Carvin Series III amp

This is a Carvin head from approx. 1982. It is very similar to the following X-Amps, easily identified by "series III" on the rear panel. It has three 12AX7's and four '6L6s. It has the usual X-amp features, with two channels, greffects loop, line out, 4 and 8 Ohm drive, and four band parametric EQ assignable to either channel. Unlike later X100Bs, the amp has adjustable bias. You can host most of you 8-pin output tubes here, including EL84, E84L, and KT77. Rectification is solid-state with a sag resistor. It sound warm while preserving some attack. Transformers and construction are solid.

The stock amp's clean channel has 100W of clean output. It feels like infinite headroom. I can't get it to start to crunch with normal vintage pick-ups. It's warm and nice. The old Hammond reverb is better than Fender, but not as rich and complex as a Mesa. There is very little noise. It's chicken picken' pedal steel heaven. The overdrive sounds like a cheap pedal. It still doesn't overdrive the power amp well. You can get around this with the effects loop, even using the clean channel (recommended). Boosting gain here gets the output stage breathing hard, and it starts to sound like the 100W monster it is. The amp is without flaw as a power amp if you can drive it hard enough.

The amp is 25 years old! You're lucky nobody smoked it yet. Plan on a re-tube, socket re-tensioning, and replacement or cleaning of all the key pots and jacks (the EQ sliders seem to age well). Also, clean and re-tension the reverb connections. Then you have a fairly reliable tube amp.

The designers are probably dead, or at least ornery. Power section schematics are available at www.carvinmuseum.com, but you'll have to work from X-Amp schematics for the preamp, and tread carefully, or pay for schematics of questionable accuracy.

This amp is very cool. Imagine whipping out a huge head with an antique Carvin logo, and getting major tone. No one is going to call you a poser. Drop 60 pounds, grow your hair, get an attitude an nice shades, practice, practice, practice, and you can be Steve Vai. I bought about 5 Carvin X-Series amps, this one being the grandfather. I'm going to set it up for clean. I have a nice Tele with Kinman Broadcasters that will enjoy it. I'll make the drive channel crunch. You can stick whatever you want in front of it, and get 100W of clean/crunch. Nobody's going to consider it vintage, so you can take a soldering iron to it without fear. What do you want for $350?