Agreed on all points. The neck profiles are different. The 5 is not just a wider version of the 4. The 4 is much rounder. Fairly polarizing.
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Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call...Part 7!
- Thread starter smperry
- Start date
- Status
Just ordered my first one today. Hope it's as good as everything I've read about. My current basses are: Warwick Thumb-bolt 5, EBMM SR5 H, MIA Fender Standard V (De-fretted)
How do you guys think it will compare to my current stable of basses?
Here's the spec's:
SB5000 1 ________ ________ 999.00 999.00
5 STRING 22 FRET SB BASS
ASH 1 ________ ________ 40.00 40.00
SWAMP ASH BODY
UM 1 ________ ________ 400.00 400.00
BURL MAPLE TOP
HIGHLY FIGURED BURL
TU 1 ________ ________ 30.00 30.00
SUNSET BURST
/GD 10.00
SOFT FADE
UMPH 1 ________ ________ 60.00 60.00
BURLED MAPLE HEADSTOCK
BMF 1 ________ ________ 30.00 30.00
BIRDSEYE MAPLE FRETBOARD
DAB 1 ________ ________ 50.00 50.00
Diamond inlays, abalone
STRF 1 ________ ________ 40.00 40.00
Stainless Regular Frets .043"
NP 1 ________ ________ 10.00 10.00
NO PICKGUARD ON BASS
402 1 ________ ________ 5.00 5.00
PICKUP COLOR CREAM W CREAM
AK 1 ________ ________ 10.00 10.00
METAL KNOBS WITH ABALONE INLAY
IVN 1 ________ ________ 5.00 5.00
IVORY GRAPH TECH TUSQ NUT
SL 1 ________ ________ 10.00 10.00
STRAPLOCKS BY DUNLOP INSTALLED
GL 1 ________ ________ 20.00 20.00
GOLD PLATED CARVIN LOGO
ETRC 1 ________ ________ 12.00 12.00
L1: Big L2: Mike
G 1 ________ ________ 50.00 50.00
GOLD PLATED HARDWARE
HC8W 1 ________ ________ 69.00 69.00
How do you guys think it will compare to my current stable of basses?
Here's the spec's:
SB5000 1 ________ ________ 999.00 999.00
5 STRING 22 FRET SB BASS
ASH 1 ________ ________ 40.00 40.00
SWAMP ASH BODY
UM 1 ________ ________ 400.00 400.00
BURL MAPLE TOP
HIGHLY FIGURED BURL
TU 1 ________ ________ 30.00 30.00
SUNSET BURST
/GD 10.00
SOFT FADE
UMPH 1 ________ ________ 60.00 60.00
BURLED MAPLE HEADSTOCK
BMF 1 ________ ________ 30.00 30.00
BIRDSEYE MAPLE FRETBOARD
DAB 1 ________ ________ 50.00 50.00
Diamond inlays, abalone
STRF 1 ________ ________ 40.00 40.00
Stainless Regular Frets .043"
NP 1 ________ ________ 10.00 10.00
NO PICKGUARD ON BASS
402 1 ________ ________ 5.00 5.00
PICKUP COLOR CREAM W CREAM
AK 1 ________ ________ 10.00 10.00
METAL KNOBS WITH ABALONE INLAY
IVN 1 ________ ________ 5.00 5.00
IVORY GRAPH TECH TUSQ NUT
SL 1 ________ ________ 10.00 10.00
STRAPLOCKS BY DUNLOP INSTALLED
GL 1 ________ ________ 20.00 20.00
GOLD PLATED CARVIN LOGO
ETRC 1 ________ ________ 12.00 12.00
L1: Big L2: Mike
G 1 ________ ________ 50.00 50.00
GOLD PLATED HARDWARE
HC8W 1 ________ ________ 69.00 69.00
- Aug 21, 2003
- 11,619
- 18,702
- Disclosures
- A-Designs Mike Lull GK Tsunami Cables GHS Strings RMI Basswitch Nordstrand Pickups Darkglass
I guess white/light block inlay ares now available for Maple boards...
Did I miss a press conference or something
If anyone has one please post a pic.
Thanks in advance
Did I miss a press conference or something
If anyone has one please post a pic.
Thanks in advance
Will do. I tried to order something a little more out of the norm... We'll see if it turns out to be great or gaudy...
Mike
Seeing Darryl Williams play his SB5000 at the jam session in Temecula was the turning point for me too.
Visiting SoCal from San Jose, on my drive back to the Bay Area a couple of days later, I made it a point to stop at the Carvin Store in Santa Ana. After I played several SB5000s.....that was it! I ordered one and have been a happy camper ever since!
Comparing a five-string bolt-on to three other five-string bolt-ons? Well, let's see...
It'll have a basic similarity of tone & attack, with subtle differences - based on factors that only the owner would thoroughly know?
Putting aside the question of "how will it compare", your SB5000 - in and of itself - should sound plenty bright & punchy. The swamp ash body, maple cap, maple fretboard & stainless steel frets alone should guarantee that much...
MM
I guess white/light block inlay ares now available for Maple boards...
Did I miss a press conference or something
If anyone has one please post a pic.
Thanks in advance
It was announced about a month or two back.
Ok, I'm a Carvin guy already, but getting to a point where I can justify getting my greasy little (well, big) hands on an SB5000. Now, I am primarily a fingerstyle guy, love a growly burpy bridge pickup tone, and would like to get an SB with a mahogany body with the bridge pickup in the 60s position (.25" further from the bridge). Tung oil finish, rosewood fingerboard, rosewood knobs, no pickguard, and I'll make a rosewood ramp for it myself.
Problem: I already figured on the pickup position being a battle (even though it shouldnt be in reality...), but now I see that they don't off mahogany as a body wood option on the SB?? Has it always been like this?
Anyways, feedback is appreciated if there is any, I'm guessing my specs as given above are probably not too similar to most of the SBs out there, what with hard finishes and pickguards and what not.
Problem: I already figured on the pickup position being a battle (even though it shouldnt be in reality...), but now I see that they don't off mahogany as a body wood option on the SB?? Has it always been like this?
Anyways, feedback is appreciated if there is any, I'm guessing my specs as given above are probably not too similar to most of the SBs out there, what with hard finishes and pickguards and what not.
You're just flat out of luck on a Mahogany. I don't think they've ever offered it for an SB. You can try and order one unrouted and/or see if they'll do a Mahogany (for a pretty good upcharge, I would imagine...).
Not to sound like a broken record, but you can always order a B50 that way. The only thing you won't have is the body style.
Good Luck!
You're just flat out of luck on a Mahogany. I don't think they've ever offered it for an SB. You can try and order one unrouted and/or see if they'll do a Mahogany (for a pretty good upcharge, I would imagine...).
Not to sound like a broken record, but you can always order a B50 that way. The only thing you won't have is the body style.
Good Luck!
Whaa?? They offer Koa, pretty similar wood to mahogany... I just emailed them and asked about both issues, we will see what comes down. I can't believe they don't offer both my requests as standard options, the wood is no problem for them and the alternate pickup location would be ordered by many I should fink.
I wouldn't be too sure about that...
Now you're getting into design issues. The CNC machines are programed to drill the pickup routs at the precise locations on the instrument where they were designed to be drilled.
Undoing that would require either a) reprogramming a machine - for one instrument (not gonna happen), or b) routing manually (not likely to happen unless the price of the extra labor is fully recoupable. Doubtful even then.).
IMO, Carvin's semi-custom business model works for them only when they draw the line somewhere that's logical for them - then stick to it: no exceptions. Insisting upon a design change, for one instrument, may just be one of those "over the line" requests...
MM
I guess.. Carvin also seems to be getting a little more choosy with options these days too. Still, programming a cnc machine isn't all that difficult, but I guess its a good enough excuse for the layperson. I do honestly believe though that other people would be interested in the different bridge pickup position, especially with a jazz style bass. I guess I'll report back when I hear back from Carvin.
....
True - at some point the benefits of 'mass production' are way lost. I mean, if that's what you want..I have two words, "Bill Conklin." More expensive and longer wait, of course, but to quote from "Down to the Nightclub," - "You can get what you want if you know how to find it..."
---
Meanwhile - what is the difference in neck feel between the SB4's and 5s? I play both fours and 5s, and am shortly going to take delivery of my first SB, a 4. Is the neck feel more like a Fender "C" shape or flatter, like an EBMM "D" shape? I know their radii are much flatter than Fenders (which I prefer), but I couldn't get much info on neck feel?
- Aug 21, 2003
- 11,619
- 18,702
- Disclosures
- A-Designs Mike Lull GK Tsunami Cables GHS Strings RMI Basswitch Nordstrand Pickups Darkglass
I'm not at all taking a swipe at anyone and I mean what I'm writing in a positive way.
I actually have to hand it over to Carvin on the amount of customizable options they have. Kudos to them on this. I think %99 of the folks are going to be happy.
When you start to get into changing pickup positions you start pulling away from that instrument as Signature model IMHO.
I actually have to hand it over to Carvin on the amount of customizable options they have. Kudos to them on this. I think %99 of the folks are going to be happy.
When you start to get into changing pickup positions you start pulling away from that instrument as Signature model IMHO.
The SB4000 neck profile is chunkier and more round, where the SB5000 is a hair more flat and wide. The SB5000 neck profile is perfect to me, but the SB4000 neck profile never felt quite right in my hand.
On the Mahogany question, they don't offer a Mahogany body in the builder, but they do offer a Koa body with a Mahogany top on it and this note:
Koa (Hawaiian Islands)
Koa is an exotic medium weight wood grown exclusively in the Hawaiian Islands. It was used by ancient Hawaiians to build canoes and surfboards. Koa has warmth and sustain similar to Mahogany and also possesses the clear open tone of Alder. Koa looks wonderful whether you choose a tung oiled, satin or gloss finish.
Might be close to what you are looking for.
On the Mahogany question, they don't offer a Mahogany body in the builder, but they do offer a Koa body with a Mahogany top on it and this note:
Koa (Hawaiian Islands)
Koa is an exotic medium weight wood grown exclusively in the Hawaiian Islands. It was used by ancient Hawaiians to build canoes and surfboards. Koa has warmth and sustain similar to Mahogany and also possesses the clear open tone of Alder. Koa looks wonderful whether you choose a tung oiled, satin or gloss finish.
Might be close to what you are looking for.
Lackey, many options are available that aren't listed on he web site bass builder, and I would be surprised if Carvin wouldn't build an SB with a mahogany body. I'd call and talk to a sales rep.
The pickup route ain't gonna' happen, though. What seems like a simple change would require a good bit of time both for the CNC operator, and in terms of stopping everything to make a one-off body, then resetting again to get back to regular production.
The pickup route ain't gonna' happen, though. What seems like a simple change would require a good bit of time both for the CNC operator, and in terms of stopping everything to make a one-off body, then resetting again to get back to regular production.
I am no CNC guy, but I am a software developer. So this seems strange to me. Is there no way to load a different program? I mean, they don't have a different CNC machine for every model they make right? So they must have some process to load a program or configuration for a particular model.
I guess white/light block inlay ares now available for Maple boards...
Did I miss a press conference or something
If anyone has one please post a pic.
Thanks in advance
There were a few SB4000 with maple and blocks in the showcase. Here is a SB5000 in sunburst and a blue one that I cut and pasted a maple neck onto.
Been saying forever I'm going to buy a SB5000 and every time I'm almost prepared I have a financial disaster right before I order it. Got stuck paying for a bunch of PA that the band bought on my credit card. My drummer/singer said it's hurt his artistic integrity playing covers so he quite booking us but didn't bother to tell me. Apparently when you suddenly develop artist integrity you quit paying your bills and don't honor your word.
Anyway the parts of the pa I bought to amplify his drums are now paid for and gathering dust in my garage. Think I'm going to sell it off because it would cover about 2/3's the cost of a SB5000.
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