Carvin MTS3200

The amp was made in 2000.
The MTS series amps are simply the best sounding tube amps available. True dual channels with separate pre amp tubes, fully optimized dual-passive T-Bridge tone circuits, tube driven reverb and effects loops and multi-tube (6L6, 5881, or EL34) compatibility just begin to scratch the surface of this amp?s capabilities. Glassy clean, growling crunch, and awesome over-drive sounds, along with long-tailed, lush, studio grade reverb, make the sound of this incredible amp second to none! Back panel features "Cabinet Voiced" line out, 50% power switch, Impedance switch, Footswitch Jack, and Effects Loop Send/Return.
I will be rehearsing and recording with this amp. It is plenty powerful enough for me.

Mating it with a Marshall 1960a cabinet too.

After replacing all the pre amp tubes with some Groove Tubes I had laying around, the amp tone and clearity improve much.

I use a Charvel SanDimas Strat w/ a mohogany body and birdseye maple neck. With a Seymor Duncan humbuckers in both the neck and bridge.

This amp gives both excellent cleans and dirfy for anything from Country-Blues-Hard Rock.

I Play mostly ROCK with a ALA LYNCHVIAOVANWYLDE and BLUES ALA STEVIE RAYHENDERIXOLOMETER and POP ALA JOHNPAULGEORGERINGOALLICA. Lets just say a lot of stuff>

Very Clean sound with no humm even with the overdrive cranked!!

The clean channel sounds very clean with no distortion at high volumes (0-7) AFTER I CHANGED THE PREAMP TUBES.

The distortion is one of the best all tube distortion I have heard. NO MACHINES, NO FLOOR GADGITS.

You can get many differant sounds from this amp, just like most tube amps, changing the Power and Pre amp Tubes can make some big changes.

From Beatles to Metallica it does it!

This is a new product for me from Carvin so I can not judge yet. The 10 day trail period is a plus. Hey Via and Zappa used these things, what more can I say?

Ordering this thing on line was a snap!
2 year warranty

I have been playing for 19 years. I also own a Seymour Duncun 100watt convetable amp head. A 4x12 Marshall 1960a cab, a 2x12 Marshall 1922 cab. a Marshall Power Brake. Fender Strat. Charvel SanDimas Strat w/ a mohogany body and birdseye maple neck. With a Seymor Duncan humbuckers in both the neck and bridge.

If This amp was stolen I would buy 2 more!

What I like about it is the brass speed knobs, the 6l6/EL34 options and the PRICE for the SOUND!!

I have had it long enough to hate it.

Compared with all the others this is a great BARK for the Doe, BANG for the Buck

I waish I had a Les Paul to use with this setup! or even a Paul Reed Smith!

I rate this amp over all "9" simply because I have not played thru a a "10"... yet

Not sure the year, but I bought it used for $440. This is a versitile amp, im sure. I dont play a wide range of music though. The features on this amp are i dentical to the Legacy, the only diff is the tubes(MTS=5881,Legacy=EL34) and the cosmetic appearence. And to put it in simple terms, THIS AMP HAS MASSIVE BALLS! No master volume :(

I play a Squire, Hamer strat style, and some no-name with dual humbuckers. I play mostly stuff like Bush and Nirvana, but I sometimes play Deftones. This amp can take care of all of it. The sounds that cum out of this thing are great! Sometimes the clean channel will get muddy and distorted at higher levels, but that may be my settings. The lead channel is wonderful! Very smooth distortion, at low and high levels. Its not noisy, a plethora of tones. All in all a bombastic sounding amp. I play through a Marshall 2x12 cab by the way.

So far so good, used it at a gig and it never faltered. Ive had it for a bout a month and a half so it may be too soon to tell. The reviews on this amp tell no tales of failure though. Im confident in its reliability, unlike the Legacy. Ohhhh, bad reviews. Ill give the MTS a 10 for now.

never dealt with em

Ive been playing for 4 years, not that long. This has to be the best sounding amp! I own an old Marshall split channel 50 it was blown away of course. If it were lost(like Id lose this buety) or stolen id save up and buy a new one! I compared it to a Legacy and let me tell you something, dont buy hipe, save your money and buy an MTS3200. Same features as the Legacy, better reliability, and better price.

Bought this in 98 direct from Carvin. Features are basic (see other reviews)

I play Blues, Classic Rock, and more Blues. I play the Carvin head thru a Gallien Krueger 4X12 cabinet. The clean channel is the best I've heard. For the SRV Texas tone, I hook up one of my Strat style guitars and feed it thru my Ibanez TS9 tube screamer. The clean channel has all the clarity and pop of a Fender, but has none of the tinny-ness that makes me HATE Fender amps.
The overdrive channel has even more warmth than a Marshall, and humbuckers played into this will still sound tasty at lower volumes. My only sonic complaint with this amp is this: the clean channel is much louder than the overdrive. This can make those well-needed boosts in volume when switching to lead a bit tough to come by. Otherwise this would be a 10!

There's a weird scratchy hum that pops up after a few minutes (and I don't mean the normal hiss that comes up when an amp is overdriven). It isn't noticeable at gig volumes. and it's probably just a tube that needs replacing, or a circuit that got knocked loose. At some point, I'll get it looked at, and then update this review

I've bought tons of stuff from Carvin, and they're always helpful

It's a little to heavy to take with me to smaller gigs, but I have no regrets about buying this bad boy!

Made in 2000. I love the fact that there is a switch in the back which lets you choose between the stock 5881s or EL34s. The switch which selects either 50 watts or 100 is also a nice feature (remenisent of the Marshall Jubilee Series). One thing I wish it had was a master volume on the "Clean" channel, so you could have two overdriven channels if you wanted to. Also a level control for the effects loop would probably be good.

Excellent sound! Both distortion and clean channels have a lot to offer. As far as the other people who have reviewed them claim not enough gain, they must have gotten a bad amp. Luckily I live near the factory store and was able to play the one I bought before I took it home. I compared it right next to the new Legacy Amp and the MTS was definately more gainy.

So far so good.

Like I said I went to the factory store. Staff was very friendly, let me crank it up as much as I wanted to. Being it's only a 15 minute drive to get something fixed, I'm pretty lucky.

I've been playing for 15 years and this is a great amp. I've owned Marshall, peavey 5150s, Mesa, and Fender. This one goes up there with the big boys without the big price. I am a big believer that every amp sounds different and I'm not sure if I would buy this without first playing it, No actually I wouldn't have bought it without playing it. Looking at all the diffent reviews, I'd say that my theory holds true for these amps. If you can try it out first. Also if it's used and your not getting the gain you thought you would get, see if someone changed the power tubes, the 5881s seem a lot more gainy than the EL34s.

MTS3200 head, 2-channel, 50/100 watts selectable, effects loop. Standard 3-band EQ and volume for each channel. Clean channel has push-button prescence switch, lead channel has adjustable prescence and of course a drive control. EQ is as I like it - simple. Chassis painted white, ala Soldano. Used for home practice, rehearsal, recording and gigging. Plenty of power.

My primary axe is a Carvin DC-135 with stock humbucker and two single coils. I play several styles of music (rock, metal, blues, jazz) but my primary love is progressive metal (DT, Fates Warning). The clean channel is phenomenal -- the best I have ever heard. Very natural sounding and reproduces every tonal nuance of your axe with gobs of headroom. Better than my Legacy head. I normally prefer an adjustable prescence, but the button works fine and adds some sheen. The lead channel is very good, with a lot of gain on tap. Very agressive. Blazing mid-scooped thrash sounds are easy fare, as are crunchy rock tones. Versatile for many music styles. Unfortunately, the lead channel sounds a little harsh with the drive cranked....probably due to the fact that upon examination I found that the distortion circuit is solid-state and not tube driven. Not as creamy sounding as my Legacy head. There is a lot of treble and prescence available, but settings above 6 or so tend to sound harsh. Below that, all settings sound very good. In addition, this thing is LOUD. The bass player won't be walking on you again. If you are in the market for a dominating metal amp, look no further. For other styles, this amp is worth checking out as well.

I have had Carvin gear in the past, and it has been infallible. The construction is top notch, with a thick plywood cabinet and metal corners. Looks tough. Gets moved around a couple times a week, and no problems so far. I'd trust it without a backup, but I'd pack some extra tubes (the amp is tough, tubes are not).

Urvan is my customer support guy. Everyone should have customer support like he provides. Not sure about the rest of the guys.

I've been playing for about ten years and own a host of other amps and equipment. Carvin gear is a steal, no one comes close to thier quality for the price. The downside - no trying the amp before you buy it. This is a major holdup for some people, but if you can get past that, go for it. I've havent been disappointed yet.

I bought this head with the matching 4/12 cabinet. I play a fender lone star strat with a dunlop wah, a boss ds-1 and other effects and it sounds great. I have used this amp at low as well as high volumes and haven't been disappointed. Very low, thick distortion. Excellent clean channel. The presence button brings out great tone in my texas specials.

This amp has never failed me.

I have also own a carvin pro bass 200 amp. It distorted at high volumes so i called carvin. They were very nice and they had me send it in. They replaced some parts free of charge and had it back to me in no time in great order. A friend of mine broke a couple knobs of the front but carvin put new ones on without me even asking for free.
Great company.

This amp is great. It has met all my expectations and more. Go and buy one. Excellent price.

I purchased this amp head from my gutiar player in my band. I was going to replace it after i got more money but this amp blew me away the second i played it.(I bought it before i ever played it,based on size and watts)It has two independant channels (clean and lead) and no matter what style you play you'll love this affordable head!I play everything from the Smashing Pumpkins to the Doors and the amp is wonderful. It can follow any path let it be ripping a metal like solo or playing clean melotic jazz chords.

The clean settings on this amp are beautiful. The owner before used a Fender Strat Deluxe, I use a lefty Danelectro. The amp's lead channel is monsterous. You can rip it up with Black Sabbath or Metallica.This amp is ready and willing to take any challenge (and win)! This bad boy can crank, too. I play in an alta-rock band and I've never turned it passed 4! And you can get damn good harmonics. This head is guarenteed to shake your brain!!!!!

I think it was made in the 97-98 era but it looks great. I beat the crap out of it every gig and the damn thing loves all my abuse! You punch it and it just looks at you and smiles with that "is that all you got" look! I really don't think you can break this baby.

I've haven't delt with any problems yet and never will*

I've been playing for 6 years and I finally found the amp I can trust and depend on for gigs, practice, or the studio. It just sound great. I bought a Carvin 4X12 Cab to go along with it. I actully hire a friend to watch it (guard) at gigs! I've played Marshalls and Fenders and they are too fragile and not at all affordable. I wouldn't trade this head for anything. ever.

A full-featured, 100-watt, two channel (clean and lead) guitar head with enough power to possibly blow the windows out of your bedroom should you use it for practice in a room that small. Each channel has its own EQ (bass, mid, treble), volume. Reverb is controlled via a master knob, and the presence control is applied primarily to the "Lead1" channel but can also be included in the "Clean2" channel via a simple push of a button. The rear panel houses ohm-selectable outputs, stereo options, a half-power switch (great for getting tube saturation at 50 watts instead of skull-crushing 100), and a buffered effects loop. Everything you need to dial in tone is here. I do wish it had a 5-band EQ like the old X-100B heads used to have, it would help enhance the tone significantly, especially on the lead channel.

I have a variety of guitars and one of the standout features of this amp is its ability to not clutter a guitar's natural tone. The EQ, volume, and gain settings you choose amplify your guitar's natural harmonics, thump, whatever you might have. My Fender Strat with Texas Specials sounds like I'm playing through a Fender "The Twin" on steroids, my Carvin DC127 (two humbuckers) sounds gets me razorblade gain, and my Danelectro keeps that vintage "countertop" tone on the clean channels. An outstanding amplifier because it offers no frills sound and incredible tonal variations. On the flips side, I wouldn't recommend this amp if your tastes are particularly specific. This amp is made to run the tonal spectrum and not focus on being a Korn-style high gain machine or a tube riding surfboard like a vintage Fender Vibrolux. It nails the best of what's in-between.

I've had the amp for about a month and the only thing I might have to have repaired would be the reverb bypass. I've noticed in particular "thumpy" settings where the bass is cranked (8 or above) I can hear the springs reverberate even though the effect isn't selected. Other than that this amp has been beaten up sonically and seems to thrive on it. It has sounded great since day one ...

I've been dealing with Carvin ever since I realized the company didn't charge extra for making left-handed instruments. The company has always offered an incredible bang for the buck and I honestly hope they stay under the radar of mainstream music so they can keep making affordable, great-sounding equipment.

The MTS 3200 was an incredible find and I scooped it up about 15 minutes before someone else came in to purchase it. I play a variety of different styles of music (jazz to shred) and this amp responds and exceeds my expectations every time. This amp really smokes when used with a 4x12, but it sounds great and punchy when you use it with a 2x12 (I have a Marshall 1936 cabinet). An absolutely outstanding amp for all kinds of music.

I've had this amp for a month and have completely checked it out.
2 chan, reverb and chan footswitch and effects loop. Great amp for the money.

I have an Epiphone Les Paul Custom(500T), and a standard Strat(texas specials). With these guitars, this amp is all I need for any desireable sound. It doesn't distort at high volumes on the 50 watt setting. I'm too scared to put it on the 100 watt setting, for the sake of my ears. The distortion channel is very versitle from warm blues to brutal metal!

I've only had it for a month. Just from handling it it seems preety tough. Although I would never abuse any amp, good or not!

I am copletely satisfied with my amp. I've nevr had to talk to anybody.

I,ve been playing for two years. In my short experience I've heard many amps and have got friends opinions. Even my friends say this amp is great! Within my household I have a Marshall, a Line 6, Peaveys, and many Fenders. I consider this amp the best one. The amps price attracted me at first and reviews did the rest. I was confident enough in Carvin to try a mail order. This amp sounds great!!!

I feel this is the BEST amp for the price. I bought this head w/ a 4x12 cab, unbelievable!!! This amp is very versatile, even though I play clean, because I run through a Roland GP-8 effects processor.

As for the cleaniness of the clean channel, phenominal! I would highly recommend this amp.

Very dependable, rugged construction, No particle board here folks.

I bought this amp w/ a 4x12 cab and I cannot get over the sound and price!