Just looked at the Carvin website and took a look at the new catalogue. Carvin seems to be uping there game some more. Along with the B1000, there will also be a red faced BX700 and a BX1600, intresting. Looks nice though.
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Carvin Amps
- Thread starter Bass-4-God
- Start date
Outside of the B1000 the rest of those new amps are revamps of existing products. I would be a hell of a lot more impressed with the B1000 if it was 1000 watts @ 4 Ohms, instead of 900 watts @ 2 Ohms.
600w @ 4 and 900 @ 2 is nothing to sneeze at and knowing them, the price will be right to beat most in it's price range.
This is the first I've heard of the BX700. If it's like the BX500 it will be 700w @ 4 ohms or 2 ohms plus the extra EQ section.
A BX1500 with more power will kick the crap outa everything in it's price range IMO. Carvin doesn't rest on their laurels. New amps, new basses, great deals, all in a horsecrap economy.
This is the first I've heard of the BX700. If it's like the BX500 it will be 700w @ 4 ohms or 2 ohms plus the extra EQ section.
A BX1500 with more power will kick the crap outa everything in it's price range IMO. Carvin doesn't rest on their laurels. New amps, new basses, great deals, all in a horsecrap economy.
They listen. Go check out the new Carvin P-Bass topic in the bass forum. There's a redish-flame one near the end with a maple neck that is freaking gorgeous.
- Jan 17, 2002
- 1,249
- 23
- Disclosures
- I paid for all my gear myself. Well, me and MasterCard.
If the BX700 doesn't suffer from the same ribbon cable problems that my BX500 does, it's a sure-fire hit. The pre/post DI switch is a big improvement.
The B1000 looks like a hit too, with enough power for most needs and simple tone controls.
The B1000 looks like a hit too, with enough power for most needs and simple tone controls.
The BX700 head looks a bit smaller than the BX500. It also looks more sleek, with either a wooden or composite "case/sleeve" surrounding it. My 500 head looks like it was made in a high school metal shop, by comparison. The one thing that concerns me is that there is a quote "admittedly second hand" of one of the Carvin guys saying they went back to the RedLine voicing on these. That, IMHO, would be a pity.
Don't like that they now have only one speakon output.
Don't like the red panel color
Do like the DI Pre/Post button.
It really does not look THAT different from the BX500, just a few tweaks.....
I have had very good luck with my two BX500s.
Don't like the red panel color
Do like the DI Pre/Post button.
It really does not look THAT different from the BX500, just a few tweaks.....
I have had very good luck with my two BX500s.
As a die hard Carvin fan,I applaud Carvin for upping their game. I have owned just about every bass amp they have made and still have 11 heads. So far my BX500's have been super dependable,as is my BX600,and a slew of Redline heads I have kept. Lately I have been using My Carvin BR515N which has the BX500 head in it. I have also used it with the BX600 head inside and it sounded great for a smaller venue.
That would suck to me. I never liked my redline as much as I did the old PB500 I had before it. That PB was a great amp. I loved it and it gave me thousands of hours of play time. It didn't have a hyped up, baked-in eq voice, but was a much stronger, "ballsier" sounding and feeling amp than the redline that followed it.
Well...I don't have 11 of them, but I do have a soft spot for Carvin here. Their package deal with the PB500 amp, 115, and 210 cabs was my first real proper big gigging bass rig. Sounded great and always delivered. Only thing I would've done if I got to sit down with those products beforehand would've been to just get 2 of the V115 cabs instead of throwing in the 210. Those were some great sounding 15's for bass guitar. I didn't bother exchanging it as it still sounded good and it was expensive enough already getting the rig shipped to Germany at the time, but 2 of those 15's would've been even nicer.
That band had a bumch of Carvin gear, the guitar player is who turned me on to Carvin, and I still use their XC3000 crossover in my PA. It does what it's supposed to do, is near dead silent, always works, and the push-button 40hz highpass is a nice feature. Also has lots of range in the knobs so you can use it to set other high or low passes or make bandpass filters, etc.
One of my main gigging basses is a 4-string kit bass of theirs too. Very well-made instrument, especially the neck work, feels expensive when you hold it even though it wasn't, and does pretty much everything my P doesn't.
I'm wondering whats up with the BX250. Carvin has that on sale for $249 which I've never seen before so I'm wondering if thats being phased out. I have both a BX500 and the older BX1200 which I really like. Was looking for a true micro sized throw-in-a-gigbag amp last year and picked up a used GK MB200. I like it but I'm not in love with it. I'm so used to the tone shaping options on my Carvins and my Eden WT300 that the restrictiveness of the GK can be frustrating. I thought about the BX250 before the GK but it didnt seem to make sense compared to the BX500 so I picked up the BX500 NT off their ebay store. The 250 just doesnt have a compelling form factor as a stand alone head. It works well in their micro combos though. If they could come up with something that has half the height as the BX250 I think they could have something much more competitive.
I've been wanting a similar thing and felt the same way about the GK. I am hoping that the B1000 will work in that regard. If it'll fit in my gig bag pocket, then I'm all over it...
The BX500 head fits in the pocket in most of my gig bags, and weighs so little that it really isn't noticed. I can show up to a gig with it in the bag with a bass or two, and a single 2x10 cab, and have plenty of GO. One trip, easy
It's a great little head and was described in Bass Gear as the strong point in the MB combos. My MB10 sits on an Avatar SB112 at our rehearsal space and also serves as my small gig/party amp. Plenty of clarity, volume and punch, but learning the EQ section (what to boost/cut) is the key to great tone.
It would make a great head for a single, quality 12" or 210 cab, especially a 4 ohm cab.
I have the 250,500 and 500 heads and I love them. If they continue to work as they have been I will probably not need another amp. I've used the 250 with the 112AG and BRX10.2 Neo cabs and it performs quite well. To carry the 250 I just got a BX500 bag which leaves room for cables and other stuff as needed.
- Jan 17, 2002
- 1,249
- 23
- Disclosures
- I paid for all my gear myself. Well, me and MasterCard.
It's up on Carvin's site now: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] My observations:
I doubt they changed the voicing. That's what the Contour knob is for - if you want that 500 Hz notch, just turn it to the right. All the EQ controls are identical to the BX500's.
Changing out one Speakon output jack for a 1/4" is a concession to the many bassists who are still using older cabs and cables. My rig has been all-Speakon for over a decade. I don't like this change on technical grounds, but I understand why they did it. It won't affect me, all my cabs have 2 Speakons for daisy chaining.
The addition of a locking power cord jack is a big improvement. Ordinary cords will fit if you lose the original. No downside to this change at all.
The pre/post DI switch is a great addition. Post DI comes before the graphic EQ and master volume, which IMHO is where it belongs. This way you can use the graphic and master to adjust for cab characteristics and stage setup, leaving the DI feed unaffected.
The increase in 2Ω power is nice, but doesn't help with my cab combinations.
The price is the same as the introductory price on the BX500.
Despite its ribbon cable Achilles heel, I'm a fan of the original BX500 and use mine all the time. The BX700 is a modest but distinct improvement. At that price, it should be a hit.
I doubt they changed the voicing. That's what the Contour knob is for - if you want that 500 Hz notch, just turn it to the right. All the EQ controls are identical to the BX500's.
Changing out one Speakon output jack for a 1/4" is a concession to the many bassists who are still using older cabs and cables. My rig has been all-Speakon for over a decade. I don't like this change on technical grounds, but I understand why they did it. It won't affect me, all my cabs have 2 Speakons for daisy chaining.
The addition of a locking power cord jack is a big improvement. Ordinary cords will fit if you lose the original. No downside to this change at all.
The pre/post DI switch is a great addition. Post DI comes before the graphic EQ and master volume, which IMHO is where it belongs. This way you can use the graphic and master to adjust for cab characteristics and stage setup, leaving the DI feed unaffected.
The increase in 2Ω power is nice, but doesn't help with my cab combinations.
The price is the same as the introductory price on the BX500.
Despite its ribbon cable Achilles heel, I'm a fan of the original BX500 and use mine all the time. The BX700 is a modest but distinct improvement. At that price, it should be a hit.
Do we know yet whether or not the three new Carvin bass heads all use the same ribbon cable design ?
Hey everyone. For those who are interested, I contacted Carvin via twitter about the BX700 voicing. See converstation below. So its good news if you are a BX500 fan. I plan on getting the BX700 in the near future, so I will make sure i post a review and photos.
Official Carvin ‏@OfficialCarvin Jan 9
Are you guys ready for the newest Carvin bass head release?
Meet the new BX700 w/ LED edge lit front panel! Link Removed
Robert Hammond ‏@r0ber7hamm0nd 20h
@OfficialCarvin Does the BX700 have the same voicing as the BX500? Is this just a more powerful model, with some extra functions? Very nice!
Official Carvin ‏@OfficialCarvin 18h
@r0ber7hamm0nd The voicings are identical to the BX500 Just more powerful and a new look and added LED's!
I've got four amps from Carvin. They all have had the ribbon cable problem at one time or another. I would expect that these would too. It's not a major problem. Annual preventive maintenance keeps it in check.
