridge humbucker for musicman, neck tapped or untapped for different p-bass tones. All without changing neck profile, input gain and all the other things that come along with switching instruments. This bass has gone on American, Canadian, South American and European tours and has held up like a champ. A REAL workhorse!

[frozenbolt]

A few months ago, I was in SD and went to the Carvin store. They were kind enough to let me play around for over 2 hours with all the basses they had in stock.

I must say, after all that time, I fell in love with the SB series basses. They have tonal ranges and options that I couldn't even fathom as a beginning bass player. Options ranging from blended pickups, stacked tone pots in active mode, a piezo pickup integrated into the bass and active/passive operation, I was a bit overwhelmed at all the options available. If you want something, they can make it for you, if you tell them what it is. Not many other basses can do that for you. Add in the fact that the neck really seemed to fit well in my hand made the SB series the bass of choice, if I continue to improve and need an instrument to actually play out with.

The B series were good sounding passives and feel like a good next step from the beginning bass I have now (might even consider a B50 Kit). They have a thinner neck than the SB's and are similar to the neck I currently have. They didn't have nearly as many in stock to try, mostly because the SB is quickly becoming their flagship bass, but I did like the tones coming out of them. For a few dollars more than a MIM Fender, one can get an American made bass that will easily perform just as well. Even the GIS section has a pretty good selection of B series, as well as SB's, ready to ship.

I've been a Carvin fan for quite a long time, solidified when I needed a guitar to replace a pos Jay Turser and Carvin delivered a Bolt that I use to gig with to this day. I hope to add a Carvin to the bass line of instruments I own, some day, too.

'Bolt

[grendle]

Originally Posted by johnclassick

I have to agree with many here that have said that the build, action, and feel of the bass is superb. It is. The interesting thing about my active 5-string is that I almost never like the sound of it live. For live gigs I almost exclusively use my Lakland or Fenders. The only way I can describe it is to say that there's something "souless" about the sound. It's somehow not funky enough. It's almost too perfect.

However, the bass RECORDS unbelievably well. It's as if the thing that makes me not like it for live stuff is the thing that makes me love it for recording. It sounds even, fat, punchy, and also has a sort of invisible quality. I can get a variety of tones out of it, from rock, to thin sounding jazz, to everything in between. When I go to recording sessions, I bring the Fenders and the Carvin. Producers are almost always surprised when they see me pull out the Carvin, and I often almost have to convince them to give it a shot. When they do, they're generally pretty surprised.

Anyway, my two cents. It wouldn't be my only bass, but it certainly is a fantastic bass to have in a collection, and for the money, I don't think you can beat it.

www.johnclassick.com

This exactly for me. Amazing basses, every one I've ever played. I honestly think their made too precisely. Makes for a wicked guitar, but kinda soul less (although amazing playing) bass. Wierd.

[GreaserMatt]

They sound & play great, I just can't get over the way they look; I know, I'm a superficial creep, LOL...

[unclejane]

Originally Posted by johnclassick

I have to agree with many here that have said that the build, action, and feel of the bass is superb. It is. The interesting thing about my active 5-string is that I almost never like the sound of it live. For live gigs I almost exclusively use my Lakland or Fenders. The only way I can describe it is to say that there's something "souless" about the sound. It's somehow not funky enough. It's almost too perfect.

However, the bass RECORDS unbelievably well. It's as if the thing that makes me not like it for live stuff is the thing that makes me love it for recording. It sounds even, fat, punchy, and also has a sort of invisible quality. I can get a variety of tones out of it, from rock, to thin sounding jazz, to everything in between. When I go to recording sessions, I bring the Fenders and the Carvin. Producers are almost always surprised when they see me pull out the Carvin, and I often almost have to convince them to give it a shot. When they do, they're generally pretty surprised.

Anyway, my two cents. It wouldn't be my only bass, but it certainly is a fantastic bass to have in a collection, and for the money, I don't think you can beat it.

www.johnclassick.com

Interesting, because one of the things I like most about my Bunnies is how they sound through my amps. I don't gig anymore but have used the Bunny 4 to play with friends here and there (mostly wind instruments like a sax and trumpet). What I like the most is how I can remain audible at low volumes. The 6 string is even better.

Or at least compared to the basses I did gig with - mainly 4001/3's and Fender Jazz basses, talk about sounding horrible through an amp - they're absolutely worlds apart.

The Bunny, though, may be voiced differently than the other series like the LB's and certainly the SB series. My 4 string sounds exactly like Bunny Brunel, almost to the point that it's hard to make it not sound like that lol.

Like I said, I quit gigging a long time ago and haven't really had a lot of opportunity to use either of my Bunnies in a live situation, but through my Roland and my GK "gig rig", their sound is the most serviceable of all the basses I've used before.

LS