Carvin amps . . .

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chessrock

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I just had a client bring some Carvin amp in the other week (I record a lot of local indie artists).

Against my wishes, the dude insisted on using it. I was fully expecting it to sound like dog shit. To my surprize, that amp kicked out some seriously nice tones. I was kinda' snickering to myself when he first brought it in. What the f^&* is that ? ?


Anyway, has anyone else had any decent experiences with them? Do they have any hidden gems that I was somehow not aware of? :D Or have my standards just been lowered? I wish I would have written down the model number . . . it escapes me. Oh well.
 
Steve Vai is a long time user of Carvin amps. He helped design the Legacy series amps in which he drew on his experiences with Lee Jackson modified JCM Marshalls, Bogners and others. Most of the people I know that have used the Legacy are usually impressed with its verstility and excellent quality. But not all Carvins are good amps like not all Marshalls or Mesa's. Whether its the right amp for the job is another discussion.

SoMm
 
Well . . . I've worked with some Peaveys that I really liked (Classic 20, 30 and 50's) so anything's possible. :D

I guess you can't just make a blanket statement like Carvin or Peavey automatically=crap.
 
I have a Carvin SX200 solid state combo (2x12) I bought in about 1988, after reading a rave review in Guitar Player magazine. I still have it. It really sounds excellent -- not as rich as my Fender Deluxe Reverb but certainly very warm and buttery for a solid-state design. And it's a loud mofo, I rarely turn it above four or five.

Before that amp I had a Gallien Krueger for a while, their first model, and it was OK but I was never satisfied with its thin, one-dimensional tone. The Carvin is quite satisfying.

I believe they still sell the same basic amp though they have added a digital effects unit in liew of the spring reverb that mine has.
 
I've got an old X100-B head , circa 1985, its basically a two channel, 100 watt, Marshall kind of amp.
It was the first good amp that I bought, it has variable power,25/50/100 watt settings, and a buffered efx loop, a channel assignable e.q, and it sounds great!, although for the last decade it has served as a power amp for a rack system, very clean/rich /punchy, kind of a cross between a fender, marshall, and mesaboogie.
 
I have a Carvin X100 from 1982. It was OK until I put a Torres tone kit in it <http://www.torresengineering.com/carvinxampkit.html> which REALLY brought it to life. I record with it all the time...not because it emulates some "cool" sound found on a 20-year-old record, but because it gives a sound I can use in a lot of different situations. It competes with a Silvertone Twin Twelve, Fender Super Reverb & MusicMan HD130 Reverb in my place. Between one & another I can find something useful!
 

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I almost bought an MTX-212 when I bought my last amp. It seemed really versatile and sounded like a guitar should. It lost out to a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. The Deluxe is nowhere near as versatile but had that "magic" to it that I've been looking for.

The other amps in the lineup were a Marshall DSL401 and a Boogie F50. I preferred the Carvin over both of those.
 
I played through a Carvin Bel Air in the Carvin shop in LA several years ago. It was one of the best sounding amps I have ever played through. Unfortunately it wasn't in my budget or even practical for me to buy one at the time as I was on holiday from the UK.

The reviews of the Carvin amps I have seen published in the UK in Guitarist have always rated them very highly and have even stated that they are good value for money, despite us in the UK having to pay almost twice as much as folk in the USA pay for them.

Pete.
 
chessrock said:
I just had a client bring some Carvin amp in the other week (I record a lot of local indie artists).

Against my wishes, the dude insisted on using it. I was fully expecting it to sound like dog shit. To my surprize, that amp kicked out some seriously nice tones. I was kinda' snickering to myself when he first brought it in. What the f^&* is that ? ?


Anyway, has anyone else had any decent experiences with them? Do they have any hidden gems that I was somehow not aware of? :D Or have my standards just been lowered? I wish I would have written down the model number . . . it escapes me. Oh well.
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I sold my Marshalls. All of them.

A client came in to my studio to record some songs. He had a Carvin X100B Tube head with a slanted 4X12. I laughed also. I laughed until I heard the thing on my monitors. Tha amp was absolutely the best sounding amp I have ever heard and recorded. I spent hours screwing with all thos great miking techniques to make my Marshall sound good. I put an MD421 in front of the Carvin and spent about 10 minutes getting the sound.

So, his friend had a mint X100B with 4X12 cab (identical setup as his). I bought the combo for $400.

I love my Carvin and it is so much more reliable and better sounding than both of my former Marshalls.
No suprise to me that you had a similar experience.
 
I've had a X100B head since the late '80s. It's been reliable and versatile. I've gotten some good tones out of it. I added a foot switch for the overdrive boost, so it's almost like having 3 channels.
 
lpdeluxe said:
I have a Carvin X100 from 1982. It was OK until I put a Torres tone kit in it <http://www.torresengineering.com/carvinxampkit.html> which REALLY brought it to life. I record with it all the time...not because it emulates some "cool" sound found on a 20-year-old record, but because it gives a sound I can use in a lot of different situations. It competes with a Silvertone Twin Twelve, Fender Super Reverb & MusicMan HD130 Reverb in my place. Between one & another I can find something useful!
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Oh man you have the oak version! That is beautiful. I have the same amp but Tolex covered and it's a 1981.
 
Yeah, Eyeslikefire. Now I wish I'd gotten the oak extension cab also...there's always something more we want;)

I actually ordered mine in late '82 and I was told it incorporates the 1983 circuitry. I run 6L6s in it. The Torres kit adds a tube stage in the preamp section (typical Torres -- too much gain is never enough!) & changes out some resistor values and it made a BIG difference in the responsiveness of the amp.

So how do you love your '81 X?
 
I'm a firm believer in my Carvin XT--112. It's absolutely a great amp. The clean channel is as glassy as I've ever heard. It's 50W and 1X12 design make it perfect for recording, in my opinion. I've had it for coming up on 10 years and I haven't felt compelled to get another or different amp yet.
 

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I'm not sure where people get those types of opinions about Carvin amps. They almost always get changed when they hear one for themselves though. I have a Legacy that I wouldn't trade for anything.


stu
 
lpdeluxe said:
Yeah, Eyeslikefire. Now I wish I'd gotten the oak extension cab also...there's always something more we want;)

I actually ordered mine in late '82 and I was told it incorporates the 1983 circuitry. I run 6L6s in it. The Torres kit adds a tube stage in the preamp section (typical Torres -- too much gain is never enough!) & changes out some resistor values and it made a BIG difference in the responsiveness of the amp.

So how do you love your '81 X?
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Well right now she is resting, about 7 years ago I bought a Club Master 112 also 100 watt and I put in Mesa tubes and had her caibrated. But my X100 is still one of the sweetest sounding amps ever.
 
yea i love my mts3200 half stack. it's amazing....i think it actually sounds pretty similar to the 5150, but then again, i haven't heard a 5150 in a while. but yea i love my carvin, and i jus ordered new tubes, so i cant wait to hear it with el 34's
 
I bought an MTS combo about two months ago...ill admit its my first tube amp...but so far im really happy with it...its got good cleans and ive always found usable distortion on it...i dont play anything super heavy so even stock its great for me

(and i got one direct on sale for just a bit over what i paid for a solid state fender 100W combo)
 
Don't know about the guitar amps - but seems like they're really good based on this thread.

Used to have a Carvin PA - was excellent - and cheap!

foo
 
I just got their April sale flyer, and the prices are lower than usual. The SX200H 100W Solid State head is selling for $249 (normally $299) and the 212 Bel Air 50W dual channel tube is selling for $449 (normally $599).
 
One of the best guitar players in town up here came into the shop about two months or so ago, and started ranting about how great the Carvin Legacy is. This is a guy who used to own the Dumble our shop manager owns (he did not feel comfortable owning a $15,000 amp, so he sold it). He said that this Carvin Legacy is the first amp which had a sound he liked as much as the Dumble. That is a bold and powerful statement, if you ask me.

Now, I have not heard the thing myself, but if this guy likes it that much, I am pretty damn sure it sounds really good.


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"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
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