Carvin MTS 3212

The features of this amp have already been covered by prior reviews, so I'll try to be brief. Dual channels, (5) 12AXA7A pre-amp tubes, (4) 5881 power tubes (std), bias switch for 5881, 6L6GC or EL34 tubes, 50/100 output switch, master reverb, separate eq controls (and presence controls) for each channel, effects loop, cabinet-voiced line out, foot-switchable channel & reverb.
There are a few additional features I would like to see on this amp. First, a foot-switchable effects loop. Second, a two-stage gain (similiar to the Fender Hot Rod's "more gain" foot-switch). Third, separate reverb controls for each channel. Otherwise, this amp is a fairly well equipped.

I own a number of guitars and amps, but have pretty much settled on using a Gibson LP Special, Carvin TL60T and a US Master's (strat) through my Carvin MTS3212. This amp is probably used 80 percent of the time, which is saying a lot.
I am currently playing in a surf-rock band, however my taste's are more towards the hard, bluesy rock sounds. I have found that the amp covers these music styles (and more) very well. At the time I bought this amp, I was dabbling in the sounds of Van Halen, and actually sold my 5150 combo to get the Carvin (the 5150 had a nice gain channel, but the clean channel was rather suck-worthy.)
Out of the box, I found the Carvin's high gain tones to be good. The eq allows for pretty good versatility, going from scooped mids to heavy mid-driven tones (which is my personal preference). For my favorite mid-driven sounds, I set the bass at 1 o'clock, midrange at 11 o'clock, treble at 1 o'clock, gain at 40-50 percent, and let a good overdrive (i.e. Fulltone Fulldrive, Stamps Drive-O-Matic) drive the amp over the top. There's something about using these pedals with *this* amp that really enhances the high-gain tone. One thing worth mentioning, the 50/100 switch is pure crap. (The switch is supposed to allow for tube saturation at lower levels.) I didn't find any noticable difference in switching from 100 to 50.
The clean channel is the real strength of this amp. I previously owned a mint 1965 Fender Super Reverb, and will go on record as saying my Carvin's clean sounds are as good. Granted, the reverb is not as deep, but the nice round bass this amp puts out, coupled with nice crisp highs (magnified by the presence switch) is wonderful. It does start to break up a bit at higher levels, but I NEVER found the need to actually play at those levels. This amp is LOUD and there is a LOT of headroom here.

I've owned this amp for 2 years. So far, it's been flawless.

Other than ordering, I've never really had to deal with the folks at Carvin. I suppose this is a good thing, since the only other contact I can think of would be for repairs. With that said, this 'average' rating is reflective of limited contact.

This rating is NOT suggesting that this is the best amp money can buy. What I am suggesting is that, for the money, this is probably the most balanced package of clean/overdrive tones you will find. Would I buy another one? Assuming I'm not going to spend $1500, then the answer is yes. At $700 (new), this is one helluva bargain.

1998 100 WATT TUBE COMBO. 2 12" CARVIN BRITISH SPEAKERS. 2 CHANNELS. ONE MASTER REVERB. SEPARATE BASS, MID, AND TREBLE CONTROLS FOR BOTH CLEAN AND GAIN CHANNELS. PRESENCE KNOB FOR GAIN CHANNEL, AND PRESENCE BUTTON FOR CLEAN CHANNEL. BUFFERED EFFECTS LOOP. CABINET VOICED DIRECT LINE OUT. OPEN BACKED COMBO. THIS AMP WAS MY MAIN AMP FOR SMALL GIGS AND SOME STUDIO WORK PRIOR TO PURCHASING A BOGNER SHIVA HEAD. THE ONLY THING THIS AMP IS MISSING IS A STANDARD FOOTSWITCH (CARVIN CHARGES $22 BUCKS). ALSO, THE CARVIN FOOTSWITCH DOESN'T HAVE LED LIGHTS TO INDICATE WHETHER THE REVERB IS IN USE. AMP ALSO HAS A 100W/50W SWITCH FOR HIGHER GAIN LEVELS AT LOWER VOLUMES, ALTHOUGH IT'S REALLY HARD TO PERCEIVE ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE TWO SETTINGS.

I PLAYED THIS AMP USING A PRS CUSTOM AND A 57 RI STRAT. WHEN THE AMP ARRIVED IT SOUNDED PRETTY GOOD, ALTHOUGH THE SOUND QUALITY QUICKLY DIMINISHED (SEE RELIABILITY COMMENTS). I AGREE WITH THE OTHER REVIEWS THAT THE AMP HAS A GOOD CLEAN CHANNEL. WITH THE OPEN BACK, THE AMP HAS FULL BASS RESPONSE ON THE CLEAN SIDE, ALTHOUGH IT CAN GET A BIT FLABBY AT HIGHER VOLUMES. I SELDOM TURNED THE CLEAN CHANNEL VOLUME ABOVE THREE. THE DISTORTION SIDE OF THE AMP IS A COMPLETE CATASTOPHY. THE LEAD CHANNEL LACKS DISTICTION. IT CONTAINS DIODES IN THE TUBE CIRCUIT AND HAS A FIZZLE ABRASIVE LEAD TONE. I THINK THAT CARVIN WAS TRYING TO MODERNIZE THE X100B LEAD TONE TO MORE OF A MESA/PANTARA SOUND, AND FAILED MISERABLY. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A PEAVY 5150 AMP AND ANYONE WHO COMPARES THE LEAD CHANNEL ON THIS AMP TO A 5150 HAS EATEN FAR TOO MUCH ACID. PLAYING IN A BAND ENVIRONMENT (AND NOT A BEDROOM) THE LEAD CHANNEL TOTALLY SUCKS. IT COULDN'T CUT THOUGH A SLICE OF CHEESE. CHORDS MUSH OUT AND LACK DISTINCTION. MOVEOVER THE TONE IS ABRASIVE AND UNPLEASANT.
ANOTHER PROBLEM IS THE NOISE FACTOR NOTED BY OTHER REVIEWERS. CARVIN REPS THEMSELVES ADMITTED THAT THESE AMPLIFIERS HAVE HAD GROUNDING PROBLEMS RESULTING IN EXCESSIVE 60 HZ HUM. AT TIMES I WAS UNABLE TO USE THE AMP IN VARIOUS STUDIOS BECAUSE THE NOISE LEVELS WERE SO HIGH. IF YOU PLAN TO USE PRIMARILY THE CLEAN CHANNEL WITH PEDAL EFFECTS, THIS AMP MAY BE A GOOD CHEAP ALTERNATIVE TO A FENDER TWIN, ALTHOUGH IT'S LESS SPRINGY. IT'S NOT QUITE AS ABRASIVE.

THIS AMP BECAME A THORN IN MY SIDE ABOUT A WEEK AFTER PURCHASE WHEN THE POWER TUBES BLEW. CARVIN SENT OUT A NEW SET, BUT THE AMP NEVER TRULY SOUNDED RIGHT AGAIN. ABOUT THREE MONTHS IN, THE FOOTSWITCH DIED. AFTER A LONG FIGHT, THE COMPANY SENT OUT ANOTHER SWITCH. THEN THE AMP BEGAN BLOWING TUBES EVERY PRACTICE. I SENT IT BACK TO THE FACTORY (SPENDING $50 ON THE PACKING AND SHIPPING). THE FACTORY SENT IT BACK SAYING THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG - ALTHOUGH ANOTHER POWER TUBE HAD BROKEN DURING THE RETURN SHIPPING. ONCE I RECEIVED THE AMP AGAIN, IT BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. IT'S NOW BACK ON THE BENCH AT THE CARVIN FACTORY WHERE THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THE LEAD CHANNEL KEEPS DYING. I GAVE UP ON THIS AMP AND BOUGHT A BOGNER. IF CARVIN CAN FIX IT, I'LL KEEP IT AS A BACKUP - ALTHOUGH MY BOGNER HAS YET TO FAIL ME ONCE.

THIS AMP HAS NOT FUNCTIONED CORRECTLY FOR MORE THAT A TWO WEEK SPAN IN THE YEAR AND A HALF THAT I'VE OWNED IT. TO TOP THIS OFF, THE SERVICING CAN ONLY BE DONE BY CARVIN OUT IN CALIFORNIA (ENJOY THE 4 WEEK WAIT) AND YOU'RE RESPONSIPLE FOR SHIPPING THEIR POORLY MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS BACK TO THEM. ALSO, I'VE HAD TO TALK TO CUSTOMER SUPPORT MANAGERS AND SCREAM TO NO END TO GET THEM TO HONOR THE REPAIR OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE ONE-YEAR WARRANTY. AJ IN REPAIRS WAS COOL THOUGH. IN SHORT, IF YOUR CARVIN BREAKS, REST ASSURED IT'S GOING TO BE A MAJOR PAIN IN THE ASS UNLESS YOU LIVE IN CALIFORNIA NEAR ONE OF THEIR 5 OR 6 STORES. OTHERWISE OWN A BACKUP.

AT THE TIME I BOUGHT THIS AMP, I WAS JUST BEGINNING TO GIG A LOT AT SMALL CLUBS AND I THOUGHT THAT THIS COMBO WOULD BE AN ECONOMICAL WAY TO GET A GOOD CLEAN CHANNEL AND A GOOD GAIN CHANNEL IN ONE CHEAP PACKAGE. THE KEY WORD IS CHEAP! WHILE THE CLEAN CHANNEL IS PASSABLE, THE GAIN CHANNEL IS AN ICE PICK TO THE EAR AND SOUNDS TOTALLY SUCKED OUT IN A BAND CONTEXT (CAN'T CUT THROUGH THE DRUM AND BASS). ALSO THE AMP IS TOTALLY UNRELIABLE AND OBTAINING SERVICE IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUGH A PROLONGED WAIT. AFTER OWNING THIS AMP FOR 1 YEAR, I STRIPPED THE CARVIN BUMPER STICKER OFF MY CAR. I SAVED $2000 AND BOUGHT A BOGNER SHIVA HEAD AND THE DIFFERENCE IS LAUGHABLE. YOU TRULY PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET. I SUGGEST THAT ALL THINK LONG AND HARD BEFORE MAKING A $700 INVESTMENT ON THIS AMP INSTEAD OF SAVING A LITTLE BIT MORE FOR A QUALITY MADE TONE MACHINE.

You can read the other reviews for features. It has almost all the features I care about.
I agreee with others, it seems to be versatile enough to do jazz, country, blues, hard rock, but probably not really heavy stuff like Pantera, Godsmack, Metallica.
I give it a 9 because I would only give it a 10 if it had two switchable levels of distortion and some nice tilt-back legs like my Fender Twin Reverb

I play a Gibson SG that I modified to coil tap. I also play a stratocaster. The clean sound is very good. Unlike most amps I tried, it has a nice warm bottom end like my Fender yet has more punch and clarity than my Fender. It gets a crystal clear sound without without piercing treble that is sometimes caused by my Fender bright switch.
At first I wasn't really impressed with the distortion. It doesn not have as much gain as the Carvin folks would lead you to believe. I agree with others, it is somewhere between a Marshall and a Mesa Boogie dual rectifier. It will work for most everything except harder metal stuff. I also find the distortion a little too fuzzy. But it sounds better at louder volumes.
My major complaint about the amp is the loud buzzing noise it makes when the lead channel is on. I've read reviews where people say the amp is very quiet, while others complain about it being to noisy. Maybe I have a slightly defective one. It is so loud that I decided not to use it for gigs. I expect some noise from a high gain channel, but this seems ridiculous. If this is normal, I will return it. If it is not and can be fixed, I will keep it.
I disagree with a previous review that said the lead presence is pretty much useless. It doesn't seem to have that much affect at low volumes, but at higher stage-level volumes, it really does make a difference. At high gain, 6 or above, the amp is bright, so I turn the presence down. At lower gain, 1-5, the sound is muddier, so I have to turn the presence up.
I wish I could get more reverb if I needed it. The Carvin's reverb at 10 sounds like my Fender's reverb at 3.
I give it a 8. I would give it a 9 if the noise on the lead channel went away or was fixed. I would bump it to a 10 if the distortion was a little smoother and not so fuzzy.

I haven't had it long enough to express an opinion.

I've been playing for about 15 years. I've been playing in bands for about 3. I was looking for a backup amp for my (74-76?) Silverface Fender Twin Reverb. I was also thinking that maybe I could use it as my main amp since it had an overdrive channel. You see, I'm not totally happy using my distortion pedals even though some of them are highly regarded: Fulltone Fulldrive 2, Barber Electronics Burn Unit. Amp distortion just seems more ballsy than my fulldrive 2 and burn unit, and more natural sounding than my Metal Zone.
The clean sound is punchier, clearer, and more focused than my Twin Reverb. I really like it. The only clean sound I probably like better is the sound from some of the reissue Twin Reverbs and Vibroluxes.
The distortion is OK. Better than my pedals, as good as some of the Marshalls I tried, not as smooth and high-gain as a Dual Rectifier. I actually think I like the distortion my lead singer / guitarist gets from his Crate G130XL? It can get higher gain and is somewhat smoother and less buzzy.
If it didn't have a noisy lead channel, I would definitely get it, again and again.

This amp was bought new on 4/13/99.I play everything from country, blues, jazz, soft rock to hard rock.The amp is very versatile. You can go from a nice bluesy distortion to an all out Van Halen solo. This amp is a 2 channel tube 2x 12 combo.It has channel switching and an effects loop. It needs a master volume since it gets real loud. Even though you have a 100/50 watt switch in back it still is loud on both settings.I use this amp for practice and with my band. It's able to get all the sounds I need

I use a G&L S-500 and a Les Paul Standard and they both sound awesome through it. It has a real "glassy' tone. The clean is in between a Fender Twin and a JC 120.The distortion is between a Marshall and a Boogie. I owned a Boogie Tremoverb but sold it due to space and it was too heavy. It's a great amp but I didn't like the "nasal" tone that boogie's are known for. So I took the money I got from the Boogie and got the Carvin. I like this amp better than the Boogie. IT has awesome bottom end without a recto cabinet and it does not have the "nasal" tone at all. It is the sound that I was looking for. I was always in search for an amp that is great clean and high gain in one. This is the one. It stays clean on high volumes and it can get overdriven for a Doobie Brothers sound and it does the Marhall thing with tons more bottom end.I tried the new Marshall TSL combos and I found them too bright with no bottom end. I thought for the price they could have done better.Carvin offers a great amp at a great price. A 100 watt combo with awesome distortion and glassy clean for $700, it's unheard of. Boogie lovers can buy a ton more gear with the money they save and be happier in the process.I like the reverb a lot. It's lush.It's very quiet even withe gain all the way up. My Fender Twin is real noisy especially with reverb. The Carvin is a lot quieter.

I am a little nervous since my first amp they sent was no good. The drive knob was broken and I was highly disappointed since I had to wait a week to get another one in the mail. Normally Sam Ash would have another amp in stock to switch no questions asked but that's the risk you take with mail order things.It seems like it's built like a tank though. But tube amps could be tempermental so I bring my Twin as a back up to gigs.

Carvin is like any company in my opinion, you have to search for someone you like. Aaron the salesman was real helpful. I was annoyed though when I orderd the amp initially, my new credit card had a credit limit that I forgot and they didn't process the order. Aaron never called to tell me. I called him a week later and he told me the news. He took some money off the price and sent me 3 day air. I was expecting that he would do that or better but he had a good attitude so it calmed me down. When I finally got the amp broken I was real annoyed. I was going to return the amp and that was it but I fell in love with the clean channel so I decided to try again which I feel was wise.

I have been playing for 18 years and I have played through Boogies, Marhalls, Fenders, Ampegs,JC 120s,Tube Works, and I could say that I feel real happy that I have this amp.If it were lost or stolen I'd get anotther. I love the fact that it can do all that I need it to do without feeling I have to add cabinets for bottom end or effects to alter the tone. My delay through the effects loop make it sound unreal.The thing I don't like is the fact that Carvin is so far away and I feel if anything went wrong I may have to wait and put up with a lot of aggravation. But that's the price you pay for an underpriced amp. When I think about the $1000's of dollars I foolishly spent on Boogie's amps and cabs, I can kick myself. Now realizing that I can get the sounds I was longing for at a fraction of the price taught me a lesson in hyped up advertising.I would have like to have seen a master volume and a mix control for effects. But that would bring the cost up I know.I am real happy with the amp.

Bought the amp new in Jan 1999.
A rugged 100 watt all tube combo (really all tube) with a 2x12 speaker enclosure (British Series speakers) featuring 4 power tubes, 5 12AX7's, 2 channels (with footswitch), effects loop, mono input, power switch (allows a toggle between 50 watts and 100 watts), bias switch, etc. The amp is extraordinary in its versatility. Many different sounds can be easily dialed in with only slight EQ adjustments. The lead channel has an awesome tone saturation and power soak that is great for most types of music (although it may be a bit lean for metal its more than enough for classic rock, blues, etc.). The clean channel is absolutely the cleanest you will find.

I play mainly blusey music (SRV, Hendrix, ZZ Top), some alternative, heavy metal, and classic rock. This amp is great for any style of music I play. Both channels are whisper quite. The clean channel does distort a bit at very high volumes - but I'm usually not pushing it that hard anyway so it doesn't bother me. Hoever, if the slight distortion is not desired then just back off the volume a bit and your in clean heaven. The distortion is very good when pushed. As a result, I've scrapped most of the distortions I used to use. My only effects now are a bit of chorus and some delay, I just twist the power soak and let the amp sing. The low end sounds are nothing short of incredible with this amp (it has elephant balls). Even my Strat is punchy and ballsy. When I plug in a guitar with humbuckers I'm damn near kicked out of my shoes. With all that deep bottom it would be easy to have a muddy sound, but the folks at Carvin saw to it that the lows are crystal clear at all volume settings. Up top, the amp just sings with very long-lasting sustain. Mids are equally clear and sharp.
In short, the sound of this amp has relegated my Peavy and Kustom to the closet.

I've only had it for a few months and so far no problems. But because I've had the amp a short time, I won't rate its realiability. I will say that I have no problem playing gigs with this amp without a backup amp.

The only call I made to Carvin was to order the amp and the rep I spoke to was very nice, helpful, and efficent.

I've been playing now for 23 years and plugging into this amp was a religious exerience. Every sound I've ever dreamed of playing was at my disposal. I especially love a deep bottom end and this amp has the best I've ever heard. Also, the clean channel is totally awesome. You simply won't find a better clean channel on any other amp. I play a Strat Plus with Gold Lace Sensor pickups, a Peavy Vandenberg, and a Les Paul. All sound incredible with this amp. With the Strat I can go from a thick, distorted, ballsy sound to a thin almost country pickin' sound (if desired) just by toggleing between the channels. The Vandy and Les Paul will rip your head off on the dirty channel when cranked but they also sound clear, punchy, and smooth running through the clean channel. I use a Digitech Valve FX rack effects unit and preamp and since I bought this amp I've turned off every distortion available. The natural distortion from the amp is great and not using it would be a gross injustice. For the price its a no brainer as its a better amp than the 5150 combo or any other I've heard. If it were lost or stolen, I'd replace it in a heartbeat. The only problem I've found is that the amp gets damn hot really quick as its not ventilated with a cooling fan. However, a small fan affixed to the back of the cab will take care of that.

The mts is a pretty straight forward basic 212 tube combo. it has a distortion channel and a clean channel that are very simple. The clean is simply a 3 band eq and volume (with a little presence button) and the overdrive channel has vol, gain, treb, mid, bass & treb. There is no master volume but unlike other reviews I don't miss that at all. The mts is super versitile - it has one of the fattest, chunkiest and warmest distortions ever. There is a lot of drive, too - I have never felt the need to go over 6.5 on the drive knob and I play mainly Van Halen and other equivilent styles. That leaves the clean channel - for me the clean sound is probably the best I have ever heard. It isn't quite as sweet as a Fender but it is very clear, warm and musical. The amp is rated at 100 watts with is really too loud. Also a warning - it is just as loud on the 50 watt setting! However you can still get good low level sounds out of it for practice.

I have a Carvin DC135C and an Epiphone LP100 with gibson pickups and both guitars give me a great Van Halen/hard rock tone and a clear, fresh clean sound. The amp is absolutely noisless (even with drive on max) except for when I occasionall pick up radio frequencies at high volumes! If you are looking for an amp that can produce anything from muddy blues distortion all the way up to razor cutting metal tones and everything in between this amp's for you! The clean sound can be used for any style - add a touch of chorus and you are seriously in guitar heaven! I haven't yet been able to make the clean sound break up but I assume at high volumes it would. In general every sound in this amp will exceed your predictions.

no problems yet - I have had it for about 5 months and use it everyday. I give it a nine because things can still happen!!

They were great - they made the arrangements and when the freight company stuffed up (as they always do) Carvin drilled them and made them make a special delivery on a Saturday - very impressive!

There is no other word to describe this amp but simply "unbelievable" That's it!

All tube amp with clean and distortion channel. Reverb built in. Effects loop. Other than that...not many features...it's just a tube amp.

I play a Paul Reed Smith Custom 22. This amp is awesome!! I used to think my friend's Fender was good until I got this thing. Talk about LOUD! All the power I would ever need on stage in an amp you can carry in one hand. I play blues and this gives an excellent nice warm tone. Other reviews talk about tweaking the bias...I'm not into customizing amps, but I know about guitar features. All I did was plug my guitar in and it sounded awesome. I've played a Carvin DC135T, Fender Roadhouse Strat, and my PRS through it. They all sounded great. This thing can get so loud it makes my wife put earplugs in....yes...it's really that loud. You can use it for home practice as well though. I had to lower my pickups a little bit and that actually improved my tone and gave me better volume versatility. No noise like you expect with tube amps. The sound distorts just a tiny bit on the clean channel at high levels, but hey...that sounds cool. The distortion isn't death metal quality but then again I don't play death metal. I've played a Zvex fuzz factory and Snarling Dogs Distortion Wah through it and it sounded great.

I've had my amp for about a month now so I can't really judge this. There's a 1 year warranty and the people at Carvin have been really great so I don't forsee any problems. Their products are high quality and this thing is sturdy as a rock.

See above.

I've been playing for 16 years or so and let me tell ya....this amp was the best I found for the money. I played the Marshalls, Fenders, and even the new Line6 Flextone. The other tube amps were very expensive and the Flextone didn't give off the warmth you can get with a tube amp. I do wish it had a fan for the tubes, but that can always be added. The footswitch slides around, but you can put feet on it to correct that for under a buck. I would buy it again in a heartbeat. For the money, I think it's the best buy...which is why I got it. With other amps this size, I was worried about being overpowered by another guitarist, the drummer, etc. But that will never happen with this. I could play an outdoor gig and still overpower everyone in the band. Great amp, great buy.

1998 Carvin MTS3212 100 watt combo. Two channel, (clean-distortion).With reverb and effecs loop,50/100 watt switch, bias switch for EL34 or 6L6/5881.Voiced line out for direct recording. Seperate volume and EQ for each channel.4-8-16 ohm selector,two speaker outs. Reverb and channel switching (can be done with optional foot switch).My primary purpose for this amp is for home recording, practice, and some live playing. More than enough power(more than I would ever need). All tube amp,five 12AX7A and four 5881s(all sovtek)

I have a 1985 Charvel strat with a Seymor Duncan (custom pickup).I play mostly Rock, Hard Rock and some Metal.The amp is very quiet even at high gain settings.The amp can make just about any sound you could think of.But with tube amps, the tubes make all the difference. The distortion is very powerfull especially the throaty bottom end. The sound of a closed 4x12 out of a small 2x12.The clean channel is very clean, but will break up if the in put is pushed aka. humbuckers. In my opinion the distortion is very versatile fom vintage to modern pilliagingness.

I can not rate in this category. But as a past owner of carvin equipment, I don't expect any problems. I have owned many tube amps and as with the nature of tubes they require matinence. Tubes wear and the bias drifts as the tubes age.

The customer support was very helpful. The amp has a one year warranty. I have delt with Carvin in the past and was allways pleased with the customer support.

I have been playing for 14 years and this us one of the best sounding amps that I have owned so far. I would by another one if I had to.It would be perfect if it had selectible gain switching on the distortion channel for rythym and lead.I chose this amp because I research it quite a deal and heard many great things about it, and as a previous Carvin gear owner, I was not worried on quality.I replaced the 6L6/5881 tubes with EL34 wich I prefer(Svetlana) and replaced the 12AX7A with U.S.NOS Phillips 12AX7A tubes. This made a great sounding amp even much better. You will have to adjust the internal bias, even though it as a bias switch if you change tube types.If you are unfamilliar how to do this DON'T, let a quallified person do it.Overall I am extremely pleased with this amp and I love it.

2 channel, 100/50W, all tube*, 2-12" combo. Footswitch for channel select and verb on/off. FX loop, impedance select switch (4,8,16), half power switch (50/100W), bias select switch for either 6L6 or EL34, Line out, and ext speaker.
*Solid-State diodes used for distortion circuits.

Initially I was VERY impressed with the tone. I use a custom made guitar with stacked hums on neck and bridge, and middle single holdsworth. Position 2 has the most sparkling clean punchy tone I've ever heard. I play mostly blues and R/B and the clean is outstanding. Beware...it is extremely difficult to turn it down! Even at the lowest setting it is still too loud. I added a master volume in place of the Lead presence control (which is pretty much worthless), and it works perfectly now. The lead channel actually uses the same first stage preamp tube as the clean channel, so it's not truly and independent channel. Also, it uses solid-state diodes as the source of distortion. This upset me at first because it's touted as an "all tube" amp. The tone from the diode distortion is not too bad though. For grunge and punk and thrash it is excellent. For blues and R+R, it's not. I modded the amp to be able to blend between the diodes, and true tube overdrive. And the tube overdrive is superb now. Goes from SRV "Riviera Paradise" to Robin Trower "Bridge of Sighs" in tube mode now. A little tweaking in the tone circuits, and it has every sound i could ever want.

At first, I added Fender tilt-back legs cause that's how i would use it in most clubs. At the first gig i used it on, before i put the fan in, it was so hot, I thought the thing was gonna melt. I added a fan to the rear panel to cool things down. After the fan, it is totally cool...literally!
The footswitch is cheesy. No rubber feet to even keep it in place. I added 6 little square stick-on feet and it's fine now.
Some of the mods i did to this amps circuitry that i think Carvin should do are: Basic tone and gain tailoring. (Carvin uses the same identical CK circuits for every gain stage...pretty boring.) Remote 9Volt power thru the footswitch, to power stomp boxes without any wall wart. Line-out adjustment. Master volume. Gain blend from solid state to all tube.
This is THE amp I would use for any and all gigs we play. I've never had anything go wrong with it...knock on wood. Carvin uses premium 6L6's and I'm pretty certain they are Ruby tubes for the 12AX7's. I did change them around to find different combinations that sounded good.
I highly recommend adding a fan...even if it's a little one...especialy if you tilt it back on stage.
One last point, the overall construction is very good...every bit as good as the old Twins or Boogies. I also recommend doing a bias adjust as mine from the factory was off about 13%.
The chrome knobs are totally impossible to see...period....there's a little dent in the knob to show its position...totally worthless unless u are inches away from it.

I called and asked for a schematic and it was sent to me immediately...and free...not like Peaveys $2.50 each!!! I called one of their techs and asked a couple of very technical questions once i got inside the chassis, and the tech i talked to was VERY helpful. I was quite surprised. Other than that, I haven't had anything to call them about.

I've been repairing and modding amps for 20 years, and have been playing guitar since 1964. I've been in bands for 20 years and have played just about every kind of guitar and amp u can think of. I own 14 guitars (2 of them Carvin), and have used lots of different Carvin gear over the years. I have a boogie MKII, a 67 Twin, a Classic 30, even an old Ampeg B-15N, and many more too weird to mention, and the MTS 3212 is the best sounding amp I've ever owned. It does everything from mild to insane... Wes Montgomery on Ludes, to Jeff Beck on acid. If I lost it, I'd buy another immediately...in fact i keep my eyes open all the time for used ones. I plan on sharing my amp mod ideas with Carvin sometime, or anyone else that is interested. I really think with a few simple changes, this amp could be the ....dare i say it.... the "Holy Grail" of amps.

100 watts in a 2-12 enclosure. All tube amp (5 12AX7 preamp tubes and 4 5881 power tubes) Effects Loop, Line Out, two footswitchable channels, Bass Mid Treb for each channel. Can be switched for 50% output too. This allows for more "soak" of the power tubes at a lower volume. Real strait forward features. Nothing fancy, just stuff you need. My prior amp had too many ways to change the sound. It made it hard to get a consistant sound.
I play this amp at home and with a cover/original band. It has more than enough power. Technicaly it has too much power but that's better than not enough.
It only has one instrument input and the footswitch is not very heavy duty. No indicator lights on the footswitch.
Very small enclcosure for a 2-12 combo. It almost looks dinky until you hear the sound that comes out of it. Also relatively light. I may not put wheels on it. (it's so short I'd have to bend over to push it anyway)

I LOVE Eddie Van Halen's tone so of course I was very interested in the 5150, combo or head. As I looked into it however I came to the realization that the 5150 does not have a real good clean channel. As much as I love to crank up the old tubes and let-er-rip, I need to have a clean channel to play stuff like Chris Isaak and other similar stuff with my band. As much as I wanted to go 5150 I needed more versatility. However I still wanted an amp where too much gain was an option.
For what I play (classic rock, VH style guitar rock, some alternative and originals, if I like it I try to play it - you know what I mean) this amp is quite good. It has as more than enough gain (a lot of gain!) and the clean channel is clean.
The most impressive aspect to this amp overall is the nice round low end punch. It is indeed impressive and it translates from the clean channel to the lead channel.
Think "Marshall" distortion and make the low end rounder and more full, then let the sustain vibrate your chest cavity. All this from a 2-12 that you can carry in one hand with your guitar in the other and an equipment duffle bag over your shoulder.
The clean is somewhat comparable to a Fender Twin. True Fender people wouldn't be satisfied but it is pretty close and the overdrive makes up for this possible Fender short-fall.
It is very warm. May not be able to "scoop" it enough to satisfy discriminating thrashers but anyone wanting warm tube sounds with more than enough overdrive would be impressed with this amp.
I rate it a "9" only because I don't know what the "perfect" amp would be.

It's been just fine except for the footswhitch. One of the buttons isn't working right. The whole switch only runs $20 though.

I've been playing since about '73 but more seriously for about 8 years now. My previous amp was a Carvin XV-112 that I grew very tired of. In fact, I didn't even want to get another Carvin. I just wanted something else period but the MTS series really impressed me.
I can't tell you there are no better amps out there because I couldn't obviously play them all but this one is very good. It responds very well to picking dynamics. It has an open back but the speakers have a very "present" sound like sealed enclosures tend to have.
I play a guitar I built with a DiMarzio Tone Zone in the bridge and it rocks. I also have a Music Man EVH model guitar - Rocks! Played a Strat through this amp and the pickups actually lose some of their harshness (to me that's good). Hit the neck pickup and you can vibrate books off the shelf.
I've read other reviews on the MTS series and a couple of guys said theirs had real bad gain or a real thin sound. All I can say is they either got a complete dud from the factory, their guitars were real crappy or perhaps their impedence switch was set incorrectly. Whatever the case, I don't know how you could listen to the overdrive on this amp and say it was bad, even if you preferred something else.
Here's the real kicker in my book. I paid $375 used for this thing. That is an awesome value. Full price is $675 or something like that and if you paid that I doubt you would be upset with it. If you can find it used like I did you'll probably be pinching yourself.
Overall, this amp is very versital and powerful. I'm sure there are better amps available but for the price (even from the factory), features, and performance, this MTS-3212 is a REAL value!