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Views on Carvin amps and cabs

V

Vladpire

Dec 11, 2007
66
0
#1
Ok, I am in the market for a new bass rig. I am looking at possibly buying an older UK made Trace Elliot head and cab configuration, the head is a AH250/GP11 Mark V, and a 4x10 trace cab as well, but I was also looking at a System from Carvin that includes a BX600 amp head, a 2x10, and a 1x15 cab. Now I was always under the impression that Carvin stuff was pretty good from what I have heard, but I was in a music store the other day, and this guy is telling me that, although the cabs are ok, the amps are crap. Any Carvin users here that can give me an opinion on their bass heads?
Thanks.
 
#2
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I LOVE my Carvin R1000 head. Got it in a deal with my guitard (he went to the dark side from bass).

Plenty of headroom for my fridge (Ampeg PR810H) and lots of tone adjustment.

I'd say go for it.


EDIT: If I remember correctly, there was a Carvin R1000 in the For Sale forum. Not affiliated with the seller at all, just throwing it out there for a good deal on it. It's the older version with the actual tube pre, where as mine does not.
 
#3
I once owned a Carvin R600 head, Red-Line 4x10 and 1x15. I liked the cabs. I had the old tweeter which was a bit harsh. I haven't tried the new ones. As far as the amp goes, I loved the sound of mine, but at that time the input jacks were plastic with plastic nuts (Series 2) and they became worn and broke leaving me with a loose input jack. The new ones have metal jacks so that shouldn't be an issue anymore. I also owned a Pro Bass 200 1x15 combo amp from Carvin which I wish I had never sold. My only gripe was that it had no XLR DI out.
They look like they have fixed most of the issues I had with the stuff.
 
#4
I personally have never used them but I had a teacher several years ago who swore by them. He used Carvin everything...ok he had an endorsement deal but he told me that the stuff was really serious quality.
I've never heard anything bad about thier amps or cabs.
 
#5
I used to own a Carvin rig - the older Redline series. I for one did not like it, I found the tone to be uninspiring to say the least. Even now, I go to my local store to check out some basses (which are pretty good, IMO) but the amps just ruin my time there - they really don't help sell the basses at all, IMHO.

Yes, the Carvin stuff is a great bargain - but I got it because of that and couldn't wait till I could afford better gear almost immediately. To each his own, but to me the price reflects the tone - can't say anything bad regarding quality - mine always worked properly but then again I only had it about 2 yrs.
 
#6
I bought a Cyclops combo -- from the Redline days. It had the R600 head and a combo cab with 2X8 and 1X15.

It sounded great with my Ibanez, but I just could not come to terms with it and my Stambaugh... I did't like the built in mid-scoop. I like my mids.

Long story short: Sold the head, bought a cheap power amp and an ancient Peavey pre -- BOTH basses absolutely kick ass through the new rig, and I attribute most of that to the cabinet. The Peavey is actually capable of getting "flat-ish", and I don't have to worry about missing the mids.

It's big and heavy, but I don't think I'll ever get rid of it.
 
#7
I've been using a PB-500 head and a 410-T cabinet since the early 90's. I can't say enough good stuff about them. I used to run Bi-amped with the 410 and an 18 and more than one bass player told me it was the best sounding rig they ever heard.
 
#9
I got a Carvin PB-200-12 combo around 1997. For a while it was my only amp and got quite a bit of use/abuse. I had some problems with the plastic jacks and the compressor circuit, and blew a couple woofers from driving them way too hard.

When fixing the compressor (had to replace a blown diode) I was struck by the cheap construction/components. They were consumer electronics-grade, certainly not the robust name-brand caps/jacks/pots/etc. I've seen in the Mesa-Boogie, SWR, Eden, and GK stuff I've owned.

I never did like the sound of the amp section--it had 3 types of EQ (including 2 non-defeatable mid scoops)--but no real tone to speak of. I found this especially disappointing because I liked the late 80s/early 90s (pre-Redline) Carvin bass amps I tried. For a while I took the head out of the amp and just used the speaker section, which sounded quite good.

I wished Carvin had just focused on beefy components and good tone rather than bells & whistles. Judging by the positive reviews of the B Series heads it looks like they've finally gotten it right.
 
#11
Vladpire said:
Now I was always under the impression that Carvin stuff was pretty good from what I have heard, but I was in a music store the other day, and this guy is telling me that, although the cabs are ok, the amps are crap.
Click to expand...

If anything, I think it would be the reverse. I own a couple of the Carvin RSP rackmount preamps - the preamp-only version of the Redline head (discontinued in 1998), and think they're quite good. I've occasionally played the Redline cabs at the Carvin stores when I've visited southern California, and have never been impressed. I can't comment from experience regarding the newer BRX and BR lines, however, as I've never demoed any of that stuff.

This "guy" from the music store...by any chance would he be a salesman? If so, I hope you know enough to take whatever he says about Carvin with a couple pounds of salt - as the music retail stores generally have a powerful incentive to dis Carvin, since Carvin cuts into their sales.

If the guy was just a fellow bass player and customer who happens to have had experience playing Carvin gear, I would be much more inclined to take what he had to say at face value... :hmm:

MM
 
#13
Val-
I bought a Carvin 'Cyclops' amp for our church for about 10 years. I wouldn't be suprised if it's still around 10-15 years from now. Very reliable. It's only been moved a few times so I can't attest to how it would hold up on the road.
It's got a lot of compression and shaping options that I never use. I also still have my Carvin bass from 1981 (!!), another well made and reliable instrument.
I'd also take whatever is said in a music store with a grain of salt. You need to play one for yourself and see if it speaks to you.
Good Luck To You!
 
#14
I've tried the R1000 a few times at the Carvin stores, and didn't care for the tone. There are too many controls, even for an enginerd like me.

The B1500, on the other hand, kicks major booty, and the tone controls are dirt simple to use.

I can't tell you how well they hold up because I've never owned one.
 
#15
I have been using Carvin amps for almost 10 years. I started out with their sieres one RL1000 with a RL 4x10 and 1x15. I have used and abused them at local shows and several tours. I still use the RL1000 today for small practice. I liked their stuff so much I upgraded last year to the B1500 (BXR line)head. Still using my old Cabs and I love it. I would recommend the new B1500 head to any bass player. I give them two thumbs up. Their amps have never left me stranded. Now my RL1000 is not heavily used any more because I had intermittent problems with the amp going into protect mode when running bridged at 4 ohms. I understand it is a common problem with the first sieres amps. So now it just gets bi-amped and no problems. Eventually I'd like to upgrade my cabs to their new BXR Neo cabs.. I doubt the wife will let me do that anytime soon.
 
#16
cool, thanks for all of the info everyone. I think I'm gonna give the Carvin setup a shot. I noticed online that they have a 10 day trial period, where if your unhappy with the rig for whatever reason, you can return it for a refund, and on top of that, right now they are running a special, free shipping, no matter what you buy, guitar, amp, entire PA, it all ships for free. Gotta love that, lol.
 
#18
I like Carvin stuff and recommend it. I own the Carvin DCM 1000 power amp and the BRX112 combo. I use the DCM1000 with a Yamaha PB1 pre amp and a Yorkville 2x10 cab. This setup sounds fantastic (although the preamp and cab area major part of that). Since it's 2 channels, I can plug in another cab for an extra 225 watts of volume if needed. The BRX112 is very loud for its size and is good for gigging as it's portable and can be tilted back like a monitor. It has the B800 head, the little brother to the B1500 that everyone raves about. It is clean, maybe a bit sterile sounding, but that's the sort of sound I want. Also, with the drive control you can warm the sound up. I should add that I haven't experimented a whole lot with the preamp section. It sounds great with an extension cab plugged in. All in all, a great package!

I've thought about getting the BRX10.2 neo speaker cabinet. It would probably make a great addition to my pre/power amp rig.
 
#19
Carvin amps...good, not great. You can can excellent tones out of them, but they're a little noisy for a solid state amp. Their cabs, however, are very good. Not the best on the market, but not the worst by a longshot.
 
#20
If you go to an average music store and ask them about Carvin invariably they will say words to the effect of CRAP!. Carvin are excellent value for money. I have not played any of their bass specific gear but I do own a few of their power amps, a set of PM15 PA speakers, eq's, mics and power conditioners. I own three of their LB76 series of six string basses and a five I put together from their parts. All of the Carvin gear I own has performed flawlessly except for one of my sixes which developed a tiny crack in the back - They built me a new one and another that they sent me a new bridge and an electronics module at no charge to put right.

I think the same applies to their bass amps as to any other make. If you like what it does for you it's great, if it does not then you will have a negative impression. With Carvin selling direct you will not find that out until after you purchase the unit and I agree that buying sight unseen is a leap of faith. BUT Carvin do offer a ten day in home trial period. If you do not like what you buy send it back for a full no questions asked refund.

I have never regretted taking that leap to Carvin and I still turn to the Carvin catalogue first whenever I need anything.

Paul
 

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