How come we all don't play Carvin instruments & amps/cabs?

[RS66LB]

Unless we are all wealthy (I am not), how come all of do not play Carvin? It would seem to make sense if you are willing to pay $3000 for a Sadowsky (or fill in "Sadowsky" with any other boutique co.) that we would be willing to pay half of that for something that is arguably equal or better.

I once wasted the better part of an entire weekend "virtual building" their basses. Whenever the final price appeared on the screen my jaw would drop because I couldn't believe how low the price is. Then I go thinking, if thats the case, how come all of us dont have one (or more).

And in other scenario's, it's even more obvious. If you are willing to pay say $1200 for a Korean made Zon, than you would be willing to pay $950 for a US made Carvin with better options, right?

Just a thought.

A great point, also of note is the fact that Carvin is strictly mail order and cannot afford negative 'word of mouth', basically they have to make decent products or the afore mentioned word of mouth would have sunk them long ago, I've never owned a Carvin bass however have heard some decent tones comming from both guitar and basses over the years...as far as Bass equipment I'm quite pleased with my Carvin BX-1200 -when I was shopping for a new amp I had a limited budget of around $1200, I tried many different products and liked nearly all of them however nothing could match the Carvins power and tonal options -now I understand 'tone' is extremely subjective however with this product I can pretty much dial up any tone I want plus it's been very reliable (especially considering how it's used in 'bridged' mode at 4 ohms). The fact that I paid far less then $1000 for this head just adds to the overall value.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Well, I never really wanted to search for Carvin specifically - I just dropped into this thread because of how ridiculous the title was. The OP doesn't even own a Carvin bass. I don't personally like them either mainly based on looks, but I didn't get attacked by any means.

The thread ultimately did urge me to check more into the bass though.

Ultimately though, what has happened since the beginning is irrelevant to what I have seen, since I have only been here since 2011. I haven't seen a ton of Cravin threads active, aside from the SB roll call. It was an interesting read, and fun to participate in.

Again, there are plenty of mentions of Carvin and not just long ago. I think even Carvin fans might've noticed that. They're not shorted as far as attention here on TB. Glad you found something that picqued your curiousity.

 

[Brad Johnson]

A great point, also of note is the fact that Carvin is strictly mail order and cannot afford negative 'word of mouth', basically they have to make decent products or the afore mentioned word of mouth would have sunk them long ago, I've never owned a Carvin bass however have heard some decent tones comming from both guitar and basses over the years...as far as Bass equipment I'm quite pleased with my Carvin BX-1200 -when I was shopping for a new amp I had a limited budget of around $1200, I tried many different products and liked nearly all of them however nothing could match the Carvins power and tonal options -now I understand 'tone' is extremely subjective however with this product I can pretty much dial up any tone I want plus it's been very reliable (especially considering how it's used in 'bridged' mode at 4 ohms). The fact that I paid far less then $1000 for this head just adds to the overall value.

They do make decent products. My fretless LB75 arrived with a noticeable hump in the fingerboard despite their stated guarantee. In spite of that I kept it and got it fixed locally... it was cheaper.

 

[WoodyG3]

They do make decent products. My fretless LB75 arrived with a noticeable hump in the fingerboard despite their stated guarantee. In spite of that I kept it and got it fixed locally... it was cheaper.

I don't understand. Carvin would have either taken it back and refunded your money, or they would have fixed it for free. How was it cheaper to fix it locally?

Anyway, I eating a hamburger tonight at our running club meeting. I was wondering why everyone didn't eat a hamburger. I've tried the pork sliders, but they were sort of sterile and didn't have a signature taste. I didn't see any of the really fast runners eating them, either.

Seriously, this is one of he craziest threads I have yet seen on TB. Please play the bass you enjoy, and remember that diversity is a GOOD thing!

Good night.

 

[Reggie Hamilton]

Carvin makes some great instruments and their fretless necks are incredible. At the start of my endorsement with them ('89-'95), I was playing bass for Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Billy Childs, Freeflight and other notable jazz musicians. No other company would touch me (Fender not withstanding) because I didn't have an affiliation with anybody good. It was so bad that I had ghosted on several records and the bass players got endorsements with companies that I couldn't secure endorsements with. You have to admit, that's funny.

The Kiesel family gave me an opportunity to find the sound I heard in my head. Eventually we went our separate ways but I still regard them as exceptional people and a great company that can bring custom basses to the masses.

All the best,

RH

(Incidentally, I played a Carvin On "Crazy" for Seal's 'MTV Unplugged' as well as live gigs and movie dates with Stanley, different tours and record dates.)

 

[boristhespider9]

Those pointy headstocks and that ugly Carvin logo!

 

[Roy Vogt]

Carvin makes some great instruments and their fretless necks are incredible. At the start of my endorsement with them ('89-'95), I was playing bass for Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Billy Childs, Freeflight and other notable jazz musicians. No other company would touch me (Fender not withstanding) because I didn't have an affiliation with anybody good. It was so bad that I had ghosted on several records and the bass players got endorsements with companies that I couldn't secure endorsements with. You have to admit, that's funny.

The Kiesel family gave me an opportunity to find the sound I heard in my head. Eventually we went our separate ways but I still regard them as exceptional people and a great company that can bring custom basses to the masses.

All the best,

RH

(Incidentally, I played a Carvin On "Crazy" for Seal's 'MTV Unplugged' as well as live gigs and movie dates with Stanley, different tours and record dates.)

Thanks for weighing in, Reggie! Seeing you and Beaver Felton in the catalog made me take Carvin seriously enough to pursue an arrangement with them! BTW, all of us are still getting a workout from the DB materials-thanks again!

 

[sven kalmar]

would be kind of boring , wouldnt it? just referring to the thread..

 

[Roy Vogt]

would be kind of boring , wouldnt it? just referring to the thread..

It's funny, one other post I've been following is about this being a Golden Age of Basses because there are so many choices for the bass player at all levels of price and they're all pretty good! I call that a win for everybody!
Lot's of choices make for a cool Bass World!

 

[PilbaraBass]

Forget it... This thread BITES!

Thanks to you insensitive, selfish people for wrecking it...

I'm outta here!

 

[Mystic Michael]

I can't believe this thread is still going. This has got to be one of the flimsiest pretexts for a topic ever to pop up on TalkBass. And I'm a hardcore Carvin player!

MM

 

[dorknowitzki]

how come we all don't play metal?

 

[the yeti]

how come we all don't play metal?

my understanding is there's a huge debate over what is the best bass for that. it's so bad some players now don't want to have anything to do with the genre at all.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I don't understand. Carvin would have either taken it back and refunded your money, or they would have fixed it for free. How was it cheaper to fix it locally?

Anyway, I eating a hamburger tonight at our running club meeting. I was wondering why everyone didn't eat a hamburger. I've tried the pork sliders, but they were sort of sterile and didn't have a signature taste. I didn't see any of the really fast runners eating them, either.

Seriously, this is one of he craziest threads I have yet seen on TB. Please play the bass you enjoy, and remember that diversity is a GOOD thing!

Good night.

Because they didn't cover shipping. I'm on the opposite coast.

 

[Jarrett]

This thread is informational in a number of ways.

 

[Bassorama57]

What a strange thread.
I'd picked up and played Carvins (used in music shops; other player's instruments) and never thought much one way or the other - but these were all neck-throughs and I'm a bolt-on guy. Sight unseen ordered an SB4000; and it's displaced a whole collection of EBMMs and high end Fenders.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Carvin makes some great instruments and their fretless necks are incredible. At the start of my endorsement with them ('89-'95), I was playing bass for Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Billy Childs, Freeflight and other notable jazz musicians. No other company would touch me (Fender not withstanding) because I didn't have an affiliation with anybody good. It was so bad that I had ghosted on several records and the bass players got endorsements with companies that I couldn't secure endorsements with. You have to admit, that's funny.

The Kiesel family gave me an opportunity to find the sound I heard in my head. Eventually we went our separate ways but I still regard them as exceptional people and a great company that can bring custom basses to the masses.

All the best,

RH

(Incidentally, I played a Carvin On "Crazy" for Seal's 'MTV Unplugged' as well as live gigs and movie dates with Stanley, different tours and record dates.)

I have no doubt that their fretless necks could be incredible and they even touted it in their ads. So imagine my surprise when I got my brand new bass with a hump so obvious I couldn't believe even casual QC could miss it. This was during the time you were endorsed with them.

 

[kcole4001]

my understanding is there's a huge debate over what is the best bass for that. it's so bad some players now don't want to have anything to do with the genre at all.

That's why I don't play metal.
I just don't know what kind of black bass to play since there's no consensus on the 'right' bass (other than being black).

 

[unclejane]

I have no doubt that their fretless necks could be incredible and they even touted it in their ads. So imagine my surprise when I got my brand new bass with a hump so obvious I couldn't believe even casual QC could miss it. This was during the time you were endorsed with them.

It happens - you should have sent it back and got it fixed or replaced. Your objections have been noted and continued whining and wrangling is not impressing anyone. Go away, or at least try to say something substantive.

Now, on the topic of the Carvin FL necks/fingerboards from those of us who _do_ own and play Carvin FL's. My two Bunnies are both unlined FL (one is a 4 string, the other is a 6). The boards on both are impeccable. The thickness of the board is pretty impressive also, especially on the 6 string; it has a huge slab of ebony.

The only thing I don't quite like with the Bunny is the bridge. This is actually a common problem on many mass-produced FL's. On both of mine, the saddles are fully bottomed out and the action is just a hair above where I'd like it. The Hipshot saddles, though, don't really permit filing down to fix this.

My next carvin may actually a B40 bolt-neck to supplement my G&L L2K. It has a different bridge that may allow getting around this problem.

But for the fretless player, Carvin is heaven; I think every bass they make can be ordered unlined FL for no extra cost...

LS

 

[unclejane]

It's funny, one other post I've been following is about this being a Golden Age of Basses because there are so many choices for the bass player at all levels of price and they're all pretty good! I call that a win for everybody!
Lot's of choices make for a cool Bass World!

Exactly... I mentioned this in that thread also, but these days, even FMIC is making the best P's and J's they've ever produced at any point in their existence. I'm not a Precision or Jazz type of guy, but if I were, I wouldn't have to try to avoid FMIC like we had to do back in the late 70's/early 80's when I first started playing.

Good basses are absolutely all over the place now at all levels of quality, value etc. You're no longer a slave to your local pawn shop just to get something to play .

As for Carvin, I've found them to be the highest bang/buck ratio line of basses on the market pretty much period. What you get for the money is the highest that I've been able to see. The first derivative on the cost or the quality or both becomes unfavorable with most other manufacturers in comparison....

LS