Carvin LB75P-V --mp3 clips

[KayCee]

Hi all,

I've just picked up a Carvin LB75-P five-string off the 'bay, just seven months old and about half-price. I'm very skeptical of buying basses this way, but it showed up in excellent advertised condition with the truss rod working properly.

Back in the early 90's, I had a couple of Carvin basses (fretted and fretless) that I really liked, but sold/traded them in the process of GASSing other instruments during that decade. My only reservation with them was the electronics, which they've now upgraded, IMO.

I like to record my basses when doing setups so that I can sit back and really listen to the instrument's voice. I recommend the process, especially hearing the bass in some kind of mix in addition to it's soloed sound.

I'm using some midi backing tracks that I created for live performance as my "band" here. Some of you might remember these from my "Fender -vs- Valenti" thread from 18 months ago.

Anyway, I figure that I might as well post these mp3s in case they're of interest to anyone.

 

[KayCee]

Trading 4-bar licks, Fender then Carvin. Same Fender track from the old thread.

 

[Tony G]

You sure favor that bridge pickup, huh?

 

[KayCee]

One more for good measure.

 

[KayCee]

You sure favor that bridge pickup, huh?

Gotta plead guilty to that one.

The piezo bridge is an interesting aspect of the Carvin. It seems to add some sparkle without muddying things up. I'm still messing around with figuring out how much to mix into my sound and still keep that burpy bridge thing going.

 

[needmoney]

Nice chops. Great tone.

What do you use to make your MIDI tracks?

 

[IconBasser]

specs?

 

[IconBasser]

and more importantly:

PICS????

 

[KayCee]

specs?

5-piece neck, Alder body wings, 2 HH pups w/ piezo bridge (18v), blueburst over quilt with matching headstock, Ebony board, MOP inlays, rounded body shape, graphite bars in neck.

I'll try to shoot some pics tomorrow.

 

[KayCee]

Nice chops. Great tone.

What do you use to make your MIDI tracks?

Thanks. I have Cubase w/ Halion.

 

[cricketfever32]

i envy your playing skills...

 

[KayCee]

i envy your playing skills...

I appreciate the compliment. FWIW, I've been playing for 33 years.

 

[KayCee]

Today I'm just messing around with solo sounds over a midi track with the changes to "Lucky Southern".

Thought it might be of interest to those that sometimes go for a fretless-type tone on a fretted bass. I'm still turning knobs on this bass, and it's not quite "dialed in" to my exact tastes, but it's getting closer.

 

[Vic]

PICS, DAMMITT, PICS!

 

[lefty007]

Sounds great. If you told me that was a $5000 boutique bass, I'd have believed you.

 

[KayCee]

PICS, DAMMITT, PICS!

Front & Back.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Front & Back.

Sweet!

 

[Vic]

Front & Back.

Woah! ME LIKEY! So how much did it cost? I couldn't find the auction on ebay for some reason...

Also, I'm surprised you're getting that much bite from the bridge pickup with it that far away from the bridge. Nice.

 

[KayCee]

Woah! ME LIKEY! So how much did it cost? I couldn't find the auction on ebay for some reason...

Also, I'm surprised you're getting that much bite from the bridge pickup with it that far away from the bridge. Nice.

It was $799 shipped and insured, which is half of what it would cost to have built today, so it seemed a fair price. The auction seems to have disappeared from the "completed listings". Hmmm..oh well.

The rear coil isn't all the way back in J territory, but it's a little closer than it looks, as the smaller body/24 frets change the look slightly.

One thing that surprises me is the amount of low end this bass has. I'm actually rolling it off, even with the rear pup soloed. In dual-coil mode, it's a very thick sound. I don't know if it's the Alder or the HH pups, or a combination.

My Carvins of 15-years-ago lacked a solid bottom end. However, they were Koa bodies, and used the stacked J-type pups.

The neck shape, the board, the balance, and the 24-fret reach are as good as I've played on any bass. Set-up was a piece of cake.

 

[ExaltBass]

Very awesome bass - and TOTALLY awesome clips! (I wish I had some tracks like that to jam with). Your "Lucky Southern" will keep me busy - nice chops!

I have a similar Carvin LB75P ('cept a Jazz pup for the neck position) - I find the piezo is 'buzzy' in clubs with lots of fluorescent or dimmer lighting, I'm thinking of dialing it out. Hope yours works better for you.