Carvin Quad X-Amp Tube Preamp

This unit has a noise gate, graphic eq, 2 clean, 2 dirty chanels &
independent FX loops for each chanel. What else could you possibly
want in a preamp.

The clean sound is equal to or better than the best Fender you ever played through. The distortion sound is the new sterile mass produced Marshall sound. THE FIX-do not change tubes as this is a waste of
money, change the OP-AMPS and there are a lot of them. If you look in any amp that kicks that uses OP-AMPS you will always see Texas Instruments. I have pillaged the coveted ones made from late 80's to
mid 90's mostly from Peavey Classic amps. Yes these little chips effect sound just like changing tubes. This gives the preamp a more warm and vintage sound for both clean and dirty. I use this with an old Traynor plexi style amp which is the best fit of every amp combination I have tried. I use Strats and Les Pauls with Seymour Duncan or vintage pickups. Very good for live gigs, not too complicated but versatile.

Just had to spray the pots out after years of abuse, no other issues.

Carvin has been around for a long time, no issues getting anything you need from them.

Absolute must have for your arsenal, matched with the right power amp and speakers you have a winner.Been playing for 20 years, have owned everything.

Rackmount preamp, 2U. My unit was shipped on September 1992.
Four channels (2 cleans, 1 crunch, 1 lead), 9 tubes, 6 effect loops (4 inserts per channel, 1 master loop, 1 reverb loop), onboard spring reverb, 5-band EQ, noise gate. Relay switches for channels, reverb, effect loop and EQ.

Still can't find the real need for 2 clean channels... rather have 2 crunch channels (thus the 9).
Ch.2 (clean) and Ch.3 (crunch) share the same pre-gain EQ.

Huge (but I mean HUGE) amount of gain on channels 3 and 4. Interactive pre-gain EQ and a very bold post EQ.
You can cover any range of tone imaginable with this unit only.

First thing: this preamp is so silent that I have never needed to engage the built in noise gate (or *any* gate at all)! Even when the gain levels reach 10 on the Ch.4!

It was built for shredders. It handles perfectly the most extreme Metal guitar tones. Nevertheless, rolling down the volume brings the Quad-X Amp to the sweetest clean tone.

I mainly use Ch.1 for crispy clean tone, with effects (chorus/delay) and reverb.
Ch.2 is used for a dry (just a little bit of reverb) fatter tone.
Since the pre-EQ is shared with Ch.3, I set my tone on Ch.3, which is used for an overdrive-like tone. I also use Ch.3 with a bit of reverb.
Ch.4 is my main "chunk-chunk" Metal tone. I use it completely dry for rhythm work and I switch EQ (with a slight boost of mids and high-mids) and eventually effects for solo work.

I use my Quad-X with a Peavey Classic 50/50 (2x50W EL84 power-amp), a Rocktron Intellifex (multi-effects processor) and a Behringer Virtualizer (multi-effects processor).
My guitars range from a HSS Aria Pro II (strat replica) to a Wesley PRS replica. Ibanez RGs, Yamaha Pacifica and RGX... they all sound good with this pre-amp.

I have it for about two months now. The previous owner is a friend of mine and he never had trouble with it. Just follow the regular tube replacements...

Due to the sensitivity of tube amps, it is always a best practice to carry a backup rig with you. Just in case...
I always do. However, I never used it. :-)

So far, the only thing I dealt with Carvin's customer support was an e-mail asking for the manufacture date.
So they promptly answered me... but no further additions!

I'll be honest to everyone and not rate this category.

This is one of the best guitar pre-amps ever built. In my 15 years of playing, very few pieces of gear have pleased me this much.

I bought it "blindly"... I haven't even tried it for myself! I took the chance... and my God, am I pleased with this!!! :-)
It sounds and feels like a "boutique" Mesa/Boogie Mark IV, with an added clean channel and tweaked EQ. (No unusable settings as in the Mark IV).

As I mentioned earlier, I'd rather have 2 crunch channels instead of 2 clean channels.

If it were lost, I'd try to find another one. If it were stolen, return it or dead man! :-)

ADDICTING!!!

Quite easy to use after the user's manual reading.
Then, no rocket science there, do not forget to assign/unassign Rev, Mast eff and Eq per channel when light up.

Rear face connection also clearly labeled.
The manual is clear and accurate.

The preamp just fit my use. 4 channels, very efficient tone knob.
Impressive efficient preamp, for ones who take time to taylor the sound, good tone should not be a problem.
It isn't for me. The effect loop per channel is great to assign an ext graphic eq on channel 2 for exemple.
Only the reverb is disapointing, anyway, I use an external one, like most of us I imagine.

Mine is a 92 model, I do not know it's former life.
It works and works gig after gig.

Never had to deal with them. The Carvin discussion board answered my questions.

I play pop rock for a lonnng time. This preamp is just the perfect companion because of its 4 channels, very good tone, connectivity, and midi connection.
I only regret that there is no possible midi mapping, that involve a programmable midi footswitch to have patch arranged in one patch for live easy usage.

old still buttons, very easy to use, and get a sound from this item. To understand and take advantage of all the possibilities the only way is still to read the owner manual.

I'd like to put a 10 because the tone pots are really efficient, and even minimal moves will be heard, in other words, if you search you will find your sound. I'd put a 9 only because of the spring reverb that does not convice me a lot..

I got mine second hand, all works perfectly. I do not know about the history , so

Never had to deal with

No hesitation, it will be a 10 there. This stuff got 4 channels, a true natural good sound, and enough versatility for the one who takes time to play with the buttons. The effect insert per channel is a great feature.
On mine the midi is full fonctionning.
I do not understand why this stuff does not exist anymore brand new, too bad. Fortunatly it's not too difficult to find, many have been sold, and it looks very reliable.

Most people who use the Quad X know that the clean channels are execellent. However, most don't know how good the 4th channel is for high gain settings are. The high distortion setting on channel 4 are only needed for leads/ solos. For rhythm guitar, very little distortion is needed. High distortion on this channel adds the sustain needs for soloing. For in your face rhythm settings with the Quad X. First, make sure you have a high output pickup at the bridge position. This will make the most of this preamp setting.

Too much distion gain on channel 4 for rhythm guitar sound will only mAKE too much OF a "fizz/ fuzz sound." For a dominant rhythm sound, I recommend these settings...

overdrive 3.5
low 3.5
mid 4.0
high 5.0

add the graphic EQ with these settings

75 hz 0
160 hz + 4
1K 0
3k + 4
6k 0

I am using a solid state Rockton power amp with the Quad X. A high quality tube power amp will make this setting sound even much better!

This is an old preamp but still has the madness to keep going!

I haven't had to cal Carvin, but they seem to put out a great product.

Very straight forward. Manual is easy to understand.

Tone is great! Very versatile. Great live and direct recording.
Why use a tube amp simulator when you have the real thing!!!???
Got rid of my pod xt. Don't use my v-amp either.

No trouble yet. (fingers crossed)

Never needed support.

I play rock and heavy rock. Been playing 40 years. I run the Quad-X thru a Carvin Tube 100. I run mostly in stereo mode at 50 watts. I run thru a stereo 4-12 cab. I play a Shadow with active electronics (German Made)and a hand made SG with Dimarzio PAF in the neck postition and a Super Distortion in the bridge position.
If this amp were stolen I would hunt the person down like a dog and torture him by playing the Osmonds Greatest Hits until he begs for mercy and pledges never to steal again.
I would definitely buy another one.
What I like best is the versatility in tone and ability to call any combination of effect from my Digitech RP1 and any channel on my Quad-X by the tap of a button via MIDI. I love the MIDI option even though I have the footswitch for the amp also.
I have played Marshall, Mesa, Peavey, Crate, and the list goes on and on............ I'm not gonna say it sounds better than any other amp. It actually sounds similar to some but WAY MORE versatile and easier to access the tones you want at the tap of a midi contoller.
This amp definitely ROCKS!!! Great clean tone, great crunch and great hi gain!!!

Addendum and rebuttal to the pro player assuming a pre-amp could ever stand in for real tube output. Get a clue. NO tube pre-amp is EVER gonna sound like a tube amp. Clipping the headroom of a vacuum tube generates distortion. With pre-amps, it is thin and needs to be amplified. I have used Halfler (read Bogner) tube pre-amps and they sound even better than the Carvin, but never mistake output tube distortion for pre-amp distortion that is amplified.

Ease of use is still 8 for novices; 10 for experienced.

See previous Michael E. Waggy Post

Still lament my tc electronic M-300

Want a tc-1210 spatial expander and 2290 DD

Built like a tank

Never needed it

I'll say it again.....

Lost, broken....buy another

Stolen = Dead Man

Well, it's easy to use, great features.

The clean channel is very sweet... the distortion sounds are just ok to me... very muddy and unreal... highly compressed... if you could make an A/B Test with a real tube head(think a good Marshall, soldano,boogie), you will realize that this preamp is for kids or the make highly procesor like guitar sounds,there is no contest against a head... no matter power amp use with it.
I'm not sayi' that sounds bad, very muddy and compressed... not an organic distortion at all...

I'm a pro guy with a lot of experience and a lot of gear to compare...
My music style goes from modern jazz and rock-fusion styles...
To me a great tone is the key to great stuff, and this preamp don't give great tones, plastic is the word to define it... Some solid state amps sounds better to me...by far...
I'm still waiting to hear a preamp that could sound as good as a tube head...

Tone to die for! Currently own 14 electric guitars running the range from LP R9 to Custom made guitars. I play hard rock/metal/alternative and run a TSR24s in the effects loop. I can tweak the Quad-X to get ANY Fender clean-tone, Marshall crunch, Mesa punch with as little or as much distortion as I want - I do have some gear I occassionally run into the front-end (Vox V847 w/ Italian Mod, Redwitch Moonphaser, Analog.man Clone Chorus, OCD, Tonebone Hot British) for when I want to push the Quad-X in another direction, but I could easily kick serious ass with it alone. The noise gate is second-to-none, the reverb works well under 2.5, above that it gets sort of funky and the Para EQ is adequate. Running into a Tube 100 or Mesa poweramp is a must as it creates a saturated tone that is not only head-turning, but able to but through the most demanding situations. The distortion is thick, has it's own character but not over the top. My OCD/Classic British can push it there quite easily though.

So far I prefer my original 93' Quad-X the most, but the 96' is interesting in that it has a different "modern" thing going on, and the 92' seems to have more of a early 60s lower gain thing going on.

I tested all three with my own personal tube selection - The 9, freaking 9! original Chinese 12AX7 were great on their own, but I found a mixture of vintage/hi-gain stuff that suits me better.

Unless you're a country, jazz or orchestra cat I guarantee you'll find something using the Quad-X that you won't find anywhere else, which if you're like me means it's a must have item!

I won 3 Quad-X preamps (92', 93' & 96) and they all sound different! I started with the 93' and bought the 92' as a back-up and the 96' because I heard they were voiced different. They're all Midi and they all function 100%.

I have been using the Quad-X as my main tone generator due to its versitility and awesome tone, so far its my favorite by far and I've owned several Marshalls, Mesa, Fender & Peavey amps and for me they just don't do what the Quad-X can...the only other tone generators I own are an Acoustic Control Corp. 164 (just can't bring myself to sell it) and a Pod XT Pro (I use it for scratch tracks until I get around to miking-up my rig for serious recording).

Never had a problem with any of the three units I own.

Well, since they haven't made Quad-Xs for almost 10 years I suppose they couldn't do much for me, even if I needed it.

Carvin must have lost their mind when they discontinued this unit - Being a So-Cal native I've been around Carvin products my whole life and other than one of their guitars I mistakenly bought the Quad-X is the only product I have even seen them produce that's a keeper.

Obviously I think VERY highly of this unit, otherwise I wouldn't find it necessary to own two back-ups, which I bought before the prices went crazy in the used market...Now everyone wants one, but they can't have mine! They're safe and sound in my VERY secure studio and only one leaves at a time and I watch it like a hawk!

tried the preamp with several guitars and always the same result: tons of sustain, harmonics and overtones. very quiet with built-in gate. the clean channel is one of the best i've ever heard. channel 2 and 3 are good to run a pod or v-amp thru to get a some tube help/warmth. channel 4 is all the gain you ever wanted and more. with normal output pickups you may never go past 6 on the gain control. now the bad: channel 4 has a nasal midrange harmonic overtone to it. i tried changing to new mesa tubes but still the same sound. not bad, just very different. you won't get a marshall or mesa sound, just an original carvin sound (which can be good). also, there is no high-end fizz to the distortion, not even with the bright boost on and the eq cranked to max on the highs. what does that mean? get a BBE and you might be happy. the preamp just doesn't cut thru enough on it's own.

by now you know the specs. 9 tube preamp with tons of features.

built like a tank! no problems to be found after years of use.

carvin is great to deal with. the other musician's on the carvin forum are also very helpful.

if i found another quad-x with the pedal for under $250 i would consider picking it up. my friend has mine and uses it in conjunction with a behringer v-ampire amp and v-amp and a BBE and gets great tones out of it. so try it with different gear to see how it reacts before you dis' it. i'm now using an engl E530 preamp and a peavey tube fex preamp and i love it.

Ease = 8 for novices; 10 for more versed. Give it a 9.

I bought this unit in 1994 along with the T100 Tube amp. I can honestly say that I have NEVER heard a combination quite like this. Is it a Fender Twin? No. Is it a JTM 45? No. It is what it is. A Carvin.

Editing patches is kind of a non issue on the pre-amp. I use a DigiTech PMC-10 and have assigned the Quad-X a MIDI channel and I can go from drop dead Fender clean to over the top Marshall/Boogie scream with the touch of a button (gee, go figure).

The manual is quite good, it's why I opted out of the FS-77 that is "supposed" to run the unit.

Dunno about any firware revision number. Upgraded? Nope, only been thoroughly cleaned and tweaked by my tech.

The EQ controls on the unit are pretty aggressive. Carvin warns in the manual that turning everything up to 10 is probably not a good idea. I thoroughly agree. My EQ (not the sliders mind you which stay more or less flat) rarely moves beyond the 3.5 to 7.5 range on any pitch.

The unit itself is quite quiet. Not as quiet as my faithful old Hafler (Bogner) T-2, but pretty doggone quiet.

I use the Quad-X in conjunction with the T100 Tube amp with 4 matched Groove Tubes. Getting the sound of any of my favorite artists is pretty easy....turn a know or two....change channels and you pretty much have it. Can I sound EXACTLY like David Gilmore or Alex Lifeson? No. But I can get close enough to fool even hard-core fans.

Bought the unit new in 1994, only thing it has ever had done is a cleaning.

Never gig without a back-up (Hafler T2).

no need, so no opinion

This pre-amp is a great pre-amp for anyone that isn't stuck on the "Just plug into an amp and play" mentality. It offers far more flexibility as far as FX routings (via the 4 channel dedicated loops, plus a master, not to mention the reverb loop) than ANY other pre-amp I've seen. Granted, I am a bit out of touch, but I really do love this unit.

I've been playing for 33 years and my rack is basically 3 units (sans the power strip). The Quad-X, The Tube (T) 100, and a tc electronic M-300. The only piece I somewhat lament is the tc - it doesn't have XLR. The output goes to two (Mesa) Boogie 1x12 cabs with EV 200's (L & M). Though I rarely crank the Vol over "4" (about -26 or -24 db) on the amp, I get frequent requests from my wife to "Turn it down!!" (undoubtedly due to my playing).

Lost? Buy another. Stolen?....Dead man.

Love everything about the unit. Best thing is Flexibility.

Compared to Marshall's MP-1 (?) pretty much all other pre-amps available at the time. This one just looked best. Wish I had that kinda luck in Vegas.

It neither helps the creative process nor hinders it. It serves as a great tool to release what I want to sound like. Would Stevie Ray Vaughn like it? Probably not. Same with Jimmy Page and Pete Townshend. Would people who like Alex Lifeson, David Gilmore, Mark Knopfler, etc like it? ABSOLUTELY. The routing configurations and sound quality alone make it worthwhile.

10 Rating
I got this and footswitch used at about $150 and consider it my best find after a Hammond C32, matching bench and Leslie in a dumpster. I use this in studio and out- it is versatile. Solid as a rock and no problems. I run Steinberger guitar and bass through this. Bass is great also on this. And I run a Sequential Circuits Prophet 600 analog synthesizer through it and it sounds fantastic! Ran such through a Leslie (not rotary speaker)and this was unbelievable. I highly recommend this as you can tweak sounds well with all of the features and this is a good teaching technique for sound generation which adds to your knowledge/experience for guitar, vocals, and bass if you use them. I have used all features of the amp at some time except the midi, and all worked fine.

I use a Digitech effects for guitar and synth "reverb." And at times I can run pedals through the individual effect channels. I run it right into stereo PA, so the XLRs out are perfect for this. I have the preamp and effects unit in a small rack type case and used to play thorugh headphones from this. It has midi that I haven't used yet. One problem or advantage depending on you is lack of "memory" so I use my brain to remember the numbers and knobs, which is actually good for both brain and machine.

In studio I can run quickly from bass and synth on Channel 1 to guitars on 2,3,4. The overdrive needs careful setting and may not be appreciated by all.

I play blues, jazz, folk, rock, electronic, acid jazz, whatever. I record into a digital machine. The machine has numerous emulations and ability to layer, but one still needs the warmth, body, and chaos they lack. Especially playing live. I can lay down rythm for a new tune then go to the bells and whistles as my friends pick it up.

The footswitch is full featured, big and easy to see, solid, doesn't slide around, and always responds perfectly.

This is it. I have been looking for a GREAT clean, a GREAT crunch and a GREAT Metal sounds in one place for years. The reverb and effects loops are assignable so just by switching channels you can have effercts or not. I have the reverb set on the clean and loop on for crunch. Graphic for metal (Sustain ch). I can go from (better) Fender clean to raunchy blues to death metal with the click of a switch.
The sustain ch is really good for a sweet bluesy sound with the gain backed off, or crank the overdrive and dial up the mids and down the treble and you have Santana. The Crunch does a great JCM800 sound.

4 channel tube preamp (described perviously). The only thing I could possibly ding this for is not having presets. But, I would argue that this is a good thing. No menus. Every control that I could ever think of (and then some) right on the front, ready to be tweaked. Back panel is even better. How many loops can you imagine? Balanced outs! Rear input! Mono or Stereo. Noise gate! Graphic! Reverb! Hello? Why isn't this available on every preamp?

Mine is the later series that is MIDI controled. Don't believe the BS, the new ones sound just as good as the old ones (without MIDI control). I own both because I bought into that rumor. If anything, the MIDI controled one sounds better. I am looking for another to put away in the attic...

Works perfect even though it is over 10 yrs old. Tubes inside mean that there is a chance of failure, but it would be the tubes fault and not the preamp. I have swapped tubes but never had a problem. I gig with it without any hesitation.

Folks, NEVER, EVER, FOR ANY REASON, play a gig without a backup.

Never had a problem with Carvin. Never had to send it in for repair. However, not having a local authorized repair facility is a minor ding.

I have been playing for over 30 years, in every style. I cannot imagine a sound that I cannot get with this preamp. I have spent thousands and thousands trying to get here, I wish I had found the Carvin sooner. It is a real shame that they don't make it anymore and, they prob won't ever again (rumored lawsuit from Mesa over their Quad preamp?). If you find one, grab it, for the price there is nothing that is even close to features and quality of sound. I will not ever sell mine.

Pretty EZ to use with lots of versatility. Manual is available via a download.

Using a Strat with lace pickups, A Carlo Robelli semi hollow LP dbl cutaway (which really sings thru the Carvin), a Stagg 350 jazz-box, a Jackson Stealth, a Dean Custom, a Kramer Baretta and even a Strat-Acoustic. Get the picture.......very versatile. I've use choruses, a V-amp, reverbs, distortions and wah thru the Carvin into a Marshall rack mount pwr amp. The sound is simply sweet and the noise gate.....what noise? My friends keep asking me if I'm gonna sell it. NOT A CHANCE.

I've had it since 1999. replaced the tubes cause I could, not that it needed it. Not a problem EVER....!!!

Haven't had to use it....very reliable. Downloaded manual from Carvin, tho.

I use it to play everything from blues, jazz, r&b, soul, funk, rock, fusion & hip-hop....live and studio. I've been playing since 1978. Would definetly buy another if I had to. I was going to get a Fender tweed amp....SO GLAD I DIDN'T.

This is an addition to a previous review I did. I recently hooked my rack setup together midi style to an effects unit. I bought a programmable midi controller, so that helps. Anyways, someone review this thing as having an "unuseable" midi option. I don't really know what they expect, but I found the midi to work very well. Sure you can only change channels, and the midi patch to channel number is fixed (ie channel one is triggered by patch one, 2 by 2, 3 by 3, 4 by 4, and 4 again by five.) This makes a lot of sense, because then you have two clean sounds, a crunch sound, a high gain rhythm sound, and a solo sound for the five pedals that usually occur on midi foot controllers. At least that is how I use it. And if I had the option of setting it up however I want, that is exactly how I would do it anyways!!! The switching is as fast and flawless as with the fs-77 footswitch. Note: if you can't find an fs77 for the quad x, look into getting a basic, cheap midi controller and it will do the job. NOTE AS WELL THAT THIS IS FOR THE LATER QUAD X THAT HAS ACTUAL MIDI CONNECTIONS INSTEAD OF 1/4" JACK MIDI!!!! I cannot stress this enough.

I am using this preamp with a Carvin T100 tube power amp and Furman Power Distributor. My 2 main guitars are both Ibanez Rg520's with Seymour Duncan JB's in the bridge and SD Super Distortions in the neck. My style is kinda like a heavier Dream Theater- but in 4/4 lol. In terms of tones- Carvins clean sounds are top notch- and stay clean all the way up. The distortion on this amp is unbelievable! Carvin's bottom end is incredibly tight- they have been doing the bone-rattle-bass long before it was hip. The amp is no noisier than any other high gain amp and with an onboard gate- it doesn't even matter- you won't hear it.

This is a Quad X Amp made in '92. This has enough features to do almost anything. 4 channels- Clean1 Clean2 OD1 and OD2, onboard noise gate and reverb, a weird(kinda useless) thing called Cloaking which pulls your bottom end out.It also has 6 effects loops- stereo or mono outputs and 9 12AX7's!!! Tons of gain on channel 4- more than you could ever need- and I am a gain addict NOTHING ever has enough gain for me- lol. Channel 3 has moderate distortion and it still has more than the lead channel on a Mesa Dual Rec Solo(sold one to buy this). It also has channel memory(remembers Reverb, EQ, and Effect loop setrting from the last time you were on that channel)-so if you want your chorus on the clean sound and not on the distortion- just click it on the clean- then when you come back to the clean channel- there it is again- YAY! Finally! So if you are used to doing the tapdance to get a good clean sound and another to switch back to distortion- this amp is a dream come true.

Well- I just bought this. But Carvin's are beasts. I have been using my X100b head for almost 14 years(gigs, rehearsals, and 4+ hours daily of practice), and, with yearly retubes, it has never failed me. I always brought a backup to gigs and never had to use it(thank God i didn't- it was a Marshall- lol).

I have dealt with Carvin numerous times and they were always helpful- I wrote them a email the other day- a dumb question about the power amp- and they responded within minutes. I am also a guitar tech by profession and have called them about their guitars and they were always helpful.

I have been playing guitar for almost 17 years(geez)- I have a Carvin X100B half stack that I bought when I was 16- I also just recently bought a Mesa Dual Rec Solo head and was disappointed with it- which is why I got this. I chose this because everyone has their own sound in their head and Carvin is really the only company that makes amps for people like me(gainaholics- but it has to be 'good' gain with ultra tight bottom- and a crystal clear clean channel). If it were stolen- I would look for the person doubled over gasping for air and take it back- this rack is heavy- lol. But I would definitely buy another one.

Can be a bit tricky to setup for a live gig after using it for practice. Probably a good idea to write down the settings for each situation or mark them on the unit with a chinagraph/wax pencil.

Obviously the settings will need tweaking anyway, depending on the venue.

Haven't tried to control via Midi.

I am dispappointed that the Channels are different levels - getting a decent volume on Channel 4 means you have to turn down Channel 3 which then loses out on its own sound quality.

However an amp engineer could probably correct this.

Live (rock) I used to put this into the effects return of my Marshall Valve combo, and not use the Marshall preamp section at all. Channel 3 was great for rhythmn and Channel 4 for lead.

At home I feed the output into a Yamaha MU10 synth box, which splits the signal into Stereo Chorus and feed that into my mixing desk. The mixing desk feeds my PC recording gear and HiFi speakers.

I have had it since about 1995 and not had any problem, except the EQ sliders are a bit fragile and I have bent one or two.

N/A. However Carvin won't sell to International customers (you have to go through a dealer). They have lost over a thousand dollars worth of orders from me because of that. My brother's friend ordered my unit for me and he fetched it back to England after a trip. I also bought a Carvin guitar at the same time.

Pretty damn good :)

This is an amendment to my previous review. The high pitched feedback turned out to be my microphonic pickup, so if that was discouraging anyone from getting this thing THE FEEDBACK WAS NOT DUE TO THE QUAD X!!!! THis amp is extremely versatile in tone and setup possibilities (all the different effects loops and everything) If you find one for less than 400 american, jump on it!

On it's own, easy to use. But it has so many functions that it could get hairy. But, that's what I love about it. So many options.

Warmoth strat with JB at bridge, Hot gold lace sensor (mid), Hot silver at the neck. (specially tweeked at the Lace custom shop)> EB Vol pedal,Morley wha> Quad-x pre-amp>carvin tube 100 power amp> 2/2x12 cabs. There are individual channel return/sends in the back. I have a Hot cake and a Baby blue overdrive hooked up to channel 4. I don't like channel 3 so much, but have used it with pitch shifting stuff from a Digitech TSR-24 effects unit, I also use the delays and reverbs from the TSR. The on board reverb is weak, so I use a Lexicon MPX 100 for the overall Reverb/chorus making use of the master effects and master reverb stereo return/sends in the back. They could be assigned to any channel. On it's own it is a tastey, articulate amp. Nice clear as a bell sound to a great brown sound on channel 4. The other added outboard stuff inhance things a little. I mean just a little 'cause it only needs a little. It has a nice direct to board output with cabinet voicing that actually isn't bad. I'm not a fan of direct recording but I have used it with pretty good results. I've played side by side with different players with different amps. I've always been greatly pleased by the sound and never felt my sound lacked.

I've had for over 9 years. NO PROBLEMS. I change tubes once in a while. I trust CARVIN products.

N/A

Rock fusion,blues,a little jazz flavor. This thing has everything I need. Carvin thought of everything. I've been playing over 25+ years and went through Fenders,Marshalls,Peaveys,Laneys,Mesa Boogie,Supro and Danelectro.These are all great amps I've kept most these amps and from time to time use 'em. The ONE that works best for me is the Carvin set up.

I am using a gibson firebird with a dimarzio hot mini bucker retrofit to clean up the distortion sound(bridge pickup). I don't know whether it is my tube setup or what, but channel 1 and two sound exacly the same except for the fact that channel two lacks a mid control. cleans are very responsive and very bright. almost too bright. I play with my treble on 0, mid on 8 and bass on 7. This may sound weird, but you've gotta try the settings before you knock em'. I really like the sound that i'm getting from the clean now. You can feel the notes respond, not unlike a fender twin reverb. volume at 2. Channel 2 shares the eq with channel 3 so i pretty much don't use channel 2. Channel three is probably supposed to be used as a blues crunch channel, but i'm not big into that sound. I use channel 3 for my solo channel because it has a good feel for soloing. Gain at 10, bass and treble at 7, volume at 6. Channel four has unwholesome amounts of gain. I play in a prog rock band and i like my gainy sounds, and this thing deals out enough with gain between 3 and four. after that it starts sounding more like a fuzzbox than a usable overdrive, but with the gain there, i really like the sound. bass on 7, mid on 4, treble on 7, volume on 6. channel 3 is much louder on 6 than channel four on 6. the other guitarist in my band plays through an 82 jcm 800 stack, and the sounds are simillar, but the carvin is a bit tighter sounding. The only problem i have with it is that it feeds back easily at a really high pitch which caused my to use my broadband eq on it. THE BROADBAND EQ IS MY SECRET TO GOOD SOUND! please do not read any further because these are a couple of my most dear personal secrets to good sound...

i use a 10 band grapic eq in the master effects loop of the quad x (my effects go in the parallel reverb loop) with the above settings, here are the main events in graphic eqing. If you are playing more complex chords SHELF OUT (-6 to -8 dBV) the available frequency between 200 and 250 Hz and your sound will be much clearer. 250 Hz is the "MUD" frequency. If you are experiencing the high pitched feedback like i am shelf out 4 kHz (-6 to -8 dBV) this is the "harsh" frequency, it also prevents the undesireable kind of feedback from the quad x. now you can play with the remaining eq as if they were the tone controls in your amp without the mud sound and the harsh high-mid sound that hurts the ears at high levels. (by the way i picked up the eq for $25 at a pawn shop and it was the best thing i've added to my setup)
the noisegate is adequate.
by the way i also play through a peavey cs400 power amp and a classic 412es cabinet.
What i like the best about this preamp is the responsive feel of the notes when i play it. The palm muting sound with overdrive is punchy and clear, perfect. I would give this an 8 3/4 for sound but they don't have that option. great sounding, very versatile unit, for a third of the price of it's peers!
oh yeah, the channel switching is flawless, no pauses!

Four Channels-two clean, two dirty; Noise Gate; assignable spring reverb; assignable five channel eq; cloaking filter; bright switch; boost switch; master reverb loop (parallel); master effects loop(serial); dedicated effects loops on each channel; stereo effect capability; active channel eq...
A good, but pricy feature; every channel has its own dedicated tubes, so if you want to change tubes for a different clean sound, but like the distortion as is (or vice versa), don't worry about it, just change the appropriate tubes and leave the other ones.

haven't owned it long enough yet! KEEP IT IN A GOOD RACK CASE! Because the channels have their own dedicated tubes, if one burns out on stage, you could still use the other channels which would be unaffected, and all would not be lost!

This is a discontinued model, but carvin still answered my questions about it promply and accurately. They even sent me a free schematic of the footswitch (because i didn't have one) so i could build one. i eventually found one though.

I like this thing. I don't necessarily think it is the best thing out there, but for it's price compared to its peers which i suppose is the boogie studio, formula, and quad preamps, soldano preamp, and the engl 250 etc, none of which i tried, it appears to be a real bargain! I've tried the peavey tube fex (more of an effects unit) and the yamaha dg 1000, and this thing kills them both (mainly because they are both crappy, not specifically because this is awesome, though it is really good) but still i haven't tried the mesa/boogie counterparts.

i love the feel, punch of the palm mutings, huge amount of control you are given in the way of eq and effects, and the sound!

I hate that feedback, even though i have figured out how to avoid it almost entirely, it still bugs me that it's there...somewhere...

i'm currently using an 80's charvel with a duncan 59 in the bridge.also I use a japanese strat with three noiseless single coil pickups.I pipe the carvin through a fender deville 4x10.i go out the carvin to power amp in of the fender.channel 3 is my favorite.think paul kossof's tone in the song"alright now".the tone controls are active therefore shaping your sound is a pleasure.I keep my gain on ch. 3 on 7.Channel 4 is higher gain ,van halen's brown sound.I keep that on about 4 or 5.real high gain stuff cannot be attained,thank God.

i'm guessing this amp was manufactured in the early 90's.it has four channels,nine pre-amp tubes,all analog.it's fully equipped,effects loops for each channel.i'm happy with it's features.the reverb is not very authentic sounding. that's just my opinion,though.

I've owned this unit for six months now and have had no problems.this is a road worthy piece of gear.I will eventually swap the tubes out.this is a vintage piece so I suggest if you see one to snap it up hands down.

I haven't dealt with carvin so ,unable to comment.

I've been playing for about 18 yrs.If it were lost or stolen I'd try to find another one.My friends that have heard this pre-amp rave about it. I used to own a rocktron pirahna and that was a joke compared.after getting this I'm glad I lost it in the pawn shop.the footswith that came with it is as tough as nails. that alone is worth the 200 bones I spent .

This amp does it all! My greatest joy was around channel 1. I've played many Fender amps with my neck p/u thru a TC chorus and nothing compares to this one. Tons of detail and complexity. It's very clean and tough to push, but when you get it there, it's a beauty. I've played entire gigs with chan 1 only, w/some heavy effects on the crunch stuff and it just performs.

Oh yeah, 3 more chans. Don't like 3- 4 is real cool. Don't really like the vol drop, but that's easily remedied with the master vol. Full, round distict distortion where all the notes are very defined, unless you really push it and this thing can go there.

This amp goes everywhere. Jazz, County, hard rock, punk- it finds it all! Hell, I run my acoustic thru chan 1 and it's perfect. I had an oportunity to trade it for a Marshall pre, but came around just in time. This is a one of a kind.

You?ve read them all. All smart very and versatile . Many, many places to go. I don?t use the bright function, never do with any of my amps, but this one has a nice round quality I haven?t found elsewhere.
The cloaking this is cool. I don?t have much of a need for it, but it works very nice when I push the amp to want that touch.

I read a bad review of the reverb. I think it?s top shelf. A very welcomed discovery.

This baby is the early pre modern midi and it's never even coughed. Dive it hard with some hard gig knocks and it keeps on ticking. I swapped some tubes around a few times (very much recommended)

carvin defines CS

Carvin decided that they need more margin, like everyone else in the business, so they discontinued the line. As with all Carvin products, sad but true, they don?t appreciate in value. Carvin owners hang on to them. This thing is the real deal. Tube heaven. There are more places to go with this one than you?ll find in anything. For $400, it would be a wise move to buy one, even if it were going too sit in a studio for a few months before you get around to brining it in. They?re out there and it?s a very good thing to own. Not that it matters, but who else do you know is an owner- Amaze people.

I use a Gibson Blueshawk (Blues 90 pickups). Heavy gauge strings. Used with a Carvin T100 power amp (kept real low) and Carvin V212 cab.

This is PERFECT. I play a bit of everything, mostly medium gain rock/blues. Channel 1 is big, round, and bubbly in the mids, with sweet, chimmy highs (ever played an original Sunn Model-T?, it's like the bright channel). Good base. Channel 2 and 3 are less defined, but have different dynamics, and are certainly useful in a live situation, especially as every channel has independant effects loops. Channel three is pretty useful in-house when working that vibe where clean chords alternate with dirty.

Channel 4: Bright on, Bass 6, Mid 8, Treb 7, OD 2.5, you've got a great glassy AC30 vibe, sweet highs and stingy light overdrive with lots of room for picking dynamics and good compression (the blues tone of my dreams). With the OD up, this is one thick, fuzzy, sustaining channel. The overdrive is totally it's own, but closest to a DC30 in timbre with the best properties of a modern Boogie (the full bass/mids, harmonics, compression, and smooth character). It works equally for classic rock and modern alternative.

I like how this doesn't sound like any other amp (Fender, Marshall, etc). I get that AC30/DC30 vibe at low OD levels, with the EQ set as above, but from there on it's like a Matchless meets original Big Muff. The clean is also nice, round, and chimmy. Very warm.

Reverb is decent (think solid-state Fender) but there's a reverb loop on the back for substituting one's own outboard reverb unit--some day I'll get around to it. The bright and boost switches work well; the bright is essential to my sound, the boost is not huge, but designed (says in manual) to bring a weaker single-coild guitar up to the proper input level (+10db). As my guitar falls in between single-coil and hb in output, I alternate...basically it makes channels 3 & 4 more agressive.

You know them from other reviewers. 4 channels, footswitch, EQ. Bright and boost switches are great.

Other than this unit, I own a Rt.66 pedal (Visual Sound), and I want to get a wah and Zoom UF1 fuzz. This is a setup I'd wanted for a long time, and it's my ideal, so I guess I'd have to get it again.

I love how it sounds unique--bright, full, and very smooth, like I'd always wished a Fender would sound, with nice compression. There's not one thing I don't like. I've played Vox AC15, Fender Deluxe Reverb, a bunch of Marshalls, a Matchless SC30, etc. Channel 1 sounds like a Sunn Model-T, 2 & 3 sound closest to a Deluxe Reverb, channel 4 is like nothing else (super-saturated Matchless?).

Reverb is weak, but usable.

Strats work great (I want to get a strat with a hotrails in the bridge to do that 90s alternative thing), humbuckers are devastating on channel 4 (think Linkin Park), and my Blueshawk treads all areas of modern and classic blues, rock, and jazz in between. My accoustic sounds HUGE on channel 1.

i like to jump between early VanHalen sounding lead guitar to clean jazz and anything in between. this pre-amp can actually do that, and many things in between. for you scooped mid metel heads, this will do exactly what you want it to do by setting the graphic eQ. I tried many preamps and NONE had the wide palette of sounds that this has, even for twice the price.
oh yeah,as with any preamp when you are dealing with tube overdrive, you will always be creating some noise(hiss/hum/etc). thats where the built in noise gate(activated by the INPUT signal)comes in- its killer.
how brutal is the distortion you ask? well, using a little outboard compression in the Ch4 effects loop, i need only set the drive knob at about 3 (out of 10)for ripping distortion. i honestly dont think anyone would need anything over 6 or 7. its all there folks.
i do not care for the cloaking control which does nothing for me at all, perhaps they could have replaced this with a presence control or even a selectable MID freq(a la parametric)..no biggie

I traded in my '92(pre-MIDI) model for a '95(fully MIDI-fied) unit. despite obvious differences in components between the early and later years, both sound quite similar.
The footswitch is a must have - it allows you to switch channels and tap in and out the reverb, eQ, and effects loop on the fly.
As for features, WOW! carvin has really done it, packing 4 channels, some incredibly tube cascade overdrive, built in spring reverb, awesome noise gate, graphic eQ, and plenty of effects loops to incorporate all your outboard gear.
i wish Ch2&3 had MID controls instead of just LOW/HIGH, that would really help. Dont get me wrong, i could live off Ch1&4 exclusively and not miss the others.
oh yeah, did i mention this thing has 9(nine) tubes? whoa!

anytime you have lots of tubes, even though they are preamp tubes which can last 20 years or more, it's always a good idea to keep some spares. i have had no problems, but i imagine with some rough treatment, the tube boards could unsnap from their fittings. all else looks pretty solid inside.

havent tried

i cant believe this musical marvel came and went briefly during the mid 90's and i had never heard about it nor met anyone who owned one. so glad to have discovered it now!!
a truly versitile and professionally designed amp that just sounds great.

I love this Amp, it has Great sounds, Its easy to dial in since its the old school knobs...I have had mine 5 years & giged with it for three

I use a range of guitars, but with the Quad-X, I prefer a Strat...Mine have JB jr's that give a ton of Gain on channel 4 & the others complement the clean tones well.

Gig'd without a backup for this amp, but have always used more than one amp, so.... It has failed once due to tube death, but that is to be expected, after putting Groove Tubes in channel 4, it came alive!

Carvin has always been helpful, but due to reliability, Its doubtful you'll need them

I play cover, from Country to Hard Rock, & use different amps for different purposes, Carvin is great for Cleaner, "country sounds" - my only complaint is that it has four channels, this was great for years, but now MIDI allows me hundreds of tones from other amps...This amp could do it all, but would have to manually adjusted, un-like the Tri-axis, or my current favorite, Roland GP-100. The noise gate is incredible, & the sheer number of loops is incredible, I have the footswitch if anybody wants it, I switch mine via MIDI. I agree totally with the Carvin phrase, Bang for the Buck....Its not my favorite, but it was damn close & cost 1/3 !!1

I'm using a RG J.CUSTOM with humb. dimarzios.
It suits my style very well...i can say that you can Achieve every tone you need. (maybe no extreme brutal metal....but traditional metal yes =)
it's not noisy since you have a wonderful noisegate which filter all the noises.

this is a 1992 amp.. NO MIDI.
It's quite versatile since:
you have 4 channels( 2 cleans, 1 crunch,1 lead-distortion.)
it was provided with a sturdy metal footswitch. it has a master effect loop plus 4 loops extra for every channel. Cabinet emulator, headphone jack....balanced exits for poweramp, a good spring reverb, pre and post eq. boost and a very good noise gate

It's quite cheap for a tube preamp with these features. i would advice it to anyone.

Used with a variety of guitars (Duncan humbuckers) through a Carvin T-100 tube amp. I waited to play a gig with it to give my review, because amps in your bedroom or in practice can really be different mic'd and at gig volumes through a PA. Lets just look at each channel: Clean 1 - Very nice! very clean and warm, cuts through very well. Sounds superb with single coils. My ear probably isn't good enough to tell the difference between this and a "holy grail" Fender clean, but I really like the Carvin. Clean 2 - Since I eq this for crunch, I don't use it. A lot of people have said they like this better than Clean 1. Channel 3 (Crunch) - This shares eq with the clean 2. I have seen people are disappointed with this channel, not enough gain. I find this channel sounds really good, especially live. The secret is to set the "cloaking" option to give it some bottom end. The only problem with this cahneel is it doesn't seem to sustain very well - still, it has a great rhythm sound for straight ahead rock. Channel 4 - Sustain. Well, this is the reason most people want this amp. Is it that good? Yes it is. Big, fat, nasty distortion. Very "rude" sounding, like Mick Marrs from crew. Live, all the channels cut through the mix very well. I had been playing a Marshall JCM 900 and this thing absolutely blows it away for live playing. By the way, the eq can be used for a lead boost, and that is very handy and works very nicely. Maybe the most impressive thing I found was the noise gate. It does a great job of keeping the noise filtered without cutting off the beginning or ending of notes like a lot of gates. I've never used a Hush, but Carvin's does a great job. Overall, the sounds in the box (through a tube amp and a Marshall 4x12) are excellent, competitive with anything else out there, including the suddenly mega-popular Boogie's.

Well, this thing is obviously pretty packed with features. 4 channels, fx loops, midi, cabinet emulator etc ... The controls are pretty straight forward and there are knobs versus electronic settings, makes tweaking MUCH easier. I use it pretty straight forward, the only feature I haven't used that I want is the emulator, I hear it is awesome.

Hey, it's got tubes, how reliable do you expect it to be! Seriously, haven't had it long enough to abuse it much, but like any other electronic piece of equipment, it does require some extra care.

I bought this rig on ebay, Carvin disconinued this guy a few years ago. I've bought 2 other amps and a guitar from Carvin, and they have always been dead easy to work with. I've found if you treat any service person with a decent amount of respect, they will return the same. Otherwise, just hang up, call back, and talk to someone else. Usually, the new person can tell who talked to you last and can get the other guy in trouble.

I have heard rumblings that Carvin may do some sort of update or re-issue on this bad boy. If you go to the Carvin website, there seems to be what they call a "cult" of Quad-X users. If you get one, you will know why. They can be had pretty easily on ebay if you have $300-$500 bones (not that much really), getting the footswitch might be a litle tougher since a lot seem to go without the footswitch, you can always get a standard midi switch like some others have mentioned here. Absolutely a best buy in guitar amps, just be sure you go all tube power amp and you won't be disappointed.

I guess the main question is "which sounds better?"

Well, I personally prefer the newer Quad-X, but it isn't quite that cut and dry...

first of all, the older model has a combination of Chinese tubes ("National" 12AX7's in the first two channels, no-name 12AX7's in the rest except the last slot in channel 4, which is a "Groove-Tube"). The newer model has all no-name tubes, which I assume are Chinese - if they are stock (given Carvin's history in this area).

More importantly, these two versions of Carvin's Quad-X preamp just seem to be voiced differently. The reason I like the newer Quad-X is because the distortion channel (Ch.4) sounds more like my Mesa/Boogie, smooth and warm. The older version, on the other hand, sounds more like a Marshall JCM2000 - which has more bite and a harder edge. Not that this is bad, afterall there are a lot of people who prefer this type of sound. On the other hand, both have EXCELLENT sustain and, despite their differences, I'd consider the "quality" level equally satifactory in both units.

I guess the clincher for me was Channel 1 (clean). The newer one sounds more like a Fender "blackface", warm and glassy. The older one sounded similar, but again, had a slightly harder edge to it - not *quite* as pleasant in my opinion. On the other hand, for some reason the older one had a noticeably smoother Channel 3 (crunch), much nicer than the newer one (which sounded harse). Both had very similar sounds as far as channel 2 is concerned; a nice mellow tone, good for Jazz or other softer styles.

I don't know if a tube change would make a difference, but it is something to keep in mind if you are considering getting one.

All in all I'd have to say that I am very pleased with the quality of sound that each of these units have and can only give them each high praises. None the less, I have to admit that the newer one sounds better to me overall and if it had a better sounding crunch (in channel 3) I'd have given it full blown 10 in this category. Also, if the older unit had a nicer channel 1 I'd do the same.

So, given these considerations, I gave these two an overall 9 rating in sound (although I'd give the distortion channels in each a solid 10 despite their differences and my personal preferences).

I have two Carvin Quad-X tube preamps; an older version and a newer one, so I have a unique perspective on changes made to this product. The later version has a sticker on it stating "QUAD X V 1.0.2", which I assume is short for "version 1.0.2", whatever that means...

First of all there are notable differences in the circuitry between the two. The most obvious exterior change can be seen on the rear panel. The older Quad-X has a funky MIDI interface consisting of four 1/4" jacks labeled Ch.1 - Ch.4, plus three other 1/4" jacks labeled "Graphic Equalizer", "Reverb" and "Effects". I have no idea how this setup is suppose to work. Conversely, the newer Quad-X has a more conventional MIDI IN and THRU arrangement, which is also powered (has a DIN-7 jack where pin 6 is ground and pin 7 provides +15VDC phantom power). It also has four DIP switches for more specific MIDI channel assignments. For a short while I had a MIDI footswitch (called "MIDI Buddy" by Rolls) for channel switching and it worked without any fuss. As for the older Quad-X, like I said, I have no idea how to use the MIDI setup on it.

Other changes involve the interior circuitry itself...

With the two units placed side by side I looked closely and discovered significant changes. The first thing I noticed was an obvious switch to different suppliers when it came to capacitors and some of the IC chips. But more importantly I noticed major changes in the circuitry itself. Everything from the main circuit board, tranformer interface circuit, the tube circuit board and the rear panel have noticeable changes, with some areas utilizing completely different circuit paths and components altogether. As for each individual channel's tone circuits, I couldn't really tell since it is well concealed beneath the main circuit board, although (from what little I could see) some of the component manufactures have definitely been changed, which must no doubt make some subtle difference in how the two units sound (see the "Sounds" category for my observations).

Other than that, everything else seems consistent. The front panels are layed out exactly the same. Except for the MIDI stuff, the rear panels share all the other features (although layed out a little differently). Both came with Accutronics reverb tanks and have the same part number stamped on the transformers by (what looks like) the same manufacturer.

I also have the original footswitch which works great, although it's fairly cumbersome (plan to get a separate carrying case for it if you manage to get one). I found the MIDI Buddy to be somewhat more convenient (be sure to get one with phantom power), although I never did figure out how to get anything except the channel switching to work. It also seems to be fairly flimsy compared to the Carvin footswitch, although it always worked well.

Anyway, overall I'd say that this is one feature-packed mutha! I especially like the noise gate and the fact that each channel has its own effects loop. Those features, along with the graphic EQ and cabinet voicing, makes this an extremely versatile preamp indeed!

Without a doubt, the Quad-X gets a 10 in this category.

Although both units have been well used, everything still works great! There is no extraneous noise as far as I could tell and all pots, buttons, sliders and jacks work smoothly and quietly. The chassis is sturdy and the circuitry is neat and well designed, with clean soldering points and tight sockets. Tubes are easy to change and everything is laid out very logically.

Being a stickler for quality, I'd say that the Quad-X is as good as - or better than - any preamp that is available out there today.

I have been playing and recording for well over 21 years. I own a lot of guitars (Gibson LP, Fender Strat/Tele/Toronado, a 1965 Epiphone Century, Carvin DC200 etc.) and amps (Mesa/Boogie, Ampeg, Vox).

I can't see how you could go wrong getting either of these units (older vs newer), with the only decision being which *somewhat* different sound you prefer and which type of MIDI interface you require (if any at all).

I mainly use the newer one in both live and recording situations. I find it most enjoyable plugging it into my Mesa/Boogie Rect-O-Verb's "effects return" jack (to bypass the amp's preamp section, directly accessing the power amp). It also works great for practicing with its built in headphone jack.

Since you can now find these going for $400 dollars or less on eBay, they represent a remarkable value - especially if you're in the market for a high quality, multi-channel tube preamp with dozens of features. I am a huge Mesa/Boogie fan but I still can't justify getting one of their pricy preamps, since I manage to get everything I need from my Carvin Quad-X!

Are there better tube preamps? I'm sure there are... but if there's one going for $400 with as many features and level of quality as the Carvin Quad-X, I'm pretty sure I would have found it by now!

Good Luck!

Controls seem pretty straightforward. It has pretty good tone with everything at '5' which gives you a good place to build a sound from. Getting the same volume out of each channel is kind of tricky especially if you play with the EQ while you're doing so. The manual is pretty easy to read and is readily available through Carvin's web site.

PRS style guitars made by me (and one PRS Custom 24) => Lexicon MPX G2 => Carvin Quad X Amp (Master EFX Send)=> Lexicon MPX G2 (back end) => (Master EFX Return) Carvin Quad X Amp => Mesa/Boogie 50/50 => two ADA split stack 2x12 cabinets.

I use the Carvin as my tone center. Meaning that for all of the effects that I put on a guitar sound, I like to have a defined foundation from which to start. It's nice to be working with a preamp that can accomplish this.

Channel 1 is a nice clean sound with a bit more EQ flexibility than 2. I use that when I'm trying to get acoustic like sounds, but it's nice and pristine. I mostly use channel 2(clean 2) and 3(overdrive). Something that I hate about it is that if I use a piezo into it (on one of my custom guitars) I get this really annoying high end distortion. I generally don't use channel 4 because it is SO tube compressed, you can hear it breathing. REALLY annoying. It's good for getting those over-compressed lead tones though. It is sustain city.

The spring reverb is good. Better than most combo amps I've heard. It's just a little spring reverb, but I don't use it much. (neither would you if you had Lexicon stereo lushness at your disposal)

I gig with it regularly. I've had it crap out on me once (problem was a microphonic tube). The unit has 9 12AX7's in it, so that will happen from time to time. I dropped it about 4 feet to a hardwood floor in an SKB rack case with no adverse effects. I play gigs at least 3 times a week with it with no backup.

Although, you open the thing up, and you wonder with all of that ribbon wire and small solder joints, how long can this thing hold up?

Another thing is that the 9-pin DIN jack that the footswitch is supposed to plug into is clearly not designed for frequent attatch/detatchment. After about a dozen gigs with it, I stripped out one of the nuts that keeps it in place. I highly recommend getting a 9-pin DIN extention cable (any computer store has them.... it's the same connector as an old school PS/2 mouse) and permanently attatching one end to the 9 pin jack. That way, if you strip the other end, you can replace it easily between gigs at a Staples without having to dismantle your rack on some bar-room floor.

Never dealt with them. This is an item that Carvin does not make anymore. The fact that they still have the PDF of the instruction manual on their web site either says that they still care about us users, or that their web-guy hasn't taken it down yet. tough call.

I play in a 'groove-rock band' (whatever that means...) I have to span a lot of different styles from blues to ambient/spacey to straight up rock to jazz. The Quad X Amp lays a pretty good foundation from where I can start building a tone.

I've been playing guitar for 15 years (I'm 24). I own lots of other gear, but see above for my gig-rig.

If it were stolen or lost, I would probably buy something else. I don't know what, but something that's wired a bit more straight forward. Something with less features and more tone. I swear that there's like 10 miles of ribbon wire in this guy.

I love it's tonal flexibility. I love the fact that it has 4 channels. It looks great in my rack too! I hate the fact that channel 4 is so compressed! Saturation is one thing, but if I wanted to compress it, I'd use a compressor. Channel 3 (if you tweak it) can sound amazing... almost Neil Young overdrives. Playing open chords into it with a neck pickup is mind-blowing.

The only other rack-mount preamps I've tried are the Tri-axis (great sound, hefty price tag, tough to get a PERSONAL sound out of it) and the Formula (which IMHO kinda bites if you'll excuse the double meaning). I'd love to try the Soldanos, the Groove Tubes preamp, and that CAE stuff everybody's so crazy about. Why did I choose the Carvin? Four words: Bang For The Buck.

I wish it had separate EQ's for channel 2 and 3. And maybe a straight 4db boost that was footswitchable. (I'm thinking not having to dedicate the graphic EQ for this purpose) This would also make it a bit easier to switch from humbucker to split coil sounds without having to go back to the rack and turn up.

If I had to, I'd make music with whatever gear I had. This however, helps me to get some sounds that I couldn't get before. I think that there are Lots of things on the market that can do this better than the Carvin. However, you're not going to be able to buy them for a couple hundred bucks.

Value wise, I don't think that you can really beat this. Maybe if money were not an object, I would pick something else.

Gibson Les Paul XPL/Ibanez Talman-->Carvin Quad-->MosValve-->ADA Split cab 2x12.

The clean Channel 1 sounds very nice, though a tad boxy and bright. Channel 2 is useful for a warmer, jazzier clean sound.
90% of the time I play with a 'just-on-the-verge-of-breaking-up' crunch and Channel 3 really disappointed me. The distortion just sounds mushy and flabby to me. If I play around with the EQ and bright switch, it's passable - but it ain't no Fender.
Channel 4 is great for sucked mids Boogie style metal but I find the channel too extreme.
Overall I prefer single coils to humbuckers through this rig.
Now I use it primarily for direct recording, which sounds very good.

Bought new from Carvin in 1994. Feature laden, 4 channels (2 clean, 1 overdrive, 1 lead), reverb, 6 band EQ, XLR and 1/4' outputs, headphones, master effects loop + one loop for each channel, speaker simulation, bright switch and boost, phew!

This thing is a horse. I gigged and recorded extensively with it and never a problem.

I tried running it into the power input of my Fender Deville and it sounded better than my rack rig, but it was prone to feedback. Overall the extreme textures are excellent (great clean, good lead), but for me it's lacking in the in-between settings.

Channel 1 is a sweet clean channel suitable for jazz or blues. Channel 2 is more of the same but has a Cloaking filter that will subdue your bass notes - I use this channel with a Boss AC-2 acoustic simulator for a really nice bright sound - the cloaking filter keeps the sound from becoming too boomy. Channel 3 is a slightly overdriven distortion that also has a cloaking filter to keep the bass notes down and helps tame the feedback when I run it through a Digitech GSP-5. Channel 4 is an awesome wall of tube distortion that I haven't heard from any other amp - great for heavy rock or metal. Channels 1 and four don't have the cloaking filter so any additional effect I use are done with channels 2 and 3.

4 channels of screaming sound - 2 clean channels and 2 overdrive/distortion channels. I never knew what I was missing until I used the array of tubes in this thing. I bought the non-midi footswitch with this that lets you select between any of the four channels and then there are on/off switches for EQ, Reverb, and External Master Effects loop.

I bought it used through the mail so it's been through the shipping department at least twice. I've had it for about 6 months and have had no problems with it at all. Obviously the person I bought it from didn't seem to suffer from problems either since it was in pristine condition when I got it.

Carvin is really good to deal with. They have a number of manuals available on-line in PDF format - including for the Quad-X amp. They have replied to most of my various question via e-mail.

I run a cheap, solid body Lotus Les Paul imitation into this amp and have a number of effects that I use on the amp's effects loop - A digitech GSP-5 is in the master effects loop, and a Boss AC-2 on channel 2's effects loop. The output goes into a Carvin CX-1272 powered mixer into 2 1584 speaker cabs. This setup gives me plenty of versatility for styles from jazz to metal. Carvin no longer makes this pre-amp (which is a shame) and I was happy to see them trading on eBay for about the same price as they were new (~$400-$500) or less. If you're looking for a tube pre-amp, this is the one to get. If mine were lost or stolen I would cry, then I would run out and buy another one right away.

I use Carvin guitars and have used this for clean to bluesy to ripp your face of gain. My primary style is rock/metal/progressive. My rock style covers every thing from blues to R&B to funk to straight ahead rock. The pre-amp has a noise gate built in to it, and it works very well. with-out the noise gate the (4th channel) sustain channel is a little noisy but remember there is mondo staiges of gain going there (11 staiges I believe for the 4th channel). The clean channel stays just that, crystal clean. the only way it will start to very little break up is if you push in the boost switch (I really never use the boost switch there is alot of gain with out it,... but I have for fun). This pre-amp will cover it all very good. Like I said clean is crystal clean, crunch is like an old tube amp pushed full tilt where you get that nice crunch, almost like an old fender pushed to hard. And the 4th channel (my favorite) is huge fat gain baby yea!!!!

This is a 4 channel Tube pre-amp with 9 tubes and 18 stages of gain. This pre-amp is very versatile. Channel 1 is clean, channel two is also clean, channel 3 is crunch, and channel 4 is sustain (I mean massive). There is also a bright switch and a boost switch which can give the clean channels just a tad of breakup and channel 3 becomes more mean and then 4 is just almost rediculous, but it is there if you want it. There is an effects loop each channel plus a master stereo effects loops and then the reverb channel can also link in for another stereo effects loop. The amount then can be controled if desired byt the reverbe volume know (patching into the reverbs stereo loop bypasses reverb). OH! and then for direct there is the cabnet voiced line out. This is probablt the best cabnet simulator out there, atleast that I have heard and I have heard a few. When I have been in the studio, engineers and producers have just flipped at how good that cabnet simulator works. I use the Carvin tube-100 power amp to power this baby. The tone of this thing is just awsome, fat, three dimentional, huge organically thick tube tone.

I have had this amp since oh I believe 1992 and it has been through lots of live gigs, recording sessions and rehersals and still is rockin. I even had my 10 space rack fall off the back of my hatch-back while unloading and hey everything still worked great. great for everything from blues to rock to funk to metal, oh and as a dirrect recording pre-amp TOP NOTCH,.... (although I still like to mike cause of the way the speakers come into play with the sound). great pre-amp.

Great customer support.

I am 34 now and have been playing since I was 12. I have 5 Carvin guitars and also a X-60 tube head, and combo, sx-15 pre-amp. Snarling Dogs Super whino wah and mold spore wah, DigiTech TSR-24S, voo doo labs Micro Vibe. Digital Music Corp. foot controler. Carvin does not make this pre-amp anymore but you can get em on ebay every once in awhile so if ya see one get it. I think I am going to get another just to have,.... hehehehe.

I'm mostly writing this review to make a note about the midi feature of this unit, that no one clearly mentioned before I bought one, in general this is a very easy to use preamp with straight ahead controls most all of us are used to. very good layout, alot of control w/ very little searching or other confusion.
and now for my rant- if your looking to buy this unit because it has "midi control" then don't, for all practical purposes it doesn't.
the midi control is one of the reasons I wanted to get one, good thing I liked it so much or I wouldn't have kept it. you will have to buy a midi octopuss/mitigator or other midi/relay device to run this in a practical way thru midi. the factory "midi control" is only channel switching(not verb, EQ, graphic, efx) and the channel switching control is worthless in that it sets up a scheme where you have to write a particular chan to a particular patch # which will drive you crazy until you give up on it. so be aware.
THIS IS A GREAT PREAMP BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE USABLE MIDI CONTROL!
look to the bottom for a solution

I use several different gtrs, mostly a couple new godins but a few vintage pieces as well, the boost feature is great w/ low output instruments. the unit is very quiet with typical noise at hi gain settings(the built in gate is pretty good as these things go)
I've tried pretty much everything except a few of the more esoteric or rediculously expensive preamps and I'm using the quad. clean sounds are important to me and this unit delivers tube character cleanly-MOST DON'T!. the quad sustains better than most and I think is one of the best "all around" units and also has its own character. I wanted to only have one preamp in my rack and this is the one that for me pulls it off, if I could afford the rack space, I would add a couple pre's, the quad doesn't cover everything perfectly but it covers ALOT of sonic ground, delivers great clean sounds and also can have a unique sound. it has been mentioned by others that trying different tubes and even having a tech go in and modify is an option and is worthwhile.

I gig w/o a backup and it seems built like a tank- no probs

I've heard they're great to deal with

I play pretty diverse music and use piezo pickups, midi gtr and lots of wierdness, I use a roland GP16(analog side only) in front of the quad and between the 2 I can replicate most gtr sounds and have a huge pallette of my own to draw from, over the last year I've bought most of the preamps out there to try and this is the one I'm using, is it perfect? no, but its damn good, I especially like its sustaining quality, and it sounds real, amp modelling just doesn;t make it live and all the preamps w/ millions of efx(can you say digitech) generally suck large, I brought home a 2120 and my wife walks into the room where I'm playing and tells me I sound like I'm playing in a tin can, I couldn't argue, it did. the quad sounds like an amp, the boogie pre's and a few others have this "presence" many don't.

and to solve the midi thing you can open up the footswitch out, make a loop box and interface it with a midi octopuss giving you total control of all switchable parameters in any midi patch

I really like this preamp but keep in mind when buying the advertised "midi control" is totally out of control

I usally play my "strat" type guitar that I built myself, its a typical strat configuration except I used two oposing single coils at the bridge and can cut one out and can also pull the bridge pickup in with the neck pickup. The Quad-X suits my musical styles fine and i am now running it through a 2X12 bottom as the half stack was just too much for what I needed. As far as noise, the Quad-X comes with an adjustable noise gate that works quite well so when your not playing you dont hear a sound out of amp as long as you have a quiet power amp, I'm using a CARVIN Tube-100 with mine (great power amp). As stated you can get just about any sound you want out of this amp and all the controls are very straight forward, and if you MIDI it with a processor you'll spend the whole evening just on one channel trying to get twenty more sound out of it. One thing I noticed after I had the amp for a while and played through some of my budies amps, the Quad-Xs tone controls work almost too good. The bass, mid and treble controls seem to produce much more gain for their frequencies than a standard tube amp. I had to back off on all of mine. I've really never gotten either of the clean channels to distort unless you crank the individual channel volume almost all the way up, but then you'll have to turn down the master volume to get them leveled with the other channels. To me the third/crunch channel get a little too saturated at full guitar volume, but it does clean up nicely when you roll the volume off on your guitar. The fourth channel can go all the way from bluesy to almost death metal (if you pull the mid range controll down), it's plently of saturation for me (4 - 12AX7s cascaded) but it might not be for you metal heads.

I purchased this amp new from CARVIN in 1992 (I think). I think the Quad-X is extremely versatile for the money because of the four independant channels (though channels 2&3 share the same 12AX7s) and for the MIDI capability. CARVIN was really smart when they engineered this amp, you can switch through all the channels, EQ, Reverb and main effects loop via their own propriatory footswitch or you can user ANY standard MIDI controller to switch through the channels. You can do just about anything with this tube preamp that utilizes nine (9) 12AXT tubes and can be run mono, stereo into a power amp or you can use the cabinet voice "button" for your headphones or to plug directly into your mixer. It has a master effects loop that is switchable, an effects loop for each channel (non switchable), switchable reverb, and EQ. When you utilize either of the foot controllers the Quad-X remembers if you have the master effects loop, EQ and reverb in or out as you switch through the channels. When you MIDI the Quad-X with a good stereo processor (I have a Digitech Studio-Quad hooked to mine) the sounds and presets are unlimited. The first and fourth channels have Bass, Mid, and Treble controls (the fourth also has a gain Control) and the second and third channels have Bass and Treble controls with the third channel also having a gain control. In essance, the first channel gives you that bright punchy clean sound, the second a clean "Fenderish" sound, the third channels is your Mesa/Fender Crunch sound and the fourth channel gives you the full saturated Marshal/Mesa sound. As stated by others on this forum, the second and third channels though useful when cranked lack something I haven't figured out yet. I am in the process of trying some different preamp tubes, like a 12AU7 or something to get a warmer sound on the second channel and a fuller, more Mesa sound on the third/crunch channel.

I used this amp to gig out for about three years, just about every week and had no problems until it fell off my half stack with the front off the SKB case it was in. It actually worked for almost a year after that until two of the pots that hit first finally fell apart. Of course this was NOT CARINS fault.

The only time this pre-amp failed was about a year after it fell off my half stack face first. I had it in an SKB case with my Digitech Studio Quad and the CARVIN Tube-100 power amp which I think probably weighs 30+ pounds. I sent it to CARVIN and ...............

......they repaired it for about $135, however when I got it back it didn't work at all, I called CARVIN they had no idea why it wouldn't work as they rigorously bench test this stuff before it gets shipped back. I got the amp back in about a week and its worked fine ever since, Ive never even had to replace a tube yet. I also own a CARVIN Belair 2x12 a couple of mics and other stuff and the only other CARVIN product I had to have repaired was a mic after I let this kid use it for his DJ stuff. Sent the mic to carvin (out of warranty) and they sent me a new one free.

I've been playing guitar and bass since 1970. My other two amps are a old vintage Gibson Hawk, and a CARVIN Belaire (I bought it used off of E-bay) If any of my CARVIN stuff were stolen I would either replace it with CARVIN equipment, unless I had more money to blow then I might get a Revira or Mesa. I compaired it mainly to the Mesa however IMHO the four channel Mesa preamp is grossly overpriced for its sound. (just my opinion) I mainly chose it for the versatility and the MIDI interface. I love the versitility of the Quad-X but I hope to change the sound charectoristics of the second and third channels, then it would be almost perfect.

If you want to try one (they don't make them anymore, unfortunately) you can probably pick one up on E-bay for under $300.

Very easy to use. Very similar to any guitar preamp, but with four selectable channels to choose from. The FS-77 footswitch makes everything very easy, because you can select channels, turn reverb and effects loops on and off, and turn the Graphic EQ on and off from the floor. One criticism: all the effects loops are "instrument level" with no send or return level controls. So matching signal levels (using only the effect) can get a little tedious on initial setups.

Four channels of tube-preamp heaven ! 9 12AX7s total !
Channel 1: Crystal Clean, Fenderish.
Channel 2: Warmer clean, like other vintage tube amps.
Channel 3: Mild distortion (they call "crunch") that is similar to a wide-open Marshall before they had overdrives. I use the graphic EQ with this channel alot to brighten it a little.
Channel 4: Thicker tube saturated distortion. Much more gain than I ever need. You get to "White Cliffs of Dover", with the drive at about "4". It just gets thicker and fuzzier from there on up !

Just about every sound, distortion and shade on the color pallette is there. The tone controls are active, so small tweaks can make a significant difference. When I first turned it on, I though: "Gee this doesn't sound very warm at all !" Then I realized that I had chosen "normal guitar amp tone knob settings", like treble at 10. With the Active tone knobs you need to start at "5" and make slight tweaks from there. Once i figured that out it sounded heavenly ! The on-board reverb is exceptionally clear, crisp and transparent. Much better than most guitar reverbs. I send the output of the Quad-X directly to the Power Amp In of my Carvin X-100 amplifier. As a bonus, I send the master effects loop through the preamp section of the X-100, so I actually have Six selectable tube Channels available. I tried out the POD and the Yamaha digital modeling amps, and they JUST DON'T give the pick-attack dynamics like a real tube amp. So that renewed my incentive to find one of these.

Looks very sturdy. But it is a tube amp. This one has now been shipped cross the country at least twice and still has the original tubes. The knobs have that "super viscous yet silky smooth" feel that I love on high-quality electronic equipment. I use it with a Carvin X-100 amp from 1979. All Carvin equipment is extremely rugged.

Good customer support, in general, but none with this unit since I bought it used. They still publish the Manual at their website.

Without a doubt, this is the best value in a tube preamp. If you can find one, grab it. Those who own them generally just don't let them go. I can't understand why Carvin discontinued it. I feel lucky to have found one in excellent condition used, with footswitch, all for only $250 + shipping.

This is easy as can be. Four channels: the first clean with a 3-band EQ, a second clean and a 'crunch' distortion sharing a 2-band EQ, and a fourth 'sustain' distortion with a 3-band EQ. Reverb and noise-gate knobs, several effects loops, but they're pretty easy to figure out. SOme buttons.

Mine's been modified a bit. At first, the second and third channels were a disappointment, but I substituted the circuit from a Matchless Hotbox tube preamp pedal, and now it produces Matchless Hotbox tones...a definite improvement. I also had a tech rerout the reverb and the distortion channels so now the reverb is all-tube, and the distortion is now less-extraneous in tube-usage...using 9 12AX7s for a moderate distortion wasn't making very efficient use to the tubes. The sustain channel is where it's at, though it's not a true square-wave as the footswitch advertises, therefore it doesn't sustain quite like a perfect square-wave should. But it sounds great for blues and rock...a sweet heat you won't find in other preamps. The first channel is warm and thick for a clean...perfect. The middle two sucked until I modded, as did the reverb.

Good studio or live effect. If I used lots of pedals, the looping-options would make it perfect for life stage use, providing up to 8 distinct effects paths, depending on channel-loop and master-loop combination. I use it for recording with an RP-20 processor, Godin Strat, and into the power amp of a Matchless SC30 combo. Sweet sounds. I also A/B it into the combo's actual input, so to get both the amp's preamp and the Carvin preamp in there. Best sound there is.

It's easy to get a good sound out of it but, it takes a few minutes per channel to get a great sound. It's all knobs and a few buttons (looks kind of like a Mesa Boogie Mark IV) so it's simple to use. The manual is only needed for MIDI implementation. Press the Cabinet Voicing switch, connect it to the mixer and BOOM!! instant miked speaker tone to tape. You just can't get easier than that.

I use PRS, Carvin, & Heartfield guitars. There is a Digitech GSP21 in the master effects loop (the day I got the Quad I hooked up the MIDI switching so I could use the Digitech footcontroller to change channels). It's run through a Carvin FET 450 power amp stereo into 2 Carvin 2x12s. The noise gate is fabulous (the best setting for it is 4). Channel 1 is a great bright clean sound. I set up channel 3 for optimal sound and use the 5-band EQ to get a useable crunch sound (channel 2 shares the same bass and treble controls as channel 3) then go back to channel 2 and just bypass the 5-band EQ and have voilla...a great warm clean. As I mentioned earlier channel 3 is just useable, I think it could use a little more gain and dynamics. Now channel 4...Liquid Singing Soaring Tone!! Spend 5 minutes with the bass, mid, and treble (don't use the 5-band EQ) and you'll have an excellent airy & dynamic sound. I personally have the effects loop on at all times and utilize the GSP21's EQs and effects to have literally 50 different sounds using the Carvin Quad as the fundamental tone generator. CABINET VOICING rules the universe (Awesome direct recording sound). Remember something though fellow guitarists: 80% of your tone comes from your fretboard fingers and your picking hand. If you sound good with a basic combo, you sound good with anything.

It's never given me a problem other than a microphonic tube but, that's a tube problem not a preamp problem.

Half the salesman know all the answers to any questions you might have, the other half...just hang up, call again and get someone else to help you. They're good with service though, just call them and let them know what's coming and what you need them to do for you. The only downside is that there's only one location for service and support, California (i'm in NY).

I play all musical styles and the Carvin preamp is really a versitile animal. Just the crunch channel could be improved everything else is a 10. I've been playing 10 years and I also have a Fender Deluxe 85 which I use for crunch when recording. If it were stolen or lost I'd buy a used Mesa Boogie Triaxis simply because it's the best and has no channel 3 compromise but, it is $1,400 so that would be finances permitting. I compared the Triaxis and Marshall JMP-1 before I bought the Carvin. The Carvin sounds better than the JMP-1 but not the Triaxis (hmm lets see $569 vs. $1,400). Overall it's great especially as a studio preamp. The cabinet voicing switch is the best direct recording sound I've ever heard. Now if you have it setup the way I have it, it's also awesome on stage because with 50 sounds...you rule. Buy one if you find one 'cause there's nothing in it's price range that can compare.

I use a Tom Anderson Drop Top with the Carvin for Direct Recording purposes only. It is great for all styles of music from jazz to meatal. A great home studio pre-amp.

4 Chanels all tube pre amp with reverb and noise gate plus 6 effects loops. Speaker Emulator, graphic EQ

The internal reverb just stoped working on day... But I have a Lexicon unit going through the Master effects Loop so it has not bothered me. It was a great sounding reverb though... I bought the unit used.... It also runs on 9 12 ax7's

They are great at Carvin. I bought the unit used for $250.00 with the pedal board and I wanted a manual. So I called Carvin and the Fed-Exed it to me the next day at no charge....

It is great for "Late Night" recordings in apartments where you can not crank up your amp at all hours of the Night... I never used the unit unit with a Power amp because that is way too much stuff to take out to a gig. I just bring my combo amp out... The sounds on this unit KILL the LINE 6 POD (direct guitar recording system) A friend of mine picked up a Carvin Quad X pre-amp at Sam Ash for $150.00 used... If you find a deal like this do not pass it up, you can not even by a distortion pedal for that price. Carvin is not producing this unit anymore... TRY ONE OUT TODAY.....

Very easy to use! Just plug in and play. I have never found a use for the effects loops (which I think are a bit more complex and unneccesary than they need to be). And I absolutly hate the MIDI set-up on this amp. But if you just plan to run it straight into a processer and power amp or directly into the mix, you'll find it to be pretty simple to operate. I felt at home with the Quad X in minutes.

The clean tones are really nice on this amp and a BOSS compression pedal can help to smooth and balance them out to utter perfection! Never found much use for the second channel (Clean 2). Channel 3 can render some real sweet tones, but I had to do a lot of tweaking and use the BOSS Compresser again to get the sound that suits me. And Channel 4, the "Lead" channel is good for what you pay, but certainly not comparable to a Marshall JCM series or a Boogie like the Carvin catalog boasts... at least in my opinion. It's quiet at high gain levels, but the "lead" channel just lacked the "tightness" I was looking for.

I've owned it for over two years now and I havn't had any problems and I don't think I ever will.

The only time I was ever in contact with "Carvin" was when I ordered the Quad X over the phone. The person In talked to was very considerate and easy to deal with. For some reason manufacturers can be a real pain to deal with. Such was not the case with Carvin.

I wasn't terribly disapointed, but I wish I had tried it out before I bought it. I wish the overdrive was a bit more smooth and "singing". I honestly felt the "Lead" channel is pretty limited. It didn't inspire me like some amps do. Yet the "Clean" channels can more than make up for the bad Overdrive ( "Bad" as far as my tastes go). Like I said before, use a BOSS Compressor on channels 1-3 and it'll sound like a dream. In fact, it's the clean tones on this amp that sell me and ti why I still have it today. Overall this is a pretty good pre amp. If you like the sound, this would be great buy since it's easy to use in a studio or Live setting ( as long as you don't need to use MIDI). But seeing as how Carvin only sells their gear Factory Direct, you'll have a hard time finding out what kind of sounds you'll get from this amp before you buy it.

Very easy to use...plug in, run a line out to your power amp, select a channel, and play! The footswitch is very nice...a seperate button for each channel, a button for reverb, a button for each channel's effects loop, and a button to patch in the graphic 5-band EQ. I bought mine used, so I didn't get a manual. With 4 channels and 5 effects loops, its perfect for even large venue gigs and concerts (providing your processor has a pedalboard of its own)

This is my second Carvin Quad X-amp. My first one got ripped off at a gig (a church gig, no less!!!!) and I just bought another...I think that speaks for itself. Once you've replaced the tubes (12AX7s, or I use 5 12AX7s and 4 12AT7s) your sound will be supperb. I'm looking for the perfect tube power-amp to compliment it, but right now its going through a solid-state power amp into a Marshall Vintage 4-12 cab. Very good sound! Originally when I first bought it I didn't have the power amp (was just getting out of combo amps) I ran the headphone jack out to the speackers...worked, but VERY noisy.

My first had big problems, but it was also bought used. The first one had some problems. The cloaking cut out at about 6, the reverb was very weak, the noise gate was very anal retentive (either it was all the way off, or it left no room for sustaining fade-outs), and channel 3 sometimes wouldn't distort (about 50% of the time). The only problem with my new one is that the noise-gate is still touchy...I might have it modified.

They're bitches. Not only did they never respond (true, I only sent email, too lazy to call), but I've also been requesting a catalog from them for over 4 months, ad they've never gotten around to sending one.

I play blues and Pink Floyd-type stuff (some metal solos) and this is a good amp. Not much more to say than that. Channel 4 is good for blues with the overdrive set at about 2, once the amp's been retubed, but its an all-purpose amp, really good for most things, not perfect for anything. I play with a Fender Strat and a custom basswood ESP-M2 (both with EMG pickups), an ARY Pro VLA tube compressor before the preamp, an ART SGX2000 Express looped on Channels 2 and 4, and a MESA V-Twin looped on channel 1. Having a tube power-amp is the only way to really get the most from this preamp (a nice compressor before the amp also helps). The number of channels and effects loops, and the ease switching them, makes this a very ideal stage preamp amp. Channel 4 with lots of overdrive makes the perfect compliment to a wah pedal. I bought it twice, and would buy it again. This has been called the guitar industry's best kept secret, and I agree. I just with they were still in production! (hard to find them used)

Very easy to use. Right out of the box I was able to get the sounds I was looking for. Its set up like any "regular" amp but with 4 channels instead of 1 or 2. The manual is simple and stright forward. Mine was made in 12/92 and is midi-capable; there are other units which are not midi-equiped. (midi is only used to switch channels)

Since I bought mine used, I cant fault the unit for the litle bit of noise that I get on channel 4 (after 11 stages of gain!). A tube change to a high quality 12ax7 is on order. The real problem I have with noise is the reverb. On or off; knob on 1 or 10 the reverb hums VERY bad. When I put a patch cable from ext. rev. send to ext. rev. rtn. the noise vanished. Channel 1 is the "classic clean" channel. I looped an ART Levelar (tube compressor) in and its the fullest, cleanest clean I have ever had....beautiful. Channel 2 is the "warm clean" channel. Since I was so happy with channel 1, I looped a Chandler Tube Driver into ch 2. Now I have this perfect, just breaking up "Fender" type sound. Of course the overdrive is fully adjustable so I go from just a little OD to a Killer bluesy tone. Channel 3 is the "crunch" channel. It does just that. A knob for over drive dials in just the right amount drive. Had to loop in a micro parametric EQ to get rid of some nasty freq's in the 100Hz area. (The "Cloak" wouldnt do it.) Channel 4 is the "sustain" channel. I dont have anything looped into ch 4. This channel kills all by its self. It uses 11 stages of 12ax7 gain and is never past 7-8. Having been mixed by top name soundmen to bartenders, I use the on-board graphic as a solo boost. Pretty much a flat line about 6dB above 0. I'm ALWAYS heard at solo time. The Quad has 2 f/x loops. The serial marked "master" and the parallel is marked "external reverb". (This is in addition to an f/x loop for EACH chanel). I put pretty much everything through the parallel loop to keep most of the sound dry.

This unit is really quite simple. Thus, reliable. Ive only used it for a short time, but never a problem. It is the heart (brain?) of my rig. It has a stereo AND a mono output. The stereo side goes to a Carvin Tube 100 power amp, and the mono output goes to the f/x return on my Carvin Bel-Air 2x12. The Bel-Air I guess is the back-up. In my experience, all Carvin gear is very reliable.

I have talked with Carvin a few times and they're always helpful and friendly. It seems that most of the people I've talked with were owners too. I bought this amp used and without the footswitch. The FS-77 is the only way to change anything on the amp, unless you have a third arm free while youre playing. I thought I could build the footswitch my self so I asked them to fax me the wiring diagram... no problem! (although building the footswitch is cost-prohibitive!)

This is the pre-amp I would have designed if I had the ability. Its so well thought out and made! The tones are rich, full, tubey, killer. It is VERY much like owning a Fender, Marshall, and Boogie...REALLY. I compared it to the boogie Tri-axis and it is so much easier to use! The difference in sound was negligable...especially when you factor in the price. I wish it had the reverb from the Bel-air, but theres no way it would fit (2 rack spaces). Also, if the graphic and the main loops were midi accessable, I would probably go with a midi controller, but its fine without. I think Carvin discontinued it so buy asap.

Upom plugging my guitar into the Carvin I was nailing out Steve Vai like tones in minutes. The tones on the sustain channel were HHHUUUGGGEEEE...and further enhanced by the 5-band graphic EQ at the end. I would recommend this to anyone who suffers from wimpy-tone, crap distortion, flat lead sounds. The manual was extremely comprehensive and easy to understand. The Quad-X boast lots of useful features like 4-channels (2-clean and 2-distorted), 5-band graphic EQ (assignable to any channel, programmable accutronics reverb, 6 FX loops, 9-tubes, midi compatable, boost and bright switches, studio quality noise gate, stereo outputs, miked cabinet emulator (for recording)......And what's even better: IT LOOKS COOL!

The distortion is amazing....you can get literally thousands of different sounds out of just one channel.....bearing in mind there are two distortion channels. My favourite has got to be the sustain channel...it shreds!. Even with the gain on full the amp remained noise free due to the noise gate which can be switched on and off....to be honest, I had a LOT of trouble trying to get a bad sound out of it....they're all cool

Reliable?...well, it hasn't let me down yet and I've used it on gigs all over the country....I just go straight into the carvin with a Midiverb in the master FX loop into a Marshall power amp....hasn't let me down yet.

I haven't needed to get it repaired yet but it does come with 18 month warranty and a check list in the manual for dealing with tube problems....I have dealt with the Carvin corporation and they were very helpful.....I ordered my carvin from The showroom in Esconsido CA and they had it delivered to my hotel in SF within 24 hours...not bad huh? (of course I had to pay for it!)

Well, what can I say? I love my Carvin.....I would buy it again given the choice...if you're thinking of getting one,,,,do it! THEY RULE!!!!