How come we all don't play Carvin instruments & amps/cabs?

[Direct Box Rox]

Unless we are all wealthy (I am not), how come all of do not play Carvin? It would seem to make sense if you are willing to pay $3000 for a Sadowsky (or fill in "Sadowsky" with any other boutique co.) that we would be willing to pay half of that for something that is arguably equal or better.

I once wasted the better part of an entire weekend "virtual building" their basses. Whenever the final price appeared on the screen my jaw would drop because I couldn't believe how low the price is. Then I go thinking, if thats the case, how come all of us dont have one (or more).

And in other scenario's, it's even more obvious. If you are willing to pay say $1200 for a Korean made Zon, than you would be willing to pay $950 for a US made Carvin with better options, right?

Just a thought.

[jgparm]

[wideload]

You have a great future in politics, since you know what's best for us, even though we cannot even be trusted to properly choose a musical instrument correctly.

Harsh, yes. I'm glad you like Carvin. I do not. But that is of no matter.

[dalkowski]

I turn 50 in June. My 13 year old thinks a great gift for me would be a family ski trip to Aspen. I'm more inclined to lobby for an SB5000, which is far less likely to bankrupt us.

[foq1978]

Originally Posted by jgparm

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[ggvicviper]

Carvin never appealed to me...?

I also do not own a Korean made Zon nor do I own a boutique instrument. It's not just boutique basses and Carvins out there...

[mjac28]

I heard the basses are really nice sounding and nicely made but I really don't think they are up to par with Sadowsky,Fodera,F Bass because if they were more folks would buy them. I think only selling direct has something to do with it also and if you want work done on your Carvin amp it's going back to California for work and in your profile I don't see a Carvin bass?.

[led3]

Originally Posted by dalkowski

I turn 50 in June. My 13 year old thinks a great gift for me would be a family ski trip to Aspen. I'm more inclined to lobby for an SB5000, which is far less likely to bankrupt us.

it sounds like the SB5000 is a more fiscally-responsible choice. unless your 13-year old is paying for the trip, i would opt for the SB5000 as well.

[jlepre]

[two fingers]

Wow, we're the same age. A post like that and I would have figured you for younger. That was not a stab, just an observation.

Let's take your line of thought to it's logical conclusion, shall we?

Why doesn't everyone drive a hybrid?
Why doesn't everyone watch what they eat?
Why doesn't everyone exercise?
Why doesn't everyone wear jeans from Wal-Mart, because CLEARLY they are the same quality for much less money?????

I won't beat you up too badly. You see where I'm going here.

I have owned two Carvin basses and really enjoyed my time with them. I am really into different stuff right now. It's just that simple. People are into different things.

First off, there' s no such thing as a Carvin P bass. That cuts out 40% of the bass market right there.....

Ah never mind. It's a ridiculous question and I went way too far down the road to answering it.

Glad you like them. Cheers.

[mjac28]

Sell your Warwick then get a Carvin your post would have more credibility it doesn't make sense if you don't have one either?

[lpdeluxe]

There's a premise here that we're all alike and should buy on the basis of price (or, more kindly, value) only.

I have owned a bit of Carvin gear, including an entire PA system (minus the mixer), a headphone amp, a couple of power amps, an oak cabinet X guitar amp, and an LB20 bass. In addition, I took part a couple of years ago in an evaluation of a Carvin SH550 guitar, and a friend owns about three of their basses and guitars.

Great value? Absolutely. My solid-mahogany Carvin bass came here for $650, including case, in 2000. It was gorgeous, well turned out, and lightweight. Alas, its 24 fret scale was no help to me, and the ergonomics were totally wrong. I eventually found my way to a Fender Classic '50s P, which cost about the same (but I sprung for a Fender tweed case, which made it about $100 more than the Carvin).

With the PA gear, I had two failures: one monitor woofer started scraping its magnet, and had to be replaced, and a wire came adrift in one of the stereo power amps and was fixed by a local tech who charged me nothing for the repair.

The SH550 was a gem in every way, and I would buy one if I didn't already have a nice 335.

In other words, some of the stuff fits, and some of it doesn't. If it fits you, go for it. If it doesn't, your money is better spent elsewhere.

[bikeplate]

Why doesn't everyone have a Mohawk?

I had one once. Wouldn't stay in tune. Returned it before the 30 day trial was up.

[bassteban]

The same reason some like the color red and some don't

[DWBass]

I think a better question would be 'why don't more folks play Carvins?'

I think there's a stigma attached to them. I do believe they make fine instruments. I know in the past their electronics left much to be desired but I think that has been solved now. I plan to own a SB4000 or SB5000 one of these days.

[BassSurfer]

How come we all don't eat fried chicken as some of us would prefer the chicken baked or simply breaded?

[dalkowski]

Why don't we all like our carrots prepared the same way?

[NKUSigEp]

Because I care about resale value and actually being able to sell it in the event I don't like it.

[thedudebrah]

I have an old carvin tube guitar head that I bought from a friend broken, simply because it sounds absolutely amazing when it's actually working.

On the flip side, I had a freind with a carvin bass when I was younger, and I wasn't a fan of the sound so I always just thought they were kinda cheap. Ymmv.

[johnson79]

They may have a lot of cosmetic options, but you are limited to just a handful of pickups/preamps. Plus, I think they are kind of ugly. Not a fan of the bodies or headstock shapes.