• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Carvin BX500: Pt. 3

#501
I'm very much a nightclub player; and "subject to variable power" I suppose.
So far, this hasn't been a problem with any of the micro heads I've owned, but, I've not owned the Carvin, yet.

I'm fairly well happy with the GK MB-Fusion, but, there are times where I wish it supported 2 ohm operation.
 
#506
The UPS man dropped one off at my doorstep yesterday and I messed around with it most of the evening. One of the main reasons I got this head was because it can do 2 ohms. I got a chance to play one in a music store about 8 months ago and I was not impressed. Something must have been wrong with it because it was not loud. The one I just purchased is LOUD!!!!!! I am really impressed with this amp. I am struggling to get a real clean hi-fi tone from it but it may also be the cab I was playing through(SWR Workingman 15).

I have an outdoor gig tomorrow and I am going to put it through the paces. I think I am glad I read through this thread. You guys were pretty correct on your various reviews. Will post more after the weekend!!!!:hyper:
 
#510
lowendblues said:
I'm thinking of picking up the BX500 and pairing it with a GK MBX 410 I have. You guys recommend this setup?
Click to expand...

That’s a loaded question because guys might recommend a different cab. If you have that cab or like the cab, the BX500 will power it nicely of course.

If it’s a 4 ohm cab, the head will deliver the full 500 watts to it. If it’s an 8 ohm cab, the head will deliver 350 watts I believe. Still a lot of power for one cab.
 
#511
I got my new bx500 last week. I have yet to play it live, I'm not playing out very often at the moment. I'm pretty impressed with this amp. I play it through a fEARful 15/6 (8 Ohm) and it sounds fantastic. It's very versatile and seems to sound better the more I play with it. Every knob, slider, and switch on this thing is useful. I bought it from ebay without a tube and put a JJ 12AX7 in it, which sounds very good.

I wouldn't quite call the bx500 "stupid loud" (I'm used to a pre/power rig with 1100w at 8Ohms), but it's definitely louder than I expected. I'm very happy with the purchase, and once I finish building my second fEARful cab, I think this will cover all of my needs.
 
#512
My BX500 was part of the first production runs Carvin made. I haver never had a problem with mine.I use it with 2 x 2512 Deltalite's in seperate cabs. that weigh 13 lbs. each.The old EV design,they are tuned down to 60hz.I believe. No it is not an SVT,but I play in a loud 2 guitars,Hammond B3 group and I can be as DOMINATE as I want to be! Punch and grit come to mind or scoops the mids for some nice motown funk.The SR5 and Bongo5 match well with rig.On the non rock jobs though I do pull out the SWeet Mesa WA Scout.Both rigs are easy on the back and all I will ever need.Love em both :)
 
#513
I had a BX500 amp and I loved it. I could get any tone I wanted out of it. I was running it through a Eden D410XLT cab and it was amazing. But one day wile I was at practice I was messing with the horn knob on my cab wile plucking my bass, then something peaked and there was a loud pop. The smell of burning electronics was coming out of my cab and my amp was stuck in protection mode. My cab still works fine but ever since then every time I turn on my amp it stays in protection mode and the fan runs really hard. So now I just have a paper weight till I can afford o send the amp in to get fixed. :(
 
#515
I personally also like it very much as a review tool. To my ears, it's the most neutrally voiced head I've ever heard, and with the GEQ, it gives me a lot of control to help me pick out voicing frequencies in cabs as well as other heads.
Click to expand...

Being a cheap bastard I am tempted to buy a bx500 and use it as part of a PA amp setup... with a mixer (and possibly an external eq) feeding it. I've done it with an LMII (run 100% flat) with good results, but I need two ohm capability so I can run stage monitor(s).

Seeing how the bx500 is a fairly flat sounding head, it might be a good candidate for the PA thing. I need to supply a PA maybe 30% of the time. When its not used for that purpose I can use it as a back up or a rehearsal amp and sell my other two micros.

My two questions are:

Can this amp do 2 ohms all day long with no issues?

I am seeing reliability issues more than I like. Can I trust this amp?
 
#517
Practiced with it yesterday and the amp sounded completely different. Got some nice tones out of it and really shaped the sound from a solid mid heavy thump to a clean polished slap tone. My gig got cancelled for today because of rain so I have to wait until Sunday to try this out in a band setting at church. I cannot wait.

And about the loudness, this amp is loud compared to some of the various other amps I have tried. I have owned all three Shuttles and have gigged some of the other micros and this one is near the top in headroom and volume. It seems to just project and still have some more oomph if you need it. This is with the drive on 3 and volume on 3. Has anyone else had an issue with not enough volume?
 
#519
I bought the BX 515N Combo powered by the BX 500 amp, and love it for the small gigs we do. Coupled to a Carvin BR 410N Cabinet it will fill larger rooms with plenty of thump. Still a great amp for the money. I am thinking of selling my two Redline heads I have in a Carvin rack, and putting these lightweights in.
 
#520
BlacksHole said:
When mine got stuck in protect mode due to bad electricity at an outdoor gig, I sent it back to Carvin and they replaced it. Only charge to me was shipping it to Carvin. It was out of warranty and they gave me a break, so waiting to send it in may not be a good idea.
Click to expand...

They said it would be a flat rate of 250 for me, and my warranty ended only a month before I talked to them.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back