Carvin R600 (Stereo 600W Head)

Mine was made in -97, it has a lot of functions like graphic eq, bi-amping, compressor, separate power amps etc. It has a hybrid preamp, but it doesn't add much tube character to the sound, so whats the use? The compressor squashes the sound. The noise gate is needed (due to noisy amp) but it's insensitive. The DI-output has never worked properly.

Great value if it's the quantity of functions you need. But if it's quality and good sound you're after - forget it.

Im playing acoustic/electric trio rock. It's got a good hi-tech sound but there's no rock'n roll in it. The distorion sounds like I'm overdriving a cheap transistor head.
It's hissing a lot. I had to get myself a Line6 Bass Pod to get something that reminded me of a rock bass sound. In other words: I don't like it at all.

I tried the DI out after the swedish dealer warranty expired, and it didn't work. The input stage started to crackle and I had it repaired. Recently the power amp burned out.

I've played for 10 years. I use a 4 string Sting Ray. I don't like the sound or the quality of it. I bought it because of the power rating compared to the price. Now I know it wasn't worth it. I'm a hobby player and as soon as I can offord I will another amp head. In fact, I WISH it was stolen!

Any tone you want is in this head. Though Carvin is big on biamping (I originally had a cyclops, traded the cab for an Eden XLT 4x10) this amp really shines through a 4 x 10. Lovely sound, just sits there while you do the work. Through the Eden cab it needs no real EQ, everything is self explanitory. Pretty much anything you'd want for an amp. Speakon cables, good wattage, awesome price.

Anything you want - good tube distortion, awesome solid state. Versitalie; experiment and you will get lots of good results. Iuse with my Yamaha bass and get the tones I want- everything on this amp is quality and I couldn't ask for any better. For the price its twice as good as whats else out there.

Perfectly reliable in the past 6 months - nothing wrong. Yet I hear a horror story from Carvin or two. This may be the biggest risk of Buying from Carvin, but I've had no problems.

Never needed it, so I won't say. Warranty is for a year on parts.

High quality, man. I like this amp a lot. Sure, its no Acoustic 360, but even in reality I make my fretless sing like no other. I highly reccomend this amp.

The one I have was one of the older ones with a 12AX7 in the preamp. It has a blend knob to blend tube or solid state together, or have one or the other. Both sound exceptionally good. It has effects loop, headphone jack, built in compressor, noise gate, and 9 band graphic EQ. This amp works for all styles of music; funk, metal, jazz, blues, rock, classical, everything. It is a stereo, bi-ampable, amp of death.

I play a grindcore, death metal, and hardcore mix and the way I have this amp set, produces a deathly sound. It has 600 watts of bowel cleansing bass, mid, and ear exploding treble which when dialed in correctly will slay. This amp is amazingly versatile it astounds me. Right now I play a crappy Rogue LX200B bass, and this amp makes it sound unholy in the eyes of the lord. When I get a new bass, I will probably end up in hell. This amp is suprisingly not noisy at all for a bass amp. The noise gate works really well. I cranked the gain knob all the way up while I had the blend knob turned to tube, and it produced bowel cleansing, angel slaying tube bass distortion. I had to change my boxers after that. It was the most unholy distortion I heard from a bass amp ever! It was even greater than that of the SWR Mo'Bass head! I play through a custom, made by me 2x15 cab, and this amps rips and slays everything on the market that I have heard. I would like to try the 1000 watt version of this amp soon, when I have more money.

I bought this head used from East Coast Music Mall mail order, and It has not given me any problems at all. It is a very rugged, well built, burly amp. I have played 3 shows with it, and practiced with it numerous times, and have never had the need for a backup. I doubt I ever will need a backup.

I have dealt with the company, but not for the amp. As I mentioned earlier, I built my 2x15 cab using their speakers and they were very helpful on telling me the proper crossover to use, construction, and placement of the speakers in the box. They were very friendly, and gave me all the info I needed.

I have been playing bass for 2 years and have no other gear besides this head, my cab, and a future 2x10 cab I will make. I basically have my dream amp, and if it ever gets stolen, I will definately buy a new R600, and make my cabs again. As for my bass, when I get a new one, I am looking at making my own bass.

this amp was made some time in the mid 90's it has many handy dandy features. It has three pre-shape eq buttons (low boost, mid shift and hi boost), a 9 band footswitchable eq, a footswitchable fx loop, two inputs (active and passive), a solid state/tube blend knob, a headphone/tuner out, two three hundred watt power amps w/separate level controls, a crossover knob (200Hz-2kHz), a compressor (which sounds really nice and is very useful for slappers),a limiter, a noise gate, and yet another four knob eq section, an xlr direct out with a ground lift, and it's biampable and bridgeable. Lot's of bang for your buck espcially in the features and power departments, it's a nice price too- works out about a dollar for every watt

I use an active soundgear which is kind of sharp and ugly sounding through the R600. turning up the low frequencies and the compressor seemed to fix that. I haven't had any noise problems with the amp except for with the xlr direct output which for me was very noisy and distorted which was sad because that seemed like a really cool feature. the amp is capable of producing a lovely palette of sounds-from round deep mellow tones to poppy sparkling funky sounds

although 600 dollars is an unbeleivable deal for an amp with this much power, this many features, and this good of sound, it was a lot of money for a guy like me so naturally I took imaculate care of it, it was my baby, I NEVER dropped it I never bumped it or anything like that all i did was turn it on and off and move it from one gig to the next...AND IT BROKE ANYWAY!I brought it to a show one night and plugged it in and nothin!!! all the lights turned on, the fan turned on but nothin, I thought it had to be the cords or something simple but I checked everything changed the tubes checked the circuit breaker checked all the knobs and settings. everything seemed normal, but NO SOUND!!!!

the folks on the phone seemed nice and helpful, the deal with getting an R600 repaired through carvin is: flat rate labor and parts cost of $145 and you have to pay for shipping both ways so that could be a great deal or a total ripoff depending on the severity of the problem. you get a one year warranty. my problem occured out of warranty

I loved the amp dearly when it worked and by the looks of these other reviews it's seems I just got a bad rap. the thing sounds like a dream besides that direct out problem I had. and it has immense tone shaping capabilities plus you gotta love that price. I've played the acclaimed trace elliot amp thats supposed to be so great and was not impressed after playing my carvin, the compressor in the trace was stupid and the amp was like three times as expensive. so I have mixed feelings about the R600. I guess I'll close by saying that it rocks when it works!

Brand new. redline series II. Features include blendable, solid state/tube preamps, three preshapes, rotary bass and treble and a variable rotary midrange. Foot-switchable Effects loop. Noise gate. variable compressor. Foot-switchable 9-band graphic EQ. Tons of features. Check Carvin's site for the specs.
This amp has two 300 watt power amps. You can bridge it to 600 if you dare. More than enough power for any application. I like the fact that you can vary the output on each amp seperately and still run full range through both sides. The built-in crossover allows you to bi-amp without additional power if you want, but I use one side to drive my Carvin RL410T and the other to run a monitor for the guitarist and drummer. The compressor is excellent. I actually think it is smoother than any on-board compressor that I have ever tried. I can hear a Trace Elliot compressor grabbing. This one doesn't do that! I never use the effects loop. As for the gate, my basses are both rigged with non-grounded actives, so I never have had a problem with noise. I leave the gate turned off. The phone jack doubles as a tuner out, but you can't mute it. I would certainly put a mutable (preferably foot-switchable) tuner out on the upgrade.

I use a 5-string, EMG loaded Jazz bass as a primary and back-up with a Washburn xb400 with twin-humbucking actives. This amp certainly brings out the unique characteristics of both guitars. I play praise and worship music that covers a variety of styles. This amp is excellent for that application. I was set on buying a tube hybrid and played every one that I could find, including Trace Elliot, Hartke, Peavey, Ampeg and SWR. This amp really is as good as any. The tube gives it a rich, round tone, and you can back it off enough to keep that tone and still get a tight punch out of the bottom. I prefer this sound to all-tube amps. This amp is more versital than the SWR. (and Carvin's 4-10 cabinet holds the B-string together much, much better than a Goliath Jr. 4-10). As for comparing it with the Trace Elliot, the sound quality of the 12-band series Trace is a little better, but it costs three times as much. Carvin's compressor is way ahead of the competition. With it cranked wide open, I don't hear it jumping in and out like I do with the Trace or Hartke. The Carvin is miles ahead of the Trace 7-band series. (The 7-band is alot like the Russian Tundra - cool and dry) The best comparison that I found is in the Ampeg SVT Pro III. They are very similar in tone and features. If you like the Pro III, I think you'll like the Carvin.

This amp is very loud. I never push it close to the max. I did bridge it to 600 watts and crank it just to see how loud it would get. I am not sure if it was the speakers or my ears that distorted. You can certainly lose favor with the folks next door (or down the block) with this amp. I have never noticed any hissing out of the amp, but I don't crank the horn wide open and my basses are very quiet.

It's new, so it wouldn't be fair to say. But is is built pretty stout. The 2-space unit comes in a solid case. (You can remove it and rack it if you want). All of the knobs are metal, set-screw type, which I thought was kind of wierd at first, but I guess they will hold up well.

One-year parts and labor warrenty. I sent several e-mails and made a few calls to Carvin. I am never sure if they are trying to give me tech help or sell me something. I think it is all the same people. One thing that I think is unfair is that you have to pay shipping for repairs even during the warrenty period. If you ever found yourself in a back-and forth repair deal with them, you would be out of a lot of money in UPS bills and be without your amp for a long time. I hope I never have to deal with that.

Again, I would put this rig up against any made at any price. I would certainly buy another one if it were lost. I have owned all-solid state (Laney, Peavey, Ampeg) and all-tube. (Fender, Ampeg) This is definitely the way to go. If you are a hardcore SWR guy, you probably won't like the R600. Take it or leave it, nothing sounds like an SWR except an SWR. But if you are into Trace or Ampeg, this amp will save you a lot of money and you'll be pleased.
I also HIGHLY recommend Carvin cabinets. They are Eminence loaded (like Ampeg) and share a similar tone. My RL410T is barely distinguishable from the smaller SVT 4-10 cabinet. I always thought that I would be an Ampeg guy for life, I glad I took the risk on mail-ordering the Carvin. I can't imagine being happier with anything.

This amp was made sometime in the mid '90's. This amp is quite versatile. This amp is loaded with many effective features. The compressor is the best I've seen on a bass head and I've tried the equivalent Hartke and Trace Elliot models. The noise gate works well at high volumes. The amp has two EQ sections and three pre-shape buttons that boost highs, lows or scoop out mids. The 9-band graphic EQ is great for fine tuning the sound and a main EQ which is also outstanding and very effective. The only feature that I hate about this amp is the effects loop. It totally sucks. I've tried everything in order to get a good sound out of the loop and I can NOT achieve it. For effects, I use pedals or go from my bass directly into my Lexicon MPX-100 and out of the Lexicon and into the active input. I've used it for both recording and live purposes and it performs well in both theatres of action. For recording, you can use it as a direct box with it's XLR out on the back of the amp and go into a compressor/gate/limiter or straight into the board. I do the same for live applications also. I play many three different styles (slapped, fingered and picked) and the amp does a great job of routing the actual sound to the mixing board....very thick and full especially with the tube pre-amp at the maximum setting. This amp has more than enough power for what I use it for. I have the Carvin 4-10 and the 18 cabinet. I usually just play with the 4-10 cab... its more than enough. The amp has separate level controls for both cabinets....NICE! I tend to run the 410 louder than the 18 cab. I wish it was "full tube" and not just tube in the pre-amp section. This would make a great amp one of the best, but it would also increase the price by about $400. This amp still sounds great, though. For the money, you won't find better features. The Trace Elliot and Hartke equivalents are higher priced and not as good.

This amp sounds great. It is very punchy at high volumes (rehearsal and gigs) and sounds cool in the bedroom too. I play modern and classic hard rock... from punk to progressive metal and everything in between. The amp can get hissy depending on where I have the treble knob set on my active basses. I play with a Carvin LB75 and an Ibanez ATK fretless. If it starts to hiss too bad... I just roll back the treble knob on my bass and it solves the problem.

Very reliable. Carvin does a good job of manufacturing equipment that is durable. I don't have a backup and I don't need one. This amp is solid as a rock.

Never dealt with them... hopefully I never will.

I have been playing bass since 1987. I have tried out many amps and I gambled when I bought this amp... since I couldn't try it out. The gamble paid off considerably. I hooked up with Hartke and Trace Elliot sound quality for half the price. Don't buy those over-priced and over-rated bass amps. Buy a Carvin. You WILL NOT be disappointed. If I lost this amp, I would buy it again. The new R600 has even more features than the one I have now!

There are lots of features on this model....maybe too many. Pre-shape EQ buttons (like the GK amps), passive/active inputs, gain, pan between tube and solid-state preamps, parametric EQ, footswitchable 9-band graphic EQ, compressor, noise gate, crossover (for bi-amping), individual power amp volumes, master volume, 3 effects loops (mono and 2 stereo) XLR out, line/direct switch, ground/lift switch, headphone jack. I wish it had a tuner out/mute switch, and I know some that wish this model could be bridged. The newer one can now be bridged. The amp is rated at 600 watts with 300 on each power amp. I run this amp through Carvin 1x15 and 2x10 cabinets, and it can be awfully loud! (I've played in medium-sized auditoriums where they didn't put the bass through the sound board, and it more than balanced the rest' of the band) One other feature that I like is the two carring handles- one on top and one on the side of the amp, so you can carry it like a briefcase. It is also fairly light, which my roadies (me and the drummer) really like.

I use an old '76 Alembic Series I and sometimes some old Fenders through this amp. This amp is capable of many different sounds. When I adjust the gain and tube/solid state controls, I can get close to a mid-late '70's John Entwistle sound with little problem. Sonic Youth, overdriven SVT, funk, very clean, whatever "characteristic" bass sound you want, it's probably in there or pretty darned close. The tube adds lots of warmth or growl, depending upon what you like, but I generally like a little growl to thicken up the sound. It's great! I have to switch between fingers, picks and thumbs quickly, and this amp sounds good with all of them. My music styles have to go between classic rock, funk, country, blues, and jazz (even though I suck at it). I usually hit the low and high boost buttoms, leave the rest of the EQ controls flat (or change them a little in different rooms), and the amp sounds very good. It also sounds good with all the controls flat. I think this amp sounds much warmer than Carvin's old PB500, and every instrument I've tried through it sounds good and still retains its "characteristic" sound. Just for comparison, I tried a deluxe Trace head to compare. Yes, I think the Trace does sound a little better, but not by much in my opinion. The sound of the tube will go through the XLR out (a nice touch). Problems? Sure there are some. I had a sound man say that the amp was making some noises once. Ironically, it was from the noise gate. The threshhold was set incorrectly, so it was making some noise.Also, the noise gate sometimes "pops" a little when it switches on. There were also some buzzing noises (some of the lights and a bad cord could be partly to blame), but the amp isn't always perfectly silent all the time. The compressor is very useful, especially if you are a thumb player. Overall, I'm very happy with the sounds from this amp, and generally people who run sound say they like it too. I won't give it a 10 because it isn't THE best bass amp I've ever tried.

No problems here. I've dropped the amp once, and it is just fine. I would feel fine using this without a backup (I can't afford one anyway). If I ever have to replace the 12AX7 preamp tube, I'll have to take the amp out of its cabinet and put it back in. It doesn't look easy.

I've called several times both before and after buying this amp, and also exchanged e-mail with one of their salespeople. Generally very helpful and friendly in answering questions. I asked about a million questions before I bought this amp. Carvin sells mail-direct only, but if you don't like their products, send them back within 10 days, and you only pay shipping. Oh well. If you want Carvin to repair something, you need to ship it back. What a pain. Other than that, their customer support is pretty good.

I have been playing bass for almost ten years. I've played Peavey, Fender, GK, Hartke and older Carvin amps. I've tried almost every major brand of bass amp out there. The Carvin has more features than almost everything else that is available. As far as sound goes, it's better than anything I've tried except the high end Trace. Other than the slightly noisy noise gate, it has great sound and features, and is a real bargain. I'd buy it again-------no question.