• 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.

Faulty Carvin BX700

#23
BassmanPaul said:
David unless the brand was Carvin I don't see how this post applies.
Click to expand...
I was just saying that problems can happen, right out of the box from any manufacturer. It happens. That's what warranty is for. Let them fix it instead of immediately throwing them under the bus on Talkbass. That's all.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: BadExample, BassmanPaul, yakmastermax and 1 other person
#25
I just drove down to Carvin today and picked up a bx700 and brx10.2. After I got home and making sure every was set right and plugged in correctly, I plugged in my bass and then turned it on with volume and drive at zero. I then heard several pop sounds like unpluuging a speaker cord etc and the it would pop on and off twice while a little bit of hiss in between. I tried different speaker cables, power outlets, etc. It does the same thing. I tried turning up the master and no bass noise.

I was in a hurry to get back home and I should have tried it out at Carvin before I left. . Doh!
Anyways I will call them Monday and hopefully they will make this right with another unit that actually works.
 
  • Like
Reactions: B-string
#26
I just bought our son a new BX-700 for Christmas. He set it up with the free foots-witch, plugged everything in, turned it on, and nothing; no sound. He calls me up and we troubleshoot over the phone. Turns out, the foot-switch had the amp set to sound off. One click of the switch and he was in business. It took him 3 minutes to dial-in his sound. He is a very happy camper.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ken Scharf and 1stnamebassist
#27
Pickinator said:
I just bought our son a new BX-700 for Christmas. He set it up with the free foots-witch, plugged everything in, turned it on, and nothing; no sound. He calls me up and we troubleshoot over the phone. Turns out, the foot-switch had the amp set to sound off. One click of the switch and he was in business. It took him 3 minutes to dial-in his sound. He is a very happy camper.
Click to expand...
I wish mine were that simple and maybe it will be. It literally looks like the power is going off momentarily. The LED lights flicker etc. Will update when I get it going.
How does your son like the amp?
 
Last edited:
#28
Just got back from Carvin today. They exchanged my amp without any questions. He thought it might be a faulty protection circuit... either way bad. Plugged the new one in to my brx cab at Carvin showroom and it sounded and worked good. When I got home it still worked good and I noticed the active switch was activated and since I have a Fender p-bass I switched it off. Immedieatley a a large volume increase and you could could here the drive in the sound pretty well. I didn't think it would color the sound that much but to my surprise it did. I have a lot of controls to learn how to use with this amp as I took the controls for granted on my old Sunn Coliseum 300. Didn't have a clue how to an amp then.
I'm looking forward to getting to know my old bass again and practice, practice, practice. Hopefully to join up with a band and have some fun.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BadExample, fenderslaper, Kinsman and 1 other person
#29
I just got a BX700-my 4th Carvin amp. I loved them all, and this one except there is some serious hissing when the drive is past 5. With my Eden pedal, it hisses at 2.
Wondering if it's time to get a power conditioner, or maybe something funny with the amp... Prior to this, I used the Eden pedal right into a Carvin DVM 1000 and had pristine sound... Any thoughts?
 
#31
BassmanPaul said:
A power “conditioner” will do nothing to heal your woes.

I assume you mean DCM1000 and fumble fingered it. :)

Hiss comes from gain. the power amp input voltage is far higher than the input of a regular bass amp. The hiss coming from the Eden pedal will be far less noticeable with a power amp.
Click to expand...

Thanks! They were pretty awesome about sending a replacement from Carvin. The hiss was noticable at a low volume with 8 ohm cab (%80 of what I do,) without the preamp. I didn't bother trying a 4 ohm load.
Without the hiss, I could not be happier. It sounded warm, deep, bright, whatever I wanted. I'm looking forward to getting the replacement.
 
#32
BassmanPaul said:
I wonder why Carvin gets bashed so much on these pages. They are a good manufacturer who builds in The US using a US work force. I have had so little trouble with my Carvin equipment that I find this attitude bizarre. :rollno:
Click to expand...

I've noticed that too. If anyone has a minor issue with a Carvin product, it becomes a mega-thread for months on end and everyone has a strong opinion of why Carvin is evil. They will expedite a replacement very quickly if you have a minor problem with a new amp. They pay shipping both ways and only ask for a credit card "deposit" so they don't get ripped off. That's fair. They sent me a free foot switch for my BX1600 for a small and reasonable shipping fee ($15ish?). They are a nice, service orientated company.
 
#33
I don't own any of their gear, but have friends who do and they seem very pleased with the equipment. Everything about Carvin strikes me as a company I would want to do business with, but there is sort of a negative cloud that always seems to appear when the name Carvin comes up in reviews.

Their quality control seems to have good and bad days. When you get Carvin gear that works well right out of the box it gives years of flawless service. Maybe they need to rethink their final QA and burn-in process to screen out these easily caught infant mortality failures that give their critics ammunition.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bobcruz

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back