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Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call!

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#122
Wilbyman said:
Hey guys, if you want to hear alot of SB5000, go to the following:

Link Removed

all of the stuff from our 1/16/2010 show is with the SB5000 out of the DI from the Focus. It's a board recording...

Will
Click to expand...

Man, that bass sounds good Will! I'd love to hear one of these with a mahogany body/ebony board. Those pickups sound great!....and as always you sound great man. Bela's Song reminds me of Pachora with Skuli Sverrisson a bit. You really should check that stuff out if you haven't already. Love it.
 
#125
Wilbyman said:
Hey guys, if you want to hear alot of SB5000, go to the following:

Link Removed

all of the stuff from our 1/16/2010 show is with the SB5000 out of the DI from the Focus. It's a board recording...

Will
Click to expand...

The songs are very nice! I really like Sticky Buns. The tone is really defined and clear, maybe even a little more modern than I was expecting. It sounds great.

I just can't decide between ash or alder. After hearing this it makes me think the alder would be just fine (I'm assuming yours is alder???). It sounds more open through the mids than a typical alder Fender jazz.

I REALLY want one of these basses:hmm:
 
#126
blmeier7 said:
The songs are very nice! I really like Sticky Buns. The tone is really defined and clear, maybe even a little more modern than I was expecting. It sounds great.

I just can't decide between ash or alder. After hearing this it makes me think the alder would be just fine (I'm assuming yours is alder???). It sounds more open through the mids than a typical alder Fender jazz.

I REALLY want one of these basses:hmm:
Click to expand...

Thanks B...it is alder. I think the ash or alder would be OK, though I would like to try an ash/maple one to see what the difference might be. I get a solid slap sound out of it, and that warm punchy fingerstyle thing as well.

The only other thing of note here is that mine has the midrange sweep knob instead of the passive tone...

W
 
#127
Wilbyman said:
Thanks B...it is alder. I think the ash or alder would be OK, though I would like to try an ash/maple one to see what the difference might be. I get a solid slap sound out of it, and that warm punchy fingerstyle thing as well.

The only other thing of note here is that mine has the midrange sweep knob instead of the passive tone...

W
Click to expand...

Will, do you use the midrange from the preamp a lot on that bass? Do you think it's because you're using the AI amp? From hearing your clips I can see that bass being great with a passive tone option.
 
#128
emjazz said:
Will, do you use the midrange from the preamp a lot on that bass? Do you think it's because you're using the AI amp? From hearing your clips I can see that bass being great with a passive tone option.
Click to expand...

Andy- Do you think it is too bright? Honestly, it does sound brighter in those clips than I heard it on stage. The treble cut works fine for me but I didn't feel the need to engage it. I do use a bit of a midrange boost with the bass .. just a hair .. and I like the option of the sweepable mids for dialing it in perfectly for the room.

I have always found the passive tone knob more useful with ash basses than alder...the alder/ebony thing sounds perfect to me without any roll off.
 
#129
Wilbyman said:
Andy- Do you think it is too bright? Honestly, it does sound brighter in those clips than I heard it on stage. The treble cut works fine for me but I didn't feel the need to engage it. I do use a bit of a midrange boost with the bass .. just a hair .. and I like the option of the sweepable mids for dialing it in perfectly for the room.

I have always found the passive tone knob more useful with ash basses than alder...the alder/ebony thing sounds perfect to me without any roll off.
Click to expand...

I don't know about too bright...I think it works. It just sounds like ebony to me, with that ping on top. I get it from my bass as well. I don't think it's a bad thing, it's just a thing. I did hear it in your clips though and could imagine wanting the passive rolloff once in a while to tame the top end, and to get that burpier sound from the back pickup when you want it. I really don't think it's needed though.
 
#130
emjazz said:
I don't know about too bright...I think it works. It just sounds like ebony to me, with that ping on top. I get it from my bass as well. I don't think it's a bad thing, it's just a thing. I did hear it in your clips though and could imagine wanting the passive rolloff once in a while to tame the top end, and to get that burpier sound from the back pickup when you want it. I really don't think it's needed though.
Click to expand...

I agree with you...I would definitely back the high end off if I was running mostly the bridge pickup. I will see if I can get some clips of more of a bridge tone with the treble cut engaged. (i.e., something a little fusion-er).
 
#131
Received my SB5000 yesterday via UPS. Alder, Classic Sunburst, tort guard, maple board, chrome hardware.
First impressions:
Construction is excellent. Fretwork, finish, and setup appear to be flawless.
The catalog says 9.5 pounds, so I was concerned about weight. I asked for a light piece of alder, and they made that note on my order. The result....this one weighs 10.2 lbs on my scale...hmmm.
Fortunately, the balance is excellent. Hands free, the headstock sits well above horizontal. The less-than-Fender-sized headstock is probably the key here, because the neck is plenty beefy. However, the neck is less "chunky" than my Fender Amer Deluxe P5.
The sound is solid, clear, and punchy. I've been recording some today (Steely Dan sort of stuff), and the finger-style funk is holding up nicely in the mix. Looking forward to playing it live.
 
#134
Here's a pic.
 

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#136
Aw nice, I dig the specs on that one. I would be curious to play a maple neck SB5000. I played mine on Saturday on the jam band thing and then on my Monday jazz quartet thing. I got few good comments on the Monday thing (what is that bass, that sounds good!) which is kinda rare for any electric bass on a jazz gig :-).
 
#137
Wilbyman said:
Aw nice, I dig the specs on that one. I would be curious to play a maple neck SB5000. I played mine on Saturday on the jam band thing and then on my Monday jazz quartet thing. I got few good comments on the Monday thing (what is that bass, that sounds good!) which is kinda rare for any electric bass on a jazz gig :-).
Click to expand...

I haven't played this bass on a gig yet, but I've been recording with it in the studio.

A couple of nice discoveries on day two:

1) The B string is very nice and clear and records nicely.
2) There isn't a dead spot on the G string (or anywhere else that I have found so far).
 
#139
randy clere said:
LanEvo- Having owned many basses, this SB-5000 w/flamed Koa top/ash body is a real tone monster!! She is a bit heavy, but I'm a big guy! I am using DR Nickel Low Riders, have the action set really low... This bass has plenty of "BURP" in the back pup, and blending the neck pup, gives plenty of MMMWWWHHAAA! the bass sits great in the mix... I was playing behind a singer song writer playing Joni Mitchell covers, and people came up afterwords, remarking on the singing quality of the bass... Also, used it on a fusion gig last night, and it cut right through... Tone wise, you and I are on the same page as far as darker and woody... The Korina is going to darken things up a lot, and you might want to consider alder or ash for the body.... Kevin, the sales person I dealt with at Carvin gets 5 stars!! HE was great to work with, he even went down and picked out the top wood!! As far as craftsmanship, these basses will stand up to just about anything on the boutique market for sure! I am now going to sell my LEJ 5 and build an SB-5000 fretted! Good luck my friend!
Click to expand...
Thanks very much for the detailed response!

As I said, I'm a big fan of the Fender Victor Bailey Sig in terms of tone. But the few I've seen had really lousy tops and build quality that's less than I would have expected for the price. I just can't justify spending over 2-grand for a bass with sub-par attention to detail. If I can get a similar combination of woods with Carvin build quality, I'd be all over it.
 
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