Carvin CM112

I just picked up this amp since I wanted something all tube that I didnt' have to sell a kidney for. I have owned lots of Carvin stuff, so I am familiar with their quality and reputation. This amp is very portable, sounds good and is RIDICULOUSLY LOUD!!! (even on the 50% setting). With a 4x12 cabinet you could kill everybody in the State! It has the usual switching, more than enough controls, and even switching for different tubes you may want to use (British or USA). It has the stock Carvin speaker in it, which sounds perfectly fine to me, and is an Eminence as far as I know - not really into the Celestion "breakup" if you know what I mean.

It sounds probably best for boogie blues type of stuff. Carvin doesn't have the best rep for shredding distortion, and it sounds a lot like an Ampeg or Mesa Boogie to me (lots of "spank", quite clean and cutting). No Marshall shimmer here if that's what you're after, and the sound is much more aggressive and biting than Fender.
The reverb is good to excellent (something they're known for) and the tone controls do it all as far as I'm concerned. It has the old "rat fur" (love that name) which isn't the most asthetic but keeps it safe in the van. It is no noisier than any other tube amp with a strat - i.e., it's noisy but due to the intense power.
This amp will knock your head off with clean power - and with distortion it's downright evil sounding! For metal any Boss Distortion would make it simply beastly!!!

Carvin stuff is known for being bullet proof. I had a CArvin bass amp with a frayed cable (not from Carvin). The amp just turned itself off (rather than frying!) and turned back on after I changed the cable! Thank you HAL!
I've never heard of older Carvin stuff breaking.
I love the late 90's and earlier Carvin.

Carvin is always known for excellent customer service. Never used them because nothing ever broke and that's how it always is!

Been dreaming of an all-tube amp for a long time, and this amp really delivers!!! I would definitely replace it with the same if lost.
This is the same as the newer Nomad Amps, but has way more power! (and don't forget the RAT FUR!)
Can't wait to record with it. Country, blues, rock, jazz, it does it all!)

Ho acquistato questo amplificatore usato nel 2004, l'ho cambiato con un Marshall 40W mosfet e sono veramente soddisfatto. La sua costruzione dovrebbe risalire al 1996 circa, comunque non prima del 1995 anno del suo esordio. Ho sostituito tutte le valvole con le stesse originali nuove.La prima cosa che spicca e la robustezza.
Caratteristica importante e, inoltre, il fatto che non ho mai visto un combo cosi piccolo con tanta potenza, e tanti bassi. Monta un cono Celestion da 12", marcato Carvin Vintage Series. ha il loop send-return per gli effetti, due canali con controllo di toni, volume e presence indipendenti, riverbero a molle, selettore di potenza uscita 50/100 W, uscita speaker-simulated per diretta su impianto, uscita per cassa supplementare, selettore bias per valvole, attacco per footswitch dei canali e del riverbero. E' un ampli versatile e potente. Sono estremamente soddisfatto di averlo e non lo vendero mai.

Lo uso con una Stratocaster con 3 pick up single coil Seymour Duncan Staggered e suono Blues e Rock-Blues, uso effetti a pedale nella seguente configurazione: chitarra + wha cry babe + tube screamer Ibanez TS9 (distorsioni morbide e medie) + Overdrive RAT (distorsioni cariche e potenti) + Booster Boss Blues Driver ( booster per gli assoli), poi sul send-return ho un chorus Boss CS5 e un Digital Delay Vesta Fire, uso il riverbero dell'ampli a 4. suono solo con il canale pulito con i toni in flat. la distorsione del canale 2 dell'ampli non e eccellente come quella di un Marshall valvolare e preferisco il TS9 della Ibanez combinato con il Blues Driver della Boss sul canale pulito. I suoni puliti sono bellissimi, nulla da invidiare ai Twin! Con il selettore pick-up in posizione 2 e 5 si sente il tipico attacco della chitarra tipo Eric Clapton o Marc Knopfler, menter con i distorsori attivati da una tipica sonorita calda e ricca di sustain in pieno stile anni '70. Quasi dimenticavo che lo uso con una cassa aggiuntiva Marshall con un cono Celestion da 12" collegata alla seconda uscita dell'Ampli. Se proprio devo trovare un difetto dico che e leggermente ronzante suonandolo a basso volume, ma potrebbe essere che necessita di manutenzione. Se ve ne capita uno non perdetelo!

These amps were made in 1996. I actually bought a matching pair of these (used) so I can play stereo. They have a switchable 100/50 watt head and 2 speaker outputs, so it can be used to power 2 4x12 cabinets if desired. It is part of Carvins "Valve Master Series 2" amps and heads, but this is called a "Club Master 112" combo. (1-12 inch speaker.) This review should be pertinent to any of the Valve Master series as well. It has 2 channels, clean and lead. each with separate bass, mid, treble, volume, and presense controls. There is a master reverb that affects both channels. The lead channel also has a gain knob. The clean channel's presence is called an 'acoustic presence' because it affects the 8K-20K range. It has 5 12AX7s and 4 power tubes. It has a bias switch that allows both EL34s and 6L6s to be used. My two CM112s were apparently manufactured at different times during the production life because one has a Celestion GM12-70, and the other has a Carvin British Series speakers. It is comparitively compact and light, but very well made and efficiently designed. The exterior is the same as Carvin's current production 'Nomad 112' but with black duraturf instead of tweed. Regarding features, I can't think what more I'd want!

Wow, to start with the conclusion, if you can find one, get one! It's incredible. One of mine has Groove Tube EL34s with Celestion GM12-70 and the other has Sovtek 6W6s into a Carvin BR12. Actually, the sound is virtually identical! So that was perhaps a review of the Carvin speaker, and it passed. I play mainly a Carvin AE185, along with a strat and Les Paul and all sound great through this amp. I started with the piezo pickup of the AE185, and wow, it sounded better than any other amp I've ever played a piezo through, in part thanks to the 'acoustic presence.' This clean channel RULES. The lead channel is designed with massive gain. Turn it up to 6 and you have as much distortion as any Marshall. If you turn it up from there, it all sounds about the same unless you play with your guitar's volume knob. (Which you should anyway!) Still, from 1-6 gain, there are incredible varieties of great tube sounds and you can easily hear the differences between single or dual coil pickups. This amp is unbelievably loud for a 1x12 combo. It puts out more volume than my Carvin X100-B half stack! The only thing keeping it from getting a 10 is that it could have slightly more bass. Well, actually, I've never heard a 1x12 combo with more bass than this, but I plugged it into a 4x12 cabinet that helped add a little more bass, but it's still slightly below a Mesa Boogie that will retail for $1800. Although it is called a Club Master, there are probably some clubs that this is just too loud for. You might have a tough time playing this soft enough for a coffee house. It can be hard to make those minor volume adjustments between 0 and 0.5! I have turned it up loud enough to get the clean channel to distort, but I had to wear earplugs at the time. If you want a clean channel slightly distorted for a vintage sound without deafening volumes, turn the gain on the lead channel very low and the volume up, that works great! I play blues to heavy metal to classical, and this works great for all.

I've never had a problem with this yet, and I can tell it's extremely well built. But I've owned and own tons of Carvin's stuff. The only problems I've had is the 'on' light going out in their AG100 acoustic amp, and having a short in a CM68 microphone that I had to resolder. It seems built like a brick, but it's a tube amp and you always have to be careful. I'd use it without a backup, but hey, I've got an identical one as a backup!

Carvin has always been good to me, but I've often avoided them, including this purchase, by finding great prices on their stuff used on internet auctions. Also, their going to send me the schematics for this amp for free!

I've been playing for 8 years and own lots of other gear. Carvin has become an favorite for value and quality. If both of mine were stolen, I might try one of Carvin's current generation of amps that I haven't heard yet, but probably scan the internet for another Valve Master series amp. Again, the only thing I'd add would be a little more bass, but this is the perfect lead amp, and a great, not perfect rhythm amp, and additionally is the all time best amp for piezo equipped guitars!