Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
How come we all don't play Carvin instruments & amps/cabs?
- Thread starter Thir13teen
- Start date
- Status
Jarrett said:
No, most don't seem that minimal. The used SB's has seemed to have done pretty well compared to the history of the other models.
I bought three new Carvins: LB70, 75, and 76. All which cost 11-1300 brand new. I couldn't get over 500 for them (425 in the case of the LB70) when I sold em off.
The ones I bought were for a price point when I was younger, but in the end, their electronics didn't make a tone I dug at all.
I do badly want an AC40, but I won't buy it new when they're relatively easy to find used at nearly half the price.
I'll be completely honest here, I don't think Carvin basses are the least bit attractive. Great bass or not, I'd never be caught playing one on a gig.
Been playing a long time, but only in the past year picked up a used Carvin SB5K. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool JJ guy, and the thing does it for me in terms of tone, action, and (especially) balance on a strap. And the tung oil finish on the neck has just the feel I used to try to get by buffing necks with 0000 steel wool.
There's nothing cheap about the build quality, for sure. I own several Fbasses and used to own an American MTD. And a buddy of mine who had Fodera build him a six-string (IOW, the guy knows good instruments) is thinking about getting one of these for his fiver.
There's nothing cheap about the build quality, for sure. I own several Fbasses and used to own an American MTD. And a buddy of mine who had Fodera build him a six-string (IOW, the guy knows good instruments) is thinking about getting one of these for his fiver.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
Carvin are a world class value, that does not make them a world class bass. This is coming from a guy who owns and loves his Carvin.
OK I'll play...cause you can get a good used German Warwick for even less and they are far superior to Carvin?
when i set out to get the bass that is my number 1, i wanted a fender p bass with three pickups, a p-retro, and a tremolo. carvin didn't offer these options so i would have to get a bass from them that didn't meet my needs and drop more coin to get it the way i wanted, or i could get the fender i wanted for cheaper and have the same work done.
Anyone else think it's ironic that he owns two Zon basses but no Carvin basses
The OP admitted this in his 2nd post on this thread. Hasn't posted since...
Thank you for saying this first. I feel the same, though I hinted at it earlier. EDIT - The SB series is actually pretty nice looking, just not really my thing.
Musiclogic
Commercial User
- Aug 6, 2005
- 6,505
- 75
- 60
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder: HJC Customs USA, The Cool Lute, C G O
If you play a bass because of looks rather than playability, well that is your decision.
The electronics thing is the funniest...Carvins "in house" pre? You mean Graph tech. As opposed to Bartolini, Aguilar, etc which are manufactured in Korea. Then shipped here?
Yep, Carvin pckups have left something to be desired forever. But the Pre amps since the 90's have been one of the most clear and clean pre's made.
Carvin necks until the early 2000's were based on a narrow spacing, NON Fender design, which was a foreign feel to just about anyone except Ric or Hof/Dano players. They have always been well made, and incredibly reliable.
There are just too many fallacies put forth in forums like this to perpetuate opinions of those who have never played them or only seen them in a magazine.
Carvin sells thousands of basses a year, yet they do not pop up for sale very often and are rarely seen in repair shops. Carvin has their own Quality Control, their own wood purchasing, and their own manufacturing facility. The Make their basses. Sadowsky contracts necks and bodies out to other companies then assembles and finishes them either in Asia or US. So the Sadowsky comparative is far fetched at best. Carvin doesn't make a Fender clone, thus making them even a little more different.
Am not saying Carvin is the best in the world, but they are very well made, and while they may not fit your eye, or feel like sex to you, doesn't mean you have to condescend someone else who likes them.
The answer to this thread is simple.... it's all subjective! Some people need the $7K Jazz bass with a good set up, others will buy an MIM and get it set up. It's all about what each player wants and needs.
I disagree, as an owner of a SB4K. My J99 pickups smokes any Fender I have played (what my Carvin eventually replaced). These are the most full sounding stock electronics I have ever heard, ever.
I sold my MM, Warwick; retired my Jazz bass, this Carvin is really nice.
Why is it ridiculous? If you can find a bass that's both sharp looking and a total dream to play then wouldn't you choose that bass 10 times out of 10 over another bass that plays well but isn't the least bit appealing to your eyes?
It's not condescending for me to say I don't find a particular brand attractive to my eyes. Heck, some people think EBMM StingRays are ugly and those are my go to basses in terms of looks, playability, and tone! I think those people are crazy, but I won't hold it against them. Nobody is perfect
I'm confused what Graph Tech has to do with Carvin's preamp. The current, or even the old 9v Carvin preamps have nothing to do with Graph Tech as far as I can see. The only things Graph Tech that I see in Carvins are the nuts and piezo bridge pickups.
The Carvin preamps certainly appear to be designed in house.
I was one that said I didn't like the Carvin pre and I stand by that. I lived a mile from the now closed Sacramento showroom for two years playing quite a few and have owned five Carvin basses (LB76, LB70PF, XB75, B4 and IC5) starting in 1992 with the last one I bought (the IC5) being in late 2006 or early 2007 right after they came out.
These were loaded with pretty much every type of Carvin pickup that was made at the time. The HBs, the H50As, the J99s, the SBs and their piezo setup.
There was nothing wrong with any of them, but I think Carvin's approach was for very clear sounding electronics which resulted in tone that IMO lacked their own character. Changing out for a more colored preamp (and in two cases new pickups) changed the character of the bass to something more along my tonal goals. I have heard that the new J99s have a different vibe than the old version but I haven't tried a Carvin in quite a few years now. For that matter I can't say whether their preamps or other pickups are the same either, so take my opinion for what it's worth.
And I DO think Carvin's pickups get a bit of a bad rap. Other than the Icon Soapbars (which seem artificially bass and low mid heavy) they all are natural and relatively full range sounding. Had I kept that bass I would have first tried swapping out the pickups before the preamp.
Feel free to disagree but these are not opinions I'm parroting from Talkbass threads, but my own experiences with Carvin basses which I still think are very solid and underrated instruments.
Carvin haters haven't tried the new basses like the SB series or even the upgraded B4's. Everything about the new Carvin's is better. The awards the SB basses have received comes from every bass publication imaginable and includes Bass Gear, who's bass tech is extremely tough to please.
I think this has to do a lot with it and is a good point. I know older Carvin owners don't like it when this kind of sentiment is expressed though.
As an owner of an SB5000 and one of their neck through BB75 models, I must say they're VERY different instruments. I can really understand how folks could love one and not care much for the other.
LOL. Well, no, Carvin doesn't offer that particular combination of features. Um... who does?
And, a USA Fender is not less than a comparably optioned Carvin. I'm not questioning you decision, but the Fender didn't meet your needs either, if you had to have work done to it after you got it.
Still, I guess you did give another example of why we shouldn't all just be buying Carvins.
I was very impressed by the tone and the setup of a B4 I played at the factory last week. Nothing dull or lifeless about, just thick, punchy and articulate. You can tame the clarity down with the controls and/or amp, but you can't bring to life a dull sounding bass. It was light too and the setup was PERFECT. $699.00 brand new right now. I want one BAD but have two basses to sell first. It's a "go to" bass IMO.
- Status
