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Ampeg or carvin? Would you rather?

#43
Yet another product allegiance thread it has been my experience that Ampeg has made some amps that I would not be interested in recording. On the other hand they have also made amps that I have been proud to record.
Although in the UK Carvin is far less common, so I have limited experience of the brand, I am quite sure they have also made some atrocious amps and cabs, I am also quite certain they have made some very good ones, now if this thread had anything to do with identifying
which particular amps of each brand should be avoided like the plague,
It might appear a little less puerile.
Comparing amps without prejudice r us, So I will start: in 1970's vintage all american manufactured amps did Ampeg have a contender in the totally frigging useless category for this highly sought after classic.
70_markxiiamp-small.jpg

:hiding:
 
#46
I've owned Ampeg spent 3k on an SVT Rig Solid Loved it. Tried Carvin spent 600$ on a combo rig at 1/3 the weight that fit in my car, I still own my Carvin combo. Reliability is only in the mind of actual owner, users. Am I worried that my Carvin rig cost 1/5 less than Ampeg? No, Am I concerned that the combo rig outshines the sound of the SVT w810 JBL drivers and actually was 40 db louder? no... So as to say You got to go with what's going to make you happy!!
 
#48
Got2SadowskyNYC said:
Gj, it is a lot of amp for less money. They just are not as realiable.

If you the type that likes to trade later, you REALLY don't want Carvin. All things the same you get less for the Carvin. This is true for tradeing thier basses also and i happen to like thier basses.

Let me restate, I don't have either so I really don't have a dog in the hunt.
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With all due respect, if you don't own either, how can you give an educated opinion. I bought a PF500 and it lasted 3 weeks, I was'nt even pushing it hard. I do not own a BX 500,but from what I have read , with the exception of the ribbon cable maintence issue they seem reliable. And they sound very good. And when you call Carvin real people answer the phone, and they have excellent CS. My experience with Loud and my PF500 left a very bad taste in my mouth and I will never by an Ampeg product again
 
#49
I owned an older 70's SVT which is the best amp I've ever played through. Also used and still own the SVP. I have also owned a few Carvin amps. I used on of the mid 90's bass amps. I found it very sterile an boring so it was sent back. Several years ago I purchased the BX1200 during before they put the tube in the preamp. This is the amp I still use and I honestly have had no major GAS pains to update or replace it. The amp sounds phenomenal and can run super clean or get some nice grind by cranking the gain up to 8 o'clock. It's the second best amp I've owned. It sounds great with very little EQ'ing but if you want tone shaping, most Carvin amps offer you more than average EQ shaping.

The other amps I compare it to that I've owned would be a series of GK amps. 150MB, 800RB, 700RBII and 2000RB.

I have no trouble recommending Carvin gear. Their current generation of bass gear is very good and you won't find a better deal dollar for dollar. If I had the money, I would probably update to the b2000 mono block head.
 
#50
BluesMan845 said:
I owned an older 70's SVT which is the best amp I've ever played through. Also used and still own the SVP. I have also owned a few Carvin amps. I used on of the mid 90's bass amps. I found it very sterile an boring so it was sent back. Several years ago I purchased the BX1200 during before they put the tube in the preamp. This is the amp I still use and I honestly have had no major GAS pains to update or replace it. The amp sounds phenomenal and can run super clean or get some nice grind by cranking the gain up to 8 o'clock. It's the second best amp I've owned. It sounds great with very little EQ'ing but if you want tone shaping, most Carvin amps offer you more than average EQ shaping.

The other amps I compare it to that I've owned would be a series of GK amps. 150MB, 800RB, 700RBII and 2000RB.

I have no trouble recommending Carvin gear. Their current generation of bass gear is very good and you won't find a better deal dollar for dollar. If I had the money, I would probably update to the b2000 mono block head.
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lol, yeah I use a BX-1200 with a rack mounted Sansamp 1.1 in the Carvins send/return and have been quite pleased -it actually sounded great without the Sansamp however since some songs require a more radical tone and level change while on the fly I had to get something that could fit that criteria, anyway have a nice day.
 
#52
arai said:
Ampeg sure do seem to have reliability issues. What about the carvin with a tech 21 VT bass pedal? Those pedals can get a pretty close to ampeg tone
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great point -I use a Carvin BX-1200 with a Sansamp pre in the send/return -it's pretty easy to obtain a beautiful warm edgy tone that seems to surpass the Ampegs I've heard, of course with a little work you can usually get the sound you want out of most products.
 
#53
I've played through a lot of Ampeg gear and never really dug it that much.

I just bought my second Carvin BX500 (sold one a while back like a dummy) and love the sounds I'm getting from it.

I'm having a hard time deciding whether to take my Carvin BX500 or GK MB800 to the gig tonight.
 
#55
From what ive read and after thinkin more about my needs im gunna fo with the carvin. If i could afford the vr i would go that route but i cant. With the cl i cant add another cab and would end up with the vr hea later. The carvin can put out more power and i can add a cab to later. Thanks for the help
 
#57
bampilot06 said:
From what ive read and after thinkin more about my needs im gunna fo with the carvin. If i could afford the vr i would go that route but i cant. With the cl i cant add another cab and would end up with the vr hea later. The carvin can put out more power and i can add a cab to later. Thanks for the help
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Good choice I believe. I love my Carvin bx1200. It just plain rocks:bassist:
 
#59
BTW, I own both a Micro-VR (the Micro-CL's more powerful, older sibling) and a Carvin MB12, which has their BX250 head installed. Both are great amps. The generalization that others have made is pretty spot on: The Ampeg is more traditional sounding and the Carvin is more hifi, transparent, and has a sharper high-end.

If I had to choose, though, I'd go with the Carvin. But that really just comes down to personal taste.
 
#60
LiquidMidnight said:
Only if you're looking to take advantage of the warranty. If it's out of warranty, any decent tech should have no problem working on it.

I never got the, "But I have to ship it to Cali" argument. It's only relevant for warranty work.
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Same here. Like I said in an earlier post, many consumer electronics have to be shipped off to be repaired, whether or not they are covered by warranty. When my daughter knocked our Wii off the table and broke it I had to ship it to Nintendo for repair. When one of my Tamron lenses needed repair under warranty I had to ship it to them. I can see it being a bit of a hassle with a large speaker cabinet, but many times Carvin can ship you a new crossover or other part instead of you having to ship them the cabinet.
 

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