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NBD - Carvin LB-50 (You Heard Right)...

#21
RandyMolson said:
That maple LB50 is a cool looking bass. I would like to see one come along in fretless.

I have a 1998 LB70F and have always been impressed by it's lightness, quality, neck and clean tone. It is also eye candy for black bass fans. Very different look from the earlier generations.

LB70F.jpg

LB70F.Back.jpg
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I like that! Very stealthy looking too.
 
#22
RandyMolson said:
That maple LB50 is a cool looking bass. I would like to see one come along in fretless.

I have a 1998 LB70F and have always been impressed by it's lightness, quality, neck and clean tone. It is also eye candy for black bass fans. Very different look from the earlier generations.

LB70F.jpg

LB70F.Back.jpg
Click to expand...
I wouldn't trade my all black fretless LB-40 for anything!! (Just have to get some new Black Beauties on it.)
 
#25
lpdeluxe said:
A good friend has a koa LB50...beautiful and lightweight. Unfortunately, the pickups died and Carvin no longer makes those.
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bassclef112 said:
That's not really a tragedy. Lots of good options available as replacements for that size. I'm considering a couple of TV Jones for one of mine.
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Sure they do, the bass pickups of that era are the same as the guitar pickups, which they still make, the M22 series in all the colors. The only part I'm not sure of was whether the the bridge pickup was another M22N or an M22T.
I like the sound of the original Carvin pickups of this type, actually, but a set of TV Jones would be awesome as well.
And tell your friend to email Carvin and ask about the M22s, you can still order them.

Edit: Their recent site changes have made the pickups hard to find, but here's all of the M22s on one page:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
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#27
[Old Phart Wisdom Flag On]
Dissatisfaction with stock pickups is rarely cured by an upgrade. Frankly, I doubt that most can do a blind A/B test and correctly discern the difference. Worse, the ear will focus on relative loudness over tonal quality and mislead one even more.

And modifications forever mar the 'vintage' value of an instrument.
(I once "upgraded" a vintage Gibson Melodymaker with a coil split humbucker. Dumbf.)
. . .
But it's your money - do what you will.
 
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#28
jetgraphics said:
[Old Phart Wisdom Flag On]
Dissatisfaction with stock pickups is rarely cured by an upgrade. Frankly, I doubt that most can do a blind A/B test and correctly discern the difference. Worse, the ear will focus on relative loudness over tonal quality and mislead one even more.

And modifications forever mar the 'vintage' value of an instrument.
(I once "upgraded" a vintage Gibson Melodymaker with a coil split humbucker. Dumbf.)
. . .
But it's your money - do what you will.
Click to expand...

I beg to differ. I have cured a number of stock pickups with quality upgrades that without question improved the instrument. I've been playing long enough to recognize tonal improvements - or I should say, adjustments that better suit what I want to hear. With so many pickup choices available that run the gamut from hi-fi to gritty it's easy.

Again, these pickups are just okay. They'd be better suited if they were a bit wider. The original Schaller bridge put the E & G strings right at the edge. I installed a Schaller roller bridge and there wasn't much improvement. So it's easy enough to get a well made blade pickup that does what it should.

For the record, these are well used instruments that do not have a "vintage" value. I paid $350 for this one and $450 for the other and they're nearly 30 years old. How long should I wait for the "vintage" tag to kick in? Though they are well made they are not a highly desirable collectable - just like the early Peaveys. I bought an '86 Rudy Sarzo that is easily one of the best made basses I've seen for $400 and will still hold up against basses at 3 times the cost. Playability and sound are excellent and it's one of my favorites. It'll never by a "vintage" collectable either, just a "Hey, look at that! Cool! Who's Rudy Sarzo anyway?" kinda bass

These are well made basses bangers well worth their price, but not investments. And BTW, changing pickups is not a "marring" modification either, it's just new solder joints. I'm not digging any holes, and even if I did these aren't at that level where it matters.

As for money, I so like these basses that I'm willing to invest in new guts worth nearly what I paid for them to make them twice as good. That certainly says something about them I think...
 
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#29
bholder said:
Sure they do, the bass pickups of that era are the same as the guitar pickups, which they still make, the M22 series in all the colors. The only part I'm not sure of was whether the the bridge pickup was another M22N or an M22T.
I like the sound of the original Carvin pickups of this type, actually, but a set of TV Jones would be awesome as well.
And tell your friend to email Carvin and ask about the M22s, you can still order them.

Edit: Their recent site changes have made the pickups hard to find, but here's all of the M22s on one page:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...

I have a page out of their '83 catalog and these pickups are listed as "M22B". I have to think they were specifically wound for bass in spite of what the guy at Carvin said.
 
#31
bassclef112 said:
I have a page out of their '83 catalog and these pickups are listed as "M22B". I have to think they were specifically wound for bass in spite of what the guy at Carvin said.
Click to expand...
Could be, but it's been claimed and verified several times independently. I'm tempted to order a new M22N just to do the A|B comparison.
 
#32
bassclef112 said:
I beg to differ. I have cured a number of stock pickups with quality upgrades that without question improved the instrument. I've been playing long enough to recognize tonal improvements - or I should say, adjustments that better suit what I want to hear. With so many pickup choices available that run the gamut from hi-fi to gritty it's easy.

Again, these pickups are just okay. They'd be better suited if they were a bit wider. The original Schaller bridge put the E & G strings right at the edge. I installed a Schaller roller bridge and there wasn't much improvement. So it's easy enough to get a well made blade pickup that does what it should.

For the record, these are well used instruments that do not have a "vintage" value. I paid $350 for this one and $450 for the other and they're nearly 30 years old. How long should I wait for the "vintage" tag to kick in? Though they are well made they are not a highly desirable collectable - just like the early Peaveys. I bought an '86 Rudy Sarzo that is easily one of the best made basses I've seen for $400 and will still hold up against basses at 3 times the cost. Playability and sound are excellent and it's one of my favorites. It'll never by a "vintage" collectable either, just a "Hey, look at that! Cool! Who's Rudy Sarzo anyway?" kinda bass

These are well made basses bangers well worth their price, but not investments. And BTW, changing pickups is not a "marring" modification either, it's just new solder joints. I'm not digging any holes, and even if I did these aren't at that level where it matters.

As for money, I so like these basses that I'm willing to invest in new guts worth nearly what I paid for them to make them twice as good. That certainly says something about them I think...
Click to expand...
Yeah, certain brands are just never going to garner a whole lot of "vintage value", Carvin and Peavey in particular. Very solid high quality products, but none that generated the "vintage mojo vibe" kind of adulation.
Nothing wrong with old great quality instruments staying reasonably inexpensive. ;) (At least, not when I'm buying, selling, well, I'll take my lumps, rules of the game.)
 
#33
The beauty of these kinds of basses is that, unless you are a certain age, they have pretty much fallen off the radar as far people knowing about their quality. Younger players have a huge selection to pick from and going into archeology isn't very desirable. This keeps these excellent basses very affordable for the likes of me.

There are a number of old, "lost" models that are pretty amazing if you know what to look for.
 
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#34
Thanks, bholder: I emailed the information to the owner of the LB50. For what it's worth, he has a couple of Carvin guitars and at least one amplifier as well. I am the former owner of a mahogany LB20, which I didn't particularly like, and the current owner of an SH550B guitar, which I love.
 
#36
lpdeluxe said:
I got a response from my friend; he has an LB90, not the LB50. Does anyone know what pickups are on the LB90?
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This was in the Carvin Museum.

87-h11b.jpg
"In 1987, the new H11B stacked humbucker was the standard pickup on Carvin basses. It was originally intended only for the LB90, but ended up being used in all '87 basses. Carvin also switched to their own line of tuners on guitars and basses in 1987. Models earlier than this had German-made Schaller tuners as the standard. These would last until 1992, when Sperzel tuners would become the standard. Note that the Carvin logo was the new black-style, which would appear on all Carvin gear beginning in 1988."
 
#38
bassclef112 said:
This was in the Carvin Museum.

87-h11b.jpg
"In 1987, the new H11B stacked humbucker was the standard pickup on Carvin basses. It was originally intended only for the LB90, but ended up being used in all '87 basses. Carvin also switched to their own line of tuners on guitars and basses in 1987. Models earlier than this had German-made Schaller tuners as the standard. These would last until 1992, when Sperzel tuners would become the standard. Note that the Carvin logo was the new black-style, which would appear on all Carvin gear beginning in 1988."
Click to expand...
I really wanted to find one or two of those to add to my LB40. Still do, actually.
 

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