Carvin Vintage 16 112 Combo

Single channel 5w/16w with volume, soak (gain), bass, mid, treble and reverb. 2 EL84 power tubes. 3 12AX7 preamp tubes. 12" speaker (originally came with a Carvin VL12-8, but Carvin sent me a Celestion Vin30 replacement, explaination below). Plywood cabinent. Tweed exterior, cream white knobs. Nice vintage vibe - put a Tele next to it and looks awesome.

Best thing about this amp? You can throttle down to a managable 5w with the flip of a switch.

I bought this NOS amp from Carvin through their ebay store. Originally, this amp came with a Carvin VL12-8 speaker that was not listed in the ebay listing. The speaker sounded good, but it was very full - way heavy on the mids. I had to dail way back on the EQ for my Tele to sound decent. Good for jazz, maybe, but way too full for a good Fender single coil sound. Without a complaint or problem, Carvin sent me a Celestion Vin30 (which was listed in the ebay ad), and the amp opened way up. All of the sudden, I did not have to dial off on the EQ, I had full control of the EQ. Big improvement for the type of stuff I play. The Celestion also breaks up earlier when you crank the soak up. The reverb also comes through a bit more with the Vin30 (reverb is not as pronounced/wet as a Fender, but it adds a nice lush tone to the amp).

I was looking for a cheaper alternative to the Fender Blues Junior, and this fills the bill perfectly. Good tone.

Sounds great with my Gretch Eletcromatic, G&L ASAT, Fender Classic 50's Tele and Strat, Reverend Flatroc and Dano Pro reissue. Good rockabilly tone.

No issues - seems very sturdy.

When I contacted Carvin about the fact that the speaker in the amp did not match the ebay listing, they immediately sent me a brand new Vin30 ($130 speaker). You could not ask for better service, especially since this was basically NOS that Carvin was selling at a discount on ebay. I am sure they lost money on this sale, but they held up their end of the bargain.

Is this a Bassman or a Twin Reverb? No. But is is a great little tube amp that does the job for a very decent price ($329 brand new on ebay). I am a bedroom player, and I get great vintage tone with no issues. Who could complain?

I really wanted a NOS tweed Blues Junior, but I could not see plunking down $500-$600 at GC. This amp covers the same territory for a good deal less. This was my big move from digital modeling to tubes, and I have been very pleased.

Is is better than a Blues Junior - its logical competition? I have not A/B'd it, so I can't say for sure, but what ever minor difference ther is would be outweighed by the cost.

Well, if you got this far and slogged through the reviews, you know there are opionins rating this amp from 1 to 10. I have spent the last two weeks with my newly-modded (by Hasse himself) Vintage 16 and absolutely love it. This review will discuss the stock and modded versions.
I also own and gig with two different hasserl-mod Nomads, so I know the equipment, including variations with speakers, NOS tubes, etc.
This amp will provide a range of tones and sounds, plus tube-driven reverb, so I would consider it versatile. Of course, being 16 watts, it will only be clean up to a certain volume. I practice with this amp and will take it to selected gigs, where we mic everything anyway. The only lack of versatility is that it's one channel - whichis no biggie - and lack of horsepower,which comes with the lo-watt territory.

I use it with a variety of instruments and find it likes high-output humbuckers like my Parker, MM Axis and Gibsons. No noise or hiss to speak of, although the stock one can be somewhat noisy, particuarly with single-coil guitars.
I got great clean sounds for jazz-like tones. Not particularly glassy like the Nomad in the upper-mids for rock rythem tracks, but again - this is a characteristic of every lo-watt amp I've tried.
This amp is best at getting clean tones that can be overdriven to natural break-up, and at mid-gain bluesy overdrive. You're not going to get high-gain metal/shred tones here. However, you can put any pedal in front of this and get that big stack-like sound.
In stock form, the gain (Soak) will get buzzy and distorto. Pull the clipping diode and you're in busniess. I even like the stock speak, although lately I've been playing it through a matching 2-10 Celestion loaded cab. Better tubes will also yield better subtleties to the tone. I like matched JJs in the Vintage 16 and Nomads.
Love the slightly-overdriven sound for soloing with no pedals.
Excellent reverb -- best I've ever heard in a little box.
There are those who postulate that teh Vintage16 is too small a box to get the full 1-12 sound. There may be som etruth to that, and many people are convertng these to heads and matching them to a proper speaker cab. For me, I like what I'm getting for the most part, although the larger Nomad box certainly yields a fuller tone.

I never had a Carvin crap out when stock, and they're even more reliable after Hasse does his magic.

I never really dealt with the factory guys, since I'm a warranty-voider.

This is a huge bang-for-the-buck amp. Since, unfortunately, Carvin amps have zero resale value, I suggest buying a used one and upgrading it. The new price is an "8" value, but you can buy themn on eBay and elsewhere - modded or stock - at a great discount.

Low power, switchable Pentode / Triode mode amplifier with a very, very cool vintage tone....... especially in triode. This box makes noise at my house where I enjoy killer sounds at lower volumes because i like my neighbors....., and they tolerate me. Blues and blues based rock are a staple of my diet, and this amp made me understand that tone comes from the heart, and not a $400, $1,000, $3,000 or $10,000 rig. this amp just makes it a lot easier for guys like me.

Stock 91 strat & Gibson ES 339 both sound good, but especially the strat. Used at home in triode mode for an ultra cool, low volume blues, blues/rock tone thats hard to beat. Clean channel with a little reverb will put me to sleep in no time. Decent crunch when u play with the soak/volume to get that british blues thing happening. I've never let this crank go so I have no input on the sound quality at high volumes. It does the job I want at my house and thats all that matters to me.

Here's where I got into problems. Reverb tank died before warranty expiration. Sent it to Carvin, they sent it back with 50% of the tubes smashed, which may have caused the reverb tank to be DOA again. With credit to Carvin, I sent it back, they repaired the reverb, sent it back with a new set of tubes, paid for all the shipping, and offered me a hooker (kidding). It sounds better than ever and for some reason it "feels" more solid. don't ask.

No doubt about it, I had problems with my unit ... twice, but they were very good to me and took care of the problems, the shipping and all the new tubes. S _ _ _ happens, and because of the way they helped me out, I'd buy from these dudes again.

I once sat in on a blind listening test with hi end stereo amps from Krell, VTL and Mark Levinson and was able to distinguish which amp was which, so I have a decent ear. Only been playing for about 8 years, but I really love the low volume triode setting on this amp. its why I bought it, its probably one of the best I've heard, and especially at the ridiculous low price of $400+/-. I don't think this is a touring amp(I really wouldn't know), and I do not believe it could take the day-to-day abuse it would have to endure. It has its purpose. One hint: swap the stock fuse with a gold one (expensive), and It'll blow yer mind. if stolen, I'd buy one again.. for sure.

Enough people have covered the basics so I needn't be redundant. I've been playing for 40 years so when I see several reviews end with " what do you expect for under $400 " I grimace. This is a mass produced, uninspiring amp. The reason why I didn't buy this - and don't support Carvin - will be clear in the following categories. I gave it a " 1 " because compared to what keeps being released by the competition - this thing lags w-a-a-a-y behind what's available

If you start reading between the lines in terms of the reviews posted here over the last two years, what you're buying is a half completed amp. Hasserl mod , anyone ? I gave it a dull,basic, boring 3 because that's what it sounds like just out of the box - if it works.

Where is this made ? Look at the circuit board. Think it'll stand the heat ? Break ?? Sorry, but pro gear this ain't - but it will look great in your bedroom under that box of condoms you bought yourself for Christmas- just don't let mom & dad catch ya. A great amp for dreaming rock stars whose arena is the bedroom.

Here's where these guys really suck. When I was seriously thinking about buying this ampI called and asked if I could buy it without the stock speaker as I would immediately be replacing it. "NO " Can I buy it without the cheap tubes as I only use NOS stuff "NO ". It wasn't just that I'd be wasting money it was the RUDENESS I encountered that really turned me off to them as a company. I urge you to read other reviews here, especially from techs who do it for a living. Try and find one who likes dealing with Carvin

If these guys want to inherit the reputation Peavey had when they first started, fine with me, only Carvin wants you to believe they were there battling it out with Leo in the beginning. To recap, for $400 you get an amp where you immediately have to replace the speaker, throw away the stock tubes, has iffy innerds and have somebody mod the amp for you. Now your $400 wonder is $800-1,000 - and the resale value will make you throw up. Damn, doesn't Joe Walsh look clean in those ads , though ? Think he has one of these in HIS bedroom ??

Ordered with the custom Red Tolex. Solidly Built Little Brick. The features are exactly what I was looking for in a practice/studio rig. Very versatile right out of the box, o.k. tone and volume but closed sounding. Changed the stock speaker to a 15watt Alnico Black and Blue from Warehouse Guitar Speakers. That helped a great deal, the stock speaker is not that good. But I bought this amp purposefully to do the Hasserl mods

I play both a Strat and Les Paul and play everything from pop to rock to classic rock. The amp was very quiet and reacted well to both guitars. Here's the kicker...after about two months of getting familiar with the amp and it's abilities I gave it to my favorite tech with the print out of the hasserl mods http://www.geocities.com/rlhassebrock/V16mods.html?1103178665677
He is one of the best techs in the city and he took great care to follow the mods exactly. When it was ready he had a grin on his face fromm ear to ear. All I can say is OMG. This is now my main rig. The openess and responsiveness of the amp is unbelievable. I can now control attack, drive and tone on the guitar. If you are considering these mods do all of them and you will be very happy this little monster. Sorry for gushing...

I absolutely depend on this amp in a multitude of situations and it has never let me down. It gets played 3-6 hours daily. When it was undergoing the mods, my tech pointed out that it was a very solidly built unit and should be very reliable. It has been.

I haven't dealt with the company other than ordering the amp and for that they were both helpful and reliable. Since I have in fact voided any and all warranties I don't expect to be contacting them anytime soon.

I have been playing for 30 years and have a number of other amps (fenders, vox,...) now gathering dust. I am actually considering a second Carvin Vintage 16 duplicate, mods and all. There is nothing I dislike about this amp

I was specificly looking for a 15/20 watt amp with EL84s with Mega-tone without Mega volume.

If I wanted more features I would need to spend a serveral hunderd more.

I was looking for the sound I heard when they had the Celestion 30 Speaker. I wasn't happy with the Carvin stock speaker. Went the extra $$ and bought a Celestion Alinco Blue.. ALL I can saw is WOW. The combo of the Vintage 16 tubes with the ALnico makes all the difference. I basicly have a VOX 15CC for a few hunder dollars less.

Sound quality rating based on speaker:
Carvin stock: 4- very disappointnig
Celestion V30 7- Great sound
Celestion Alnico Blue 10 - Beyond awsome

Got amp when it was about a year old, still works

N/A havent had to use it

I been playing decades. It works well with all guitar I have plugged into it: Carvin CT-6, Gibson SG Showcase (dual humbuckers), Fender classic strat.

Gave it a 7 cause of the stock speakers otherwise would have been a 9. 10 if they offered and Alnico blue option.

Simple 5/15 watt triode/pentode configured tube amp. Just the basics but what basics it gives you. Mine has the celestion speaker and having a/b 'd it with another which possessed a carvin vintage, I think I got the better deal. Not that the carvin speaker sounded bad, the celestion really opens this amp up. Treble/Mid/Bass Reverb volume and gain controls.

Right out of the box--very lively. I primarily use a Parker P36 (super tele style) guitar with this little monster. Before I purchased this, I would use a Boss AC-3 acoustic pedal with the Parker to get that onstage acoustic sound, but with vintage 16 I just keep the gain below 8 and back off the magnetics--and bam a very pleasant acoustic tone.I basically just use my guitar volume controls to run the range of sounds I need for each show. I use a keeley style modded BD-2 to give me a little more oomph for my solos.

After 1 1/2 years of using this monster stock, I have committed the Hasse mods to the V16-- quite frankly what I thought was a great little amp has now become a giant killer. The mods really open up the hidden potential of this beast. I consistently get people walking up to me during the breaks and bugging me about my amp setup. I put off doing this until the 1 year warranty ran out. Once I did one, I went and bought a second one and did it also!!! Highly recommend these mods to everyone. My rating before the mods was 8.5 and 10 after the mods.

I have read about the reverb issues that other posters have had. At first I thought what could go wrong with this simple but robust little circuit. Sometimes quality control issues make there way through the production process. After tearing these units apart and putting them back together numerous times, my "A" unit's reverb finally failed. My problem turned out to be connectors issues on the reverb tanks. I work on my own stuff (I'm a Electrical Engineer at a research facility, so I never contacted Carvin about the issue. My first real amp was an X100b back in 1980 and that thing has never failed. Since I'm running a pair of these v16s I don't really worry about backup.

I have never had a warranty issue with Carvin equipment per se , but I have had numerous costly phone call conversations with reps who seemed to not have any clue about their own products. On 2 occassions within the last year, I had the same guy take an order by phone and 3-4 weeks later when I hadn't received the item, the same gentleman told me that there was no record of such order. They really need to get a grip on their customer service issues.

I have been playing for 30 years this June. I have worked in bands for my entire adult life so far. I have owned just about every type of amp, instrument, and effects units. Carvin has earned my loyalty with their amps, Boss/Roland with their pedals, and more recently Parker guitars have been a Godsend. My current band is a classic rock unit, but I bounce a round with power trios every couple of years. I currently own 2 v16 amps which are now in custom head cases, a Carvin nomad, and 2 X100b heads. If I lost any of these amps, I would go out an immediately find replacements. And mod the sh*t out of them when they arrive... I already have the parts to do it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carvin Vintage16 made in 2007...got it in the spring of 2007.

Gotta give this thing a 10...for $400.

I have the Celestion G12 Vintage30 speaker in mine.

I challenge anyone to tell all of us...about any amp...anywhere near this price point...that sounds better...or even as good. If there is...they deserve the recognition too.

Had it over 6 months with very heavy use...been great.

Been dealing with Carvin for years...I trust them.

Been playing ~$35 years...have a lot of stuff...and I bought this amp as a living room knock around. Haha...it knocked my socks off.

Again...you can buy very nice...very expensive amps...and they're great...we all know that. But for ~$400...!?!? Give me a break...hats off to Carvin.

The features are well documented so there's no need repeating. I've had the amp for a few years now and I think I bought it in 2004.

Never was crazy about the amp in it's stock form (especially the overdriven tone when using the "Soak" knob) so I had it modded per the instructions from that fellow who frequents the Carvin forums. Hasserl?? I think that's the name he goes by. I think the tech who did the mods did something wrong because it never sounded as good as the clips that I heard of the V16 after it was modded. But it was better, just not to the degree that I was hoping. But the added dial installed on the back of the amp did help with the way I now use the amp. More on that later.

My guitar is a Les Paul Standard. Seymour Duncan Custom Custom bridge pickup and the stock Burst Bucker Pro in the neck spot. I'm just an at home player and once I tried a few differant things the V16 has become my favorite "rock amp."

Long story short, instead of using the Carvin speaker in the amp, I disconnected that and am using an Avatar Hellatone 30 (a broken in Celestion G12H30) that's house in a 1X12 cabinet that I made. The cabinet is about the same size as my Peavey Classic 30. Using a larger, closed back 1X12 has really helped to make the tone sound overall fuller and more rounded.

For my overdriven tones I'm using 3 pedals for differant flavors. I've got a DigiTech Bad Monkey that seems to work very well on it's own providing me with a good all around rock tone. (The bass knob on that pedal is a HUGE plus). I've also got a ZVEX Box of Rock which is set for a very, very mild crunch tone. Think AC/DC. I've also got a Barber Direct Drive SS that I use as a "lead push" along with the Box of Rock.

With the added dial on the back of the amp turned up to about 7(which gives you a bit more gain, snarl and bite), with my Les Paul and with the pedals I use I have learned to get some great rock tones going that sound very full, very clear and best of all....it's all at a volume that won't leave your ears ringing. AC/DC, Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen.....it's all there! Of course it's not AS big, AS full and AS loud as a 50 watt going thru a 4X12 (and how could it?), but for what it is this little setup still has me going..."damn, not bad at ALL!!" Again, it sounds big and full but at a very tolerable volume. If used in a band it would definatley have to be mic'd up, as a loud drummer would probably bury it. But if you have a good PA, good monitors and a good soundman I'd bet it would come thru great for the small club gigs. And no, with the pedals it doen't sound JUST LIKE a Marshall, but the tones are more than good enough to handle songs that require that kind of a tone.

I also have a Marshall DSL 50 with a 4X12, a Fender DRRI and a Peavery Classic 30. This little Carvin setup is my absolute favorite over all of them for my rock tones. The DSL is great but WAY to loud, the C30 doesn't have enough presence, and while I use and love my DRRI with my Tele for clean tones I HATE the way OD pedals with my LP sound thru it.

I love it. I can go in my basement, put some jam along CD's in my stereo, fire up the little Carvin, can play without going deaf and can be very happy with the sounds I'm getting.

The clean tone without the pedals sounds pretty good as well. Using both pickups combined or just the neck pickup alone it sounds great for things by the Stray Cats, the Beatles, CCR...things of that nature. Not a ton of clean headroom but then you're only going to get so much with a low watted amp.

Seems well built and I haven't had any problems.

Never dealt with Carvin other than ordering so I can't comment on thier support. I've heard good and bad, though.

Now that I've got the amp "seasoned to taste" I love it for what it is and for what I use it for. The thing I love most about it now is how full it sounds. So many low watted small amps sound....well, too small. Yeah they can get loud alright but there's no real depth. Seriously missing in the "umph" factor. Again, it's not as big and full of a sound compared to some amps but for my needs and wants I'm now very happy with the results I'm getting.

Made some time this year, as it did not come with the Celestion Vintage 30 speaker installed (that's a guess though)

One channel, SOAK knob (gain), volume (master volume), bass, mid, treble, and reverb. Lots of things to tweak for something this small/inexpensive.

Switchable power levels.

NOTE: My amp came with a Carvin Vintage 70 speaker, I promptly replaced the speaker with a Celestion Vintage 30, and have enjoyed the amp much more.

3 x 12AX7, 2 x EL84

No FX loop, no presence knob, no hi and low input (I might have liked one or more of these options, but not worries).

Another interesting point: THIS AMP HAS ALL TUBE CIRCUITRY. There are NO ICs, NO Op-amps, and NO transistors, I looked at it when I was swapping the speakers, and it's as "pure" in that sense as it could ever be. Pretty cool for something this cheap.

Before I switched the speaker from the carvin speaker to the celestion one, the amp was really treble-heavey, and yes, I realize it was a new speaker, but even after a few really heavy sessions of playing and breaking it in, it still was a bit "top heavy". I replaced it with a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker, and I have loved it ever since.

This amp has some wonderful options. There is a lot of space for knobs to be tweaked, it makes a great low-level bedroom amp, as you can get some very nice tones and not have to crank it up much.

The gain knob is fairly tame till you get to about 7 and on up, then it becomes much more crunchy, and at these levels, I turn down the master (I don't want to annoy the neighbors...for now :).

The clean is great, very nice and round, I find that it gets me a very lovely slightly fender tone. Turning up the gain knob (soak knob), I can get some very nice Vox like OD sounds, very nice with open chords or anything that needs some sparkle and jangle.

I love the reverb. I thought at first it was lame, because it's not very in-your-face, but the more I play with it, the more I realize that I wouldn't ever use reverb that your sound just gets lost in, that's just too much, so while it seems to have "less" reverb than some Fender amps, it's got useable sounds from 1 to 10 on the knob, which to me means more ability to tweak things.

I play rock, blues, some "indie/alternative" (but doesn't that just describe to most people what's been on the radio for the past 10 years....? :P ). I use this thing with some pedals, a MXR Micro Amp, a Digitech Bad Monkey, and a Line 6 Echo Park, all of which sound great into this pedal. They sound different, but they all sound great, this amp seems to take pedals well.

I can't judge this, because I have only had the amp about a week or so. I would say that when I swapped the speakers, I looked very carefully at the build quality of the cabinet and the actual amp PCB "guts", and they look really nice, very well built, very well assembled, I don't expect to have problems with this amp.

Carvin is good about things. I called them up, disappointed, because I thought I had ordered the Vintage 30 speaker in the amp. When they helped me realize that I had missed that "batch" of amps, they worked out a deal that allowed me to swap speakers and send them back the Carvin speaker, so I could get some credit back on that one, and in the end, the Celestion speaker only cost me about $30-$40 more, not bad.

I'd return and look at Carvin's offers any time, they're smart people on the phone. I think they could be better, some of the people I talked to seemed less than ecstatic to help me place an order, but it could have just been me, and even these people were helpful in answering my questions.

I would say this amp is awesome, and know it's an understatement. As I found, with the right speaker, you can get a great amp that is gig worthy and studio friendly for under $450.

I've been playing guitar and bass guitar for almost 10 years now. My main amp is an Orange Rocker 30, and I love that amp, but I wanted to get another amp to play in stereo and also use for smaller gigs where I didn't have to drag my Orange around (really great amp, but really heavy too).

I really enjoy this amp. Pedal friendly (with my pedals at least), and very responsive to knob tweaks in just the right way: not too sensitive, but it still has a lot of "wiggle room" when it comes to changing the tone.

I play a custom made tele through this amp, and I love it. I think if you're looking on getting into tube amps, and don't want to buy something you'll never use, then get this amp. I love it it's PLENTY LOUD, and it sounds great too. Carvin has done a great job.

E-mail me for more info on the amp, and my little web page on it... :)