ehh... where to begin... my little combo (fender rumble 60) is in the process of bugging out and I'm looking to upgrade anyway. I'm looking at a Carvin BX 1200 head right now. I asked the owner of a local music store about carvin amps because I don't know much about them. He didn't have a very high opinion about them and told me to look around some more. But I've read so many good reviews... if anyone has had any experience with Carvin amps I'd appreciate the assistance.
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Carvin
- Thread starter T-time
- Start date
My opinion is that a store owner would rather sell you something he stocks versus something you could buy direct from the manufacturer.
Search, my friend. There are tons of threads about this. (I know, because I probably posted in at least half of them. And BTW, I own a Carvin B1500.)
Normally that would be the case but I've known this guy a while and I figure he would be more inclined to help me than make a sale... but you do have a point.
If you stick with the brx series you're okay. The old redline series had some problems and carvin gained a bad rep because of that. my carvin b800 is an excellent amp and very well priced. I like it better than my eden wt405 which is twice the price. that bx1200 looks nice. lots of power and tweaking options. from what people i've talked to have said, the bx1200 sounds very similar to the b1500/b800 but maybe a little warmer.
I say go for it.
I say go for it.
+1. I can remember a time when the Amps forum here was awash with Carvin complaints.
The new BX1200 (rated 1200W at 4 ohms bridged) looks like an excellent value - provided that it's not just a Redline with a new faceplate.
With the ten day trial you may as well just try it. I personally can't quite get the tone i need out of them, but they are built very well and might work for you. The rehearsal studio i play at has B800s. They get a lot of abuse there but they have never failed on me.
All I pretty much run is Carvin and no I'm not endorsed nor am I an employee trying to push gear.
Anyway, the BX1200 is a very solid head with a lot of very useful features. Bass player magazine gave it the editors choice award a few months ago, you might check out their web page and article on it.
I personally have not played on this head but I do own the BRX212 combo, PB200-15 combo, BR810 cabinet, and a '75 ST2400 head. Now the only problems I have had out of any of this is I have had to replace the speakers in the 212 three times in under a year(my fault, heavy right hand) and the speaker in the PB200 a few times over the course of four years or so(again my fault, heavy hand). Never had a problem with any of their power sections.
The biggest reason why a lot of people dont like Carvin bass gear(or gear in general) is that it is focused in the low-mid/mid range. They can get really low and gutteral but they do it with definition and not boomy at the same time. Take Ampeg for instance, they are considered a "staple" in hard rock and heavy metal music. They can as well get low and gutteral, but, they loose a massive amount of definition. When they have definition it's still pretty muddy and "loose" as I like to call it.
And you will always hear that Carvin has nothing but problems, I call BS, name a company that does not have any problems.
Anyway, the BX1200 is a very solid head with a lot of very useful features. Bass player magazine gave it the editors choice award a few months ago, you might check out their web page and article on it.
I personally have not played on this head but I do own the BRX212 combo, PB200-15 combo, BR810 cabinet, and a '75 ST2400 head. Now the only problems I have had out of any of this is I have had to replace the speakers in the 212 three times in under a year(my fault, heavy right hand) and the speaker in the PB200 a few times over the course of four years or so(again my fault, heavy hand). Never had a problem with any of their power sections.
The biggest reason why a lot of people dont like Carvin bass gear(or gear in general) is that it is focused in the low-mid/mid range. They can get really low and gutteral but they do it with definition and not boomy at the same time. Take Ampeg for instance, they are considered a "staple" in hard rock and heavy metal music. They can as well get low and gutteral, but, they loose a massive amount of definition. When they have definition it's still pretty muddy and "loose" as I like to call it.
And you will always hear that Carvin has nothing but problems, I call BS, name a company that does not have any problems.
I bought the Carvin AG100, which can be used as a bass amp. Sounded great. After about 4 months of no rehearsals, no gigs and no abuse at all it just stopped working, and Carvin told me they would fix it for $145 + shipping. I would be hesitant to order another Carvin product.
Something's not right there. That's supposed to have a 1 year warranty, presuming you bought it new. At 4 months, it should still be under warranty, so you should be able to get it fixed for just the cost of shipping. Did you communicate that to Carvin? Or maybe the service person misunderstood?
Recent stories suggest their CS may be spotty at the moment, though I've been lucky enough to have gotten superb service on the few occasions when I've needed it.
well that definatly sounds like an un-knowing at Carvin. Since it was well inside the factory one year warranty they should have fixed for free. You still would have had to pay shipping but they should have fixed it.
I wont lie to anyone, Carvin customer service is less than par. Thats why you have to keep asking for the next in command until you get the person who knows whats going on, when that person is found everything goes better than expected with usually a handful of free stuff on the return shipment.
And like I said in my original post, name a company that hasnt had a problem. Even the "almighty's" of amps have problem from time to time.
And I bet if you asked him which amps or cabs he has played through or heard being used, he wouldn't be able to name any.
Since they are not sold through stores, most music shops NO NOTHING about them. The only contact they have with them is trade-ins and used gear.
Do some research, there are plenty of resources on this forum alone.
I personally own and use: B1500, R1000 series II, RL118, V115, Cyclops cab, two HD1800 power amps.
- Mar 9, 2005
- 1,946
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- Avatar Club#12 Eden Club Lucky# 13--USA Peavey Club#37 Carvin Club#5
I run lots of Carvin gear. Bass and PA stuff. All top quality pro stuff. All of it is trouble free.
I have been using Carvin gear since January 2004. I currently own the B800, B1500, four LB70 basses, an AC40 bass, a full Carvin 12 channel PA complete with monitors and sub, as well as a DCM150 power amp with PM5 reference monitors for my recording gear.
I can honestly say that to this day, I have NEVER had a single solitary issue with anything I own that has the Carvin name on it.
Now lets hope I didn't just jinx myself.
I can honestly say that to this day, I have NEVER had a single solitary issue with anything I own that has the Carvin name on it.
Now lets hope I didn't just jinx myself.
Most store owners won't recommend brands that don't come through the store often. I've had my pb200 combo 8 years and it works great. Very punchy , modern sounding if you want, built in compressor and noise gate, ,, but now discontinued. Actually it is part of the redline era of amps.
I did send my bass back to Carvin to have the frets repaired that were poking out the side of the fingerboard. Started within a few days of receiving it. I waited a year or so before sending it back in case other issues came up. I've had to adjust this neck more than any other bass (5 pc, mahagony w/maple stripes)
When I got it back it had a deep gouge in it.
I could send it back or get $50 off in merchandise.
It cost $30 already in shipping. Screw that. A year later I wanted to order a few things,,,they wouldn't honor their word.:scowl:
I haven't bought anything since.
This was all before I found TB. There are lots of brands where you get what you pay for. (Yamaha comes to mind) I've enjoyed the Combo but I wouldn't buy a new bass. Go used if you can try one 1st.
I did send my bass back to Carvin to have the frets repaired that were poking out the side of the fingerboard. Started within a few days of receiving it. I waited a year or so before sending it back in case other issues came up. I've had to adjust this neck more than any other bass (5 pc, mahagony w/maple stripes)
When I got it back it had a deep gouge in it.
I could send it back or get $50 off in merchandise. It cost $30 already in shipping. Screw that. A year later I wanted to order a few things,,,they wouldn't honor their word.:scowl: I haven't bought anything since.
This was all before I found TB. There are lots of brands where you get what you pay for. (Yamaha comes to mind) I've enjoyed the Combo but I wouldn't buy a new bass. Go used if you can try one 1st.
