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Carvin BX500: Pt. 3
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
I played with some guys a couple of weeks ago using the BX500 and the 10.2 NEO. (It's a 4 ohm cabinett to be clear.) MOderately heavy handed drummer with bass and snare miked. The amp volume made it to 2.75.
That said, I read two different posts on TB that stated that volume on this head does not rise at the same incremental volume between 3 and 10 and it does on 1-3.
Due to my paranoia going back to the old days when I was broke and pining for headroom, I elected to grab a big boy head. I would rather have it and not need it.
As for the bx 1500, a friend of 20 years or so has giggled 1-3 times per week the last two years and has never come close to having a problem with service or volume. He is driving a huge beast of an 8 ohm cab.
My humble recommendation is to grab a bx500, then save for a 1500. You'll have the best of both worlds and an emergency back up. You can also add a second cab which would help.
You can never put too much water in a nuclear reactor, and never have too much headroom !
Thanks!! This is what I've been thinking. Gig with the 500 for a while... Get some cabs and save for the 1500.
Thanks everyone for your insights!!
Hit my first snag with this head today: the effects loop is causing unwanted distortion in my lower register. Strangely enough, only with my 55-02, not my Lull M5 and only on the e and B strings.
I cleaned the ribbon cables and even cleaned the tube socket and re-seated the tube, to no avail.
Anyone else experience this issue?
__________________
I cleaned the ribbon cables and even cleaned the tube socket and re-seated the tube, to no avail.
Anyone else experience this issue?
__________________
Check your 55-02 maybe the problem there. If the Lull working I would think to check the 55-02 on another amp.
I thought it was weird that it was only happening with the 55-02 also, but I have eliminated all other variables. Neither one makes noise when using the effects loop on my Shuttlemax 9.2 .
I think I am going to have to send it back to Carvin to get fixed.....
Does your 55-02 have a preamp? If so, it might just be a low battery. The carvin might be more sensitive to low signal than the SM.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
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- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
I thought it was weird that it was only happening with the 55-02 also, but I have eliminated all other variables. Neither one makes noise when using the effects loop on my Shuttlemax 9.2 .
I think I am going to have to send it back to Carvin to get fixed.....
If it's out of warranty, make sure you understand their flat rate service rate structure before you do that!
I put in a newish battery recently, and it's not distorting the 9.2, but it's worth trying.
If it's out of warranty, make sure you understand their flat rate service rate structure before you do that!
Good tip. I bought it recently, so I'm well within the warranty.
Welp last night I played my third show with this new head...and it started to do the crackling and farting out thing everyone else mentioned already. Luckily it was as we were about to start and not in the middle of the set so I could switch over to the GK the other band we are touring with brought. The BX sounds fantastic but I wish this wasn't a common issue with these heads.
I know we are talkin' about the BX500, I have the BX1500 but this is about the same thing.
I bought the 1500 new and after about 6 months in, it started that distortion crackling and farting thang and I thought,
Oh here we go
:scowl: 
So I get on the phone with Carvin.
While I am waiting (listening to da music and sales pitch
)
I am taking the head out of the Cyclops cab it's in thinking maybe I should have tried all the stuff
that folks do with these thing (the ribbon cable cleaning thing)
someone gets on the horn, I tell them about the deal and even let 'em listen over the phone,
the guy says it sounds bad, nothing is plugged in it just doin' it's thing on it's own.
I ask the guy about the ribbon cable cleaning thang, he wasn't hip to that but he said try it.
So while he was on the phone I went to opening it up, as I took off the cover, it STOPS making that 'NASTY SOUND'
I poke around in there and see that one of the ribbon cables I think the one that goes to the preamp is kinda kinked up in a way that the cable is being pressed down by the lid and causing it not to seat in the connector well.
As the guy is still on the phone and I am now jammin' away to check it out, the thing falls off the Cyclops cab onto the cement floor :scowl: and keeps on tickin', I keep on playin'. 
Since then, all is well.
One problem solved, another one in creation 
I bought the 1500 new and after about 6 months in, it started that distortion crackling and farting thang and I thought,
Oh here we go
:scowl: So I get on the phone with Carvin.
While I am waiting (listening to da music and sales pitch
) I am taking the head out of the Cyclops cab it's in thinking maybe I should have tried all the stuff
that folks do with these thing (the ribbon cable cleaning thing)
someone gets on the horn, I tell them about the deal and even let 'em listen over the phone,
the guy says it sounds bad, nothing is plugged in it just doin' it's thing on it's own.
I ask the guy about the ribbon cable cleaning thang, he wasn't hip to that but he said try it.
So while he was on the phone I went to opening it up, as I took off the cover, it STOPS making that 'NASTY SOUND'
I poke around in there and see that one of the ribbon cables I think the one that goes to the preamp is kinda kinked up in a way that the cable is being pressed down by the lid and causing it not to seat in the connector well.
As the guy is still on the phone and I am now jammin' away to check it out, the thing falls off the Cyclops cab onto the cement floor :scowl: and keeps on tickin'
, I keep on playin'. Since then, all is well.
One problem solved
, another one in creation
I just had rehearsal with my BX500 and Epifani cabinet (PS115)...What a great sounding combination. Real versatile amp. I love having the footswitch to punch the eq in and out to boost sections of tunes.
I know we are talkin' about the BX500, I have the BX1500 but this is about the same thing.
I bought the 1500 new and after about 6 months in, it started that distortion crackling and farting thang and I thought,
Oh here we go
So I get on the phone with Carvin.
While I am waiting (listening to da music and sales pitch
I am taking the head out of the Cyclops cab it's in thinking maybe I should have tried all the stuff
that folks do with these thing (the ribbon cable cleaning thing)
someone gets on the horn, I tell them about the deal and even let 'em listen over the phone,
the guy says it sounds bad, nothing is plugged in it just doin' it's thing on it's own.
I ask the guy about the ribbon cable cleaning thang, he wasn't hip to that but he said try it.
So while he was on the phone I went to opening it up, as I took off the cover, it STOPS making that 'NASTY SOUND'
I poke around in there and see that one of the ribbon cables I think the one that goes to the preamp is kinda kinked up in a way that the cable is being pressed down by the lid and causing it not to seat in the connector well.
As the guy is still on the phone and I am now jammin' away to check it out, the thing falls off the Cyclops cab onto the cement floor :scowl: and keeps on tickin'
Since then, all is well.
One problem solved
Yes...the top cover of the BX1500 presses on the ribbon cables that are going into the front preamp board. I didnt have trouble with these connectors until a year and a half into ownership when ch#1 started to distort. I cleaned all connectors on the front panel board with Deoxit and havent had a problem since. As for dropping the amp on the floor...not recommended.
So, anyone change out tubes in these things and with what results?
This has been discussed at length in this forum (ant its predecessors) and the general consensus seems to be: any differences are quite subtle, and you settle on the one you like.
I wasn't trying to beat a dead horse or, tube
I just saw I believe here, that someone found a tube that they liked and I just wanted to know what differences they heard or what people were looking for?
It seem that from what I have read in this and other forums is
that a lot of people don't hear a difference.
But, some do and when they settle on the one they like nobody seems to report back as to what they like about the swap.
That is the info I am after, what do they hear that they like.
Thanks
What most people typically look for in a bass head preamp tube is good clean gain with low noise and low microphonics. Some folks also look for a more tubey sounding distortion, but I don't think the tube is run "properly" for that in these heads. Instead, I think they're run just to get a little of the round tubey tone into the voicing of the amp... and yeah, I subscribe to the "it's subtle" camp... meaning I don't personally believe tube rolling is much worth it in this head. You can literally live switch the tube in and out, so it's easy to hear for yourself how mildly it affects the sound..I wasn't trying to beat a dead horse or, tube
I just saw I believe here, that someone found a tube that they liked and I just wanted to know what differences they heard or what people were looking for?
It seem that from what I have read in this and other forums is
that a lot of people don't hear a difference.
IMHO/IME anyway.
I get that, thanks.
I am probably one who hears a difference. I talked about thinking that when the button was in I though the tube was in
the circuit and I liked the sound with the button out. Which I found out when the button is out, the tube is in the circuit
I tried an old Dumont 12AX7 and I liked the roundness to the tone but the crispy high end was lacking so I went back to what was there.
It was very old and used the Dumont, porbably that's what added to the roundness, it was shot
I am not looking for the tubey sounding distortion. All my playing life I've been trying to get away from that
Now a lot of people are running to it
Don't get me wrong... I also hear the diff, and also prefer it with the tube in the circuit. I guess my main point is the tubes would have to be REALLY different from each other to translate to a significant tonal change. Most tubes within a genre, say a 12AX7, are generally pretty similar until you really start driving them with the higher voltages to bring their personalities out more, which I don't think this head really does. So I can see where a diff could be heard, but I'd think it'd still be subtle, especially as a component of the overall sound, but maybe more sensitive ears would disagree.I get that, thanks.
I am probably one who hears a difference. I talked about thinking that when the button was in I though the tube was in
the circuit and I liked the sound with the button out. Which I found out when the button is out, the tube is in the circuit
I tried an old Dumont 12AX7 and I liked the roundness to the tone but the crispy high end was lacking so I went back to what was there.
It was very old and used the Dumont, porbably that's what added to the roundness, it was shot
Don't get me wrong... I also hear the diff, and also prefer it with the tube in the circuit. I guess my main point is the tubes would have to be REALLY different from each other to translate to a significant tonal change. Most tubes within a genre, say a 12AX7, are generally pretty similar until you really start driving them with the higher voltages to bring their personalities out more, which I don't think this head really does. So I can see where a diff could be heard, but I'd think it'd still be subtle, especially as a component of the overall sound, but maybe more sensitive ears would disagree.
So, it's not goin' to be a big diff like say goin from KT88's to GL6L6's (as if I could tell a difference there
) 
