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Carvin B1500 - Holy Crap!!

ClassicJazz

ClassicJazz

Bottom Feeders Unite!!
Supporting Member
Sep 19, 2005
4,765
9,833
63
Delray Beach, Florida
#1
Well got to gig last night with my new Carvin B1500 amp....and all I can say is WOW WEE!!!! :hyper:

Man this amp is clean and crystal clear....and not to mention POWERFUL!!

What attracted me to this amp is it's very clean a simple layout. I HATE amps will a million EQ controls. I've seen amps that have both graphic and parametric EQ plus shaping controls. To me for bass....that is just way too much over kill. The Carvin simply has Bass, Low Mid, Mid, High Mid and Treble plus the Sub-Bass which is a great feature. Nice and simple the way I like it!

Well any way, My setup last night was the B1500 running through 2 8ohm Avatar B210 Neo (10x2) cabinets and using my 1988 Sadowsky Standard 4. With the two 8Ohm cabinets I was running 1250 Watts.

It was amazing the punch, nice bottom end and Oh so clean. Not one bit of distorting or "farting" even when slapping hard or soloing.

I ran it pretty much flat with some boosting of the low mid for punch, a little boost of the treble for the slap and a little sub-bass for...well sub-bass!

Well all I can say is Carvin hit a Grand Slam with this amplifier!
 
#2
The B1500 is an awesome head. I am also a fan of the simple EQ interface. The head looks awesome with a line of knobs. A section of sliders would really detract from how slick the B1500 looks. It also wouldn't really be necessary since the frequencies that the knobs impact are well chosen. This head sounds awesome!

I can only hope that the BX500 that I got sounds as good. It has a more complicated EQ section but it isn't something that would hate it for. If I can find a good setting then I shouldn't have to change much. After my experiences with the B1500, I have a lot of faith in the BX500.

Congrats on the killer amp and here's to more positive experiences with it in the future. :D
 
#11
I'm reving this tread to get some more info on this amp's actual TONE.

I know it's a powerhouse, and has gotten VERY few negative reviews.

But what other brands does it compare to, or beat out sound-wise? I have a Demeter HBP-1/QSC PLX3002 rig that is punchy, but almost TOO clean. I also have an old Hartke 3500 that is kind of "honky". Eden and Ampeg sound warm and "organic" to me, but maybe a bit muddy. Where does the B1500 fall in the picture?

I used to be a "bells & whistles" guy, but am now leaning toward the "no nonsense" approach. Also to ClassicJazz, I'm jonesing for one of these heads paired with two Carvin BRX10.2 cabs (4 ohms each). This is similar to your setup, and I'm wondering if it's still working out for you? Especially the 2 ohm load business.

Thanks.
 
#13
That's the good thing, it doesn't compare to any other head really. It's got great tone with eq points all in the right places so it can sound however you want.

I can easily get high mid aggressive or reggae dub.

How do you want it to sound? Your call.

Bob C said:
I'm reving this tread to get some more info on this amp's actual TONE.

I know it's a powerhouse, and has gotten VERY few negative reviews.

But what other brands does it compare to, or beat out sound-wise? I have a Demeter HBP-1/QSC PLX3002 rig that is punchy, but almost TOO clean. I also have an old Hartke 3500 that is kind of "honky". Eden and Ampeg sound warm and "organic" to me, but maybe a bit muddy. Where does the B1500 fall in the picture?

I used to be a "bells & whistles" guy, but am now leaning toward the "no nonsense" approach. Also to ClassicJazz, I'm jonesing for one of these heads paired with two Carvin BRX10.2 cabs (4 ohms each). This is similar to your setup, and I'm wondering if it's still working out for you? Especially the 2 ohm load business.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
 
#14
Hey... I play hard rock. How would the B1500 work out for me? I really like the Hartke LH500, but always looking for better. Does the Carvin allow for over-drive? Can I get any kind of bite out of it / tube-like distortion? right now I use a VT Bass pedal to get my crunch, but the less gear I have to carry, the better. How heavy is the B1500?
 
#15
Ronny49 said:
Hey... I play hard rock. How would the B1500 work out for me? I really like the Hartke LH500, but always looking for better. Does the Carvin allow for over-drive? Can I get any kind of bite out of it / tube-like distortion? right now I use a VT Bass pedal to get my crunch, but the less gear I have to carry, the better. How heavy is the B1500?
Click to expand...

I've never overdriven my B1500. Many say that the "Drive" knob adds harmonic elements to the sound. I prefer to leave mine at about 2:00 o'clock. It still sounds clean, in my opinion (which is what I am going for). I tend to prefer pedals for overdrive and distortion so I rarely try to push the amp to that point.

The B1500 is by no means a light head; Carvin says that it is 35 pounds. If you put it in a rack bag with good straps then the weight isn't too bad. It definitely feels solid and sturdy.

I understand your desire to not have to haul a bunch of gear. The B1500 is an unbelievable head. Pair it with your VT Bass for those times that you need some overdrive and you'll be totally set. You could even velcro the pedal to the inside of the rack bag or case if you use one and never have to bother with a separate pedal board.

The Carvin B1500 is a darn good piece of equipment. :bassist:
 
#16
Adding more weight to my arsenal is not really what I am seeking to do. If I added more weight on the head, I need to eliminate something somewhere else. I have the VT bass, Boss Tuner and GP7 EQ pedals, also going to add a wireless pedal too. So I need a small pedal board. Couldn't find one to fit my pedals, so I made one. Really prefer to find a good pro board.

Anyway... I think I'll stick with my Hartke for now.

Thanks for your reply!
 
#17
I picked up a b1500 and a littlemarkiii at the same time,im glad i did.The b1500 is a great head,i run mine through a brx410 cab and it is overkill for most gigs.Soundguys are telling me that the sound is fantastic but are constantly telling me to turn down!It is great for outdoor and large room gigs but the lmiii is more than enough for most of my shows! The drive knob causes the sound to break up a bit (enough for me) but if you want a hard overdriven sound,get a pedal. I use a sansamp!
 
#18
It took you this long to realize?:p

i've been loving my b1500 since i got it earlier this year. I'm completely GAS free amp-wise. Nothing makes my 'little buddy' twitch any more

until that blue LED comes on...

then it's party time:ninja:
 

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