Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call!

[SanDiegoHarry]

Here it is:

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.

White *does* look classic, if understated. I like the flame/burst combo... A huge part of the "fun" of Carvin is all these options.

 

[Freddels]

I think it's screaming out for tort.

 

[nostatic]

I'd go tort, but the white does look good.

The only ash body instruments I've ever liked are my Zons (and they have graphite necks and fancy tops). Everything else I've preferred alder and in fact have flipped/returned the ash basses I've gotten. fwiw ymmv

 

[phillipkregg]

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:

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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.

Are you using a drum machine or loops? I really like that drum loop. Oh, and the bass as great too! LOL

 

[Freddels]

I have both alder and ash body basses and I don't have a problem with them. Generally, my favorite body wood is mahogany. I also have two spanish cedar body basses.

 

[phillipkregg]

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.

Hey, if it's not what you ordered - send her back!

Of course I think it looks pretty dang awesome - maybe just send it to me instead.

 

[phillipkregg]

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:

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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?

Good Googledegoo!!!! That is a hot @zz slap tone!

 

[Freddels]

Hey, if it's not what you ordered - send her back!

Of course I think it looks pretty dang awesome - maybe just send it to me instead.

I'll probably just send the pickguard back.

 

[Jarrett]

Freddels, cool bass. Are you digging it? I bet support can get it straightened out for you. Maybe they could swap necks or something.

Anyway, thanks for posting the clip. Sounds great.

Thanks, no prob

Are you using a drum machine or loops? I really like that drum loop. Oh, and the bass as great too! LOL

Thanks, it's [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] It's the easiest way i've found to make quick pro sounding drum tracks.

Good Googledegoo!!!! That is a hot @zz slap tone!

Thanks man I can't wait to get some fresh strings on it. That's the sound that sold me on this thing in the first place.

 

[Freddels]

So far, I'm diggin' the bass. Of course, it's the first day. lol

I'll call them tomorrow and see about a pick guard swap.

 

[Kwesi]

Probably, the best looking SB I've seen from TB! Mine is gonna look similar but with one more string, birdseye maple fretboard and headstock, chrome hardware, and no pickguard. I'm considering going with the triple stain option but I dunno if it's worth it. I wish someone had a honeyburst quilted maple top so I could compare .

Here it is:

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.

 

[Kwesi]

One more thing to ask you guys before I get around to ordering mine. I can't decide whether I want the 3-band preamp w/ mid sweep or the 2-band preamp w/ passive tone control. There seems to be overwhelming support for the 2-band but I'm willing to bet money that the majority of those folks come from either passive or 2-band preamps in their previous basses. I'd like to hear from people that usually prefer 3-bands because that's the background I come from.

I plan on having an ash body, flamed maple top, and a maple neck w/ birdseye maple fretboard and headstock.

 

[Freddels]

I have 3 band (Roscoes), 4 band (EBMM Bongo), 2 band (G&L), and passive (Fenders).

I really liked the tone that Sekou was getting from his bass so I wanted to get as close to that tone as possible. So, I went with the same electronic package that he has on his bass.

 

[bass4worship]

My Sb5000 has a 3-band when in active, when the active/passive pot is down I can control the mid's with the same pot.

 

[Kwesi]

My Sb5000 has a 3-band when in active, when the active/passive pot is down I can control the mid's with the same pot.

Not exactly sure I understand what you're saying here. Are you saying you got the 3-band active/passive package or you got an aftermarket?

 

[Jarrett]

I'm willing to bet money that the majority of those folks come from either passive or 2-band preamps in their previous basses. I'd like to hear from people that usually prefer 3-bands because that's the background I come from.

I reread this and realized it was incorrect. Here's what I should have said:

I've been playing a 3-band bass for 17 years. I was fully planning on ordering a 3-band SB5000 until I played the stock electronics. They sounded perfect to me as is. The salesperson told me that the sound of the bass depends on whether you go with the dual volume or master/blend config. Since I wanted to get the same sound I hear on the one I played, I matched the electronics it had. Once I found out I would lose the active/passive option if I added the mid control, I opted not to get it. I don't adjust the mids on my amp to compensate for the bass, so I conclude I wouldn't use the mid control on the bass if I had it either. I do however use the passive tone control quite a bit.

 

[bass4worship]

Not exactly sure I understand what you're saying here. Are you saying you got the 3-band active/passive package or you got an aftermarket?

Not a after market, I have the Vol/Pan/ Mid/passive tone and bass/treble stack.

 

[Kwesi]

Not a after market, I have the Vol/Pan/ Mid/passive tone and bass/treble stack.

Whoa! How'd you get that? Is that some kind of phone only option? Because that covers everything!

 

[bass4worship]

I don't know why but the passive / active pot is doing something with the mid's when in active.

 

[bass4worship]

It's not adding any scope to it but it do reduce the mid's