Carvin B5 Bolt-On Bass

New bought it off the in stock list. Was looking for a 5 string and tried a bunch in the $500 to $800 range. Will elaborate later. This one was marked down to $650 from $725. The sales dude said they do that sometimes if stuff sits around too long. Has the bridge humbucker option and black hardware. Alder body,painted black, graphite reinforced maple neck, 34" ebony board, 22 frets, fairly slim neck(somewhere between an Ibanez and a G&L) active eq, ez access battery, fairly standard styling. Nice and light less than 9 lbs. With HS case, 2 extra sets of strings tax and shipping it cost $820.

Doesn't quite nail the MM sound, but comes close in HB mode. With the neck pickup soloed and the mid boosted, It does a pretty good P-bass imitation. Sound full, solid and rich. Not overly bright, in fact the highs seem to be the weak link of the eq circuit. Huge output potential, I had to turn down the output trim pot on the circuit board to a more sane level, still very strong output. Very quiet even with the single coil soloed.

Excellent set up. Frets were great, none of that crappy string rattle from uneven frets. Intonation was good, action was to my liking not too, too low.

I've only had it 6 weeks. Everything seems solid, no loose screws. Am gigging it w/o backup.

Called a few different times before I bought, not all phone sales dudes are created equally. Out of three calls, two were very freindly, helpful and KNOWLEDGEABLE, one was not.
Had been looking for a 5-sting for 6 months, took advantage of all the free shipping offers from MF to try different basses. First bought a U.S. Masters EP 5 for $700. Was a very well made bass for the money, if a little strange looking. Very lightweight, nice quality wood, oil finish. But alas the neck was too wide for me. It had P-bass string spacing all the way up the neck. So I sent that back and got an ESP C-305 neck thru 35" scale for $576. Sounded very good for that kind of money, but was too heavy and akward feeling for me, especially when playing in the first position. The body dimentions are weird and even if it was 34" it would still be a long reach. Sent it back and tried a G&L tribute L-2500. Without a doubt, it had the most kick ass tone of the lot, Carvin included. Can get anything from a snarling MM type sound to a mellow purr. Tone had balls, character, and versatility. Fell in love with the tone, but not the quality. I've owned a G&L Legacy guitar for some years now, and the tributes are not the same. On the bass the only true G&L parts were the pickups. The hardware, bridge, tuners, and the pots, tone circuit are all 2nd rate, not to mention the wood. Con't....

I still would have kept it if it hadn"t been for the faulty tone pot. Not dirty and scratchy spray some cleaner on it and it's fixed. Oh no! I was playing this through my amp and I reached down to adjust the bass and KA-BOOM!!!!! Almost blew my rig. Sent back and got another and now this one had one pickup not working. Chickened out and tried an Ibanez K-5 for $750. Best lookin' of the lot with the oiled Paduk and mahogany body. Wenge neck. Nice and light, slim neck, easy to play. Didn't like the tone, it was dark and nondescript. Very low output. Cheap bridge. Had one great feature-the vari-mid control. Helped the tone,but not enough. Fretwork was somewhat uneven, strings rattled and buzzed above the 10th fret. Alot. That's when I decided to give Carvin a try. I knew I couldn"t afford their neck thru, and when I saw this one reduced I got it. Excellent tone and quality.

My carvin bass was made in 2001. It is a B5 model (bolt neck 5 string)with the HB2 bridge humbucker option, a J99 "Jazz" pickup in the neck. There is a mini switch to switch between dual/single coil for the humbucker. It has active electronics with cut and boost for mid, treble and bass. Has pickup blend knob, and volume knob (push/ pull for active eq on/off) Push/Pull volume very useful. 22 fret maple neck, with ebony fingerboard. Flawless pearl white (changes color in light!) finish. Dunlop straplock option. Standard alder body, very nice neck. Bought with hard case (required for shipping).

I love this guitar. Very quiet, efficient operation. The active eq is very nice for live gigs and such, but I turn it off to record. Sounds great both ways. Huge variety of sounds, goes from mid growl to jazz tone, to lowend metal with ease. I have used this guitar exclusively for 2 years. I play in Jazz bands, rock bands, metal bands, with a little funk on the side. Sounds great thru a MusicMan 65 tube amp, as well as a Carvin 100 watt 1x15 combo.

Required minor truss rod adjustment. Finish was flawless (I dinged it though...)Frets were perfect, neck felt extremely smooth. Action is set fairly low from the factory, I prefer to raise the lower strings a little. Everything worked very well indeed.

Live playing? I have played loads of gigs with this bass. I almost never take a backup, and have never needed one. Hardware is very durable, Finish is very durable (except were I ran into things) Strap locks never come loose. I highly recommend them. After an initial truss rod adjustment, I haven't touched it since. Had to give it a 9 because one of the battery connectors in the batt. box broke. Carvin assured me it was faulty and sent a new one.

Awesome. They built the bass perfectly to my specs, and have answered my dumb questions from time to time. The only problem I had with the bass was the faulty battery box connector. I called them on a Tuesday and told them it was broken. I had 2 gigs on that Friday, and they overnight shipped the replacement box so I could play my gigs. They sent me the part free and payed for the shipping. I would like to give them an 11 but I can't.

Awesome value. I paid about $750 including shipping and a hard case. Built perfectly to my tastes. If someone stole it I would injure them, curse loudly, and order another (maybe not that order though...). I love the inspiring range of sounds I can get from this bass. It has never really failed me yet. The active eq on/off switch is a must. Many active basses don't have that, and if your battery dies, your screwed. Also, I record with the active off so I don't overdrive the recorder. I have played several other basses (mostly fenders) and I really dig this bass.

I recently purchased a 2003 B5 Passive/Active Carvin bass which was In Stock. It is Swamp Ash with a clear gloss, ebony fret board, medium frets with the HB2 Musicman pickup, coil tap, and jazz pickup in the neck. Body is solid Ash, neck is a beautiful quartersawn piece of Sugar Maple with ebony finger board. You must buy their basses with a hardshell case, which I did and I bought a Carvin gig bag for $29.00 which is definitely worth it. Standard wrenches , pickes are inclued in case.

Sounds great, I really love the Music Man bass sound. It's great for Reggae, rock, funk, etc.. I have yet to gig out with it, but it sounds great through my SWR Silverado amp in rehersal. Bright, full sounding bass.

Action was a little high and the neck was slightly curved (it was a bass "already in stock" and I am not sure how much they went through it before they sent it (via UPS). The fret work is great, no flaws in that area. Also the neck is tung oiled and is easy to play. I don't have large hands for a 5 string neck, however the neck is relatively thin and the larger frets make playing easy.

Live should be geat for the bass; you have the passive/active option which I think more manufactures should do, and the bass is very light for a solid body 5 string. I have a Pedulla Penta Buzz 5 string which is neck throug and tiger Maple, after holding that bass the Carvin feels like a Parker Fly.

This bass was made this year (2001) in Carvin's factory of course. It's a 5-string with 22 frets. There are controls for master volume, pickup blend, high, mid, and low cut/boost, and a switch for the humbucker (single/dual). It has a single coil in the neck position and a Musicman-type humbucker (HB2) in the bridge position, and, of course, they are Carvin's own pickups. You can switch back and forth between active and passive with the push/pull of the master volume knob. My B5 has a Swamp Ash body, Maple neck, Birdseye Maple fingerboard, and a Cherry Sunburst finish. Other features I chose include Straplocks and the Vintage Tweed hardshell case. The Hipshot bridge allows for through body or through bridge stringing, and the tuners are Carvin's own. It has a 34" scale, and the neck is nice, thin, and very easy to play. Accessories included were an allen wrench, truss rod tool with a phillips screwdriver on the other side, and three picks. I rate this category a 10 because you have a lot of options when ordering a Carvin.

This bass fits any music style I play and more! You can get a great J-Bass sound (with the HB2 on single panned evenly with the single coil J99), a great Musicman sound, or even a phat P-bass sound. I enjoy the tone with the HB2 on dual panned evenly with the J99. Right now I'm playing this bass through a Hartke 3500 head and 4.5XL cab (and sometimes a Peavey Basic 60 practice amp). I find this bass to be very quiet. It does give give a very clear, warm, yet bright tone. This combination of body wood, fingerboard wood, and pickups offers a lot of versatility, although I'm sure the ebony fingerboard would sound great too. This bass seems to really cut through, but I have not had the chance to use it in a studio situation yet. I really like this bass.

The action was way high when I received it. I've adjusted the truss rod, string saddle height, and the pickup height, and it's much better. Everything also seems to be solid on this bass. Nothing was loose. I think the wood quality, especially for the money, is REALLY good (The Swamp Ash body looks fantastic with the Cherry Sunburst finish!).

This bass will definitely withstand live playing. If your battery dies, you can always switch to passive and keep on playing. The hardware all seems very solid. The finish was also very well done and the straplocks are sturdy. So far I've only need to adjust the truss rod once, but I think this bass will be very dependable. I will be using it without a backup as well (mostly because I won't have a backup).

Carvin has always answered my questions whether through e-mail or by phone. It's never needed repairs, but it does have a 5-year warranty in case it ever does.

I have been playing for about 7 years, and right now I also own a Hartke 3500 head, Hartke 4.5XL cabinet (I'm trying to sell it now so I can buy a good 210), Warwick Streamer Standard 4-string (also selling to help go toward the purchase of a 210), Peavey Basic 60 combo amp, and a Boss Bass Overdrive pedal which I rarely use. If it were lost or stolen I would be very upset and seriously consider purchasing from Carvin again. However, I would check out other brands as well (I'm thinking of still purchasing a Reverend Rumblefish 4 or 5 or a Schecter Custom 4 or 5). I love this bass. It has great tone and punch. I've played some other basses in the price range such as a Reverend Rumblefish 4, Fender American J and P-basses, and a used Schecter Custom Jazz Bass. I chose to take a chance based on reviews I've read, and I'm not disappointed. One thing I'd like Carvin to consider doing is giving more options regarding the electronics, etc. In other words, it would be great if they would offer a Bartolini harness as an upgrade, maybe even with Bartolini pickups (and other brands as well). However, Carvin's pickups certainly get the job done quite well!:-)

I have been a long time Fender player, mainly Precisions with one Jazz, and I had decided that I wanted the Musicman sound, as well as a 5 string. I looked at Musicmans, which felt like a Fender but the price was too much for me. Then, I looked at G&L's, which are nice, but also a tad too expensive for me. This led me to Carvin, who recently made it an option to put a Musicman Pickup in their basses, and they're less expensive because you can only order them direct. My Carvin B5 was custom made in April of 2001 and it took a month and a half to get. I didn't mind that much, because I knew that I was getting exactly what I wanted. It has a Blueburst finish, A neck Jazz-style pickup and a Musicman-style pickup near the bridge. It has a coil-tap switch for theIt also has switchable active/passive electronics, which switches via popping the volume knob in for active and out for passive. It also has a 3-band EQ. I also opted for my name on the truss rod cover and the hardshell case. All of this for $750!

I have never been happier with the sound of a bass more then this Carvin. I always felt that my Fenders were a little too weak. This Carvin is extremely powerful-sounding. Not only that, I can get the sound of three different basses out of one bass. I can get the traditional Musicman sound, or roll the pan dial to the middle and hit the coil tap and get a Jazz Bass sound which in my opinion sounds BETTER than the traditional Fender Jazz sound, or I can roll the pan dial in the opposite direction to the neck pickup to get a Precision Sound. I absolutely love it. I mainly play with the pan on the Musicman because I like that sound the best. If my band is doing a cover where I know the bass player from that band was using a Precision or a Jazz I will adjust the pan accordingly to match the sound. It rules. I also use distorted bass at times on my band's original songs, and the Musicman pickup sounds awesome with the distortion.

I barely have to tune the thing! And the action is pretty damn good, too. The strings that Carvin put on it are a little bit fatter than I'm used to, but that's no big deal. I can always get thinner strings. I love the blueburst finish. I don't see a lot of people with it, so it's kinda unique, at least around here anyway.

This bass is EXTREMELY light, especially in comparison to my Precisions. And I rarely take a backup with me to a show, just because there's really nothing about it that I have to worry about failing.

Carvin support is pretty good. Never had a problem and I don't really forsee one, so we'll see if it comes up.

I was worried that the bass might not be as good as I'd hoped, but it EXCEEDED my expectations especially for the price. It plays like a $1500 bass and I paid half of that. I would definitely recommend it and buy another Carvin bass if I ever need to.

I ordered Active electronics, Jumbo frets, stacked humbuckers that look like single coils, Walnut tung oil finish, and black hardware. I recommend thinking a lot before you order a bass from Carvin. I was aware that a Carvin bass could look cheesy if I didn't put a lot of thought into it. The body style is pretty generic, which is what I wanted, and the neck is very modern. The jumbo frets give me a nice modern sound while I can still get the J-Bass sound. The Neck is Maple with a Ebony fretboard. I have the 5 string.

I play in a "Praise tha Lord Hallelujah" get down R&B funky church band. I needed something that would get me a modern sound, while still sounding a little bit like an old Fender. I played Fenders and Warwicks and liked both. This bass gives me what I need in terms of utility. I have to go from playing Motown type lines, then into slow gospel, then to playing modern funk on the 5th string. This bass does a great job for me. The pickups are excellent used in active mode. The Volume knob can be push-pulled just like a Warwick for Active or Passive. I'll usually use the traditional Passive sound for older Motown type bass lines and use the Active for more sustaining modern lines. The bass is very quiet. Overall, a great performing bass for my needs in terms of sound.

There were some issues when I got the bass. It was set up with very low action. Low action = low volume and one dimensional tone. I had it raised a little and then had the truss rod adjusted to eliminate one fret buzz. This can be expected with any instrument and it came down to my desire to have the bass set up more old-school. Carvin put together a nice bass exactly as I ordered it, and I took care of paying a few dollars to have it specified to my needs. I examined the bass extensively and came away feeling that I got a much better bass than had I purchased a Fender American. Carvin has their manufacturing down to a science and this bass was set up well down to the minor details. The tung oil finish is highly classy. Most people, INCLUDING BASS PLAYERS, never know this is a Carvin bass standing 20 feet away. They assume, due to the natural finish on the Walnut, that it's a custom bass of some sort.

I have had good experience playing the bass. I have a luxury gig playing at a big church, so I do not travel to gigs. I play in 3 weekly services at a big Assembly of God church. I play intense R&B bass lines and pound this bass some. It has withstood my gig and I've had no problems.

Let's get this straight. Carvin is a direct manufacturer of musical instruments. They're big. This isn't Mesa Boogie or Rivera, where you can get the owner on the phone. The people working at Carvin are competent, but don't expect them to discuss minute details over the phone at an instant. They'll be glad to help you, but don't expect the guy who put together your bass to answer the phone. I've called them a few times and they've been glad to answer my questions. I have had no problems with the bass.

I rate this bass very highly in its category of being a good utility bass for a variety of work. I was interested in it for one purpose -- to play the styles I play (R&B, Gospel, Funk, some jazzy lines). It has a very good strong tone, good features (pop out battery casing), good electronics, a playable neck, and fine wood quality. It produces a big variety of sounds. In my gig, I can't whip out a Music Man for one song, a Fender Jazz for the next, and change to a Yamaha for another song. This bass lets me get a nice P-Bass tone with both pickups on, and a nice J-Bass tone with the bridge soloed. I recommend Carvin's stuff. Definitely a great value with no middleman's fees in there either. This bass is a steal!