Carvin MTS3200

Carvin MTS3200 50/100 watt head. All tube two channels amp with one input, two line outs,voiced cabanet for direct to sound card or p.a. and effect loop. It also has 50/100 switch and a bias switch so no need to pay a tech to bias for you.

I " was" useing it with a gibson 335 humbucker. I was looking for a tube amp with power but didnt have the money for anything in the 100 watt range so i got lucky when i bought this on ebay. I all ways thought of carvin as cheesy guitar low end amp company, but this amp suprised me. The clean channel is the super star here. Its not only loud but it has tone to boot! THe amp came with mesa power tubes so it kinda sounds like a mesa/marshell amp. The overdrive is ok for me but if you play metal and just use the amp as your drive i would look else where, but if use a metal zone or any other pedal you can get the sound you want. I play alternative rock and punk and this amp works great for me.

Like with any tube amp you have to handle with care, And you never really know when a tube will go out on you. So put some new tubes in it and you wont have to worry about it for a while. Thats the stuff you have to put up with to get that tube sound!

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I sold this amp 4 or 5 months ago and im writing this review now so that should tell you i miss it :( Its a good amp I bought mine for 450 with the cab but like i said i got lucky. I sold just the head for 325. If i where buying this amp head again i wouldnt pay over 350 for it. if i was buying the head and the cab nothing over 500.

The features can be looked up on the Carvin web site.

I mostly play 80s metal. I have had this amp a few years, and I am doing my final review. Overall, I have not been very happy with this amp. When I set the knobs two 12 as a reference point it is just not a very good sound. As a standard rock amp, it might work, but as a metal amp it just won't get it done. At 5, the drive is a nice rock drive, but the trouble comes when you move the drive. past 7. In order to get a good metal drive, it must be set at least 8. If the drive is set past 7 this amp gets a terrible hum. It is basically useless after about 7. I already put new preamp tubes in it. Secondly, the sound of the amp is more of a fizzy type of distortion. I prefer a more throaty growl. The other guitarist in the band uses a Eganator Rebel 20, and it definatey outshines the 3200. The clean tone is great.

Pretty good except for that darn humming afte drive is set past 7.

1. Good for 70,s rock, not metal.
2. Fizzy style distortion, needs more growl and bite.
3. Horrible hum after drive is set past 7.
4. Beautiful Cleans
5. This amp is loud but does not really cut through when playing with a band.
6. Softer overdrive rythms ok, but no good lead tone; doesn't sing and scream.
7.Notice how many people instantly change to the EL34s. This could be an indicator that people do not like the amp's tone out of the box and are trying to find ways to make it sound good.
8. I really wanted to love this amp. I think Carvin guitars are absoulely aweseome.

I have a 2006 model and play mostly rock and indie. Two channels, footswitch selectable. The two features that sold me on it were a) 100/50 watts selectable and b) the ability to use 6l6s or EL34s. I don't use the effects loop, but it does take pedals very well.

I mainly play a Gibson SG Firebrand, but have played a variety of Teles through it. And I run it into a custom 1x10/1x12 cab, with an Eminence Ramrod and Eminence The Governor.

Clean Channel: Enough can't be said about the clean channel, loads of headroom with power to spare. It takes every pedal I plug into it and just sounds amazing. Delays, overdrives, chorus, phase, always sounds exactly the way I want it to.

Dist. Channel: I like the dist. channel on this amp, with my set-up. With the gain set between 4 and 5, I get a nice driving dist., great for rhythm or lead. It does get a bit noisy with a treble booster in front though.

This amp has been around quite a bit. Never had a problem with it, and have gigged countless times since I got.

I've only dealt with Carvin once. Emailed them to get all the info on this amp I could and they were nice enough to send me the manual in pdf form, even sent me a link to download the schematic.

I've had my amp for the better part of 2 years now and would def replace it if stolen, broken, or lost (even though they're discontinued now).

Bought the amp about four years ago on Ebay. Had a severe problem that can only be described as microphonic crackling that came intermittently on and off with use. Even after changing tubes (GTs 6L6 and AX7) the problem remained. Tried EL34s also, but same problem. So the amp basically sat in my closet for years. Recently a friend of mine borrowed the amp and resoldered the input plug. Voila - problem gone! So I can finally start playing the amp. Many reviewers have noticed the shoddy wiring on these Carvins. Just resolder some joints.

2 Channels - clean and distortion, effects loop. 100 watt tube head through a Cavin 4x12 at 16 ohms (wish the cab were 8 ohms).

The clean channel is phenomenal and versatile. Takes pedals well. You can use it solely on the clean channel with distortion pedals and get a great sounding amp. A TC Electronic G-Major on the effects loop sounds awesome. Loads of head room here and can get really loud without distorting. The spring reverb sounds great on this channel. I have a 73 Fender twin silverface to compare and must say it is a different sound. Not as trebly and widely diffused as the twin. Probably on account of the closed back cab also. Overall, I'd give the clean channel a 9.

The distortion channel is serviceable. It's not as loud as I sometimes need (when playing in a band with other 100 watters). It can sometimes get drowned in loud bands. The distortion channel is way too bassy. Sounds nice at low volumes (under 3), but gets really muddy and unclear at higher settings. Roll the bass off under 2 at higher settings and you'll cut through much better. From there, playing around with the controls, you can get a range of dark to trebly sounds. Pedals make the distortion channel noisy, so be aware. The Tube Screamer can give an extra lift to solos even if it gets a bit noisy. It a decent enough distortion channel, but I sometimes prefer pedals on the clean channel to get the sound I'm looking for. This gets a 6.

Since resoldering the joints, the amp is very reliable. I haven't had a single issue with microphonic crackling anymore. Played in band practice and jam sessions and it sounds pretty nice. Keep in mind, my band is serious about dynamics and spacing of instruments, so we don't play at extremely loud volumes. This helps the amp cut through with the proper setup. If you're in a loud band, you'll probably get lost in the mix. The circuit board and wiring are shoddy and you can end up getting an amp with major problems. If changing tubes doesn't solve that, trace some of the soldering and it may fix the problem. Without the wiring issues, overall, it is very sturdy and built like a tank. Should last a long time. It's a 5 because of the shoddy wiring.

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Fender American Strat with Lace Holy Grail single coils. Pedal board has a Morley wah, Ibanez tube screamer, Boss distortion (the cheap orange one), Boss EQ, Boss Chorus, and Ibanize analog delay. G-Major on effects loop. I play everything, jazz, fusion, classic rock, worship...

I've been playing some thirty years. Mostly single coil Strats, PRS and Gibsons. ES-333 sounds awesome on this amp. For the price I paid on Ebay this is a tremendous value (so long as you can fix it and set it up properly). The clean channel is phenomenal. The distortion channel is useable. Just wish the EQ had been set up different. Don't get me wrong, at low volumes, it works just fine, but way too much balsy, muddy bass at higher volumes. The bass rolloff (around 1-2) is finnicky, but once set up nicely, you can get a very good sound.

Not sure when this one was made, I bought it used and the guy before me had it for a couple of years. The amp is pretty versatile, not as much as a 3 channel head, but for metal, this is all I need. 2 channels, switchable with a button or footswitch, effects loop, reverb, you dont need to hear all this again. I wish is had a separate reverb for each channel. I use everything this amp offers. It really is great for what I need. I mostly use this thing in my apartment, but I also use it to jam with friends. Certainly has way more power than I will ever need.

I am using this amp with a see thru grey Ibanez SZ720FM with a set of Seymour Duncan Dave Mustaine active livewires, and of course, a Boss NS-2 running through the effects loop. Running it through an Avatar 4x12 with eminence legends. I changed out the tubes as soon as I got it for a full set of high gain JJ's from eurotubes. This thing is a beast. It really does sound amazing. The sound I am going for is similar to Killswitch Engage and All That Remains. This amp nails it. Gets really tight on the OD channel. The clean channel is literally the nicest clean I have ever heard with the most headroom I have ever seen. Since you can pick this thing up cheap used on the bay, its worth it just for the clean channel. You really have to crank it to get slightly dirty overdrive on the clean channel, so if that is what you are after, but you dont need that volume, I would say go with something else. I dont use the reverb that much, but it sounds really nice, especially on the clean channel. The louder you crank it, the better it sounds. I did some test recordings with the volume on 1, because thats as loud as I can play without getting in trouble from the neighbors and my girlfriend, but take it somewhere else and crank it up loud, loud, loud, and BAM its even better...which is hard to believe in the first place. Excellent lead channel for metal. Can even get some nice lower gain, classic rockish tones...but I dont play that very often. Responds well to pick attack and rolling off the volume cleans it up nice. Gives you different tones with different guitars and different pickups. Sounds good at low volumes, but really shines when cranked. All in all, this amp is pretty damn good for the 350 I spent on it. Actually its really damn good for the 350 I spent on it.

I would take this on a gig without a backup. Carvin makes some tough stuff. My cousin has had come PA speakers from them that have taken a beating. They are at least 10 years old. Amazing stuff there. I would trust this thing without a backup, but I would probably take one anyway.

Talked to Carvin once when I ordered a new footswitch. They were pretty cool. Took them freaking forever to ship the footswitch though.

I have been playing for about 11 years. I have owned tons of gear, nothing super fancy. I Love this amp. The only 2, maybe 3, amps that I would choose over this are a Carvin V3, Peavey JSX (I am not even sure about the JSX over this one, now that I have had this baby), and a Mako MAK4, which doesnt even exist to the public yet. For 350, I would certainly replace this if it was stolen. I was ticked because I saw one go for 265 the week after I bought this one. Maybe I should have waited, but whatever...this is definitely worth it. I love everything about it, minus the global reverb. I do wish it had a master volume too. Would be a nice feature, but the V3 has one. I wish I would have heard about this before I bought my Crate Blue Voodoo 4 years ago. I bought that stack for 600 bucks. I got this head for 350, and I found the cab at guitar center. They sold me the cab and a Peavey XXL head for 400 dollars. I sold the head on the bay for 400...basically got this kick ass Avatar cab for free. Cheapest tube stack I have ever seen and it sounds absolutely amazing. Compared to the Crate, which was in a similar price range, this thing completely levels the crate. Its lighter and I would trust it more as well. Features are pretty comparable, other than the wattage switch and the option for different tubes on the Carvin. I was looking to get back into tube amps from a samson power amp with an effects pedal, and this was the cheapest one I saw. It had good reviews, I talked to some people on the Carvin forum, then I decided on this. I cant afford a Mako or a JSX, so this seemed like a good choice...I was right...it certainly was.

I bought this amp in 2007. Features are 2 channel (clean, distortion), and the others listed on this page. There is an effects loop, and a footswitch is an option but must be bought separately. 100W tube amp for a pretty low price, so you can't argue with that. The channel switching is very loud; chalk it up to the wiring issues I've seen highlighted by negative reviews of the amp. I hear a loud "bang" when I change channels either manually or with the footswitch. There is reverb and it's decent. The EQ is good, and I don't have anything bad to say about it. Very basic setup, but the channel switching is **** because of the very audible sound it makes.

I don't know who "Steve" is, but he's obviously just an idiot and is probably trying to bash Carvin by giving everything a 1. Go run a Crate with a Metal Zone through it if you want a bunch of distortion and no tone. Anyway, the clean sound on this amp is very good. Crystalline even. It doesn't break up until you jack up the volume past 7, and that's even with a Les Paul. Great stuff if you use single coil guitars or wish to have great, clean, clear projection. It also doesn't get in the way of a distortion pedal. The clean channel is kind of a blank pallet really, so you can do what you want to it to get good tones. The distortion channel though is a tad tinny and trebly for my tastes. 80s rock distortion comes to mind whenever I use it. Thus I use a distortion pedal (VS Jekyll and Hyde) for my dirty tones.

I haven't used the Carvin very heavily to rate its dependability. Based on that loud channel switch sound, I should have it looked at by a tech to fix that problem. I'm gonna have the tubes switched out due to regular maintenance, and because like most reviewers here I feel it would help a lot. Who knows what'll happen if I start using it more often.

Haven't dealt with Carvin's customer service. Heard they are good, and I've heard those who didn't have such luck. Based on friends who've owned Carvin gear, I'm leaning on the side of good. I can't rule out idiocy on the part of the customer, as most musicians are really, really dumb.

I've been playing for 14 years. I play rock, metal, and whatever. I like the Carvin because it was a cheap tube amp. I also wanted to try a Carvin product and see what they were like. It's not bad really, but I would like to have either the Peavey Valveking or Mesa/Boogie Stiletto.

Clean channel, distortion channel, reverb, presence, EQ for each channel, etc. Effects loop, power switch (50 or 100 watts), 5 preamp tubes, 4 power amp tubes. The amp is not at all versatile enough for me because it doesn't distort much at all. I can get more distortion out of a pedal!

This thing barely has any distortion at all. I can get more distortion out of the average pedal. I actually retubed it thinking that the tubes were old but alas same conclusion just a really crappy amp. To add insult to injury the clean channel doesn't even have that much shimmer to it. Sometimes ppl love amps that can only do 1 thing well like a good clean channel but this thing can't do anything well at all! Plus it's a 50th anniversary model. You would think that they would do something special for that but alas it's a dud. It was terrible. I had to return it immediately!

I've had numerous problems with Carvin products so I would think it wouldn't have been reliable at all if I didn't return it. I had a Carvin guitar fall from a guitar stand to the floor. Not a big fall at all and not with much force. The headstock came off and shot right across the room! Carvin wouldn't help me with that at all. They just told me to throw it in the garbage! Then I had a mini pa from them die on me after only 2.5 years of seldom use! Plus they don't play ball like local repair people. They'll never ship anyone a part because they want all the repair work themselves. So imagine you have a crappy product die on you and then they want a flat fee no matter how small the problem and you have to eat shipping time and costs to and from CA. Do yourself a big favor and avoid Carvin!

They never deal with local repair ppl and they want all the repair work for themselves. When my guitar cracked in half they told me to throw it away. These guys are horrible!

Hardly any distortion at all and a clean channel without much sparkle at all. All in all it was as useless as a solid state amp from the 80's.

Here's a nice 100 watt tube amp for mid to pro level players. It can do a wide variety of sounds with minor tweaking. Mine came retubed with Groove Tubes. I like the 5881's, have yet to try it with EL34's. Two channels, clean and scream. Effects loop. Onboard reverb is kind of neat, different from most spring reverbs I've heard and is Carvins own creation I have heard. It is a loud one, lots of power and you can drop to 50 watts if you want but only decreases the DB level by 3!! That's right, and if you know anything about wattage to decibel ratios it makes total sense, but the people who say when you switch to half power it is half as loud are not really understanding that concept. Anyway, this ain't electronics or physics class, it is music and this thing can be pretty musical.

Sounds are very good. Cleans are very clean, very little breakup at high volume on the clean channel. Overdrive channel is a lot of fun, the best place to start is turn the master all the way up and bring the preamp volume up SLOWLY!! The grind at the lower end is pretty Marshall like, sort of like a plexi in a way. I say LIKE because I have a couple nice older Marshalls and that sound is very evasive in other amps. This can get close and that is what Carvin does best, covers bases. The more you bring the volume up the gainier it gets, and I really like the gain at about 3 o'clock-Recto time! Sustains like a mother, hope your pickups are potted or you will be treated to bad feedback as opposed to good. Can get grainy but is great anyway, just sit back, palm mute and chug along to the metal hits!! Fun abounds in this amp. The lead channel is not as loud as the clean though, that seems odd. That's okay though, lots of volume/headroom to work with. Wish the effects loop had a level select like my Marshall 6100LM though, it is nice to run pedal effects through the loop without distorting the input level. This amp sounds great, gotta say it. I can't quit playing it!

I had a 3200 I bought from someone who forced the power tubes in without lining up the pin guides! Fried a few resistors was all. My tech replaced them and voila! Fired right back up!! That is impressive! That one got sold a while back. I found this in the used section of our local Guitar center, in new condition with a new set of GT tubes in it. Got it for $190, no kidding!!! Thanks Nate, I thought I would ebay it but have had so much fun playing it I am keeping this one!!

Carvin are decent people. They have to make money as well though, so cut them some slack. They try to take care of their customers, and do a very good job. How long have they been in business??? LONG time!!

I have everything a player could want-vintage Marshall, Fender, HIWATT, you name it. Every guitar group covered as well. Sometimes you come across one you really have fun with, and that is why I play music. It doesn't grind like my plexi does, but it is close and does high gain sounds really well. Great rock and roll amp with the capability of playing any other musical style. Love everything but the looks of it, that powder coated white chassis is just not right.

First off I'm guitarist of 26 years! I bought this used as backup for the guitarist in my blues band which I play bass in, I changed the tube to matched set of EL34's and re-bias the amp, only mode I did was change the LED on the clean channel to yellow!
other wise it has the same features as the rest...

The clean channel is clean smooth very versatile; the drive channel is good but was designed for metal hard core! Over kill!!
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I was using Ampeg SVT-3Pro head but wanted that Ampeg SVT classic all tube tone, for the heck of it I tried my Fender USA bass with EMG J-bass pickups pluged into the MTS3200 running into my Ampeg 4x10 BXT cabinet WOW!!!, I also tried it through my cheap BSE4x10 and did it come alive!!!<p>
Yes it's only 100 watts RMS all tube amp but compared to my 450 watt @ 4ohms SVT-3pro it just blew it away!

time will tell!

great people very helpful

I have owned more equipment then I can list over the years and carvin is no better or worst then the rest as every manufacture has there good bad and ugly. I have carvin PA mains TR1502 ad the are fantastic I also had RL600 bass head which sorry carvin but lack tone as it had it's own sound which is good for originals but not for cover band as you will lacking the tone needed. Sorry but Ampeg bass amps such as V4b and SVT classic to name few are the driving tone that made history! and yes the MTS3200 guitar tube amp used as bass amp head can reproduce that tone! Now if Carvin would get in the running with Traynor who makes 200 watt all tube bass amp head, and produce 200 or 300 watt all tube bass head using some of the MTS3200 circuitry and make the tone stack suited for bass they would be ahead of the game.

great features as listed by others!

Tone is versatile and as any amp head it also depends on the cabinet you play it through not all amp heads or cabinet sound the same???through Marshall with V-30 sounds great through Marshall with seventy 80???s not so great??

still going just changs your tube as needed...

very nice people!

just all out great sounding and well built amp!