Carvin AC50F

This is the 5 string fretless model and I got a boatload of features. Binding. Gold hardware. Matching headstock. Loved the way you can pick custom things. But having played this bass for some time I can say the one feature it really could use and you can't get is a magnetic pickup to mix in to the sound. When I got this bass I was new to fretless so I got the lined fingerboard. Not just me, but many other bass players who have tried my bass found that with the lines the transition to fretless is painless. But we all know that nothing "shows class" like playing an unlined fretless.

Let's say it right off. The B string on the 5 sucks. I'm comparing to my top end basses mind you. But the B is useable, but it's not great. For a while I strung the bass with a high C instead. Nice way to go EXCEPT you can't get a decent C string for it. I ordered one special from LaBella (who reportedly make the Carvin strings) and they had NO idea what gauge it should be. They came WAY too thin and didn't match the sound of the other strings. I ended up using a G string from another maker. The overall sound of the AC50F is really good though. It can range from giantic folk guitar to a really nice upright sound (If you stuff some foam under the strings at the bridge). The higher strings give a great fretless "mwah" as well.

What can I say? it's a Carvin. It looked, felt, played and sounded fabulous right out of the box.

Mine developed pickup intermitancy after almost a year. Carvin sent a new pickup which I installed. It's been fine since. (see "support" below) But only the pickup was a problem. Sure it's a hollow body it's only as durable as most any other hollow body guitars. But I've used it a lot and have seen no other reliability/durability problems. I have to be fair because I believe Fishman rather than Carvin makes the piezo pickups. But still a problem is a problem.

For all the raves about Carvin support, let's get this straight. Carvin SALES support is as good as it gets! No question. But repair support is VERY spotty. I found that often they won't bother to answer the phone. When they do you get a bunch of lame excuses and run-arounds. I got a huge grilling to "prove" the bass was in warranty (Only ONE YEAR warranty mind you!)I mean THEY should have records of their sales, no? Instead they made me dig out my copies (which luckily I still had) And they took their time sending the part. When it came it ALSO was bad and they had to send another. And this was with ME installing it. Think of how great this run around would have been had I needed to ship the bass back to the factory. All I have to say to Carvin is they ought to be thinking twice about treating customers who laid out over a grand for one of their instruments as if they are some high school kid who bought a Squire and wants to con the company out of a couple more parts. What are they thinking? Must be something in the California water.

I do however give this bass a very high overall rating. Compared to other acoustic basses (the huge overgrown guitar types) it is very unique and nice. The Carvin is probably the lightest bass you ever played. Tone is killer and the nylon strings have an unmatched feel. The Piezo pickups are very percussive and for a suitable style music (eg. blues) really do a job unlike any typical bass. The 5 string in spite of the less than optimum B string still works very well. I only wish they made a 6 string in this model. Let me say that I own some very top end basses (Ken Smith, Alembic, Modulus) and I know what a terrific bass is. There are few lower priced basses that can compete in this stratosphere. Two such basses that I own that CAN compete for their own reasons are my Fender Jazz V and this Carvin AC50F. One day I'd like to get the matching fretted model as well and have a killer acoustic pair.

Mine was an impulse eBay purchase, so I didn't choose the options. But this is came with fretlines (thank god!) and a beautiful natural quilted maple finish. The ebony fretboard does not have position markers (the side ones are there) which is the only thing I don't like about the bass. The back is I believe mahogany, and it also is extrememly pretty to look at. The tuning pegs are in a 3/2 arrangement with matching quilted headstock. Black knobs -- 1 vol + active treble and bass.

I play a variety of styles, from folk rock to bedroom electronica. I wanted a different sound from my Yamaha p-style bass and I got it. Five strings are hard to get used to, and fretless is very hard to get good at, but the sound is beautiful. Not really as full as a stand-up bass. I agree with the other reviewer that you can't turn up the treble pot too high. The active electronics are powerful, and that will give you way too much string noise. The tape wound strings are very nice. The low B string wasn't excessively floppy, but I tune it to a C, and I'm very happy with that. It tightens it up a little, and it gives me an fresh fretboard pattern. If I really need a low B for a song (unlikely) I'd tune it down. The bridge is not adjustbale, so that's no big deal in terms of intonation.

Mine was secondhand, but everything seems fine. The tone pots are a little crackly, but I can fix that if it gets too bad.

I don't play live. It's very light, and not too top heavy, so playing it in a live setting would probably be fine. Mine is so pretty I'd be wary of taking it anywhere where it might get hurt, but that's me.

Carvin is always good in this dept, though I haven't had any need in this case. I bought a new set of their special strings from them as soon as I received the bass, and they arrived withing a couple of days.

I don't know who the guy was who was selling this, but it was a steal at $600. I think a lot of people buy fretless basses without realizing how hard learning to play one and getting the intonation acceptable is going to be, so good deals on fretless basses turn up on eBay a lot. Like any good instrument you have to learn to play IT and work with its sound, because it won't do everything equally well and it sounds very different depending on where you pluck the strings. I typically play finger picking style (thumb + fingers), but I'm finding that the classic overhand style works best on this one, esp on the low strings.

If you hear the sound of an acoustic/electric fretless bass in your head like I did, this could be the axe for you. Carvin makes fine instruments (I have two guitars and an amp), and this one did not disappoint.

2001 US built AC-50F. Fretless acoustic 5-string bass. Had mine built with fretlines. Quilted classic sunburst finish. Multi-layer body binding. Black chrome hardware. Matching headstock. Mohogany neck and body and engleman spruce top. Active electronics: master volume and separate bass/treble boost/cut controls. Tweed bass case included.

Bought the bass to match the acoustic guitars of the church team. Run the bass through a SansAmp Bass driver DI and then into the house system. The bass produces two distinct sounds. Playing at the lower end the neck sounds electric but as you go higher the sound becomes more like an upright.

The sound is full and rich.

The set-up was from the factory was great. The nut at the B-string is a little messed up. The large string size required a lot of filing to get the string to sit properly. It does looks funny but it works. Outside of that, the finish looks awesome. The fretlines blend nicely with the rest of the finish.

So far the bass has been very durable. The finish is solid and cleans up nice. The neck is solid and I never feel that it it going to get beat up. I have played this bass in a number of setting and is work great. The boost controls really boost so great care needs to be used when boosting bass or treble.

I have worked with the Carvin rep before and have always got great support. The bass came with a five year warranty. Fortunately, I have never had a need to use it.

This is my second Carvin. It is my first five string and first fretless. Although, there has been a learning curve, the AC-50F is easy to play. The only drawback is the black strings against the black fretboard but I am learning to work pass that.

The AC-50F is producing the sound I was looking for and would buy it again if it needed to be replaced.

I've been playing this axe for somewhere around ten years. Carvin is manufactured in southern California (San Diego?) USA. It's is a five string fretless, with fret lines and position markers. There are volume, bass, and treble controls. I prefer to keep the tone controls in their neutral positions, and boost the high mids, just a bit on the amp. It has a single fishman piezo pick up in the bridge. It has active 9v electronics. It has a clear gloss laquer over a mahogany body, Engleman spruce top, and a maple neck. The maple neck is, as far as I know, unique to my bass. Carvin didn't really want to add it, but I insisted. (Excellent call on my part.) It is a semi hollow body design, which gives it a great tone, and an extremely light weight. It has an acoustic type bridge, with the ball ends of the strings being fed through the body. Carvin brand tuners, 24k gold plated hardware, faux tortoise body binding, and dunlop straplocks. The neck is rather thin, and fast, with inline tuners. It came in a twead hardshell case. The case has seen better days, to be sure.

This bass is really cool, because of the wide range of tones it will produce. With the low end turned up, and the amplifier cranked, you can probably give your self internal injuries with the low B string! It has awsome resonance due to the semi hollow design. The high end, is there as well. It gets annoying with the treble pot turned up. I think the snappy crunch it makes in the upper registers is the strings slapping the ebony fret board. Like I said, it can be annoying, not a good choice if you like slap bass. The piezo pick up doesn't seem to be suseptable to any RF interferance at all. I can play under a neon beer sign that sends strat players into a frenzy. My favorite bass rig is an older model Carvin PB 500, (I bought it with the axe) with a 4x10 cab perched on top of an 18 cab. The narrow neck, coupled with the lack of frets make this thing scary fast! It is a very unforgiving instrument, and you have to watch the placement of your fingers. The nylon wound strings get very hot, when doing quick slides up and down the range of the neck.

The action is sublime. It seemed to have a bit of a neck buzz when I first took delivery, but a call to Carvin, and a trip back to the factory to have the neck re surfaced did the trick. In retrospect, I may have been able to address this myself with a truss rod adjustment. The finish, and the woods used are first rate. The body binding appears to be seamless.

This bass is great in a live setting, and I use it almost exclusivley. The semi-hollow body gives the impression of fragility, but I would be loathe to subject any istrument I own to "abuse". I take care of her, and she takes care of me. The finish on the wood components seem to be first rate. I've played this thing for around ten years, and it doesn't show any appreciable wear. (except where I dinged it with a wild cable.) I have never seen gold hardware that holds up over time, but I decided to try it anyway. I can still say I've never seen gold hardware that will hold up over time. It's starting to wear thin on the knobs, and tuning keys. The truss rod was adjusted back in the mid ninteis, and hasn't been touched since. I only use a tuner to check it, and in a rush, I would have no qualms about just pulling it out of it's case, and going to work.

Carvin is easy to deal with on all levels. Their sales guys (they only sell factory direct) are knowledgeable, (try to find that at Guitar Center) helpful, and friendly. When I first received it, I percieved a problem. They resurfaced the neck and got it back to me in a very reasonable period of time. I'm really not sure of the warranty period, but after ten years, I don't think there are any factory defects.

I've been playing bass for about 23 years. I own a Rickenbacker 4003 that I am also in love with. I have also owned a bevvy of intruments made in Asia, and I will never buy anything but a good american made axe again. I would definately replace this bass if the unthinkable happened. I need this bass. The tone is awseome on both ends of the spectrum. It will go from a double bass sound, to a midrange bite. This is bass is the my favorite out of all I have owned.