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Carvin Mystery Bass ??

J

j_p_stroud

Mar 6, 2013
2
0
#1
Ok, so maybe its not a huge mystery...

Bought new at the Carvin store in 1993, passive 4 string fretless, neck through and walnut, serial number 31087 (so made in 91-94 according to Carvin's website)...looks like a LB20 but with a diamond headstock, so what it REALLY looks like is an LB90, which was discontinued in 87...

Any ideas?
 

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#4
WoodyG3 said:
The pickups tell you it's later than '89 because it is a Jazz style pickup, probably one of the H50 models. So this is an LB20. Wilkinson bridge means '91-'98. Carvin tuners instead of Spirzels, so that means '96 or later. So it's a '96-'98 LB20 with optional diamond headstock, which is interesting. Nice find!
Click to expand...

But the OP bought it new in '93......... Time machine?
 
#6
The tuners threw me also. They aren't the tuners found on the 93 LB20. Still, I bought it new in 93, at Carvin. Might be the standard tuners looked odd on the diamond headstock so they went back to the tuners they used on the LB90, which had a slimmer look. I bought it because I fell in love with her look. It wasn't till years later I realized how great she sounded.
Thanks for the replies.
 
#7
It's an LB90 body shape and headstock. I don't know if the '87-'88 LB90's were dovetails or neck throughs, but the shape and headstock are all LB90.

87_lb90-large.jpg


If it was purchased at one of the Carvin stores and not ordered spec by spec, it's possible the store ordered it in the 90's. Just because an instrument isn't in the catalog doesn't always mean it is no longer available, and we don't know what the case was in the early 90's.
Regardless, it is a gorgeous bass, and I want it :)
 
#11
Doesn't suprise me that a bass was ordered with an older model headstock. Back in 94 I ordered an LB70 with an "older" 2+2 headstock like what was used on the 80's LB50's and such. At the time the traditional headstock option wasn't on the catalog, and the Hollywood store ordered it for me. Shortly after that is became listed as an option.
 
#12
Caca de Kick said:
Doesn't suprise me that a bass was ordered with an older model headstock. Back in 94 I ordered an LB70 with an "older" 2+2 headstock like what was used on the 80's LB50's and such. At the time the traditional headstock option wasn't on the catalog, and the Hollywood store ordered it for me. Shortly after that is became listed as an option.
Click to expand...

It's not just the headstock though, it's the body. It has the look of a stretched LB90, as the LB90's bridge came almost to the endpin and it doesn't on this bass. And the LB20/70 had the pointed horns (as it were), and not the rounded ones this bass has.

This particular body shape/configuration doesn't appear to be in any of the catalogs, and the rounded horns don't appear to be an option for the LB20/70. Even if they were, I'm not certain there is enough wood in the horns of the LB20/70 to have them come out as round as they are on this bass. I know Carvin has more options than anyone else, but one off body shapes aren't an everyday thing for them certainly.

JP, do you have any more pics? :) I can host them for you if need be.
 
#13
jim777 said:
Just noticed the quote in the LB70 page by Roger Sadowsky praising the bass :)
Click to expand...

Roger had done probably a few product reveiws for BP magazine back in the day. I still have one of the early BP mags that Roger did a product review of the AVS 62RI Jazz Bass, he compared it along with an original '62 stack knob.
 

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