• 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!

Status
Not open for further replies.
#881
bass4worship said:
You guy's are right on, playing with bad tone is a complete turn off. My SB5000 get the job done and make me smile by the end of the gig. I have the J99a neck and HB bridge which use the pan not the Vol/Vol. Playing passive most of the gig and on song were I need a deeper tone I switch to active.

No need change pickups on the SB's, I did add a S/P switch on the HB bridge pup.
Click to expand...

So I'm 100% clear here - by "HB" do you mean a J-style stacked humbucker, or the MM Style pickup in the bridge position? If you are using the MM in the bridge, can you PLEASE post some audio of your bass - p'ups mixed and the MM p'up solo? this is the configuration I'm seriously considering but I'd like to hear it before I start spending $$...

thanks!
 
#882
Jarrett said:
I don't have a super accurate scale right now, but mine is somewhere in the 9.5-10lb range. I specifically asked for a light piece of Alder when ordering. I think that is the key. Tell them you will send it back if it doesn't make the 9.5lb weight that they claim in the ads. I did and got what seems to be a fairly light one. Also, the B50s seem to be .5 lb lighter if that makes a diff.
Click to expand...

So you ordered Alder, eh? My main bass these days is Alder, and I'm very happy with the sound it gets - and do *lots* of slapping (which CW says is better with swamp ash...) - -

Can you comment on the tone of your bass? Do you find it sufficiently "snappy" for slap playing?
 
#883
Freddels said:
Usually, the bridge pickup is a little longer to account for the strings spacing being wider as it gets closer to the bridge and the neck pickup is a little shorter. If Carvin is using the same size pickup for both positions (I don't know this for sure as I don't have one here) then that where the issue would be. It'll be interesting to find out.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm....

Would it be a good idea to just order 2 ultrajazz bridge pickups for the Carvin?
 
#886
Don't worry about the SB5000 and pickups fitting guys - the DiMarzio and Nordstrand 5 string jazz pickups (and most others I assume) have the same outer dimensions for the bridge and neck pickups, the only visible difference being the neck pickups poles are scrunched a bit closer together (on the UltraJazz at least...)

I ordered two bridge DiMarzio Model J's for my B4, but obviously the smaller neck pickup would fit loosely in there, although you might have to drill in some new screw holes to hold it in.
 
#887
BigOldHarry said:
So you ordered Alder, eh? My main bass these days is Alder, and I'm very happy with the sound it gets - and do *lots* of slapping (which CW says is better with swamp ash...) - - Can you comment on the tone of your bass? Do you find it sufficiently "snappy" for slap playing?
Click to expand...

I prefer the sound of Alder to Ash for slapping on this bass. Ash kinda takes it all the way to Marcustown for me and I don't want to go that far in that direction. I think the Alder/Maple yields a cool in between tone that is suitable for finger or slap. Here are some clips from the first day or two I had the bass:

Link Removed
Link Removed
Link Removed
Link Removed
Link Removed

As soon as I restring in the next couple of days, I will do a dedicated slap clip with the new strings on it. I've adjusted to the dimensions of the bass now and can get a little better tone out of it, I think.
 
#889
I've got a Roadrunner gig bag that barely fits my SB and I have only tried the Carvin Nickel and DR Hi-Beam strings on it so far. .40-.100 I think I have a .125 low B on it right now. I have a hard time finding a full set of .40-.120 Hi-Beams it seems. Also have some of those MM Fat Beams on the way as well at .40-.100. Right now I'm digging the Hi-Beams, but that's all I've played for the last... I can't remember how many years.
 
#890
Jarrett said:
I've got a Roadrunner gig bag that barely fits my SB and I have only tried the Carvin Nickel and DR Hi-Beam strings on it so far. .40-.100 I think I have a .125 low B on it right now. I have a hard time finding a full set of .40-.120 Hi-Beams it seems. Also have some of those MM Fat Beams on the way as well at .40-.100. Right now I'm digging the Hi-Beams, but that's all I've played for the last... I can't remember how many years.
Click to expand...

I've been through about every string on the planet and about 5 years ago settled on Rotosound Swing 66 stainless steel strings.. I mostly play R&B, Soul, Funk, Rock.. Do a fair amount of slapping etc.. They last forever and are fairly cheap. They have a brilliant tone and can get nice and gritty if need be. I haven't tried them yet on my SB5. I'm going to give the Carvin SS 5 string (Labella) set a whirl and see how they do. I must say I really like the $14.99 price point of the carvin 5 string set... If they suck then i'll return to my fave Rotosounds... has anyone tried the Carvin Stainless steel 5 string set on the SB?
 
#891
BigOldHarry said:
Can you comment on the tone of your bass? Do you find it sufficiently "snappy" for slap playing?
Click to expand...
I figured I could do one with dead strings and one again later with the new strings on it. Here is a quick slap clip from my Alder/Maple/J99A equipped SB5000 with a set of dead (to me) .40-.100 DR Hi-Beams on it:

Link Removed

It's recorded direct out from my Genz Benz Shuttle 9.0's XLR DI into a Line6 Toneport UX2. I set everything near flat. EQ on the GB is completely flat with none of the signal shape switches engaged. Gain is at noon, volume is dimed. The bass is in active mode with both volumes and the tone all the way up. The Treble is on the center mark and the bass is just slightly passed center.

This is a good representation of the bass just flat as it sounds for slap with sorta dead strings which is how we gig most of the time anyway. Harry, what do you think of the snap on that one?
 
#892
BigOldHarry said:
So I'm 100% clear here - by "HB" do you mean a J-style stacked humbucker, or the MM Style pickup in the bridge position? If you are using the MM in the bridge, can you PLEASE post some audio of your bass - p'ups mixed and the MM p'up solo? this is the configuration I'm seriously considering but I'd like to hear it before I start spending $$...

thanks!
Click to expand...

I have the stacked humbucker and been trying to do a clip on it. I don;t slap so it all finger.
DSCF2611.jpg
 
#893
My SB4000 was delivered today!!

It's a great sounding bass. I like how it plays and feels. The only issue is that they put the wrong pick guard on it so I'll contact them to see about switching it out.
 
#895
Here it is:

IMG_0231.jpg


IMG_0230.jpg


It's Honeyburst on Ash with flamed maple top.
J99's
Active; Vol, Vol, etc.
Ebony FB with 10" radius and the low wide frets (they're like the small vintage frets), abalone dots.

The pick guard was not supposed to be white so it'll get changed out to either black or tort.
 
#896
I never would have thought to put these choices together---ME LIKEY!! :hyper:

Wilbyman said:
I smell what you're stepping in...I have felt the same way at times. Since I got on the alder/ebony thing, I haven't felt like I needed a passive tone knob since the combination is dark enough by itself. When I had alder/maple basses I really did use it quite a bit.

I find the alder/ebony SB5000 to not need the passive roll off much if at all, while the stacked midrange EQ does ALOT of stuff. I find it to sound better than the same circuit on the East preamps (though not having had the Carvin out on a gig yet).

W
Click to expand...
 
#899
Jarrett said:
I figured I could do one with dead strings and one again later with the new strings on it. Here is a quick slap clip from my Alder/Maple/J99A equipped SB5000 with a set of dead (to me) .40-.100 DR Hi-Beams on it:

Link Removed

It's recorded direct out from my Genz Benz Shuttle 9.0's XLR DI into a Line6 Toneport UX2. I set everything near flat. EQ on the GB is completely flat with none of the signal shape switches engaged. Gain is at noon, volume is dimed. The bass is in active mode with both volumes and the tone all the way up. The Treble is on the center mark and the bass is just slightly passed center.

This is a good representation of the bass just flat as it sounds for slap with sorta dead strings which is how we gig most of the time anyway. Harry, what do you think of the snap on that one?
Click to expand...

Nice... It sounds dandy. Funny - I've opted for Swamp Ash for years, but this used Lakland I have (with alder) sounds better to me than any bass I've had for a long time - more warm growl, less "sizzle", or perhaps less "Brittle"...

Anyway, thanks for posting the clip. Sounds great.
 
#900
I think they will. There was a mess up with my order. I ordered online and could have sworn that I chose birdseye maple fretboard and then chose matching birdseye headstock and wanted it finished the same as the body and a black pickguard.

Well, it turns out I somehow chose ebony fretboard and so they called to clarify the matching headstock and the peculiar choice of birdseye maple on the headstock instead of flame to match the body. So, I told them to just leave the headstock plain (just like the neck) since it was going to have ebony fretboard and I told them to have no pickguard since I figured with all that black it would be too dark and without it, the flamed top would show more. Well, you can see what I got and if you look closely, the headstock is still birdseye but just not much of it.

I guess next time it'll be a phone order.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back