Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call...Part 4!

[Dr Funk]

Comfortable weight too!

 

[WoodyG3]

i get that its "2 can" but its spelled like the bird.

Yeah, we love toucans and collect toucan objects. Yes, there are Toucan Sam stickers on a couple of my bass cases. Of course, the name of the group has a double meaning, too. We are dreamers, for sure.

 

[Jarrett]

FYI, I just put my original/fave black SB5000 up in the classifieds. It's the one I've played for the last year and done all the clips with.

 

[Vic]

FYI, I just put my original/fave black SB5000 up in the classifieds. It's the one I've played for the last year and done all the clips with.

So what are you keeping?

 

[Jarrett]

The new blue SB5000 and possibly the SB4000 that is due in Tuesday.

 

[smperry]

Wow, these are great looking basses!

 

[Freddels]

Here's a couple of vids from a Blues Fest this past weekend with my SB4000. The sound mix could have been better and it's recorded with just a little video camera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scx1kfFI6XQ&feature=player_embedded

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeP5Gtzyh1U&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

 

[Jarrett]

Nice

 

[Jarrett]

Couple of questions for y'all:

What electronics do you have on your SB and how do you set them/use them when playing?

I have the Vol/Vol/Tone/Bass/Treble setup and I find that I set mine like this 99% of the time. Both volumes full, bass either on or slightly passed the middle indent, treble always on middle indent and the tone control I use to decide how bright I want the overall tone to be. Occasionally I will roll back the neck volume to get a little more bite/burpy sound.

Second, do you think having active bass and treble controls would be useful for fretless?

I'm kicking around ordering a fretless bass, but not sure if I really need the active pre for it or not. What do you guys think?

 

[madbassplaya]

Couple of questions for y'all:

What electronics do you have on your SB and how do you set them/use them when playing?

I have the Vol/Vol/Tone/Bass/Treble setup and I find that I set mine like this 99% of the time. Both volumes full, bass either on or slightly passed the middle indent, treble always on middle indent and the tone control I use to decide how bright I want the overall tone to be. Occasionally I will roll back the neck volume to get a little more bite/burpy sound.

Second, do you think having active bass and treble controls would be useful for fretless?

I'm kicking around ordering a fretless bass, but not sure if I really need the active pre for it or not. What do you guys think?

I don't have my SB yet, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I have had several other J basses and I love the sound of both pickups full on. If they're not, the neck pickup is cut slightly, but that's rare for me. As far as the pre goes, bass is usually set flat or boosted slightly and treble is either flat or cut slightly. A preamp on a fretless wouldn't be "needed" but it would be nice.

If you want an sb5000 without the pre Carvin's going to upcharge you for that. The 5000 comes standard with a pre, so they will have to alter their process. Also, I was going to order an 5000 without a pre and I was told I could not return it (within the 10 days) for a refund because no one would buy it from their instock page.

 

[Freddels]

I have the V/V/T/BT. I prefer the bridge pickup at 100% and the neck pickup b/w 60-80%. I have the tone at zero, treble at zero and the bass is boosted just a little bit.

 

[madbassplaya]

I have the V/V/T/BT. I prefer the bridge pickup at 100% and the neck pickup b/w 60-80%. I have the tone at zero, treble at zero and the bass is boosted just a little bit.

just to clarify, when you say treble at zero do you mean flat or cut?

 

[Dave Siff]

Couple of questions for y'all:

What electronics do you have on your SB and how do you set them/use them when playing?

I have the Vol/Vol/Tone/Bass/Treble setup and I find that I set mine like this 99% of the time. Both volumes full, bass either on or slightly passed the middle indent, treble always on middle indent and the tone control I use to decide how bright I want the overall tone to be. Occasionally I will roll back the neck volume to get a little more bite/burpy sound.

Second, do you think having active bass and treble controls would be useful for fretless?

I'm kicking around ordering a fretless bass, but not sure if I really need the active pre for it or not. What do you guys think?

My fretless SB5000 has the same electronics as your bass, and I set them about the same -- both volumes on full, bass and treble slightly boosted or flat, tone to taste.
As for fretless, I'm not sure the pre is really necessary, unless you need to kick in a different tone on the fly for a solo or something. The active and passive tones of my bass are so similar, it's really a question of where I want that extra bit of volume coming from.. the bass or the amp. I switch back and forth during rehearsal, and when I engage the preamp, I turn the amp's master volume down a tad, and vice versa. It's good to have options, and the SB5000 preamp has changed my mind about active electronics, but I would be perfectly happy if my bass was passive only. YMMV, of course.
Did you see the black/tort fretless on the in-stock page? It has lines and dots and no preamp.

 

[Jarrett]

As for fretless, I'm not sure the pre is really necessary, unless you need to kick in a different tone on the fly for a solo or something. The active and passive tones of my bass are so similar, it's really a question of where I want that extra bit of volume coming from.. the bass or the amp. I switch back and forth during rehearsal, and when I engage the preamp, I turn the amp's master volume down a tad, and vice versa. It's good to have options, and the SB5000 preamp has changed my mind about active electronics, but I would be perfectly happy if my bass was passive only. YMMV, of course.
Did you see the black/tort fretless on the in-stock page? It has lines and dots and no preamp.

Thanks Dave, I was hoping to hear your thoughts (as well as others) since you have one in hand. I feel the same way about my SB5000, the pre is nice but I am 99% sure I could get same sound by just turning the bass knob up on my amp a little in passive mode.

I did see that fretless on the in stock page. If it wasn't 9.9lbs. I would have likely bought it already. Right now I am considering building one of their kits to have some money. For a 5-string with the few options I want, active is $549 and passive $489. $60 diff and a little extra work to build. Trying to decide if its worth it. On one hand its nice to have it if I need it, on the other, its nice to have a bare bones setup that I can pickup and play without worrying about $9 worth of batteries every time I use it because I don't think it would be a daily use item like my fretted SB for me.

 

[Freddels]

just to clarify, when you say treble at zero do you mean flat or cut?

Cut all the way off.

 

[madbassplaya]

sounds like passive is the way to go for you.

i think its funny that if you buy the kit the pre is 70, but i called them to buy it seperately and it was 150.

Thanks Dave, I was hoping to hear your thoughts (as well as others) since you have one in hand. I feel the same way about my SB5000, the pre is nice but I am 99% sure I could get same sound by just turning the bass knob up on my amp a little in passive mode.

I did see that fretless on the in stock page. If it wasn't 9.9lbs. I would have likely bought it already. Right now I am considering building one of their kits to have some money. For a 5-string with the few options I want, active is $549 and passive $489. $60 diff and a little extra work to build. Trying to decide if its worth it. On one hand its nice to have it if I need it, on the other, its nice to have a bare bones setup that I can pickup and play without worrying about $9 worth of batteries every time I use it because I don't think it would be a daily use item like my fretted SB for me.

 

[Panthera]

If you want an sb5000 without the pre Carvin's going to upcharge you for that. The 5000 comes standard with a pre, so they will have to alter their process. Also, I was going to order an 5000 without a pre and I was told I could not return it (within the 10 days) for a refund because no one would buy it from their instock page.[/QUOTE]

Maybe someone did!
Invalid Link Removed

 

[Vic]

The new blue SB5000 and possibly the SB4000 that is due in Tuesday.

Cool. Yeah, you have been through a few of these. I guess I'm happy I'm still rockin' the only one I've ever owned and can't imagine being happier with it.

 

[Vic]

What electronics do you have on your SB and how do you set them/use them when playing?

Honestly, I rarely use EQ, but when I do, it's to bump bass if I want to strongly favor the bridge or solo it, and I also use the treble to cut (I NEVER boost that). Cutting with active treble is totally different from what the passive tone control does, so I really like using both... sometimes even together. Again tho, I never need to boost... the bass is plenty bright on its own, which I like very much.

Second, do you think having active bass and treble controls would be useful for fretless?

I'm kicking around ordering a fretless bass, but not sure if I really need the active pre for it or not. What do you guys think?

...As for fretless, I'm not sure the pre is really necessary...

+1

I mean, I think the preamp is useful, but I wouldn't consider it necessary, per se. About the only thing I'd use it for on a fretless is to bump bass a bit when strongly favoring the bridge, but honestly, the way a passive tone control works, and with a little careful blending, you don't really need it with these pickups.

IME/FWIW.

 

[Jarrett]

Cool. Yeah, you have been through a few of these. I guess I'm happy I'm still rockin' the only one I've ever owned and can't imagine being happier with it.

You chose wisely (for you) from the beginning. It was a learning process for me about what I liked and didn't like about the SBs. I think I have a decent grip on that now.