Conference napalm::guitar

    A dir/title=carvin shows that notes 172 and 1001 might be of interest
    to you.  Can you turn caps-lock off?
    
    Dave

    
    Jeff,
    
    I play a Carvin LB75 5-string w/ active pu's. Love it!! I took a little
    while to truly get the hang of the 5-string, but it was well worth 
    the effort. For under $1000, you can't get a better bass (IMHO)...
    
    /Billy_K
    
    PS. I also use a Carvin 410T (4x10 cab w/little tweeter in the
    center and internal crossover). Excellent cab and less than $400!!!
    
    

    Brian,
    
    Unfortunately I am left-handed and the LB-75 model is not available in
    that model, the LB-20 which is a 4 string model is offered in a
    left-handed version and this is what I have my eye on. Its good to 
    hear some good reviews on thier products though I'm having a hard time 
    making the decision to buy Carvin. There nice lookin basses and they
    seem to take pride in there electronics but I'm still a little up in
    the air. I'm also considering IBANEZ and FENDER P-BASS how do these 
    guys match up in quality/ price, anyone know? Also do you gig with the 
    Carvin amp you mentioned?

    
    Jeff,
    
    Ibanez makes some very fine basses, 4,5 & 6-string. Domestic Fender 
    basses are also great (I'd avoid the foreign psuedo-fenders).
    Yes, I do use the Carvin cab all the time for gigging. I have
    a Galien-Krueger 800RB amp. I bi-amp 100 watts into the Carvin 410T
    and 300 watts into two Thiell cabs w/15" Black Widows. The GK has
    a direct line out and I also but a mike on one of 10" speakers in order
    to really bring out the "punch".
    
    /Billy_K
    

    Re: .3
    
    Since you are lefty you should know that Carvin offers *almost* the
    whole line in lefty models, while Fender and Ibanez only offer a couple
    of models.  
    
    The Fender catalog shows: Fender/Squier Precision Bass lefty, 57
    Precision Vintage lefty (special order only), J-Bass Standard lefty,
    J-Bass Vintage lefty (special order only).  No five strings.
    
    Ibanez catalog shows: TRB-1, SR400, SR800, EXB-4 available in lefty,
    *black only*.  No five strings.
    
    Hmm, I thought only the Bunny Brunel 5 was right-hand only,
    that the LB75 was a available lefty.  Too bad...
    
    							Brian

According to the Carvin mini-catalog I got in the mail a few days ago,
the LB-75 is definitely available left-handed.  There's even a not saying
that the 5W option (wider neck at 24th fret) isn't available for lefthand
or koa necks.

It's currently on sale for $699.  I have no idea if that's a good price
or note (I'm perfectly happy with my old-fashioned Precision).

-Hal

    Brian,
    
    What price range do the IBANEZ, FENDER show for there models and which 
    model seem to be of the best value? I'm hoping to stay below 650.00
    case included. I do feel probably CARVIN is my best bet but your
    research for me gives me some good ideas (options). Unfortunately
    CARVIN only offers that "ugly" tweed case for all lefty models and a
    case is a must with an order. Thanx for the info.
    
                                                        Jeff
    

    Re: .7
    
    The Fender and Ibanez catalogs have no prices, so I'm guessing here.
    
    Estimate about $300 for the Squier P (plus lefty surcharge?), $400 for
    the lefty J, add $75 for a case.  The Vintage lefties are probably over
    a grand.
    
    Ibanezes, I dunno...the SR400 is about $400 (plus lefty surcharge?),
    the SR800 about $600, the other two would be under $400, add $75 for
    cases.
    
    "Ugly" tweed case...boy do I feel old  8^)  That's because the molded
    cases have a body-shape cutout, the tweed cases are open inside so
    either a right or left-hand model will fit.  
    
    Oh yeah, Peavey, the Foundation Bass comes lefty...about $350?
    
    Good luck...check out the left-handed guitar note, too at #51.
    
    							Brian

    
    
    With the Carvin, there's lots of little things that really count
    with me ...
    
    	totally shielded eltronics cavity (and cover plate shielding)
    	neck thru construction
    	wilerson bridge
    	sperzel locking tuners (!!!!!)
    	tung oiled neck (a little extra $$$ but well worth it)
    	
    ... and if you don't like it, you send it back within 10 days.
    I did a lot of looking around for a 5-string before settling on the 
    Carvin. Obviously, there are a lot of great basses out there,
    but you've got to pay big $$$'s. I've found that the Carvin
    gives the best bang for the buck...
    
    
    /Billy_K
    

    Carvin makes a very good bass for the money.  I wouldn't hesitate to
    buy one myself.  Also, I would recommend active pick ups - they are a
    lot more punchy and present when gigging.  The battery life is long ie
    about a year depending on how good you are at unplugging your cord
    cause that's what activates the pickups and drains the battery.  
    
    Dan
    

    At the risk of sounding like a snot, I'll put in my $.02 on Carvin
    basses. They are a good bass for the money. They are not a great bass
    for the money.
    
    A couple of years ago, I was in the market for a new bass (I'm always
    in the market, as you may have guesses), so I asked around on
    rec.music.makers.bass. Well, a lot of people responded with great
    praise of the Carvin basses, some saying they liked them better than
    any bass in any price range.
    
    I was a bit skeptical about buying a bass that I had never played.
    Hell, I don't even buy instruments mail order, and at least with
    most mail order you can find a similar instrument in a store.
    Not so with Carvin, who "don't do retail" from what I understand.
    
    Anyway... I was offered a chance by several people to play the
    Carvin basses they owned. So, I took a couple of the offers...
    The first Carvin bass I tried I did not like at all. It sounded
    terrible (very muddy). It did have passive pickups, but that
    wasn't its only problem. (BTW, I took along my SWR Red combo to
    try the basses out) The other Carvin I tried was better, with
    active pickups, but still nothing overwhelming. I thought that
    it played and sounded like a lot of other basses in its price
    range, and for my money, I was more inclinded toward a Music
    Man, which has a more distinctive sound, but with a traditional
    Fender feel.
    
    I'm glad I didn't just "take people's word for it" and buy
    a Carvin. I believe I would have been disappointed it I had.
    
    Now, I'll grant you. I'm about as fussy as it gets when it
    comes to basses. But that change the fact that when you buy
    a Carvin, you buy it pretty much "sight unseen". And there
    was nothing to suggest to me that somehow Carvin had found
    a way to make every bass they turn out a "winner". Like most
    things, it's the luck of the draw, and I'd prefer that the
    retailer eat the lemons, not me...
    
    -b

    >I was a bit skeptical about buying a bass that I had never played.
    >Hell, I don't even buy instruments mail order, and at least with
    
    
    And there you have it folks - Bass guitars are NOT instruments at 
    all!!  Guess that means bassists aren't musicians and can hang with
    drummers now??
    :-)
    
    (Sorry, it's just too damn quiet in here... :-)
                                                  

    Well, I guess I flubbed that point sufficiently that I deserve the
    resulting abuse... :-) :-)
    
    -b

    Well, Dave, I'm not being negative, I'm being cautionary. I'd try
    and find a Carvin bass to try, if I were you, and see if it meets
    your needs before plunking down the cash. Further, I've heard that
    some of the Carvin basses have very long lead times... which I
    would think would make one more inclinded to "settle" for a few
    things when the bass actually shows up.
    
    But I would never be so presumptuous as to say you won't like it,
    only that you might not like it. I don't know. It all depends on
    what you're looking for, and how much you're willing to compromise
    from your "ideal".
    
    I will say that I felt there were better alternatives (for me)
    in the same price range.
    
    As to the weight... I don't remember how much the Carvin weighed.
    It didn't make an impression either way in that particular
    area. The bass that did make an impression on me in this area
    was a "Fender Precision Lite." I purchased one in 1989, and the
    thing was a feather! And, in my opinion, it sounded good too
    (other people don't like them...) I used that bass in the
    video I did for the Alpha chip announcement. It's the bass I
    play in the video, and it's also the bass I used to record the
    song. It had a pretty impressive whump to it, and it had
    practically no weight to it. It was like balsa wood.
    
    I sold it last year...
    
    -b

    Tung oil is an oil-based finish that's flat and smooth (as opposed to
    shiney and sticky, like lacquer).  It looks nice, feels good, and you
    can easily touch it up yourself if it gets scratched or worn (no
    professional equipment required, just the finish and a soft cloth). 
    The down side is that I've heard it's not quite as durable as other
    finishes.  Personally, I'd go for it, I like that silky flat feel to a
    neck.
    
    Sorry, can't tell ya much about the mid boost.  I mean, I know what a
    mid boost does, but not how that'd specifically apply to bass or how
    well Carvin's circuit works.  Mid boost controls that I've used on
    guitars (kind of a different story) sounded good for lead sounds, muddy
    for other stuff.  Left me with mixed emotions on 'em.  What I'd expect
    it to do is pull out more of the midrange, that growly, clanky sound. 
    
    Greg

>    is a bit of a gamble buying sight unseen, but Carvin also gives you 10
>    days to return the instrument for full refund if you don't like it, so
>    it is not likely that you would end up "eating lemons".  The only thing
>    you stand to loose is the shipping charge
    
    Not exactly true.  Because you can't compare it to other instruments
    (well...other basses... ;^)) of the same model, you aren't assured of
    getting the best of the lot.  Sure you can send it back if you hate it,
    and you can compare it to what you or your friends already have, but
    you can't be certain that you got the best one you could have.
    
    FWIW, I've played several Carvin guitars and thought they were all good
    instruments.  
    
    Greg

    
    
    Carvin does have retail stores.  As Danny Weber pointed out, there's
    one conveniently located near the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. 
    Since they're a San Diego-based outfit, there may not yet be a store in
    your area...
    
    

    
    
    Carvin does have retail stores.  As Danny Weber pointed out, there's
    one conveniently located near the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. 
    Since they're a San Diego-based outfit, there may not yet be a store in
    your area...
    
    Another option you might pursue is to find an instrument that "feels"
    good and then upgrade the electronics.  I bought one of the off-shore
    Fender basses (new) which felt quite good, but had totally cheap
    pickups.  Put up with the noise and AM reception for a while, then
    invested another $100 in a set of EMG active pickups and dropped them
    in.  Suddenly, it's a very nice instrument, for a $300 bass...  Doesn't
    have the tonal range of my Rickenbacker, but very nice & playable for a
    single-pickup configuration.
    

    Actually, I pointed out that there's a Mesa/Boogie store. There is a
    Carvin store in Santa Ana, but you didn't hear it from me :-)
    
    Danny W.

    
    
    Oh, that's right...I can't keep these "off-brand" outlets straight... 
    It does seem like there are multiple Carvin stores around -- but of
    course, I don't have any of their catalogs around at the moment.
    
    

You may want to go strap on an Ibanez with active pickups.  Although some 
people don't like them, they're my favorite.


Joe