a nice used carvin is a lot of bass for the money.
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Can you identify this Carvin bass?
- Thread starter ejaggers
- Start date
I've read some posts on TB where people replaced the Preamp & PUPs on Carvins,
@MynameisMe used an Audere preamp which seems to be pricey.
So let's assume the pre was trash but the rest of the bass was in fair condition.
How much would you pay for this project, and what pre would you use?
057912
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Hmmm. I've only seen the barrel jack's, but I imagine there was some variation.
I have a solid koa one 1990. Looks the same except no battery compartment so must be a few yrs latter. It's the most unique and greatest sounding bass I ever bought at 7lbs. Was my main player for many yrs.
With Carvin's later breakup / split-off into a separate guitar company and their mail-order-only business model, their resale prices are typically depressed relative to the quality of the instrument.
IF I were going to take a chance on one, if this was 'reasonable' or 'seems real cheap', it might be a great buy on a neck-through all-Koa five with a real 24-fret ebony fingerboard, provided the neck has no problems. This wood combination would be very smooth, Koa sounds like its' first cousin, mahogany. A 'brown bass' indeed.
I'd far prefer something like this because:
---It's already routed for Jazz pickups
---a 4-hole control layout
---plenty of room in the control cavity
---and it's already routed for a battery box
. . . . . in which case you could drop any number of replacement pickups and control networks without any extra work should you decide to. If the keys and bridge are solid, depending on your needs and the price this could be a very good buy IF that 'Carvin' on the headstock is OK with you.
IF I were going to take a chance on one, if this was 'reasonable' or 'seems real cheap', it might be a great buy on a neck-through all-Koa five with a real 24-fret ebony fingerboard, provided the neck has no problems. This wood combination would be very smooth, Koa sounds like its' first cousin, mahogany. A 'brown bass' indeed.
I'd far prefer something like this because:
---It's already routed for Jazz pickups
---a 4-hole control layout
---plenty of room in the control cavity
---and it's already routed for a battery box
. . . . . in which case you could drop any number of replacement pickups and control networks without any extra work should you decide to. If the keys and bridge are solid, depending on your needs and the price this could be a very good buy IF that 'Carvin' on the headstock is OK with you.
I’ve had to think about that for a bit, it’s somewhat complex. The following thoughts are mine alone, and there’s a lot of truth to the old saying that the value of something is whatever someone will pay for it, which varies from person to person.
A lot of the appeal to me, personally, would be that it IS so much like the LB75F that I already have. Part of that is that the preamp and controls being different after a repair deviates from that idea of having a match to an extant bass. It’s also having to be assumed that it’s in good shape, without a bad truss rod, etc. Given that various 90s LB models typically go for $400-800, up to around $1000 on exceptionally well kept or instruments with higher end options, and that those prices assume fully functional hardware, I’d personally have a good at around $500. $100-200 higher, maybe, if I had it in hand to see how it plays and feels.
If I had to replace the preamp, I’m rather fond of the Darkglass Tone Capsule, and would combine the already present wiring for volume and pickup blend into a stacked pot for those, using the remaining three holes for the DG preamp’s controls.
I've never owned a Carvin, and I'm not sure what you mean by 'reasonable' or 'seems real cheap'.
@Tubehed said $400 max, so what's your take on 'reasonable'?
Also, I have to buy it sight unseen, with no returns.
I'm not a big fan of active basses anyway so converting it to passive would work for me,
especially if I don't have to change PUPs, but I'm not sure what that conversion would entail.
If all it needs is a battery connector and the pre works I can deal with that too,
but I'll have to pay to play...057912
I think the Audere preamps are actually less expensive than the other high quality offerings. Having said that, I would see if you could get it back to stock condition first. Might be an easy fix. I personally think the stock preamp and pups are very good. People can be snobbish about such things, but my LB70 (4 string version) is one of the very best sounding basses I've ever owned or played.
For a VVT, 3 pots, a cap, solder, maybe a few cm of wire and some copper foil to shield the cavities if needed. It would take me an hour or so. If you can't solder there are plenty of good YT tutorials and the VVT wiring is generic so schematics are common. For a beginner, maybe 3 hours if some soldering practice was required. Do it carefully and it can easily be returned to stock later, which is how I always try to approach gear mods.
Ordinarily, I don't solder because I swapped the electronics on my first mod,
it was wired correctly and work fine, but it was ugly!!! under the hood.
I'm too anal-retentive for that plus my tech charges very little to solder for me.
I guess what I really meant was if the PUP's on an active bass can still be used in a passive conversion.
If the pre worked I'd restore back to stock, but I have no way of knowing about the TR,
and if it's bad, that's above my paygrade, plus I don't own any neck thur basses....057912
LB75F Koa / fretless ebony ordered in late '94.
A few years ago, I installed an Audere pre & Bill Lawrence pickups.
(Factory Shielding)
Nice Upgrade. Not interested in re-sale value - it's just a great bass that's always played like a dream.
@shade_1313 - Like the Black!
A few years ago, I installed an Audere pre & Bill Lawrence pickups.
(Factory Shielding)
Nice Upgrade. Not interested in re-sale value - it's just a great bass that's always played like a dream.
@shade_1313 - Like the Black!
I actually swapped out the knobs shortly after I bought it:
Ebony and Koa, to go with the bass’ woods.
Are the pickups actually active, ie do they have electronics inside the PU housing itself a la most EMGs? If yes, then it's possible, you just use different value pots/cap*. If as I suspect the pickups are passive, ie they require no power supply to function, then simply have it wired to a standard J bass wiring configuration.
* Look at EMG's wiring diagrams in this instance. Your tech should know what/how to do it.
Since you've quoted no asking price from the seller, I've no idea if it's a good deal or not.
Past that, I never buy anything with no return, so that would kill it for me right there, period, pass. That seller is certainly not alone in doing that, but it would rule it out immediately for me. You may feel differently.
I'm no Carvin expert, but I looked over those catalogs so much over the years I feel like one. Ha. To me, that looks like Koa.
As mentioned in a previous post, used values on Carvin are rather terrible, which is actually great news for the buyer. Somehow I've had two fall into my lap in the past month...just incredible deals.
With the electronics issue, I'd agree that I'd go maybe 400 bucks or so, and that's if the electronics work and sound good and it had a case. If it's passive now and used to be active, I personally don't think that's a problem as long as it sounds good. There are plenty of passive fretless basses that are great. If anything, it's a negotiating thing that can work to your advantage. Personally, I have a couple active basses, but my preference is passive.
As mentioned in a previous post, used values on Carvin are rather terrible, which is actually great news for the buyer. Somehow I've had two fall into my lap in the past month...just incredible deals.
With the electronics issue, I'd agree that I'd go maybe 400 bucks or so, and that's if the electronics work and sound good and it had a case. If it's passive now and used to be active, I personally don't think that's a problem as long as it sounds good. There are plenty of passive fretless basses that are great. If anything, it's a negotiating thing that can work to your advantage. Personally, I have a couple active basses, but my preference is passive.
Thanks for clarifying.
@ejaggers, if you go passive with the classic J VVT set up, that's only 3 knobs where you have 4 now. See if your tech has an old damaged pot that fits your existing 4th knob and have him install that, not connected to anything. This can be the 'Producers' or 'mojo' knob - a search will clarify why.
For what those Carvins go for these days they're a bargain and a half. Unfortunately, down here they're like rocking horse poo.
IMHO the best thing to ever wear the Carvin name are their Bass Guitars.
I can’t believe it, I have the same bass but left handed. I’ve never seen another one like it until now, haha. What a trip.
I’ve since put EMG pickups in mine (which turned out to be an irreversible mod because the pickups are a slightly different shape) and swapped out the bridge.
I’ve since put EMG pickups in mine (which turned out to be an irreversible mod because the pickups are a slightly different shape) and swapped out the bridge.
I bought my LB76 fretless for 600 bucks. Sold it a few years later for 650. Great bass, EXCEPT that the bridge jazz pickup wasn't quite wide enough to fully reproduce the B string.... Volume was a bit low.... I think this type of oversight has been corrected with the generational shift and Kiesel rebrand.
