Carvin XB75P

I had the Carvin XB75 made around December 2002. I had played an LB75 and preferred the XB's longer 35??" scale length (22 medium-jumbo frets). This is a (maple) neck-through bass with walnut sides and matching walnut headstock--I'd like to thank the manufacturer for using the black "Carvin" logo on the headstock. The hardware is gold and the finish is glossy. I get many complements on how nice this bass looks. I opted for the thicker Dunlop fretwire, asymetrical neck, and chose the option that excluded the piezo pickup. The neck position pickup looks like a standard J-Bass pickup; however, it is the active Carvin stacked humbucker (H50S). The bridge pickup is a MusicMan style humbucker (HB2). Both are wired to an 18V active/passive module. There are five control knobs (blend, volume, bass, mid, treble) and one switch for active/passive modes.

I use an Ashdown ABM 500 with Ashdown 2x10 and/or 4x10 enclosures. I also use an Avatar 2x12 enclosure. My back up amp head is a Warwick ProFet IV. My only effect is a Line 6 BassPodxTLive. I can't say enough good things about this bass. I play a wide variety of styles and always comes through for me. Very full and rich sound. I own five other basses and this is the best sounding of all of them. One of my basses cost nearly 3 times as much and isn't nearly as much as my Carvin. I love this bass. Oh, and the battery compartment on Carvin basses...OUTSTANDING! You don't need a screwdriver and you can't put the new battery in backwards. AMAZING!!! Even liquored up in the middle of a gig--you can change this battery out quickly and easily. I know, not a good selling point. But seriously, this is a very well made bass that has incredible tone. I've started many gigs playing my $3200 Roscoe SKB and have been asked to switch over to my Carvin to get a better sound.

The action and finish are great. I don't know if the other XB75 basses are as joyful to play, but the asymetrical neck I ordered on mine is just beautiful. This bass is a real beauty.

I've taken this bass to every gig I've played during the past 4 years and it's never let me down. I dinged it up a bit one of the first times I took it out, but I added some strap locks and eliminated that problem. I was impressed with how well the finish withstood a drop onto a wooden stage--the mark is barely noticeable. Oh, another thing about this bass is it's weight and balance. Fairly light and balanced so that the headstock doesn't feel like it's diving.

Never had to deal with customer support with regard to repair or problems with the bass. The personnel that took my order were prompt, curteous, and offered several good suggestions. I was told exactly how long my order would take, when I should expect shipment, and factors that could delay/expedite my order.

I've been playing over 35 years. If I lost or had this bass stolen I would order another and hope that it would sound and look like this one. I also own a Roscoe SKB 3005, Line 6 Variax 700 (4-string) & 705 (5-string), '79 MusicMan Sabre, and '74 Fender Jazz. I prefer the Carvin XB75 to all of them.

2003. Custom made to my specifications in the USA.
24 frets. No fret inlays. Flamed Koa top. 5 piece koa/maple neck. "P" Series upgrade to the electronics. High gloss finish. 35.25" scale. Matching koa headstock.

It's relly pretty. Check out CarvinBassMuseum.com if you're thinking of buying one to see the various options avaiable.

One slight imperfection on the finish near the top horn.
I ordered the tung oiled finish, but it arrived glossy. Carvin said they would exchange & rebuild, but after playing I decided to keep it as it played & sounded so good. Plus the gloss finish offers better protection.

See pictures here; http://www.epithetband.com/pictures/basspix.html

I play rock & metal. This bass sounds best when left with everything dead central (except for the volume obviously). This provides a strong round fat sound. Almost want to say it's sterile -- there's no real character there, (but if you want character, buy a vintage instrument).

There are an array of sounds available; but none so strong as the basic all on middle-eq setting. There's a nice double bass like thump with some eq fiddling.

The piezo can be noisy if you use your bridge as a hand rest & pick near the bridge.

Passive sound is well rounded and balanced. Easy pull on the volume knob switches between active & passive.

Sustain is okay -- not as great as I'd expect with the longer scale length.

Talking about that longer scale length, the string tension is fantastic. I've got an LB75, which has the standard 34" scale length on which the B string can be "flappy", depending on guage. This B is nice & taught -- even when dropping to an A tuning.

The factory setup was great. The neck is straight as an arrow, nut cut correctly. Action a trifle low for my taste -- but there's no fret buzz, so it was as low as it could go -- I just raused it a little.

The flamed koa top is gorgeous. Ebony fretboard as no flaws -- althogh there is SOME filing marking on the frets. Looks like it was actually finished by a human rather than a robot though, which is nice.

One slight flaw on the upper horn, but nothing to return it over.

This bass has become my main workhorse, with the LB75 taking a back seat. I assume this will be as reliable as the LB75, which has seen heavy use for approximately 10 years, and aside from a fret re-dress, has given me no problems.

Hardware is heavy duty -- I've had to tigten up the nut on the volume pot once already, but this is hardly major.

I would gig this without a backup if I had to. But as I've got the LB75 I wouldn't have to.

Strap buttons are solid. I use the Grolsh rubber bung trick so I for go any locking system.

Ordering was excellent. Like I said I almost sent this bass back as it was shiny & not tung oiled. Carvin were very helpful and would have re-finished or built a new one with no issue.

Warranty is one year. Haven't had to use it yet.

I've been playing for 18 years, and the last 10 have been on the LB75. This bass wasn't a "must have" by any means. What I wanted was;
* a longer scale bass (so I could tune down easier if I had to)
* a prettier bass, (black and pointy headstock was so 90's metal)

It was so much fun ordering this. The salesman at Carvin was excellent, and I spoke to him (& emailed) for about 2 weeks before ordering. It was highly frustrating to have the tung oil finish error, but looking at the final options that we settled on the tung finish wasn't specified by me in the final e-mail.

Should it be stolen I'd be devastated. Would I change any options? Probably not, except for stacking the front pickup to a humbucker.

I love this bass, and I've tried to be as negative as I can on this review. Reading it back it seems harsh -- it's a really beautiful instrument, and I look forward to playing this one for at least the next 10 years.

5 string, neckthrough, 35.25" fretted bass, with J99(neck) HB(bridge) and piezo pickups. Made in USA. Active electronics. Swamp ash body wings with 5 piece maple-koa laminated wide neck.

This bass has good tonal options and the 18v. preamp sounds great. Of course, as with many great instruments, the controls sound best flat. The pan controls for the 3 different types of pickups are very useful in creating various tones. This bass was finished in black with the back of the neck tung oiled for a great feel and leaving the beautifal koa stripes exposed. The headstock matches the body finish and all the hardware is black chrome. Because this was a custom order the options for features were plentiful. You're sure to be happy with the options available and to have fun choosing.

This bass fits my music style perfectly (rock, metal). I don't know how well it would do with other styles. It has a clean sound, but through my Ampeg, it is very aggressive sounding. The electronics are DEAD quiet.

Haven't recorded with it yet, but I will soon.

The bass was set up well from the factory, but I put on new strings right when I got it. After making many adjustments, I was unable to get the action as low as I wanted it, but my attack is very aggressive so this has a lot to do with the level of action I can get away with. I just got accustomed to what I would call "medium" action.

The finish was near flawless, no scraches whatsoever. The quality of the wood used was AMAZING. The ebony fretboard and the maple-koa neck are perfect and I imagine under that black finish the swamp ash looks great too.

The black hardware was generally good. However, a couple of the knobs (one in particular) didn't seem to quite "match". The other knobs were darker. I called Carvin and got replacment knobs free of charge.

Due to a lack of humidity in my place, I could feel the frets poking out a little from the fretboard, so I filed them gently, which helped a little. Now that humidity has increased, I think the wood has expanded a little because the edges of the board feel completely fine. I might get a humidifier. Keep in mind, this wasn't a serious problem and certainly not Carvin's fault - just thought I'd mention it.

I've been using this bass for 6 months. I haven't giged with it yet. It seems well built so I have no doubts it is road worthy.

The jack seems to get loose, or maybe it is loose fitting, because I get a little bit of crackle when the cord plug is wiggled (with certain cords it is more than with others). If this becomes a bigger issue down the road, I will simply replace the jack.

Great Company. I had this thing shipped across the country from California and the case was damaged a little during shipping. It looked like somebody was too lazy or weak to lift it off the shelf at UPS and they just let it fall. The bass was undamaged fortunately. Carvin quickly send me another case in exchange for the damaged one and it arrived in perfect condition.

There is a one year warranty on the bass as far as I remember.

This is my second bass so I don't have much experience with other makes. But I feel it compares well with other instruments that cost more. For the money I can't think of many other brands that give you as much. I recommend trying one out in a used shop before you buy though. Carvins aren't for everyone and they have poor resale value because they are so affordable new.

If you are looking specifically at the XB75 model, and are not used to the longer scale, the extra length will take a while to get used to. I would like to compare this bass to an LB75 to see if there is any benefit to the extra length with these basses. The B on mine is very good (better than others I've tried in stores).