Out of all the basses I picked up there, I thought that Pedulla was a really nice one. I had never seen one before, but I was shocked when I flipped the price tag over though, whew. The Modulus felt good as well, but liked the SB a lot better. Also the Music Man was ok. Overall I felt like the $1,093 I spent on my SB5000 was a great investment in comparison to the basses I had my hands on yesterday.
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Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call...Part 2!
- Thread starter smperry
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Its always astonishing to discover that all the basses you drooled over in guitar magazines turn out to be nice but not ALL THAT when you actually try them out. Still, it doesn't surprise me, that the Pedulla Rapture was the nicest of the bunch. Pedullas are excellent and the Rapture line seems to focus more on quality and attention to detail rather than fancy tone wood exotica. But that quality comes at a price. Its a real credit to Carvin that they can produce a bass that can really go toe to toe with the boutique boys while not breaking the bank.
Hey all just compared the Carvin 50STS and 5011s on my SB5.
Let me just start by saying that i'm a die hard Rotosound Swing Bass 66 user (Stainless Steel). They're Cheap, last a long time and are IMHO as bright for Slap as just about anything out there.. Plus they have that cool red wrap!
Anyhow, my SB5 came with the nickel Carvin(la bella) 5011s installed. i Thought they sounded pretty bright and lasted a little longer than most nickel strings i've played.
I was really excited to try the Carvin (la Bella) stainless steel strings.
OMG! they were HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!! To Carvins (la Bella's) defence i may have had a bum set, however, i'm not going to try them again to find out.
I installed the Low B first and it sounded rather dead upon tuning it up.. i thought "well, it is the low B, how bright CAN it sound?"
I installed the E and it was at least 2x as dead as the already dead nickel string i had just taken off! I mean it had the sound of a 6 month old string played constantly with grimy hands! I actually just stopped right there, took them off and emailed Carvin. As expected they were over the top with their service and shipped me a new set of nickel 5011s no charge and didn't even want the new set of 50sts strings back.
I'd like to hear if any one else has tried the 50 STSs on their SB and if they were as initially dead as I have found.
I haven't tried the Rotosounds yet on my SB, probably will next, then some Marcus Fat Beams perhaps, although they are pretty spendy for strings...
Let me just start by saying that i'm a die hard Rotosound Swing Bass 66 user (Stainless Steel). They're Cheap, last a long time and are IMHO as bright for Slap as just about anything out there.. Plus they have that cool red wrap!
Anyhow, my SB5 came with the nickel Carvin(la bella) 5011s installed. i Thought they sounded pretty bright and lasted a little longer than most nickel strings i've played.
I was really excited to try the Carvin (la Bella) stainless steel strings.
OMG! they were HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!! To Carvins (la Bella's) defence i may have had a bum set, however, i'm not going to try them again to find out.
I installed the Low B first and it sounded rather dead upon tuning it up.. i thought "well, it is the low B, how bright CAN it sound?"
I installed the E and it was at least 2x as dead as the already dead nickel string i had just taken off! I mean it had the sound of a 6 month old string played constantly with grimy hands! I actually just stopped right there, took them off and emailed Carvin. As expected they were over the top with their service and shipped me a new set of nickel 5011s no charge and didn't even want the new set of 50sts strings back.
I'd like to hear if any one else has tried the 50 STSs on their SB and if they were as initially dead as I have found.
I haven't tried the Rotosounds yet on my SB, probably will next, then some Marcus Fat Beams perhaps, although they are pretty spendy for strings...
I too am tall, 6'3", and the SB5000 really feels and looks great. The body is a little large i guess, however, it looks totally normal on me. As a matter of fact, ergonomically and visually it fits me better than any bass i've owned.
That's why you gots to PLAY before you PAY.
Carvin is an odd duck in that way... The value you get with a new Carvin is completely customization - plus a money back guarantee (love it or send it back for 10 days, right?)
So I'm thinking SB5000, alder body, flame top w/tobacco sunburst; Birdseye fretboard, chrome... Understated but classy-cool would be the goal...
jzbass6
One Nation Under A Groove
I thinking of putting an order in for a SB5000, any pros or cons about the standard fretwire opposed to the stainless steel? Also does anyone know why blk block inlays are not offered?
Thx
Spec :
Maple neck W birdseye FB with dots
Black swamp ash body W matching headstock
J9A Alnico Single Coil Pickups
Black Pickups covers
White Logo
Chrome Hardware
White Pearloid Pickguard
Metal Knobs w/ White Pearl Inlays
Thx
Spec :
Maple neck W birdseye FB with dots
Black swamp ash body W matching headstock
J9A Alnico Single Coil Pickups
Black Pickups covers
White Logo
Chrome Hardware
White Pearloid Pickguard
Metal Knobs w/ White Pearl Inlays
There was a part of the previous thread on this... It has to do with the material they use for the inlays and the sanding of the maple fretboard. It seems sanding a maple board, because maple is so hard, tends to cause problems with inlays. Or so Carvin says.
Keep in mind that the current "Geddly Lee" bass everyone thinks of when they think Black inlay is just painted on... and the olde original inlayed maple neck J basses had so much thick finish on them that they COULD stick up a bit an no one could tell!
This is interesting. I ordered my SB5000 with the Carvin SS strings. The E string was dead upon arrival. Carvin sent me two new sets of SS strings and the B string in the second set was dead. While I was waiting for my replacement Carvin strings to arrive I went to GC and picked up a set of the DR Fat Beams. I've had the fat beams before and thought they were nice strings, but I didn't care for them on the SB5000. They were too muddy sounding. I think I will try the DR Low Riders next.
jzbass6
One Nation Under A Groove
I kinda did this with mine as well. If I had it to do over again, I would definitely put something nice on the fretboard like abalone inlays and NOT try to match the birdseye on the board to the headstock. I might have done the 3+2 headstock as well ala larryelwood. Also, the black kind of makes the bridge pickup disappear. I would do a nice blue if I were doing it again. Even that red one that popped up lately looks really nice. I did the SS frets as well. Here's what mine came out looking like:
and here's larryelwood's slick bass:
jzbass6
One Nation Under A Groove
Thx for pic's they both look great to me, I kinda thought about getting the Icon headstock myself now I have a reference to think about. Other than the appearence are you happy with the sound? and SS frets make a difference?
JZ
JZ
I kinda did this with mine as well. If I had it to do over again, I would definitely put something nice on the fretboard like abalone inlays and NOT try to match the birdseye on the board to the headstock. I might have done the 3+2 headstock as well ala larryelwood. Also, the black kind of makes the bridge pickup disappear. I would do a nice blue if I were doing it again. Even that red one that popped up lately looks really nice. I did the SS frets as well. Here's what mine came out looking like:
and here's larryelwood's slick bass:
Am I the only cheap bastard who buys D'Addario Twin Packs? They're basically two packs of strings for one. I've played D'Addarios for years with no problems. How do they compare to DR Lo Riders (which a lot of guys seem to love)? I'm sure Hi-Beams kick-butt but I'm a more of a nickle guy.
My only gripe about the bass is the cosmetics I picked out
I wanted the SB headstock, but its not as cool in person as I thought it would be. I'm used to the 3/2 setup from my old bass, so I wish I would have gone with that arrangement.The SS frets seem to only help with longevity of the bass. I'd also make sure when you talk to them to tell them you want a lightweight bass specifically. Some of the SB5000s have been coming in at 10.5lbs. I asked for a lightweight one and mine is still 10lbs.
Aside from those minor things, its a great bass. My fave right now.
Bass is awesome. I don't love the stock strings. I'll change them to Dean Markley Blue Steels (105-50) or DR Lo-Riders (105-45).
The one feature which I regret not getting (and I'm considering sending it back for an install) is replacing the two pickup volume knobs with a master volume and pick-up pan. I especially like a master volume. That feature is only a $15 upgrade.
The Antique Brown paint flaming is awesome as well as the abalone inlays on the fretboard and knobs. It's both classy and flashy! I even love the abalone logo and the Ivory Graph Tech Nut. The Clear Satin Finish on the back of the neck, although pricey at $70, is great if you don't like gloss or that sticky feeling on the neck.
I know I'm totally biased, but my SB4000 is the nicest one I've seen in my opinion. I modeled the finish after a Sadowsky Will Lee I saw on the web site. I was nervous how it would turn out, but I love it.
Also, I asked for a lightweight piece of Alder in the "notes" section of the online order form. Carvin complied with this request as the bass is very light and "lightweight wood" is even listed on my final invoice (and no they didn't charge extra for that).
I have a huge bass collection of nice basses, but this takes the cake. Just stunning.
I still have to take quality photos. These are phone photos from when I opened it in my office. They don't do it justice at all.
The one feature which I regret not getting (and I'm considering sending it back for an install) is replacing the two pickup volume knobs with a master volume and pick-up pan. I especially like a master volume. That feature is only a $15 upgrade.
The Antique Brown paint flaming is awesome as well as the abalone inlays on the fretboard and knobs. It's both classy and flashy! I even love the abalone logo and the Ivory Graph Tech Nut. The Clear Satin Finish on the back of the neck, although pricey at $70, is great if you don't like gloss or that sticky feeling on the neck.
I know I'm totally biased, but my SB4000 is the nicest one I've seen in my opinion. I modeled the finish after a Sadowsky Will Lee I saw on the web site. I was nervous how it would turn out, but I love it.
Also, I asked for a lightweight piece of Alder in the "notes" section of the online order form. Carvin complied with this request as the bass is very light and "lightweight wood" is even listed on my final invoice (and no they didn't charge extra for that).
I have a huge bass collection of nice basses, but this takes the cake. Just stunning.
I still have to take quality photos. These are phone photos from when I opened it in my office. They don't do it justice at all.
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My only gripe about the bass is the cosmetics I picked out
Aside from those minor things, its a great bass. My fave right now.
Forgive me if you already mentioned this but is your disappointment with your SB headstock because the birdseye maple pattern doesn't match well with the birdseye pattern on your neck? And did you mention that the fretboard is tung oil finished while the headstock is gloss which makes this pattern mismatch stand out all the more?
I ask because I'm thinking of getting a black flamed top SB5000 with birdseye neck and birdseye headstock. However if the neck and headstock will look radically different, then I might go with a flamed capped headstock to match the body. I figure the contrast of the black flame body and headstock with the birdseye maple neck might work a lot better. I think Ive seen a Carvin Contour 66 guitar with a similar look that was pretty nice.
jzbass6
One Nation Under A Groove
I've been a DR Hi Beamer for a couple of years and I recently tried D'Addario SS strings they are really working out for me on my LEJ 6. I more that happy because the DR's were killing my wallet, I wish they had the 6 str set in 2 pack i'd be all over them.
My only gripe about the bass is the cosmetics I picked out
The SS frets seem to only help with longevity of the bass. I'd also make sure when you talk to them to tell them you want a lightweight bass specifically. Some of the SB5000s have been coming in at 10.5lbs. I asked for a lightweight one and mine is still 10lbs.
Aside from those minor things, its a great bass. My fave right now.
I think I'm leaning toward the Icon headstock, it's a little larger and with me going with the blk HS matching the blk body it may balance the look of the bass better. I'm hoping I can get one under 10lbs weight wise, we'll see, thx Jarret for all the insight.
JZ
Well its part the mismatch and part I don't like the look of the headstock in person as much. Plus the 4+1 tuner setup is not intuitive to me.
I emailed them back about the headstock and fretboard mismatch and they replied something like, that's just how they come out sometimes. I went back and looked through the galleries and noticed that several in there even have slightly mismatched colors between the birdseye fretboards and headstocks. If I did it again I would either go with a plain 3+2 headstock or have it match the body.
And definitely make sure that "lightweight" showed up on my paperwork as previously mentioned. Despite requesting it, I didn't have it on mine.
This one in the gallery looks a lot like mine and you can see the difference between head and neck and also how the black hides the bridge pickup:
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If I did it again, I would probably do something like this in blue with maybe a 3+2:
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No two pieces of wood are the same and I figure only a boutique builder could set aside enough birdseye maple to accomidate both a neck and a matching headstock when the request is made. Can't fault Carvin for that at these prices.
You've got me thinking about that SB headstock. I keep wondering if the Icon headstock is any more appealing than the SB. Both are a bit odd looking for better and worse! I'm still on the fence on this one.
And I'm definitely going to ask for as light a piece of alder they can find. These basses already have a rep as being heavy weights and I'm sure a flame maple cap won't help any! I'd consider getting an ash body but I wonder if that's going to make THAT much of a difference.
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