carvin V3 - round 2

[markD]

well, i got the replacement V3 today. the first one blew up the same day i got it. i was not expecting much today when the new one got here.

anyway, i took it out an hooked it up to one of my rivera cabs and started dialing in some sounds. one plus is the fact that it's hard to get a bad sound. minimal control movements and i was very pleased. i started out with my fender stratocaster and dialed up a good clean, crunch and then a searing lead sound. very nice. then i switched to my EMG loaded PC-1 and turned up the "metal"!! still very nice.

half an hour later the crap started again. i have NO idea what would cause this, but the speaker started pumping itself back and forth, even when i wasn't playing. hit the stand-by and the speaker flutter stopped. turned down the master volume and hit the stand-by to turn the amp back on, and the speaker began to flutter.

basically the speaker moves back and forth on it's own when the amp is on. this pisses me off. the last V3 did this too. do ALL carvin amps do this? will it damage the speaker? i have EVM12L's in my cabs and they are not cheap to replace.

does ANYBODY have an answer to why this would happen? it is ONLY with the V3. hook the cab up to one of my other amps, the speaker does NOT flutter. hook up ANOTHER cab to the V3, the speaker flutters.

is the V3 just a huge piece of crap? to answer myself - it appears so....[img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[IrfaanSE801]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

That really sucks dude. It's still relatively new, maybe they haven't worked out all the bugs yet. I say grab another head in the mean time and later on give it a try. It sounds like a great sounding amp, they've just gotta get on the ball with the technical issues. I don't know if Carvin has a board, but also check to see if anyone else is experiencing the same problems. That really sucks though, sorry dude.

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

Man, that sucks dude. Sorr to hear. Not much fun playing games like that with what should be good equipment.

[markD]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

well, i put the amp in 50 watt mode and it doesn't have any problems. oh well, i guess it's a 50 watt head now instead of a 100 watt head. i lose a tiny bit of headroom on the clean channel, but that's okay. i guess i'll have to see how it does live.

i can say one thing for sure - it sounds REALLY good. there are a lot of tones hiding in this beast. since most of my other amps have EL34s i think i'll put 6L6s in this one for something different.

i haven't played with the trackable effects loops yet. that's the biggest thing that drew me to this head. aside from 3 channels with dedicated EQ's, i was VERY drawn to the two assignable effects loops. i can throw my tube reverb in one loop for the clean channel and put my digital processor in the loop for the leads channel. if it works the way they describe, it will be the best of both worlds!! i am hoping it works right. that was biggest complaint about my boogie mark 4, aside from the worthless 2nd channel. the mark 4 was supposed to have "assignable" effects loops, but they were weak in my opinion. let's see if the MUCH cheaper carvin gets it right...

hmmmmmmmm.... [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[mjtripper]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

I've been thinking about giving that V3 a try. I would like to get something with a little more gain then what I have now and that one peaks my interest. Keep us posted on the problems with it and the tones you can get with it. I haven't heard a lot of high gain clips from it yet.

Also, and I preface this by saying I don't know a lot about amps, since the problem went away when you switched it to 50 watts could it be a tube? I have an older x100b and if I remember correctly when it's switched to 50 watts it uses 2 instead of 4 tubes. It's been a LONG time since I've read the manual though so I very well could be remembering it wrong.

[DSS3]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

How is it, tonewise compared to you MKIV? How is the gain sound period? Smooth like a MK? Can it grind like a Recto or 5150?

[markD]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

i like it WAY better than the mark 4. the gain will grind like a recto and if you play with the EQ smooth out. i'l really get into it tonight. i haven't cranked to high yet. so far, aside from the problem i mentioned, i am pleased. and that is saying a lot because i LOVE my riveras and have been using them almost exclusively since 1990. the boogie MKIV is LOOONG gone - it didn't cut it. i had an 82 JCM800 2204 - LOOONG gone - didn't cut it. had an SLO - LOOONG gone - didn't cut it...you get the idea. i'll keep you all posted.

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

You had all those and ditched them, yet an amp that makes your speakers fibrolate when used correctly the way it sposed to be, is OK?

Umm.. You feeling ok?

[jgcable]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

The problem with Carvin's message board is that if you have any issues with new gear they will lock the thread and direct you to customer service. They do not allow threads discussing problems with their equipment.
Sounds to me like you got another dud. Fluttering speakers sound like some kind of transformer or filter leakage. I am pretty sure that it isn't good for your speakers at all.
So far, aside from your problems, the V3 seems to be getting some pretty good reviews. Carvin has great customer service. I think you should send it back and have them send you another one. If it sounds that good it would be worth it to get one that actually works.

[mjtripper]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

Which Riveras do/did you have?

[markD]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

[ QUOTE ]
You had all those and ditched them, yet an amp that makes your speakers fibrolate when used correctly the way it sposed to be, is OK?

Umm.. You feeling ok?

[/ QUOTE ]

HAHAHAHA...that is the question!! i doubt the V3 will last more than a couple of days. i plan on trying out as much as i can and then sending it back to get a refund. 2 heads in a month with the same problem is not cool. especially for the cash it cost.

YES it is the cheapest amp i have ever bought, but it WAS factory direct. truthfully i find this amp to be intriguing, but it is a piece of crap. it has GREAT potential. i don't buy in to the premise that i shouldn't buy it because they haven't worked the bugs out yet. that is total BS. the amp shouldn't be on the market if it is having problems. field test the amps, improve QC, do something.

like i said, 2 heads in a month with the same problem is inexcusable.

so, yeah, cleve, i feel fine. just call it hope beyond hope in face of the crippling reality!!

[markD]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

[ QUOTE ]
Which Riveras do/did you have?

[/ QUOTE ]

i still have and religously use m-100 and s-120 heads with rivera cabinets. i bought my first m-100 in 1990 and i have used it daily since. i picked up the s-120 a little later. rivera has ALWAYS given me MY tone and has proven to be an indestructable tool for live performances. i can play almost any guitar, but with out my riveras i DO NOT sound like myself. my tone comes from my hands, but the soul of my music comes from the rivera amp.

geez, they should let me endorse them!! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Inazone]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

I was checking out the V3 specs, and the smart loops are EXACTLY what I've been looking for. Too bad about the speaker flutter issue, especially if it's common to all V3s and not just a bug in yours.

[markD]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

yeah, i mean the specs and the tones i am getting right now are dead on what i was hoping for. it's just a shame about the flutter thing.

i am still SOOOOO torn about what to do. one minute i am super-pissed, the next i am unsure about dumping it. carvin seems to want me to ship it back again so they can replace it again.

i may pull some of the EL34's from my rivera and pop them into the V3 just to see if it is a tube issue. if so, i'll retube it and keep it. if that doesn't solve the problem then i will send it back.

[Twisteramps]

Re: carvin V3 - round 2

sounds to me like a bad tube. If you're running in 50 watt mode and it doesn't happen, swap the two inside tubes with the two outside tubes, try it again. If it starts oscillating/motorboating again, it's just a bad tube.

And I can't believe someone thought a Mk IV was 'smooth' - those things sound like gravel to me.

Pete