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Carvin MB 15 for $369!

gjbassist

gjbassist

Sep 7, 2005
6,039
3,131
60
Kansas City, MO
#1
Just thought I would let those interested know. I have been looking at getting one of these and clicked the link today. They have dropped the price another $30 to $369! Makes me want it even more! :hyper:

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I've been trying to decide between the Carvin MB 15 and the GK MB115. I played the GK today at GC and liked it a lot. I'm still leaning toward the Carvin though for the ability to add a second cabinet, more EQ features and the option of a different color tolex.
 
#3
I ordered an MB15 today. It was $394 with shipping. I chose it over the GKMB115 on features for the same price. The Carvin is made in USA too. It is nice to be able to buy American at a good price.
 
#13
The reason im asking, Im really on the fence ready to buy one of these combo's, and I have a 410 MBX sitting in my basement.

should I use it or sell it and pick up something better suited for the MB15?
 
#14
Do you plan on ever using the MB15 alone? If so, have you read all the reviews? If so, do you understand its limitations when run alone?

If yes, yes, and yes, then the answer to your question will hinge on what sort of sound you're looking for. There's no "better suited" or "worse suited" when it comes to an extension cab for the MB15. If you're a blues player as your username suggests, I think the 410 MBX would be a great fit in terms of tone. The only wild card will be how the head reacts electrically to that piezo tweeter and its crossover (if it even has a crossover), though you won't be hitting the cab with more than 125 watts so it's possible the amp will give up before the piezo starts sounding like frying bacon. (I'm worried about what, if any, impedance anomalies an overdriven piezo might present to the amp. I'm completely ignorant in that area, though, because I avoid piezos like I avoid leprosy.) If it turns out to be a problem, you could always rewire the cab to "delete" the tweeter altogether, and thus remove it from the impedance seen by the MB15's head. Simple job.
 
#15
I switch the the tweeter off, hate 'em. Dont care much for horns either, hiss machines in my book.

I do have someone interested in the MBX, so I'll probably sell it, and pick up a more suitable cab for an extension. I've been trying forever to "downsize" from a big rig, but I find it so hard to part with the big stuff.

I guess I have it stuck in my head that a small amp cant cut through at a gig.
 
#17
It is a nice amp. I have one for a practice amp and have even gigged it at small venues. It is in a very small box, so you aren't going to get huge low end, but you can definitely dial some bottom in. You do have to boost the bass more than "normal" on many of their smaller amps, but once you understand the setup, its no problem. These are a "small amp steal" for the price.
 
#18
Agreed, but the problem with dialing in a lot of low end is that you're burning many watts just to get that fifteen not to sound like the World's Biggest Midrange Driver. As long as you remain within the amp's 200 watt limit (at eight ohms) and within the driver's Xmax, you're good to go. The problem comes when you begin asking for meaningful volume at bass fundamentals rather than at harmonics. It just won't happen.

I got a couple of emails concerning my comment about there being no best extension cab for this model. I would have to agree that there are situations where you might run into trouble. So, let me state it this way: The bass response of the MB15 alone is so poor, that adding a truly capable (in terms of low end response) extension cab probably won't cause you trouble in terms of differing delay times in the bass region because the MB15's box+driver simply can't go low enough to fight what the extension cab is doing down in that range. I would expect this is the type of cab most users are going to choose, because they want not just more volume but also more bass extension. In my own experiments, the MB15 pairs best with cabs that go very low but don't do much in the midrange; this leaves each cab's individual response range unmolested. Pairing the MB15 with a cab that not only goes deep but also is capable in the low midrange, though, might get you some net summed low-mid response irregularities. The TB153 would be an example. So, I probably painted with too broad a brush, and I apologize for that.

Hope this helps.
 
#20
:cool:

I just got a MB15.
Only had an hour to fool with it so far.
This is one very fine little amp.
The smallest 15" combo I've ever played.
Nice tone, good power, would be better with second cab for bigger gigs.
All in all, a great buy for the money.
 

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