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Carvin Comparision Question
- Thread starter AboveTheBridge
- Start date
- Jun 19, 2004
- 4,782
- 83
- 42
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist, Schroeder Cabinets
A big +1 to this. I was very disappointed in my old Carvin RL1000 full-stack (1000 watt head w/ a 4x10 + 1x18), and Carvin gear has always been tops in the past. Carvin sells on a variation of "factory direct" (no dealers, only factory stores and then, only in California), so while the middleman isn't completely eliminated - they do have salesmen, storefronts, etc - they can sell for ~30% or more below equivalent market prices and still make a profit at the same quality.
Now, keep in mind that Carvin is competing with mid-level to upper-mid-level brands. A $2k Carvin "Custom Shop" bass will NOT compete with a Ritter, Jerzy Drozd, etc, but it can hold its own with a Spector, high-end Ibanez, high-end Fender, and so on.
Their amps are tough and loud and versatile. I wouldn't say they are incredibly hi-fi, but they have unbelievable bang-for-buck and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.
By the way, if you don't like people seeing the "Carvin" name on your gear, you can borrow a tip from TV musos and just cover/remove the logos...
- Jun 19, 2004
- 4,782
- 83
- 42
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist, Schroeder Cabinets
And for an even better deal, check out used Carvin gear. Best deals out there IME, except maybe used Pedullas.
Carvin still refuses to sell the schematics. Every tech and luthier in my area of the country refuses to work on Carvin equipment because of this fact. And now the latest twist is that once the warranty runs out so does Carvin's support. You can purchase an extended warranty (oh how nice of them).
I know a number of people who have had great experiences with Carvin, I am not one of them. IMHO, go with the Mesa Boogie.
Wow, they need to seriously rethink their support model for electronics. I own a couple Carvin instruments, but with policies like this, I'm not going to touch one of their amps with a 10 foot pole. Sad, because their stuff is pretty well built at a decent price.
Note to Carvin: No one wants to steal your designs. Just sell the stupid schematics!
Note to Carvin: No one wants to steal your designs. Just sell the stupid schematics!
Hm, that's a pity. Such a situation would definitely bother me too if I couldn't get something fixed locally. But on the other side of that, I've never had a problem finding people locally to work on my Carvin gear on the few occasions when it's been necessary. It may not be such an issue in all areas of the country. And as for every tech and luthier, why would any competent luthier need a schematic for a guitar or bass, anyway? Techs, of course, because they're working on more complicated electronic gear, but luthiers? Any mechanical aspect of a Carvin guitar or bass is going to be the same as other guitars or basses, and any electrical aspect of a Carvin instrument is going to be obvious to anybody with the slightest claim to electric instrument repair skill. Besides, IME, every Carvin guitar and bass comes with wiring diagrams, and if you lose yours they have them on the website.
Your local techs may have a point, but if your local luthiers are refusing to work on Carvins, that's complete BS AFAIAC.
The problem with my local luthiers, I believe, was that the Carvin bass I owned had active pups. Maybe if it was a passive, their response would have been different.
No disrespect, but that's still BS on their part if that was their argument. Shouldn't have mattered. In the first place, Carvin has never had active pickups; they use passive pickups coupled with an active preamp. In the second place, the wiring of even an active Carvin bass is much simpler than any amp. Anybody who claims to be capable of working on an electric bass these days ought to have been able to deal with it. At worst you buy another circuit--and Carvin does sell those--and follow the wiring instructions. I mean, come on, active basses have been around for how many years now? And there are how many makers who put out active basses? What kind of decent bass repairperson can't deal with active basses? That would be like a car mechanic who can't deal with fuel injection or catalytic converters. Could these repair folks have dealt with a Smith, a Fodera, an Alembic, a Nordstrand, a Sadowsky? If so, why not a Carvin? If not, how can they claim to be up to speed?
I definitely sympathize with your situation if you couldn't get your bass worked on, but with respect to this particular issue, it seems as if the problem was not Carvin so much as it was poor repairpeople.
this is what I don't understand as well...they might not want to work on Carvin but should there be anything in there really that cannot be worked on or any problem that cannot be solved by someone who knows electronics???
Bill
Bill
I owned a crap load of Carvin gear back in my teenage years. They make great bass cabinets (especially the BRX series) and their amplifiers can be thrown from a moving truck and still power up. However, I've never heard a Carvin tha had the monster tone of a Mesa. You have to decide which is the better deal.
Trust me, I lost a great deal of respect not only for Carvin but all of the local repairs shops in regard to the problem with my LB-70. What should have been an easy fix turned into a nightmare. There were no winners.
In trying to get back to the original question, I brought up my experience only to give input to ATB. If ATB has a great tech in his area, then maybe the Carvin will work. Still I would spend the extra $$ and go for the Mesa Boogie.
I have two Carvin speaker cabs. For the tone you get out of em' I don't think you can get any more for the money. Meaning I will NOT be selling those any time soon.
Their amps... I borrowed a "pro bass 200" and really hated the sound of it. I mean ddooohhh... Very dry and the compressor really sucked on it.
I have a c1644 usb mixer and the thing ROCKS!!!
The absence of schematics and the fact that everything is surface mount (makes part ID even harder) turns me away from the bass amps now.
Why not check the used market for a Mesa? Let some one else pay the newness off of it and test it for you.
Their amps... I borrowed a "pro bass 200" and really hated the sound of it. I mean ddooohhh... Very dry and the compressor really sucked on it.
I have a c1644 usb mixer and the thing ROCKS!!!
The absence of schematics and the fact that everything is surface mount (makes part ID even harder) turns me away from the bass amps now.
Why not check the used market for a Mesa? Let some one else pay the newness off of it and test it for you.
First...for all the Carvin lovers with broken Carvins:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
(These are where all the schematics live).
Second, I have owned two carvin amps. One was the PB combo (can't remember the name exactly) and one was the R1000.
Here are the pros: Very nice sound and price.
Here are the cons: No local dealer = more expensive repairs
No resale value
Not great support from Carvin...but ok.
The fact that it says carvin on the amp always seems to scare people.
Both of my carvins broke and not because of any abuse. In fact, I actually found a repair guy who spent nearly a year on the r1000 and finally gave up.
Their redline series is a complete failure hands down. I have heard better things about the next step up, but have no personal stories for those.
I just bought a Genz benz and have heard almost nothing bad about them. I have know a lot of people to praise Mesa as well. They are geared more towards professional players though. You get what you pay for with heads and basses in general...unless you get crap and paid for an amp.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
(These are where all the schematics live).
Second, I have owned two carvin amps. One was the PB combo (can't remember the name exactly) and one was the R1000.
Here are the pros: Very nice sound and price.
Here are the cons: No local dealer = more expensive repairs
No resale value
Not great support from Carvin...but ok.
The fact that it says carvin on the amp always seems to scare people.
Both of my carvins broke and not because of any abuse. In fact, I actually found a repair guy who spent nearly a year on the r1000 and finally gave up.
Their redline series is a complete failure hands down. I have heard better things about the next step up, but have no personal stories for those.
I just bought a Genz benz and have heard almost nothing bad about them. I have know a lot of people to praise Mesa as well. They are geared more towards professional players though. You get what you pay for with heads and basses in general...unless you get crap and paid for an amp.
Come on, nothing is tougher than Chuck Norris.
http://mike.wordpress.com/2005/12/13/more-chuck-norris-facts/
1. When a tsunami happens, it’s because Chuck Norris has been swimming laps in the ocean.
2. Chuck Norris poops light sabers.
3. Chuck Norris clips his toenails with a chain saw. But he holds it backwards.
4. Chuck Norris likes his coffee like he likes his women: ground up, packed in a burlap sack, and thrown over the back of a donkey.
5. Why did the chicken cross the road? Because Chuck Norris threw it.
6. Chuck Norris’s belly button is actually a power outlet.
7. Camels have a hump because Chuck Norris needed a place to store his kills.
8. Chuck Norris has a beautiful singing voice. Unfortunately, the sound of it would melt the average human brain.
9. Chuck Norris has a pet kitten - every night for a snack.
10. On his birthday, Chuck Norris blows out his candles by blinking.
11. Outer space exists because it’s afraid to be on the same planet with Chuck Norris.
12. When Chuck Norris vomits, wealthy people scavenge it for food. Too bad for them Chuck Norris never vomits.
13. If Chuck Norris were a ballet dancer, he’d strangle you gracefully with his tutu. And then himself.
14. Chuck Norris graduated from school with a degree in Chuck Norris.
15. Our founding fathers originally decreed a strict separation between Chuck Norris and state. Chuck Norris eliminated them.
16. The only thing Chuck Norris fears is Chuck Norris.
17. Chuck Norris uses staples as hair gel.
18. Chuck Norris doesn’t wash his clothes, he disembowels them.
19. When Chuck Norris jumps into a swimming pool, he doesn't get wet - the water gets Chuck Norrised.
...sorry. Couldn't resist.
Actually I like Carvin gear. From what I've read, the BX series is the real deal, if not necessarily really hi-tech. Heavy, loud, and simple. Nothing wrong with that, and the value is undeniable.
Carvin vs Mesa?Carvin is descent stuff for the money. Mesa is built to be the best it can be reguardless of the money, and you will have to pay for it. I own a Carvin 12 channel PA head that I've had for over 10 yrs. Great piece. I also own a DCP 1000 power amp. 1 channel has gone down. The only way I can get it fixed is by sending it back to Carvin. I have always felt that the DCP1000 was a bit over rated powerwise. (jmho)
If you mean the DCM1000 I too own one, plus a DCM1204, DCM1500 and a DCM150 that provides the power for my computer music system. I have tested my DCM1000 and it met its' specified power rating with ease. I have never had a problem with any of my Carvin electronics and would unhesitatingly recomend Carvin to any one. If there is something that I need I check with Carvin first!
Paul
