The Direct Connection..Carvin Amp owners!

Some people dream of the big 3 (Fender, Marshall Vox..)

Growing up in a small town in the 70's I thought Carvin was the bomb, imagine UPS delivering a big powerful amp with high end speakers to your door!

It took a while but I now own two, a SX 100 1x12 combo from a few years back and a late 70's SC2000 head( no cab..yet)
What have you?

I would like to add Carvin amps to the list. I own a vintage 16 but plan to add a big brother to it very soon.

The "V-3" line is certainly getting some good press

I've lived right down the road for them most of my life, and am lucky enough to own an old green Kiesel amp (Carvin before they were Carvin). They do good speaker cabinets, nice PA cabs especially. The Vintage 112 (the cabinet for the Vintage 16 head) is the cheapest tweed-covered 1x12 cab out there and they put a decent speaker in it. Well built.

I had a big 1975-1/2 model 100 watt solid state with the vari-tone control and an actual master volume instead of a "harmonic distortion" switch with a matching 6x10 cabinet (CTS speakers). I was kinda glad to finally get rid of the cab, sold the head with it to get rid of the cab.

I still have a tri-ax preamp (nice for recording direct with the cab simulator) and a stereo solid-state power amp.

I have a Power Bass 100 bass amp that is just wonderful--clean sound, useful tone controls, 10-inch speaker, not too heavy, built-in compressor, GREAT for low- to medium-volume gigs. I bought it used in very clean shape for about $135 at Guitar Center and could not be happier.

I have an AWESOME Carvin x-60 Tube amp Combo. I believe it is a 1983 Model. It is in great condition, and makes my Telecaster HH sound beautiful. I bought an aftermarket 3-button switch that works great. I have the best sounding guitar and amp set-up i've ever had, and I've had a bunch in 30+ years of playing and changing gear!

My Carvins are a 100 watt tube Clubmaster with one 12 inch speaker, a ProBass 150 head, and a 1-18 Carvin bass cabinet. I love them all very much.

I have a 1974, ST4000 Superlead head.

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/members/stevegangi-albums-steves-pics-picture29425-carvin-st4000-head.jpg

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/members/stevegangi-albums-steves-pics-picture27632-amp-setup-carvin-4000-fender-cab.jpg

Just picked up this BelAir on Craigslist for $200

Just picked up this BelAir on Craigslist for $200

Nice deal :)

I've had a Bel-Air since about 2000 and have always been pretty happy with it for most applications. It's been difficult to a jazz sound out of it but that's not what it was built for. Last summer (perhaps out of boredom) I decided to do the Hassler modifications ( http://hasserl.com/vt50_mods ) as well as put JJ tubes in and Eminence Tonkers. I like what the tubes and speakers did for the tone of the clean channel - very rich and punchy - but now it breaks up a little too soon for me. I'd rather the clean channel stay clean. As for the Soak channel, the electronics mods have left me with a very coarse distortion and a Mid knob that has almost no effect. I might undo those mods some day.
These days, though, I'm more often using a Boss GT-8 into the stereo effects return of a roland JC-90.

I own a Carvin AG100D Acoustic amp with the extension cabinet, and a Vintage 16. Very happy with both of them. Since the AG100D also has a bass amp channel it doubles as my bass rig. I also like the sound of it with my Ibanez archtop. The bass reflex cabinets give it a nice bottom end for chording. I call it my "swiss army amp". The Vintage 16 is one of the quietest tube combos I ever used. Love the tone.

Has anyone done (or had done) the Hasserl mods to the Vintage 16 combo? What about a speaker swap (to, say, a Cannabis Rex?) Run to external cab? If so, what speakers?

I like it, but it needs a bit of upgrading. I have about 15 hrs on the stock speaker so it has started to be broken in. I would agree with a number of commenters that it is heavy on the mids, although I have noticed improvement as the speaker cone has loosened up.