Good question, I just didnt like the feel of it. I dont know if that makes sense..Also, I feel like the tone was predominantly mid rangey...
Im not a Carvin hater though... They are quality instruments!
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A visit to the Carvin store
- Thread starter SanDiegoHarry
- Start date
Good question, I just didnt like the feel of it. I dont know if that makes sense..Also, I feel like the tone was predominantly mid rangey...
Im not a Carvin hater though... They are quality instruments!
They sure don't get the love here that they ought to. I've been trying to sell/trade mine for a while (the ONLY reason is that I've learned I need/prefer a wider neck). It has so many tones that it'd be hard to dislike it for that reason overall. Great sustain, quality build and, for me at least, cuts through mixes better than my Fender or Lakie. Anxious to try SB5000 if the neck has wide options. I understand they do many custom options. Anyone know string spacing/neck width?
Percentage-wise though, I think there are a LOT less Icons out there.
I don't know the answer either, but I've just noticed a lot of Icons for sale because I've been curious about them.
Where are all these Icons that are for sale? I looked thru the first 7 pages of the classifieds and didn't see one.
Didn't find any on E-bay either.
So, Harry, it just sounds like you don't like the soapbar pickups on the Icon. I can dig that, since I'm not a huge hi-fi sound kinda' guy myself. The Icon is now available with stacked humbuckers or the new J99A single coil. As far as the neck, if you want a different neck radius, that is an available option.
Did you try the B40 or B50? I love my neck through LB70s, but the new bolt on design looks great to me.
Did you try the B40 or B50? I love my neck through LB70s, but the new bolt on design looks great to me.
Nice job Harry! I'm from San Diego, used to work at Carvin, and I always thought the basses played really well but the electronic were not my thing. Carvin amps sound funky to me too. It they wanted to sell a ton of basses they would have a few rigs on hand that working players are using SWR, Eden, GK, Ampeg, Aggie ect...and offer their basses with Duncans, Nordstrands, Barts ect..
I picked up an Icon 5 awhile back and it had tremendous fretwork and played very, very well to me but I couldn't find any usable tones for rock, blues or funk.
I agree with you on the SB5000, I loved it, super easy to play, priced right and sounded good in the store.
I picked up an Icon 5 awhile back and it had tremendous fretwork and played very, very well to me but I couldn't find any usable tones for rock, blues or funk.
I agree with you on the SB5000, I loved it, super easy to play, priced right and sounded good in the store.
Well, ugly is subjective, but check out Darryl Williams' bass, on the right.
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It doesn't look so much like a J clone, and it sure ain 't ugly.
Is that blue or green or both or what?
Well, ugly is subjective, but check out Darryl Williams' bass, on the right.
Invalid Link Removed
It doesn't look so much like a J clone, and it sure ain 't ugly.
Is that blue or green or both or what?
The finish is quite beautiful but the shape of the bass is downright ugly, IMO.
To each his own for sure, but I think the SBs are really sweet looking basses. Clearly a nice departure from yet another snoring jazz bass clone, Carvin appears to have an original looking classic here.
Darryl's bass is "Dragonburst".
Thats what my ICON 4P is. (look at my avatar). As far as the ICON sounding weak,, I dont have any problem at all getting plenty of depth and punch out of mine. There are small trim pots inside the control plate that let you balance the pickup sensitivity., and balance it with the piezo bridg pups. Maybe people just dont give them enough of a chance.
Thats what my ICON 4P is. (look at my avatar). As far as the ICON sounding weak,, I dont have any problem at all getting plenty of depth and punch out of mine. There are small trim pots inside the control plate that let you balance the pickup sensitivity., and balance it with the piezo bridg pups. Maybe people just dont give them enough of a chance.
I agree. It took me a couple of days to get used to the horns going in the other direction, but I like it, partially because it's not the same old JBass shape (not that there's anything wrong with a J Bass).
And that 'Dragonburst' is a knockout.
Thanks for the review! I will make it to a Carvin store someday. You're lucky to live nearby.
Sounds great! Maybe you need the fretless version.
That's unfortunate. When I received mine I knew it was for me. I like the sound of the soapbars, which may be why you didn't like it. I have since acquired a Ken Smith, a Sadowsky, and a really nice Warwick Infinity, so the Carvin doesn't get as much playing time as it used to. It's still a great bass to gig with though: sounds good, not too heavy, and easier/cheaper to replace should something happen to it.
When I received mine it had a fair amount of buzz, or rather hum. So back it went. I got it back (or a replacement, I'm not sure which) a few weeks later and it was much quieter. It's a great little amp and I only paid $400.
So are you getting a fretless SB5000?
I have an IC5 Walnut top and I going to share my experience with the Carvin IC5 that may help others that are not too happy with their IC5 when they first receive them. At first when I picked my IC5 bass at the Poway store it looked great but I didn't have the chance to play it (special order) because I picked it up during my lunch break from work and I had to get back.
When I got home I plugged it in and really didn't care for the sound. When I first tried one of the IC5 there at Carvin I played it through the B1500 (really nice sounding head) and BXR Neo4X10 cab and to my ears that was the best sound I had got out of a bass up to then, my Fender played well on that same Carvin gear but the IC5 just blew it away and that's why I ordered my IC5W.
Here is the gear I have.
Hartke HA-3500 head
Hartke 4x10 XL series
Kartke 1x15 XL series
Fender Jazz with EMG pickups and active electronics DR Marcus Miller signature strings
ART NightBass SGX Studio Edition processor.
With my Fender on this rig it sounds very nice but when I plug my IC5 the sound was too midrangy at first, I expected this because i had an Tobias Killer B (Bartolini's pickup and electronics) and had the same issues and this is from the Soap Bar Pickup sound. My Brother who is a Guitar player didn't like the sound from the IC5 either but loves the sound of my Fender.
I played with the Carvin IC5 tones (this bass has alot of different tones) and was ale to get close to the sound I wanted (took alot of messing with) out of that bass but not quite. I changed to the same strings I had on my Fender DR MM Sigs. This helped but still wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Then I picked up some DiAdarrios XL stainless steel strings, this was the ticket, I had all the upper end, mids, and bottom end I was looking for. For dialing in the tones on the Carvin ICON's I suggest that you turn all bass head amp controls to flat and then try to get the sound from the tone controls on the bass first, then do fine adjustements on the head after, you'll find this to much easier to dial in the sound you want. It will take some time due to the mid sweep control on the bass.
It took along time for me to find the right combo bass/strings/amp and cabs to get the sound I wanted. The fender still sounds good but when you A&B the Fender and Carvin IC5 there is no comparison, the Carvin kills the Fender for overall sound, sustain, playability, and comfort.
One thing I have learnd since being a electronics technician for a long time and have done hundereds of mods and upgrades to high end audio and some bass gear is that the impedence of the electronics from different gear whether it be audio or bass heads/pickup/electronics plays a part in how the gear sounds with each other. Example I had a Counterpoint preamp (home audio) that sounded wonderful in my home system, took it to any guys house with same speakers but different amp and CD player, it sounded horrible. Took it back home sounded great. Brought that other guys amp over to my house and hooked it up to my system with that same preamp and it sounded terrible. Looked into the specs of both system found out that the input and output impedences of the gear were differnent. So this plays a part into why some gear sounds good on one system and not on anothers.
I guess what I'm trying to say is before we can say one gear is better sounding we have to try it on the exact same gear/rigs/strings/cable that the other brand Bass we liked the sound of was played on (Playability/Comfort is a different story) to do a far comparison. Like the original poster said he went to Bass Sound Diego and which I'm going to go to next weekend, and I will take my IC5 there and try it on their bass rigs (Epifini and EA) and try the basses there and compare.
But i all fairness my Fender sounds its best on my Hartke gear compare to other rigs I have used. Is my Hartke the best rig? no, I'm sure there are other brands amp/cabs that are better sounding but for my Fender with EMG pickups and active electronics the Hartke 3500 and Hartke cabs work best. Just like The Carvin B1500 and Neo 4.10 cabs taht have work the best for my IC5.
Don't forget that the Carvin strings that come on the ICON series basses are not that great sounding, I took my strings off as soon as I heard them when I first got my bass home, they sounded really dead and I personally thing this is why carvin gets a really bad rap for the sound on their basses.
Hope this helps!
When I got home I plugged it in and really didn't care for the sound. When I first tried one of the IC5 there at Carvin I played it through the B1500 (really nice sounding head) and BXR Neo4X10 cab and to my ears that was the best sound I had got out of a bass up to then, my Fender played well on that same Carvin gear but the IC5 just blew it away and that's why I ordered my IC5W.
Here is the gear I have.
Hartke HA-3500 head
Hartke 4x10 XL series
Kartke 1x15 XL series
Fender Jazz with EMG pickups and active electronics DR Marcus Miller signature strings
ART NightBass SGX Studio Edition processor.
With my Fender on this rig it sounds very nice but when I plug my IC5 the sound was too midrangy at first, I expected this because i had an Tobias Killer B (Bartolini's pickup and electronics) and had the same issues and this is from the Soap Bar Pickup sound. My Brother who is a Guitar player didn't like the sound from the IC5 either but loves the sound of my Fender.
I played with the Carvin IC5 tones (this bass has alot of different tones) and was ale to get close to the sound I wanted (took alot of messing with) out of that bass but not quite. I changed to the same strings I had on my Fender DR MM Sigs. This helped but still wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Then I picked up some DiAdarrios XL stainless steel strings, this was the ticket, I had all the upper end, mids, and bottom end I was looking for. For dialing in the tones on the Carvin ICON's I suggest that you turn all bass head amp controls to flat and then try to get the sound from the tone controls on the bass first, then do fine adjustements on the head after, you'll find this to much easier to dial in the sound you want. It will take some time due to the mid sweep control on the bass.
It took along time for me to find the right combo bass/strings/amp and cabs to get the sound I wanted. The fender still sounds good but when you A&B the Fender and Carvin IC5 there is no comparison, the Carvin kills the Fender for overall sound, sustain, playability, and comfort.
One thing I have learnd since being a electronics technician for a long time and have done hundereds of mods and upgrades to high end audio and some bass gear is that the impedence of the electronics from different gear whether it be audio or bass heads/pickup/electronics plays a part in how the gear sounds with each other. Example I had a Counterpoint preamp (home audio) that sounded wonderful in my home system, took it to any guys house with same speakers but different amp and CD player, it sounded horrible. Took it back home sounded great. Brought that other guys amp over to my house and hooked it up to my system with that same preamp and it sounded terrible. Looked into the specs of both system found out that the input and output impedences of the gear were differnent. So this plays a part into why some gear sounds good on one system and not on anothers.
I guess what I'm trying to say is before we can say one gear is better sounding we have to try it on the exact same gear/rigs/strings/cable that the other brand Bass we liked the sound of was played on (Playability/Comfort is a different story) to do a far comparison. Like the original poster said he went to Bass Sound Diego and which I'm going to go to next weekend, and I will take my IC5 there and try it on their bass rigs (Epifini and EA) and try the basses there and compare.
But i all fairness my Fender sounds its best on my Hartke gear compare to other rigs I have used. Is my Hartke the best rig? no, I'm sure there are other brands amp/cabs that are better sounding but for my Fender with EMG pickups and active electronics the Hartke 3500 and Hartke cabs work best. Just like The Carvin B1500 and Neo 4.10 cabs taht have work the best for my IC5.
Don't forget that the Carvin strings that come on the ICON series basses are not that great sounding, I took my strings off as soon as I heard them when I first got my bass home, they sounded really dead and I personally thing this is why carvin gets a really bad rap for the sound on their basses.
Hope this helps!
