Product: Carvin LB75AP
Price Paid: US $1300
Submitted
09/23/2004
at
08:28am
by
Frank
Email: flag4 at verizon<dot>net
Features
:
10
2004 model, made in San Diego at the Carvin factory. 24 frets. 5 strings. J99 single coil at the neck, an HB2 humbucker at the bridge, and a piezo under the bridge. Three EQ knobs for bass treble and mid. Two separate blend knobs, one for the magnetic pups and one for the piezo, a master volume knob and a coil splitter for the humbucker. 18 volt active electronics with a pull up feature on the volume knob for passive use. Separate pop up battery compartments make battery replacement quick and easy. The Anniversary model comes standard with the 5W wider neck option, five piece laminated neck, maple with walnut stringers. The body is a three piece laminate, alder back, walnut sandwich layer and a beautiful quilted maple top. Mine came with natural clear gloss finish. These guitars can be custom ordered in a variety of colors and finishes.
Sound
:
10
The sound is versatile. This three pup active system can be dialed in to acheive a suitable sound. Basically I leave the blend knobs on the middle indent, and adjust the EQ knobs for each tune, from a disco, dance or Latin to rock or ballads. The pups were a little hot initially but the trim pots are adjustable under the back cover, very nice feature, instruction sheet comes with the bass. I play through an Ampeg SVT-3 and Ampeg PR410-HLF cabinet.
This is a great rig and combined with this bass I can go from pipe organ thunder like roof shaker to crispy clear slap and funk, and many combinations in between. Be prepared to spend some time tweaking your sound because of the range. The pups are quiet and cut through the mix just fine.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
9
Carvin really shines in this area as well. This is a well made and designed professional quality instrument. Top notch heavy duty hardware. Near flawless construction and finish, nothing is perfect but this comes close !. Frets are well dressed and polished. Set up from the factory was a little low, and the low B was buzzing. But this is to be expected from a cross country trip and climate change. Be prepared to do some set up.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
I haven't owned long enough to give a complete evaluation, but suffice it to say it is solid and well made. Even the input jack is heavy duty and holds on to the cord with conviction. I play live every weekend without backup.
Customer Support
:
9
My experience with the company was very positive.
Overall Rating
:
10
Overall this is an excellent bass, the string spacing is perfect, it plays easy and balances well. The overall weight is about 8 lbs. which is very comfortable to hang on your shoulder for 3 or 4 sets. My only gripe is the low B string is just a little floppy, I'm going to try a lighter gauge string to see if this helps. I would buy another Carvin to replace this, but may go with the longer scale XB model.
