Carvin, the good, the bad, and the ugly

[g.]

...By the same token, who would I be to use blanket condemnation of other brand names. I hope my posting history reflects that I might point out some specific item or transaction that was not satisfatory to my way of thinking without dumping on someone else's cherished setup or ideal.

 

I get a slight bit pissed every time I red a smear on Ibanez, Yamaha, Peavey, etc, when I realize that many people have found satisfaction with these brands' various models, and that from their cheapest lines to their top ones, there are likely to be amateurs and seasoned pros who get enjoyment and professional boost from working with their gear and experiencing MUSIC MAKING.

 

Another thread started a day or two ago, wondering why overseas-gear was priced so high compared to the apparent value. But many of us who've watched the marketplace over the years know that there are so many good choices in any price range now, even for the electric bass. It's pretty cool that I can go to a gig and see someone playing the hell out of a MexiFender and between sets get into a great discussion where eyes light up, talking about music and retrofitting and what a thrill it is to participate.

 

DBB's old tagline about starting on the worst gear known to man just isn't the problem it used to be...

[KikkyMonk]

I went and checked out alot of the stuff there. Man they have alot of options and getting a grasp of all of them took most of my time. I must say going from a fretless tone to a roundwound fretted tone has me thrown off. Ive been playing for nearly 5 years and the ONLY bass (save once or twice) I have EVER used has been my fretless. Boy, all those fretted sounded bright as hell!

 

1 Q... must you use taper wound strings on the carvins?... all the ones at the shop had them and I couldn't tell if you were stuck using them. Only a minor problem though.

 

My main problem is I have no idea whether I would want a 5 stringer or 4 stringer... or a p style, or a j style, or a MM w/ J neck ect. Using my ear really doesn't work either because I was listening to a BUNCH of different basses on the same day (I even stopped by guitar center on the way home)

 

I must say nothing really jumped out at me the whole day except a fender deluxe mexi p bass (the one with a j in the bridge position) but the ONLY one they had at GC had action that was HUGE (and the e string was lowered ALL the way)

 

SOoooOoooOOOooo

 

Im about as far as I was yesterday on my quest for a new bass.

 

I think im going to hit up my friend for his rogue with aero pickups in it...

 

hehe

 

Dave

[Tom Capasso]

KikkyMonk,

 

You didn't describe the path you took through the store. I've found that it takes ma a few trips sometimes to understand what I'm looking at. Sorta like 1. Absorb options 2. figure out what feels good.

 

For me, the feel of the bass usually comes pretty fast. Many basses I've played feel good - few have made me feel really good. If the basses were uncomfortable to play, then it's not for you. If they feel good, go back and try again, and see if you like the BB or std. You can figure out the PUPs/preamp/etc. later.

 

Happy hunting !!

 

Tom

[KikkyMonk]

Darnit! I wrote a nice reply and then my dad came and wiped it out!

 

Anywho the point of the now lost post is that I need to go back next weekend and check 'em out some more.

 

Thats about it really

 

Dave

[61Pbass]

I had a couple of Carvin basses a few years back. They looked great, sounded good, played well, and for the money seemed to be a good value.

 

One developed some pretty severe neck problems which were taken care of under warranty. I wasn't extrememly impressed (it took weeks to resolve) with their customer service dept, but that was just my experience. I know many others who have dealt with Carvin and have nothing but good words for them.

[rsmith]

This is to Greenboy,

Slow down on this guy who doesn't share your good experience with Carvin gear. The guy only shared his story and that's okay. He may be a little opinionated but you are hardly one to throw stones regarding that. Another sad thing is the fact that not all of us have an IQ of 212. Some of us are just good honest rock-n-roll bass players with 199 IQ points, and I for one am not about to apoligize.

 

This event brings to mind one of my first posts where I mentioned the fact that I was unhappy with the way Carvin basses hummed and you jumped my case about it. I didn't make it up to upset any of the loyal following. The basses really did hum quite loudly. This is my experience. So this guy shared his experience too, and he got slammed a little hard.

 

I worked for Carvin in San Diego and I can honestly say I am not a disgruntled former employee. I will tell you that their customer service was a mess to put it mildly. The red eye series was brand new and they were very problematic. Moral was not as high as it could have been as even the employees did not appreciate the way many customers were dealt with. Including repeated long repairs with no replacement or loaner. Or the way frequent problems were just plain ignored. As we know this would be quite frustarating for a working bassist, or any bassist for that matter.

 

The technology was not cutting edge because it was a well known fact that you were better off not questioning the upper management in any way. Including when they asked your opinion. Plus when selling at their profit margin every penny really counts. Thus research and development suffers and simple things like upgrading the quality of the bass pick-ups takes a back seat to the bottom line. The "buzz" on their basses from local bassists as well as many endorsers was that the workmanship was excellent but you'd be better off replacing the pick-ups.

 

I got a great deal on a PB500 from one of the brothers (the Kisel Bros own the company) and it was a fantastic amp. I would have loved to own one of their instruments and I'm still considering getting a 5 string soon. But the simple fact is their gear has been a work in progress. Quite honestly many of the "pros" in this area and quite a few musicians who have worked there for years consider a lot of Carvin gear to be just plain average at best.

In this neck of the woods the resale value is very low as well.

 

I love my Fender bass. There are many on this site who don't. Maybe they have had a bad experience or just never played one like mine. That's okay, it's their right to disagree without incuring harsh words. Maybe I'm off base on this but humor me for a minute if you will. Have you heard a good Fender, Ken Smith, G&L, Pedulla, Music Man, Warwick, lately. What about a mid to high-end SWR, Eden, Ampeg, Blah, Blah, Blah... This is where the bar is these days or higher as more choices come available. When you defend Ibanez, Peavy, and Yamaha gear It makes me wonder if you've checked some of these sounds out. Not that those tools you mentioned aren't capable of great music that is creative and meaningful. They are, but there's some awfully serious compitition. I will do my best to save and spend a little more to treat myself and my audience to the sound I can. I'll try to be realistic about how much said gear can really help to achieve this.

 

In closing how often do you hear Peavy or Ibanez mentioned as the gear of choice by professionals (yes I know about Jeff Berlin ans Korn).

Other than Country Music Television and in their catalog how often do you see Carvin gear behind your favorite star. When is the last time someone stayed up late at the studio trying to get that classic "Carvin" sound? Is Carvin one of the best deals for the dough? Hell yes! Has it exceeded your expectations? Sounds like it to me! Have they treated you like a King? Maybe, or maybe even of course! So that's your experience, your sound, your deal. But when people ask for feedback we can and will share our experience, our sound and our deal. So don't take yourself so damn serious.

Sincereley,

Robert

[g.]

Whatever.

 

I mean, whatever brand has the most celebrity poster boys is really the ONLY choice for that type of gear. Though it discounts the work and judgment of the professionals who don't always agree. It's always just easier to go along with the flow.

 

Maybe they could take players of abnormal basses and rigs and make them wear some kind of emblem on their clothing or get them some kind of identifying tattoos, or paint a red letter on their forehead ; }

 

Oh, wait - I guess we already have emblems of shame and inferiority on our headstocks and faceplates...

[churchboyroy]

A few years ago I bought the 5 string bolt on kit and it is still my work horse. A year later I bought the LB75 fretless with the piezo p/u and have nothing but good things to say about them. If I had to do it over again, I would probably get the XB75 with the assymetrical neck. Slapping a 5 can be a chore on that narrow neck. As for the tapered strings, I ran DRs and Elixirs for a long time and had no real problem except on my fretless. I put Smith slick rounds and had some problem fitting the b string in the piezo, but finally coaxed it all the way in. I now run Smith taper rounds on the fretted kit and it sounds great. Sweeet tone. Hope this helps.

Peace.

[KikkyMonk]

rsmith-

 

Hey thanks for that nice post. It seems to me that not everyone is going to happy with the same instrument. Afterall we all are different. I think you made a very valid point in saying that there are other instruments out there at the same price range that are at or above carvin. I'm not saying carvin is shite but it goes to say that there ARE other options.

 

Me in making this post simply wanted peoples opinions, good and bad... and thats what I got. It sucs that people must revert to trying to change others opinions expecially when there opinions are based on valid experiances (say bad customer service)

 

I visited the carvin showroom in san diego and while there the employees were jerking around on the phone, making plans to go out to the bar etc. Also because I am younger (21 - and LOOK like im 16) I felt that I got shafted b/c most people in sales dont care about youngun b/c we dont gots any money (but I do! hehe) anywho as far as the instruments are concerned they are nice but nothing SPECIAL, but I'm going to be checking out other basses at that price range and am going to make a trip to www.bassalone.com in san diego and check out some used boutique basses of which some fall into the top of the line fully decked out carvin models ($1100) I figure I'm going to buy a bass and stick with it for a LONG time so I'm getting something that is going to be professional quality (well $1100 won't do that but its a significant step up from my MIM fretless)

 

Anywho thanks for the post

Dave

[Blux]

I bought a Carvin off Ebay around $500, it is the LB75 and in mint condition. Beautiful finish, beautiful neck that plays well. The strings are too close for my right hand. Still trying to improve my playing, because I would hate to get rid of it.

 

I say play it through a good non-Carvin rig to get the best out of it or to at least get a comparson with a sound you might be more familar with.