Carvin BX500 opinion

[gjbassist]

Ya know I've been doing more research on this little amp and... it all looks great and I'm about ready to take the plunge. But -- and I know this is really kind of lame -- does anyone else think the rack-mount bracket Carvin sells for this thing is just tudd-bugly? I mean you wind up with this tiny little oval window and something about that is just.... eehhh. Are there any other rackmounting options (possibly not from Carvin) that would be available for this? If not, I may wind up just buying some sheet metal and making my own.

Not sure what you are wanting but the rack mount looks fine to me. All the controls are visible and easily accessible. From the placement of the mounting screws on the front of the head I'm not sure there is any other way you could design it and make it fit.

 

[doktorfeelgood]

I am thinking no. The Bose system I use has a similar power supply and we have used it for outdoor parties with the whole band on one extension cord (I'm sure many of us have unfortunately done that). No issues, even with the lights fading a bit.

Hopefully Liam's Carvin was an isolated issue, but I know I will report back if it happens to me.

I have a Markbass LM II that I bought new in February and an LM III that I bought about a month ago. I play Blues in a lot of joints that have less than stellar power and I've yet to have any problems with either amp. I use a Monster Cable Pro 200 Power Conditioner so maybe that helps. )=(

 

[bwoodman]

I have one of these little bastards and I like the fact that it just sits on top of my cabs -and I have the BX1200 in a 3 space rack for bigger gigs. I think the whole point of these micro heads is that you can stash them in a gig bag or in your bass gig bag. I rarely use fx and when I do, I have a Zoom box - no more large racks full of gear for me. The only other thing you could do is buy one of those rackmount shelves with all the holes on the bottom - you may have to drill a couple more - take the top of the BX500 off and screw the head to the shelf and mount - at least then you wouldn't have that little "window" as mentioned with the Carvin rack kit for this amp. My $.03.

 

[jaywa]

How about padded bag options, like those Gator bags? I'm wondering if there's one of those of appropriate size. If I go ahead and buy a BX500 I'd like to give it some protection but I don't want anything heavy, bulky or ugly. Right now I don't use a gig bag cause everything I need fits into my bass case. So I really don't want to add a full size bag to my traveling stuff just for this head. (I'm getting old, so the idea is to gig with fewer and smaller pieces, not more and bigger.)

If there was a small padded bag with a shoulder strap I could toss this thing into to carry around, that would be perfect.

 

[Thundar]

I have been gigging with my BX500 frequently and haven't run into any problems...yet. But I also keep a Behringer BX4500h in the trunk...just in case
Now I know exactly what youre thinking...so dont even say it
But regardless of what head I have used to gig, I always keep that BX4500h with me just in case. So far in 2 years I havent HAD to use it...hopefully the Carvin wont make me break my record.

 

[bwoodman]

How about padded bag options, like those Gator bags? I'm wondering if there's one of those of appropriate size. If I go ahead and buy a BX500 I'd like to give it some protection but I don't want anything heavy, bulky or ugly. Right now I don't use a gig bag cause everything I need fits into my bass case. So I really don't want to add a full size bag to my traveling stuff just for this head. (I'm getting old, so the idea is to gig with fewer and smaller pieces, not more and bigger.)

If there was a small padded bag with a shoulder strap I could toss this thing into to carry around, that would be perfect.

I use a little Pelican #1450 case that I foamed out to fit the BX 500:

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[Thundar]

How about padded bag options, like those Gator bags? I'm wondering if there's one of those of appropriate size. If I go ahead and buy a BX500 I'd like to give it some protection but I don't want anything heavy, bulky or ugly. Right now I don't use a gig bag cause everything I need fits into my bass case. So I really don't want to add a full size bag to my traveling stuff just for this head. (I'm getting old, so the idea is to gig with fewer and smaller pieces, not more and bigger.)

If there was a small padded bag with a shoulder strap I could toss this thing into to carry around, that would be perfect.

Carvin has a bag for it on their site...not sure its exactly what youre looking for though...but they do have one.
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[jaywa]

Thanks Thundar... I just checked their site out and saw that too.

Problem solved as far as I'm concerned.

 

[FuzzBoxVoodoo]

That is a reasonable price if it decent quality.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I have an inexpensive 12" X 15" laptop bag that the head fits perfectly in. Fits my cables too and I can literally carry the thing with my pinky if my hands are full. OK. Just checked, have to use my middle finger, hurts w my pinky.

The BX500 is one of the best investments I ever made. I am COMPLETELY happy with it.

 

[jaywa]

I have an inexpensive 12" X 15" laptop bag that the head fits perfectly in. Fits my cables too and I can literally carry the thing with my pinky if my hands are full. OK. Just checked, have to use my middle finger, hurts w my pinky.

That would be great cause then I could offload some other stuff to that bag that's in my bass case right now. Like my SansAmp BDDI and my tuner. It all fits in my case, but with all that stuff in there along with the 78 Precision it's pretty darn heavy. It's fun watching guitards try and pick it up.

 

[uglybassplayer]

Not exactly cheap, but fits perfectly and provides excellent protection...

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[FuzzBoxVoodoo]

Uglybasplayer.
How do you like your BX500?

 

[uglybassplayer]

Uglybasplayer.
How do you like your BX500?

I haven't had a chance to hook it up to my two Schroeders (1212R and 1210R) yet, but I did try it at fairly low volume with two EA Wizzy10s and I liked what I heard. My LMII has more girth when comparing both with EQ set flat (the BX500 seems more transparant and doesn't color the tone as much), but there's tons of versatility between the semi-para mids and graphic EQ on the Carvin which should make it great for dealing with troublesome rooms. As everyone has said, the compressor seems good as long as it's only turned up a quarter or less, and I like the way the contour control is voiced. Just being able to run it at 2ohms makes it a keeper in my book. It's funny, even though it weighs only about a pound less, it seems so much lighter compared than the LMII due to the difference in size.

I have a gig coming up next Friday and I hope to try it out with one of the Schroeders.

- Ugly.

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[Aram]

I haven't had a chance to hook it up to my two Schroeders (1212R and 1210R) yet, but I did try it at fairly low volume with two EA Wizzy10s and I liked what I heard. My LMII has more girth when comparing both with EQ set flat (the BX500 seems more transparant and doesn't color the tone as much), but there's tons of versatility between the semi-para mids and graphic EQ on the Carvin which should make it great for dealing with troublesome rooms. As everyone has said, the compressor seems good as long as it's only turned up a quarter or less, and I like the way the contour control is voiced. Just being able to run it at 2ohms makes it a keeper in my book. It's funny, even though it weighs only about a pound less, it seems so much lighter compared than the LMII due to the difference in size.

I have a gig coming up next Friday and I hope to try it out with one of the Schroeders.

- Ugly.

Hey have you gigged at all with the two Wizzy's yet? I have one that I like a lot (esp for upright) and am debating a second. Would love to hear any gig feedback.

 

[Turlu]

I agree with uglybassplayer, the Carvin offers very good EQ settings and capabilities. I also find the overdrive Tone with the tube preamp to be very useful and great sounding. I honestly prefer it over the LMK II now. It also seems that the output power I get from the Carvin head really makes the MarkBass shy now !!!! I like the Carvin a lot !!!!

 

[uglybassplayer]

Yes, I use it quite often for "coffee house" type gigs. I usually pair the two with a Micro300 (see "mini-rig" pic below). I find the second cabinet helps deepen the sound a bit and allows me to keep up with the rest of the band.

Unfortunately, between the Synapse (which is a bit anemic in the tone department), the transparency of the Micro300 and the diminutive size of the Wizzys, I still find it somewhat lacking. That's where my SansAmp BDDI comes to the rescue... It fills the void and gives me a much fuller sound, particulary at lower volume gigs.

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[Aram]

Yes, I use it quite often for "coffee house" type gigs. I usually pair the two with a Micro300 (see "mini-rig" pic below). I find the second cabinet helps deepen the sound a bit and allows me to keep up with the rest of the band.

Unfortunately, between the Synapse (which is a bit anemic in the tone department), the transparency of the Micro300 and the diminutive size of the Wizzys, I still find it somewhat lacking. That's where my SansAmp BDDI comes to the rescue... It fills the void and gives me a much fuller sound, particulary at lower volume gigs.

Great -- thanks for the info! Sorry for the derail, I'm also interested in the Carvin, but still on the fence about what my next micro head will be...

 

[Lync]

Running the BX500 flat=a BOO! for me. Use the eq and the amp is excellent.

 

[jaywa]

I, too would be running my BDDI in front of it... so it sounds like I may have found my new amp. And at $400 brand new with a 10-day money back guarantee... seems like a no-brainer.