Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call...Part 2!

[dgce]

Two thoughts:

I'm not normally a gold hardware fan, but on this bass it looks nice;
And
I'd like the icon headstock for this bass better. Otherwise, it's very cool.

Quite the looker but too rich for my blood. And agreed, gold hardware isn't my bag either and an Icon headstock would look pretty cool.

But I don't know, man. I think TK4261's old flamey walnut top ex-SB5000 is a more handsome instrument. The Burl Maple is interesting but just not as striking as, say, Spalted Maple. Maybe its the color. I can't put my finger on it. Claro Walnut and Koa, however, hot hot hot!

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Quite the looker but too rich for my blood. And agreed, gold hardware isn't my bag either and an Icon headstock would look pretty cool.

But I don't know, man. I think TK4261's old flamey walnut top ex-SB5000 is a more handsome instrument. The Burl Maple is interesting but just not as striking as, say, Spalted Maple. Maybe its the color. I can't put my finger on it. Claro Walnut and Koa, however, hot hot hot!

Yeah, I get that.

I've been restraining myself from ordering a simple sunburst 5000 - I need a 5 I can slap (my Zon has zany narrow spacing, great for fingering but not so much for slapping). I figure I can order what want for right around $1100, but man - all those pretty woods make me want to go *crazy*...

 

[dgce]

Yeah, I get that.

I've been restraining myself from ordering a simple sunburst 5000 - I need a 5 I can slap (my Zon has zany narrow spacing, great for fingering but not so much for slapping). I figure I can order what want for right around $1100, but man - all those pretty woods make me want to go *crazy*...

I hope to have my new SB5000 in sometime next week. Prior to ordering, I’d considered all kinds of finishes including exotic woods in tung oil. I’d change up every week. I came close to keeping it simple with classic white but in the end I went nuts (you’ll see when I post my pictures). I guess in the end, you can’t go wrong even with a $1,100 budget. Simple old school alder body and maple neck with the stock electronics and hardware; you’ve got all you need. The rest is gravy, really. But pretty sexy gravy!

 

[Jarrett]

I haven't updated in a while. Putting a new band together and charted out 8 tunes yesterday using my SB5. What a great bass Still digging it. My poor old Warwick that I've played for 17 years prior to getting the SB is all dusty and has a hoodie hanging on it The SB put it out to pasture.

 

[Jheake]

Sometimes that's a good thing tho. It did its job well i would say. 17 years with one bass is amazing. The SB5000 is just that great of a bass. especially when u compare the price of it vs a new warwick streamer 5....

i do miss my SS2-5 at times tho. That was a great bass..

 

[Jarrett]

Sometimes that's a good thing tho. It did its job well i would say. 17 years with one bass is amazing. The SB5000 is just that great of a bass. especially when u compare the price of it vs a new warwick streamer 5.... i do miss my SS2-5 at times tho. That was a great bass..

No kidding, the price difference is scary. I almost feel like I should be buying up some SB's before they really raise the price on them.

This is what I dig about the SB design, it lends itself either way. With traditional colors, a pickguard, SB headstock, its a nice J-bass alternative, but change the headstock, throw a nice top on it and all the sudden it starts looking like one of the coffee table jobs or whatever they are called You know, the expensive wood ones, hehe.

 

[Bjazzman]

still thinking of ordering one of these in either Deep Orange Burst Flame or Deep Antique Brown Flame either of which i'll want a maple neck. It's hard to tell how this will look as i can't find any examples. Also i have no idea what type of wood the pictures show when you click on the pics in the color wood guide. Anyone have either of these finishes here?

 

[dgce]

still thinking of ordering one of these in either Deep Orange Burst Flame or Deep Antique Brown Flame either of which i'll want a maple neck. It's hard to tell how this will look as i can't find any examples. Also i have no idea what type of wood the pictures show when you click on the pics in the color wood guide. Anyone have either of these finishes here?

Here's a couple of Carvins from their gallery. The SB is in deep orange with a quilt maple top. The guitar is deep brown antique with a flame top (tres classy!).

 

[emohair]

Whats up everyone? I got a chance to play my friends SB5000 last night and it is simply AWESOME!

I think I may get a custom one built modeled after this LEJ, love the blue burst with that white pickguard!!

I guess the Carvin finish would be similar to this, I want a really nice quilted maple top - after comparing the two colors the LEJ seems to be a bit more on the light blue...anyone know if I could specify this when ordering the bass that I want a slight black edge?

Looking forward to joining the crew...now I need to save my pennies

 

[dgce]

Whats up everyone? I got a chance to play my friends SB5000 last night and it is simply AWESOME!

I think I may get a custom one built modeled after this LEJ, love the blue burst with that white pickguard!!

I guess the Carvin finish would be similar to this, I want a really nice quilted maple top - after comparing the two colors the LEJ seems to be a bit more on the light blue...anyone know if I could specify this when ordering the bass that I want a slight black edge?

Looking forward to joining the crew...now I need to save my pennies

I know Carvin offers a blue burst finish and a black edges option as well. This LEJ appears to be a nice piece of ash not quilt. Blue burst maple quilt would look awesome but that would cost you another $300 where the ash would be only $30.(btw, I know some of the Carvin options have gone up in price over the last couple of months so you might want to check the $$$ to be sure).

Check the Carvin gallery, I'm sure you'll find something close to that LEJ to give you an idea what your SB might look like.

 

[dgce]

Whats up everyone? I got a chance to play my friends SB5000 last night and it is simply AWESOME!

I think I may get a custom one built modeled after this LEJ, love the blue burst with that white pickguard!!

I guess the Carvin finish would be similar to this, I want a really nice quilted maple top - after comparing the two colors the LEJ seems to be a bit more on the light blue...anyone know if I could specify this when ordering the bass that I want a slight black edge?

Looking forward to joining the crew...now I need to save my pennies

Hey, here's an ash SB5000 in blueburst. The guitar is quilted maple blueburst with the triple stain process. Very PRS.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Whats up everyone? I got a chance to play my friends SB5000 last night and it is simply AWESOME!

I think I may get a custom one built modeled after this LEJ, love the blue burst with that white pickguard!!

I guess the Carvin finish would be similar to this, I want a really nice quilted maple top - after comparing the two colors the LEJ seems to be a bit more on the light blue...anyone know if I could specify this when ordering the bass that I want a slight black edge?

Looking forward to joining the crew...now I need to save my pennies

If I may advise...

I bought a Carvin Strat with a quilt blueburst top, birdseye maple fretboard...

It looked beautiful, but it was BUSY BUSY BUSY... I didn't think about it until I saw a buddy of mine play it, but with all that highly figured wood, it looked... well... kinda tacky.

I think that the picture above is great - Ash with the burst - add a birdseye fretboard and you are SET. Also, that whole "black edge" on the burst thing is overrated - - On my strat, I didn't order the "black edges" thing (which is an upcharge) and it looked fine. I think that black edges thing is really more noticeable on redburst/sunburst type finishes.

 

[emohair]

Wow awesome! that SB5000 does look so close to the one I want (I'm pinning for a maple board). Thanks for sharing!

..now what gear can I upload to clear up some cash?? haha

 

[emohair]

I hear you on the busy thing BigOldHarry, I'm just trying to make this bass pop a little more than my current Ash/Maple Sadowsky which has a clear finish.

I may end up making it off white with a maple neck and white blocks like an old Fender, the matching headstock should really set it off! Such a tough decision

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I hear you on the busy thing BigOldHarry, I'm just trying to make this bass pop a little more than my current Ash/Maple Sadowsky which has a clear finish.

I may end up making it off white with a maple neck and white blocks like an old Fender, the matching headstock should really set it off! Such a tough decision

Well, I tell ya - if I were to order an SB5000 right now, it would look very much like the bass picture you included: Blueburst over ash / Birdseye fretboard... And you save a few hundred $$ not going with the figured maple!

 

[dgce]

Harry does have a point about quilted maple tops. Some can really look elegant while others indeed appear to be a bit busy or even tacky. I think part of this problem is the advent of the quilted maple “veneer” top. You know, the paper thin "top" of a guitar body that's supposed to make a budget guitar look expensive. These often fail miserably and have managed to taint the image of real quilts. Bummer.

Say, have you had a look at the new translucent pearl blue option? Have a look at the attached picture. The neck on this particular bass looks weird but never mind that, get a load of that finish over that ash. And you could always request black edges if you want it to have a burst look about it. I like it as-is.

 

[emohair]

My only set back is that I wanted Alder for the body wood...and the grain is rarely that interesting with that wood - but you do have an excellent point!

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Harry does have a point about quilted maple tops. Some can really look elegant while others indeed appear to be a bit busy or even tacky. I think part of this problem is the advent of the quilted maple “veneer” top. You know, the paper thin "top" of a guitar body that's supposed to make a budget guitar look expensive. These often fail miserably and have managed to taint the image of real quilts. Bummer.

Say, have you had a look at the new translucent pearl blue option? Have a look at the attached picture. The neck on this particular bass looks weird but never mind that, get a load of that finish over that ash. And you could always request black edges if you want it to have a burst look about it. I like it as-is.

The Carvin Strat I had seemed to have a pretty thick quilt top on it... it just seemed so... well, like I said : Busy.

Re. the clear blue - I'm a burst fan, so that's where I'd go... but any blue is *cool*. I dig blue instruments...

 

[Bjazzman]

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which color would be closest to this finish by fender? im really diggin this

 

[peledog]

The Pearl Blue (as I mentioned earlier in this thread) is calling my name.

Slap on a rosewood fingerboard with block inlays

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Maybe next year.