Carvin Legacy Head

I am guessing that the amp is from about 2001. I bought it used from a friend's son. Don't do that. I though I had already submitted a review about this very good amp. I play blues, modern and classic rock and jazz. It's great for blues and classic rock. It's OK for jazz, but my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (clean channel) is much better. I use a POD 2.0 for modern rock, and the sound is acceptable, but not convincing. It's not the amp's fault though. It's the POD's. Still the amp is not suitable as a replace for a triple rec or whatever. 2 channels with switching, separate tone controls which actually do shape the sound, and excellent overdrive, 50-100 watt EL34-EL84 switchable. Has the important stuff and not alot of useless junk. I bought it to use for higher volume settings. My Matchless or Fender have to be miked. It was a very good addition. It's obviously all-tube. I don't play anything else.

UGH. I have a 58 strat, 53 LP, another strat, 3 teles, a Heritage H575. Pickups include P-90s, Humbuckers, mixes of single and double coil. The reverb channel is noisy, and before I got it repaired it was generally a little noisy. The sound has much character, pinch harmonics, flat boogie-like drive, great midrange and highs. The bottom is very classic rock, and not great like the modern scooped amps. I've never had the clean channel clear up. It would be deafening. The distortion is very useable but gets silly at about 8.

It's been back to Carvin twice. The first time was because of the monster rock son of my friend. The second time was because, like an idiot, I let liquid spill into it. It came back better than new, and I had to pay $200. I don't regret it. Carvin is wonderful and prompt.

Excellent

I've played 34 years. Besides the guitars I own a Matchless Chieftain, and a Hot Rod Deluxe. I have the guitars said above, as well as a 67 Gibson Hummingbird. I'd replace the amp. I love it's power and great sounding overdrive. I believe it is better than any marshall, and I've owned a few. It doesn't have the glassiness or beautiful tone of my Matchless, but it isn't as fussy either. BTW, The Hot Rod Deluxe drive channel absolutely sucks. It's embarassing. It sounds alot like a Boogie Mark IV, with alot of swat to the overdriven midrange.

My amp is a 2002 the features are ok. I use this amp a lot .

I use a gibson super 400 with this amp and it sounds great. However is does have some strange noise at times. I think it should be a lot quieter. This is carvin's very best amp head but it sad the way it sounds

I had to send it back after 3 months. I had to send it back again this year for the same problem. And sat. night on stage it caught a fire . Smoked and died. I just sent it back for the third time.

carvin response to your problem but they keep sending junk to you.

I have been playing guitar for 45 years. WHen I was a teenager I played a solid body Carvin. If it was stolen I would take the insurance money and buy a reliable amp

This is for the Legacy head and cab...
The Cab is a deffinate 10.
It is very heavey duty, great celestone speakers..you can tell this thing was built for the road. I love it. It has removable casters (excellent)
The head has "ok" features.
Clean with independant EQ
Crunch with independat EQ
Reverd
Switchable 4 and 8 ohms
Switchable 50 and 100 watts
Effects loop
Foot switch with a very long cable.
All Tube
easy to use.

The Clean is awesome. It has its own sound, very full and independant.
The Crunch is good depending on how you use it.
The reverb is the worst Ive ever heard.
Also when I switch the head over to 50 watts, the treble on the clean channel doesnt work. May be a glitch.
The Speakers in the cab are amazing. I went from a Peavey classic 8 10" set up, and theres nothing like a great set of celestone 12" speakers.

Other than the trebel not working on 50 watts this amp has been more than reliable totally heavey duty.

I bought it used, so I dont havnt contacted Carvin about the treble issue. But I own a Full Carvin PA system and a Guitar wireless system andI they have been very friendly.

I play in a Touring band and this fits me for now.
If I lost it, I would probably take out a loan and buy an Orange 4x12 and Marshall jcm 2000 head. (good stuff)
But this amp is perfect if you are on a budget like i am. (only about $1250 brand new)
You cant even get a good head for that these days.
I compared it to my friends Marshall 30 anniversary head. The clean is better and the Crunch is comparable but no lead channel will top a marshalls.

2004 model - 2 channels, each uniquely voiced for excellent clean and distorted tone - effects loop - cab voiced line out - 50/100 watt switch ? handy switch to use EL34, 5881 or 6L6 tubes without rebiasing ? comes equipped with 4 Electro Harmonix EL34's / 5 sovtec 12AX7's, and a footswitch for channel & reverb. Combined with the Legacy 4X12 V30 cab, enough power and volume for any venue.

PRS / LP / Strat through a modded tube screamer before the amp (set for a mild clean boost), and a Boss chorus, Boss delay, and a MXR Micro Amp through the effects loop - excellent for most music styles, but really shines for country, jazz, and especially classic rock. Clean channel is vibrant and alive with unbelievably massive headroom, distortion is extremely articulate and balanced with a violin-like singing sustain for days. Solos bumped with the help of the Micro Amp leap off the fret board and cut easily through the mix without losing any character - in fact, I'd say that solo's bumped with a clean boost achieve a beautiful new character all their own. Although it has plenty of gain, and a metal tone can be achieved, metal devotees might want to go another route due to the Legacy's pronounced mids (metal players might want to check out the Carvin MTS series). The reverb is also nice on both channels (in moderation).

4 months with zero problems so far. The biggest quality test was passed when it arrived in working order after UPS threw it around for 5 days. I have used it at gigs with no backup, but as with any tube amp, I always have spare power & preamp tubes and fuses, and I suggest a good power conditioner to guard against electrical spikes and surges common in some dives. Although it has worked flawlessly, I don't feel comfortable giving a reliability rating until more time has passed.

Excellent. Outstanding. Carvin tries very hard to please its customers with quality products and helpful service after the sale.

Been playing 25+ years. Sold my Marshall DSL50 stack once I played the Legacy (the DSL is a great amp as well, but the Legacy's awesome tone, quality construction and fair price convinced me to re-tool). Sounds best through V30's, IMO. This head is meant to be driven hard for best results - bedroom players beware: The Legacy head will get real loud real fast (even in 50 watt mode). It sounds great at low volumes, but it really comes alive when you ease down on the gain and cook the power tubes with some tasty volume above 5. I really enjoy playing it, and I highly recommend this amp to anyone looking for a 2 channel tone monster.

Made in Jan 2004. It is a two channel amp. Marry a good overdrive pedal with this amp and you will have a very flexible setup. I am in an improv band. No set songs, just a structure so flexibility is good to have. I use it everywhere. Has plenty of power. Just about everything you could ask for except a third channel and footswitchable effects loop.

My main guitar is a Parker NiteFly M. I come from a rock background and was taught music at a university. I think the lead channel is a little noisy, but what do you expect, it is a lead channel. Very nice clean channel. I run a Carl Martin MK overdrive to boost either channel and to get a nice overdriven bluesy sound out of the clean channel.

The lead channel has plenty of gain for anyone. I dislike the fizzy modern "scooped" sound which was the major selling point on this amp. The mids are wide open on this amp. No fizz. All tone.

I have had quite a few Carvin products over the years. I purchased this amp used. They are the most under rated music mfg. out there. Solid products. I did replace the power tubes to sweeten up the OD a little.

Never delt with them on this amp. I will say that Carvin support is above average, but not the best I have had.

I had been playing for 8-10 years. I'd buy another if it were stolen. I really like how open the sound it. The mids are wonderful to hear on a modern amp. The clean channel is very Fender-ish and the reverb is great. I don't like that the FX loop isn't footswitchable.

I compared it to both of my Tech 21 amps (300 and 60), 1974 Twin Reverb, Traynor YCV's, and my original Marshall Super Lead. The Legacy is just a great all around amp for the money. I found it used for $600 only 4 months old, but even for $900 it is a great amp.

umm i bought mine used.works great for style of music i play i play rock emo spazz jazz hardcore type of stuff.2 channels comes with pedal for channel switching or can use the botton on amp has an effects loop.i couldnt ask for more.i use this amp at shows i play and to practice with.it has more than enough power for me.i changed the el34 tubes to 6l6 and put mesa tubes in the preamp from my old daul rec.

i use and ibanez joe satch with dimarzio humbuckers.it suits the style i play almost too good.its noisy as hell i jam with it at home and bam the volume just jumps out at you.this amp does anything if i could summerize it i would say:take a 5150 add the dark mesa mids and crunch and throw a jcms thrash sound and you have this amp.the clean channel owns it is so perfect almost like i am playing out of an acoustic guitar.the distortion is beyond brutal it can do it all Mesa(my old favorite company),marshall,peavey you name it can do it.that guy that said the distortion was a jumbled mess was lying he probably just didnt know how to work it well.

i can really depend on this amp its a tuff amp.i have been using it without bringing a back up and it worked well.this amp has never broken.

never dealt with carvin got mine off of ebay.never tried to repair it cause it never broke.i dont know how long the warrenty is it doesnt matter.

i have been playing guitar for 12 years.i own a mesa boogie daul rec and a few satch model ibanez.if i lost this amp yes i would buy it again.i love how i can get any sound out of it.i hate the brand carvin i always have but this amp def is a great one and i had trust in via so thats why i decided to give it a try.i compared it to my daul rec and found it can do more soundwise and has alot more power.this amp is awsome

I bought my amp new last year and have had it nearly 10 months, and honestly ther are other amps out there with a lot more features,this does have some cool stuff though like a reverb switch on the pedal that can give you some decay effects on a sustained note.
This aplifier definitly has enough power, and is built to be able to hande anything you can give it.
The stock EL34's could stand an upgrade to a crunchier 6L6 set.
Overall i have to say, after thoroughly checking out many Mesa Boggies, bogners , and Marshals, i would not trade mine for any.

This is the best sounding amp i have found ,no lie, even though it lacks a little in channel versatilty, i have been able to produce some of the absolute best and most wicked pinch harmonics that would make even Zakk Wylde jealous, this is incredible even with the stock EL34 tubes, but only gets better with upgrades.
The clean channel shimmers with a sound so rich and clear it will amaze even extremely critical types.Even at loud volumes this clean channel is flawless and crystal clear.
The distortion channel is a bit lacking for what i like, but i run effects proccesors anyway, its cool for mellow bluesy type stuff, but i cant dig into any dime riffs with it and do any justice.
The liquid sustain is pretty incredible on the distorted channel.
I play an Ibanez universe, and a Jackson sl2h soloist, and this amp has no problem picking up the low tones on the seven string at all, although the Seymore Duncans on the soloist seem to be better than the dimarzio pickups in the universe, but i have found that to be true no matter what amp you are using.

I have had this amp 10 months and have never had any problems of any kind. i would not play any gig ever without a backup of some sort, but if you dont have one, just carry extra tubes with you, and dont worry too much about the rest.

When i bought this amp, i bought it factory direct. Like anyone expecting a full stack to be delivered i got exited and called a couple times to make sure everything got shipped ok and was told everything shipped at the same time. a week later i got a bottom cab and nothing else. i called to find out what was up and was told that the head and top cab had not been shipped yet. So after being lied to, i now had to wait another week to even be able to enjoy this wonderful piece of machinery. VERY frustrating. also they did not provide speaker cable for 2nd cab.
For the mixup they offered me a free hat, whooopdy ddoooo!
This amp is great but do not expect good sevice to go with it.

I have been playing about 20 years and have had a few amps guitars ect. and i am pretty sure i would not trade this for anything(well i would trade for a road king, then sell it and buy two Legacy amps).
Mesa Boogie is highly overated, marshal is barely even a decent amplifier, and lets not even talk about Peavy.
The 5150 however is the only other amp i was actualy considering when it came down to spending the dough, but i thing the Legacy has way more to offer. I mean face it, the 5150 is a Peavey, enough said.
Needless to say, i will have a Carvin Legacy in my studio for a long time to come.

This is a pretty basic two channel high gain amp with reverb. It has a serial effects loop. I view this as an honest rating; the amp is not over-the-top with features.

Clean Channel:
Big and bold! The clean channel is a different beast than other amps out there. It has an extended range compared to most amps; the extreme highs and lows are pronounced. There is plenty of bottom end. The sound is open and clear but very unique. It may be a little on the thin side for single coils.

Lead Channel:
For crunchy rhythm sounds, the Legacy nails it. Look elsewhere for scooped metal sounds, but for everything from mild overdrive to heavily saturated rock tones, the Legacy will cover it. For lead tones, the Legacy is absolute liquid. It produces a great fluid lead tones that fit nicely into a mix. Again, this channel has plenty of low-end and the frequency in range is extended compared to other amps.

Caveats:
The Legacy is quite loud. Consider buying an attenuator to use with it. The effects loop is serial and cannot be bypassed. My Legacy is fairly noisy, but I haven't tried changing the preamp tubes yet. It's also very idiosyncratic; almost too much character.

I can't really rate reliability. I decided to sell after about 2 months. No problems, but I'm still looking for my perfect tone machine.

Customer support was helpful, but I had to call to get a tracking number.

I was pretty pleased with this amp. The Legacy even has a great tone completely dry. I think that for the price it's an incredible bargain. This amp has character; not another Fender or Marshall clone. For me, it was too loud and had a little too much flavor. With the radical eq points, it wasn't flexable enough to cover a lot of bases. For me, it was a 9, not a 10. I'm selling it in order to buy a Mesa F-50.

The features of this amp are good. Two channels with their own eq section.

The cleans sound is good. The presence button is a nice feature as it adds almost an acoustic type sound to the clean guitar

overdrive channel - terrible. I don't see how this head can recieve any praises at all. The overdrive is so muddy it's ridiculous. This head is very mid range sounding, actually to a fault. If you play a full chord with the distortion you can not make out any of the notes clearly it is just a garbled mess. I thought maybe I got a bad head but then I tried another and it was the same way. I would go so far as to say the the dirty channel is useless. This head is not even in the same league as my Soldano SLO-100. Save your money and get a different head if your are looking to get a good tight distortion tone

Didn't keep long enought to find out. I put it right back in the box and returned it!!!

They seemed cool. They gave me an RA to return it. That made me happy!!!

I have many years of pro experience and know my stuff. This amp is terrible. If you can't afford a Soldano you'd be better ooff with a 5150 head (Which by the way was modeled after the SLO-100).

This a follow up on my last review. I didnt give a reliablity rating because I just got it and was giving it a trial run and let peoepl I know and trust look at and hear it to see if I'd keep it. I've since been inside it to have a look and have talked to quite a few owners of the Legacy that have played it for longer than I and I have used it exstensively for a few months now. From what I saw of the inside and talking to other guys I know and who I trust over somone who wont even post thier name is that the Legacy is a very reliable head. Plus you add the customer support that is nothing short of the best Ive ever seen and there isnt any reason someone should give a bad review on reliablity on this amp. With a 3 year warranty and knowing that a guy had crap out on him and that Carvin sent him a new one as soon as he gave them a UPS traking number there is no question it is a good deal. I agree there is something fishy here. The combo has a rating of 9 and the head 6.7?? Come on. Have you looked at the reliablity rating of some of some Marshalls lately? They are not too good but I would still buy one if I found one I liked. You always hear from the complainers and they are always the loudest but rarely hear from people who are very satisifed and are out ther playing. I too think there is some trolling going on here against Carvin. I am going to buy another half stack to run stereo. This amp is just that good and that good of a deal. For less money than than boutique head I have 2 half stacks that sound just as good.