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Carvin R1000

Bottomdweller

Bottomdweller

Oct 16, 2001
198
3
54
Kettering, Ohio
#1
I am thinking about buying a used one paired with an Ampeg 4x10 next week. I was wondering what the reputation of these heads are,and how people that have them(or have played through one) like them. I know Carvin generally has a good name,but I haven't played through one of these yet. But,I'm on a budget and this looks to be the best rig I can find for the $600 I have to spend. I've got a new gig and need a bigger rig really soon. Thanks...
 
#2
Well, I'm a Carvin fan, so take that as it's worth...

Sounds like an awesome deal - as long as everything works, that is. What's the cab, 4ohm or 8ohm, and what power capacity? Doesn't matter really, I guess -- that amp can drive an 8-ohm cab with 700 watts in bridged mono mode, so if the cab can take it you'll probably have everything you'd ever need unless it's all going through the mains.

Is it a newer one with the solid-state overdrive or an older one with a tube? Not sure, but I think Series II and Series III are solid-state. Check the website for old manuals.

I recently replaced a 7-year old Carvin 500-watt bass head with the new R600 model, and that only to get the newer features -- the old one was still kickin' jes' fine, thank yew. I've found them plenty roadworthy and sturdy.

Again, if you're sure it all works, I'd go for it.
 
#3
Well,the cab is a 600 watter. I don't know about the impedance. That's what he said. I have yet to check everything out. He's an over-the-road truck driver,so I won't be able to see it until next week. And I'm not sure if the amp is Series I,II,or III. How different is the tone of the preamps? Thanks...
 
#4
Frankly, I'm not crazy about the sound of the solid state "tube emulator circuit" in my R600, but then I don't like many bass distortion or overdrive pedals either, so maybe my opinion isn't the best to listen to. In any event, I never use it. And' I've never heard a Series I with a real tube, so I can't compare.

As far as the tone of the whole amp less the tube emulator, I would imagine they're pretty doggone similar whether it's a Series I, II, or III.

You do definitely need to find out the impedance (ohms) of the cab, so you know what's going to happen when you plug it in and run bridged mono or normal mode, or if you ever add another cab. Usually it's printed on the nameplate (if there is one). It is quite easy for anyone with a soldering iron and a screwdriver to rewire a 4-speaker enclosure for series or parallel, though, so you want to make sure. I've never seen one, but I have to imagine that someone has invented an ohmmeter that has a 1/4" phone plug as its probe for determining the impedance of a speaker cabinet. Though if he's the original owner and says it hasn't been rewired, I suppose you could trust that.

I hope this works out for you -- a dollar a watt for a complete rig is a darned good deal!
 
#5
Your going to love the head, if it works as advertised, but the cab is going to give you problems. I own the series II r600 and like the overdriven tube blended with the SS. But I ditched the cab because everytime I tried to push the amp the way it needs to be pushed tonally the cab would fart. I ditched it and bought an Avatar 8 ohm 4-10 and have never looked back. This cab will not fart with the R600 and may not with the R1000, no matter what series you have. Also, as far as the series go, if you blend the tube and SS like I do, all the series sound pretty much the same....

Jay
 
#7
the head is wonderful. I have a series 2 R600, and it never dissapoints me (except in areas of wanting more power, but thats because my cab is supposed to handle something like 1200W RMS) anyways, the series 2 has a tube blendable overdrive in the preamp. The series 3 has solid state, and also has speakons in addition to the 1/4" speaker out jacks in back. The Carvin heads are incredibly durable, quite loud, look good, and sound great. I love em. I cant speak on the cab, having never owned one.
 
#8
May I jump in here? I personally wouldn't have any problem running a R1000 through the Ampeg 410 cab. It's probably the 400 watt(rms), 800 watt(program) 8 ohm SVT410he you are getting. I tried a new R1000 for the 15 day trial period and even though i didn't buy it I thought it was a great amp. I bought an Ampeg B4r instead. IMO the carvin could do anything the Ampeg could. I also wasn't a fan of the tube emulator but I usually like the clean SS sound anyway. Push in the bass boost button and you'll get a low end rumble that sounds very SVT like. I'd say if the gear is in good shape snatch it up.
 
#9
I say go for it...I htink the carvin will sound great through an ampeg 4x10.

I have a Carvin R-1000 (series III) and I use it with two of the 'old-school' Mesa diesel cabs (with the EVMs in them...). One is a 4x10 and one is a road-ready 1x15. the setup sounds AMAZING. Also, for a while I used the R-1000 with the 4x10 mesa cab only (since I didn't have the 1x15 yet) and that also sounded great. Obviously, I can really pound the bass out now that I have a 15" cab in the mix, but the 4x10 alone was still great.

Only complaint about the carvin...bi-amp mode sucks. Who in the h*ll puts a bi-amp cross-over that only goes down to 200 Hz? It's extremely ineffective IMO, but I like the sound of my amp in bridged mode with every frequency going through every cab, since they can both handle it with EASE.

All in all, a greta amp, tons of power, versatile sound, and tons of bang for your buck...

Good luck
Graham
 
#10
I love my R600. I ran it into a Peavey 410 TX normal mode, and it wasn't very loud, but I bridged it and the 500 watts made the thing come alive. I thnk mine is the series II. I got mine for $350 used, and I advise you to do the same with the R1000. it will cost you half as much, but the thing is built like a rock, so it will still probably be in good condition. The sound out of it kicks A$$, and the huge EQ can shape the tone greatly. There is nothing better for the money than a Carvin head.

I can't help you on that specific cab, but if it is 600 watts, the R1000 might be a bit much. I would try to find something like 700 watts or more at 8 ohms. then you can run it to it's full capacity without fear of blowing it.
 
#12
Yeah,I can't wait to look at it this week. Probably Tuesday or Wednesday. I will probably buy it on the spot. I've been scanning Ebay and the classifieds and haven't found a deal like this. The guy seems pretty straight,I feel confident that the stuff is in good shape. I Think it'll sound great and do the job for me. I've been playing through an Ampeg BA112 combo for about a year and can't wait to FEEL my bass again. I still have my low-key acoustic gig but, I need to get loud and jam with a drummer. That's what it's all about...:bassist:
 
#14
let me tag on too...R1000 is a great head. I've used it exclusively for over a year with no problems. You'll have enough power to really do whatever you want and add cabs in the future with no problems. I run the same set-up as TJBass does a lot(Avatar 4x10), but then switch over to a 2x10/1x15 set-up other times...works great either way.
good luck with it--check it out good and make sure it's all working correctly(there are lots of "knobs" on it:rolleyes: )
 
#15
I used to own a Carvin R-600 and it is probably the best bass head I've played for the money ($299 used!) given the sheer amount of cabinet connection possibilities, headroom and control. I found the noise gate to be useless and did not like the DI, but other than that, it was a pretty good amp. Came in it's own carpeted case too.
 
#18
the R1000 is like a lot of gear---it's got stuff that works great, some knobs that are only good for leaving off and yes, it takes some time to find what you may want--but I can say that about a lot of stuff I've played before. If you leave it flat and everything on "5" and adjust and play with it there are great tone shaping abilities on it.
Good luck!
 
#19
I used to have an R600.IMO it had a "Peavey" like nasal quality to it.I compared it side by side with an Ampeg B2R and SWR SM400S and the Carvin came up short tonewise.The best sound I found on it was everything set flat with the graphic EQ off.I boosted/cut bass,treble and mids on my bass.It was quite loud though.
 
#20
I've played on a R1000 for a while now, and it is a good, reliable head with versatility and a lot of power. I've had no problems at all with mine. It sounds good, but I've never gotten that "to die for" tone (maybe that tone is a myth...). It's a great deal for the money, though.
 

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