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Curious about Carvin basses

#21
I say find a used one in the ballpark of what you want on Ebay from a US seller who's willing to ship internationally. Then you'll have a chance to see how you get on with Carvin's neck profile, electronics, etc. before you shell out for an expensive custom through a European dealer. Whether you end up loving Carvin and get one built to your specs or you don't like it at all, you could probably sell the used one without taking a huge loss.

I'd say any of the other basses mentioned are comparable to Carvin in overall quality.
 
#22
Funny that you couldn't find anything on Carvin via a search. IME, Carvin threads on TalkBass are as ubiquitous as the breeze
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Ok, my bad, here´s where my lack of English skills show. What I meant was info on how the quality of Carvin basses relate to the prices in Europe, since I ca´nt buy factory direct, there is obviously an increase in price. I have read everything I could find on TB regarding Carvin basses.
 
#25
I had a Carvin LB75 for about one week. It seemed to be well made. As far as being comfortable to play, I would give it a 7 out of 10. The neck felt great and the body was nice. The problem I had was that I couldn't get a good tone from it. No matter what I tried, it sounded muddy. No clarity to it at all.
 
#26
Check out my extensive review on Harmony Central of my 2004 LB70P.

I would say Carvins are worth twice what they cost, including your overseas retail price. You simply won't be disappointed.

Here are my two. I love posting these. Sorry to sound like a fan or something.

2004 LB70P. Jet black with chrome hardware. This thing is a Swiss Army knife. I can get anything I want out of it. LOVE this bass.
7457_LB70P_4.jpg


2012 LB70PF. Claro top, BEM board, Hard as Nails (HAN) epoxy on the board; 5 piece walnut neck with 2 maple stripes, 3 piece body with maple laminate layer. 2 J99A's.
7457_NBD_outside_pics_001_1.jpg
 
#27
Very stylish-looking basses you've got there, Gumby. Both of 'em are beautiful, but that walnut/maple baby is just gorgeous! :eek:

That's another thing: You can customize Carvin bass guitars to look absolutely stunning. So when you're not actually playing them, you'll still enjoy looking at them. :smug:

MM
 
#28
I bought my Carvin LB50 in 1980. It is so rock solid I have let it sit for years, pull it out and it'll still be perfectly in tune! It has passive electronics (my preference), and has never given me a bit of trouble. It's quite heavy at 11.5 lbs. But the tones are outstanding! Carvin basses consistently recieve high praise from pros, and regularly win shoot-outs as well. Highly recommended from this player.
 
#29
I used to have an LB76Anniversary 6-string with all the options one could buy at the time. The playability was superb, no complains. The tone was a bit shy or dull though. Didn't cut through as they say. The build quality was superb as well. I finally sold it and bought another bass instead of that.

Later I have been visiting a local store that sells Carvin basses. I tried two LB75s and both of them had terrible action and the truss rods didn't work at all. Also the sound was much thinner than my former bass had (although they had onboard 3-band EQ). Really bad basses despite the high price tag (appr USD2200).

The new Jazz type instruments seem to be better basses than the LBs.
So there can be good and bad basses carrying the same brand name.
 
#30
I've had my Carvin since 94. I replaced the j pups and electronics with Barts. Huge improvement. Turned a great bass (that I cut my 6 string teeth on) into a bass that could hang with just about anything. If they have upped their game with the pups since the mid 90's, you should get a great bass. I'm playing my carvin in the cello and bass duet below in my signature.
 
#35
pauliebass said:
I've had my Carvin since 94. I replaced the j pups and electronics with Barts. Huge improvement. Turned a great bass (that I cut my 6 string teeth on) into a bass that could hang with just about anything. If they have upped their game with the pups since the mid 90's, you should get a great bass. I'm playing my carvin in the cello and bass duet below in my signature.
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I just listened to the duet. Very nice ! Whoever said earlier that they lack tone must not have had one that sounds like yours. You can really hear the tone well when you switch into the the finger stuff.

Edit : I remember you mentioned swapping out the pups and pre for barts. Good move because it reminds me of a punchier Modulas. Another cool sounding modern bass,imo.
 
#36
Every time I look at a used Carvin I think, yeah but if I buy new I can get exactly the options I want, and it's still a great price for a new bass. If I saw a used one with all the same options I would choose, I'd go for it. The chances of that are slim, though.

I think that's why the resale values are not high. They have to compete with the great value presented by the new basses.
 
#37
Carvin j pickups are bright and not as full sounding in the mids like stock Fender American jazz pick ups. If yiu want a warmer sounding bass, look else where. So if you like that modern jazz sound, it is a great option. Plus with being able to customize the bass the way you want it is another plus. Craftsmanship is just as good as anything out there.
 
#38
I have two Carvin 5 strings...both LB75 (one with Jazz pups and one with a Jazz/MM pups). Both basses sound and play amazingly. With options and bells and whistles each bass costs about $1000-$1200. I think it costs $1500 to simply talk to the Fender custom shop on the phone.
 
#39
I have a Carvin SB5000 fretted and a SB5001 fretless. Lately the SB5001 is getting all the play time. I have 1993 Warwick Streamer Stage I 5-string that has been hanging on a wall in my music room since I got my first Carvin back in June 2010 if that tells you anything how I feel about them. The Warwick was my #1 bass for 17 years prior to getting my Carvin.
 

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