quickie carvin BB70 review

Sorry to hear that there were some disapointments.

Koa varies a lot in both color and weight. If you tell the sales rep "I want dark koa" or whatever, they will try to accomodate you. If you find a pic of one you like on their Basses in Stock page, or have a pic that used to be on the Basses in Stock, you can give them the serial number and they will try to find something in the woodpile with a similar grain and color. There are no gaurantees there, but they usually get pretty close.

Lots of people are not thrilled with the pickups/electronics. There are some that have bought a Carvin and swapped pickups and/or pre-amp and been extremely happy with the sound.

I've bought four Carvin basses. I still have three of them and wish I still had the other one. They are my thing, until I find something I like better, which I've been unable to do in 18 or so years of shopping. But probably not for everyone. Different strokes you know?

I love the string spacing on my Carvin four-strings. I found it difficult to play five-strings because the strings were so close together compared to what I'm used to. But when I discovered wide-necked fives, I decided I needed one. My hands are not large, rather average or a little smaller than average. And I don't do much slapping. But for some reason, that's just what I'm comfortable with. I think the neck is what I like most about them.

Bottom line is, if you don't like it, send it back. Yeah, it'll cost you shipping. But it would be hard to rent a bass for ten days for what that shipping costs.

I've got a 1989.5 LB70, a 2003 BB75P, and a 2002 BB70WP. My first bass was a 1987 V440T. They are the only electric basses I've ever owned. (I had a Martin acoustic bass guitar for a while.) I bought all of them new except the BB70WP (my avatar) which I got slightly used (about six or seven months old when I bought it). My next two or three basses will probably be Carvin.

Interesting that you just bought a Precision Light. The only two Fenders I've ever played that I could tolerate were P-Lights. I almost bought one of them.

 

Yeah, let me apoligize in advance to those who favor Carvin electronics. I know there are more thana few here! Here's my take. I used to work at the factory and the buzz from both customers as well as endorsees is that the electronics needed upgraded. I mean heck if Fender can put Seymour Duncans a bottom of the line bass $300-$400 (Mark Hopcus?) model how much extra would it cost Carvin. Considering all the great basses on the market right now for about a grand that use name brand electronics it just seems to make sense to stay competitive. They have upgraded in the last few years but I still think they're noisy and I have a hard time getting a tone I like. Trust me I live right by their factory and I've spent more than a few hours in their showroom trying to convince myself that "for the money" I can't afford not to buy a Carvin. But for some reason I never pull the trigger on buying one. I will say that the wood makes a huge difference in the tone with their basses. Hope that Sadowsky treats you well. I know there's one on my 5 year goal list!

 

Sorry to hear about your disappointment. As Mgood says, you can send it back for a full refund, minus shipping.

I play a Carvin LB70. It's been my main player for the past five years. During that time I also purchased a Fender American Deluxe Jazz and a G&L 2000. Try as I might to play these basses, I always go back to my Carvin. My band plays small to medium clubs 6 to 8 times a month and I can't even begin to count the times I've received positive comments regarding my "tone".

I don't do much slapping and have always used flatwound strings. Carvin strings are, uh, well, they leave a lot to be desired. When I changed them over to the D'Addario Chrome Flats it made all the difference in the world regarding the tone this baby puts out.

In fact, I just purchased another Carvin this past week. It's another LB70 with a 5 piece Koa neck/two maple stripes, Koa body with rounded edges, finished in tung oil, with the bridge humbucker option. When it arrives this week, the first thing I will do is replace the strings with the D'Addarios. Can't wait to play it at our two gigs this weekend.

Good luck with yours. . .

 

how the hell did you get no sig. headstock? i asked about that they basically said no due to contracts with the artist. damn it it's a conspiracy! also how much did that option cost?

 

twiz, sorry you didn't like it, but I'll add to the chorus: if it's not happening for you, send it right back. That's one of the good things about dealing with Carvin--you can do that, with no questions asked.

 

I would say swap out the pickups, but since you don't like the string spacing, send it back like everyone says. Thanks for the review!


BTW I agree with RSmith that they should offer brand name electronics as options....that would be killer and would increase sales.

 

My LB75P comes this week I hope i got it right with this 5 string. I am using an Ampeg B 100 R right now, I wonder if this would componsate for the lack of warmth that i a hearing about with their pick ups.

 

If I can make a suggestion, don't get too hung up on preconceptions. Specifically, the preconception that you'll likely have a tonal problem *before you even play the bass*. With your particular style, playing your music, through your gear, you may find you like your new bass just fine the way it is. Or, of course, you may not like it at all.

I've played Carvin basses for years and never felt I had a warmth problem. Plenty of people have had experiences similar to mine, just as plenty have had experiences similar to RSmith and others. You don't know yet which way your experience is gonna go. Just don't assume things are gonna be one way or the other, then give the bass a good honest workout. If you just don't like the bass, or at least don't like enough things about it to want to work on it, send it straight back to Carvin. Don't delay, and don't try to talk yourself into liking it just because some of us Carvin fans are vocal about how we like our basses. If you like most things about the bass but think changing the PUs/electronics could help it be better, there are a lot of folks here who could give you great advice on what you might try. (Dimarzio Ultra Jazz, Barts, and Bill lawrence J-45s come to mind.)

 

Thanks Richard, I already tried a higher up 5 and sent it back that is why i am very concernd about getting another bass with a problem.

 

Well put Richard. I never felt my bass sounded bad, although the G string could sound a little sweeter than it does. You have to let your own ears decide and not be biased before you even hit the first note. I think I am going to experiment a little with the neck pickup in mine just to see what the difference might be (getting a Bart 59J-L). The only reason I'm doing this is because my Carvin looks and feels perfect (to me) and I want to make sure the tone is the best it can be and that I'm not missing something.

Tone is a subjective experience...we all have different ears!

 

Thanks Guys, I am very aware tone is subject to personal taste but buying an instrument sight unseen and have never played the brand i think you can understand my concern. Like all things their are pros and cons but i recall reading more in the side of lack of tone on this one. I called carvin today it looks more like next week for the bass. California to New York is going to take 5 days at best. Till then all i can do is wait. Thanks for the tips guys

 

I bought an all Koa LB75P a few months ago, and just like the poster, I wasn't too impressed. Yes, it was a gorgeous bass. I couldn't stop looking at it. But, what good is a bass that looks great if it doesn't play well enough to live up to that? The neck had a TON of bow in it, on arrival, the volume pot had a lot of static, the bass pot was stiff and the electronics had a SERIOUS grounding problem.

The tone..I can't comment. I didn't play the bass long enough and I'm not as experienced to make a judgement call on that. I had never played a Koa bass before, so the tone could've just been the nature of the wood. It was good, but not my cup 'o tea. End of story, I sent the bass back, minus the shipping..yay.. I was more disappointed with them after reading all the glowing reviews from people on the Carvin BBS.

 

I too have spent many a day in the showroom (I buy my strings there) and I am always dazzled by the finish and look of the basses.And the prices! But when I play one they just don't have the sound down. In my circle of friends it's an overwhelming opinion that the Carvin electronics are just not up to par.

I've purchased a bass without playing it first once. I probably won't do that gain. I think you gotta play it first. No two guitars are the same. Two basses made on the same day with the same materials won't play or sound the same. I've played some cheap guitars that were amazing and some very expensive designer ones that were crap. So the fun is going into every little music store and picking up every bass and giving it a ride. Thats how you find those "finds" and it's not always the ones you expect.

PEace

 

I played a Carvin LB76 exclusively for about four years and it served me well during that time. I agree with the comments in this thread about the tone. I felt that the tone was warm enough but I felt that the tone lacked high end detail and it was not as articulate a tone as I would prefer. There was more grounding noise than I thought there should have been and the neck had some serious warpage issues that Mike Lull fixed for me (for a hefty price) All in all I would get another but probably a lower end bolt on fretless.

 

Sorry to hear about the warping issues. As someone who's dealt with Carvin a lot, though, let me say this about this kind of situation, for the benefit of possible future buyers. If you have a problem like the serious neck warpage problem, CALL UP CARVIN EVEN IF YOU'RE PAST THE APPROVAL PERIOD. It's always a good idea to talk to somebody and see what they can do for you. You might be surprised. A neck that can't hold an adjustment is a manufacturing defect, and they should--and IME will--repair or replace it. That happened to me once, and they took care of me. In fact, the bass I called them about was out of the warranty period. I should have called them during the warranty period, as the problem was clear, but I was a lazy dork. Regardless, they took back the bass and built me a new one for a negligible price--a couple hundred, for a bass that normally cost > $900. If you catch the problem during the warranty period, you won't even have to pay that much. Beats paying Mike Lull a hefty sum for repairs. (Nothing against Mike Lull, but who among us would pay a ton for repairs if it wasn't necessary?)

 

I bought an LB75 in Oct 1993. It was a koa body koa neckthrough. I played the bass for over a year during which time I had repeated problems with the neck. I never sent it back but spoke to Carvin repeatedly and they assured me they would remedy the situation, even after the warranty period. So I finally shipped it back and they sent me a new bass no charge, after the warranty was up! I can't complain about the service. I was happy with the sound and electronics until I heard some of the other stuff that's out there. Anyway Carvin is top notch IMO for what they are. Most of these post reveal what they are not.

 

Although I pointed out the things that were not perfect about the bass I want to emphasize that the bass did serve me well and I would buy another. There were also alot of things right about the bass as well. Those things have been detailed in other posts and I agree with them as well. Please don't take this as a flame job against Carvin, they are a good company.

 

IMHO, I think Carvin has always provided great bang for the buck. However, things get sticky when folks go overboard with the custom options. I would not blow over a grand on a Carvin. The basic stock options with say a humbucker in the bridge or say strap locks; stuff like that is definately worth the money. But when we get into pricey koa wood, quilted maple tops, etc. etc; you're asking for trouble. Carvins rarely keep much resale value. I say, keep it farly straight up and perhaps upgrade the pickups down the road if needed. Besides, the standard models are pretty darn good anyway.

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