• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Anybody besides me miss Carvin?

#82
Mo'Phat said:
Carvin used to be local to me, so it was the nearest guitar/amp shop I could go to. Need a 12" monitor quick? Head to Carvin for a PM12 for just about $200. Over 15 or so years, I've bought PA cabs, power amps, small mixers, one bass that didn't last with me, 4 or 5 bass amps (still own the big monoblock because it's rad), plenty of random cabinet hardware, strings and straplocks, etc. - but the best thing they had were Carvin-branded, Levy's-made (I think) leather straps that last decades and were cheap.

I needed a new strap recently, and was very bummed that both Carvin and Kiesel don't have them anymore. They show up on the Kiesel catalog, but can't find them on the website.
Click to expand...

BSO is having a Strap Blowout!!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#84
Seeing how the "pro audio" side of the split was handled, I am glad the split happened. It has allowed the guitars side to cut loose and expand with way more freedom.

Posting record sales every year since. Lots.of new products and options. New facility with better conditions for the workers. It really indicates some of the internal problems, before the split.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Haji and Ben B
#89
The closure of Carvin was a real waste indeed. I'm the proud owner of an used Carvin BX1500 and it's a marvel. Sturdy, very well build and powerfull. I use it with a custom 12 inch cab (Celestion BLX+JBL tweeter). I hope that the new Carvin business will grow fast and return to it's past glory.

Cheer from Canada fellow bassists !
 
#90
My nephew gave me his 1999 B4 bass and B100 amp. I use the amp on Saturday morning in prep for Sunday worship. The amp is ok. The B4 is nice and light, but my 1985 made in Japan squire jazz is so much more comfortable. The forearm bevel on the B4 needs to be larger.

About missing Carvin. You can order a Kiesel guitar and have the Carvin name on it for an up charge.
 
#91
I do miss Carvin. I think they had a good little niche in small and mid-grade PA systems. Many of my musician friends and I purchased various PA components from them over the years. I admit it was easier for me than most since I live in San Diego and I could try out the gear in their showroom and carry it out rather than having gear shipped.

I think guitarists and bassists are more particular about the voicing of their amps, so, they tend to stick with tried and true brands or new offerings that sound reminiscent of the tried and true brands. IMHO, Carvin made very transparent (some may call sterile) bass amps, and guitar amps although highly tweakable, didn't have a distinct plug-and-play voice. To sum it up, I don't think Carvin had the right business plan for their guitar and bass amps. Their really old and fairly new bass and guitar amp offerings were good quality, but they also had some years where their offerings quality or sound was not so good. So, I think there was some degree of skepticism about the brand.

The obvious star of Carvin was the guitars and basses. I'm glad that Mark and Jeff Kiesel were able to split off and form their own company to keep the instrument side of the house going.
 
#92
Copperhead said:
I tried a couple of the "Probass" combos, no tone IMHO. I got a BX 500 head which I really liked quite a lot until it went pffft one day about three months in and powered up but had no sound.
I soon realized I had a throw away amp that was just as cheap to replace as repair.

Some of their older bass heads seem to have a Peavey tank like indestructible record, and have some popularity. I don't really think I would buy one given their age.

I've read plenty of bad reviews of their bass amps of the last 20 years. Perhaps they tried to cut their losses and focus on what is arguably their strongest product line, their custom instruments.

Let's face it, even the big boys have winners and losers. Fender bass amps for the most part sucked lemons for decades. How ironic is that ?
Click to expand...
Carvin/Keisel guitars has nothing to do with Carvin amps, audio, everything else. Jeff Keisel and his dad split from the rest of the company a few years ago and only make guitars and basses. The audio side of things went less than a year and announced they were closing the doors. Looks like Jeff and the guitar side got out none too soon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marley's Ghost
#93
countrybass5 said:
I truly miss Carvin after dealing with them over 3 decades. I still play through a B1000 into 2 Carvin 15"speakers. I am going to order a new bass from Kiesel in October. I hope I have as good of experience with them as I did with Carvin.
Click to expand...

Not sure what kind of experience you had with Carvin, but I went to the factory/showroom a little over a year ago and ordered an LB75 from Keisel. I customized the snot out of it. Flock was my sales rep. The experience and the instrument was/are awesome! I recommend them to anyone who wants a custom instrument but doesn't want to pay an arm and a leg to get one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marley's Ghost and Mpike
#94
GGiant67 said:
Not sure what kind of experience you had with Carvin, but I went to the factory/showroom a little over a year ago and ordered an LB75 from Keisel. I customized the snot out of it. Flock was my sales rep. The experience and the instrument was/are awesome! I recommend them to anyone who wants a custom instrument but doesn't want to pay an arm and a leg to get one.
Click to expand...
I remember Flock. Glad he went over to Kiesel Guitars when the split happened. I don't really have a good feel for how many employees went over to Kiesel and how many stayed at Carvin Audio--and subsequently lost their jobs when Carvin folded.
 
#95
If you have a Carvin I would not sell it. In fact lock it away and give it to your grandchildren or great grandchildren. They will be talked about in bass player in the future and there will be proud owners, looking to put a down payment on a house.
 
#96
I have a carvin xs100 combo with 2-12 Cerwin Vegas. I modified it for bass and got the pre-amp working but I never heard it play though. had to re-cap it and just stuck it on the back burner while I devoted my spare time to building a 69 FLHT shovelhead. I'll get back on it someday cause I really would like to hear how it sounds.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back