That's a fine specimen. Great wood that is stained, painted and finished tastefully. Could not agree more about a rear route. That plate takes away from an otherwise awesome top.
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Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call...Part 8!
- Thread starter Bryan R. Tyler
- Start date
Right?!?!.... Mappa burl with sunset burst finish and that ugly chrome plate... The ONLY reason I didn't order a JB-5... I love my sb5001 and would love to order a JB-5 but only if it was rear routed ... Senseless to cover that top up with anything .. Just my opinion
I really like the control plate on there. But I'm not a fan of rear route jbasses. I think it would look great with a smoked clear pickguard.
please describe the tone of the fatail drivers in the GK cabs. I have a GK 112 with an eminence S2012. It's warm and really punchy with a nice midrange and low mid. But the high mid and highs don't feel open and sparkly, unless I get JUST THE RIGHT string and bass combo. I like it a lot. But I'm just curious about the Fatails.
Well they are a huge upgrade to the stocks ... Blew 3 of them .... Great mids and punch ! But high mids and "sparkle" don't happen imo unless there's a 6" mid driver like a 12/6 cab or 15/6/ ... I enjoy the gk's with the fatail in it ... But there are better options for more "true" tone
- Mar 9, 2001
- 963
- 92
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Accugroove Cabinets & MJC Ironworks Strings
Since I've been unsuccessful in finding a SB5000 or SB5001 fretless I decided to order a Vanquish V59K fretless. I couldn't get a guarantee on a light piece of swamp ash and they let me know of a new wood they're using called Empress that is really light. It is an option 50 and I went for it. Now the wait begins.
Wally
Wally
I brought out my SB5k to a gig last night for the first time and it sounded great doing top 40, R&B, etc. It rocked! I have to say, I was sort of on the fence with this bass in that, much like what the J bass peeps say here, it always sounds great when practicing alone at home but I have a hard time dialing it in and getting it to cut through at rehearsal with a 6 piece band in small spaces. I never thought of ever selling it but I figured it was just destined to be a good looking practice bass. Well, last night I bumped up the mid lows and dialed back the low lows and it sounded monstrous in a 60 person club. There were some sound guys in the audience (one of which plays bass) and they both said my sound was outstanding. I even got a little P-bassey sound going on with the front pickup soloed and a little EQing. I am 100% sold on this bass and I plan on putting a lot of miles on it!
FYI - I was going through an old school rig. Ashdown ABM 500 G1 and...dare I say it here on TB....An Eden 2x10 and 1x15 stack. Hey, I like matched cabs like everyone else but this is all I got for now and it still sounds good!
FYI - I was going through an old school rig. Ashdown ABM 500 G1 and...dare I say it here on TB....An Eden 2x10 and 1x15 stack. Hey, I like matched cabs like everyone else but this is all I got for now and it still sounds good!
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Yeah, the SB series have never had a problem cutting through the mix. I never understood the problems that players have had with jazz basses in general. It usually seems to be an EQ problem in my experience.
PAULOWNIA. Botanical name: Paulownia tomentosa, also called Empress Wood or Kiri (Invalid Link Removed) in Japan, is a nice-sounding, extremely light-weight Asian hardwood which has only recently been "discovered" by the Western world. Rising costs and restrictions on other tradtional tonewoods has intensified the need for good alternatives. Paulownia is native to China and is also cultivated extensively in Japan and Korea. It has been used in Asia for hundreds of years to make high-quality traditional musical instruments (including the Japanese koto.) Paulownia is the fastest growing hardwood species in the world, taking only 5-7 years from planting to harvesting (as opposed to 35+ years for mahogany.) Because of it's fast cultivation it is at the top of the list as a solution for world reforestation projects. It is used in guitar manufacturing for electric guitar bodies and has a sound similar to poplar. Invalid Link Removed, Invalid Link Removed, Invalid Link Removedand others use this wood for some of their instruments, and it is often used in generic DIY guitar kits.Empress wood eh? That is tempting
Wake up players! How you gonna let this mega-thread die after 8,993 posts? Did SB basses suddenly turn sour overnight? I don't think so...coulda fooled me anyway, I just bought myself one and it's simply delicious.
SB5000 Fretless Antique Brown/Blackburst with gold & tort including one sweet fretless neck.
Custom built for someone who didn't hang on to it for long (original order was 10/26/12). It was acquired by Gordys Music in MI who sold on eBay last year about this time. Then was traded or sold to GC where it was purchased online recently and subsequently returned to my local store where I found it, played it and instantly decided to buy it even though I was not really shopping for a new bass.
I can't for the life of me understand how anyone could have wanted this bass enough to buy it and then offload it...at least three times! I am now presumably the 4th owner of this bass in just 3 1/2 years not counting the two stores that had possession of it. This bass delivers exactly what you'd expect from it and more.
SB5000 Fretless Antique Brown/Blackburst with gold & tort including one sweet fretless neck.
Custom built for someone who didn't hang on to it for long (original order was 10/26/12). It was acquired by Gordys Music in MI who sold on eBay last year about this time. Then was traded or sold to GC where it was purchased online recently and subsequently returned to my local store where I found it, played it and instantly decided to buy it even though I was not really shopping for a new bass.
I can't for the life of me understand how anyone could have wanted this bass enough to buy it and then offload it...at least three times! I am now presumably the 4th owner of this bass in just 3 1/2 years not counting the two stores that had possession of it. This bass delivers exactly what you'd expect from it and more.
I am well aware that these have been discontinued. This model could still be going strong if Carvin could've come to terms with Sekou Bunch.
I am amazed that the discussion over this bass surpassed the long running Carvin Official Club thread by almost three times! For a model that was so short lived it is quite loved. I know that the spirit of this bass is carried on with the JB series and that most of the attributes that made the SB basses a success are now available with the new model but I find this model to be quite a milestone for Carvin.
I know, however, I may not have been inclined to pull this off the wall in the first place had it not had this unique body style. I had read so much about this bass and what a great reception it had even with folks that are often critical of Carvin's offerings. I simply had to feel this one in my hands.
I really agree with you that being fretless is probably why the previous owners cooled off so quickly. Also, since it has lines and dots that makes it less desirable to the died-in-the-wool fretless purist.
I do not play fretless primarily but I have owned and played a five or six over the years and really dig it alot. My current gig does not really call for fretless bass so having this is a bit for personal enjoyment.
Surely there's still more to the Carvin SB story...
The SB model was selling like hot cakes for Carvin. It's a shame that they discontinued it. The new JB model as I understand it, is pretty much the same bass with a different shaped upper horn (which really is kind of meh for me). It's not that I dislike it but I really like the unique shape of the SB. I have some fretless basses with lines, some without, so it doesn't really matter to me much.
I agree with you, Freddels. The new JB body shape doesn't do it for me. I love the funky shape of my SB5000.
After missing out on 3 SB-5Kers on TB and on Ebay, I found a relist of the one that I thought got away on Ebay this last fall. I put in a Best Offer on the already lowered asking price and snagged it. It's in near, like new condition, plays beautifully. Didn't hurt that the Original Carvin HSC it came in is brand new looking inside and out. Really digging my SB5000, 3TB, Tort gard and overly-birdseyed' maple fingerboard.
