Carvin BX amplifier compressor sensitivity

[ga_edwards]

I used a separate compressor when I had a my BX700. Like you, I found the built in compressor way too sensitive. Just barely turning the knob was very noticeable. Tuning down the input knob and using the input pad helped, but then I didn't get the saturation of the input section. It's a shame because the compressor sounded quite nice and musical.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I

Closely related; if you have never done it, spent an afternoon checking out the interaction of the gain, the compressor and the master volume.
Extra points if you can squeeze some warmth from the tube in the preamp.
If I ever did, it was subtle.

I think the tube is actually after the preamp and before the power amp. Not after the input as most amp manufacturers put it in the path. So unless the output from the preamp is very hot you won't hear much of a difference.

You can pull the tube, the amp will still work with the tube button in the disengaged position. They actually sold some amps like this calling them BX 500 NT or BX1500 NT but you had to leave the tube button off to use it or put a tube in later.

There is a slight difference in tone, one way has more midrange but I don't remember which so I put the tube to remember which is the tube in sound then I forget again after time

Something about when the button is in, the tube is out of the circuit, and when its out, it's in. I think that might be the confusing part, at least for me.



https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0...-1600-80-42500rM-N-O.pdf?15532692341953268432

 

[TheSeagoats]

I have owned lots of Carvin gear. I was a fan.

That said, they likely bought fully-assembled circuit boards from overseas. Then the fine folks in California put those circuit boards into the casing.

So, while the amps were "Made in USA", the components on those circuit boards were very likely soldered by the aforementioned Chinese robots.... if we're picking nits.

It's super possible that you're right, never thought about that side of things. If the Chinese robot installed components truly are minuscule then perhaps we train and donate our nits to the cause of changing things out without damaging the board, seems like their size might be an advantage here

 

[Zooberwerx]

I'm kinda disappointed the one-knob comp doesn't work well. Here's a blurb from the manual:

"For some people, a compressor is a new feature. What it basically does is reduce the volume of the incoming signal as it reaches a preset maximum level. As the COMP knob is turned up (clockwise), the compressor lets a lower percentage of peak signals to pass through. This percentage is called the “compression ratio”. When the knob is at the off position (full counter-clockwise) the ratio is 1:1, where all of the input signal passes through the compressor without being affected. At the MAX setting, the compression ratio is 3:1."

Riis

 

[Passinwind]

I have owned lots of Carvin gear. I was a fan.

That said, they likely bought fully-assembled circuit boards from overseas. Then the fine folks in California put those circuit boards into the casing.

So, while the amps were "Made in USA", the components on those circuit boards were very likely soldered by the aforementioned Chinese robots.... if we're picking nits.

Those Chinese robots in pick and place machines and reflow soldering rigs work in plenty of US factories too, just sayin'.

 

[LHbassist]

I loved the Pearce BC-1 paired with a Crown power amplifier but simplicity ultimately won out and went back to my Ampegs.

I have two- uber rare Pearce B-2P bi-amp bass heads. One is in the abyss of a tech's shop for about 15 years now, and the other sits in an SKB case in my hallway.
A great bass amp. The switchable channels, amazing tone shaping, incredibly transparent and effective single knob compressor, and even power amp damping switches(!) are things not before, or since seen all together, on a single bass amp head. It's 'only' 600 watts. This thing with double the power, would be unbeatable.
I just find the overlapping parametric eq controls far too difficult to adjust on a gig. I know- from a Pearce to a Carvin- but the practicality factor is so much better- and truly, the BX 1200-1500-1600 bi amp heads sound great- and functionality, in essence is the same as the Pearce. Those are the very best bass amps Carvin ever made- so what do they do? They stop making them.

 

[two fingers]

Those Chinese robots in pick and place machines and reflow soldering rigs work in plenty of US factories too, just sayin'.

I suppose it's possible. Do you think those printed boards and components made it to California separately? I don't. But I could be wrong.

It doesn't really matter to me. Carvin made some good stuff. Not everything was amazing. But a lot of it was great for the money.

 

[Passinwind]

I suppose it's possible. Do you think those printed boards and components made it to California separately? I don't. But I could be wrong.

It doesn't really matter to me. Carvin made some good stuff. Not everything was amazing. But a lot of it was great for the money.

I think Carvin did board fab in house or at least locally to them for many years, no idea on the later SMT lines though.

 

[Chipmonstr]

I
I think the tube is actually after the preamp and before the power amp. Not after the input as most amp manufacturers put it in the path. So unless the output from the preamp is very hot you won't hear much of a difference.

You can pull the tube, the amp will still work with the tube button in the disengaged position. They actually sold some amps like this calling them BX 500 NT or BX1500 NT but you had to leave the tube button off to use it or put a tube in later.

There is a slight difference in tone, one way has more midrange but I don't remember which so I put the tube to remember which is the tube in sound then I forget again after time

Something about when the button is in, the tube is out of the circuit, and when its out, it's in. I think that might be the confusing part, at least for me.



https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0...-1600-80-42500rM-N-O.pdf?15532692341953268432

I really like my BX700, but the tube "preamp" feture is relatively dissapointing. I changed out whatever was in it with a new Bugera 12AX7C that came out of a VT999 tube overdive pedal hoping it would be more noticable. If I preheat the oven for like a half hour before I play, and run the Drive at 8 or 9 I can tell a little bit of a difference. I honestly thought that the switch in the back was stuck on solid state at first....

I've tried some other amps with "compressor" knobs that seem to be a signal booster which seems counter-intuitive to me... I like the compressor on the BX, but I use it very low (like 2.5-5 out of 10) If it's linear I think that would be 1.5:1 to 2:1 compression?

Contour knob is wild too, seems to be sort of a reverse bell curve where there are huge differences between 0-2 and 8-10; but 3-7 all sound about the same.

Crazy little amp though. With two 4 ohm BRX 10.2s stacked vertically I can feel it in my spleen with the master volume at 2 and the gain on 7.5.

I was having footswitch issues that I thought was the jack, but it turned out to be a mostly, but not all the way broken yet, wire in the cord that finally broke. Now I am starting to have it cut out intermittently and it seems like it might be the input jack? Has anyone experienced this?

 

[DJ Bebop]

I really like my BX700, but the tube "preamp" feture is relatively dissapointing. I changed out whatever was in it with a new Bugera 12AX7C that came out of a VT999 tube overdive pedal hoping it would be more noticable. If I preheat the oven for like a half hour before I play, and run the Drive at 8 or 9 I can tell a little bit of a difference. I honestly thought that the switch in the back was stuck on solid state at first....

I've tried some other amps with "compressor" knobs that seem to be a signal booster which seems counter-intuitive to me... I like the compressor on the BX, but I use it very low (like 2.5-5 out of 10) If it's linear I think that would be 1.5:1 to 2:1 compression?

Contour knob is wild too, seems to be sort of a reverse bell curve where there are huge differences between 0-2 and 8-10; but 3-7 all sound about the same.

Crazy little amp though. With two 4 ohm BRX 10.2s stacked vertically I can feel it in my spleen with the master volume at 2 and the gain on 7.5.

I was having footswitch issues that I thought was the jack, but it turned out to be a mostly, but not all the way broken yet, wire in the cord that finally broke. Now I am starting to have it cut out intermittently and it seems like it might be the input jack? Has anyone experienced this?

That was a factor that made me give the Mesa WD 800 a try, to see if their implementation of a tube in the circuit was different. It was.

Still like and use my BX 1500 though.

 

[Chipmonstr]

That was a factor that made me give the Mesa WD 800 a try, to see if their implementation of a tube in the circuit was different. It was.

Still like and use my BX 1500 though.

Yeah, but the Subway cost's almost 5 times as much as I paid for the Carvin. I found a barely used Yamaha BBT-500h at Guitar Center for $199 and then I had a coupon as well. It's pretty damn cool. Just scratching the surface but some of the tube emulators are pretty good for such an old digital amp. Hate the compressor though, it's one of the "amplifier" compressors that I was talking about....

 

[DJ Bebop]

Yeah, but the Subway cost's almost 5 times as much as I paid for the Carvin. I found a barely used Yamaha BBT-500h at Guitar Center for $199 and then I had a coupon as well. It's pretty damn cool. Just scratching the surface but some of the tube emulators are pretty good for such an old digital amp. Hate the compressor though, it's one of the "amplifier" compressors that I was talking about....

I did it because Sweetwater had a long 0 interest payment plan. It was my chance in this life time to get one so I did. Glad I was able to.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Yeah, but the Subway cost's almost 5 times as much as I paid for the Carvin. I found a barely used Yamaha BBT-500h at Guitar Center for $199 and then I had a coupon as well. It's pretty damn cool. Just scratching the surface but some of the tube emulators are pretty good for such an old digital amp. Hate the compressor though, it's one of the "amplifier" compressors that I was talking about....

I did it because Sweetwater had a long 0 interest payment plan. It was my chance in this life time to get one so I did. Glad I was able to.

Plus, I paid the money to check out the innovations that were incorporated into the WD. The HPF, the damping, and the tube pre and power tube emulation that was incorporated around a class D power section. Some of those things had not been utilized in this fashion before. If it didn't work as advertised, I have no problem sending stuff back, no matter how cool it's suppose to be.

 

[Chipmonstr]

Yeah, that's cool man. Before I bought the Yamaha, I tried a TC BH250 but didn't like it. Update: I took the amp apart and pulled and cleaned all of the ribbon connectors and now it's working just fine.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Yeah, that's cool man. Before I bought the Yamaha, I tried a TC BH250 but didn't like it. Update: I took the amp apart and pulled and cleaned all of the ribbon connectors and now it's working just fine.

I do that once in a while with my BX.
I was running the post line out of the Mesa into the BX return and running the BX bi-amped into a couple of cabinets. That was cool as I was getting the tube preamp thing from the WD and the bi amp and graphic EQ thing from the BX.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I used to have a schematic for the BX-500. If I can find it, I'll post.