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Carvin BX500: Pt. 3

#782
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

When I played drums in the 70's/80's, my bass players only used 15's and 18's. Then I took up bass a few years ago and it seemed 10's were the rage. So I picked up a used Peavey Max 450 and a 2-10 cabinet to get started. It was ok for a starter kit, but it just didn't seem right. I picked-up the BX500 and the BagEnds last month and man, what a difference. Lovin it. WW
 
#787
I have been getting a staticy, broken up sound from my amp when I play loud and any thing below a G. It seemd like the amp is about to die or cut off. I put a case between the amp and cab and the noise stopped. I took the cover off and checked all the screws and everything was tight except for the screw on the tube board. I tightened it up and it seems to have fixed things but I was wondering has anyone else experienced this?
 
#788
Did you check the ribbon connectors inside the amp while you had the top off? Remove them and spray the male and female connections with Deoxit, and it might solve the problem. These ribbon connectors seem to be the weak link with the amp. I plan on cleaning them every 6 months or so as preventative maintenance.

Good luck,
Liam
 
#789
Took the BX500 and one 112AG cabinet to rehearsal tonight. Just a quiet rehearsal at the guitarist / singer's apartment, with a fill-in drummer just playing on a practice pad. Had my fretless P bass. The drummer commented on the tone, saying it was great. I agree ... it sounded awesome. Full and rich, with a lot of warmth. Had the settings set flat, the same as when I tried it out for the first time in my room, except I turned the compression to zero. Just didn't need it, and the bottom really opens up with no compression. Looking forward to the gig Thursday night. I'll probably play the 112AG stack, although I could probably get away with one cab in this venue. Never played with this drummer though, so I'll bring both cabs in case he's a heavy hitter.

On another note, the BX500 carrying case is really convenient. Room in the large zippered pocket for a couple of speaker cables plus the power cord, and a nice snug fit in the main compartment. Not a ton of cushioning, but overally I'm pleased.

Finally, I had swapped strings to medium gauge Chromes, from light gauge Thomastik flats. I love the tone. Tons better. To be fair, the Thomastiks were about 5 years old, so they were very dead. Anyway, the tone was great, but the heavier strings have resulted in a notably higher action, and I was struggling after the first hour of rehearsal. Gotta get the action down before the gig!

So, very pleased with the BX500 tonight, and can't wait for the gig.

Cheers,
Liam
 
#790
The 112AG's are somewhat lost in the bas world because they're marketed as an extension to their little 3 channel PA-style amp and not a bass amp. The PA-style amp has a channel for keys/guitars, vocals, and bass though so the 112AG is built for full range sound reproduction. The amp is cool by the way. Carvin has some very cool gear that's unique in the marketplace. The BX1500 comes to mind and their powered PA mixers are killer little units.
 
#791
I've been really happy with my bx500 over the last year or so. I finally purchased a bx1500 due to arrive on Friday. Not because I need the extra power, I rarely need PA support with the bx500 and 15/6, but I love having gobs of spare headroom. I've been wanting to play with bi-amping, and the extra semi-parametric will be nice too. Can't wait.
 
#792
masonsjax said:
I've been really happy with my bx500 over the last year or so. I finally purchased a bx1500 due to arrive on Friday. Not because I need the extra power, I rarely need PA support with the bx500 and 15/6, but I love having gobs of spare headroom. I've been wanting to play with bi-amping, and the extra semi-parametric will be nice too. Can't wait.
Click to expand...

Love my BX1500. Great for bi ampin' :)
 
#793
Played a nice gig with the BX500 and the 112AG stack last night. Heavy hitting drummer, but I balanced him on stage with my master volume at 9:00. Thankfully I remembered my ear plugs this time. Last time I forgot, and my ears were ringing for a day or so. I had to cut the bass to about 11:00, as it was just too much. Got lots of compliments on the sound. Extremely pleased with this setup.

Cheers,
Liam
 
#796
Green Lantern said:
What tone character does the amp have when the tone controls are set flat? Vintage, dry, bright and poppy, full, transparent? What amp has a similar sound...I am thinking Hartke?
Click to expand...

Agreed with DJBB. Kinda bright and thin all set flat. I have to boost bass rather radically to get a full sound out of it. And I am generally NOT a fan of most "contour" knobs, but this one seems to get it closer to what I like. I play the snarly Jaco fretless tone but a little rounder, more like Mark Egan. So I have to push bass and cut that 500 Hz thing, which the contour knob seems to do. Like he said, there are incredible tone shaping capabilities on board.
 

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