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Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call!
- Thread starter phillm47
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Well it's mostly the cost, the SB5000 is almost $200 more and with the options I want it'll put me into $1400 territory and I don't want to go that high. Secondly, although less important is the fact that I hear that the upper horn kinda jabs you in the chest a bit and that doesn't sound too comfortable. It'd be great to try one out first to see what's up but since I'm ordering a bass I'd rather go with something I'm much more sure will fit me.
i don't have any problem with the upper horn jabbing me in the chest. It's very comfortable standing. However, I'm not crazy about the carvin preamp so with the b50 you'll be able to add an aquilar or audere which would an upgrade IMO...
What options are you thinking about? Like Jack said, the horn is a non issue to me. The only time I think about it is when I see the bass sitting on my stand and then its just how much I like the inventive shape of it. You can always get one of the in stock ones for a 10-day trial to see if the ergonomics are right for you.
I always find this to be an interesting comment because I don't think I could get that upper horn to jab me in the chest if I wanted it to.
+1 I was worried about the upper horn, but it doesn't jab me at all and the balance is great.
Kwesi, you have spent $1,400 before, I'm pretty sure. If a tricked out SB5000 is what you want, get one. That would be better than spending $700 and not being happy.
Update on my SB5000 at the 11 day mark. First of all I didn't send it back To the contrary, this bass has quickly moved to my #1 slot and will be the goto bass for my gigs for the foreseeable future.
Downsides:
I didn't like the stock Carvin strings at all. A fresh set of DR HI-Beams cured that easily enough though.
My headstock doesn't match my fretboard in color even though I asked that it did. That's a minor pisser. I asked Carvin support about it and they came with a "that's just how it is" kind of response. Not the warm and fuzzy I was hoping for, but it is a minor complaint.
I could always go for a little lower action, but this is the lowest action bass I've played in a long time. Wish it had 24 frets. I kinda wish I had a master volume/blend instead of the dual volume control, but the salesperson said that would detract from the tone. The stock nut looks a little cheap, wish I would have opted for the Tusq.
The weight is a minor complaint. It's 10lbs. To me its not a big deal as its about 1.5 lbs lighter than my Warwick I've been playing for ever, so it feels light in comparison. But a 9lb version of this bass would super nice.
I don't like the color scheme of it as much as I thought I would, but that's my own (damn) fault I kinda wish I would have followed larrelelwood's design a bit more with the inlays and 3/2 headstock. I'm not digging the SB headstock as much as I thought I would in person.
What I like about it:
Small things like quality tuners and quality knobs and pots on the control panel. I really like the solid feel of the pots on this bass. Just the right amount of resistance to them gives me the feeling they won't be easy knocked out of whack. I recently had a $3000 J type bass here that had really cheap feeling knobs and pots on it that turned me off.
Now that the bass has been here in my climate for a while, I spent a couple of hours last night and this morning tweaking the neck, bridge and pickup height on my SB5000 and have arrived at a place I'm very happy with for this bass. Love the bridge by the way, very nice to work with. With this setup it has lower action, better playability with less buzz than my $4000 Warwick. I'm very happy with the craftsmanship and fretwork on this bass, like butter.
I'm not sure if the woods are settling or my technique is adjusting, but the result is I'm getting a smoother, rounder, more even tone out of this bass than the day I pulled it out of the case for the first time. The electronics and wood combo gives it such a lively tone as well. It's such a difference coming from my more dark, subdued Warwick to this. I'm still adjusting to the scale, string space and the fact its missing a couple of frets but the notes up in the upper register even at the 22nd fret are clear as a bell.
I've loved the neck profile on this thing since I picked up one up the first time at the Dallas guitar show. It just immediately felt like "home" and that is a huge step towards me enjoying a bass. It just rubs me all kinds of right. Another thing is harmonics jump off this thing with ease. I use a bit of harmonics in my playing and its nice to have them even when playing them against fretted notes.
Unlike a lot here it seems, I'm playing this bass in 100% active mode. I love the tone it yields when I run everything wide open, bump the bass a bit past center while leaving the treble at the center mark. Really rounds out and fattens this thing up. Big, fat, clear tone that is really rubbing me the right way. When I crank it up, I use the passive tone control a lot to tame the maple board if I am playing aggressively. Plus having this much treble on tap is nice as my strings go dead, I can dial in a little more to get back to balance.
My favorite things about the bass:
The Tone - The Alder/Maple combo with the J99As and this preamp is greatness for me. Great fat, clear, modern sounding without that generic tone that a lot of active systems are known for like EMG for example. This bass yields what I think is the near perfect blend of modern and vintage tone and lets you dial between them. Whether in the room or recorded, I am really digging this tone.
The Neck Profile - I think this might be my favorite 5-string neck of all time. It's just right in my hands. Feels like they made a mold of the inside of my hand. And the tung oiled neck feels good to me as I've been playing my woody Warwick for a long time and I like that comfortable feel of hand on wood rather than some sort of finish.
Playability - I've never played a J type bass that is so effortless to play. Everything is in reach. There aren't those "areas" of the fretboard that you just know you have to stay away from and that's liberating.
Body Shape - Ever since I saw it, I've dug it. It's seems like such a simple idea turning the horns. But to me it captured the history of the J bass and brought a modern look to it all at once. Very cool.
My appreciation of this instrument is literally growing daily. Over the last 20 years of playing bass I've owned Fenders, Ken Smiths, Modulus, Alembics, Warwicks, Sadowsky and custom luthier stuff. I've played Tobias, Spector, Zon, Peavey Cirrus, Pedulla, this goes on and on. I can't remember a bass that rubbed me so right and grew on me so quickly. Even my beloved Warwick that I've played for 17 years took a while to grow me. And the kicker... this thing cost $1,093 brand spanking new, built to my custom specs. How wild is that? The SB5000 is one KILLER bass
To the contrary, this bass has quickly moved to my #1 slot and will be the goto bass for my gigs for the foreseeable future.Downsides:
I didn't like the stock Carvin strings at all. A fresh set of DR HI-Beams cured that easily enough though.
My headstock doesn't match my fretboard in color even though I asked that it did. That's a minor pisser. I asked Carvin support about it and they came with a "that's just how it is" kind of response. Not the warm and fuzzy I was hoping for, but it is a minor complaint.
I could always go for a little lower action, but this is the lowest action bass I've played in a long time. Wish it had 24 frets. I kinda wish I had a master volume/blend instead of the dual volume control, but the salesperson said that would detract from the tone. The stock nut looks a little cheap, wish I would have opted for the Tusq.
The weight is a minor complaint. It's 10lbs. To me its not a big deal as its about 1.5 lbs lighter than my Warwick I've been playing for ever, so it feels light in comparison. But a 9lb version of this bass would super nice.
I don't like the color scheme of it as much as I thought I would, but that's my own (damn) fault
I kinda wish I would have followed larrelelwood's design a bit more with the inlays and 3/2 headstock. I'm not digging the SB headstock as much as I thought I would in person.What I like about it:
Small things like quality tuners and quality knobs and pots on the control panel. I really like the solid feel of the pots on this bass. Just the right amount of resistance to them gives me the feeling they won't be easy knocked out of whack. I recently had a $3000 J type bass here that had really cheap feeling knobs and pots on it that turned me off.
Now that the bass has been here in my climate for a while, I spent a couple of hours last night and this morning tweaking the neck, bridge and pickup height on my SB5000 and have arrived at a place I'm very happy with for this bass. Love the bridge by the way, very nice to work with. With this setup it has lower action, better playability with less buzz than my $4000 Warwick. I'm very happy with the craftsmanship and fretwork on this bass, like butter.
I'm not sure if the woods are settling or my technique is adjusting, but the result is I'm getting a smoother, rounder, more even tone out of this bass than the day I pulled it out of the case for the first time. The electronics and wood combo gives it such a lively tone as well. It's such a difference coming from my more dark, subdued Warwick to this. I'm still adjusting to the scale, string space and the fact its missing a couple of frets
but the notes up in the upper register even at the 22nd fret are clear as a bell. I've loved the neck profile on this thing since I picked up one up the first time at the Dallas guitar show. It just immediately felt like "home" and that is a huge step towards me enjoying a bass. It just rubs me all kinds of right. Another thing is harmonics jump off this thing with ease. I use a bit of harmonics in my playing and its nice to have them even when playing them against fretted notes.
Unlike a lot here it seems, I'm playing this bass in 100% active mode. I love the tone it yields when I run everything wide open, bump the bass a bit past center while leaving the treble at the center mark. Really rounds out and fattens this thing up. Big, fat, clear tone that is really rubbing me the right way. When I crank it up, I use the passive tone control a lot to tame the maple board if I am playing aggressively. Plus having this much treble on tap is nice as my strings go dead, I can dial in a little more to get back to balance.
My favorite things about the bass:
The Tone - The Alder/Maple combo with the J99As and this preamp is greatness for me. Great fat, clear, modern sounding without that generic tone that a lot of active systems are known for like EMG for example. This bass yields what I think is the near perfect blend of modern and vintage tone and lets you dial between them. Whether in the room or recorded, I am really digging this tone.
The Neck Profile - I think this might be my favorite 5-string neck of all time. It's just right in my hands. Feels like they made a mold of the inside of my hand. And the tung oiled neck feels good to me as I've been playing my woody Warwick for a long time and I like that comfortable feel of hand on wood rather than some sort of finish.
Playability - I've never played a J type bass that is so effortless to play. Everything is in reach. There aren't those "areas" of the fretboard that you just know you have to stay away from and that's liberating.
Body Shape - Ever since I saw it, I've dug it. It's seems like such a simple idea turning the horns. But to me it captured the history of the J bass and brought a modern look to it all at once. Very cool.
My appreciation of this instrument is literally growing daily. Over the last 20 years of playing bass I've owned Fenders, Ken Smiths, Modulus, Alembics, Warwicks, Sadowsky and custom luthier stuff. I've played Tobias, Spector, Zon, Peavey Cirrus, Pedulla, this goes on and on. I can't remember a bass that rubbed me so right and grew on me so quickly. Even my beloved Warwick that I've played for 17 years took a while to grow me. And the kicker... this thing cost $1,093 brand spanking new, built to my custom specs. How wild is that? The SB5000 is one KILLER bass
I'm sure it would be fine standing, but what about sitting?
Well the base price of the B50 is $719 while the SB5000 is $899, $180 more so if I spec'd them out the same the SB5000 would be more expensive.
Kwesi, you have spent $1,400 before, I'm pretty sure. If a tricked out SB5000 is what you want, get one. That would be better than spending $700 and not being happy.
Very true, but I think I'd be happy with either one and if one happens to save me a bit of cash, why not
? Bah, now I'm not sure any more, lol! I just got off the phone with the a Carvin sales guy because I had some questions and he's got me thinkin' that maybe I should go for the SB... 
I play with a strap sitting or standing, so its the same to me. Does the B50 have active electronics on the base model? That might be the diff in price.
Nope, it's passive in the base but either way I'm going with the full active package (Vol/Blend and Mid/Sweep). Then again I'm wondering if I should just go passive and save the cash to drop a Bartolini preamp in?
Also, I asked the sales rep if I could get a Hipshot A or B bridge on either the B50 or SB5000 and he said no. I asked why and he said he honestly didn't know. Anyone have any idea why they would only allow the stock bridge when pretty much every other bass model they offer can have a Hipshot?
That's a hard call as its really subjective. I've got Bartolinis and a 3-band MEC preamp in my Warwick, but I'm enjoying the tone of the stock Carvin J99As and preamp. To me it sounds less squashed than the Bart stuff. Fatter, bigger, more open sounding. I like that, but could be completely wrong for others.
Prob worth trying one of the in stock basses to find out if you don't mind eating the shipping costs.
At this point, I have to totally agree. When I first got my SB4000 I wrote that if I were to order again I would probably reconsider the active option and just go passive. Afterall, the bass sounds great in passive mode. I think I am now going to back off that statement since I have been putting the active preamp to the test during my past two gigs with it. Like you I have had both pickup volumes full on and I usually always start with a flat EQ and go from there. At last nights gig, when I started playing my tone was just a tad too bright which also enhanced the string noise from my somewhat aggressive attack. I adjusted the bass boost just a touch past center detent and the treble boost just a touch before the center detent and the problem was pretty much completely solved (naturally I try to lighten up on the attack as well but that never seems to last long LOL).
I gotta' say, I am amazed at how well the SB4000 has cut through the mix, most notably during my past two gigs with it. I'm not sure if it's just the bass or the combination of the bass and the Carvin B1500, but EVERY note I played was so clear and defined that it actually caused me to question my judgement and ask my guitar player if he thought I was too loud. I was able to hear him and everyone else just fine but the last thing I want to do is be that loud, obnoxious, overpowering bass player...but he gave me the nod and said he thought the mix was perfect. I was very happy.
This is EXACTLY how I felt at my first gig with my SB5. Usually with my Warwick, I kind of struggle between hearing myself and others considering me too loud. Usually I start at one volume, then turn up a little, then I see the guitar player turn up a little. I hear the soundman bring me down a little. So I back off a little and kinda do the semi air bass playing thing and take one for the team.
So with the SB5000, I set the amp to my normal starting level and bam, from the first note, I could hear myself as clear as a bell. So much that it startled me and I thought, dang I'm too loud. I asked the soundman and he said it was perfect, sounds better than usual. Didn't have tweak me in the mix. No one else complaining either. So I just enjoyed being what seemed loud to me and being able to really hear myself for a change.
Since I use the same amp (Genz Benz Shuttle 9.0) with both basses, I chalked it up to the tone of the SB. I think its just present in frequencies that play well with others and sit perfectly in the mix. Which I like a lot
I also grow happier with the SB5000 as time goes on. I had never owned a "jazz style" bass before, only played them at stores or friends who own them but this is quite a fine instrument. Either I'm used to slightly heavier bass, or the piece of ash I got was lighter than some, but it is totally comfy for 3 hour plus gigs. I HAVE wondered about putting the two volumes back in (ordered master volume and blend after the fact) now that I've had the bass for a couple months, if it would give more punch/volume as Keith the salesman said. Why should there be any difference as it is? If there was a difference wouldn't that be adjustable with a minor tweak to the circuitry?
Since playing my SB5000 I hate to say this but I sold my Alembic Excel 5 bass which I said I would never sell. The SB models has that sound to kill for. The tone in active or passive is unbelievable. I do have a problem with the horn poking me in the chest went sitting. I'm a very small person but I'll live with it. As far as the SB5000 It's one of Carvin nicer bass and this is my forth one, my XB75 was a winner too.
I see what you mean, but man, I love the looks of the SB5000 now! It's a very unique departure from the traditional jazz, but it's still classic looking at the same time. Plus, it seems like a lot of folks here don't have an issue with the upper horn - but to each his own.
My biggest concern is weight, and I've heard the B50 may be a little lighter - by maybe half a pound.
I play a Lakland right now though, that is right about 10 lbs., so as long as it isn't heavier than that, I don't have an issue with it.
Also, I love having a pickguard. It protects the finish and it just looks dang cool.
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