Carvin LB20F

I bought the bass used for $400 dollars. The bass is a 2001 model and is less than 1 year old when I bought it. If your are not familiar with Carvin; they make custom instruments. You can customize different lines of guitars and basses with paint jobs, color of hardware, pickups, inlays in the neck, ect. The bass sold new for $700 dollars with all the options. The bass prices as of 1/2002 is $590 dollars without any custom options. This instrument has passive electronics, the color was a free option (ferrari red), painted on fretlines with dot inlays, chrome hardware that I will replace with black, the headstock is the same color as the body, and it has a rounded body and sides, the bass is fretless that is a free option. If the bass was not fretless the model number would be LB20. I don't know what the body is make of, but the fretboard is rosewood. The bass is a neck-through-body (neck and body are jointed together as one solid piece), instead of a lower quality bolt on design.

The bass sounds nice, I am satisfied with it. I play it through a Peavey Combo 115 and it has a nice tone. I put Fender tapewound strings on it to give it a more low end bassy sound. The person I bought it from used regular strings. With a fretless you should only use tapewounds or flat wounds. Standard strings will buzz when played open and they will scar the fretboard. Fortunatly the seller only had for a short amount of time and the strings left only light markings on the fretboard. You have to hold the neck to the light to see the damage. Barely visible!

The LB20 has low action and is easy to play. It takes a while to get use to a fretless, even though it has fretlines, you have to press down right beside the fret to keep the note from sounding flat. That is the side effect of having a fretless bass. The instrument is well made. I've found some to be better and more expensive, but most instruments especially foriegn made instruments are not. The finish was Ferrari red which is a free option. You can get paint ranging from $0 to 300 depending on what you want to pay. The finish is nice, it is the color I would have chosen, I would rather have white or blue.

The LB20F is a good quality bass built in the USA of high grade materials.

I called them with a few questions before I bought it and they were helpful.

I have been playing bass for 9 nine years. I have two other basses a Fender and a Washburn. I like this one the best and I am planning on getting a 6 string and it is going to be a Carvin. Overall this is a nice instrument and I would recommend buying one.

Unknown year (early 90s, I think), USA Made by Carvin. Unit is fretless with lines on top and dot markers on side of neck. Wings are koa and neck is also koa(?). Has volume, blend, and passive tone. Comes with two J99 pickups standard. Excellent Tung oil finish. Jazz body style with superlative Wilkerson bridge. Tuners are the usual from Carvin. Neck very thin and action quite low. Came in nice hard case. Very nicely equipped passive bass.

10 - Sounds great!

I have run this through Yorkville, Peavey, and Fender amps and have always gotten a nice warm sound. Highs are clean, but not edgy; lows a bit boomy until I adjusted the pickups. I used it recently on a folk/gospel gig and the band was very happy with it sound. Two pickups offer many soun

I brought this fretless 6 Bass used @bassgear.com (hi Andrew) I already own a couple of LG3005's and love them. This bass is a sleeper
It has a dark brown finish over the burled cedar top. The back is Mahogany there is a light colored wood veneer between the top and back, nice touch! The board is diamond wood stained to look like spalted rosewood and the headstock is a burled maple colored to match the hues of the board and body. The neck is flame maple a veneer strip purpleheart then another veneer strip and more flame maple. This bass is nice but at first glance in normal light not the usual outrageous look of a Roscoe. I tried out a new amp and took this bass to the music store under their lights, Man!top and finish came to life! Think Alembic top on Steriods. Keith without a doubt, in my mind has the most unbelieveable finishes of all the Bass Guitar makers at any price, they make the wood come alive. This bass has black hardware a Hipshot Bridge and looks like Schaller tuners, the upgrade Roscoe Barts with mid cut push pull pot. The neck is wide but comfortable. I have tried alot of 6's and I've never been able to play them, this is like I've always played a six, unbelievable!

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10 - Tons of features