Carvin Legacy Combo

2000 model, but still in production, although newer models have vintage 30's instead of greenbacks like mine. This amp is quite versatile, it has the best "clean" sound I've heard in an amp. This is a two channel combo, with clean and drive(distortion) channels. Channels can be switch via a footswitch or on the front control panel. An effects loop is present, and is also switchable. Although no headphone jack is present, there is a voiced line out. This amp has tone controls (bass, mid, treble, presence) that really work well. A presence switch on the clean channel brightens the channel just right. The amp also has reverb, but I can't stand amplifier reverbs so I never use it. I bought this for a practice amp, but quickly switched to use it as my gig amp. One of the best features is a switch that cuts the power in half, very useful for driving the amp when you don't need all that volume. This amp screams. At practice, I'm usually running at 3 or 4 volume. That's with the switch in the "50W" position. Other features include the ability to change speaker impedance loads, from 4 to 8 to 16, so you can use it with the built in pair of 12" speakers, add another 2x12 cab, add a 4x12 8 ohm cab, or just use the combo as a "head", and run two 4x12 cabs. You can also change tubes if you would like, with a tube bias switch.

I use this with multiple guitars, and get great reproduction of guitar sounds. The strats sound like strats, the humbuckers full and loud. This amp suits my style well, and would suit ANY style utilizing electric guitars. The amp has the usually tube background sound, but I think that adds character to the overall sound. It's not overbearing. As I said above, the "clean" sound is the best I've ever heard. The distortion tends to be full and "just right", and if you want to "shred", this is not your amp. As I said above, the built in reverb is awful, but aren't all of them? I use a chain of effects via the effects loop.

Carvin has a reputation for reliability. Plus, the have great customer support.

Great.

I've been playing for over thirty years. I've had or played through just about every amp out there, and this amp is really great. And for the money, the best. I'm sold on it, so I'd get another. It's not too big (but it's heavy as all combo's are). I can have as much sound as any half stack, but not have to haul all that gear around. Everyone else who plays on it love it. I did compare this amp with other combo's but is sounds as good or better than any others, and the price cannot be beat. Also, I've had alot of experience with Carvin (PA stuff), and the quality is very good. They back their gear up with great customer service.

This is a 1999 Carvin Legacy 2x12 combo. This amp was designed by Steve Vai with Carvin to allow him to produce the wide array of sounds he is famous for. This two channel amp with footswitch has a clean and drive channel (both can be driven to give crunch tones, but this amp is built for drive and power). The amp has the features mentioned ad naseum in other reviews so I won't elaborate here.
I wish this amp had a 1/4 power switch as well since it is so LOUD!!!! The amp cranks at between 1-2 on both channels and 100 watts is pretty painful in this amp. I found it was too much for my needs and needed to sell it so that I could remain in my neighborhood and still talk with my neighbors without the police prestn. The amp is all tube and allows 6L6 and EL34's to be auto biased with the snap of a switch.

This amp is pretty loud and brutal. I play a McCarty and Relic Strat primarily and this amp drives both well. This amp seems more geared for shred and distortion than clean tones and I found that it was not 100% suited for my more blues rock oriented tastes. My garage mates (not in a band) always were begging me to turn it down when I was at two or three and we play pretty loudly. The amp is reviewed as pretty versatile by others, but I didn't find it particularly as versatile as say a Bogner Shiva or even one of the Torres Modded amps. The clean channel distorts at higher volumes and does a nice job for rhythm, but again this is not a Fender sounding clean and it is not to my tastes.

I don't know in this regard about reliability. My cohorts have the head versions and they have all had repairs done. The few folks who have had the combos have had less complaints. I haven't needed any work, but I would have to rate it as a 6 on reputation alone. Also since Carvin is in California and I'm in Maine...this thing is not going to travel easily (it weighs a ton!!).

Carvin has been pretty nice to deal with but again...direct sales are harder for me to deal with. No one local and no authorized service places for me. I do think they are good folks though.

If you love to play loud shred rock and high gain distorted stuff this amp may be for you. I still prefer my Marshalls and Fenders and especially the Bogners for true tone. This amp is reasonably priced and can do a lot with the power it possesses. I was more hopeful that these Celestion Greenbacks would be too sweet for words, but this amp overwhelms it with power and really is not to my liking.

The main reason I decided to try this amp was the features. Bias switching, 50/100 watt switch, 2 channels, reverb, effects loop other amps should add as much to their products.

OK basically one of the worst sounding amps ever made. I play a strat with a duncan JB humbucker in the bridge. I work 5 nights a week in a cover band and I knew after one set how bad this amp was. No crunch to the distortion a very nasally midrange sound. Similar to a boogie but nowhere near as good...NOTHING like a marshall. Clean channel was nothing to speak of. It has plenty of gain that's the only plus I found.

Returned the amp in three days.

Returned the amp in three days

I've been playing the club circuit for 14 years. I've owned marshall, Boogie, Gallien Krueger, Peavey, and ADA equiptment. Without a doubt this was the worst amp I ever heard. I don'at know how Steve Vai puts his name on it. I went out and found a used marshall combo for $500 that puts it to shame. thank God for Carvin's 10 day free trial or I'd have this baby on ebay.

'99 El-34 tubes 2channel amp, clean, overdrive, footswitch reverb, greenback speakers, removable back, 100 watt-50 watt switch

Carvin DC 127 (stock) no effects use both pu's, Like SRV, ACDC, Satch Vai stuff, Very smokin settings on the gain on 2-3 SRV , 5.5 it'll start feeding back for the least amount of gain for sustain, sweet spot at 7 with the volume on the guitar backed off alot on the neck or bridge pu. Not a Chainsaw Triple Rectifier Drop "C" Riff monster..........But a browner or creamy sound that lets all the notes come thru. Tried the 5881 tubes for sh@ts and Giggles but it laked body and was too bright and edgy. I had the EL-34 tubes afterwards turned up on a sinth-o-graph(spelling is way off I guy who builds amps has one it looks like a heart monitor....way more accurate than a multimeter reading on 125 or 130 ma readings) It made the tubes sound alot less "grainier" Vai has them set at 100Ma which is pretty cold for EL-34's.......recommened settings are 125-130 Ma (Thats what I was told I dont want to come off like "Know-it-all" I just like to tweak with the tone and with this guy for $15 I went back 5 times. I forgot what the original 100 Ma setting sounds like .......it was cool I just obess with tone or did there for a while. Almost drives you mad doesn't it?

Great it's a CARVIN

Anyone at Carvin treats you with integrity, They are a true benchmark for professional service

Amp is great very smmmooooth overdrive .....alotta sweet spots......Carvin is cool to deal with.....great product for the money .....very organic amp....... LOUD.....U will sound like U but thru a unique amp with alot of personality

I got this amp in January 2000. I waited a long time to write this (almost nine months)so I am very sure about what it does and that I like it. I have gone through too many amps in the past five years that I thought I loved and got rid of in a month's time.The features have been discussed thouroughly in past reviews so I wont get into them here. This is a very versatile, two channel amp with a lot more personality than you might expect. I like the fact that you don't have to sound like Steve Vai if you don't want to. I play a lot of different styles, blues, jazz, southern rock, and funk fusion and gig with this thing a lot. This is a loud amp, but I wish the speakers could handle more power sometimes, though I think the tone of the greenbacks is phenominal. In a three piece, this amp cuts through like crazy; in a band with another guitar player playing super loud, I have to push this amp. This is when it sounds best in my opinion but I worry about the speakers blowing. No problems yet, I have probably played between 60-70 gigs with it so far, as well as a ton of rehearsals.

I use two Strats with this amp, an 88 American Standard with dimarzio singles (two Class of 55's and an FS1 in the bridge) and a 97 California model with 2 Duncans (two vintage staggered) and a custom bridge pickup. Both guitars have beefy bridge position sounds. I guess you could say my lead style leans more on the Robben Ford, Larry Carlton side of the tracks, with a southern rock tinge there too. I only use the gain on about 5-6, and hit it with a tubescreamer for leads. This amp is very dynamic, most of the time I only use the lead channel, and switch to a cleaner pickup and turn the volume down for rythym playing (called the Vai feature by Carvin). I only switch channels for jazz, and the clean is very nice, not quite Fender but close enough to do some Wes style octaves and other jazz stuff. It stays clean all the way up, with only slight compression on higher settings but that is way to loud for me anyway. They didn't really try to mimic a Fender and Marshall anyway, that's what's so cool about it in my opinion. It is a very good amp with a great lead sound and clean sound. That's all there is to it. If you want those amps buy those separately. I like to take one amp to the gig, besides my backup, a little Tube Works amp that I use in the real small clubs. I actually agree with a former review that said it sounds more like a nice Mesa. I tried a Boogie Rectoverb before trying the Carvin and I am just as satisfied with the Carvin, and I saved about $500 in the process. I liked the Heartbreaker too but it is way more than I could afford and too damn heavy. I get a very similar sound to the Boogie, and I like the reverb a little better on the Carvin. This is really way more dynamic than any Marshall I've tried recently except for the old ones. I would say that the distortion on the Carvin probably would not compare to the gain range on the Mesa, but there is a lot of gain available, it is just super smooth and not chainsaw heavy. The Boogie probably edges it out in the metal department, but for the sounds I like to hear I'll take the Legacy.

So far no major problems, I have gigged a lot with it and had only one problem with the preamp tubes getting microphonic, I just put in some new ones and it went away. Easy change. Also the handle is ripping, but that will be an easy change also, but Carvin should use a better handle that won't shred under the weight. The power tubes are actually stock, and they sound great. My tech checked it out and said everything was runnning smooth. I will probably replace the power tubes soon though, they have a lot of miles on them. I never go to a gig without a backup, I have two guitars and two amps at all times. I am usually overprepared for everything, but thats because I have had bad experiences in the past with amps blowing and guitars acting up. Shit happens. I trust this amp to do what it's supposed to, I think I got a good one.

I have shopped with Carvin for years but never ordered an amp or guitar from them before. Just mainly parts, pickups and things like that. They were very helpful on the phone and answered my many questions. I was very nervous about ordering such an expensive (and big) piece of gear through the mail, but it went great and arrived on time. They assured me that I could send it back hassle free if I didn't like it. Unfortunately I would have to ship it back to Carvin for any warranty repairs, which is kind of a drag, I wish they had an east coast outlet. Warranty is 1 year, but I probably would take it to my tech anyway unless it was something I could get done for free under the warranty. I think the warranty should be a little longer, and the lack of a local service center is a drag, so I'll give it an 8 in this category.

I have been playing for 16 years and play semi professionally, freelancing with anyone who needs me and with my own band, a funk fusion trio (think Jeff Beck and the Meters). I have a small slew of effects in my board, a tubescreamer, an MXR phase 90, a crybaby wah, and boss dig. delay and tuner. I mainly use this amp, but I have a little Tubeworks amp that sounds great for small clubs and small studios. If the Carvin were lost or stolen I would probably check out some other amps just to be sure but would most likely end up with the Legacy again. I love the wide varietey of sounds, I generally dial up a Robben Fordish tone with it easily but can go to Satch and Vai land if I want. It does the old Van Halen sound well too. I also love the weight, it is only 60 pounds, not super lite by any means but about 40lbs less than the boogies I liked. I put it in my back seat with ease. Like I said I compared it to a few Boogies, also a few Marshalls and a Fender Evil Twin. Anything I wish it had? Sure. It would be cool if it could switch down to 25 watts for the studio, this amp doesnt sound good until you work the tubes and speakers, then it's a flame thrower! In the studio sometimes I can't get the sound I want because it gets too freakin loud in there to get it. I can't really hear too much of a difference in the 50 watt mode excpet for a little less headroom. It doesn't seem to lower the volume much. I think it's wierd also to have a 50 watt speaker compliment with a 100 watt amp, it will eventually take it's toll on the speakers but for now it sounds great. Also, casters would be cool, but overall that's just nit picking. I think this is a great amp unless you want to play death metal or clean country. Maybe some country pickers would like the clean but to me it sounds more jazz than country. It's probably just the way I play.

Two Channels, separate eqs, effects loop, 100 watt - 50 watt convertable, 2X12 25 Watt Celestion Green Backs, removeable back cover...Looks cool!

I'm using a few Fender 60's Reissues and a Peavey Wolfgang. I'm playing Blues, Blues-Rock, and Jazz styles. This is the thing. This ain't no practise amp. If you plan to set this thing up next to your bed and noodle every once in awhile forget it. This amp wants to be heard at stage volume! Lower volume settings (around 1 or below) can sound a bit muddy on the distortion channel but as soon as you crank it up you get the beef and all the colors of it's tonal range. Luckly this amp doesn't have ridiculous saturated distortion like a 5150. It gives you all the sounds you need within reason if you play music with taste, tone, and subtlety.

This is not a Death Metal amp. It's basically a great inexpensive boutique style Rock amp with a reasonable price, that could also be used for Jazz and Blues depending on your settings and what kind of guitar you're using.

It has a versatility that something like a Fender Bassman doesn't have. But the Legacy can get close to the Bassman tone with careful tweaking.

I've heard people compare it to a Marshall but it doesn't sound that way to me. To my ears it sounds like a real nice Mesa Boogie except that it's easier to tweak. It's got a hell of a lot of bottom too! So for the first time I'm finding that I'm boosting the highs more and dropping the lows to get a good balanced tone.

What sold me on this amp was that it had a real bold and warm sparkly character to it. Warm and Bluesy, but the sound pops! For the Blues stuff and my Strat I get all the SRV chunk I need and even more if I needed it. With my Wolfgang (with a stop tail piece!) I get these cool, thick, rich tones that are a cross between Santana and Steve Morse.

The Clean channel is very nice but nothing mind blowing. It's good enough for what I'm doing. It's not as lush as some other amps I've heard like a Fender Super Reverb or something, but it varies from room to room. I can get the Jazz clean, the Blues clean, and even the country spank just by switching pickups. What I like about it is that it's not wimpy or sterile. It's right there in your face, fat and crisp with a personality all it's own.

The other good thing is that this amp has what is called "The Vai Feature". That is, when you're using the distortion channel you can turn down the volume from your guitar and get other tones that are cleaner without it getting muddy. So you can play cleaner stuff using your distortion channel and just crank your guitar's volume up when you need some chunk.

One other thing I noticed is that it has a over all dark quality to the sound. It's not good or bad just there. In this respect it reminds me of a Mesa Boogie.

I've only had it for a week and have played two gigs with it. We will see. For a hot second when I turned it on last night for the second gig, the "On" light didn't come on immediately. But a nanosecond later it came on. I don't what this was but it worked fine all night long. I did Four one hour sets two days in a row and had no problems.

We'll see!

I've been playing for over 20 years but that means nothing. I've always been a late bloomer and all I wanted was a #1 Amp so that I could use my Peavey Classic 50 4X10 as a back up. I just had to have me a Channel switching rock amp without the price tag of a Soldano 100 watt combo. I needed to satisfy this craving so I could shut up and play my guitar. I'm done now!

I'm diggin' it but like a new girl friend I'll find out more as I go along. I'm waiting for the skeletons to jump out of the closet.

On the back of the amp you can adjust the amp to 50 or 100 watts. In the manual they say the volume is only a 3db difference. I couldn't hear it. In my studio it was incredibly loud. Almost too much. I was afraid I had purchased some uncontrolable beast at first.

At my first gig I kept pushing up the volume. But that's when it was in the 50 watt mode. I got it back to 100 for the second gig and the levels were fine. Every room is different. I use a Fulltone Drive 2 Overdrive in my floor board and never even needed it. The amp handles all my distortion and clean needs.

At home when I first plugged it in it had a kind tight slightly compressed tone. Then I took off the back cover and the whole sound opened up. It really breathes now. Take the back cover off! It's a damn good amp and does what it's supposed to do. Great price! I'm sure if I A-B'd this amp with the Soldano 100 watt combo the Soldano would win but then again I don't have two grand to toss around.

I would really like to get out of this whole anal retentive gear obsession that so many people are into (I'm in recovery) and just play what I have and let my fingers to the talking.

PURCHASED FEB, 2000 FOR AT CARVIN STORE IN SHERMAN OAKS, CA.
IDEAL FOR CLASSIC-TYPE ROCK (ZEP/WHO/EARLY CLAPTON/BECK/TULL,ETC ETC) OR BLUES OF ALMOST ANY KIND, BUT ESPECIALLY HARD ROCK-BLUES LIKE ZZ TOP, S.R. VAUGHN, ETC. GREAT FOR FOR FUSION GUITAR ALSO. CLEAN CHANNEL IS THICK, MEATY AND SPARKLY WITH NOTICEABLE "VINTAGE" CHARACTER. DISTORTION IS EVERY BIT AS CREAMY & SMOOTH AS CLAIMED, AND SUSTAIN GETS PRETTY INTENSE AS DRIVE CONTROL APPROACHES 7 (I ALMOST NEVER WOULD WANT OR NEED DRIVE OVER ABOUT 7 1/2, EVEN IN MOST EXTREME CASES).STILL, DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE THE REAL HARD-DRIVING/HARSH FUZZ/SUSTAIN OF METALLICA/MEGADETH TYPE 90'S BANDS. FINE WITH ME, SINCE I DON'T PLAY THAT STUFF ANYWAY. A FRIEND CAME OVER WHO HAS OWNED & PLAYED ONLY MARSHALLS FOR 25+ YEARS AND HE PLAYED & APPRAISED IT FOR QUITE A WHILE. HE WAS IMPRESSED & VERY COMPLIMENTARY. HE SAID WHEN HE CLOSED HIS EYES HE WAS ESSENTIALLY HEARING (IN THE DRIVE CHANNEL) A CLASSIC 1970 MARSHALL, OR DAMN CLOSE TO IT. I PLAY A CARVIN DC-127 GUITAR (I'VE REALLY GOTTEN TO LIKE THIS CO. OVER THE YEARS). THE GUITAR HAS COIL SWITCHES SO I CAN GO BACK & FORTH FROM SINGLE COIL (STRAT-LIKE) SOUND TO DUAL COIL SOUNDS (NEARLY IDENTICAL TO CLASSIC SG STANDARD SOUND). AMP SOUNDS SUPER AT EITHER COIL SETTING (OR COMBINED).
HAVEN'T TAKEN IT OUT YET FOR A GIG OR JAM, BUT IT SURE SOUNDS SPECTACULAR IN MY LIVING ROOM. THE LOUDER IT GETS, THE MORE IT OPENS UP AND REALLY SINGS IN FULL-BODIED FASHION. WANT TO ADD A 2-12" EXTENSION CAB TO HELP PRESERVE SPKR LIFE (100 WATT AMP IS A BIT HARD OVER THE LONG RUN ON 2 SPKRS RATED 25 WATTS EACH; 4 SPKRS SHOULD HELP BEAR THE WATTAGE LOAD BETTER). PLENTY OF POWER FOR AT LEAST A CLUB WITH 2 12'' SPKRS THOUGH. BY THE WAY, THE CELESTION GREENBACKS SOUND WONDEFUL!
REVERB IS JUST OKAY, NOTHING SPECIAL. SOVTEK EL34 TUBES SOUND JUICY. I'M TOLD SVETLANAS MIGHT ENHANCE HARMONICS AND PRESENCE EVEN A TINY BIT MORE (?) . EFFECT LOOP WORKS GREAT AND ALLOWS ME TO USE DIGITAL REVERB, NOISE GATE & NUMEROUS OTHER DIGITAL EFFECTS ON MY ROLAND GT-5 PEDAL. THE LEGACY'S DISTORTION/DRIVE MAKES THIS ADVANCED "DIGITAL MODELING" GUITAR PEDAL'S DRIVE SOUNDS SEEM THIN AND BOGUS BY COMPARISON. TUBES STILL SEEM TO KICK ASS ON THE DIGITAL MODELING VERSIONS OF MARSHALL-TYPE/CLASSIC GUITAR SUSTAIN SOUNDS. I USE ONLY *THE AMP'S* DRIVE SOUNDS, AND DISABLE ALL DRIVE/DISTORTIONS ON THE PEDAL. GREAT SOUND!

HAVEN'T HAD IT LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW HOW DURABLE IT IS, BUT CARVIN GENERALLY MAKES TOUGH, ROAD-READY EQUIPMENT. AGAIN, I SUSPECT ADDING THE ETRA 2-12" CAB TO THE COMBO WILL EXTEND SPKR LIFE CONSIDERABLY FOR ANYONE WHO USES THIS AMP AT HIGH VOLUMES OFTEN. "8" RATING IS, I HOPE, A MINIMUM (JUDGING FROM OTHER CARVIN AMPS & EQUIPMENT I HAVE). HOPEFULLY, IT'S 9 OR BETTER(?).

ONE YEAR WARRANTY ON AMP/PARTS. 90 DAYS FOR TUBES. cOMPANY IS KNOWN FOR POLITE & EVEN RATHER "SUBMISSIVE" SERVICE TO SINCERE CUSTOMER DEMANDS/COMPLAINTS. IF YOU HAVE A DEFINITE, VERIFIABLE GRIPE, LET THEM KNOW IN CLEAR & POLITE TERMS WITH AS MUCH INFO/TECHNICAL DETAILS AS YOU CAN GIVE & THESE GUYS ARE REALLY FLEXIBLE, HELPFUL, AND REASONABLE
IN THEIR RESPONSE.

I LOVE IT. BEST GUITAR AMP I'VE EVER PLAYED. IF IT INDEED PROVES TO BE TOUGH AND DURABLE THRU THE YEARS, IT'S A FANTASIC VALUE! i'LL BE CONSEVATIVE AND PUT "9".

My amp is a 1999 model and does what i call 80's metal well, DOKKEN,VAN HALEN, you can actually get a great Van Halen I & II sound with it. i play all styles of music and the only one i can't seem to get is a scooped mid sound with just the amp. It's your basic 2 channel amp with switching, mono effects loop,no headphone jack. the only improvement i can think of is an added third channel with a different mid voice for that chunk rhythm tone. I use this amp in a bar band situation and it's perfect for me. this has got to be the loudest amp in this category, 100 watts, in the clubs 1 to 2 in volume is loud enough, the drummer actually complained, and we all know how loud drummers are! An all tube amp that will please you if your into a thick Vai tone , if not you probably won't like it.

I use the Vai JEM the white one with the vine inlay and evolution pickups and the amp absolutely screams with it. It suits my style which is based on the 80's metal sound. It's not really noisy although it does have audible hiss at high gain settings, above 7 on the drive, but not any more than any other amp i've heard. To me the amp does great things on the distortion channel, with the drive on 2 or 3 you can get a great SRV to jammin country drive, even that great AC/DC rhythm tone depending on which picup you use. And if your into a 70's sound ala FREE or STYX it's in there. If your into Coal Chamber or SEVENDUST, or ZOMBIE it's not in there. But i wouldn't expect that from a Steve Vai amp, after all he doesn't do the real heavy kinda sounds now does he. the clean channel. I find it to be very nice, very warm and thick and clean at all the settings i've used it at. I've had the volume up to 7 with the bass, mid, and treble at 5,5,8, and it stayed clean with my guitar in the middle position and the 4 position. Again the distortion is not extreme but it is plentiful, i can sustain for days with the volume on 2 and the drive anywhere from 3 to 7 but you won't find that over the top fuzz as on a lot of the newer heavier bands.

I purchased this thing new at the beginning of the summer of 99 and have had no problems to date and I have been buying CARVIN products for 10 years with no problems. I've always played without a backup, lack of funds to afford more than one rig at a time and I've never had a gear failure. I treat all my gear like i treat my kids with loving care so neglect will never be a reason for a failure.

CARVIN has got to have one of the best customer service departments anywhere. I had to call about a power amp once and they overnighted me a new one with no charge to me and i received it the next day which was saturday! I could'nt believe it. No questions asked and they are always very good about helping with trouble shooting and things. Unfortunately you must send gear to them for repairs but they are always quick. In this day and age of big warranties forthe money the warranty could be longer, you get a year, most now give 3,5 and of course SOLDANOS liftime.

I have been playing for 10 years and have owned ADA,ART,BOSS,CHANDLER,MACKIE, and everything Carvin has made. I would have to have it if it were stolen. This amp has the creamiest lead tone I've ever heard, that Gary Moore Parisienne Walkways kinda creamy. the clean is great. the only thing i hate is the lack of a scooped mid rhythm channel but i knew it was two channel when i bought so i can live with that. And if you use your volume knob on your guitar you can get other amounts of distortion with the same tone. I had considered a 5150 and tried it out and liked the rhythm channel it's got that scooped mid sound but i found the lack of a clean channel and the extreme gain on the lead channel no for me. If you love Vais tone buy it you'll love it if you need more variety don't. I think some people don't realize that what you hear on tape or CD is not always what that players actual rig sounds like, effects eq's and the board all play a part in the final product. i bought the amp and went to Carvins site where they have Vais personal settings and thats how i am running mine but to me it doesn't sound like what i heard on CD, refering to ULTRAZONE, the way he plays, his hands, his really great effects all play a part in the final tone so keep an open mind to that if you purchase one. After all the amp set just like his with his guitar has to sound just like what he sounds like at his house, right.

2 channel with separate EQ, clean and overdrive, Spring Reverb. Sadly, there is no boost of volume for the lead channel, so i had to customise the amp.

Great clean channel, very clear. I use many guitar from the telecaster to the les paul or modern guitar. The lead channel is very good till 7. Over 7, the distortion is muddy. The lead channel is very responsive to the attack, it's great!! If you plug this head in a cabinet with greenback HP, wnoderful!!! One of the better amp I tried. Not good for big metal!!!

Problems with the reverb, it's sound even when it's cut!! Tips: Open the back and sighly unscrew the reverb, it's better!! Another problem with the presence pot, it doesn't work after one month!! Boring...

I'm in France, so the only contact was by e-mail... Very fast!!!

I think this amp is the one I was looking for for the sound!!! But now I start to think I should have bought a Bogner Ecstasy (ther one used half price near my house!!) cause there too much break down on this head... Too much problem, but a very nice sound...

The Amp was a 1999. 2 channels, separate eq's, pretty basic features. loads of power. it was a friends that i tried out. Very versitile for clean playing, but not for the gain channel.

I used a Fender Jagstang. The clean channel was excelent. Very warm and dynamic, with plenty of headroom before breakup. Suitable for all styles. The gain channel was less than I expected. Strong mid voicing but still good dynamics, reacted well to playing. Couldent get a scooped out sound, it was to mid-voiced. Overdrive didn't really sound that good at lower gain settings. I can see why Steve Vai would like it because the gain seems voiced for soloing, which is most of what he does. Despite the shortcomings I stll have to say it has a pretty good tone.

Seemed to be built strong.

Didn't deal with them but from what I've heard they're very accomodating.

I thought it was a very nice amp, but not for heavier styles. Overall it had a good tone with plenty of balls. Carvin makes nice gear and their prices are great. It's tough to commit to buying anything though because you can't try it out first. It would be nice if they had sound clips available or a CD you could order to hear some of their stuff before you sink any money.