Carvin amp opinons

[wodka]

I'm looking for an all tube practice, small club amp. 30 watts or so. Ideally, I'd love a Carr but I can't justify that much money. Carvin amps are supposedly nice, but the Vintage series MP3 clips on their site don't sound that impressive. Just curious what the general opinion is from this forum on their vintage amps. One note, for home use, I'll use a THD hotplate so that my neighbors don't put brooms through the walls.

[jgcable]

Re: Carvin amp opinons

Carvin amps are great. The online sound clips however stink. I have been impressed with every Carvin amp I have ever played and I have had most of them. The Belair series is really nice. So is a used X60B. The Crate Vintage Club (VC) series is really good too. I had a Crate Vintage Club 20, a VC508 and the Vintage Club 30. They all rocked the house and were very well made and inexpensive. Also, Pete(Twisteramps) can hook you up huge on a great custom made amp.

[horns666]

Re: Carvin amp opinons

The Bass amps are the best ...I swear by them ...

I tried that Via amp and it sucked horribly ....I seen you were interested in a Randall Warhead ...DON"T DO IT!!!

The other Randalls like the older RG is cool and the new Cyclone and other new ones are pretty decent too ...Dime just poses with the Warhead ...he doesn't use them ...which is BS ...but they pay him to "like' them ...so what are ya gonna do.. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Check into that new chrom toaster Line 6 head ...not bad at all volumes levels ...I tried one in the store ...the "super Uber" setting is a pretty decent simulation actually...but far from the real deal..

get a POD pro and a 2 12 ...you'll probably be happy with that ...a lot of guys are ...

Better yet get a Voodoovalve and a velocity or something...a cheaper set up that sounds pretty damn good ...you'll be happy with a voodoovalve ...I'm betting!!

[ October 17, 2003, 02:48 PM: Message edited by: horns666 ]

[jgcable]

Re: Carvin amp opinons

I had a Randall Snakeskin 1986 RG100ES-SS CC Deville model head that KILLED. It was the loudest SS amp I have ever played through. Their new tube stuff is killer. So is Laney's. I mentioned the Warhead only because it is SS and great for home use. It is another one of those REALLY loud SS amps. Really loud. The Carvin MTS3212 combo is outstanding. Sounds like a modded JCM800 amd the clean is as good as a vintage Fender Super or Twin Reverb.

[JerryP]

Re: Carvin amp opinons

The MTS is a great amp. Carvin has awesome customer service too.
Jerry

[horns666]

Re: Carvin amp opinons

Dude I had the same snakeskin RG ...yaeh that was a great amp ...basically that's what Dime really uses as well ...Let your ears and wallet be the judge ...I think a used Voodoovalve is a great bang for the buck..

I never tried the newer Carvin guitar stuff (except for a VAI) just the older ones and the Red-Eye Bass stack which I owned two of them...

[jgcable]

Re: Carvin amp opinons

Horns... you know your stuff bro... especially the music trivia stuff. Your like a walking enpsychopedia... [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[ October 17, 2003, 03:20 PM: Message edited by: jgcable ]

[horns666]

Re: Carvin amp opinons

I dedicate 101% of all that is me to Metal ...that's all I do ...

Thank You!! [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

Good luck finding your amp dude!!! [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[Firebird V]

Re: Carvin amp opinons

Yeah. The bass rigs really rock. I have owned a few carvin guitar and bass amps/preamps/power amps... All kicked azz for the buck.

[pro-fusion]

Re: Carvin amp opinons

Years ago I owned a Carvin X100B half-stack. That thing was loud as f**k and had the best clean sound of any amp I've ever owned, but if you are looking for a high-gain sound, I don't think that Carvins are the way to go, unless you want to get a used QuadX and put together a rack system. My X100B needed a distortion pedal in front of it to get into Metal-land. Of course, it sounded so good to begin with that putting a ProCo Rat in front of it instantly gave me Iommi-caliber metal sounds. Thing was indestructible, too.

[jwai]

Re: Carvin amp opinons

hi there, own a carvin MTS3212 combo. they rocks!!! [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] they're pretty cheap too. got mine for $400. excellent deal. its loud enough for me. some might say its a hot-rodded version of a jcm800. but well, its all up to the ears. the X series aren't that bad too. they usually are priced around $300. carvin produced some really fine tube amps. the X series aren't produced anymore. the X112 in particular is one kick-ass combo. good luck!!! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[shreddermon]

Re: Carvin amp opinons

I've got a BelAir. Great amp, very versatile, great tone, good power. Highly recommended. Only two things to note:

- As mentioned above, if you're looking for balls-to-the-wall metal crunch, you'll need a distortion pedal or something for more oomph. Not a criticism - the Vintage Series just aren't designed for super high gain distortion. Since I do a lot of styles other than metal and use a multi-effects unit, not a big deal to me.

- Like many tube amps, she can be just a little noisy. Get a noise reduction unit to cut down on the hiss. It's normal and by no means intrusive, though. And I'm probably too anal about noise, anyway.