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Carvin B800 vs. Thunderfunk 550

#21
I have never played a TF, but I have heard a few different ones. BTW-KJung, your Celinder->TF->Epi 4X10 is the holy grail of bass tones IMO!!! Ever since I have heard the TF I have dreamed of one.

That said, I bought a B800 and I honestly can say that I don't think it is lacking much. The TF is better to my ears IMO and it is lighter. It is also more expensive. The Carvin can go to 2 ohms which I believe the TF can not. So it might depend what you want out of it. If I had the money I would probably get the TF, but the Carvin is great, and incredible if you consider price. If anybody is in the Dayton OH area and wants to come by and try the B800 I'd be more then happy to let you just PM me.
 
#22
B1500 ''out for delivery"
Additionally, got a Mesa Walkabout coming tomorrow...
Look for some sorta shootout dealio after the weekend, and I got gigs every night next week, so more "live context info" after next weekend.




Chef said:
I own and loooove the late model TFB420 I have.
I have a B1500 en route. Not a fair comparision in terms of power, but I'll report back in terms of "tone" and "workability" for me.
The TFB mates well with every bass and cab I own, or have tried, and works awesome for double bass as well.
I'm hoping the Carvin can meet those same needs, run two 4 ohm cabs when I need, and just generally provide "that big power behind you" feeling that the TFB doesn't quite do.
If you've ever played a DB750, big Glock, or a pre/power setup with 2000 watts in it, you know where I'm coming from. Even at low volumes, rigs like that just provide a feeling of substance to the notes even a low volume that the TFB-god bless it all the way 'round-just never quite completely gets. TFB750 Dave?
The TFB is, by far and way, my favorite amp of all time. And I'm old, and a gear whore, so don't think I'm selling it short.
I'm not, and it remains my favorite go to work piece of kit.
The Carvin b series has big shoes to fill to come close to overthrowing it.
Click to expand...
 
#24
I think its cool that "Carvin " is being compared to amps that cost twice as much or more. Those peeps at Carvin really have their work cut out for them. Lack of cash has been the only thing keeping me from getting the "B" series heads. They are sooooo hot for the price and Smash comparing them and saying the surpass/keep up with Aguilar, just makes me wish I could win that weekly gift card so I could buy it.

Carvin, Carvin, Carvin!
 
#25
JahNissi said:
I have never played a TF, but I have heard a few different ones. BTW-KJung, your Celinder->TF->Epi 4X10 is the holy grail of bass tones IMO!!! Ever since I have heard the TF I have dreamed of one.

That said, I bought a B800 and I honestly can say that I don't think it is lacking much. The TF is better to my ears IMO and it is lighter. It is also more expensive. The Carvin can go to 2 ohms which I believe the TF can not. So it might depend what you want out of it. If I had the money I would probably get the TF, but the Carvin is great, and incredible if you consider price. If anybody is in the Dayton OH area and wants to come by and try the B800 I'd be more then happy to let you just PM me.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your comments! I use high-power rack rigs, but am seriously considering a reasonably small, reasonably light, and reasonably priced head that I can easily schlep to small jams and rehearsals... or use as backup to my gig rig. The Thunderfunk is an obvious candidate, but I won't spend that much on a backup head. The B800 seems to fit the bill in all categories, especially price... brand new, it's cheaper than a used TF.

The slant-front design put me off briefly, but I can see how it's an advantage from a useability standpoint, especially when sitting on a small rig, say a single 4x10.
 
#26
i cant wait to see what you think about the b1500
Chef said:
B1500 ''out for delivery"
Additionally, got a Mesa Walkabout coming tomorrow...
Look for some sorta shootout dealio after the weekend, and I got gigs every night next week, so more "live context info" after next weekend.
Click to expand...
 
#27
I wound up with a B1500 last weekend. We have January off so I won't be able to test it on a gig for a couple weeks, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it stacks up against the TFB550B when paired with an NV215. Should be interesting.

The 2-ohm spec of the B1500 might just compel me to take both the NV215 and the NV610 to a gig one of these days. :eek:
 
#29
lil thread swerve:
the b1500 arrived yesterday, rattling.
popped the top to find some broken white plastic bits inside.
carvin are sending a ups call tag to pick it up and access whether they fix or send a different unit.
be a while for the shootout.
 
#30
Hi Guys,

Well my TF550B arrived this week from dave and I'll be playing thru it tomorrow night, cant wait to hear the amp.Im about to get my new Accugroove El Whappo Jr in the next week or so.

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Cheers,

Robbie.
 
#36
svtb15 said:
i cant wait to hear your review.... i am thinking of getting one soon...
Click to expand...
If we lived closer, you could borrow mine for a gig. What's ironic is, I JUST today borrowed the Carvin 800 combo to check out the tone... I'm sorta' thinkin' about picking up one of those B1500's. Not to replace the TFB, just as an alternative for louder gigs and as a bit of variety.
 

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