Carvin BX500: Part II

[Lia_G]

Who me? I believe you. I've run similar stuff in WinISD Pro under Windows also. I'm just having trouble getting it to run using the Crossover Windows emulation package on my Mac. Guess I need to grab VMWare Fusion or Parallels and just install an XP virtual machine, or use Bootcamp.

Cheers,
Liam

 

[GearHeadBassMan]

Link Removed Playing a Squier DAJV, and IIRC everything on the bass and head was set flat. I was really happy with the tone all night.

can you give us a shot of your eq settings? that tone is what I want.
thats it. I'm buying one this week.

 

[BillyB_from_LZ]

can you give us a shot of your eq settings? that tone is what I want.
thats it. I'm buying one this week.

Well he did indicate "Playing a Squier DAJV, and IIRC everything on the bass and head was set flat"...assuming that's an accurate recollection, it would be a pretty boring photo.

Beyond that, it's a function of strings, any effects that are present, cabinets, mic placement and most importanty hands!

 

[GearHeadBassMan]

Well he did indicate "Playing a Squier DAJV, and IIRC everything on the bass and head was set flat"...assuming that's an accurate recollection, it would be a pretty boring photo.

Beyond that, it's a function of strings, any effects that are present, cabinets, mic placement and most importanty hands!

ah.
the shiny blue hyperlink distracted me. IME i've only had amps that could do either sparkly mids and no bass, or bass as all get out but nothing much. now I hear a bass amp that does both for cheaper than my budget.

p.s. I've only used used gear that wasn't very good to begin with and the best tone I've ever had was a hartke 3500a, so that should give you some idea of the hell i've been living in for the past 4 years...

 

[Lia_G]

Well, hate to say it, but I got a lemon. Mine has a high-pitched constant whine anytime it's on and connected to a cabinet, with tube engaged or not, bass and cable plugged in or not. None of the knobs moving has any impact on it. I tried it plugged into different outlets as well, and then got my B1500 and plugged it into the same outlets with no whine.

This one's going back. Now my only decision is, do I get it repaired / replaced, or just return it and go somewhere else for a lighter backup to my B1500?

We'll see ...

Cheers,
Liam

 

[lindseyp]

It only took a week to get mine replaced. No problems since.

 

[GearHeadBassMan]

ok, I took the plunge. just talked to Don and ordered one with rack ears. BTW, for anyone wondering, it's 10 days money back if you hate it, and a 1 year warranty. I'm going to give it a trial by fire by taking it on a little two week long tour, hopefully within the 10 days (depending on how long the wait is) and if it makes me smile, it's staying.

Anybody whos ordered theirs recently had problems the earlier ones had?

 

[xbassmanx]

ok, I took the plunge. just talked to Don and ordered one with rack ears. BTW, for anyone wondering, it's 10 days money back if you hate it, and a 1 year warranty. I'm going to give it a trial by fire by taking it on a little two week long tour, hopefully within the 10 days (depending on how long the wait is) and if it makes me smile, it's staying.

Anybody whos ordered theirs recently had problems the earlier ones had?

I got one of the first ones and it's been fantastic!
No issues whatsoever!

 

[Ziltoid]

SHould i pull the trigger on this? :X

 

[tombowlus]

SHould i pull the trigger on this? :X

Yes.

IME/IMHO, the BX500 is a phenomenal amp. It also happens to be very affordable. And with the 10 day return policy, why not try one out?

 

[Ziltoid]

"Trying" it would cost me 80$ of shipping (Canada), so I need it to be a "sure shot".
but if YOU say it's worth it...mhmmh im hesitating a little less now

 

[tombowlus]

"Trying" it would cost me 80$ of shipping (Canada), so I need it to be a "sure shot".
but if YOU say it's worth it...mhmmh im hesitating a little less now

Well, we haven't put the BX500 through a full review yet, but I can tell you this: more and more, the amp that I grab for critical listening and comparing other components (basses, cabs, etc.) is the BX500. I have a lot of very good amps on hand, but that little Carvin keeps getting the call. Combine this with its extremely reasonable price point, and the BX500 comes across as one of the more impressive products I have tried of late.

Tom.

 

[Ziltoid]

thanks, i was still hesitating between this one and a few other (posted a thread bout it today), anyways i think we got a winner

 

[lukelogandennis]

Just got mine today! I have had no problems. I love it!

 

[Akito]

Hey guys, I want to discuss the issues I keep seeing posts about with this head, but I don't want to do it in a confrontational manner or come across as a Carvin hater. I am anything but. However, all of the issues I have read about are making me hesitant to give this head a shot. I'm hoping to gain some perspective here about just how commonplace quality issues are and their severity. I've owned a couple of amps in the past that I loved their tone and features, but got very tired of sending them to a tech once or twice a year under heavy gigging conditions. Believe me, when the 366th day rolls around and the bench time is coming out of your pocket, reliability becomes a deal-breaker with an amp real fast. I've always thought of Carvin as a great company with really good bang for your buck products that are reliable, but now I am beginning to wonder what is going on with their QC over there when they can send out what seems to be a significant percentage of these heads that show problems either very quickly or right out of the box.
Again, not trying to bash, I'm just conflicted about this and the GK MB500 as well. When I buy gear, I expect it to perform. Of course I have a resposibility to use it correctly, but I expect my gear to empower me and not get in the way. It needs to be the last thing I am worried about at a gig.
Anyone have any feedback?

 

[vinxbass]

Hey guys, I want to discuss the issues I keep seeing posts about with this head, but I don't want to do it in a confrontational manner or come across as a Carvin hater. I am anything but. However, all of the issues I have read about are making me hesitant to give this head a shot. I'm hoping to gain some perspective here about just how commonplace quality issues are and their severity. I've owned a couple of amps in the past that I loved their tone and features, but got very tired of sending them to a tech once or twice a year under heavy gigging conditions. Believe me, when the 366th day rolls around and the bench time is coming out of your pocket, reliability becomes a deal-breaker with an amp real fast. I've always thought of Carvin as a great company with really good bang for your buck products that are reliable, but now I am beginning to wonder what is going on with their QC over there when they can send out what seems to be a significant percentage of these heads that show problems either very quickly or right out of the box.
Again, not trying to bash, I'm just conflicted about this and the GK MB500 as well. When I buy gear, I expect it to perform. Of course I have a resposibility to use it correctly, but I expect my gear to empower me and not get in the way. It needs to be the last thing I am worried about at a gig.
Anyone have any feedback?

I here where your coming from, but here's the deal. I was the first person on this board to get the BX500 and it's worked absolutely flawless for me as did Carvin's BX1200 for 2 yrs before I bought the BX500. It's been mentioned here so many times, I'll say once more, you get a 10 day free trial period if for any reason you don't like the head return it, the most it should cost you is 20 bucks if that.

You here about all the heads that got returned, but your not hearing about all the heads that haven't been returned. Sure it had some gliches early on, but Carvin has worked those out. Give their product a shot and you make the call whether or not you want it or not - your in charge for 10 days.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

So your point is that lotsa cats are playing the 500 and are quietly happy?

you may be right.

But is it a "Game changer"??? Is it really the tiny, cheap & good hybrid that Carvin is pimping it to be? That seems to be the $30 question...

If, in fact it is "all that", then heck - I want one! No, I don't need it, but want...?

 

[xk49w]

Hey guys, I want to discuss the issues I keep seeing posts about with this head, but I don't want to do it in a confrontational manner or come across as a Carvin hater. I am anything but. However, all of the issues I have read about are making me hesitant to give this head a shot. I'm hoping to gain some perspective here about just how commonplace quality issues are and their severity.

The only thing you can really do with any of these new switching amps is wait for the reliability information to slowly flow in. Agreed, for the Carvin BX500 and the GK MB2, it has not been too reassuring up to now. These things will be worked out. These amplifiers employ a technology that appears to be new to these manufacturers but in time they will get it sorted.

My personal opinion is that at this time I would not use one without carrying a backup - for that reason I will not buy one. That said, I am confident that in time the negative reports will taper off. Then I will buy.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

The only thing you can really do with any of these new switching amps is wait for the reliability information to slowly flow in. Agreed, for the Carvin BX500 and the GK MB2, it has not been too reassuring up to now. These things will be worked out. These amplifiers employ a technology that appears to be new to these manufacturers but in time they will get it sorted.

My personal opinion is that at this time I would not use one without carrying a backup - for that reason I will not buy one. That said, I am confident that in time the negative reports will taper off. Then I will buy.

Hey - do us all a favor and explain "Switching Amps". I know it's a new thing, but I am way to impatient to do the whole google thing right now...

opps...

that was too easy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switching_amplifier

 

[Akito]

I here where your coming from, but here's the deal. I was the first person on this board to get the BX500 and it's worked absolutely flawless for me as did Carvin's BX1200 for 2 yrs before I bought the BX500. It's been mentioned here so many times, I'll say once more, you get a 10 day free trial period if for any reason you don't like the head return it, the most it should cost you is 20 bucks if that.

You here about all the heads that got returned, but your not hearing about all the heads that haven't been returned. Sure it had some gliches early on, but Carvin has worked those out. Give their product a shot and you make the call whether or not you want it or not - your in charge for 10 days.

I appreciate your response, and I do believe you have a point. Bad news travels fast and gets a lot more notice. I find it encouraging that a lot of players have posted on this thread that they love this amp.
When considering which light amp to go with, reliability is one of my top concerns. I'm not just thinking about 10 days or 30 days or 90 days, I'm considering the next 8 months of shows I have booked and beyond. Am I reasonably confident that my gear can hold up well with 25+ hours of use a week? I'm willing to shell out the extra dollars if I am more likely to get what I am paying for and ward off trouble down the road. However, if this amp can deliver at this price point, I'm all over it! I understand that everything wears out with use, and electronics are notoriously short-lived these days, I just want to avoid as many headaches as possible.