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Anyone own a Carvin?

#21
OP, read through the two "Official Carvin Club" threads on this forum and you will get lots of info. The Icon pictures has Carvin's soap bar pickups, which some people love, while others are luke warm about. Try it out, remembering that there are a variety of other pickup combinations, body styles and preamps available from Carvin.
 
#23
I played in church this weekend and the WL had the keys all jacked up so I pulled out my old AC-50F for the first time in years. (I swapped out the battery and the one I pulled out of the bass had an expiration date of 2001!)

I had a gas with that thing! No frets and an extra string made for an interesting performance! I'm going to start playing it more I think.
 
#24
WoodyG3 said:
OP, read through the two "Official Carvin Club" threads on this forum and you will get lots of info. The Icon pictures has Carvin's soap bar pickups, which some people love, while others are luke warm about. Try it out, remembering that there are a variety of other pickup combinations, body styles and preamps available from Carvin.
Click to expand...

Indeed. Personally, I found the Carvin soapbar pickups that are the Icon defaults to be way too dark for my tastes. For a very small charge, you can have Carvin put in either the Brian Bromberg radiused single coil (same form factor as default Icon pickups), or a J99A in the soapbar case.

I'd take a look at the pickup tone charts at the bottom of this page. The "SPN" and "SPB" are the bridge and neck pickups that are the defaults in an Icon. The RAD-J is the Brian Bromberg pickup, and the J99A is the J99A, obviously. :)
http://www.carvinguitars.com/pickups/
 
#25
chef wong said:
...
There really aren't that many out there, but the one's I know of have problems. I have nothing nice to say about the company.
Click to expand...

-1. You might not have anything good to say, but there are plenty of owners and there are lots of Carvin basses out there. Your statement is simply not true.

A lot of people have Carvins and love them. Sorry your buddy got a bad one, but it's impossible to know what would have caused the bowing. Did he have a setup done as the seasons changed? Some wood requires more care, such as Hog. Did he have a model without the stabilizers in the neck?

OP, you are welcomed to check out the Carvin SB club here: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/carvin-sb5000-sb4000-roll-call-part-7-a-912036/

I don't have a 5 string and I never tried the SB 5'er, but they are getting rave reviews, including Ed Friedland's endorsement. Buy used and score big or buy new and get exactly what you want for color/neck woods/etc.
 
#26
lol I put opinions on here, and people just try to start marklar.

I don't mind the attention, but it does seem as if a band of magpies on their way to personal attacks is after me. Gee, is it because I don't like the bass you spent so much on?

You won't get a sharp reply toward your opinions from me.
 
#27
chef wong said:
The Carvin at the pawn shop has a severely bowed neck.
Click to expand...
Ok, what of it? That's not a testament against the brand, it's a unique case involving an improperly setup or damaged example in a freakin pawn shop.

chef wong said:
I know a guy outta town with a Carvin 5 string...bowed neck. He even had to have his truss rod replaced. I've read about many Carvin basses with this, as well.
Click to expand...
And this reads like a "yeah I banged this girl once..you wouldn't know her, she's from out of state"...it has no basis in 1st person user experience relative to this discussion...also, links from what you have read to support your claim? I'd like to read some.

chef wong said:
There really aren't that many out there,
Click to expand...
Simply not true, Carvin has been in the bass game for decades now. Players here alone count for more than "just a few". And the majority seem to love them. And if not, they've stated why with real opinion... I personally liked the few I have tried first-hand.
chef wong said:
but the one's I know of have problems.
Click to expand...
Based on TWO "experiences"?
chef wong said:
I have nothing nice to say about the company.
Click to expand...
Again, based on TWO less than optimal "experiences"?

chef wong said:
lol I put opinions on here, and people just try to start marklar.
Click to expand...
No, you're passing along specious information as "fact".
Otherwise, I have no issue with you of the magpie variety.
 
#28
In response to neck instability issues, it's definitely worthwhile to get a multi-ply neck. $90+ is worth that extra guarantee of stability. That raises the question of why they don't just have multi-ply necks standard, but they've probably gotten more and more confident in their necks' stability to believe it's not necessary, but still useful enough to provide as an option.
 
#29
I have a 94 LB76 and it never ceases to amaze me. I played it for 2 hours last night and smiled the whole time. I will probably buy another Carvin for my next bass, just have to figure out which one and then start playing with all the check boxes.

I bought mine new without having tried a single Carvin ever, and I don't regret it for a second. Not saying I recommend that approach for you though, I got lucky.
 
#30
chef wong said:
lol I put opinions on here, and people just try to start marklar.

I don't mind the attention, but it does seem as if a band of magpies on their way to personal attacks is after me. Gee, is it because I don't like the bass you spent so much on?

You won't get a sharp reply toward your opinions from me.
Click to expand...

Nah man. Not personal. Just trying to help a bass player make an educated decision based on the experience of an actual OWNER. If you took offense, sorry.

Your statements may be true, no one is denying that. Owners of current Carvins want to make sure that the OP knows the QC at Carvin is now comparable to other top tier manufacturers.

You may have an opinion, but don't confuse opinion with fact.
 
#31
chef wong said:
lol I put opinions on here, and people just try to start marklar.

I don't mind the attention, but it does seem as if a band of magpies on their way to personal attacks is after me. Gee, is it because I don't like the bass you spent so much on?

You won't get a sharp reply toward your opinions from me.
Click to expand...

I don't watch South Park, but nobody is trying to start "marklar." Finding a bass in a pawn shop that DOESN'T have problems would be fairly unique. It's not a place to go to find items that have been lovingly cared for. Broken truss rods have happened on basses from any major manufacturer, and a large percentage of the time it happens due to user error. So, all anyone is saying is that this limited experience has very little validity compared with the thousnads of people who have found Carvins to be generally well made and high quality. I hope that wasn't too much marklar for you. :)

I'm a crow, by the way, not a magpie. ;)
 
#34
hover said:
Well, there you have it. :hmm:
Between a let-down at the bastion of always in playable condition, good high-end instruments: AKA pawn shops, and some dude from "out of town" and a couple things he read about the apparently very small number of basses Carvin has made in the past 20+ some odd years, by all means, steer clear. :eyebrow:
Click to expand...

Well, add the Carvin I had to the list of lemons. Am I a bad guy too?
 
#35
chef wong said:
In summary, based on my experiences with playing, seeing, and hearing/reading about Carvin, I can't recommend them. Carvin is always a sore spot on talkbass for some reason.
Click to expand...

LOL. Carvin is a sore spot just like Fender, Lakland, Gibson, Sadowsky, Squier, SX...

This is the Internet, EVERYTHING is a sore spot! :D

Snarf said:
Well, add the Carvin I had to the list of lemons. Am I a bad guy too?
Click to expand...

No, just a guy who had a bad experience. It would be helpful to the OP, though, if you explained how it was a lemon, and how many Carvins you have had experience with.
 
#37
Well, I've had 3 Carvins, all with one piece maple necks (2 with oil finishes), and I never had a problem with them. By all means spec a 5 ply neck if you want a bit more security.

I would highly recommend you checking out the Brian Bromberg and SB series as well, and figure out if you want some snappier pickups than what the Icon comes with standard.

All in all, great basses and the electronics are finally up to snuff IMO.
 
#39
Handyman said:
Indeed. Personally, I found the Carvin soapbar pickups that are the Icon defaults to be way too dark for my tastes. For a very small charge, you can have Carvin put in either the Brian Bromberg radiused single coil (same form factor as default Icon pickups), or a J99A in the soapbar case.

I'd take a look at the pickup tone charts at the bottom of this page. The "SPN" and "SPB" are the bridge and neck pickups that are the defaults in an Icon. The RAD-J is the Brian Bromberg pickup, and the J99A is the J99A, obviously. :)
http://www.carvinguitars.com/pickups/
Click to expand...

Thanks! As for sound i'm looking for clarity on all frequencies. Nice clear highs with deep warm lows (especially on the low B) would you still recommend these two?
 
#40
maruct85 said:
Thanks everyone! Sounds like Carvins have more praise than faults. I'll definitely try one out before buying it though. Hope to come out as proud and satisfied as some of you have! And definitely post a review if I decide to get it.
Click to expand...

I did a lot of research before getting my Carvin, you have to dig pretty hard to find complaints, and you won't find any about anything remotely recent. As Roy said the 90s had some neck problems.

I will say though, the electronics are the weak point. I have the BB radiused humbuckers, they are good and very clear, but they are not great. The hipshot piezo bridge is amazing though. Absolutely amazing quality for the price.
 

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