Carvin Basses?

[bordinco90]

before you order a custom bass, make sure you have experience trying all different kinds-
experiment with different radii for instance, how it balances on a strap, upper fret access, string spacing...
find out if you prefer a jazz type sound vs a HB sound etc.
it took me about 4 years and buying/selling 30 or so basses to finally get an idea of what I like and what I don't.

Well I really like Ibanez bass, but I want the spacing to be a little farther apart. I know the vanquish has a "bigger radius" i guess. The Ibanez basses have a 12-inch radius and the Carvin has a 14-inch radius. I guess that means the fretboard is flatter? I really like playing with flatter fretboards. I also like the sound of an active eq and soapbar pickups. I don't like the sound of a J or P bass. The Ibanez I own (SR405) just feels really cheap to me. I just want a really well made bass.

 

[Mike Sorr]

I very much doubt that the Carvin will sound like your old Fender though. Could be better or could be worse depending on your tastes.

That's actually a good thing. That American Deluxe FMT was beautiful to look at, but a pain in the butt to dial in a good sound. That's the main reason I sold it. My wife loved the way it looked and I promised her when I sold it that I'd get something like it again at some point. (She always gets mad when I sell the ones she likes). The active/passive option on the Carvin seals the deal as far as I'm concerned.

 

[bordinco90]

That's actually a good thing. That American Deluxe FMT was beautiful to look at, but a pain in the butt to dial in a good sound. That's the main reason I sold it. My wife loved the way it looked and I promised her when I sold it that I'd get something like it again at some point. (She always gets mad when I sell the ones she likes). The active/passive option on the Carvin seals the deal as far as I'm concerned.

I know me too. I really like the Active/Passive option as well.

 

[NWB]

That's actually a good thing. That American Deluxe FMT was beautiful to look at, but a pain in the butt to dial in a good sound. That's the main reason I sold it. My wife loved the way it looked and I promised her when I sold it that I'd get something like it again at some point. (She always gets mad when I sell the ones she likes). The active/passive option on the Carvin seals the deal as far as I'm concerned.

I hear that. I used to have an American Dlx. jazz that was just bland. Compared to my G&L JB, it sounded completely dead… lifeless.

The whole passive/active layout of the Carvin JB sold me. I'm hoping for something as lively as my G&L, but with five strings.

The wait for the JB5 has been excruciating.

 

[NWB]

Well I really like Ibanez bass, but I want the spacing to be a little farther apart. I know the vanquish has a "bigger radius" i guess. The Ibanez basses have a 12-inch radius and the Carvin has a 14-inch radius. I guess that means the fretboard is flatter? I really like playing with flatter fretboards. I also like the sound of an active eq and soapbar pickups. I don't like the sound of a J or P bass. The Ibanez I own (SR405) just feels really cheap to me. I just want a really well made bass.

It sounds like the new Vanquish would be a contender for you. You can also get the Icon with soaps, but I think the string spacing may be a bit tighter on that one. The Brian Bromberg gets rave reviews and can do soaps.

 

[Toptube]

The Icon/Bunny/LB will sound more like an Ibanez, due to the pickup positions. The Bromberg/Vanquish/Xccelerator will sound more Fender-ish, due to their pickup positions.

P.S. The Icon and LB 5 strings have "wide" neck option which gives 19mm string spacing, instead of 17mm. The Bromberg/Vanquish/Xccelerator are all 19mm only, for the 5 string.

 

[bordinco90]

The Icon/Bunny/LB will sound more like an Ibanez, due to the pickup positions. The Bromberg/Vanquish/Xccelerator will sound more Fender-ish, due to their pickup positions.

P.S. The Icon and LB 5 strings have "wide" neck option which gives 19mm string spacing, instead of 17mm. The Bromberg/Vanquish/Xccelerator are all 19mm only, for the 5 string.

Well I love the look of the Vanquish and the string spacing. The Vanquish will be the one I will get.

 

[jeff7bass]

I only hear bad things about Carvin one-piece necks from people that keep repeating the same thing but have never played or owned one. My Carvin SB4000 one-piece neck has the most stable neck of all my basses (and I have some high end basses).

I'm not certain exactly when they started using their wood selection and neck treatment process, but whatever they're doing it works GREAT. The neck on my B40, which is a fairly slim neck, is ULTRA stable. In Bass Gear the Carvin owner talked about how they only select the finest woods with a specific amount of moisture, then they treat them in a de-humidification process which is like aging the wood in a short period of time, maybe a few months. They then build the bass with it. I'll dig out the mag if you want more specifics.
Point is, I don't know WHEN they started this particular process.

 

[bordinco90]

It sounds like the new Vanquish would be a contender for you. You can also get the Icon with soaps, but I think the string spacing may be a bit tighter on that one. The Brian Bromberg gets rave reviews and can do soaps.

Yeah the Vanquish is the one I will order. The Brian Bromberg is just ugly to me IMO. I like the wide string spacing of the Vanquish and the look. All I am going to do with the Vanquish is do a 1 piece swamp ash body with the natural color of the swamp ash with the vintage ash treatment. It should look really good.

 

[bordinco90]

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It will look like this and have the same options as the first image, but with the body color of the second image:
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[Worldeeeter]

I recommend you DO NOT purchase a Carvin without playing it first. I did this (Carvin Icon5) about 5 years ago, and it was the biggest disappointment ever. Looked amazing, felt great, played great, sounded terrible.
Carvin basses sport the most unremarkable pickups and electronics of any bass I can think of. The bass sounded nasal and muffled, with no outstanding tone to speak of. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough. After, of course, finding out that the cost to swap out the pups, bridge piezo, and OBP would be over $500. Not worth it.
The Carvin fanboys will come out of the woodwork to argue that they are the best-sounding basses ever. I disagree.
Everyone has their preference; I would be careful, as I shelled out close to $2000, and I was sorely disapointed.

 

[G On Bass]

I recommend you DO NOT purchase a Carvin without playing it first. I did this (Carvin Icon5) about 5 years ago, and it was the biggest disappointment ever. Looked amazing, felt great, played great, sounded terrible.
Carvin basses sport the most unremarkable pickups and electronics of any bass I can think of. The bass sounded nasal and muffled, with no outstanding tone to speak of. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough. After, of course, finding out that the cost to swap out the pups, bridge piezo, and OBP would be over $500. Not worth it.
The Carvin fanboys will come out of the woodwork to argue that they are the best-sounding basses ever. I disagree.
Everyone has their preference; I would be careful, as I shelled out close to $2000, and I was sorely disapointed.

Unless someone lives in San Diego, no one can play before a Carvin before they buy, since that is now the only Carvin store. Which is, of course, one of the reasons why Carvin offers the 10-day no-questions-asked return policy (the lack of stores is also one of the reasons I become less and less interested in their products as I used to go to the Hollywood Store often). I am/was a Carvin Fanboy, but am not ignorant enough to run out and claim Carvin or any other manufacturer makes the 'best-sounding basses ever' as tone is 100% subjective. But neither would I ever order a Carvin with Soapbars, since their 'new generation' of Jazz pickups and Radiused pickups (especially when matched with the SB-style preamps) are quite an advancement on what they used to have and add a tremendous amount of flexibility and versatility to the equation. My one remaining Carvin is a fretless 5 with the Radiused Humbuckers and the 'Icon' preamp in it (no-piezo) and I haven't ever even thought about possibly swapping it out. As always, YMMV.

 

[wvbass]

I recommend you DO NOT purchase a Carvin without playing it first. I did this (Carvin Icon5) about 5 years ago, and it was the biggest disappointment ever. Looked amazing, felt great, played great, sounded terrible.
Carvin basses sport the most unremarkable pickups and electronics of any bass I can think of. The bass sounded nasal and muffled, with no outstanding tone to speak of. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough. After, of course, finding out that the cost to swap out the pups, bridge piezo, and OBP would be over $500. Not worth it.
The Carvin fanboys will come out of the woodwork to argue that they are the best-sounding basses ever. I disagree.
Everyone has their preference; I would be careful, as I shelled out close to $2000, and I was sorely disapointed.

Yep. When you shell out big money for a bass, you should be happy with it. Have you played any other Carvins?

 

[Toptube]

I'm not certain exactly when they started using their wood selection and neck treatment process, but whatever they're doing it works GREAT. The neck on my B40, which is a fairly slim neck, is ULTRA stable. In Bass Gear the Carvin owner talked about how they only select the finest woods with a specific amount of moisture, then they treat them in a de-humidification process which is like aging the wood in a short period of time, maybe a few months. They then build the bass with it. I'll dig out the mag if you want more specifics.
Point is, I don't know WHEN they started this particular process.

 

[Toptube]

I recommend you DO NOT purchase a Carvin without playing it first. I did this (Carvin Icon5) about 5 years ago, and it was the biggest disappointment ever. Looked amazing, felt great, played great, sounded terrible.
Carvin basses sport the most unremarkable pickups and electronics of any bass I can think of. The bass sounded nasal and muffled, with no outstanding tone to speak of. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough. After, of course, finding out that the cost to swap out the pups, bridge piezo, and OBP would be over $500. Not worth it.
The Carvin fanboys will come out of the woodwork to argue that they are the best-sounding basses ever. I disagree.
Everyone has their preference; I would be careful, as I shelled out close to $2000, and I was sorely disapointed.

A. Carvin has had a no hassle 10 day return policy forever. If you didn't accommodate yourself to utilize it, well I guess i'd say that was poor planning on your part.

B. I've put a lot of highly rated pickups into the same bass, played on the same amp setup, with the same strings. Tone is not only in the pickups. There's is a chain of qualities which equal the end tone. Pickups which sound good in this bass or that cab or that amp; may not sound good in your bass or with your cab or with your amp. there is so much X factor, it's difficult to straight up tell someone this bass or those pickups will sound good, for sure.

biggest disappointment ever. Looked amazing, felt great, played great, sounded terrible.

I think your priorities are backwards. you can always change pickups and strings. You can't change the shape of a bass, the build quality, or the way it feels (overall). My best sounding bass has $400 pickups in it. But it neck dives and the neck is not even my third favorite that I own. I've come to greatly appreciate a bass which feels and plays well.

Carvin has a wide range of pickups available, all of which are very competitively priced. or you can try a number of other brand pickups. If you feel there is some inherent issue with the bass' tone-----you can return it and have them build another.

 

[bordinco90]

I recommend you DO NOT purchase a Carvin without playing it first. I did this (Carvin Icon5) about 5 years ago, and it was the biggest disappointment ever. Looked amazing, felt great, played great, sounded terrible.
Carvin basses sport the most unremarkable pickups and electronics of any bass I can think of. The bass sounded nasal and muffled, with no outstanding tone to speak of. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough. After, of course, finding out that the cost to swap out the pups, bridge piezo, and OBP would be over $500. Not worth it.
The Carvin fanboys will come out of the woodwork to argue that they are the best-sounding basses ever. I disagree.
Everyone has their preference; I would be careful, as I shelled out close to $2000, and I was sorely disapointed.

Yes this is the reason that I am so sketchy about wanting to buy a Carvin. I don't want to spend close to $2000 on a bass and be disappointed. I can go and play an Ibanez, Musicman, or Fender bass at a music store close to me before I buy. I live over 2000 miles away from San Diego, California so traveling that distance to try out a bass is absurd. My impulse wants me to buy the Carvin, but my gut and heart says to buy a Musicman (since I have played one before and loved it). I just think with Carvin it is really cool how you can have your own "custom" bass with whatever woods you want and colors. It would be great to have a one of a kind bass, my own signature bass, but at the time, I don't think it would be wise of me to spend the money and still have the unknown factor of not knowing what the bass sounds like. 9 out of 10 people on this thread have said they are really good basses. Even you say that it feels great and plays great, but as a bassist I really love the "sound" more than the "feel" of a bass. I would rather have a bass that plays just ok, but sounds amazing then have a bass that plays amazing, but sounds horrible. Idk if this is the reason you don't see many "mainstream band" bassist endorse Carvin. This thread has made me more confused lol.

 

[bordinco90]

A. Carvin has had a no hassle 10 day return policy forever. If you didn't accommodate yourself to utilize it, well I guess i'd say that was poor planning on your part.

B. I've put a lot of highly rated pickups into the same bass, played on the same amp setup, with the same strings. Tone is not only in the pickups. There's is a chain of qualities which equal the end tone. Pickups which sound good in this bass or that cab or that amp; may not sound good in your bass or with your cab or with your amp. there is so much X factor, it's difficult to straight up tell someone this bass or those pickups will sound good, for sure.



I think your priorities are backwards. you can always change pickups and strings. You can't change the shape of a bass, the build quality, or the way it feels (overall). My best sounding bass has $400 pickups in it. But it neck dives and the neck is not even my third favorite that I own. I've come to greatly appreciate a bass which feels and plays well.

Carvin has a wide range of pickups available, all of which are very competitively priced. or you can try a number of other brand pickups. If you feel there is some inherent issue with the bass' tone-----you can return it and have them build another.

I guess you are right about the 10 day return policy. Its just the hassle of having to return a $1800 bass that you do not like and have another one built for you.

 

[ROBM700]

I think they make great products. I have owned two basses in years past. Wish I still had them actually.

 

[Worldeeeter]

A. Carvin has had a no hassle 10 day return policy forever. If you didn't accommodate yourself to utilize it, well I guess i'd say that was poor planning on your part.

B. I've put a lot of highly rated pickups into the same bass, played on the same amp setup, with the same strings. Tone is not only in the pickups. There's is a chain of qualities which equal the end tone. Pickups which sound good in this bass or that cab or that amp; may not sound good in your bass or with your cab or with your amp. there is so much X factor, it's difficult to straight up tell someone this bass or those pickups will sound good, for sure.



I think your priorities are backwards. you can always change pickups and strings. You can't change the shape of a bass, the build quality, or the way it feels (overall). My best sounding bass has $400 pickups in it. But it neck dives and the neck is not even my third favorite that I own. I've come to greatly appreciate a bass which feels and plays well.

Carvin has a wide range of pickups available, all of which are very competitively priced. or you can try a number of other brand pickups. If you feel there is some inherent issue with the bass' tone-----you can return it and have them build another.

THIS is what I was talking about. The true Carvin fanboy assumes that the user does NOTHING to improve the situation, and it is always his/her fault. because it certainly couldn't be the Carvin bass. They will defend them to the bitter end.
I had new pickups installed, changed the strings, and even bought a new amp. I should have returned the stupid bass within the 10 days, but I didn't, and that was my fault. However, make no mistake, it was the awful pickups and OBP that Carvin uses that produced the sound.

 

[Worldeeeter]

Yes this is the reason that I am so sketchy about wanting to buy a Carvin. I don't want to spend close to $2000 on a bass and be disappointed. I can go and play an Ibanez, Musicman, or Fender bass at a music store close to me before I buy. I live over 2000 miles away from San Diego, California so traveling that distance to try out a bass is absurd. My impulse wants me to buy the Carvin, but my gut and heart says to buy a Musicman (since I have played one before and loved it). I just think with Carvin it is really cool how you can have your own "custom" bass with whatever woods you want and colors. It would be great to have a one of a kind bass, my own signature bass, but at the time, I don't think it would be wise of me to spend the money and still have the unknown factor of not knowing what the bass sounds like. 9 out of 10 people on this thread have said they are really good basses. Even you say that it feels great and plays great, but as a bassist I really love the "sound" more than the "feel" of a bass. I would rather have a bass that plays just ok, but sounds amazing then have a bass that plays amazing, but sounds horrible. Idk if this is the reason you don't see many "mainstream band" bassist endorse Carvin. This thread has made me more confused lol.

'
I would get the Musicman bass. I agree that if you like the feel and sound of it, you should go with what you know. You're not missing anything by buying it.