Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call...Part 8!
- Thread starter Bryan R. Tyler
- Start date
Wow - card in the mail said first week of November but I got the UPS shipping notice last night! Tuesday should be SB4000 day!!
Wow - card in the mail said first week of November but I got the UPS shipping notice last night! Tuesday should be SB4000 day!!
Man, I hope that's going to be a pattern.... can't wait for mine to arrive.
Carvin basses are rarely seen here in the NYC area. I've wanted to try an SB5000 since they first came out but I've never seen one in person. Today, I went into a local Sam Ash to browse. There amongst all the usual suspects one finds in Sam Ash, there was a used SB5000 hiding in the corner on a stand. It's used and they are asking $799 for it. Birdseye Maple fretboard, abalone fret markers, Red flame pattern on the body with no pickguard. Its controls are V/B/T/stacked treble bass with (I think) abalone on the knobs.
After a few seconds, I knew it was a killer bass. I plugged it into a Fender Rumble 350 combo (of which I'm not a fan of) and set the controls flat on both the amp and bass. I love the flat radius and the front to back thickness is perfect for me. Very much a modern Jazz bass sound. Even passive, it sounds modern to my ears.
The only small thing I didn't like about the sound was that when I set the blend all the way to the front pickup, turned down the tone knob and switched to passive, I didn't get that pseudo P bass sound that most Jazz basses get.
I A/B -ed it against 3 new Fender American Deluxe Jazz bass 5 strings they had. No contest. The Fenders are twice the price yet not even in the same league as this bass! (BTW I'm a Fender guy) The SB5000 was so nice, I kept picking it back up after trying other basses. I was so worried that after I got home I picked up my Valenti to make sure that it didn't beat that out too! For me it doesn't but still a VERY nice bass.
If I was in the market for a J styled 5 string, it would be a no brainer! As so many of you have said, Carvin really hit it out of the park with this one!
After a few seconds, I knew it was a killer bass. I plugged it into a Fender Rumble 350 combo (of which I'm not a fan of) and set the controls flat on both the amp and bass. I love the flat radius and the front to back thickness is perfect for me. Very much a modern Jazz bass sound. Even passive, it sounds modern to my ears.
The only small thing I didn't like about the sound was that when I set the blend all the way to the front pickup, turned down the tone knob and switched to passive, I didn't get that pseudo P bass sound that most Jazz basses get.
I A/B -ed it against 3 new Fender American Deluxe Jazz bass 5 strings they had. No contest. The Fenders are twice the price yet not even in the same league as this bass! (BTW I'm a Fender guy) The SB5000 was so nice, I kept picking it back up after trying other basses. I was so worried that after I got home I picked up my Valenti to make sure that it didn't beat that out too! For me it doesn't but still a VERY nice bass.
If I was in the market for a J styled 5 string, it would be a no brainer! As so many of you have said, Carvin really hit it out of the park with this one!
Scubaduba, did you buy that one used? When I custom ordered my bass, I first looked at just about every picture of SB5000s I could find on the internet, and that one looks very familiar...
Classic burst, alder body, unlined rosewood fingerboard.
Yes, rosewood...
Went with the Graph-tech Tusq nut and regular headstock...
...along with a hipshot.
Five-piece maple neck too. Solid as a rock!
Simple, lightweight (seems like it at least), resonant - very nice!!!
Yes, rosewood...
Went with the Graph-tech Tusq nut and regular headstock...
...along with a hipshot.
Five-piece maple neck too. Solid as a rock!
Simple, lightweight (seems like it at least), resonant - very nice!!!
Yes I did. Overall I'm very pleased with it.
Are there any numbers in this club? If so, I'd like one.
Yes I did. Overall I'm very pleased with it.
Are there any numbers in this club? If so, I'd like one.
I'm glad you like it, because it's one of the most spectacular examples out there. Congrats on the great pick up!
There are numbers in the Carvin thread, but not in this one.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1000516
Is it mine?
Spotted this on the "pics of the day" from Carvin's FB page. Maybe other folks out there have a swamp ash SB4000 on order, but I like to hope this one is coming to me...
Invalid Link Removed
Spotted this on the "pics of the day" from Carvin's FB page. Maybe other folks out there have a swamp ash SB4000 on order, but I like to hope this one is coming to me...
Invalid Link Removed
Saaaweeeeet!
I noticed yesterday that you can no longer select a fretless rosewood fingerboard on the Carvin Bass Builder. Did you have to sacrifice your trial period to get that option?
I don't know if I gave up the trial period - never really asked, and I'm *not* sending it back anyway! I'd asked about rosewood via their FB contact person, and they checked with the build manager and basically said "no problem just call Keith and mention this conversation" and that was it. He was able to get it keyed in just fine.
I've had ebony, composite and coated fretless fingerboards before and I have to say so far I like rosewood the best. It is very warm and "round" sounding, not nearly as bright or clacky as the others. I'd say it would probably sit in the mix perfectly instead of cutting through, which is just fine with me for fretless. And I'm finding that the on-fret-position side dots are really easy to use as a visual reference and I don't miss having lines, surprisingly. So far I'm impressed at how not awful I am, in spite of not having a fretless for the last 3 years.
I've had ebony, composite and coated fretless fingerboards before and I have to say so far I like rosewood the best. It is very warm and "round" sounding, not nearly as bright or clacky as the others. I'd say it would probably sit in the mix perfectly instead of cutting through, which is just fine with me for fretless. And I'm finding that the on-fret-position side dots are really easy to use as a visual reference and I don't miss having lines, surprisingly. So far I'm impressed at how not awful I am, in spite of not having a fretless for the last 3 years.
I have been playing my SB5000 for about 7 months now, and I LOVE this thing.
for anyone looking to hear a live sound, here is a little mp3 we recorded live from a local band in Toronto, Canada.
it was recorded off the floor with a TASCAM recorder.
its a salsa tune originally recorded by Jerry Rivera, and Ruben Rodriguez on bass. (da man!) hope you like and sorry for the screw ups, this band hasn't rehearsed for at least a year
http://soundcloud.com/ruddy-bola-os/me-acordaras
for anyone looking to hear a live sound, here is a little mp3 we recorded live from a local band in Toronto, Canada.
it was recorded off the floor with a TASCAM recorder.
its a salsa tune originally recorded by Jerry Rivera, and Ruben Rodriguez on bass. (da man!) hope you like and sorry for the screw ups, this band hasn't rehearsed for at least a year
http://soundcloud.com/ruddy-bola-os/me-acordaras
