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Carvin Basses

#121
Raymeous said:
Sorry, I can never write a short post.

Both the SB's and B series basses offer a vintage vibe, while the Bromberg is definitely a modern bass. The good part is that even though the SB and B series are Carvin's take on "old school" basses, they include some very modern options if you so choose. They can be wired up like a classic J or they can include several different active circuits with bass/treble, or even bass/treble and mid sweep. YOU get to pick the set up unlike dealing with Fender without spending a crap ton of money or being a famous bass hero.


Check out the videos of Sekou bunch playing his SB4000 basses. This is what Carvin basses sound like. Super clean and articulate and muddy only if you want it to be.
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+1

Agreed they are super clean and articulate. The passive roll off is actually a great tone tool to use. You can get as dark as you want but the charter of the instrument is still there.

One other note that I really like about the Carvin SBs that I also find with Nordstrand pickups is the sensitivity of the pickups...You can play with a softer attack but if you dig in you really get that classic Jazz growl.

Love these basses.

PS Raymeous I can be a bit lengthy in some of my posts as well...LOL...Shows a passion.
 
#122
temmrich said:
The $90 is for a 5 piece maple neck instead of a one-piece maple neck. The one piece is standard. If you choose a color option they do it at the factory. The difference between the stacked humbuckers and "the other ones" is that "the other ones" are single coils not humbuckers. And a sadowsky preamp would fit fine. The carvin preamp is pretty good though.
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Oh, thanks. Do people agree that 5 piece > 1 piece? And I was thinking about the bridge humbucker HB Alnico / neck J9A? Is that a humbucker with the single coil?
 
#123
5 piece is not necessarily better than a 1 piece, but if made correctly, a 5 piece can be stiffer and more resilient to warping than a 1 piece. All my basses are 1 piece and I have never had an issue.
The HB/J9 combo is a Humbucker (music man style) at the bridge and a single at the neck.
 
#124
temmrich said:
5 piece is not necessarily better than a 1 piece, but if made correctly, a 5 piece can be stiffer and more resilient to warping than a 1 piece. All my basses are 1 piece and I have never had an issue.
The HB/J9 combo is a Humbucker (music man style) at the bridge and a single at the neck.
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So I could save $90! And yes, I want the HB/J9! Thank you so much! Now I don't know whether to go fretless or fretted.. Fretted it comes out to $669 without case. SWEET! I'm thinking of getting a fretted built first, then a fretless built later. Fretless would be black body, ebony fingerboard black hardware.
 
#125
Anyone know the depth of a LB75 neck at the 12th fret?

Edit: never mind, Carvin got back to me with a PDF with very detailed neck measurements. The LB75 neck is actually quite a bit thicker in the middle-upper positions than Lakland. That's a little disappointing.

Edit2: Does the thicker LB neck get offset by the tight string spacing?
 
#126
Snarf said:
Anyone know the depth of a LB75 neck at the 12th fret?

Edit: never mind, Carvin got back to me with a PDF with very detailed neck measurements. The LB75 neck is actually quite a bit thicker in the middle-upper positions than Lakland. That's a little disappointing.

Edit2: Does the thicker LB neck get offset by the tight string spacing?
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Do thick necks get offset my tight string spacing normally?
 
#130
I guess I'm getting in late on this conversation. About 15 years ago I broke through the money barrier and ordered my very own Carvin, a B4 bolt on, in greenburst (I'll see if I can attach pix) with active and a double coil in back. The main thing (for me) about Carvin is that ebony fretboard is the standard, you'd have to special order a rosewood fretboard. Ebony is harder & smoother than rosewood. I was recently at GC looking at 5 string fetless and all they had was rosewood fretboards, I didn't realize how spoiled I was (I have a fretted PJ bass with maple fretboard and a fretless with a marked Carvin neck). I sold my Carvin a few weeks ago but I've bought one used, supposed to arrive Monday, a fretless BB75 in tobacco sunburst, I'm going insane with anticipation.
 
#131
tonylevinkix said:
I guess I'm getting in late on this conversation. About 15 years ago I broke through the money barrier and ordered my very own Carvin, a B4 bolt on, in greenburst (I'll see if I can attach pix) with active and a double coil in back. The main thing (for me) about Carvin is that ebony fretboard is the standard, you'd have to special order a rosewood fretboard. Ebony is harder & smoother than rosewood. I was recently at GC looking at 5 string fetless and all they had was rosewood fretboards, I didn't realize how spoiled I was (I have a fretted PJ bass with maple fretboard and a fretless with a marked Carvin neck). I sold my Carvin a few weeks ago but I've bought one used, supposed to arrive Monday, a fretless BB75 in tobacco sunburst, I'm going insane with anticipation.
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That's a fine looking bass.:)
Can't wait for January. I'll finally get my carvin.:hyper:
 
#132
I haven't had the pleasure to play a Carvin, but I'd almost rather go fender because about 70% of the Carvin offerings for basses are eyesores. The body designs on the bb's, the Brian brombergs, the LB's.... they are all hideous. I could live with the SB's, and the Icons are pretty ok, but that's about the extent of things. It's not that I have to have a traditional shape to play; some people don't like the look of my dingwall. But the Carvin designs are just awful.
 
#134
MooseLumps said:
I haven't had the pleasure to play a Carvin, but I'd almost rather go fender because about 70% of the Carvin offerings for basses are eyesores. The body designs on the bb's, the Brian brombergs, the LB's.... they are all hideous. I could live with the SB's, and the Icons are pretty ok, but that's about the extent of things. It's not that I have to have a traditional shape to play; some people don't like the look of my dingwall. But the Carvin designs are just awful.
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That would be your opinion. There are many who think Carvin makes some of the most beautiful basses around. Fenders look fine but they've looked basicly the same for the past 60 years and thereare so many options.:confused:
 
#135
MooseLumps said:
I haven't had the pleasure to play a Carvin, but I'd almost rather go fender because about 70% of the Carvin offerings for basses are eyesores. The body designs on the bb's, the Brian brombergs, the LB's.... they are all hideous. I could live with the SB's, and the Icons are pretty ok, but that's about the extent of things. It's not that I have to have a traditional shape to play; some people don't like the look of my dingwall. But the Carvin designs are just awful.
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I don't think they are necessarily awful, but they are certainly dated. They look like they came from the 80's. I have an SB and absolutely love it. I would buy a B40/B50 in a heartbeat, but I wouldn't actively pursue any of those models you listed. I also find it hard to believe that they don't offer a P style pickup. With all their other options this seems like an easy one. Oh well, to each his own.
 
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#136
Carvin basses are beautiful out the box.

I'm thinking two brands of high-end basses and Carvin necks feel just as fast and smooth, fit and finish is just as good... for about a third the price. Low action out the box, no setup required...

I have a Koa SB5000 and an Ash LB75. Both have the asymmetrical wide neck option.
 
#138
I have to say this, once I built my dream bass. A fender PJ body with SD P&J, heavy badass bridge and MM P maple neck, I didn't want to play anything else. My Carvin didn't seem to have the same attack and tone (hard to explain). Since it was a bolt on, I bought a Carvin fretless neck and it made a killer fretless. Anyway, I decided I wanted a 5er fretless and put the Carvin back together and sold it. Made another fretless out of the left over fretless neck (doesn't sound quite as good without the active electronics) and now I got a deal on a fretless 5 Carvin. No the BB is not my favorite body style but to get a Carvin for $500, I'll take it!
 

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