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

[phillipkregg]

I'm starting to seriously think about the SB5000. There are a few things that have to pan out in my life before I can definitley go for it, but here's what I'm thinking as far as how it's going to be built:

ASH - Maple Neck/Swamp Ash Body $40.00
-CG - Clear Gloss Finish (Standard) $0.00
TL - Blueburst $25.00
BST - Blackburst Edges $30.00
5MM - 5-Piece All-Maple Neck $90.00
-TN - Tung Oil Finish Back Of Neck (Standard) $0.00
-SBH - SB-Style Headstock (Standard) $0.00
FPH - Flamed Maple Headstock Matches Body Color $40.00
FMF - Flamed Maple Fingerboard (Tung-Oiled) $60.00
NIN - No Top Inlays - Side Dots Only $0.00
6100 - Jumbo Frets .055" H .110" W $15.00
-R14 - 14in Fretboard Radius (Standard) $0.00
-J9A - J99A Alnico Single Coil Pickups (Standard) $0.00
409 - Cream H50A or J9A Pickup(s) $5.00
-CH - Chrome Hardware (Standard) $0.00
-5011 - Nickel Roundwound .040 .060 .080 .100 .128 $0.00
WL - White Logo $0.00
WP - White Pearloid Pickguard $15.00
HC8WS - Black Tolex Wide Hardshell Bass Case FREE $0.00
Custom Shop Total: $1,269.00

Things that I'm up in the air about...:

fingerboard wood and flame maple body top....I usually gravitate towards maple fingerboards. I really love my G&L's flame maple neck, and would prefer it over Bird's Eye....but I'm wondering if having the flame maple body top and headstock together with the flame fingerboard....will be too much flame. I kind of like the flame body top, but I might just go plain ash. If I go plain ash, then I'll defintitely go with the flame fingerboard and headstock.

I picked the 5-piece all maple neck option because I want it to be incredibly stable. My G&L neck is a 4-piece and I never have to adjust it. I don't think any kind of walnut or koa stripes would look good on this bass.

I just love blueburst, just like my G&L...

Black or white pickups....I think whitle might look interesting and a white pearl PG

Standard controls, VVT-T/B stack

what'cha think?

Carvin's BlueBurst finish looks fantastic - so I don't think you can go wrong there.

But I really would love to see it on a Flamed maple top. I bet that would look totally badass.

 

[phillipkregg]

I'm not sure if this have ever been mentioned before, but apparently all of Carvin's instruments are equipped with an RFID chip to help locate it in case it is lost or stolen:

Snagg.com - Protect your musical instruments with RFID technology

Pretty cool!

 

[Vic]

I'm starting to seriously think about the SB5000.
...
Things that I'm up in the air about...:

fingerboard wood and flame maple body top....I usually gravitate towards maple fingerboards. I really love my G&L's flame maple neck, and would prefer it over Bird's Eye....but I'm wondering if having the flame maple body top and headstock together with the flame fingerboard....will be too much flame. I kind of like the flame body top, but I might just go plain ash. If I go plain ash, then I'll defintitely go with the flame fingerboard and headstock.

...

what'cha think?

Normally, I'd say it might be a concern, but most of the flame tops I've seen on these SB's don't go strictly vertical on the bookmatching, so the top won't directly match a flamed fingerboard as much... there'll still be some contrast there. That said, it is a valid concern of "too much of a good thing" IMHO. Maybe a birdseye board instead? Or, maybe go with a quilt top and a flamed board? Just some thoughts.

Oh, and a blue burst with a pearl guard and white pickups will look really snazzy.

 

[madbassplaya]

Check this SB5000 out! Carvin SB5000

 

[Dave Siff]

I can't get to that southpaw, but your post inspired me to put one up as well. I'm going back through the recording of last weekend's gig and making remastered mp3s of it. I thought I would post an excerpt from one song that I got called to do an improv blues solo:

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The gear is an Alder SB5000 with maple board, DR HiBeams, Carvin BX500 into a SWR Golight 4x10 and Carvin BRN4-210. I wasn't going through the PA so this is just captured from a camera mic that was picking up the room mix.

Wow, man. Great playing! Time to go practice..

 

[Dave Siff]

Check this SB5000 out! Carvin SB5000

Oh, yeah. That bass is stunning. I saw that video a few weeks back and basically missed everything the guy said because I couldn't stop staring at the bass.

 

[madbassplaya]

Oh, yeah. That bass is stunning. I saw that video a few weeks back and basically missed everything the guy said because I couldn't stop staring at the bass.

i know what you mean man, i think i'm gonna put my order in today for mine!

 

[Jarrett]

Yeah, nice modal changes on it too. I love the Cm7, G7, C7 transition. Way cool. I like to play a 9th over the Cm7 sometimes too. Nice big spacious thing before resolving back to blues chords.

That's cool, I need to check that out in there. We sub in D7 and D#7 to give it a little chromatic thing in there, but the Am7 and Cm7 work well with it if I sneak in the right passing tones

Wow, man. Great playing! Time to go practice..

Thanks man. I really dig your quote from Chuck. Definitely sounds like him. I agree with it and try to keep that in mind every time I play.

Check this SB5000 out! Carvin SB5000

Man that is a cool looking bass! Anyone know what the specs on that one would be?

 

[JOME77]

I'm still trying to make up my mind on the pick guard for my walnut topped SB5001.
Before I order a flat black custom I thought that I'd try a red tort pick guard that I had. I also took some pics of the bass with no pick guard.
The red tort pick guard surprised me a bit. It actually brings more of a vintage look to the bass (which I like).

Let me know what you guys think.

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[Mr-Wunderful]

My opinion is biased, but I really dig the tort on walnut.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I like the idea of flat black on the walnut. The tort is okay, but it's just more "busy" on top of the already "busy" wood...

 

[Vic]

I'm still trying to make up my mind on the pick guard for my walnut topped SB5001...

Hate to be boring, but I still like black the best. Ties in nicely with the control plate, black hardware, and pickups.

IMHO anyway.

 

[Dave Siff]

I gotta go with black as well. The tort does look better than I would have thought, but it just doesn't go with the black control plate. No pickguard shows off the wood grain nicely, but those screw holes are killin' me.

 

[Lorenzini]

Beautiful. Seriously! I wonder what the one on the left would look like with gold hardware. Mmm.

SB4000: Ash/Maple/Birdseye Maple Fingerboard
SB5000: Alder/Maple/Flamed Maple Fingerboard

Super Nasty x 2!!!!

 

[JOME77]

Beautiful. Seriously! I wonder what the one on the left would look like with gold hardware. Mmm.

Wow! Nice pair of SB's!

I'm typically not a fan of gold hardware but gold might look good on that bass. It would go better with the finish than the chrome.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I'm not wild about cream p'ups. I just don't like 'em on anything. You put black p'ups on that left bass, and it *works*.

 

[Darkstrike]

I like the idea of flat black on the walnut. The tort is okay, but it's just more "busy" on top of the already "busy" wood...

Hate to be boring, but I still like black the best. Ties in nicely with the control plate, black hardware, and pickups.

IMHO anyway.

I gotta go with black as well. The tort does look better than I would have thought, but it just doesn't go with the black control plate. No pickguard shows off the wood grain nicely, but those screw holes are killin' me.

Gotta agree with these guys, black is the nicest, tort is too busy, and IMHO, the whole thing just looks *off* without any guard.

 

[JOME77]

I like the idea of flat black on the walnut. The tort is okay, but it's just more "busy" on top of the already "busy" wood...

Hate to be boring, but I still like black the best. Ties in nicely with the control plate, black hardware, and pickups.

IMHO anyway.

Yeah. Black is definitely the safer (more conservative choice). I was worried about the business of the red tort guard too.
But you know, the one thing that caused me to hesitate on the purchase of this bass (beside the potential noise issue) was that it didn't have much of the traditional Fender look with the fancy top and the Icon headstock.

I was pleasantly surprised that the red tort pick guard looked decent on the bass and that it actually gives a touch of vintage vibe to the bass (which I'm missing).

Keep the comments coming and I'm going to leave it one for a while longer and see if it continues to grow on me.

 

[JOME77]

Gotta agree with these guys, black is the nicest, tort is too busy, and IMHO, the whole thing just looks *off* without any guard.

Yeah Bill, I don't dig the look of the bass without a pick guard (or with a clear). It just looks wrong. Pretty grain going on under the pick guard though!

 

[Darkstrike]

Yeah Bill, I don't dig the look of the bass without a pick guard (or with a clear). It just looks wrong. Pretty grain going on under the pick guard though!

Oh yes! There is some gorgeous wood under there, it's just something in the shape that needs a guard.