Carvin B800

My B800 was made in 2007. I bought it when Carvin had a 'blowout sale' on these amps, prior to them being discontinued. As for feautures, it a single channel amp that can do a maximum of 800 watts @ 2 ohms. No gain control, which is somewhat odd, but the EQ is very intuitive and I haven't missed a seperate gain as a result. Mute switch, effects loop switch, and active/passive switch. 2 speakons plus a single 1/4" input at the rear. The fan isn't noisy and the DI out works very well, in my experience. I also dig the big blue light on the amp face. Nifty.
Nearly everything that I want in one SS head.

I have hear others describe the sound of this amp as 'sterile', which I haven't found to be the case. While it isn't as heavily colored as offerings from Eden or Ampeg, it does possess its own unique voice. That said, it is a voice I very much like. I run an Epifani PS 112 and a neo-equipped Peavey 215 with this head. The B800 isn't afraid of big cabinets, and the 'drive' control gives your sound a bit of grit; not in any way tube-like, but adds something of an edge to your playing, mimicking digging into the strings aggressively without actually having to do so. The most striking aspect of this amp is its versatility. I play several differently voiced instruments through this setup and can always get a sound to my liking, no matter what the genre.
When pushed hard it will run warm, but I've not had any shutdowns or oddities in the last 12 months.

I am not gigging these days but I do play through the B800 daily, and at respectable volumes. A backup is only sensible when playing out, so I'd drag along my old MonoBlock. As to maintenance issues, they are sitting at zero at this time.

When I rec'd the B800, the supplied power cord failed at the ~3 hour mark. I send Carvin a message through their website and had a new cord shipped to my door gratus within a week. California to Alberta in 7 days is impressive. I have no doubt if the amp itself cratered that they would do right by me.

I think it is a shame that Carvin discontinued this model. It has a goodly amount of power, features, and was attractively priced. I wish I had bought two of them. For budget minded afficianados like myself, this amp is a gem. I do want to get my mitts on a B1500 in the future, though. Same premise as the B800 but twice the power. It is a good time to be a bassist.

This is the B800 head. See below review for front panel features, etc. It's worth mentioning that these amps use MIL SPEC, double-sided, through-hole plated, fire retardant FR-4 glass epoxy circuit boards. Something you would expect from a more expensive boutique amp. There were two versions when I purchased mine. A 1500 watt, and an 800 watt. Unfortunately, the B800 has been discontinued in the head form, but it's still available in combo form. Also, (just like some of the higher dollar stuff) Carvin has chosen Toroidal transformers for lighter weight, (just 22 lbs.) but greater power supply current, and reduced "hum" fields. A nice compressor would have been very welcome, as I have to sit one on top of the amp for gigs, but you're getting so much for your money that it's hard to complain. BTW, Carvin also has protective circuitry to guard the amp from "no-load" conditions. You can hear the relays clicking in a few seconds after turning on the amp.

I wish I had some of the higher end bass stuff to compare this too, because after getting familiar with this amp I'm finding the very clear fidelic tone you'd associate with the boutique stuff. You can make it sound grittier as well with the Drive knob. I spent some time in the music stores checking out some high end stuff and keeping in mind I didn't take them out to gig with, it would be dishonest to say they sounded any better than the Carvin. I use the B800 with the 1x12 and 2x10 bass cabs from Avatar, both of which contain the neodymium speakers. With the two 8ohm cabs it put the amp at 500 watts. Over the past 10 yrs. I've used a Sun concert bass with the original 2x15 cab, and the Hartke 3500 with the Transporter 4x10 cab. I prefer the Carvin to everything else I've had, but I won't compare to the Sunn, as that would be apples to oranges. (nothing sounds like a Sunn to me, but I'm tired of hauling it around.) One thing needs pointed out about the Carvin. The tone controls REALLY are like individual volumes. At first, I thought setting the controls flat and bringing up the master volume, I'd have enough power. My band-mates complained that I wasn't loud enough. (classic rock, and some never stuff) Then I tried bumping the tone knobs past the 12o'clock position, and bingo, I was thumping the rafters and had to back off the master. Currently I'm using a Washburn Taurus bass with passive pick-ups. I give one less than 9 in this category because it's not plug-in and play and did take some knob twiddling to get where I wanted, but all the sounds are definitely there.

We've used a lot of Carvin stuff, and if you're reading this, you know they have a reputation for well built reliable stuff. This amp appears to be of the same pedigree.

I've called them. They seem pretty busy, but the person on the other end always answers the questions, albeit a bit hurried. It's always a good idea to write your questions down before calling any of these companies with concerns, problems, or just general questions.
A lot of folks are getting to where it's easier to reach them through email. Carvin still answers the phone and I think thats a great thing.

If I was buying another bass amp, and Carvin had something new, I'd sure want to check it out before dropping big bucks on the boutique stuff. (I play guitar too, own boutique stuff, and have NOTHING against it.) There is huge bang for buck in Carvin's products, and the quality and sound rivals and perhaps surpasses far more expensive gear. I have no regrets in purchasing this unit, and will likely buy from them in the future.

2006 B800 head. From carvin.com:
300w into 8U 500w into 4U, and 800w into 2U
? Active and Passive front panel input gain switch
? SUB BASS, BASS, LOW MID, MID, HIGH MID, and TREBLE EQ controls
? signal MUTE front panel switch or optional FS22 footswitch
? Internal OPTO CLIP activated limiter
? Preamp DRIVE and master VOLUME controls
? DIRECT OUT balanced XLR & LEVEL control with
"Pre-Post" preamp and "Ground Lift" switches
? EFFECTS LOOP switchable by front panel switch or optional FS22 footswitch.
? TUNER output jack independent of MUTE switch
? High current SPEAKON? connectors and 1/4? speaker jacks
? Premium construction features metal bushings and shafts

I'm using mostly a stock American Deluxe P-Bass. Overall, this amp comes very close to nailing that elusive sound in my head. Set virtually flat, it has a very good clean, balanced tone that is simply what I think bass is supposed to sound like. It's relatively smooth and clean with the drive knob down, when you turn it up the tone gets grittier and dirtier. Not SVT-ish by any stretch of the imagination, so if that's what you're looking for, look elsewhere. But it can certainly hold its own on harder songs, and you can turn the drive knob down and get that beautiful, sweet, clean tone.

Can't comment on this, but no problems gigging so far, and it looks solid.

Again, no opinion and I really would like to keep it that way.

Overall, my only complaint is that I can only afford one cab, and while the B800 is pretty darn loud, and can handle a small venue all by its lonesome (in a hard rock band with two guitarists and a loud drummer), I do feel like I'm running it about as loud as it can go to do so. It hasn't batted an eyelash at this treatment when lack of P.A. has forced me to do it, but more headroom would be better for my peace of mind. That should completely cease to be any problem at all when I get a second cab, though, and it's not really the amp's fault that I haven't managed to scrape together the cash to really unlock its potential.
It only gets a nine because it's not perfection, and I haven't yet found a piece of gear that I would give a ten. For someone on a budget, it's about as close as I can imagine you'll get, though.