Carvin Bel Air 212

mine was made in 2007, I bought it new from the Carvin location in San Diego. I was drawn to these amps for several reasons. the faux tweed is lacquered which gives it a more convincing vintage look. the controls are front mounted which i prefer to the top mounted ones since I like to tilt my amp back. and they are super cheap for an all tube amp made in USA. the Bel Air is 50 watt, 2x12, two channel amp with independent eq for each channel. it also has a tube driven, three spring tank reverb which is really warm and subtle, but can be dialed in pretty thick... but not fender twin thick. the cabinet is made of actual poplar plywood, not partical board which is a very nice feature. 4 EL84 power amp and 5 12AX7 pre amp groove tubes. there is an acoustic presence adjustment for the clean channel which enhances the highs. and , at 50 lbs, it's quite manageable to cart around to gigs. also has an external effects loop and a cabinet voiced direct out which is nice.

first and foremost, it's important to realize that this amp is designed around the idea of vintage type tones. those looking for a modern "scooped" sound will be very dissappointed. it's hard to believe that anyone would see the look of this amp and then buy it expecting heavily saturated metal tones. that is to say the look of this amp is NOT misleading.... it looks vintage, it sounds vintage. however, if you are of the classic rock / blues school of playing, you'll be in heaven. dial in Jimmy Page, Angus Young, Eric Clapton, Joe Perry, Billy Gibbons, Peter Green, alex lifeson ect. if these are the tones you're after, you will find them here. don't let all the reviews from users who expected to find modern distorted tones scare you off. anyone who bought one of these with those tones in mind should have done some research. again, with respect to the overdrive channel, if you are seeking tones simillar to the ones produced by the players i mentioned above, you will have no trouble finding your sound.the "soak" adjustment (basically the same as a gain adjustment) lets you go from a gently broken up, singing lead tone all the way to Angus and Malcolm approved crunchy open chord riffing. the clean channel is equally impressive. a couple of people here have metioned it sound like a cross between a Vox AC30 and a Fender Twin Reverb. I can certainly hear their point. it really has it's own warm, round tone though. from darker jazzy tones to fat blues with a bit of reverb, to sparkling country tones, it's all in there. the amp has plenty of juice to cut through the mix and the clean channel headroom keeps it clean until the very highest volume settings. for blues or classic rock, there is NO WAY you won't be able to find tones you'll love. I am granting this amp a 9 based on it's ability to produce vintage style tones as designed.

I have owned Carvin gear in the past without problem. this amp seems really well made and I can't imagine it falling apart on me. time will tell, but i have a good feeling about it.

Carvin is a direct sales manufacturer, but I live just a short drive from the San Diego location. I have found all the guys i've spoken with there to be super friendly and helpful. 1 year warranty.

these days there are a LOT of amp choices out there, many very reasonably priced. I think in selecting an amp, it's vital to know the sound you're after and make sure you're looking at amps designed to reproduce the sounds in your head. there are so many so called "modeling amps" out there that claim to sound like the vintage plexi, or the Mesa Triple recto, or the vintage Vox or Fender amp you can't afford. but, the truth is, no solid state or hybrid amp will sound and respond like an actual tube amplifier. the Bel Air is a great offering from Carvin that allows the average player to be able to create some really super, vintage type tones without breaking the bank. it got awesome vintage styling and awesome tone. and, made in USA!!! do yourself a favor and check one out if your a crusty old classic rocker like me.. or a young guy aspiring to become one!

Ok, much has been stated about the O/D side of the Bel Air, and it's obviously a love it or hate it sound. but here is the thing. this amp is designed to emulate "vintage" overdrive tones.... but, how were those vintage overdrive tones first made? one word... VOLUME!! we all know that when you crank a tube amp wide open, it will start to break up, right? but, how many of us actually PLAY in situations where we can open a 100 watt Marshall PLexi all the way up? I had a 50 watt plexi that I couldn't even turn up half way before the volume was deafening. this is why so many of the low wattage tube amps like the Fender Deluxe and the Vox AC30 are so popular. that nice, broken up tone can be had at more manageable volumes. but, even these amps have to be very loud to get them singing. I personally do not use the overdriven tones of this amp, however they are not bad at all and many players may be able to dial in an overdriven tone that they would be more than thrilled with. realize, however, that it's not going to give you any hint of a "rectified" distortion. It seems there are people who bought this amp expecting to get heavy Marshall or Mesa type sounds from it which is does not, and was not ment to do. I bought this amp because the clean channel is insanely good. especially when you consider the price ($599 brand new) and that it's made in the USA. the blackface reissue twins and Vox AC30 reissues I've played through don't sound any better. they may sound different, but not better. and considering that those blackface twins and VOX AC30's are twice the price makes the Carvin all the more worth looking at. but, don't dismiss the 2x12 Bel Air as a clone, because it's got a sweet voice all it's own. I saw here where on reviewer stated it was sort of a cross between a twin and an AC30, and I would agree that it does possess properties of both. I use a fulltone fulldrive in front of the amp to get the singing, overdrive tones i'm after, because I play venues (and with band members..) that don't accommodate 50 watts of cranked tube amp. I suspect there are a lot of players out there that are in the same boat. If you are looking for a great, warm, well rounded clean valve tone that you can add effects to, this is a great choice and worth serious consideration before throwing down $1200 or more on a blackface twin reissue or Vox AC30 reissue. It's got a really great vintage look and vibe, wonderfull tone and made in USA. if you're in the market for a vintage voiced 2x12 tube combo, make sure to put the Bel Air on your list of candidates.

Not Sure what year made. I think it's an older one, it's got Carvin speakers.
Two channel. I love the clean one.

Effects loop seems to work fine.

Reverb is nice and subtle- not overpowering like some spring reverbs on other amps. It sort of blends in and you dont notice it's on unless you turn it off. Not a traditional surf or country twang reverb.

The line out is noisy. Carvin said I might need to move the wire around in the chasis to find a better placement for it, but I have not tried yet.

LOUD in a good way.

Fairly portable for a 2x12. Slightly smaller and lighter than a Twin.

One of the best clean channels I've played. It's like a Twin, but smoother and easier on the ear. It's like an AC30, but not as much sag.

The "Soak" channel I havent used as much. I am always changing stuff around, but so far I feel I can get a better "soaked" tone from my Blue Tube and Tube Screamer.

I use single coil Stat and Tele.

It's great for my music- jangle pop.

So far not the slightest hint of a problem. I can tell it's built very well. I have a Carvin bass head thats seen many gigs and much abuse, is 20 years old and I suspect it will work forever. Hopefull the Belair is of the same caliber, and it appears to be.

Ok. I'm pretty sure no one has better customer support than Carvin.
Try them- email them a question. They wont even care if you own Carvin. Ask them how loud the BelAir is. Someone will personally email you back in a few hours- from America.

Awesome.

How long have you been playing?

20 years

What other gear do you own?

Fender tube amps, various tube amps and Fender guitars.

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?

Not sure. I would want another one. I might try something else just for a change.


what do you love about it?

The clean channel

What do you hate?

Nothing really.

Did you compare it to other products?

Maybe old tube amps like Fender Vox etc.

Which ones? See above

Why did you choose this one?

Always liked other Carvin gear I had. Saw it used for a good price.

Anything you wish it had? A working line out.

Anything else you'd like to share? Chicken butt

If you are thinking about getting one of these you probably realise that you don't need a huge array of features. The bel air has all the features that you'll need to get nice warm tones and that fantastic vintage sound. Has everything I need!!!!

As most people would say the clean channel is great, and they aren't wrong the clean channel is faultless, the soak channel is somewhat under par compared to the clean....however I changed the tubes to JJ tesla tubes and it made a world of difference! Now I rarely use the clean channel as all the sound I need is achievable through the soak channel. If you are looking for that Pearl Jam, Chili Peppers sound you can get it with this amp! I play a Maton Mastersound and a Strat through it and both have great tones through this amp and can get that real Mike McCready sound without blowing the budget. The reverb isn't as good as I would like, I am currently trying different tubes to get a better reverb sound, that would be the only complaint that I have

Only had it for approx 8 months and no problems at all, I did get it second hand and they reported no problems with it too.

In all my 12 years of playing I have finally achieved my perfect guitar, amp, pedals mix. This amp matched with my Maton electric is the exact sound I have been trying to achieve. If my bel air was stolen, without a doubt I'd get another one!

For anyone interested, Eurotubes @ eurotubes.com makes customer matched tube upgrades for this amp (and other popular low-cost tubeys). For $60-100 you can upgrade the tubes in the Belair 212 according to the sound you desire or need.

2006 model. features are coverd here, I did get the foot switch. Effects loop is noisy, clean is amazing soak is lackluster.

I play mostly clean with effect through channel 1. Morley Wah, TS808 overdrive, Boss chorus, . I use a variety of guitars, from a 86 American stock strat to a 2000 Gene Baker B1, a 96 LP Stadard, ....The clean matches any Fender I have ever owned and the spng reverb is tight as well. They really need to fix the Soak chanell, but since I play clean the tone is great

Have owned 3 Carvin guitars never a problem and never encounterd a problem at all. The amp seems to be built like a tank, I have no problem gigging wit it

Carvin has great customer service, I have owned 3 Carvin guitar's and whe I had a slight problem they were nice and fast! Hard to find these days

Playing 34 years, through all kinds of tube amps , modeling amps, simple slid stater's. this clean is amazing I bought the extension cab so I'm pusing 4 12's. Do wish it had a better overdrie channel. This amp hold it's own wth some BIG Boys!

Read features below or carvin.com made in 02

It has it's own sound but the tube configuation is the same as AC30 not Fender or that other big name that gets compared all the time. Tone, it's subjective...I have several amp options that cost alot more and my choice is the Carvin. Love the clean, you can find useable OD if you take time with channel 2 tho with the right pedals you can get almost have any sound you need. My choice of tubes are Tung-Sol in V1&2 JJ's 3-5 and JJ power tubes.

Well lets see a band member managed to trip over it knocking it backwards on the pavement while it was right next to the truck after a show although he wasn't too drunk, at a recent show it was knocked from the back and came down face foward with the amp stand, a little dent on the fake tweed that's all!!! I really don't want to do a side fall test, no more crash tests!!! Thank you! Guess I really don't need the two of these that I have.

Talked to a few of the guys there two tech types were great, why would a salesman be a moron a-hole to a customer?

What you get for the price is amazing no doubt if you're here you see poor bastards paying 3x for junk BTW made in USA.

My amp was made in 2004. Has standard features of a 2 channel amp - separate master for each channel, spring rvb, all valve etc. Definately had enough power for any situation except a stadium where im miced up anyway - but I didnt find this a particularly "versatile" amp, but its good in its own right. I wish it came with a footswitch, and i wish the pre-gain knob wasnt called "soak" - what the hell does "soak" mean....
It also has an "acoustic presence" control, but for some stupid reason this is located on the back. i dont know if its just Presence in general, but it only effects the clean channel - and being on the back on the amp is a real pain.

This amp is a VINTAGE SOUNDING AMP. and thats exactly whats its marketed and designed as. The clean channel is wonderful - altho it breaks up a bit too easily. The distortion channel is a very 60's - 70's style distortion. people complain about it - and i did too for a while, but the truth is - as many have said - you cant really use this channel for modern sounding stuff - it just doesnt cut through enough particularly in a band situtation. Ive replaced it with a Fender Deville 4x10 and did extensive testing - reducing variables using A-B switches & a loop recorder - and the Deville was the amp i should have bought in the first place. I also put it up next to a Vox AC30 - and the Vox had the distortion sound similar to the Fender - clear cutting in your face screaming valvy goodness - whereas the Carvin will give you a thick, creamy kind of almost murky sound which i found frustrating after a while.
I got around it by using a pedal on the clean channel - but whats the point in having a second channel you cant trust? you shouldnt have to mod an amp to get the sound you want - buy the right amp. and no - EQ wont fix this - the EQ's are particularly useless on this amp. you get above 1 on any pot and it stays the same all the way through to 10.
its Vintage - thats all there is to it. For what it is - its fantastic i did a brief classic rock set and used the channel successfully for this - but for anything else - good luck.

never had any problems although i look after my gear extremely well - but its been pushed alot and NEVER let me down

never needed it

Been playing for 14 years, and this amp is good - as a vontage sounding amp only.
I love the look (although dont be fooled its NOT real tweed!) - its compact size - compare it to a AC30 which is much bigger for the same size/speaker setup.
I dont like the knob being on the back - what the hell were u thinking Carvin ? - its almost as bad as the AC30's controls being written upside down! and again - wheres the footswitch?
other than that - a pretty good amp overall - just not my cup of tea anymore. A word of advice. always try amps properly before you buy them (doh!)

I bought mine used but pretty new. All tube, two channels - clean and soak, reverb, fx-loop, line Out 2x12 Celestions. Pretty heavy. I give it 8 because the features are the standard. If you want a ten for features, take a look at Mesa Lone Star Special, which is also missing MIDI but this is a classical amp so the 8 in features doesn't mind this amp is bad - far from it! This is a great amp, see below.

It is an all tube amp, well known in the States but not that much used in Europe or Germany, where I live. So, for me it was an experiment buying it. But at the end and after about three months testing and working with it I'm very happy with the sound. The clean sound is just terrific. Simply perfect. The dynamic and headroom are awesome. Round, warm, mellow and crisp at the same time, three dimensional and very sonor. You can control the loudness with the attack and hitting it hard gets loud to blow you away. But the sound never looses it's precision, at any loudness. Fantastic! The Soak channel wasn't usable for me for a long time since we do pretty hard rock. But once I tried a few SRV riffs and thought: "wow, just like on the record!" So you can imagine where this channel goes. Driving it higher than 7 causes quite a hiss but is still usable. I'm about to use a booster or a tubescreamer with the soak channel but didn't find the right creamy sound I'm looking for (Richie Blackmore, Gary Moore). For that, I have the TubeFactor and Damage Control Womenizer which both sound great with BelAir. The reverb is also working very good. You notice it when you turn it off. It is very discreet but essential. It gives a another dimension to the sound. I give it a 9 here because sure there are better Amps, but they usually cost three or more times more (Victoria, Lone Star Special, Soldano, and other). So keep cool, and if you can test this amp you won't be dissapointed. It gave me the possibility to experience a high class sound for less money. Forget many other roundabout 500Euro cheap (but expensive) amps: Buy Carvin for almost the same money and heve the sound which ist far more than 1000Euro worth. You'll love it and you'll finally know, what a good sound is and how to get it. One more thing: Using Carvin I found out, which components of my Setup are bad. You notice it immediatelly when you plug in your guitar directly to the amp: Pure feeling and sound you've heard on thosands of records. As soon as you take a "cheap" guitar or a "cheap" component - it sounds "cheap". So I now use G&L guitars (Legacy and Classic), Haeussel pickups, good Sommer cables and different picks to get different sounds! It's that easy - get five sounds for five dollars: buy five different picks and playing Carvin you finally hear the difference. Now you play and form your sound with both hands. That's seldom, believe me.

No probs so far. I have it only three month, can't say.

No need so far...

Great amp for the money. Tons of sound for less. Buy it and end your search for good sound. I give it a ten here because for the money it is a fantastic values. Sure there may be better amps, but AFAIK not for the money.

2 channels - Clean & Soak!
My Amp has a mod to reshape the Gain channel.

Clean channel is almost Fender Twin Reverb Clean.
Very Nice Clean channel.

The Gain/Soak channel is why I bought this amp.
The mod that was done makes this amp sound like Marshall/Vox
Dream amp. It has a gain pot on the back of the amp that
boost the gain/volume output. Killer Smooth Gain. Tight,
Round & Fat Warm tone.

I have played through a stock Nomad (same guts as the Bel-Air) &
I really wasn't sold on the Soak channel. It did have its
own unique thing going on. Stock they don't sound bad, just
not as good as the

Great Amp!

Carvin has good customer service!

They always have.

I'm tired of hauling around 4x12 cabs so I got this combo.
I'm very glad I did. It has a great mod & 2 Celestion G12H-30's
that sound killer. I would buy another in a second. Even a stock one!

THESE AMPS ARE LOUD! It is as loud as my 100 watt Heads.
For Hard Rock, Punk Rock or Power Pop these combos can do it all.
I'm very happy with this Carvin product. I'm glad I gave this amp
a try. I have a feeling it will be around for a while.