Carvin or Warwick - your opinion please.

[IamJohn]

I am looking for a new 5 string fretless. I have a budget number in mind of 1000 to 1500. I will absolutely never purchase another Ibanez under any circumstance. I would prefer to get a Fretless Fender 5 string, but one can only get 2 out of 3 on that list. I also would prefer American made and that is a big point in the Carvin column. I also prefer a Ebony fingerboard. The Warwick recently came to the final two as I have liked them from afar and I am leaning toward a satin black finish on the bass. I can make arguments in my head for both and I can play neither in advance. I can make an argument for a $2000 bass too, but don't want to spend that at this time. In my mind it is one of these, so a compelling reason to look at something else will need to be made. I guess the question comes down to Chinese made Warwick or American made Carvin for about the same dollars. I plan to pull the trigger in one week or less.

I own a Carvin PB5 I got new and a Warwick Corvette Std Ash 5 (German made) I got used. Both basses are passive.

Not an a/b comparison for what you're asking, but I have to give it to the Carvin based on the hardware and electronic design and quality. I'll give a short review on the aspects that made a difference to me.

Machine heads:
While both of these basses have machine heads with 20:1 ratios, I've found Carvin's to be much smoother. In addition, I've had one break off of my Warwick before right at the base.

Nut Design:
While the just-a-nut on the Warwick is a cool concept, and proved handy when making set up adjustments, I find that it lacks contact with the neck and kills a bit of the sustain of the instrument. I prefer the Tusq nut on the Carvin.

That said, I did order my Carvin with custom strings, and they didn't cut the nut to match them. It isn't too big of a deal, and I didn't specify that when ordering, but it's something I would expect when ordering a new custom instrument.

Shielding:
Carvin uses copper shielding in their electronic cavities, while Warwick uses shielding paint. I'm not at all impressed with the shielding paint. I compared my corvette with my friends after he put in some copper tape and there was a very noticeable reduction in buzz with his.

Bridge Design:
Probably my biggest gripe with the Warwick is the 3d bridge. Just like the just-a-nut, it's a cool design that CAN make setting up the bass really easy but it limits your string options. I prefer kalium strings which have a short taper which makes setting up the bass difficult or impossible depending on how you like your action.

The Carvin bridge is simple, effective, and has a top load or string through option. Where the Warwick limits your string options, the Carvin expands them.

Other Notes:
This may not be applicable based on the design/wood choices of your bass, but the Warwick has a pretty substantial neck dive. The Carvin has a little dive to it, but it's hardly noticeable. Also, stock pickups on both basses are pretty decent. Neither bass is my main player so i've felt no need to change them out.

Crappy pic of the PB5 for good measure.

 

[Charlzm]

I own both a Carvin (Kiesel) and a Warwick, though not the ones you are referencing. All other things being equal, I would go with the Warwick. However... if ordering new, and if you want any kind of customization at anything approaching a rational price, go Kiesel (AKA Carvin).

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I've written here before that I don't consider Carvin to be professional equipment - and I never will.

Look at the number of Carvin instruments that are for sale on TB, CL, EBay and other sites. Its my observation that their ibstruments don't deliver much long term satisfaction. All my friends that have bought Carvin turned right around and sold them fairly quickly.

And let's now compare that to a MIC Warwick...

 

[AztecViking]

Try them out for yourself if you possibly can. Better yet live with a band using your preferred amp rig. While very well intentioned all of our opinions are more than just somewhat subjective since the sound and feel of any bass is such an intimately personal thing. Just sayin'.

 

[CatchtheDemon]

My main bass used to be a Carvin LB76 fretless that was stolen from my parents house while I was on deployment. I would have it to this day if that hadn't happened. It had a crazy comfortable neck, really durable fretboard, and just a really versatile sound with a lot of flexibility.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Just took a look at the Carvin/Kiesel web site

Woof - They have raised their prices. Yikes! Not such a killer deal as they used to be. Ah well. Not important - buy used. Here on TB!

 

[HubbardsFate]

I've written here before that I don't consider Carvin to be professional equipment - and I never will.

Steve Vai, Frank Gambale, Allan Holdsworth, Brian Bromberg, and several other professionals would probably beg to differ.

Look at the number of Carvin instruments that are for sale on TB, CL, EBay and other sites. Its my observation that their ibstruments don't deliver much long term satisfaction. All my friends that have bought Carvin turned right around and sold them fairly quickly.

Just out of curiosity, I popped over to Reverb for a look. There were 33 Carvin guitars for sale - and almost 4000 listings for Fenders. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that you consider at least American-made Fenders to be professional quality instruments. So to go by your logic, Fenders not only aren't pro-quality instruments, but that applies to them even more so than Carvins?

I also perused about the first ten pages of the basses for sale here on TB. I think I saw something like 3 Carvins. I'm almost certain I saw more Sadowskys, Dingwalls and Foderas listed than Carvins. Just sayin'.

 

[osonu]

I don't know if this will help, but it is my experience. My local Sam Ash had both a 4 and a 5 string Rockbass $$ at one time. The 5er sounded amazing, but I didn't think I wanted another 5 at that time. Came home and did some research, which caused me to buy a used German $$. I hated it, and ended up returning it- would have much preferred the Rockbass as far as sound and feel of THOSE TWO particular basses went.

With that said, I love my Carvin LB70, which I also bought used. I would also think it's a much closer match to a $$ then the JB you're considering. I find it pays to try individual basses- I've never found another $$ that sounded as good as that first 5er I tried.

 

[Toptube]

I vote Kiesel.

Believe me, it is a total blast customizing a build and then about 3 months later, seeing the result.

10 day return window for any reason. Don't like the color? build a different one. Don't like the feel? build a different model. QC isn't quite there? send it back and they will fix it or rebuild and make it right.

5 year warranty.

they now have a 90 day payment plan through Progressive. It sounds like they are approving just about anyone.

If you are going to do satin black, I would suggest the "raw tone" finish. They eliminate some of the undercoat, so that the paint sinks into the grain, for a textured look. They recently improved it, so it will even show grain texture on mahogany or limba.

and here are some JB videos

 

[snake23]

I'm a huge Warwick lover but the Rockbass is junk.I also have a Carvin XB75 which is incredible. My German Warwicks are the best basses I've owned. You really can't compare the chinese Rockbass to the Carvin or the German Wicks.Forget about the Rockbass get a new Carvin or a used German Warwick.

 

[Slapstyle]

No interest in a used Pedulla? That's always my first thought in the 5 string fretless world. I like the Ibanez GWB's too, but it sounds like that's not a consideration.

 

[bherman]

I've owned several Carvins including a bass similar to what you are looking at commissioning and I think the quality is just fine. Only thing to be aware of is that if you look to sell it down the line, you're going to take a real hit on depreciation. They don't hold their value as much as some of the higher-end basses that are produced in more limited numbers. Used Carvins, if you can find the right one, are good value for the money.

 

[mikeyjm2]

I didn't vote because I only have experience with a German made Warwick: Corvette.

I don't follow Carvin stuff as far as resale value goes, but I do follow Warwick stuff just out of curiosity and I can tell you that even German made Warwick Corvettes don't hold resale value (for whatever reason).

 

[Dhub]

I've got a German Warwick Corvette 5 string fretless up on reverb now $900.
Warwick Corvette Fretless 5 string GERMAN made

If any interest I can move it to the classifieds over here??

 

[39-Bassist]

Carvin first...you can always send it back if you do not like it. Then you could get Warick without question.
Personally I prefer the Carvin...but it comes down to your taste.
Of course...

 

[El-Bob]

Out of the options you listed, definitely Carvin, but as others have said, you could actually get a German Warwick Corvette for less than $1000, easily. In fact, if you shopped around carefully with that budget, I bet you could get two of them!

 

[Clef_de_fa]

I have both Carvin's and Warwick's basses and I prefer Warwick german one. There is an attention to detail that is just amazing especially for a fretted bass. And for the price I paid for my last Carvin it was almost the cost of my Thumb BO 6 ...

Carvin are good instrument for sure but for them to be amazing compare to the competition you need to stay in the bolt-on models. Carvin also doesn't have any personnality, it is a cameleon

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I'd love to get a Kiesel JB, I just can't get past the wooden shoe headstock.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

Kiesel (used to be Carvin) all the way...

 

[Eilif]

Carvin Vs Rockbass. Carvin all the way.

A Carvin 5 fretless (LB75) was my main bass for 5 years or so. Loved it. The Ebony fingerboard was a joy to play on and it sounded great. I got rid of it as my visual and nut-width preferences changed. I would have bought another Carvin for sure if they offered a P-bass nut width. I've never been impressed with rockbasses. However German Warwicks are quite nice.

Both Carvin and German Warwicks suffer from huge depreciation (more than other brands). For that reason alone I would check the used market. if your budget is $1k-1500, there should be a ton of used Carvin and German Warwick instruments in that price range.

All that said, though if it's between Carvin and Rockbass, it's not even a contest in my opinion. A run-of-the-mill import vs a semi-custom USA bass made to your preferences.