Carvin R600 (Stereo 600W Head)

Made in 2002 series III, one channel with many options, you can create the sound you???re looking for but you have to take the time to do so. I don???t like to mess around with the controls after I get it set to the sound I like that???s it each gig I may tweak couple knobs but that???s it.

I got it used the head + RL210T and RL1x15 all for $350. local the head was going in and out on amp#2???easy fix found cold solder joint on one of the inductor coils next to the twist-lok output jacks. Also one of the speaker wirers in the 210 cabinet was hanging loose.

I use Fender & Yamaha bass guitars all sound great!
It fits my style; blues, classic rock!
Sound is clean but can add little distortion by overdriving the input.
I can get any tone I want just turn the ten thousand knobs.

I don't abuse my eq so time will tell, will have to see if the fix I made was just an error on carvins part or just a common problem with these amp?

I like the sound I'm getting and the stack looks great on stage!
I had a carvin vintage V50 guitar amp years ago, it sound and worked great even the day I sold it and bought a Marshall JTM60. I own ampeg and fender bass amps so I'm not too worried as I always bring a back up to gig's...If it was stolen I would buy another used one, because they don't make this modle any more, they now have the BX series.

Very versatile head. Can create just about any tone you need with a good bass. I am a boomer and love my low end, I play a warwick thumb bolt-on 5 string and this head(with the 4X10 and 1X15 cabs) is a great combination!

The auto protection cut-off is key. Let an opening band use my setup and the bassists cranked this thing WAY to high! He would have blown something but the amp cut out and went into safe mode

guys know what they are talking about

cant beat it. i mean if you want tubes, buy tubes. for the price this amp is a great value!

The best thing I can say is go to carvin.com and check out the features there. It will be alot more complete than I can descirbe.

I cannot rate this very high as far as sound. The mids on it are fairly nasaly, not in a Les Claypool/Justin Chancellor way. There are ugly nasaly. If you try to get a really bassy Chi Cheng sound, all that you'll accomplish is getting a boomy un articulate sound. If you are not carefull with the highs, all they will do is shriek. The head dosent seem to have alot of output, even though it's a 600 watt head. There always seems to be something lacking from your sound. It is very, very difficult to get a sound that is balanced across the board. This is a muddy amp. The "tube preamp" can only be called that because the is one tiny tube, that dosent really give you a tube sound, it kind of distorts it and makes it ugly. Not a great sound.

The Carvin R600 is a very sturdy amp. You could probaly drop it and not dent the casing. However, when you open it up you will see why they cost so little. The electronics are most likely the cheapest on the market, and because of this I've had problems. The 1/4 inch jacks will break if you breath on them. They are mainly comprised of plastic so they strip really easily. The unit runs pretty hot. There is some kind of electric problem that could be traced to that. Ive been told that it is some kind of high end crossover that has been fried. But I must give credit where credit is due: It has never stranded me at a gig. As far as breaking down, it never has.

Carvin is damn good on support. Ive delt with them a coule of times and they have been very helpful. I had a 2x10 a couple years back, And the tweeter horn kept blowing. They must have sent me 3 of them with no questions asked.

I have been playing bass for about 5 years now and have played alot of differant amps. I have always been an anal retentive ass hole about my sound and my gear. I accept nothing but the best, and as alot of people know cavin is not top of the line. And for most serious players, Carvin is not acceptable. But let me tell you, before I was experienced and first got the amp it was the greatist. For the price paid and for the purposes of a starter, there was nothing better. If a starter is what you are looking for I would recommend it. I you are a serious musician, I would not. I can't talk too much crap about it, it has sufficently done what I needed it to. But as is life people grow and change, and after some time playing of this head, and hearing better, you will seek better.

Newer R600III (2004) Has two pwr amps and can run biamp or bridge mono
for the full 600watts at 4 ohms. Big thing to say here is the older
MOSFET pwr amp models did have serious reliability problems. Since
going to a conventional bipolar transistor pwr amp, these amps are
pretty reliable. I found the tone to be dry and thin without the
"shape" EQ feature engaged - tried it with several kinds of cabinets
but this was always the case. Got to be careful not to run too
hot a level going in if you want to use the "tube" sound - it has
very little headroom! Overall nice sound and plenty of punch. I
prefer the tone of the Hartke amps, but I got a deal I could not
refuse on this so here it is! The direct out works very well as long
as you remember to lift the ground. Definitely great bang for the buck
but an SWR 750X it ain't...
I also own a 1969 SVT so I am pretty spoiled, tone-wise I admit.

I brough this amp as a part of the RL610 combo which comes with 2x10 and 1x15 cabinets. The main feature of this amp is the bi-amp mode, in which it has two independent amp circuits for lower and higher ranges. For RL610 combo, the low amp drives 1x15 and the high drives 2x10. You can adjust the cross-over of the rages with a knob on the front panel. You can also control the volume of each circuit independently. These two circuits can be bridged and used as a single amp.
This amp has three stages plus one tone adjustment. First, there are pre-shape (booster) buttons for low, mid and high. Then, you have three-band equalizer with adjustable mid range. Finally, you have a graphic equalizer which you can turn on/off. You also have a transistor/tube simulator mix adjustment.
Other than that, it has input gain control, which is useful if you play bass with active circuitry, and built-in noise gate and also built-in compressor.
These controls make this amp extremely versatile but makes difficult to setup at the same time because of the amount of freedom you have.

If you are looking for a signature tone character from an amp, this is not your choice. If you are looking for versatility, or if you are not satisfied with the tone of your amp and want to create your own tone, it?s for you. In any case, if you don?t have the patience to figure it out, this amp is not for you.
To get the most out of it, you have to understand and master all the controls you have. I see some people complain about this amp but my guess is that these people don?t understand how to properly adjust the controls. Or they may not completely understand the concepts of bi-amp and bridged modes. The manual is short and brief, but it gives you where to start. The principle is to adjust the tone in the order of the signal flow. Once you get it, it won?t be so bad. If you know the exact tone you like and you have patience, most likely you will get it. It took me for a while to get used to it though.
I used play P/J passive through Peavey tube amp (from 70?s?) and Ampeg 8x10 (also old). I could recreate the similar warmth of the tone with this amp. With my active P/J, it produces punchy low end with enough treble. Again, the point is that you can create your own tone with this amp. As for the power, it has enough overall power for most of occasions if it?s used with multiple cabinets.

I have this amp for only few month. I can?t tell you about the reliability yet but it seems that it is built strong and able to withstand against a good amount of physical abuse.

I bought them directly from Carvin. Ordering process was relatively simple. I received a wrong item but exchange was very smooth. I got what I needed pretty quickly. I have not use their technical support or repair service.

Pros: Good performance for the price. Extremely versatile.

Cons: Complex operation and controls. Requires patience to get the most out of it. Not recommended for beginners.

Most of you know all the features this amplifier comes with. I give this amp a 10 because it has excessive amounts of knobs. If you want a cheap amp with lots of features, well here you go. It's got the features. Just keep in mind the more knobs and electronics stuff they cram inside an amp, the more expensive it's going to be. The downfall is the features lose quality when they try keeping the price down.

I've plugged 4, 5, and six string basses into this thing and it just has too much lows and no definition at all. The graphic EQ only allows 12 dB of boost instead of 15 dB on most other amps with graphic EQ. Not to mention it lacks tight low end when plugging a low B into it. Sounds good enough in an ensemble, but it's a very complex amp to get good sounds out of. You'll be playing around for hours trying to find a good sound. Ain't happening. Once you find a sound you like, write it down. This amp is crammed with unnecessary features that just kill the sound. If you want this many features, plan on spending a lot of money. If you want a good sounding amp for cheap, get something that doesn't have so many goddamn knobs. This section is where the amp looses all my respect. I can't stand what I hear from it.

It's dependable. I'd use it at a gig without a backup. But this thing would be a backup at most. Nothing wrong with construction. A solid amp with plenty of useless features that unfortunately work every time you turn the thing on.

Can't comment. I give them a 5 (neutral).

I've been playing too long to have an amp like this one be worthy enough to amplify me. I'd rather not show up to a gig than have to use this thing. Sounds like crap. But as far as power goes, it's got plenty of volume and certainly is reliable enough.

my rl-600 was made in late '02 and i am loving it, this is an amazing amount of features. the power alone is amazing, i mean come on, buying a brand new head for about $550 and it pumps out 600 watts. my other option when looking for a new head was a ampeg B2, which was about the same price, but doesnt even compare. then a friend of mine playing in a larger local band bought a rl-1000 with a 1x15 and 4-10. we both fell in love with carvin amps so i decided to get my own. and thats where the story goes. me happily ever after with my carvin.

i am now playing with a warwick rock bass (pretty much a warwick made in china with cheaper wood) and its active, so i had to reajust the eq a bit, but this amp is the envy of every bass player i know. it sounds beautiful

this amp is a brick. i have had it a year so far and i am looking forward to many years with this baby. this amp is performing just as wonderful as when i got it out of the box. now i have it in a SKB rack case and its been banging around in my car many a times and it has not been phased a but

i am forever in love with this company, i ordered by phone and i must say the staff was incredibly helpful and best of all, they knew what they were talking about.

ive been playing for about 5 years and even with many other amps out there i would still stick with carvin. if my amp was ever broken or stolen, i would buy another one without a doubt. and if i ever upgraded in ouwer, i would just get the rl-1000.

The $500 price was for the R600 head and a Carvin 4x10 Red Eye cabinet. That was too good a deal to pass up. If you need more features than this thing has, you've got problems. Not sure when mine was made. I think it is a series II. Seperate inputs for active/passive basses, input gain trim knob with peak LED, blend knob for selecting between solid state and tube preamp, tone pre-shape switches for bass boost, mid cut, and high boost, tone knobs for bass, sweepable mids, and highs, noise gate, compressor, crossover, bi-amp/full range switch, 9-band graphic EQ with bypass switch, power amp volume knobs, master volume, and headphone jack. Some things I really like are the red-anodized metal knobs, and the fact that the graphic sliders have plastic tips instead of big knobs that get broken and bumped out of place easily. As one other reviewer noted, I am also not a fan of input jacks that use plastic threads and nuts. They seem out of place considering that everything else has such a quality look and feel. In back there is an effects loop, direct out (either pre- or post- EQ), and speaker jacks for stereo or bridged output. 300 watts at 2 ohms per channel stereo, or 600 watts at 4 ohms bridged. There is also a footswitch jack for punching in the graphic EQ and the compressor.

I play an Ibanez Roadstar and a Gibson Victory. Both are equipped with passive humbuckers. This amp had a decent sound right away, even without tweaking the EQ controls. I play a mix of hard rock, punk and metal, and I favor a sound with a lot of sharp attack and some nasty treble. I eventually settled on the blend knob slightly favoring the solid state preamp, the high boost switch in, the tone knobs flat, and a bit of bass boost and mid-cut in the graphic EQ. I run a Carvin 4x10 and a JBL loaded 1x15. Even though I could run this set up with the crossover in bi-amp mode, my cabinets are 8 ohm, so I run in bridged mode to get the most efficiency out of the power amp. I played in a big room using only stage volume and easily had enough sound with the master volume set at 3. If I need more than 600 watts, then I should be going through the PA anyway. The noise gate and compressor can be useful. The tube preamp circuit can give you a different sound, but I am not a tube fan so I'm probably not fit to judge whether it's really a good or bad sound.

The thing is certainly built well. I haven't had it long enough to judge its long-term reliability, but I did buy it used so I'm sure that it's got at least a few years under its belt with no indications of problems.

I've e-mailed Carvin and gotten quick repsonse. Haven't had to deal with them beyond that.

I've been playing twenty years. My main amps in the past were Lab Series and Cerwin-Vega, and this easily surpasses them both in terms of sound quality and output. I think this amp provides the best combination of features, quality, power, and price. I would definitely get one of these again if it were lost or stolen.

I bought mine used. It is the Series II, which still had the 12ax7 preamp tube unlike the new series III. If you need an amp that has it all, but don't have much to spend, this is IT! I read a bad review below. I have to tell this guy that he bought a lemon, a fluke. Mine rules. I can only find one flaw with it: The input/output jacks SUCK! The washers come off, and you can't put them back on and expect them to stay! They fixed that with the Series III amps at the expense of losing the 12ax7. Not a fair trade in my opinion. I use the tube and SS in a 50/50 blend, but I'm already using another 12ax7 in my Nightbass, so take that into account. If you want the sound Staind gets, this setup will do it for you. 600 watts bridged to 2 Ohms is more power than most bands will put up with from a bass player on stage, so I have to say it has plenty of power.

I use a Steinberger Q4 bass from the mid 80's with 2 active EMG Humbuckers into an ART Nightbas. This is a full range signal into the R600 where it is biamped into a MESA/Boogie RoadReady 2x10 on the top, and a Hulse Bass Systems "Pulse 15" bass reflex cab with an Electro-Voice EVX 150A 1000 watt 15" speaker in it for thump on the bottom half, and I can tell you from experience that I have never had so many compliments on my sound in my 26 years of playing bass. This rig will bounce your wife right off your lap! I play all styles of music (except country, rap, polka... you get the picture) and it has all the versatility you need to handle anything. I sold an all tube Trace Elliot Twin Valve after I got this. I made money, and my sound has never been better. What little noise there is in the amp can easily be remedied with the noise gate. Enough said

The only problem I have with it is those LOUSY input jacks. After you buy one of these, replace those. Other than that, I could only wish I had the R1000 for 400 more watts. You can never bounce too many other guys women off their laps.

Never had to deal with them yet, so I can't give an opinion.

Just buy it. Unless you're a big touring band you'll be hard pressed to find a better value. I was a skeptic before I tried this. I thought "Well, there has to be a tone tradeoff for all those features.".... Nope. I can honestly say that I think the only better value in the bass amp market would be it's big brother. $80 or $90 more for 400 more watts is a pretty good upgrade. Just try one!

mine was made 2002 (sept) It was brought thru Carvins "upgrade Program) I sent back my Carvin PBll that I brought about 20 years ago (and may I add never had a problem with it till a few monthhs back so I upgraded) I personally think Carvin is the best out there for quality and price...

I play a Rickenbacker 4003 and a Fender Jazz bass, Playing soft rock to med. rock nothing hard.. a tad noisy but the noise reduction handles that... nice clean sound and a subtle distortion when I need it

if its like the PBll I had i'll never have to worry

Carvin is very helpful and told me about the upgrade program with out me having to ask.

Ive been playing bass for 27 years and for 20 Ive used carvin. Dont think I could use anything else. I would continue to buy from them ( I already have three other carvin amps and a small PA.)Ive tried others but im hooked on carvin.....the price I paid was for the upgrade program in the catalog it sells for$570 plus tax (if you live in CA.) and shipping