Carvin XP2

Just in scrolling through the banks and presets, this unit is the definition of simplicity, although some functions seem confusing. I haven't really tried editing patches yet, although I have managed to stumble on combining effects without help from the manual. The manual is kind of technical. Some aspects could be understood by a small child but other sections you have to read a couple of times to understand it. I basically just read the manual because I wanted to. Not for help. I do that with all electronics though. I play with it first to see what I can figure out on my own then when I'm done (which could last days), I'll bust out the manual just to look over it. I've heard this unit went through some beta testing before the version that I have, but I'm sure it's all been worked out. That was quite awhile ago that I heard that anyway.

I'm using this processor with my PRS and a Peavey Ultra 410 all tube amplifier(awesome; check the reviews out; clean like a fender tube and WAY better distortion). I'm also using the XP2 for some vocal effects when recording. I also have a Digitech RP-200 that I was using before I got the XP2, not to mention a ZOOM 505 (which sucks), but that's all beside the point.

I couldn't find any noise in this unit at all. It sounds great! But beware of using it with a crappy Strat or Strat copy...those get noise even by themselves...it wouldn't be this processor that was giving the noise.

There's a question on here that I supposed to answer which is, "Can you get the sound of your favorite artists? Who are they?" Well, I didn't really test that part out to speak of but I did test a couple of Tremonti riffs on it, just because he's my current favorite, and they matched up very well. Anyway, on to the review of the effects themselves...

The Reverbs: In testing, I found that I don't like reverb very much. Let's just say, little is a lot. I don't like massive amounts of reverb at all. Some of them I think might be useful though.

The Chorus: Totally awesome. I like the triangle patterns a little more but the sine patterns are great too. Only a few were weird sounding but I'll tweak them up. All of these could become quite useful.

The Phaser: Better than what I expected. They sound great. Almost everyone of them seem like they would be very useful.

The Delay: In testing, I discovered that I CAN NOT STAND long delay's. They are annoying...VERY! I like the short delay's though. And no, it's not ala Tremonti. It's just because I like them better than the others. It seems to screw up the my tempo the longer delay it is. If there's sound and then long delay, it's not so band. But I still don't like it that much. There was probably only one long delay setting that I liked. The short delays were good too but I'll be tweaking those.

The Flanger: It's cool. More than I expected. Some of the settings with more flange are REALLY cool sounding. This could definately come in handy.

The Rotary Spaker: One word...sweet. All of the settings for the rotary speaker were great. When combined with a little bit of chorus, they sounded thick and sweet. Very pleasing to the ears and seems to be a definate mood setting effect.

In closing, I SO wish this unit had distortion but oh well. I'll use stomp boxes for that. Seems to me that that might work out a lot better.

This thing is made of metal and by Carvin, so you know it's going to hold up against anything. The electronics are without a doubt some of the best. The knobs are metal as well. The buttons are a very very hard plastic or something like it and it would be VERY difficult to break them.

About the issue of using it with or without a backup, I'm would have no problems using it without a backup. But seeing as how my set-up is the way it is and the fact that I also use a Digitech RP-200 in addition to the XP2, I can't help but have a backup. If you've got the money to get a backup, but all means...DO IT!

Hey, it's Carvin we're talking about here. They are known for their customer support! Although, before I ordered, I called and asked about the XP's compatability with a MIDI foot controller and what might be the best one to get....well, he didn't really answer my question as well as I would have liked but MIDI is kind of vaugue anyway. I finally got a better answer from the guys at Guitar.com and also the people on the DS board at Carvin.com

I play a lot of rock, hard rock, alternative, and blues. This unit is DEFINITELY a great match for all of them. I've been playing for about 6 years now and I also own a Paul Reed Smith guitar, Fender Strat, Peavey bass (on LONG term loan from a friend), a Peavey Ultra 410 60W all-tube circuitry amplifier(read the reviews; great amp), a PMS crappy practice amp, ZOOM 505(sucks; sounds like a wet fart), Digitech RP-200, Boss DS-1, Danoelectro Overdrive, and various amounts of other accessories.

I got the Carvin XP2 today. So far it's simple to operate but the true simplicity factor will come into play when I get the foot controller for it. I've decided on the Behringer FCB1010 Foot Controller, which is not even on the market yet. Musician's Friend expects it to be in on the 10th of this month. I'll order it right when it comes out. According to the description of the controller, it's awesome.

OVERALL: In ways, it's more than I expected and in ways, it's just what I expected. I guess I have yet to unlock the full potential of this metal box, but I'm guessing it's better than about eight to ten stomp boxes. Within a few minutes I had already learned how to combine effects. It has separate levels for the input level and the output level. I'm going to have to experiment with those to eliminate noise. I had the noise eliminated but the input was at about 8 and the output was somewhere around 3. The guitar was at 10. I'm sure it will sound even better on my tube amp as I was using my solid state practice amp. For the money, it's definitely almost a steal. But seeing as I've only had it for a couple of hours, I'm sure time will tell it to be that I ripped Carvin off on this one.

A tad confusing, and always a bit button-mashy, but not bad after the first hour or so.

Jaw dropping. Simply gets the job done without unwanted tonal coloring. The reason I give it a 9 instead of a 10 is that I kinda wish it included some distortion effects.

Looks pretty solid. Caseing is metal.

Carvin is known for their customer support, but I haven't yet had to deal with them.

This should be a part of any guitarist's arsenal. It provides high quality basic effects (reverb, chorus, delay, flanger, rotary speaker, EQ) in a compact, rugged package. Sure as heck beats buying 4 or 5 $100 stomp boxs.