Carvin MTS3200

Good standard features. One gain, one master volume, plus the usual volume, treble, bass, and presence controls on a 2-channel amp

I gave an earlier review whose specifics I would like to clarify. The amp sounds fine, although it is somewhat low-gain. In order to solve this, I use an attenuator, and suggested that all 3200 users do the same. But folks, be very careful using it or you can damage the power tubes.

In most amps you have two controls: the gain, affecting the pre-amp tubes. The other is the overall volume control, affecting the larger power tubes. Different companies label them differently, like "Distortion"' or "Master Volume", but they both accomplish the same things. By setting the gain up and the volume down, you can have lots of distortion in low-wattage situations, like a small club or bar. But since the 3200 is so low-gain, but powerful, it needs a second level of gain in order to get it to sound a bit more modern and responsive, yet quieter and controlable. The attenuator does this by putting a dummy load between amp and speaker, allowing you to crank up the volume control to add an additional soak of the power tubes.

What I meant to say before in my previous critique was that you need to be careful not to set the overall volume of the AMP above about 6 or 7 tops, or you could be sucking your power tubes dry, and they'll blow early. Once you've plugged in the attenuator, the knobs on it become your overall volume controls, and you can adjust them anywhere, according to taste.

The use of an attenuator is common among bands who need the flexibility of turning down or up, depending upon the venue's acoustics, using the same amplifier for both bars and stadiums, and/or have a low-gain amp, like the 3200. Of course, if you have a decent P.A., you can mike any size amp and get it to sound like a stack, so there are different ways to do it. This is mine. Again, BE CAREFUL!

Built like a tank

Ups and downs. Overall, ok....

Ok, for what it is. It works, and sounds good.

Standard tone controls plus one master volume control. Versatile enough.

I set the distortion on 7 to 8, but it does get fuzzy as it goes up. I can make it sound ok with the controls, very mid-heavy, but it doesn't have much in the way of gain. It needs a second volume control, like an attenuator. Get a hot plate or something similar, and watch this amp come to life! Don't set it too high or you'll squeeze too much juice and blow your power tubes. I put it on about 6 or 7, but no higher. With this set-up you'll match up to most other amps in terms of gain--very responsive, finally, and the attenuator allows you to calm the beast down for lower volume levels. Of course, a hot plate will set you back about $400.00. So much for saving money....

Built like a tank.

I've had an up-and-down relationship with Carvin support over the last 30+ years, but as long as you don't ask too much of them, they're ok. I'm sorry, but there is a certain level of dysfunction among the staff.

As long as you use the attenuator, the amp will do pretty much whatever you ask of it. I have yet to see a Carvin mainstream amp that didn't need to be tweaked, added to, or modified in some way to get it to do what I want. Nearly every stock Carvin guitar amp has a sort of signature mid-range tone--ok for tweeds in a blues bar, but not so great for serious concert work. I wouldn't pay over $300.00 for one, and for that price, there are new amps out there that are way more versatile (Believe it or not, my Behringer 2x12 combo amp sounds way better for less than $300.00, but it has its drawbacks, as well).

Not sure the year this was made... Two channel (clean and lead) all tube amp (a total of 5 12AX7 preamp tubes and 4 5881 power tubes), independent EQ for each channel, reverb, presence, switchable effects loop.

Instantly sold on the sound. The clean channel is fat, responsive, and three dimensional. Takes pedals well, but it's a little bit less forgiving on distortion pedals than my solid state amp was... in other words, switching to this amp was like a magnifying glass on my pedal chain... and poorly dialed in sounds on the pedals will be easier to spot than with a cheaper amp. A couple of minutes of tweaking later, and I was in business. Great sounds out of the clean channel, and the EQ is very well designed and more effective than other guitar amp EQs. By that I mean that it's more than subtle, but in a good way. Also, the Mid control is centered on the right frequency for heavy roack. It does a lot more than just cut or add honk. Very impressed with the tonal qualities of the EQ. Also tons of clean headroom on this amp, even with hot pickups (Duncan Customs). Loud? Yes, loud.

The lead channel is surprisingly good. This amps lead channel uses clipping diodes to introduce gain, as opposed to more tube designs that rely only on tubes for overdrive and distortion. Seeing as I regularly use clipping diodes in my signal path (distortion and overdrive pedals) this was no big deal to me. Fortunately, this amp exceeded my expectations in the gain department. Massive heavy rock gain. For those people who claim this amp to be too fizzy, it's all about the presence control. With the presence at 12 o'clock, yes it starts to get on the harsher side. But tone it down to about 10-11 o'clock, and you get a powerful roar that I was not expecting. If you need more gain than this, an overdrive pedal between the guitar and the amp will get you there. It will get buzzy with the volume low, but you gotta crank it to smooth it out. That goes for most tube amps anyway. The lead channel does have a ton of low end, but this can be tamed quickly with the EQ. Those who have given this a bad rating because of poor sound must have gotten a bad apple or had bad tubes. Because I'm getting nothing but goodness out of this thing.

I would gig without a backup, but then again I just got it.

Not yet. Hopefully won't have to.

Overall, a killer amp for little money. Couldn't ask for more.

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!

N/A

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.

n/a

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!!
<p>
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!

The features on this head have been goe over a million times. No need to do it again

I own several heads. 3 Marshalls and a 5150. Picked this head up from a friend for 300.00. I tried to talk him out of it but he has his heart set on a 5150 lol. This is a 50th anniversary edition and already has good Russian EL34's installed. The clean as mentioned by everyone else is amazing rivaling my Twin. The dirty is mean but I back it down a tad to sound more Marshallesqe on steriods. Absolutely love this head. Would ad will take it on a gig

Only owned it for a day but my friend got trouble free service out of it.

Never needed them.

I have been playing for 28 years in numerous cover and original bands. I already mentioned most of the amps. I own several more along with about 18 guitars. I would prolly by it again if one crossed my path. A lead boost would be nice.

dual channels with seperate EQ, footswitchable channels and reverb.also has effects loop. USA Made,more power than I'll ever use

Clean is to my ears as good as, Maybe Better than fender. Overdrive will go from mild breakup to all out metal. I sold my JCM 900 for this and still prefer it. The JCM wouldn't give me the sparkling, punchy clean that the MTS does. I play in s christian southern rock style band and in the worship band at my church,therefore I need versatility as the worship tends to be less intense. this amp covers both bases well. If you get one be sure to get the British series speakers, they are carvins best. check out the reviews.

Never had a problem. some other reviews have complained about sound quality, but some of them bought used amps, maybe off EBAY. and the tubes may have been changed. You start messing around like that then its no wonder that you have trouble. They come stock with 5881's although it does have a bias switch to use others.I gig my equipment but I also baby it.

OK this is the only downside to owning any Carvin..If it breaks then your gonna be out shipping to California. they dont have any local repair centers. still I'm ok with it. My AG 100D messed up once and they had it for about a month. they were very friendly and courteous

playing 36 years. ownlots of gear.definatly would replace Usa made all tube amp for around $700 what a deal

The features have been noted before. The footswitch was optional, which I purchased. This is a basic amp that doesn't have too much to it. 1 channel is clean and the other one is dirty. The Presence control on the clean channel is nice, but that'll be covered in the Sound Quality section. Compared to most modern tube amps with 3-4 channels with multiple settings on each channel, not to mention features like individual EQ's, reverb, presence and so on for those channels, the Carvin is simple on a 2nd grade level. That's one of the reasons why I bought it. I didn't need much more than just 2 channels, and so that's what I got. The only feature that sucked was the footswitch. It's noisy and there is a very loud pop when going from one channel to the next. Very bad.

The clean channel is very crystalline and sparkly. Adding presence is actually a little too much for my taste, as I prefer a warmer, rounder tone. But if you must have absolute clarity for your notes the Carvin delivers on the clean side of this amp. Add a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive or any other OD that lets you blend the distortion with the clean channel and you'd have yourself a very articulate set-up. The highs get spiky at worst though, so back off the treble a bit or it will kill you.

That feature carries over to the distortion setting. I found the gain from the amp a little tinny and I had to trim back the treble to about 2 o'clock to rein it in. With an A/B selector to another amp, the Carvin was very noisy at higher gain levels and volumes. I think there are reasons this amp is so inexpensive, and it goes beyond being sold direct and the reported quality of its wiring and insides as stated by other reviewers.

Carvin has started putting Groove Tubes in its amps instead of Sovteks or whatever unknown tube had been in there before, so that is an improvement. The 6L6's give it the more, "American," sound that helps with the clean channel and is probably what makes the distortion channel a little light on the low end. Through a Marshall cab the Carvin beefs up a tad, but through the 2x12 available in the catalogue, which is open-backed, it is very bright. Not being a fan of that tone I started playing with options and found that running the amp into both the Carvin and Marshall cabs created a balance. I also started running a Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde to create distortion. I didn't want to do this as I'd prefer using the amp's gain, but for my taste the Carvin didn't deliver the midrange and bass I desired. On the other hand, that's not to say the tone of the gain channel is bad. Some might like a brighter tone. It's just not my cup of tea.

I've only had the amp for a few weeks. I have no idea what could happen to it other than damage from moving. I don't have a band at the moment so stage abuse isn't a factor currently.

I haven't dealt with Carvin.

I've been playing for 13 years, and the other amps I own are a Peavey Classic 30 and a Marshall MKII with a JCM900 2x12 cabinet. If the Carvin were to be lost I'd probably just save up and get a Mesa Boogie, or possibly a Peavey, or maybe even that new EVH head. I like the simplicity of the amp and its clean channel. It's very easy to operate and that's all I wanted for messing around. The footswitch sucks and the distortion is just okay. If I compared it to other products I'd say the Carvin is up on the level of Crates and some Peaveys. It's a little better than Crate but not as good as the recent Peavey models. It does not compare to what Mesa Boogie has been putting out lately and even Marshall's getting back in gear with some stuff. The Marshall AVT series is about on the level of this amp. If you're serious just save up and get a better amp, but if you don't feel like dropping a lot of cash and want to fuck with a tube amp you can shape with some stompboxes or preamps, then go with the Carvin.

This is a follow up to my earlier review called " What's that noise."
I have to eat some crow. I had originally thought that the amp could not cut through. I replaced the preamp tubes, but it did not make much of a difference. What made the difference was the cab. I usually play thorough a pawn shop peavey, but after plugging it into a brand new mesa cab, holy cow, this thing unleashed. So looks like I have to buy a new cab.

Even though I was able to get it to sound great through a mesa cab, I still had some hum and noise. My friend thought it was normal, but I thought it was a little excessive.

This model was made around 2005, before they came stocked with the groove tubes. 2 channels, and is pretty pretty versatile, compared to a jcm 900. Good for old style metal, but not good for super distortion style metal. The distortion is very smooth, almost like a suped up tube screamer, but does not have much bite.

The clean channel is very good, and will probably reflect the instrument you are playing.

Here, is where the problems start.
The amp has a great distortion, but very bassy, with little or no presence. No matter how I adjust the knobs, the eq does not change much.The reverb only slightly changes, also. Same with the presence knob. I get a decent tone, but do not cut through the mix. Leads get totally swallowed up.The sound just seems stuck in the speakers. I am going to start trying other cabs, but can not afford any right now.I have tried with a cheap epiphone, and a 67 reissue gibson v. The 4x12 is an old peavy with sheffields, that I picked up at a pawn shop.

After very little play, I had to replace a tube because of a very loud glass breaking sound. Now, I have out of control hum. The amp also picks up a staggering amount of noise in my apt. It sounds like a waterfall. At first, I was excited to have a Carvin because their guitars are such high quality, but I am not so sure about their amps.

Carvin support has been great, but the warranty is only a year. If able to, I probably would send this head back.

I have been playing about fifteen years and have had a jcm 900 and a 5150.(Not sure if that amp had original tubes.) This head breaks up alot nicer and the lows are tighter than the 5150. Way more versatile and probably more gain than the 900. At first, I really bragged up this amp, but I am starting to get tired of all these noise and sound issues. At this point in time, I probably would not buy it again if it was stolen.

Can't determine manufacture year. The Carvin MTS 3200 is very versatile. I have read reviews here stating otherwise, in that the user claims to be getting little or no variety when tayloring the amount of distortion with the DRIVE pot. The only thing that i can think of that may cause this, is the use of EL34's in the power section since they have a propensity for being "hot" and high in the mids. I find the eq very responsive and since I use some 5881's in the power section, the DRIVE is very responsive as well. It can go from slight clip to full on saturation and anywhere in between.
Power? It's loud enough for two amps. I play it at 50 watts usually.

THis amp is pretty capable of making any sound I can think up. I really like it. I play this over my '65 Showman, and a Hiwatt head..
It sounds enough like both of those amps if I want them to, plus it has a beautiful and full, long tailed reverb.
The distortion is very sweepable. From just a touch of grit when attacked with gusto, to that heavy metal bottom heavy chunk. It'll do whatever you want it to.
I don't play any certain style of music. I just play whatever I want.
THis amp is versatile enough to cover me whatever tonal or stylistic road I choose to take. I notice some noise when playing single coils. but that is expected.

I just bought it, so I have no idea as to this unit's reliability. But, Carvin has a good reputation for solid engineering, and good builds. I suspect this amp will last a long long time. Feels very sturdy.

I have played for 20 years. I own lots of gear.
If it were lost or stolen, I would buy another. It's a great amp especially for the price. SUpposedly, it lists at around $1100.00, but is available from Carvin at around $700.00.
THat's a deal for what it is capable of. Lots of volume, controls that work very well (eq and presence), Options (choice of bias for EL34's or 6L6/5881, voiced line out, and effects loop).
Nice amp.

This amp was made in 2005. Nice sound on clean, ripping sound on lead channel. Has a good effects loop. I wish I had held of and bought a V3 for the extra versatility, but I can wait another 6 months. I use this amp for practice and gigging...one badass cranker. I have to give it a 10, because it has all the features one would expect from a 2-channel tube amp. Plus reverb...oh yes and a bias switch to go between EL 34's and 6l6's. Very nice.

Snarly distortion that covers most of the rock realm and an excellent shimmering clean tone. I play rock, metal and blues and can pretty much get the sounds I need from this amp. Also it's pretty quiet.

All my guitars are equipped with EMG's, so that may be why I get such excellent distortion from this thing.

Hasn't broken down yet, so far so good.

To Eric down below...you said replace the tubes with EL 34's and re-bias the amp? It has a bias switch on the back! You mentioned that your tubes keep frying...maybe you need to flip the bias switch to match your tubes. That's the ONLY thing I can think of that accounts for you frying tubes in a couple of days.

Nice guys. I haven't had to get any customer support per say, but when I ordered the amp, they were very helpful and professional.

I've been playing for about 25 years. I own too much shit to list. If this amp were stolen, I would buy another since it is so cheap, OR I would spend a few hundred bucks more and get the V3. Either way, I would need to get this sound again.

Same features as described already. 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 (EL34 in mine).

Nice features, though I wish it had a master volume. The effects loop works great!

I love the sound and am hugely impressed with the quality of this amp! Mine has EL34 tubes in the power stage, and is still using the factory GT tubes. I have heard that the sound is improved with replacement tubes, but even without having done that I'm impressed.

I am playing a variety of Es-335 & Les Paul guitars with various pickup types. I play either straight into the amp, or with lots of effects depending on the day. I am running the head into a 1960s Fender bassman 2x12 cabinet with new Eminence speakers (Ragin Cajun & Redcoat Patriot).

The clean is the CLEANEST I have heard, beautiful crystal clear bell like tones even when cranked. It outdoes the 1969 Twin Reverb I had, as well as my Hotrod DeVille, Peavey Classic 50 etc.

The distortion channel can produce a variety of tones, and is VERY sensitive to the EQ settings you use. You can drastically change the sound with a tweak of the bass, mid or treble. With full drive it reminds me of the Marshall JCM-900 Jubilee EL34 model amp that I had (but the clean channel on the Carvin is much nicer). Nice saturated distortion with a heavy bass thud when muting the strings. Beautiful sustain and feedback. An Ibanez ts-9 or Boss DS1 with drive turned down works GREAT before the amp for a little boost.

I play music along the lines of: U2, Trail Of Dead, Social Distortion, Interpol, Minus The Bear, etc. This amp is fantastic for any sound I have tried to get out of it.

So far so good.

n/a

I've very impressed. I've regretted selling the JCM900 EL34 amp that I had, and none of the other Fenders, Marshalls or Mesas I played had a sound that I was happy with. This Carvin is just what I've been looking for!

I've been playing since the late 80s. I've owned about 150 guitars, and close to 50 amps including 69 Twin Reverb, Fender Twin, Peavey Classic 30, Classic 50, Marshall JCM900, Hotrod DeVille, Deluxe, Pro-Sonic, Blues Jr, etc. I have played on many, many more as well.

Good features for a Tube amp 2 channels reverb impedance switch etc. very good for price.

Using carvin DC-127 with Dimarzio evolution pups play metal and hard rock suits styles perfectly. only noisy when cranked way up (expected) gates take care of that not a crap load of variety available like a modelling amp or whatever but for what it is I think it could cover just about any style music without sounding bad at all. clean channel has massive amounts of headroom even at highest volumes. Distortion is the Sweetest ive ever heard the only thing i can say is its all in the tubes pres and powers especially pre tubes for distortion this amp gives a very clear and true tube tone.

1998 model never had a single problem changed tubes in the power section once to E34l's and liked them a bit better although i think the 6l6 sound is a bit more suited for metal rhythm especially when cranked up loud. The 34's sing when playing leads really nice.

only dealt with them on the phone with questions about other products seem very kind and knowledgeable though.

been playing for 16 years own a peavey transtube 2x12 with built in effects and a schecter diamond series gutiar, would definitely but it or a Legacy or V3 if it died or got stolen or lost. Carvin really rocks never seen or heard anything buy them that looked or sounded bad.

Made in 2000, 50/100 watt 2 channel tube amplifier.

I've owned this amp for almost 6 years now, and it still amazes me with the amount of features for the price of this amp. It has 2 channels-clean and lead, effects loop, external bias switch (to choose between using 6L6GC/5881 or EL34 tubes), footswitch, 2 speaker outs, reverb, and a switch that changes the amp from 50 watts (using 2 of the power tubes) to 100 watts (using 4of the power tubes).

I'm playing a Fender Custom Tele with 2 DiMarzio humbuckers.

I'm gonna start from the top...

Clean channel - the best clean tone I've heard from an amp that costs less than $2000! I'm serious I bought this amp in 2000 when i was in 8th grade, and I still use it on every recording I do for clean tone. the clean channel has bass, mid, treble, and volume controls, and also has a presence switch that makes the clean sound brighter. The channel has very little breakup even at high volumes, and the eq on this channel is very sensitive, allowing you to customize your tone to however you like.

Lead channel - here's my only beef with this amp....basically you'd buy this amp for the clean tone. Don't get me wrong, the distortion channel sounds really good ESPECIALLY for an amp in this price range, but it just lacks personality in my opinion...just kinda boring sounding-lacks any brightness. The eq on this channel isn't sensitive at all, the distortion basically sounds about the same no matter where you put the knobs. A plus to this channel is that it has VERY little hiss, even for a high gain amp. Again, for the price, it CAN'T be beat!

I'm giving it an 8, because of the distortion tone. Still a very good amp, but the distortion just could be better.

Now this is the best part of the amp in my opinion...THIS THING IS A FREEKIN TANK!!!!! I've had it for 6 years now, its been on 2 us tours, and played many MANY shows, been tossed around, jossled in a trailer, dropped....AND IT STILL WORKS THE SAME AS THE DAY I BOUGHT IT!!!! If there was a higher score than 10 for the reliability of this beast, i'd give it a 12309498!

The customer support has always been very kind and returned my inquiries in a timely manner.

I've been playing guitar for almost 9 years now, I've owned countless heads, but I've always had the Carvin...it was my first head, and I'll never sell it! If it were stolen, I probably wouldn't buy another one, just because I have a Framus now, but I'd be pretty pissed. I'm gonna give it a 10 even with the mediocre distortion just because, at the incredibly, rediculously low price, you won't find a better amp...PERIOD!

A lot. See the features in other reviews.

The clean channel is the best i've heard!
The distortion channel is killer!
Man, I love this amp!
I just plug my Ibanez and play...
Sounds good with Les Pauls too.
The tone of the MTS 3200 is warm, smooth and has rich harmonics, it brings out the best of any guitar.
This amp is pretty noiseless, no hum or hiss.

I use a few boss pedals (a DS-1, hehe).
The reverb is a very good reverb.

Reliable? Totally, if take good care of it
No problems in 3 years.
It's a tank.

I don't know. Who cares? I don't live in U.S.A.

I've been playing for 10 years, and I've owned a Peavey 5150, and a Marshall JCM 2000. I've found this amp beats em' all.

This is a 100W monster.
I suggest you have a practice amp as well and use this for gigging and for practicing once in a while not every day.

Did i mention it is good value for money?

Brand new 06, This is my 3rd 3200 and I love them. I spent days trying to justify buying a new amp. I played boogies,kranks and marshalls and overall I just love the way this amp sings and grinds. The el-34 s sound better on the distortion channel but the 5881's are the best for clean. I wish the front was vented from the factory for better airflow but I modd my own. I play at home alot in a big jam room so its perfect.

I build my own guitars and worked at warmoth for awhile so strats and prs type of stuff. They all sound good on this amp. Clean is awsome, the distortion is sweet sounding and can get brutel. I use a 2x12 with v30 and a Marshall 1960a with 75 watters in it. Both sound great. Once again I love this amp and I just sent back a DSL 50 Marshall because it sounded thin cranked and the footswtch when going from clean to dirty dropped off the volume right when I needed it or it clicked and I cant tolerate that, thats crate stuff but my old JCM 800 is still god to me but they are hard to find and most are all chopped up from hacks.

NEVER HAD A SINGLE ISSUE WITH ANY OF THEM.

Never needed them

Been playing for 22 years. I own a Krank rev 1,Marshall JCM 800 and lots of guitars and 2 other Carvin mts3200 with different tubes and one has the voodoo mod. Not needed though. I bought the Carvin because way back I was being crusified by the IRS and was low on money so I bought one and loved it. Some amps take forever to dial in but the Carvin just comes right it. It aint the best at anything but its killer at everything. For the money its so worth it. Even my die hard Marshall freak buddy loved it. He's like that thing is BROWN BRO and he is a complete TONE FREAK. They are cheap off ebay but beware because alot of punks buy these and abuse them and think tube amps and solid state are the same and just mess them up and put tubes in that are not biased properly inn the right range. I know, I bought one off ebay and it had el 34's that were idling at 61 ma, total frizoid man, I set them to spec and the amp sounds killer to this day. The new ones are cheap and sound killer.