Carvin Legacy Review

[jgcable]

I just scored one of these heads. I traded my Marshall JCM900 MKII Dual Reverb 50w head running Mullards to Zeegler for it.
When it arrives I will be thrashing it heavily and posting a complete review. It will be run through a Marshall 1960B loaded with V30's with minimal effects.. a Boss DD-3 delay and Lil Alligator volume pedal in the loop, a Boss CH-1 chorus,GCB-95 Crybaby and a tuner out in front.
My band is a progressive melodic metal band and hopefully.. the Legacy will give me a more organic loose tone. The JCM900 has a very tight distinct late 80's California metal screaming type tone and I am looking for something much smoother, and above all else.. loose to the point where it almost doesn't sound good for rhythm.

[slash-ed]

I thought you loved your 900 w/Mullards setup dude?

[jgcable]

I thought you loved your 900 w/Mullards setup dude?

I do. There are several reasons for the change.
The biggest one is that I need something to spark my interest in playing live again. New gear usually does that for me.
The second reason is that my band is working on trying to get a Carvin endorsement. My bandmate plays a V3 and I have written articles for Carvin's magazines. We figure it can't hurt if I play a Legacy.
Another reason is the organic tone I was talking about. We are trying desperately to not sound like an 80's metal band and hopefully the Legacy will help the cause. We feel the V3 sounds fantastic and the really cool thing about it is that it really doesn't sound like any other amp.. it more sounds like a combination of several really good amps. To my ears.. from the clips I have heard.. the Legacy doesn't really sound anything like an 80's metal tone. If anything it sounds like the old Carvin X100B of which I have owned several in the past and felt it was an outstanding amp.

[slash]

I have one of these inbound too... hopefully it will be here next week.

[SEEGERMANY]

There doesn't seem to be much middle ground with Carvins. Seems you either love or hate them. My son has the MTS 3200 and I honestly believe it will produce any tone you desire. Considering it's the low end Carvin tube amp, I'd bet the Legacy and V3 are bad to the bone. Looking forward to the review.

[slash-ed]

I'll be looking forward to it too... maybe my Legacy cab needs a Legacy head to keep it company

What's your take on the V3 jgcable? It seems like a pretty feature-laden amp to me, but haven't got around to trying one yet. Would be cool to A/B the V3 and Legacy.

[jgcable]

I'll be looking forward to it too... maybe my Legacy cab needs a Legacy head to keep it company

What's your take on the V3 jgcable? It seems like a pretty feature-laden amp to me, but haven't got around to trying one yet. Would be cool to A/B the V3 and Legacy.

The V3 is outstanding. Versatile to the max. The nices feature is the smart loops. Being able to program multiple loops to turn on and off when a channel is activated is a feature that all amps with loops should have.
When it comes to distortion, the V3 can do any genre of metal. It can 100% nail any tones from the X100B, the MTS3200, the Quad X and any other of the past or present Carvin amps.
Its extremely quiet too. The clean channel is extremely outstanding too.

[horns666]

I think the V3 would suite me best of the Carvin bunch.

Their bass amps are the best..The absolute best!

[zeegler]

I'm betting you're going to love the Legacy John. It pretty much fits the description of what you're looking for. It definitely sounds unique. You're going to need that volume pedal in the loop, because even on the 50 watt setting, it's ludicrously loud.

I gotta say, I liked the Legacy. I liked it's sound, but it wasn't really for me, at least not my current style.

I can't wait to get the Marshall. I only have one head right now, and I feel incomplete.

[atilla]

I'm getting along well with an MTS right now. It sounded crappy through a Peavey 5150 cabinet, but really woke up when I sent it through an Avatar 212. Huge difference!

[slash-ed]

The V3 is outstanding. Versatile to the max. The nices feature is the smart loops. Being able to program multiple loops to turn on and off when a channel is activated is a feature that all amps with loops should have.
When it comes to distortion, the V3 can do any genre of metal. It can 100% nail any tones from the X100B, the MTS3200, the Quad X and any other of the past or present Carvin amps.
Its extremely quiet too. The clean channel is extremely outstanding too.

That's good to hear, thanks for that. Have been tossing up between a Dual Rec or a V3 for my next amp. I guess I'll have to actually try both before I decide. My guitarist buddy just bought a Dual that we went into the shops to try and I really liked it.

[Firebird V]

Man I loved the Quad X. Running that with a Carvin 100 all tube power amp was a really great setup. I have always wanted to try a Legacy. Good luck with it. I bet you like it because Carvin amps do it for you. Most people that I know that have heard the Quad X were amazed by it. Good luck on the Endorsement deal too!

There bass amps do rock too! I have an old Carvin Bass Preamp from the early 90's that I would never sell. It is always the corner stone of my bass rigs.

[lerxstcat]

I love my VM100; it's the transitional amp between the X100B and both the MTS3200 and the Legacy. All three amps, VM100, MTS3200 and Legacy, share the same controls, preamp and power tube configurations. Actually the Vintage Series even have the same preamp, just with EL84s for that special chimey clean.

Anyway, I haven't played the Legacy, but it seems to be the exact same layout as the MTS and the VM100, and all 3 amps can use either EL34s or 6L6/5881 tubes, so I imagine if you used the MTS that you'll adapt to the Legacy fast, John. I'm sure they have different and unique sounds, but they seem so similar that they will probably dial up sounds in a very similar way.

I have loved Carvin amps since the X100B days, and their guitars since that time as well. They offer the features of other popular amps, but really have their own voices. Some love 'em and others are "meh" , but I dig 'em and have always gotten compliments on sound when playing Carvin gear.

I am psyched up to hear how you like it now, John! Hope ya love it and get an endorsement deal. If anybody on Earth deserves one it's you, as long as you've been using it and telling the world that it's great gear!

Maybe they'll make you a retro DC145 if you get a deal with 'em! Wouldn't that be awesome?

[slash-ed]

Bump for review?

[jgcable]

Bump for review?

The amp still hasn't arrived. Bummer....