Carvin TN100 Tone Navigator Preamp

Mine was made in about 2004, but had a software upgrade in early 2006. At this price point, it's hard to imagine getting more versatility in a pre-amp. Effects loop, cabinet-outs, tone controls (6 of them total!) 4 "voices", 100 programmable pre-sets, 4 effects - 2 at a time, all work well, and produce huge variety of sounds and effects.
I have a couple of gripes: 1) The "clean 2" channel is not voiced effectively and does not have enough gain to effect a bluesy breakup that might be pleasing. 2) One of the effects, I think the reverb, should be able to be set outside of the maze of internal effects, allowing 3 effects at a time. 3) Each effect should have individual level settings. 4) Many of the settings have +32 to -32 ranges, despite covering maybe a 20 dB range. Plus or minus 12 or 15 is probably more appropriate. (But I'm nitpicking!)
This unit is best used with a simple midi-switch like the midi-mouse. The simple Carvin switch doesn't cut it.

I have about 15 electric guitars, strats, LPs, a vintage 1963 ES-345, Parker Fly Mojo, 3 Godins, DeArmond Starfire, an Ovation, etc. Mostly I play clean and Bluesy stuff from the 60's and 70's. But, essentially, this is a tough subject- If you can't find things you like among the presets, - a common problem, I bet - here's what I advise:
Go through them "all", i.e., 1-49 or 50-99 and find a few that have something you like. For instance, I liked the chorus on the "Everlong" and "JC-120" and I thought a couple of settings were vaguely Fenderish or Marshallish in voice. Make some notes and start overwriting settings starting with 50, so you keep the originals in 1-49. Make 3 or 4 similar ones, like 50-53, to start. Set several with the voice and gain/volume/tone/sweeps you liked and start working with the tones and don't be afraid to swing that dial! Make "BIG" changes and play with it a LOT! Hold on to what you come up with for 50 and then set 51 the same. Then play with 51 for more gain, more effects, more mids, or whatever you want to tweak away from the basic setting. I have some great Fender Deluxe type sounds from low gain scooped "crunch" channel settings; I was eventually even able to get a really Tweed-like clean tone from "clean2" but you'd never guess the settings I ended up with. I had to use the tone sweep at 6K to get some "sparkle" and pegged the presence as well, but it works. It all works if you spend some time and are logical about it. (and keep a spreadsheet,- see reliability below.) Also, I always hook up a delay pedal, because many of the effects I like are chorus on chorus or phase on phase, etc. Spend time, your work will be rewarded.

This is where it all falls apart. I held off on writing this review- for a year,- just in case....
After about 100 hours in my clean living room hooked up to a QSC PA amp and a pair of EV SX-300s, this amp started to do strange things. At first, I could recover by re-booting it once, or twice.... But then it just crapped out and started throwing random settings out that had nothing to do with what was selected. I sent it back to Carvin, and they fixed it and upgraded the software for $195. Based on what I know now, this should have been a recall.
It has worked well since then, maybe 250 hours(?) but now it is starting to do it again. No way a non-gigging hobbyist should have such trouble. At least I know that if I send it back again, all my presets will be lost again, BUT, I wrote them down! My ancient Quad-X, my Roland Blues cube, my Traynor YCV20WR, nothing has given me so such trouble,- or any trouble!

Carvin is very helpful. They'll fix it, but it'll cost you, and if you live at a distance, it will take some time. I would have given them a 9 or even 10, but they did not tell me how common the problems were, and I think $195 was too much for a "fix" which is really a design flaw.

I've played for almost 40 years, but am no pro. I have had Gibson amps, Fenders, Traynors, Rolands, Voxes, Crates, and a Carvin Quad-X preamp as well.
I like this SS preamp a lot. Carvin should upgrade it and make it more reliable and re-introduce it, WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. It has too many good qualities to give up on.
I originally compared its features to the more expensive Marshall JMP-1 and Mesa Triax (both of which I played trough), and bought it for it's lower price, comparable features, and PRESUMED Solid State reliability! (And actually, there are really some noticeable similarities to the much more expensive JMP-1.)
You can really make it sound pretty much however you want if you spend some time. Many settings are indistinguishable from "tube-sound". It's really good in that respect.
Three of the voicings are super. You can get squeaky "Fender" clean from clean1, great crunch, broken-up Fender, and Marshall voice from from the Crunch channel, and all sorts of low to high gain stuff from the distortion channel, which can be slightly noisy, though no worse than most.
My suggestions: The "clean2" is vaguely tweed sounding, but that's of limited use since you can't get any breakup. This channel should be revoiced with something like a Blues Deluxe or Super Reverb in mind. The amp should have the reverb on the "front", and add tremelo to the internal effects. And do away with -32 to +32 settings, that's absurd. I think the internal effects are decent, but they could be better. If I were Carvin, I would not program 50-100 with repeats of 1-49. Instead I would have groups of 5. Call 50-55 "Blackface" and program them similarly to be like Fender Deluxes or Twins. Call 56-60 something else similar to Marshalls, etc. Call 61-65 "Quad-X Clean", and 66-70 "Quad-X Crunch". (The Quad-X has some super sounds.) This is more logical for reprogramming purposes, and most everyone will appreciate this. And also- volume equalize them all, including the ridiculously loud pre-programmed Gambale presets!
If this were stolen, I'd call Carvin and ask what I should expect in terms of reliability if I replaced it. I *think* they'd be honest. I'm not sure I'd replace it unless it was a Gambale II !!

Features? This thing is loaded with features, every tone you can think of can be obtained by this Pre-amp. Everything is mega tweekable ??? there is a button for; Pres, Treb, Mids (with two sweepables), bass (also a bass boost if ya need it), Gain, Distortion, Crunch, Clean 1 and Clean 2. A total Tone tweekers dream ??? but, its also very easy and straight forward. Just hit the button that you want to tweek and then turn the knob to the desired taste and BAM! Built in effects that are very clean but, also very simple straight-forward. It also has a stereo effects loop for those who want more sophisticated effects. Midi in/out/thru, and Built in Cab voiced line outs that totally Rock!

I have to say that the Tone Navigator is the most dynamic, and responsive amp/pre-amp I have ever played thru. And this is coming from a guy who used to be a tubes only guy. You know the type, TUBES = TONE period. Well, I have to say that the new Carvin SX series got me to re-think that, and then theTone Navigator totally changed my mind. This pre-amp is just absolutely amazing ??? every tone you can think of can be done by this pre-amp. The Tone is GREAT! and the feel? Well, like I said it is the most dynamic and responsive pre-amp or amp I have ever played thru. Turn down the volume knob on the guitar and the pre-amp cleans up beautifully. Pick attack, harmonics everything is there.
Check out the demo sample I recorded here:
http://www.km-guitarslinger.com/Sniffinthezone.wma
About the Demo:
" I recorded this with Guitar and Drums (no bass). The cleaner guitars and the Heavy Guitars are all from the same patch. I wanted to show how well the Tone Navigator cleans up when rolling back on the Guitars Volume knob. I just used the Guitars volume knob and backed it off and it cleans up very nicely. Then for the Heavy riff' in I turn up the Guitars volume knob and BAM! Heavy! (and the gain on the TN 100 is not all the way up). I used the WAH on all of the Solo/lead work to add a more vocal sound. I recorded Direct using the Tone Navigators cab voiced line outs. Anyway's, It was a really Quick thro together recording so there are some rough spots but, it gives you an Idea of the responsiveness of the Tone Navigator. This Pre-Amp is the most responsive and dynamic pre-amp/amp I have ever played thru - it is just simply amazing.

I think Carvin had a couple bugs to work out with these units (as do most companies with a new product) but, I believe they have it nailed down now, and all the bugs have been worked out. I have had this unit and have had absolutely No problems with it at all.

Carvin has been Great! the Customer service is top notch, and they always seem to be willing to go that extra mile for you. Excellent customer service.

Excellent!

2 X TN100
2 X LEGACY HALF STACKS

ALL BROKEN!!

Good if it works.

none

none.

This is a follow up to my previous nice review.
The TN100 worked for 2 weeks then it broke on me. I asked for a replacement from Carvin.
Two weeks later I got a replacement with the exact same issues!

The tone navigator would change presets by itself in the middle of playing.
The Characters on the screen would either disappear or go all messed up.
The sound would go from nice and clear to really boomy.

I also ordered a Legacy half stack from Carvin. The first one was broken out of the box.
All the tubes were blown.
The replacement they sent me worked for a week and same thing. All the tubes blew.
This is all by the way sitting in my professional studio. Not Gigging.

On top of all this I ordered an XB75 5 string bass. They double charged me for it and it tool me ten days of yelling over the phone to resolve the issue. Only after 10 days Carvin admitted to fault.
After the poor customer service and lack of quality I then decided to send back my 7 strings in which Carvin refused despite all the trouble they had caused me to issue a full refund for.
So in other words I ended up losing $400 for NOTHING!

Thank you CARVIN for the waste of time and money. Keep up the great work of ripping off the common customer and making only nice gear for your endorsers.

Many great features and the direct speaker simulator out is the best. Better than any modeler out there.
This thing will cover any style with the RIGHT guitar!

I use this in my studio going direct into my Motu 828-I-Mac dual core into Apple Logic pro using the 1/4 inch stereo cabinet voiced outputs. AMAZING!
I have had every modeler on the market. EVERY SINGLE ONE! I even have the top of the line direct boxes including a Palmer PDI-09 loadbox/cabsim. Used it with many tube amps but still wasn't happy...
Hooked the TN100 and was blown away by the presets!
Anyone who says it doesn't have enough gain for heavier stuff is tone deaf! Of course id you plug in a Fender with single coils it ain't going to be exactly heavy..D'UH!
There is a setting that simulates a Mesa Rectifier and it is amazing and I have the gain turned down half way and it is enough gain to cover IN FLAMES through Pantera.
Then again my two CARVIN custom seven strings are amazing guitars so they do contribute to the sound.
The effects on this unit are also great and what a great clean sound!
This is the best direct unit I have ever used, bar none.

It will stay in my studio in a rack so I don't see any issues.
Carvin has a fantastic customer service though so I am not worried.

Carvin have been extremely fast with my orders and questions so I have absolutely no complaints.

I have been playing for 18 years. I am a full time professional guitar teacher with my own music school. I have worked for TV companies and played with several artists so I have been through tons of gear!! I am a fan of direct recording and have been searching and searching...
here it is! GO FRANK GAMBALE AND CARVIN!

carvin.com for complete features. It's extremely versatile!

I mainly play jazz and use semi-hollow body guitars. I was able to dial in a very nice round warm clean channel without difficulty. Add a tad of the onboard reverb and wow...great clean jazz tone. I'm using it with a Carvin DCM1000 poweramp into a Carvin 212 cabinet. I mainly play clean and this setup is very quite in terms of noise. The chorus isn't the best, but it does just fine. Flanger is a bit strange to me and the echo is good but the control is pretty week...not precise. But, don't buy this preamp for the onboard effects. You can do better with other effects. This preamp is all about the basic fundamental tone that's stuffed into this 1 space unit. Gobs of tone...awesome cleans, overdrives AND distortions. There's good amounts of distortion there for hard rock/metal but a boost or distortion pedal in front will send it into total mayhem if that's what you're going for. This preamp is very versitile...has great functions and even the direct outs into the mixer sounds REALLY good.

I've had this thing serviced once by Carvin. Had a little glitch but a software update did the trick. It's been very reliable since. I'm never 100% confident in any digital gear. But, I am 100% confident in Carvin as a whole.

I love Carvin! They took care of my TN100 when there was a problem quickly and professionally. The CS rep I dealt with was extremely cool and professional. Carvin, in general, is just a great company to do business with. I've been a longtime Carvin user and they have always been there for me.

Aside from the little problem I had this tone machine is just incredible...especially for jazz and fusion duties. I'm a very happy user and have even sold a number of tubed gear that I had been playing for quite some time. I didn't need to sell it to buy my TN setup. I'm just extremely satisfied with the TN's tone that there was no point in keeping it all. To have something sound so wonderful without having to screw around with tubes and all the maintenance that goes with them...it's a dream come true. Frank and Carvin...hats off to you guys. It's definitely a preamp to be proud of!

You know them by now.

It sounds really good. IT has almost enough gain to do heavier metal styles but it runs out when you almost have enough. I don't likwit with boost pedals however.

The cleans are pretty dull.

The modulation effects are terrible.

The eq'ing availability is sweet.

I pretty much like how it sounds but im getting a different one. When i compare it to my "cube of crap" 15 watt SS marshall, it 'feels' terrible to play through.

It broke down within the first six months.

I've heard of ALOT of tech problems with this preamp.

Carvin will take care of it/you.

This rack preamp is very very good! You can edit your sounds just selecting the parameter button and moving the "Adjust" knob. Once you have reached the sound you want you only have to press the button "Save" and it's done

Well my setup is:
Guitars: Gibson les paul Standard Plus and an Ibanez RG
Amp: Peavey Special 212 Transtube loaded with Sheffield Speakers.

This preamp goes right in the amp's poweramp, and it's sounds great.

It's a very silent unit, it make a little noise only on heavy crunch and ditortions at high volume. I don't need any noise gate anyway.

You can edit your sounds adding or removing Chorus, Reverb, Delay, and Flanger. Only 2 effects can be added to the same sound. All the effects sound well.

With a little effort and patience I got the sounds of Iron Maiden, Metallica, Dream theater, Nirvana and Guns n Roses...just to say that this unit is very very versatile

I play metal and hard rock and I must say this unit is what i was looking for!! Before buying it i tried the JMP - 1 as well...they both sound very well, but I loved this much more, because u have some effects and cause it's much more versatile. This is the rack unit I needed!

I can play and record on the computer connecting this unit and it can go right into the mixer, if u can't use the amp.

Mine came with all the normal features you can read about on Carvin's website. Mine was unique, though, since it had a nice 10" horizontal scrape on the top panel out of the box. :(

Horrible. Absolutely horrible pre-amp. I'm more of a "clean" player and don't use much overdrive/distortion. So, I will only comment on the clean sounds...horrible. I quickly went through the presets (boo) and decided to create my own patches from scratch. I spent a week straight with this preamp running it into several tube and solid state power amps (including a 90's Carvin T100...awsome power amp!) and about a dozen different cabinets. Nothing I matched the preamp with did any justice to the sound...totally dull, lifeless, uninspiring. The direct recording sound is even worse. It's a shame I have to give this preamp such a bad rating since I loved my old X100 heads, XV212 combo, and Quad-X preamps. I don't try to cop other peoples tones. Instead, I look for my own. I don't care who manufactures gear or if they use tubes, transistors, digital modeling, etc. If it sounds/plays good to me then none of that matters. But, this preamp was a total let down for me as I couldn't dial in even a decent clean tone...now that's pretty bad. Thankfully, I was able to return it back to Carvin for a refund.

Seemed to be build well enough I guess. I only had it for a week so I can't comment on it's longevity.

Very good! I've only needed to call them once and that was to return this preamp. They issued me a refund with no problems. Thanks guys!

Been playing guitar for over 20 years. Played a bunch of amps, preamps, yada yada. Carvin make excellent amps and wonderful guitars in my experience. I was so pumped to buy the Tone Navigator when it came out only to be completely let down. I love Carvin as a company...been a fan as long as I've been playing. Owned many Carvin products over the years. This device is the worst thing I've experienced from Carvin to date. If you're looking for a Carvin pre-amp...save some cash and buy a nice used Quad-X. It definitely puts the TN to shame IMHO.

Lots of buttons to cover up the lack of sound it produces.

Don't be fooled with the distortion capabilities. This is fine for fender guys and such, but hard rock-metal this is a joke. Also a suggestion for Carvin. They could of improved the analog sound by driving it 12ax7 tubes. You would think for $500 that they would have, but still would not be acceptable since it lacks distortion.
If they cut the price in half it would be worth it. I am being fair by not rating this section since it is geared towards a different style of music than Me, HOWEVER, slapping 'recto' into the descriptions and tone is a HUGE Fraud!

never had a bad carvin product.

Always helpful when I have called on other products of theirs.

over priced!

2004 analog (solid state), digitally controlled. Dual mid sweeps. 4 voicings (clean scooped, clean flat, crunch, distortion). Effects loop (parallel, boo).

This preamp has nowhere near the tonal versatility it claims. The effects should be left out and the price should be reduced, as they aren't too useful.

Uneditable Frank Gambale presets? Waste of memory.

The cleans are lifeless, and the distortion is nowhere near enough to play rock or metal. I had to actually buy a BOSS SD-1 to put in front of it to get the gain I wanted. Boo.

This unit is quite quiet though, and the Dual mid sweeps would be nice it the unit sounded remotely good.

Sold after 2 months. However.

Unit started with odd parameters and required a reboot several times in order to make it work properly.

Carvin does have the best customer support. Period.

20 years playing, would not buy one again (in fact I sold it).