Carvin SX-100

Two channels each with discrete eq. Both channels can operate clean (this is the old model). Eq: Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence. Channel A has Overdrive and a low cut switch. Reverb. 100 watts and 1 12" Carvin BR12 speaker.

The clean channel (Channel B or Channel A with overdrive switched off) has nice warmth and seems to go full volume without distorting. The gain channel feeds back nicely, but has a flabby low end and seems to lack the smoothness that I like in my X100B. Even in clean mode, while by itself it sounds good, seems to not be very accepting to outboard preamps -- it just can not handle low end well (ends up sounding farty). Also, not a particularly loud amp for 100 watts, but loud enough for most situations. Still, it sounds better than almost anything by Peavey or Crate -- not as good as the Peavey Classic Series, but blows away the Crate Blue Voodoo.

I have owned this amp for ten years, used it for gigs, rehearsals, let it roll around my trunk in 100 degree weather, stepped on it, dropped it and so on -- it is still in brand new condition and has never failed.

I have bought several Carvin products. My X100B head smoked the preamp three months after I bought it and Carvin took care of me without any trouble. Also, was once shorted a pickup in a parts order and they fed-xed it to me. Always have been professional and helpful when I needed them.

Overall, this amp does not have the balls of the X100B, the Valve Master, or the MTS (have yet to hear the vintage series). The low end, by comparison, is weak. For the price point, I'd probably go for a Peavey Classic 30 or a Sovtek MIG-50. Maybe Carvin could design some more compact, single channel 112 tube or hybrid combos that are perhaps less versatile and keep the same basic price point; I'd rather have an amp with one great sound than 100 average sounds.

Lightweight, but sturdy, 100W combo with 2 independent channels. Dual footswitch for channel/effects is extra, but worth it. (Although it needs rubber feet on the bottom to prevent stage slippage.) Amp has a headphone jack, but it doesn't bypass the speaker. (Thankfully, the 12" speaker has a 1/4 plug.) Open back cabinet is well built. All rear panel jacks are clustered together, so you can't just lean over and "feel" your way around when hooking up headphones, effects loop, etc.

I was looking for 2 clean channels (rhythm/lead) for use with my digital effects unit. Although Carvin's catalog says both A&B channels can be used clean, the A channel overdrive must be set higher than zero to get any sound, producing a slight amount of distortion. The B channel is very clean at high volumes. (For the record, I think this amp produces a nice solid, rich distortion, unlike most solid state amps. Its not extreme or saturated, Boogie or Laney are capable of, but it'll do for pop/country/blues. As others have said, the effects produces an annoying shhhh. (Carvin should have included a noise gate in their DSP algorithyms.) Chorus/reverb combo settings are fair, but the background noise is too much for me.

I've only owned it a month, but I trust it without a backup. I've abandoned my tube amps because of reliability (and weight). Other experience with Carvin products has been good.

My requirements were: lightweight, 50W or more, 2 clean channels Carvin met the first 2, but didn't completely deliver on the 3rd. So far, I'm coping with it. Drawbacks: effects background noise,lack of a master volume

The SX-100 has 2 channels (one clean, one fuzz), each with separate 4-band EQ and master volume. The channels share a reverb/ chorus/ flanger/ delay module. Channel switching and reverb on/off is via a footswitch that Carvin sells separately ($30, I think). The amp has an effects loop and a headphones jack. 1-12" 'British' speaker.

I bought this amp as a downsize for a rack setup I got sick of lugging around. I'm still kinda spoiled in terms of sound flexibility (nothing like a Boogie preamp for generating sounds!) but I'm finding the Carvin pretty versatile -- I managed to dial up a really nice jazz sound, which kind of surprised me (it's hard to get warm jazz tones out of a transistor amp!!!), and several decent rock tones. The distortion is (despite grandiose claims from Carvin) pedestrian. (Go get an MXR.) The digital effects module generates a nice reverb (though it's got quite a bit of hiss at low volumes), but the chorus and flange are less than superb. (Waddya expect from an on-board amp unit! Go buy some pedals...) One other thing worth noting: The SX is quite punchy -- even at low volumes, it picks up the guitar's signal almost too well. The minus for this is it's a bit tough to play with subtlety at low volumes; the plus is that while playing with clean sounds each string resonates with equal (and excellent) intensity. The clean channel stays clean at loud volumes (take that, tube amps!).

I just got my SX-100, but I'm sure it's gonna be a workhorse. I'm really happy to have a transistor amp again -- no more worries about tubes blowing out in the middle of a gig! Carvin makes solid equipment.

Carvin has some very friendly/knowledgeable salesmen, and they have a few jerks too. By and large I find dealing with them very pleasant -- their stuff is well-made, and they stand behind it. (I have a Carvin guitar, and had a Carvin power amp too.)

It's hard to find good transistor amps for less than $1000. The SX-100 goes for half that, and is a damn good value; it's fairly versatile, generates warm tones without trying too hard to be a tube amp, and is really well-constructed. Well worth the money, if you don't need (and don't want to lug around) a mega-loud stack.

This is a very good amp for rock/metal stuff. It has 2 channels, footswitch (optional), effects loop, headphone jack, presence, reverb, 100wats. One thing I wish it has is pre/post volume control. It only has a single volume for each channel.

It's got an excellent clean channel that's not like fender's gutless woman tone, but it's so much better than most cold sounding solid state amps. It's the kinda room temperature I enjoy. This beast is got a ton of distortion - pretty nice, thick distortion, I can pretty much throw my distortion pedal away now. This amp is probably not very good for blue, jazz stuff, if you want a real "warm" sound. I mostly play metal/rock stuff, so this one is perfect for me.

Dunno, it's got a one year warranty

For the low price, it's got a lot of bang for the buck I believe. It's got one of the best clean channel I've heard, and one of the best distortion for my money. I belive it's one of the best amp you can get in the $300-500 range.