Carvin Vintage 16 112 Combo

Single channel 5w/16w with volume, soak (gain), bass, mid, treble and reverb. 2 EL84 power tubes. 3 12AX7 preamp tubes. 12" speaker (originally came with a Carvin VL12-8, but Carvin sent me a Celestion Vin30 replacement, explaination below). Plywood cabinent. Tweed exterior, cream white knobs. Nice vintage vibe - put a Tele next to it and looks awesome.

Best thing about this amp? You can throttle down to a managable 5w with the flip of a switch.

I bought this NOS amp from Carvin through their ebay store. Originally, this amp came with a Carvin VL12-8 speaker that was not listed in the ebay listing. The speaker sounded good, but it was very full - way heavy on the mids. I had to dail way back on the EQ for my Tele to sound decent. Good for jazz, maybe, but way too full for a good Fender single coil sound. Without a complaint or problem, Carvin sent me a Celestion Vin30 (which was listed in the ebay ad), and the amp opened way up. All of the sudden, I did not have to dial off on the EQ, I had full control of the EQ. Big improvement for the type of stuff I play. The Celestion also breaks up earlier when you crank the soak up. The reverb also comes through a bit more with the Vin30 (reverb is not as pronounced/wet as a Fender, but it adds a nice lush tone to the amp).

I was looking for a cheaper alternative to the Fender Blues Junior, and this fills the bill perfectly. Good tone.

Sounds great with my Gretch Eletcromatic, G&L ASAT, Fender Classic 50's Tele and Strat, Reverend Flatroc and Dano Pro reissue. Good rockabilly tone.

No issues - seems very sturdy.

When I contacted Carvin about the fact that the speaker in the amp did not match the ebay listing, they immediately sent me a brand new Vin30 ($130 speaker). You could not ask for better service, especially since this was basically NOS that Carvin was selling at a discount on ebay. I am sure they lost money on this sale, but they held up their end of the bargain.

Is this a Bassman or a Twin Reverb? No. But is is a great little tube amp that does the job for a very decent price ($329 brand new on ebay). I am a bedroom player, and I get great vintage tone with no issues. Who could complain?

I really wanted a NOS tweed Blues Junior, but I could not see plunking down $500-$600 at GC. This amp covers the same territory for a good deal less. This was my big move from digital modeling to tubes, and I have been very pleased.

Is is better than a Blues Junior - its logical competition? I have not A/B'd it, so I can't say for sure, but what ever minor difference ther is would be outweighed by the cost.

Well, if you got this far and slogged through the reviews, you know there are opionins rating this amp from 1 to 10. I have spent the last two weeks with my newly-modded (by Hasse himself) Vintage 16 and absolutely love it. This review will discuss the stock and modded versions.
I also own and gig with two different hasserl-mod Nomads, so I know the equipment, including variations with speakers, NOS tubes, etc.
This amp will provide a range of tones and sounds, plus tube-driven reverb, so I would consider it versatile. Of course, being 16 watts, it will only be clean up to a certain volume. I practice with this amp and will take it to selected gigs, where we mic everything anyway. The only lack of versatility is that it's one channel - whichis no biggie - and lack of horsepower,which comes with the lo-watt territory.

I use it with a variety of instruments and find it likes high-output humbuckers like my Parker, MM Axis and Gibsons. No noise or hiss to speak of, although the stock one can be somewhat noisy, particuarly with single-coil guitars.
I got great clean sounds for jazz-like tones. Not particularly glassy like the Nomad in the upper-mids for rock rythem tracks, but again - this is a characteristic of every lo-watt amp I've tried.
This amp is best at getting clean tones that can be overdriven to natural break-up, and at mid-gain bluesy overdrive. You're not going to get high-gain metal/shred tones here. However, you can put any pedal in front of this and get that big stack-like sound.
In stock form, the gain (Soak) will get buzzy and distorto. Pull the clipping diode and you're in busniess. I even like the stock speak, although lately I've been playing it through a matching 2-10 Celestion loaded cab. Better tubes will also yield better subtleties to the tone. I like matched JJs in the Vintage 16 and Nomads.
Love the slightly-overdriven sound for soloing with no pedals.
Excellent reverb -- best I've ever heard in a little box.
There are those who postulate that teh Vintage16 is too small a box to get the full 1-12 sound. There may be som etruth to that, and many people are convertng these to heads and matching them to a proper speaker cab. For me, I like what I'm getting for the most part, although the larger Nomad box certainly yields a fuller tone.

I never had a Carvin crap out when stock, and they're even more reliable after Hasse does his magic.

I never really dealt with the factory guys, since I'm a warranty-voider.

This is a huge bang-for-the-buck amp. Since, unfortunately, Carvin amps have zero resale value, I suggest buying a used one and upgrading it. The new price is an "8" value, but you can buy themn on eBay and elsewhere - modded or stock - at a great discount.

Low power, switchable Pentode / Triode mode amplifier with a very, very cool vintage tone....... especially in triode. This box makes noise at my house where I enjoy killer sounds at lower volumes because i like my neighbors....., and they tolerate me. Blues and blues based rock are a staple of my diet, and this amp made me understand that tone comes from the heart, and not a $400, $1,000, $3,000 or $10,000 rig. this amp just makes it a lot easier for guys like me.

Stock 91 strat & Gibson ES 339 both sound good, but especially the strat. Used at home in triode mode for an ultra cool, low volume blues, blues/rock tone thats hard to beat. Clean channel with a little reverb will put me to sleep in no time. Decent crunch when u play with the soak/volume to get that british blues thing happening. I've never let this crank go so I have no input on the sound quality at high volumes. It does the job I want at my house and thats all that matters to me.

Here's where I got into problems. Reverb tank died before warranty expiration. Sent it to Carvin, they sent it back with 50% of the tubes smashed, which may have caused the reverb tank to be DOA again. With credit to Carvin, I sent it back, they repaired the reverb, sent it back with a new set of tubes, paid for all the shipping, and offered me a hooker (kidding). It sounds better than ever and for some reason it "feels" more solid. don't ask.

No doubt about it, I had problems with my unit ... twice, but they were very good to me and took care of the problems, the shipping and all the new tubes. S _ _ _ happens, and because of the way they helped me out, I'd buy from these dudes again.

I once sat in on a blind listening test with hi end stereo amps from Krell, VTL and Mark Levinson and was able to distinguish which amp was which, so I have a decent ear. Only been playing for about 8 years, but I really love the low volume triode setting on this amp. its why I bought it, its probably one of the best I've heard, and especially at the ridiculous low price of $400+/-. I don't think this is a touring amp(I really wouldn't know), and I do not believe it could take the day-to-day abuse it would have to endure. It has its purpose. One hint: swap the stock fuse with a gold one (expensive), and It'll blow yer mind. if stolen, I'd buy one again.. for sure.

Enough people have covered the basics so I needn't be redundant. I've been playing for 40 years so when I see several reviews end with " what do you expect for under $400 " I grimace. This is a mass produced, uninspiring amp. The reason why I didn't buy this - and don't support Carvin - will be clear in the following categories. I gave it a " 1 " because compared to what keeps being released by the competition - this thing lags w-a-a-a-y behind what's available

If you start reading between the lines in terms of the reviews posted here over the last two years, what you're buying is a half completed amp. Hasserl mod , anyone ? I gave it a dull,basic, boring 3 because that's what it sounds like just out of the box - if it works.

Where is this made ? Look at the circuit board. Think it'll stand the heat ? Break ?? Sorry, but pro gear this ain't - but it will look great in your bedroom under that box of condoms you bought yourself for Christmas- just don't let mom & dad catch ya. A great amp for dreaming rock stars whose arena is the bedroom.

Here's where these guys really suck. When I was seriously thinking about buying this ampI called and asked if I could buy it without the stock speaker as I would immediately be replacing it. "NO " Can I buy it without the cheap tubes as I only use NOS stuff "NO ". It wasn't just that I'd be wasting money it was the RUDENESS I encountered that really turned me off to them as a company. I urge you to read other reviews here, especially from techs who do it for a living. Try and find one who likes dealing with Carvin

If these guys want to inherit the reputation Peavey had when they first started, fine with me, only Carvin wants you to believe they were there battling it out with Leo in the beginning. To recap, for $400 you get an amp where you immediately have to replace the speaker, throw away the stock tubes, has iffy innerds and have somebody mod the amp for you. Now your $400 wonder is $800-1,000 - and the resale value will make you throw up. Damn, doesn't Joe Walsh look clean in those ads , though ? Think he has one of these in HIS bedroom ??

Ordered with the custom Red Tolex. Solidly Built Little Brick. The features are exactly what I was looking for in a practice/studio rig. Very versatile right out of the box, o.k. tone and volume but closed sounding. Changed the stock speaker to a 15watt Alnico Black and Blue from Warehouse Guitar Speakers. That helped a great deal, the stock speaker is not that good. But I bought this amp purposefully to do the Hasserl mods

I play both a Strat and Les Paul and play everything from pop to rock to classic rock. The amp was very quiet and reacted well to both guitars. Here's the kicker...after about two months of getting familiar with the amp and it's abilities I gave it to my favorite tech with the print out of the hasserl mods http://www.geocities.com/rlhassebrock/V16mods.html?1103178665677
He is one of the best techs in the city and he took great care to follow the mods exactly. When it was ready he had a grin on his face fromm ear to ear. All I can say is OMG. This is now my main rig. The openess and responsiveness of the amp is unbelievable. I can now control attack, drive and tone on the guitar. If you are considering these mods do all of them and you will be very happy this little monster. Sorry for gushing...

I absolutely depend on this amp in a multitude of situations and it has never let me down. It gets played 3-6 hours daily. When it was undergoing the mods, my tech pointed out that it was a very solidly built unit and should be very reliable. It has been.

I haven't dealt with the company other than ordering the amp and for that they were both helpful and reliable. Since I have in fact voided any and all warranties I don't expect to be contacting them anytime soon.

I have been playing for 30 years and have a number of other amps (fenders, vox,...) now gathering dust. I am actually considering a second Carvin Vintage 16 duplicate, mods and all. There is nothing I dislike about this amp

I was specificly looking for a 15/20 watt amp with EL84s with Mega-tone without Mega volume.

If I wanted more features I would need to spend a serveral hunderd more.

I was looking for the sound I heard when they had the Celestion 30 Speaker. I wasn't happy with the Carvin stock speaker. Went the extra $$ and bought a Celestion Alinco Blue.. ALL I can saw is WOW. The combo of the Vintage 16 tubes with the ALnico makes all the difference. I basicly have a VOX 15CC for a few hunder dollars less.

Sound quality rating based on speaker:
Carvin stock: 4- very disappointnig
Celestion V30 7- Great sound
Celestion Alnico Blue 10 - Beyond awsome

Got amp when it was about a year old, still works

N/A havent had to use it

I been playing decades. It works well with all guitar I have plugged into it: Carvin CT-6, Gibson SG Showcase (dual humbuckers), Fender classic strat.

Gave it a 7 cause of the stock speakers otherwise would have been a 9. 10 if they offered and Alnico blue option.

Simple 5/15 watt triode/pentode configured tube amp. Just the basics but what basics it gives you. Mine has the celestion speaker and having a/b 'd it with another which possessed a carvin vintage, I think I got the better deal. Not that the carvin speaker sounded bad, the celestion really opens this amp up. Treble/Mid/Bass Reverb volume and gain controls.

Right out of the box--very lively. I primarily use a Parker P36 (super tele style) guitar with this little monster. Before I purchased this, I would use a Boss AC-3 acoustic pedal with the Parker to get that onstage acoustic sound, but with vintage 16 I just keep the gain below 8 and back off the magnetics--and bam a very pleasant acoustic tone.I basically just use my guitar volume controls to run the range of sounds I need for each show. I use a keeley style modded BD-2 to give me a little more oomph for my solos.

After 1 1/2 years of using this monster stock, I have committed the Hasse mods to the V16-- quite frankly what I thought was a great little amp has now become a giant killer. The mods really open up the hidden potential of this beast. I consistently get people walking up to me during the breaks and bugging me about my amp setup. I put off doing this until the 1 year warranty ran out. Once I did one, I went and bought a second one and did it also!!! Highly recommend these mods to everyone. My rating before the mods was 8.5 and 10 after the mods.

I have read about the reverb issues that other posters have had. At first I thought what could go wrong with this simple but robust little circuit. Sometimes quality control issues make there way through the production process. After tearing these units apart and putting them back together numerous times, my "A" unit's reverb finally failed. My problem turned out to be connectors issues on the reverb tanks. I work on my own stuff (I'm a Electrical Engineer at a research facility, so I never contacted Carvin about the issue. My first real amp was an X100b back in 1980 and that thing has never failed. Since I'm running a pair of these v16s I don't really worry about backup.

I have never had a warranty issue with Carvin equipment per se , but I have had numerous costly phone call conversations with reps who seemed to not have any clue about their own products. On 2 occassions within the last year, I had the same guy take an order by phone and 3-4 weeks later when I hadn't received the item, the same gentleman told me that there was no record of such order. They really need to get a grip on their customer service issues.

I have been playing for 30 years this June. I have worked in bands for my entire adult life so far. I have owned just about every type of amp, instrument, and effects units. Carvin has earned my loyalty with their amps, Boss/Roland with their pedals, and more recently Parker guitars have been a Godsend. My current band is a classic rock unit, but I bounce a round with power trios every couple of years. I currently own 2 v16 amps which are now in custom head cases, a Carvin nomad, and 2 X100b heads. If I lost any of these amps, I would go out an immediately find replacements. And mod the sh*t out of them when they arrive... I already have the parts to do it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carvin Vintage16 made in 2007...got it in the spring of 2007.

Gotta give this thing a 10...for $400.

I have the Celestion G12 Vintage30 speaker in mine.

I challenge anyone to tell all of us...about any amp...anywhere near this price point...that sounds better...or even as good. If there is...they deserve the recognition too.

Had it over 6 months with very heavy use...been great.

Been dealing with Carvin for years...I trust them.

Been playing ~$35 years...have a lot of stuff...and I bought this amp as a living room knock around. Haha...it knocked my socks off.

Again...you can buy very nice...very expensive amps...and they're great...we all know that. But for ~$400...!?!? Give me a break...hats off to Carvin.

The features are well documented so there's no need repeating. I've had the amp for a few years now and I think I bought it in 2004.

Never was crazy about the amp in it's stock form (especially the overdriven tone when using the "Soak" knob) so I had it modded per the instructions from that fellow who frequents the Carvin forums. Hasserl?? I think that's the name he goes by. I think the tech who did the mods did something wrong because it never sounded as good as the clips that I heard of the V16 after it was modded. But it was better, just not to the degree that I was hoping. But the added dial installed on the back of the amp did help with the way I now use the amp. More on that later.

My guitar is a Les Paul Standard. Seymour Duncan Custom Custom bridge pickup and the stock Burst Bucker Pro in the neck spot. I'm just an at home player and once I tried a few differant things the V16 has become my favorite "rock amp."

Long story short, instead of using the Carvin speaker in the amp, I disconnected that and am using an Avatar Hellatone 30 (a broken in Celestion G12H30) that's house in a 1X12 cabinet that I made. The cabinet is about the same size as my Peavey Classic 30. Using a larger, closed back 1X12 has really helped to make the tone sound overall fuller and more rounded.

For my overdriven tones I'm using 3 pedals for differant flavors. I've got a DigiTech Bad Monkey that seems to work very well on it's own providing me with a good all around rock tone. (The bass knob on that pedal is a HUGE plus). I've also got a ZVEX Box of Rock which is set for a very, very mild crunch tone. Think AC/DC. I've also got a Barber Direct Drive SS that I use as a "lead push" along with the Box of Rock.

With the added dial on the back of the amp turned up to about 7(which gives you a bit more gain, snarl and bite), with my Les Paul and with the pedals I use I have learned to get some great rock tones going that sound very full, very clear and best of all....it's all at a volume that won't leave your ears ringing. AC/DC, Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen.....it's all there! Of course it's not AS big, AS full and AS loud as a 50 watt going thru a 4X12 (and how could it?), but for what it is this little setup still has me going..."damn, not bad at ALL!!" Again, it sounds big and full but at a very tolerable volume. If used in a band it would definatley have to be mic'd up, as a loud drummer would probably bury it. But if you have a good PA, good monitors and a good soundman I'd bet it would come thru great for the small club gigs. And no, with the pedals it doen't sound JUST LIKE a Marshall, but the tones are more than good enough to handle songs that require that kind of a tone.

I also have a Marshall DSL 50 with a 4X12, a Fender DRRI and a Peavery Classic 30. This little Carvin setup is my absolute favorite over all of them for my rock tones. The DSL is great but WAY to loud, the C30 doesn't have enough presence, and while I use and love my DRRI with my Tele for clean tones I HATE the way OD pedals with my LP sound thru it.

I love it. I can go in my basement, put some jam along CD's in my stereo, fire up the little Carvin, can play without going deaf and can be very happy with the sounds I'm getting.

The clean tone without the pedals sounds pretty good as well. Using both pickups combined or just the neck pickup alone it sounds great for things by the Stray Cats, the Beatles, CCR...things of that nature. Not a ton of clean headroom but then you're only going to get so much with a low watted amp.

Seems well built and I haven't had any problems.

Never dealt with Carvin other than ordering so I can't comment on thier support. I've heard good and bad, though.

Now that I've got the amp "seasoned to taste" I love it for what it is and for what I use it for. The thing I love most about it now is how full it sounds. So many low watted small amps sound....well, too small. Yeah they can get loud alright but there's no real depth. Seriously missing in the "umph" factor. Again, it's not as big and full of a sound compared to some amps but for my needs and wants I'm now very happy with the results I'm getting.

Made some time this year, as it did not come with the Celestion Vintage 30 speaker installed (that's a guess though)

One channel, SOAK knob (gain), volume (master volume), bass, mid, treble, and reverb. Lots of things to tweak for something this small/inexpensive.

Switchable power levels.

NOTE: My amp came with a Carvin Vintage 70 speaker, I promptly replaced the speaker with a Celestion Vintage 30, and have enjoyed the amp much more.

3 x 12AX7, 2 x EL84

No FX loop, no presence knob, no hi and low input (I might have liked one or more of these options, but not worries).

Another interesting point: THIS AMP HAS ALL TUBE CIRCUITRY. There are NO ICs, NO Op-amps, and NO transistors, I looked at it when I was swapping the speakers, and it's as "pure" in that sense as it could ever be. Pretty cool for something this cheap.

Before I switched the speaker from the carvin speaker to the celestion one, the amp was really treble-heavey, and yes, I realize it was a new speaker, but even after a few really heavy sessions of playing and breaking it in, it still was a bit "top heavy". I replaced it with a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker, and I have loved it ever since.

This amp has some wonderful options. There is a lot of space for knobs to be tweaked, it makes a great low-level bedroom amp, as you can get some very nice tones and not have to crank it up much.

The gain knob is fairly tame till you get to about 7 and on up, then it becomes much more crunchy, and at these levels, I turn down the master (I don't want to annoy the neighbors...for now :).

The clean is great, very nice and round, I find that it gets me a very lovely slightly fender tone. Turning up the gain knob (soak knob), I can get some very nice Vox like OD sounds, very nice with open chords or anything that needs some sparkle and jangle.

I love the reverb. I thought at first it was lame, because it's not very in-your-face, but the more I play with it, the more I realize that I wouldn't ever use reverb that your sound just gets lost in, that's just too much, so while it seems to have "less" reverb than some Fender amps, it's got useable sounds from 1 to 10 on the knob, which to me means more ability to tweak things.

I play rock, blues, some "indie/alternative" (but doesn't that just describe to most people what's been on the radio for the past 10 years....? :P ). I use this thing with some pedals, a MXR Micro Amp, a Digitech Bad Monkey, and a Line 6 Echo Park, all of which sound great into this pedal. They sound different, but they all sound great, this amp seems to take pedals well.

I can't judge this, because I have only had the amp about a week or so. I would say that when I swapped the speakers, I looked very carefully at the build quality of the cabinet and the actual amp PCB "guts", and they look really nice, very well built, very well assembled, I don't expect to have problems with this amp.

Carvin is good about things. I called them up, disappointed, because I thought I had ordered the Vintage 30 speaker in the amp. When they helped me realize that I had missed that "batch" of amps, they worked out a deal that allowed me to swap speakers and send them back the Carvin speaker, so I could get some credit back on that one, and in the end, the Celestion speaker only cost me about $30-$40 more, not bad.

I'd return and look at Carvin's offers any time, they're smart people on the phone. I think they could be better, some of the people I talked to seemed less than ecstatic to help me place an order, but it could have just been me, and even these people were helpful in answering my questions.

I would say this amp is awesome, and know it's an understatement. As I found, with the right speaker, you can get a great amp that is gig worthy and studio friendly for under $450.

I've been playing guitar and bass guitar for almost 10 years now. My main amp is an Orange Rocker 30, and I love that amp, but I wanted to get another amp to play in stereo and also use for smaller gigs where I didn't have to drag my Orange around (really great amp, but really heavy too).

I really enjoy this amp. Pedal friendly (with my pedals at least), and very responsive to knob tweaks in just the right way: not too sensitive, but it still has a lot of "wiggle room" when it comes to changing the tone.

I play a custom made tele through this amp, and I love it. I think if you're looking on getting into tube amps, and don't want to buy something you'll never use, then get this amp. I love it it's PLENTY LOUD, and it sounds great too. Carvin has done a great job.

E-mail me for more info on the amp, and my little web page on it... :)

Purchased Sept 2004, mine is stock, for '04 - has a carvin GT12 100watt 8ohm speaker. A nice little one channel amp for practice/jams. Soak/volume, pentode (16watt), and triod(5watt) controls allow you to dial in nice break-up at low sonic levels. Looks good.

Works fine at practice volume - rock, blues, c/w, folk, jazz - but still workable at a blues jam. Not much bottom, but with bass at 10, enough. I like the triod 5watt mode - perhaps a bit spongier. I use several guitars, but my carvin ct3m with Lollar neck pu seems happy plugged in. Sounds fine with my overdrive pedal, and runs quiet.

Since carvin sent me free new tubes, no problems.

had some microphonics initially - called CS and they sent new tubes, plus backups - nice.

I would recommend this for the purposes described above. If I didn't have a Reverend 40/60 112 (sweeeeet), I would be checking into the carvin Nomad. Have purchased 3 guitars, 1 amp from carvin - no problems.

See any number of previous reviews.

I submitted a very favorable review of this amp in November 2006. Since that, I have noticed that reviewers either love or hate this amp. Of course, reviewing is quite subjective and that alone may account for the extreme divergence in opinion, but I think that something else could explain why people have such widely different takes on this amp.
Amps are like guitars in that there can be a wide difference in tonal characteristics between examples of the same model and year. Whenever someone buys an amp or guitar in a brick and mortar store, they usually try all the models in stock in an effort to get the one they perceive to be the best.
Because of a problem I had with the reverb when I received mine after a cross country UPS ride, I actually had 3 different amps before I was able to get the reverb to work on # 3. The first one I had sounded pretty sweet to me right out of the box but I ended up sending it back. The second one was much different, I would describe it as another reviewer did - "lifeless and bland". I could not believe the difference. In a way, I was lucky that the reverb did not work because Carvin took it back. Amp # 3 clearly had been in and out of the shipping carton several times and it took some doing, but I finally was able to get the reverb to work. It sounded much better than # 2 , but I felt is was not quite as sweet as # 1 had been. However, with time it seemed to sound better and now it really can produce chimy clean tones with strong mids and harmonically complex grind when I cut the wattage back to 5. There may be something to what some the old reviews said about breaking in the speaker ??
If you buy online or over the phone, you take a risk that you avoid if you buy in person and can demo the product.

I did a poor job of explaing why I think so many have reverb problems with this amp. This is my opinion but I feel that the magnet on the speaker is quite large relative to the size of the box. The reverb tank and springs are relatively short. It could be that the magnet is pulling the springs up to the top of the tank and screwing things up. If yours is not working, turn it off, remove the tank while leaving it connected and set it outside the cabinet and see if it works outside the cabinet, I bet it does.
At any rate, Carvin set me a replacement tank in addition to the 3 amps and I finally was able to consistently get reverb

Already posted.

Already posted

listed many times over by now

the clean on this thing absolutely sucks ass! it SOUNDS like a 400 dollar amp...maybe less. the closest this thing comes to sounding o.k. is with the dirty sounds. not even the (chinese made!) celestion vintage 30 speaker can help this thing.

it's built like a 400 dollar amp too. took out the chasis to check out the construction. this baby was made as cheaply as they could get away with. also, carvin shouldn't claim "all" plywood construction as the rear panel that protects the tubes is particle board. tubes mount directly to pc board. why don't they just get it over with and start manufacturing in china or mexico? heard these things have reverb problems, not mine. don't know how long it'll last because i sold it.

sometimes they're dicks, sometimes they're nice...roll the dice.

people, save your money for something better even if it takes a while. this thing was a disappointment. how stupid of me to think i could get more amp than i paid for based on hype and advertising. i sold this to help pay for a REAL amp- a Carr Mercury. yes, it cost more, but i got what i paid for and my search is now over for a low watt amp.

I have the new iteration of this amp, so it has the Celestion Vintage 30 speaker and GT tubes. As far as features are concerned, the only fault I can really fine is the fact that the tubes are PCB-mounted, and I worry that this could cause problems down the road.

Other than that one complaint, the V16 is a great-looking, solidly constructed amp.

I have a small, but good, collection of gear. Amp-wise, I have a '73 Fender Champ, a '74 Fender Princeton, and an '84 Marshall JCM 800 half-stack (2204); in the past, I've owned a number of other vintage Fenders, blackface and silverface, as well as several Mesas. Guitar-wise, I have a Fender AVRI '62 Stratocaster, a PRS McCarty Soapbar, and an '86 Squier Strat (killer guitar, BTW), among others.

Like many players, I've been receiving the Carvin catalog on and off since the mid-80s, so when I recently decided to pick up a small, master volume combo, I thought I'd give Carvin a shot. As far as the sound quality of the V16 is concerned, the bottom line is the amp is fairly limited in terms of variety of sounds, but for low-to-medium gain tones, it's fantastic. Using my strat, the V16 is the perfect practice/recording amp for achieving great roots-rock and southern rock/country tones. The key to getting a good sound out of this amp appears to be keeping the soak control set fairly high (I set it between 7 and 10) while also setting the volume between 5 and 10 - you have to get the EL84s cooking a bit to get this amp to sound its best. Because of this quirk, there isn't much in the way of good clean sounds, although, when the amp is set as I describe above, it's very responsive to pick attack, so if you lighten up, you'll get very pretty clean tones.

My only complaint, is that the amp can sound a bit small at times. This is likely due to the fact that it has a fairly small cabinet. This particular characteristic isn't problematic if you're using the amp for a practice amp, a recording amp, or putting it through a PA for live performance, but on it's own, it probably won't cut it for playing live - there just isn't enough volume or low-end thump.

My first V16 arrived DOA - probably a problem with tubes being damaged during shipping. Carvin very quickly sent me a new amp, and it arrived in perfect working order.

As stated above, I do have some future realiability concers owing to the PCB-mounted tube sockets.

Very responsive, so far.

If you're in the market for a medium-gain practice/recording amp, you really should give the Carvin a shot. It's a killer amp regardless of price.

Not much here,I thought it would be great though for a small home practice amp. Liked the idea of the 1/4 power switch.

I thought this amp was very lifeless and bland. I could not get a good crisp, clean sound out of it at any setting or volume. At really high volumes it does have some character in the low-distortion range. Not much else to mention

The reverb did not even work. It made no difference when turning it all the way up other than a very slight volume decrease. Suspect the tube cracked or reverb tank damaged. I sent this thing back crying for it's mama. Very disappointed.

I'll say one thing, Carvin asks absolutely "NO" questions about the 10 day trial period. I would have been extremely ticked if I had been stuck with this loser. I had to pay to have it shipped back, and then they took 2 weeks to redeposit the money from the day that UPS said the amp had been delivered. The only reason they get a 6 is because of the 10day trial.

I had great hopes for this amp. I play a Fender Pro Reverb, and did not want to keep lugging it around back and forth to church, so I bought this amp hoping to have a small tube amp to practice at home. If you are looking for all tube in this price range, you may want to try some valvereactor VOX units, or a preamp which has headphone outs.

I bought this amp in February 2005. It has the Celestion Vintage 16 Speaker and 3 12AX7 and 2 EL84 tubes. I've read a lot of reviewers berate the stock tubes and immediately replace them. I like the tubes and will wait until they need replacement before upgrading. Carvin has since "upgraded?" to Goove Tubes and changed the speaker they offer. After shelling out for a nice but powerful 50 watt Crate Vintage Club, I came to appreciate the benefits of a smaller amp to get good tone while jamming at a bedroom volume . prior to that, I acquired a 20W Marshall Valve state and I eventullay grew tired of solid state lack of warmth and complexity of tone. I also have a Fender Pro Junior that I like a lot.

I bought the Carvin for it'e ability to switch between 16W and 5W's. if you need tone at very low volumes, a low watt tube amp does it best for me. It has plenty of volume in eirher mode and I can find lots of good tone at either power level.
Basic but effective EQ'ing set up with spring reverb.

My guitars are a few early 80's Ibanez Blazers (strat), 77 Ibanez Performer (LP), and Gibson Nighthawk. My jamming buddy has a major collection of vintage (primarily Fender) guitars. He also has a 60's Fender Vibro Champ, 60's Fender Princeton and an 8 watt Gibson Skylark Amp that I get to play. So I get to hear the Carvin with a variety of guitars and also can AB it with some very cool amps. Of course, the EL84 Carvin sounds different than the 6VC Fenders, and there is a lot of great complex tone amongst all the amps. All in all, the Cravin is a steal at its price range ( I paid $349) and it is much more versatile than any of the cool Vintage amps. I can't quite get the glassy fender tones on it, but I can get close if I want to. The Carvin can also deliver chimy, Vox like tones and much more. Very cool to get real amp distortion at a low volume. Humbuckers in particular overdrive it easily with tons of harmonic stew to wallow in. I prefer single coils and they sound great through this amp- clean and dirtied up.
Reverb is musical but will not overly wet due to the relatively small spring.

Like other reviewers, I had trouble with the reverb. I actully had Carvin replace my original amp twice because the reverb did not work. First we tried replacing the 12AX7 tube and they ultimately sent me a replacement reverb tank. I finally was able to get the 3rd amp's reverb to function. I'm not tech, but I feel the magnet on the speaker is large and fairly close to the spring, it it may be causing the problem since the reverb would always play when taken out of a problem amp.
Other than that, I've had no problems although I only play the amp at home a few days a week.

They were OK to deal with, but it is time consuming to send things coast to coast like I did with the reverb problem. I have noticed that more recent buyers of this amp have not mentioned reverb issues - so maybe they fixed that.
They honored the 1 year warranty .

The Carvin V16 is a no frills tube amp featuring reverb,basic EQ,volume and soak (preamp distortion).Neatest feature and the main reason I got it is the ability to switch between 16 and 5 watts.This is a good practice/bedroom amp although 16 and even 5 watts can get pretty loud.Good variety of sounds.Very strat worthy.Nice if it had a headphone jack.

This is an excellant blues amp.Not a Fender clean of coarse it has EL84's but an EQ pedal can help get you there.Same can be said for Blues Jr.Stays clean at high volumes,distortion mellow but biting.MIM strat and Ibanez AS73 sound ballsy clean or crankin.I use this for mostly blues and I think that this is really this amps forte.Having said that you can pedal your way to just about anything you want as far as sounds go.Quiet,love reverb.

Amp arrived with a bad tube.Carvin sent me a replacemant set right away.After that all well.Have had it for 10 mos,retubed once.I use it about 5hrs a week switching between it and a Fender solid state.

They were very prompt in getting me a new set of tubes.I do wish they had some authorized repair people other than at the factory.Shipping your amp out for repairs could be a pain.This does seem to be built as a low maintainence deal,tube change easy,did not need rebiasing.

For me this was a good entry level tube amp.Inexpensive at $359 it sounds better than the Blues Jr and is more versatile.I've been playing for many years but just started playing electric blue 2yrs ago.Have in addition to the above mentioned guitars a Keely modified TS9,MXR EQ,DF7 and Multichorus by Digitech and a Crybaby wah.Yes I would replace it.I lust after some others but none of them are even close to this price.

I bought this amp about 2 months ago. It has a great reverb from mellow to surf. It will switch between 16 and 5 watts. It has a celestion vintage 30 speaker It has soak(gain),volume,bass,mid,treble and reverb. No direct outs, speaker outs or effects loops. I bought it because I was looking for a amp that would sound great at lower volumes. I could not be more happier with how this amp sounds and the dynamic response it provides. I have a Evil Twin and Yamhaha soldano T100. They need to be cranked up to sound good. This little carvin has became my amp of choice at lesser volumes.

I have 12 guitars. Teles, Strats, LP, Hamer, Jackson (mostly clones)they all have Duncans or Lawrence PUPs. This amp responds well to any them with a litte EQing. I am a hobby guitarist I play what I'm in the mood for. Clapton, Stevie, ZZ top, Knopler, Santana, Hendrix Etc. If I use this amp on it's own it has a retro feel to it. Great clean with punch and a sweet blues tone with harmonics. It's all in the Eq! what it doesnt do is hi gain. I have a Soldano SP77 preamp. When I plug it into the input of the carvin it just screams with crunch and punch. The SP77 provides a very nice clean and fantastic searing harmonic rich tone when it comes out of the Carvins vintage 30. The secret is to turn the Carvin volume wide open and the soak barely on. Bass at 10, mid at 5, treble 0 and EQ the Soldano to suit your taste.

It really seems sturdy and well built. Time will tell

I bought it from a factory outlet in Sacramento. There was nothing to make me think that customer support would not be good. They seemed like good people to deal with.

I rated this a 10 for overall. I paid about the same price for this as good effects prcessor. I haven't listened to many small watt amps, but I cannot imagine anybody selling a better amp for $359. I am a bit of a tone freak. I really don't use the bells and whistles to much. I did plug and old Yamaha REX50 into it and it sounded much better then in the Twin or T100. I thing it has to do with cranking the power tube wide open and backing of the soak.

The features are all pretty simple, but its all that you need, really. Its got your basic eq, reverb, volume and a soak thing for gain. I play it at home mostly and sometimes jamming with friends, but havent used in any kind of gig or anything of the nature. The switchable 5 to 16 watt thing is really cool and nice.

Ive used this amp with my Dillion flying V and old '79 gibson The Paul with Seymour Duncans and off and on with a visual sound Route 66, marshall Bluesbreaker II and voodoo lab Sparkle Drive in front. I play blues and rock pretty much and its got a great tube sound for that. The gain doesnt ever get over the top but has a really good warm and grainy sound. The 5 watt mode has a truly beautiful, smooth and warm, but still a little rude dirty sound. The only real flaw however, is the clean never really gets loud at all. Its either too soft and weak or it starts to break up. Its been impossible for me to find a clean tone loud enough to play with a drummer. The dirty sound is really nice though.

I havent done anything stupid to/with it, so its been fine.

These guys at Carvin are some incompetent fools and pricks, really. I first got my amp from their factory in San Diego, in a box. When I unpacked it at home in the Bay Area a few days later, the reverb simply didnt work. So a little while later I contacted them and they said to send it back and theyd send a new one. The new one came in a few days and I was very impressed with the service. However, once unpacked, this ones reverb didnt work either. I was very very very angry, so after a bit I e mailed them about this. They got back to me very fast again and after about a week and a half of e mailing, they said theyd send a UPS guy to pick it up within the week. So I waited around for a week and a half and nobody came for it. When I tried to email them agian, and got no resposne, even after several tries. So I called them but got sent through a bunch of bs and couldnt talk to the guy Id been e mailing. But as it turned out, Id be in San Diego soon and decided Id drop it off there and have them repair it while I was in the city so I could try it out before I left. After making contact with them I went down there and dropped it off. They managed to confirm that indeed, the reverb didnt work (shocking.). They said itd probably take about a week to fix however so theyd have to mail it back to me. Very angry. After week, the sent me the tracking number and said it was on its way. Well, it was the wrong tracking number for a product that was shipped a year earlier. After e mailing and finally calling them it turned out the amp was still there and waiting to be fixed. So finally a month later it came to my doorstep. I opened it, and, lo and behold, the reverb worked. After months of struggling with thier incompetent service, it was finally solved. Id advise anybody to NEVER buy a Carvin product, unless you dont mind a paying somebody at a musiic store to deal with it if it breaks down or anything. Their service is completely and utterly incompetent.

The amp sure is a nice little thing, although the clean isnt too hot volume wise. However, Id stay the hell away from Carvin. I plan on never, ever, ever buying another one of their products after the way they treated their customer. There are plenty of other low wattage tube amps for under $500. Dealing with them left an extremely bitter taste in my mouth.

I just wanted to do an update. See the "Sound" section.

I already posted a glowing review for this amp just a dew posts down. I just wanted to add, after having it for a few months, I've had the chance to play is side by side with a couple of expensive boutique amps. The first was a Dr. Z amp... I've forgotten the model... it's the one that has a single tone knob. As I listened to the Dr. Z I really was impressed with how great a clean sound it had. I was worried that as soon as I played my Carvin I'd be disappointed. Quite the opposite. From the first note I played through the Carvin I was thrilled to hear how well it held its own. In fact, I think I liked it better (I know... these things are very subjective). And it was half the price of the Dr. Z.

Secondly, the lead guitarist in my band (I play rhythm guitar, keyboard, and accordion) just went all out and bought a Matchless Clubman 35 with a Matchless speaker cab. This set him back about $2000. At our rehearsal, the Matchless sounded SO good. But the Carvin didn't disappoint... not one single bit. Of course the Matchless cab produced more bottom end than the open-backed little Carvin 112 combo, but the Carvin still sounded great next to it. I am SO happy I chose this amp!

No troubles since the initial DOA from the factory.

What a tremendous value, especially now that it comes with the Celestion Vintage 30 speaker (as mine did). I'd even venture to call it an unbeatable value.

OK, allright, I admit it, I don't remember how long I've had this amp. It's been a few years though. All the features have been mentioned time and time again.

I bought this amp (actually my wife bought it for me)
because of the idea of what it's known for being, switchable from Pentode to Triode, whatever all that means! The idea for me is being able to get the sound of an amp being played loud with out being loud.

Well, I havent been dissapointed. I've been tossing around the suggestions of those that mention the Weber Blue Dog and JJ's tubes for a while now, waiting to have the disposable cash to make this purchase deem necessary.

My band has been in the recording studio and our engineer was amazed at what I was getting from this amp. He suggested I leave it as is.

At first I was dissapointed when I tried using the V-16 during a band practice and it just couldnt cut it trying to stand out when it was necessary to stand out. We are not a loud band but we sure seemed like it when this poor little amp was trying to huff and puff it's way through our songs.

But then we purchased a PA with allot more inputs than the one before. I now was able to be mic'd through the PA and I had to turn it down!

At home it's just fine, I can jam along to my favorite songs or just practice on my own and the sound is quite nice, I get satisfaction and almost a zen kind of thing going, I just need to practice more at practicing.

I play a G&L Comanche and Blues Boy, as well I have a MIJ Strat-in-stein
I'm currently modifieng (sp?).

I like the sound of an atmospheric type of guitar. Kind of some James Calvin Wilsey, toss in some Danny Gatton, some Mark Knopfler, Buck Dharma, Carlos Santana, Aqua Velvets, Brian Setzer, SRV, Elliot Easton the list goes on but is also limited.

This amp seems to fit the bill for what I'm doing when I'm doing that geetar thang.

I followed a previous listers settings and have pretty much left them there.

I've used this amp at everything/everywhere since we got a better PA. We played the San Mateo County Fair this past August and I was complimented on what I was getting cutting through the mix with such a little amp.

I've been depending on this amp and it hasent let me down. I don't see this amp listed in EBAY, that must say something.

It hasent broken down or needed tubes changed or anything since I've had it.

I'm seriously thinking of purchasing a second one just to have at home.

I seem to remember that the customer support was very helpfull and very easy to work with when the purchase was first being made. I think I remember an issue coming up and they dealt with it real quick! I think it was tube related and they sent me e new set within days.

I've been playing for a long time now. I took off almost 15 years because I was so messed up from the drugs and dissenchantment of the whole scene, and then all of a sudden being self aware I was really only so-so and couldnt get any better.

Probably the best move I ever made because I came back at it with a vengance! I had forgotton most of the bad habits I had aquired and I learned to listen.

I would buy this amp again if it were lost or stolen. Hell! I'm thinking of doing it anyway just to have another one.

I don't have any negative feedback on this. This amp seems to fit the bill for me.

I live in the Bay Area of San Francisco and I'm planning on going to their new store that just opened up in Sacramento.

This amp,s features have been well listed out. I thought as far as the controls go, it has everything I need. I only wanted one channel in an amp this size that had excellent clean breakup and I could use a good external overdrive to kick it up (such as the tonebone). After using it a while, I do find most lacking a standby switch! Also an effects loop would have been nice, but neither of those are on vintage tweeds either. C'est la vie.

I play a Carvin DC-127. It has coil splitting capabilities, so a good single coil neck and humbucking translation is important to me.

Recently Carvin has apparently taken the advice of these review and put in a lower wattage speaker - celestion vintage 30 instead of the 100 watters in the originals. I felt I was really aking a risk buying an amp I have never played before, but I own Carvin guitars and I decided to give it a shot. In short, I haven't modified a thing yet and this amp is nothing short of excellent. I wanted a "lower wattage" all tube amp and looked at Fender's Blue Jr. and Crates 15 watt palimino. I really wanted to like the fender, but the crate was better. When I received the Carvin though, I immediately knew I made the right choice. The ability to switch the wattage put me over the top. I both modes the distortion is responsive harmonic and envigorating. I play mostly blues, classic rock, alternative. In conjunction with the tonebone, it is just unmatched for the price.

I was really looking for a great blues sound for recording and jamming, but I have recently discovered the Vox - y sound this amp is capable of. I have written some U2 - ish songs an use this with my guitar set on the neck humbucker, running some compression to chorus. Just so lush and full with the touch of break up to add dynamics. Perfect. This amp is very well suited to classic rock and blues out of the box, but that is not all it can do. However, one reveiwer was right in saying if you are craving some good old fender 6V6 sound - you will want a deluxe reverb reissue. But every amp has limits and strengths. This is worth your time and money if you are a serious guitar player. I am giving it a 10 because there have been a few fools giving scathing reviews taking down the average

No Problems. Built well. I use it mostly in the studio, but it holds up for any thing I've needed so far.

Carvin customer support is consistently excellent! That is a factor in considering an amp choice. While I have not used them for this amp, they have always treated me well.

People have noted that there is not much difference in the 5 watt to 15 watt modes as far as loudness. 2 comments on this. First, this makes sense because of the rule of 10. (Check out www.guitarnuts.com for comments on amp wattage to loudness). In short, you have to multiply the wattage by ten to only perceptably double the output volume of the amp. So a 50 watt amp fully cranked will only sound twice as loud as a 5 watt amp running the same cab. So in reality, a 15 watt amp is plenty loud for many applications. I use this for jamming an live play.
Secondly, (and this is the best part) I bought a behringer GI100 for 20 bucks and that means I can run this thing to the board and record or go through the PA and be as loud as I need. An excellent alternative to mic'ing. This behringer device is a DI box which runs between your speaker and the amp. It has a 4x12 cab sim built in and sounds unbelieveable.
So this amp is may main practice, recording and gigging amp. The only thing I miss are the features noted and that fender sound. But that's what second amps are for. I am also going to try a Tech 21 GT2 before the amp and see what that does. But even with out it I am beyond satisfied. Kudos Carvin!

My V16 is a 2004 model. I mainly play blues and classic rock and for these styles of music this is a very good amplifier. It is a one channel amp with Soak (gain), Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, and Reverb controls. The controls work well and it is very easy to get good tones from the amp. Also, this is an amp that lets a guitar's tone come through. I use this amp jamming with my friends and it is plenty lod for that.

The guitars I use with this amp are: 2004 Gibson R7 Reissue with Burstbucker Pros, 2004 Gibson R7 Reissue with P90s; 2002 Carvin Bolt with two AP-11 single coils and a CT22 humbucker; 1987 Fernder '52 Reissue Telecaster; 1967 Gretsch Corvette.

This amp really allows the different character of each of my guitars to come through. All that it really takes to get a ggod sound from it is a little attention to the controls. As an example, when using humbucking pickups I ease off on the Soak. When using single coils I boost the mids. This stuff isn't rocket science--it's simply a bit of knob tweaking to get a good sound.

This is a quiet amp. I did two things to mine, however. Mine cam with the 100 watt Carvin speaker and I replaceed that with a Weber 15 watt Alnico Blue Dog. This speaker is much better suited to the amp's power output and gives it a much more refined sound. The second thing I did was swap in some JJs tubes. Now it has a tighter sound. SInce this amp now come with a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker I don't think a speaker change is necessary and, with this speaker, maybe the tube change isn't either.

This amp suits the style of music I play and the settings I play in. All of my friends love the tone of this amp.

Reliable. It has never broken down. I would use this without a backup but I would take spare tubes with me just in case.

N/A

I have been playing for 26 years. My other amp is a Marshall JCM900 50 watt Hi-Gain Dual Reverb that I love except for how much it weighs--I'm tired of lugging that big bastard around. The Carvin V16 is easy to carry and delivers great tone. Recently I compared it to a Fender Re-Issue 40 watt Twin that costs over $2,000. That Twin is a great amp. It's hand-wired, has Weber designed speakers, and delivers the "shimmer" that only that type of amp can. That being said, my V16 with its Weber speaker and PCB internals sounds just as good, although different because it doesn't quite have the "shimmer", as the Twin which costs four times as much. It can also bring on its tone at lower volumes than the Twin.

I chose this amp beause I figured for the price I had nothing to lose. It has exceeded my expectations. It is a simple and straightforward amp for people who desire that in an amp. It's nothing fancy but the more I play it the more I love it.

If it was lost or stolen I would immediately but another.

Great amp value!

This is an update, I have had the amp for 9 months.

The V16 that I got had the 100 watt speaker in it. I see in the Carvin catalog that they are now putting a 30 in it. Good move Carvin! Anyway, what I wanted to pass along is that I changed the speaker to a Weber Bluedog 15 watt vintage alnico and absolutely love the sound. (thanks to some earlier reviewers for the tip). I also swapped out the tubes for JJ's, then I put the stock tubes back in, then I went back to the JJ's. Both types of tubes sound good - just in different ways. The JJ's are smooth and round. The stock Sovtec tubes are edgy and crunchy. So that's just a matter of style to me. The Reverb was always too strong too soon and was difficult to like. That started me on a quest for a reverb pedal which I ended taking back because it was not the sound from Heaven, in fact it was noisy and tacky. Then I discovered that by putting a JJ ECC82 (eighty-two) in the verb tube slot (V2) that it smoothes out the verb and gives you a full range of usable sound. Now I love the reverb. It is not the best reverb there is but it is now very usable and smooth! Because the 82 is very low gain it makes the tank less tangy and brittle. The reverb tank itself is not a bad one for the type amp it is installed in.

I keep banging and schleping the amp around and it works perfect.

I have not had to contact them. That means they are doing their job.

This has turned out to be a great little office / practice amp for me. It is so much easier to pick up the guitar and relax when you know you are going to like the tone of the rig!

Features per other reviews here. Decent feature set
for the price.

Wanted another flavor to go with my various older Fender amps, and
something for low volume recording. I play mostly single coils through
all of my amps, w/ few if any effects. I'm not sure this is the flavor
I wanted, or maybe I'm just married to the Fender sound.

Like all EL84 amps I've used, it's more middy and muddy than
I really like. The treble's diffused and the bass compresses and
smears when hit hard. The overdrive doesn't do much until it hits
about 6.5, then instantly goes over the top. The clean sound isn't
bad, but newver seems to get very loud -- probably because it's
a poor match for the 100-watt speaker. This cost-cutting measure
means that the speaker never really humps until the thing's cranked.

I have had it out of the house twice, and it has seen only
the lightest of light duty. One of the chicken head knobs has
already gone AWOL, and the reverb has ceased to work. Carvin quoted
me $160.00 plus shipping (!)to fix it. The guy on the phone
sounded like he did not even know what a spring reverb was --
he may have been the sweeper -- so naturally I did not feel
confident.

I ended up finding someone who worked fo Accutronics. He told
me how to trouble shoot the tank to determine whether it was
the source of woe. It wasn't, so the problem's internal.
I did change the tube identified as the one which is part of the 'verb circuitm and NUTHIN'. I'm just going to say screw it and buy a Holy Grail or something. The reverb kinda sucked anyway, even before it went dead. Oh, and the (proprietary) tank, which Carvin wants to replace for me at $160 plus shipping, can be had directly
from the manufacturer for less than $30. All you need is the code stamped into the tank, and if your tank really does fail, then call it in to Accutronics. It's two screws, and 2 RCA plugs, to replace.

The chicken head falling off just pissed me off, because I'm not a knob twiddler, which means that someone just did not tighten the
set screw properly. All it took was gravity for it to fall off.
Quality control at Carvin must go on siesta fifteen minute after
the screw-tightening department comes back from their liquid lunch.

I'm seriously unimpressed w/ Carvin after several dealings over
the phone. They ought to put a schematic into the back of everything they sell, so you could bypass their lame service.

BTW: Price below is price + ship + cover. Amp itself is
$399 per the catalog.

Basically a low-priced amp with a few compromises (no channel
switching, 100-watt speaker.) Some people might like theirs (assuming
better reliability than I've had) but I now use it only to
amplify my Korg simulator.

Although this amp isn't by any means worthless to me, I have to say that after this and their piss-poor "Vintage Wah" I won't be
buying anything else from Carvin. The price and the features look
attractive, but without local product support (or even competent
or co-operative phone support) what are you really buying??

Just recieved the amp a few weeks ago brand new from Carvin. Knobs and functions have been listed plenty of times in other reviews. Single channel, soak, master volume, reverb, etc. Three 12ax7 and two EL84 tubes. 16 watts in Pentode mode, switchable to 5 in Triode mode. Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. Gorgeous Tweed poplar cabinet.

I've tried this amp with my Carvin AE-185, my Squier Standard Stratocaster that I've upgraded with all Carvin electronics, my Agile Les Paul gordtop with ceramic P90's, a Johnson "Vegas" hollowbody, and a 1966 Burns/Baldwin electric 12-string.

I have never been happier with my sound. With every pickup setting on every guitar I can find very useful sounds with this amp. My big brother (age 51... I'm 42... we've both been playing forever) brought over his 70's Fender Princeton Reverb so we could A - B them. I've long considered the vintage Princeton Reverb to be the holy grail of clean tone. While the Vintage 16 did not sound like the Princeton, it still sounded fantastic next to it. Its clean tones held their own very well. And when we started playing with the gain knob the versatility of this amp began to shine. It can go into territory where the Princeton could not.

It is not for heavy metal. It has a lot of usable distortion sounds but they are vintage sounds, not shredder sounds.

I've gigged with it twice now. First thing I discovered I had to do was leave all of the effects pedals at home. They only get in the way of the tone of the amp.

I've ended up leaving it in the 5 watt triode mode both times I've performed with it. It's just so rich and warm. And it's really not much softer than the 16 watt mode. I'm actually amazed at how loud 5 watts can be.

The vintage distortions are wonderful, but in our oldies band I'm mostly after the vintage clean sounds, and this amp delivers amply. I don't remember ever before being 100% happy with my tone. I am now. I know we're not supposed to give gushing reviews but I have to be honest here... the amp is everything I hoped it would be.

I haven't worked with it long enough to comment intelligently here. Tube amps are a little more fragile, obviously. But Carvin seems to have built it like a tank.

Carvin's customer support can be great depending on which rep you talk to. The amp showed up D.O.A. It powered up but had no sound whatsoever. I called customer support so say I wanted to swap it. The guy I spoke to said he couldn't do that unless I talked to one of the techs first and we went through a trouble shooting procedure. Unfortunately, all the techs there go home at 2:30 (that's what I said, "What?") and I'd have to call back the next day when they were there. I explained that I had a day job and couldn't take the amp to work and call from there, etc. Could we just start an exchange please? He wouldn't budge. I hung up frustrated.

I started looking over the amp myself and noticed that one of the 12ax7 tubes was a different color than the rest. I decided to remove it to inspect it and then I tried it came out in pieces. I called Carvin back and got a different guy named Marco. He was great. I told him I had one spare 12ax7 I could try but I was afraid that the amp would just blow it out immediately. He told me to go ahead and do it anyway. I asked, "If it blows the tube will you send me a replacement?" He said, "I'm going to send you a whole new set whether it blows it or not". I put the tube in and the amp worked great. He hasn't yet followed followed through on the promise to send me tubes.

So I guess I'm giving customer support a 6, since the amp left the factory unfunctioning and because only 50% of my customer support experience was positive.

I'm giving the amp an overall rating of 9... not a 10 only because of Carvin's customer support buffoon that I talked to when I first called and the fact that it was D.O.A when I got it. It delivers on every promise the manufacturer makes. It sounds fantastic. And I understand that if I ever swap out these Sovtec tubes for something better like JJ Tesla, the amp will be even warmer still. I love it! If I ever lost it I would be heartbroken.

Back in the 70's I used a Peavey Pacer 45 watt 1 x 12 combo with a lot of effects. I ended up in the 80's and 90's just running a lot of effects into the PA when performing and skipping the amp altogether. For this oldies band I'm in now that wasn't quite cutting it, I needed vintage sounds, so I bought an Epiphone Galaxie 10 tube amp. I reviewed that one on this site as well. While I really liked it for what it was (an extremely affordable Class A tube amp), the Vintage 16 blows it out of the water. When my brother/bandmate came over with his Princeton Reverb he kept saying, "Not only is it beautiful to look at, it sounds wonderful!"

As others have said, just soak (gain), volume, tone, & reverb controls. They are shipping with Celestion classic 30 speakers now.

No effects loop. Switch to change between 5 & 16 watts. It is plenty loud enough for me, but if you regularly play with a drummer, you may want more power or use a mic.

I wanted an all tube amp that was portable and at 30 lbs, this one does the job.

I am playing Ibanez guitar with SSH pickups. The amp has a nice blues/classic rock sound. With a distortion pedal, it handles Scorpions, GNR, & other 80s hard rock sounds well.

Out of the box, the amp sounded good and worked well with distortion, delay, chorus and other pedals. There is no effects loop, so you have to keep the soak knob on a clean setting to for delay and chorus to sound good. I usually just set up a good clean sound, and then use a Jekyll & Hyde distortion pedal when I want more drive.

If you want more of a 'cranked amp tone,' I'd recommend reading the EXCELLENT articles at www.amptone.com. An eq pedal ($30 Danelectro fish & chips) and a power attenuator ($75 mini mass from Weber) really helped bring out the best in my guitar and amp. The power attenuator allows for power tube saturation in addition to preamp distortion at lower volume levels. With the EQ pedal, you can tailor the tone to your liking. This setup yields everything from AC/DC crunch to a great classic rock lead tone for wailing solos when my kids are asleep.

Works great as a practice amp and in church on Sundays. No problems after three months.

Ordered online and it was shipped quickly. No problems

I've been playing 15 years, off and on. I wanted a tube amp, but as a hobbyist, my playing environment and budget could not justify expensive or powerful gear. This little amp sounds great and is an outstanding value. I looked at amps in the $800 - $1000 range, but ultimately decided to buy this one and spend the difference on a power attenuator, eq pedal, and other gear. I am very glad I did.

this is mainly a blues amp.not very versatile but if you are looking
for a good vintage tube tone,this is it.it is a i channel amp.with
a good overdrive pedal it is loud enough for small gigs.

i use it with a 70's reissue strat,it works great.it has a very
specific sound ,it does not sound like a classic peavey nor a fender hrd. it has it's own personnality.hi's and low's are so pure.
i use it with a boss od-3 (GREAT PEDAL TRY IT!)for blues that's all
you need.i forgot to mention it is not noisy at all.i have other amps
fender hrd peavey delta blues and honestly i prefer the sound of
this little thing!.i just wish it were 30 wattsor so,nothing is perfect i guess.if like me you have been looking around for THE
BLUES SOUND give it a try.....

I have had it for only a month,it seems fine to me.

all i can say is i was on the phone with carvin twice and they
were very nice.

i have been playing for 12 years and i have been like others
looking for that perfect sound i have other amps of course
fender hrd twin classic peavey,but as i said this little thing
is in a class of it's own.i will probably try carvin nomad 112
50 watts if it is anything like the vintage 16 ,at 50 watts it
will be fantastic.

Single channel, soak.vol,bass,mid,treble,reverb. One 12" speaker. Very portable.

I have many guitars to use, mostly I use a custom made R&B stratelli w/fralin singles, and an R&B standard for slide-PAF buckers. I like the way this amp sounds now, since I've played with it's speaker and tube configurations--a lot! I play mostly traditional and electric (eclectic) blues. Pretty quiet with amperex nos 7025;s in it....JJ el84's. The amp sounds very smooth now.....let me explain....first, I put in the new tubes. Good idea. Then I put in a 30 watt celestion, because out of the box, the amp was waaaay too stiff. The highs still sounded a bit harszh tho. Then, as I sometimes do, I got a silly idea to put the chassis into a mojo 2x12 bluesbreaker cab w/2-12" greenbacks....The guys in the band kept telling me to turn down! LOLOL! EXCELLENT bass response then...mids warm, highs still a bit scratchy....so THEN...I put the chassis into a mojo MINI bluesbreaker cab w/2 jensen mod 10's 35watts...a little less volume, a little less bass, great mids, and the highs smoothed out. Then.....LOL...I put the chassis back into its original cabinet, but I had sold the 12" that was in it. I got a JBL e120 in a trade with a guitar-geek friend of mine and.....HOLY CRAP! I put it in the carvin cab, and alla the sudden my little V-16 turned into a monster that will poke yer eyes out!....Still not all that much bass, but girthy....smooth mids....clear as a bell, smooth highs...very silky & not harsh, and the JBL is sooo efficient, that it's now plenty loud enough to be a very portable gig amp. This amp now can get very loud for it's size and wattage rating. The only pedal I've ever used with it is a durham sex drive clean boost pedal...I don't even need that any more...you might think me crazy, but the tubes doing the distortion, and the speaker being clean really...REALLY sounds good...very smoooooth...and loud.

Had it for 2 1/2 years now....no issues.

I've never had a problem to deal with from Carvin.

I'll rate this thing high, because I just haven't found anything close to this amp for the money. I'm having a lot of fun with it. I also own a Cage Corsa 18/30...it would be silly to compare them. I do use the carvin for smaller gigs and teaching tho. I'm thinking about buying another one and seeing what kind of warped cofiguration I can contort it into to get a different sound.
Kerranggg!

Has everything I need.

Guitars with P-90 pick ups and regular single coils. This amp delivers an accurate reproduction of your guitars ability. It is exactly the sound and tone I desired. For recording, home office practicing, small jam sessions. It's great clean and overdriven.

When I received it via UPS, the shipping carton was beat up. When I opened the box the styrofoam corners were all broken to bits (note to Carvin: maybe a little beefier shipping packaging..). I figured there might be some issues, however the amp was in perfect condition - no scratches, dings or dents. I plugged it in, checked the tubes for snugness and started rocking. Considering that the shipping box looked like the amp was 'rolled' from California to Miami and still was in perfect shape and working order I have to figure it's pretty reliable! I have had no problems at all over the past 2 months.

They sent me tracking #'s and got it to me in exactly 1 week from ordering. I have had no reason to contact them. So they are doing a good job so far

Like many I also did a lot of looking. Now that I have it I don't know why I waited so long to make up my mind. It's sweet.

I bought this amp shortly after it was introduced. Just your bare bones, meat and potatoes no-frills amp. I personally would'nt call it versatile but it does what I need. I use this amp for practice in my basement.

I'm using a Tele with Lindy Fralins Blues Specials, and a Les Paul with Dimarzio PAF's. I find the tone of this amp to be a bit on the stiff side, and the bottom end tends to flub out a bit too quick for my liking. Granted your only going to get so much low end out of an EL84 based amp that's only 16 watts but I'd like if it was a bit tighter. Speaking of the low end I don't understand the bass knob. From 0 to 2 there is no bass at all. Turn it a tad past 2 and the bass suddenley kicks in and the actual bass response stays the same up until 8. Then from 8 to 10 there is a slight increase that's hardly noticable. So basically the bass knob is an "on/off" switch. I e-mailed Carvin and they told me this was normal. Huh??
Anyway, because I find the sound a bit stiff and cardboard sounding I use a Bass GE-7 EQ to reshape things a bit and it helped out a lot. I keep the Soak knob at about 7 and the Volume knob on about 8 and with the EQ this keeps things clean and smooth with no breakup and it sounds pretty good with both the Tele and the Lester. For distorted sounds I'm using Tonebone pedals. The Tele goes into the Hot British and the Lester goes into the Classic and I'll tell you what, I'm learning to pull some pretty good sounds out of it all. I've got all the volumes at an equal level and it's all just right. Not to quiet, but loud enough to get the point across without rippin your ears off of your head. It might be loud enough for a basement band practice but in a live situation it would no doubt have to be mic'd thru a P.A.. But for my needs at home I find that the combination of my guitars, amp, EQ and the Tonebones gives me what I need. I wish the amp was a bit smoother on its own but again, I fixed that with the EQ.

Seems to be reliable and has'nt caused me any grief although it's due for a tune-up.

I've heard a lot of good and a lot of bad regarding Carvins customer service but if the amp just quit on me I'd take it to a local tech.

I really don't know if I'd buy it again. Offhand I probably would'nt. But then again now that I've tweaked it a bit with some pedals and for my needs at home I think it works okay as a basic base to work from.

Really all you need. Reverb* Switchable power. EQ, and a master volume.

Tried it through a couple P-90 equiped and a Hamer sunburst. Very organic sound. As a matter of fact, just what I was looking for...dirty...not buzzy. Good for grungy stuff, classic rock, blues, etc. Not for heavy distortion. (no boxes). Disappointed in how weak the clean sound was though.

Here's my problem: first one came with reverb not working. It wouldn't change for pentode to triode either. So, I returned it. Very helpful satff sent me a second one that didn't work at all. Now, I'm very impatient. But, a very friendly staffer promised a replacement in three days, so I said "bring it on". I called to get a tracking number for delivery...."on back order...three weeks!" So I've cancelled the order and am very unhappy with Carvin quality.

See above. The staff are very friendly and helpful. But, they couldn't help me in the end. Give me surly and competent and day. Plus, the promise of a three day delivery was just a plain lie!

I wish I could say good things. The price is so right. What I heard was cool. But, the complete failure of quality control has to giv e this the low rating.

Almost everything you need. 12" speaker. It's small. Very portable. 16 watts of tube tone.

But it is missing a couple things. First, it does not have a standby switch. That would have been very nice. I see that as a big oversight. It is not the end of the world but I like to be kind to tubes and a standby switch makes that a little easier. Second, it does not have a line out. That would be nice for playing at place you do not want to take the time to mike the amp (like most of the time). I got around this by using a Behringer Ultra-G. It is a DI box that sits between the amp and the speaker. It sounds good too.

This amp is amazing. Especially for the price. Great for that blues, classic rock, country or even jazz tone. It has good smooth distortion but not the "metal" sound. To give an idea, here is what I compared it. Fender Blues Junior ($400) - this is what I thought I would buy till I tried it. It sound colored with no life. What a disappointment. Fender Hot Rod Deluxe ($600) - A little colored. Just did not sound right. Riveria Clubster ($900)- This was the one with 10" speaker and maybe 18 watts. The clean sound was great. The distortion sound was not that good imho. It sounded cheap. Riveria Clubster ($1200) w/ 12" about 40 watts - This was a great amp. Perfect clean and such a smooth lead channel. If I had the money, I would have purchased this one. Groove Tubes ($1000+) I tried a few their amps. They all sound great but the Carvin just sounded better than those. Mesa F-30 ($900)- A very good sounding amp with the mesa sound. It could get alot of different sounds. Very comparable to Carvin but capable of more range of sounds. The Carvin won my decision on price.

What really got me on this amp is that it is fun to play. Adjust the settings and jam. That is the most important thing in an amp.

I have not had any problems. My rating is based on the time when I found my 2 year old using my amp as a jungle gym. He climbed on top of it, lost his balance, knocked the amp over, into the wall, and fell on top of it. There was not a scratch on the amp but there was a dent in the wall. Everything powered up fine.

No problems.

I wanted a small, low watt tube amp to use mostly at home and in a studio. I was looking for 12" speaker, under 30 watts, and under $500. To my surprise there are not many good tube amps under $500. This Carvin just amazes me because of the sound for the price. Most the amps I compared this to were over $1k.

It is surprisingly louder than I thought it would be. I used it at a gig in 300 seat auditorium. When I asked the soundman how the amp was sounding he told me that most of the sound was coming from my amp and not the PA. I was shocked.

The speaker takes a while to break in so it sounds better with more use. Some people have complained about the lack of a 2nd channel. That is not an issue for me because I use pedals to overdrive the amp. There are only a handful of amps that have 2 channels where I like the sound of both channels. I rather get an amp I like and then get some good pedals to go with it.

About me, I have played for 20 years. I play regularly and am good enough that I have been asked to sit in the studio for other folks. I play blues, jazz, rock, and sometimes country.

I am rating it a 10 because I cannot find anything that comes even close in this price range.

Its Eq Section is a carving section. Don't think since you get a huge variety, that makes an amp better. Usually it is the exact opposite. How many variables do you need? You want something that adds the frequencies but not to a point of over doing it.

Play '93 PRS Goldtop custom 24 Deep Dish, USA Strat w/single coils Alder, USA Strat single coil Bill Lawrence pickups Swamp ash old guitar. Very quite amp, with GREAT tone. I am a session player and believe me I have played it all. I mostly played "botique amps" but didn't own very many amps. Played Boogie (old stuff is ok but NOT the new) Fender (Good cleans at medium volumes, too colored.) Marshall(Good if you have min. $3000 to get old amps, the new amps I DO NOT LIKE at all!) Dr. Z (very good, but get ready to mortgage your home for one) Snider Amps (Awesome, but they start at $4000) If you like a DRY tone, I really have only ever heard a few as dry. Dry is good, your actual guitar tone will come out, if you have a crap guitar with no tone, don't attempt this amp. Dry will allow pedals and guitars to express better. If you have patients and use HIGH Quality pedals, this amp is an absolute TONE ANIMAL! I have played Rock, Jazz, Funk, Country, & Blues through it, without any tone issues. I don't use alot of effects, just a couple pedals, Jekyll & Hyde, Tonebone hot british, texas ranger, Crowther hot cake, not all at the same time, with a RMC 3 wah and a fulltone clyde wah. It may be small but FIERCE.

If Carvin ships it to you, check the tubes right away make sure they are all seated properly. Mine had one V2 position out of whack.

I have many people I know that do regular business with them and they are easy to work with.

I have been a session guitar player for almost 10 years, and have seen it all. Carvin has stepped up thier quality over the past 5 years in my opinion, most everything is actually very impressive. I tried the other amps, didn't have this tone. You have to break this amp in like all tube amps, be patient grasshopper, your tone will arrive with this thing. And for MSRP of $399, scary cheap. By the way a few of us A/B'd this amp with a bunch of 20 watt "botique amps" and we about crapped ourselves, this amp kicked the sh@# out of many of them, not kidding. We found 2 that sounded better out of 9, oh yea by the way one cost $2000 and the other one $2300. For the money this amps kicks ass no doubt, but it isn't for everyone, I recommend it for an accomplished player with high quality Guitars and Effects, don't throw modeling crap through this, use the real stuff like I listed. Some of the pedals are almost as much as the amp but the tone is versitile and much bigger than it looks. By the way if you are comparing this to a Blues Junior, no comparison, the blues jr. starts to loose its tone fast when pushed and is too colored. I will put this against the better Fenders of this age and still have confidence this will smoke them, even the 2x12 stuff. This amp has a large amount of punch and remains strong even on 10, and play it at a small gig, it has plenty of balls.

This is a new (2004) Vintage 16. I play in a band that does a variety of music -- mostly classic rock, but also current stuff and originals that have kind of a Santana vibe. I have a large amp collection, but find even 40 watters overpowering in many of the smaller venues we play. I had been searching for a versatile, reasonably priced, low-wattage tube amp, and previously owned (and sold) both the Fender Pro and Jr. I found that the small Fenders had a great "lead" tone, but in my opinion, not enough clean headroom to play chords with sufficient definition. The recent review in Guitar Player magazine convinced me to give the Vintage 16 a try. The Vintage 16 is a very basic 1 channel amp: put the gain on or about full, set the tone controls how you like, and use "soak" to dial in the desire volume and crunch. Despite the lack of "features," I find this to be a very "versatile" amp, capable of producing great clean and overdriven tones, and in that respect, I disagree with the GP reviewer who characterized it as a "one-tone" kind of amp. I think this amp can really cover all bases, with the exception of metal.

This is a wonderful amp. The first amp I have ever owned or played that actually allowed me to get great tube tone at lower volume levels, both clean and overdriven. Far superior, in my opinion, than the Fender Pro and Jr. In addition, I tend to disagree with the reviewers who say that you need to swap the tubes and speaker to make this amp really sing. I have experimented with different tubes (Sovtek, JJ, EH), and speakers (Celestion, Weber, Reverend, Jenson). I found the different tubes so close in sound to be barely indistinguishable. Speakers, of course, each have a voice of their own, and changing them will result in a differenct sounding amp, but this is totally subjective. After trying a whole bunch of different tubes and speakers, I ended up putting the "original equipment" back in, and have never looked back. It sounds great.

I have not opened-up the chassis, but from the outside, the amp appears very sturdy and well constructed. I have purchased quite a few Carvin products over the years and have never had a problem. However, I never gig without a backup.

The Carvin sales staff has always been a pleasure to deal with.

I've been playing about 30 years, and have owned all kinds of amps and guitars. I currently rely mainly on Reverend and Marshall amps, but based on my experience with the Vintage 16, may also purchase the Carvin Belair (50 watt 2x12). I play a G&L Legacy, American-Std Tele, LP Classic, Peavey Wolfgang, and Reverend Slingshot. If the Vintage 16 were stolen or lost, I would definitely buy another.

Bought new in 2003. Limited, but very useful within that range.
Wish it had: a standby switch, an ext. speaker jack, A NO-TOOLS-NEEDED 16/5W SWITCH. An effects loop might be overkill

I use an SG90 (usually in single-coil mode), and Telecaster, and occasionally a theremin and an electric kalimba. The amp is respectably quiet, only developing background growl at higher gain settings, although sometimes a hum creeps in that I remedy with a swat to the side of the amp.
Straight out of the box, I hated this amp. I'd gotten used to my '68 Vibro-Champ, and the Vintage 16's cardboard tone couldn't touch it for gritty bite or chime. I almost resigned myself to an immediate speaker & tube swap, but after a few days it sounded better; maybe the tubes were settling in, maybe my ears were recalibrating, maybe both. But I came to admire the amp's roundness and non-brittle clarity. A subtle liveliness. The tone controls seem to operate much differently from my Fenders. Bass and mid add, respectively, depth and "muscle", not mud. I can find very few EQ settings that flat out suck.
Things get mushy when the soak knob gets past 7. I've heard there are some diodes (or resistors, or whatever) that are in the circuit specifically to produce some warmth/distortion. I'd rather have a bit more headroom. In time I'm sure I'll swap out the tubes and speaker, and maybe yank out those mystical diodes, but for now I'm quite pleased with it.

Only a year old, so I'll make an estimate.

Too many salesmen, not enough repairmen. (A universal truth?) The amp shipped with the wrong fuses, and it took the company three days to properly field my question. They sent me replacements, but I'd rather have spent the $.55, gotten my questions answered promptly, and spared them the postage and excessive packing.

I didn't especially need another amp, but when I won a $250 Carvin gift certificate, it seemed like the best use of the funds. No regrets. Two thumbs up.

This is a great amp, I think it sounds above average with stock tubes and speaker, I put euro tubes JJs EL84 and AX7s that Bob from euro tube recomended that help alot, I already had a 30w weber alnico blue dog, But it was still missing something, So I called and talked to (Ted Weber) and He told me to get the 15w Alnico Blue Dog and WOW HOT I can't tell you how good this amp sounds,I have a 83 Fender Telecaster,A 68 Gibson Les paul Custom Cherry Sunburst, A Music Man Albert Lee Translucent Red Cherryburst , And a Carvin ae185-12 string electric semihollow body Guitar. The tube and speaker change cost around $240 dollars.This Amp dose everthing great I really like the 5w mode best but the 16w mode is great to.With my Les Paul its Led Zeplin meets Aerosmith,With Albert Lee its CCR,Albert Collins,Texas Blues ZZ Top,With the Telecaster its twang heaven,With the Carvin ae18512 its the Birds,Eagles, The tone is fantastic,This Amp does everything.I live close to the Carvin Covina store after I put the speaker and new tubes in the amp I had to show it off the staff was in awe of the sound they thought the stock Amp was good but with the changes WOW even the customers were asking where they could buy the speakers and tubes.This is not a one horse pony,this amp is hard rock,blues,soul,breath,buttery brown sound,I love this amp I own a fender twin with two JBL E120 speakers that is a great amp two and a Carvin vintage 33 with the same tubes and speaker as the vintage 16 but with 30w alnico weber blue dog but theres something about that class A 5w mode in the vintage 16 amp,like I said its awesome it sounds like a 30w amp

10

The Manager and staff at the Covina Carvin store is the best

The basic amp is a awesome product but with the speaker and tube change it out fenders a fender,and out voxes a vox,and out marshalls a marshall I have been playing for 35 years I have owned a lot of amps a 65 vox ac30,Boy was I dumb my ex wife needed tires for her car so I sold that amp,I taken this amp to the rude dog in covina and other places and played,every one who has heard this amp loves the buttery clean and brown distortion sound

Basic features: volume, bass, mid, treble, reverb and soak controls.
Single input. Bought it for use in small venues, ie. coffe shops, etc.
I play mostly country, classic rock, and blues. For what I wanted it has the features I need.

With this amp I use a PRS McCarty and a G&L ASAT Classic. When I purchased it, the tubes had alreday been changed to JJ's, so I can't say anything about the stock sound of the amp. Keep in mind that I am comparing this amp to a vintage '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb I've had since '65, so any negatives and positives about this amp should be taken accordingly.

When I first plugged in to it I was a little disappointed in how thin and tinnish it sounded. So I sat it next to the Fender and plugged the Fender's speaker (Celestion G12 vintage 30 watt) into the speaker jack in back of the Carvin. That immediately lit it up! So I bought the same speaker and put it in the Carvin. Before, it was hard to get much of a clean sound, even with the soak turned way down. Now it has a lot of clarity up until about 6 on the soak knob, then a nice warm blues tube breakup kicks in. The Celestion also gives it quite a bit more volume, which is nice. With the soak knob on 10 you get all the distortion any blues song would ever need. Nothing a metal head (is that the correct term?) would like. No need for any kind of distortion pedal for me. Others have not been too excited about the reverb, but to me it sounds fine at low settings, 2-4. Anything over that and it loses something.

Have not had it long enough to comment on the reliability but it seems to be built like a tank.

I've been playing for 40 years and have owned lots of different amps. Nothing compares to a tube amp. I'm totally satisfied with the "Sweet Little 16" after the speaker change. Doesn't compare with a big amp but if you're looking for something to use at home or smaller gigs I don't think you'd be disapointed with it after the tube and speaker change. I'd definitely buy another one if anything happened it.

The feature set is about right for a small amp - Lo, Mid, Hi, Vol, Soak (Drive) and Reverb. The 16W power output and triode (5W) modes are great for small venues and recording. What's missing is a Standby switch and effects loop send/return.

The sound is underwhelming - tone controls have a limited range, the amount of drive and reverb are limited too. In fact, adjusting any control from 0 to 100% is like adjusting the controls on a Fender or Marshall from 0 to 25%. It's not impressive at all, even after I re-tubed it. It can't compete with any of my other amps - Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Supro 15W practice amp, Crate 25W solid state amp.

It seems to be built pretty well - Carvin makes god stuff.

I've dealt with Carvin before and found them to be responsive.

I wanted this for playing inside the house without breaking all the windows. This amp sounds cheap and you really can't get a very wide range of tones out of it. I'm dumping it and buying a Marshall.

Brand new I had to wait a few days extra for it!! Made in 2004!!!It does just what it is made to do and it does it well. For the price though it should have tremelo. Great all tube amp.

Fender American Strat and Gibson sg. Greta sound very quiet all the time!!

Too new don't know yet

Well I have not need support yet but.. They did not tell me it was on back order I had to find out myself. They did not tell me when it was shipped I had to find out for myself. The emails and phone conversations I had were not very pleasant.

Playing for 40 years. My first good amp was a Fender Bandmaster reverb. I just bought a Blues junior with a jensen c12n It sounds better/different that the V16 but I really like both of the sounds. The v16 looks very cool and I love the front mounted chicken head knobs. I also have a fender stage 100 dsp and a kustom quad 2x12. A hammond keyboard with a motion sound amp. Feel free to email me with question about the stuff i have.

Purchased in 2004 from the factory. Features are as listed in the other reviews. The review by Armstrong pretty much hits everything dead-on, in my opinion. I did not have the reverb trouble, though. A stand-by switch would be a welcome addition.

I think the key element here is right in the name of this amp--"Vintage". If you are looking for a vintage tone, you will be extremely happy with this. If you want a more modern sounding amp and reverb, you probably won't think much of it. My single coil older Ibanez sounds great thru this, as does my humbucker equipped guitars. I agree that the 16 watt setting sounds somewhat better than the 5 watt mode. I just set it to 16 and left it there after experimenting a little--the 16 watt setting sounds fabulous. I've also run various vintage pedals thru this, which is entertaining and sounds cool for the most part. Other than the distortion pedal, I would have to say effects might sound better thru a solid state amp, but it is still fun to experiment. I also agree that the reverb could be a little more dynamic, so I knocked off a point.

Just got it, so I'm not much help here, although I'm not sweating it either, as I know Carvin will stand behind this should I have a problem. My rating is based on reputation.

Again, I am confident Carvin will stand behind this if I have a problem.

If I were to lose this somehow, I would go right out and get another. I bought this at a suggestion of a friend, who has a Hot Rod Deluxe. I would love to have that as well, but my buddy made a very good point. The HRD gets so loud so quickly that it is hard to get it to sound its' best unless you've got the space to crank it up. The Vintage 16 still sounds great at low volumes, and sounds even better cranked up. Thanks for the tip! Give this a listen if you are looking for a vintage sound. This amp has a great tone and surprising volume and power.

Purchased new in February of 2003.
This is a single-channel 16/5 watt switchable vintage-styled tube amp.
Soak, Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, and Reverb knobs are all cream-colored chicken-heads.
3 x 12ax7, and 2 x EL84 tubes.
Spring 'verb.
12 inch driver.
that's it, and its just what I want.
Ratings, being as subjective as they are, mean little here. That said, I give it a 9, as I would very much welcome a standby switch.

First, I am a Strat-guy.

I bought this baby just over a year ago. My main signal path is Strat -> cable -> amp. Sometimes, though, I add a DD5, Dano Tremolo, Ibanez MS10, or Dunlop Wah depending on my mood.

My main influences are The Beatles, Byrds, Animals, Stones, Zeppelin, Smiths, Police, REM and U2. This guitar/amp combo goes from the uber-compressed "Sunday Bloody Sunday" growl to the sparkle of "Feel a Whole Lot Better," with little knob-twidling. Zeppelin is a bit of a stretch for this thing with the Strat alone, but add the MS10, and I can get passably close.

Like others, I also prefer the 16 Watt mode. Its very hard to describe, but it sounds a tad more like the soothing reddish-hue of one of those extraordinary farm-country sunsets, versus your everyday nice sunset.

Regardless of the setting (5 or 16 watts) this baby is loud! Attribute that to the seemingly very efficient speaker. (Remember kids, 5 watts is way more than 1/3 the volume of 16. In-fact, the difference is negligible.) The two settings do have slight differences in dynamics, though.

The Reverb? The 'verb on the first one I received was as dead as fried chicken. I called Carvin. They went through the normal troubleshooting steps, and sent out a 3-pack of new pre-amp tubes (the verb is controlled by V3 I think.) The new tube did not help.
I received an RMA #, and sent the thing back for an exchange. They sent me a pre-paid UPS label, so it cost me nothing to send.

Anyway, a week later, I had a new one. The Reverb is great, contrary to previous reviews. It does get a little shrill at 10, but that's what you get.

I did replace the tubes with a new set of JJs.

I give this category an 8 in 5-watt mode, and a 10 in 16-watt mode.
-remember that this is a subjective review. So, from the extremely complex algorithm I use to calculate a rating, we end up with a 9.03729.

My initial reverb woes notwithstanding (not a reliability issue) I have not been let down by it yet.

I play with the band at least once a week for 3 or so hours, and goof around at home/practice at least twice that.

Ahhh, hamburgers, the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast...
Oops, sorry. I meant to say, "Customer Service, the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast." Wait, nevermind.
Anyway, Carvin has extraordinary customer service, in the music gear industry it is second to none!
My reverb problem was handled in a very professional and expedient manner.

I will buy from Carvin again.

This amp is a one-trick pony, but oh what a remarkable friggin' pony it is!
I love this amp. The only things i changed were the tubes and the lame-looking plastic "carvin" badge on the front of the grill. I now drive a Carvin civic, and the vintage 16 looks more like a Vintage 16 now.
This amp gives me what I need.
After my complex algorithm, I give her a 9.0.

Single channel with eq and tube driven reverb. EL84 power tubes and a 12 inch speaker.

Great vintage crunch. I play guitar>cord>amp. The amp is cranked and the guitar volume control is used to control drive. There isn't alot of clean in this amp at gigging volumes.

Quiet amp. Sweet tone. I threw a pair of NOS Teslas (not JJ) along with a JANGE 12AX7A into this little beast. I also bought a Weber Blue Dog to replace the stock speaker. The changes cost less than $175.00 and are well worth the investment.

If you're looking for a small amp with lots of character - this is it. Loud enough for small venues, small enough to fit in the passenger seat.

I've had this amp for about a year. No problems so far.

Never used it.

I bought mine used.

I guess that makes me an "idiot." (he says as he rolls his eyes)

I've read the previous posts and have found a couple of them rather disturbing.

First of all - the posters who feel they need to resort to name calling should grow up. We are dealing with the experiences and opinions of others. They are offering their recommendations concerning usage. If you disagree - fine. Don't resort to immature and petty acts of retribution.

As a 20 year veteran in the music industry - I tend to agree with those who feel that this amp is not a good choice for metal. Yes you can put a pedal in front of the amp....etc. You can do that to any amp. Like one person said - we're not rating pedals. I find it interesting that the one post that started it all didn't rate anything - they just blasted another poster's seemingly honest review. Looking at it from that context - they probably don't own one. If they don't own the amp, how can they give an honest review? It's amazing how a couple of trolls can ruin a good thread.

Rated on it's own merits - it's a great blues amp. Better than average build, with a circuit that isn't based on any type of a Fender.

Nice features. I like how the front has the controls and not on the top in the back. Same features described in the other reviews.

"If you do put a distortion pedal in front it (shame on you), you'll get some sweet high gain drive".

Like the one guy said... people will buy a tube amp for a clean channel to boost then overdrive with their favorite metal pedal that uses the real harmonics of the amp. Sometimes a digital pedal is also wanted. Also, just because they say it can do metal this way doesn't mean they don't use the natural overdrive of the amp. For the guy who wrote 'he obviously doesn't own one'. What kind of stupid response is that? Sounds like you need to take a chill pill. It's not like he LIED about the amps possibilities!??????????

No problems have arrived. I bought mine new. Only an idiot buys a used tube amp.

answer questions usually.

Great amp for the price. Screws over Fender Pro junior, and blues junior

Single channel amp with reverb and eq. No more, no less.

What an awsomw amp! Set the Soak to 8, the volume to 8, bass to 7, mid to 6, and treble to 8. Add a little reverb and stand back. This amp does vintage tones to a tee. I love the sustain and the dynamics. To be honest, putting pedals in front of this amp is a sin. The eq controls operate independently of each other letting me get all kinds of sounds out this thing.

It won't do death metal, nor heavy metal for that matter but will do that 80s crunch thing. If you do put a distortion pedal in front it (shame on you), you'll get some sweet high gain drive.

Tone nirvana!!!

Just bought it so I can't say.

They were great over the phone. What more could you ask for?

Not only would I replace it - I'm getting another one!

One channel with reverb. It's pretty straightforward, besides this has been covered in the other reviews.

I have to say this is one great sounding amp, although, just as a previous poster mentioned - NO HIGH GAIN TONES. Sure, that can be done with pedals but we aren't reviewing pedals - are we? I'd ignore the last "review" (if that's what you want to call it), he obviously doesn't even own a Vintage 16.

Nice vintage style crunch when cranked. Excellent sustain.

I've only had the amp a short while - so far, so good. I did buy it used. The guy that I bought it from had it for a little over a year. If my experience with EL84 type amps is any indicater - you'll be swapping tubes regularly. The EL84s just don't last.

Never dealt with them before.

Just what I was looking for. Anyone want to buy a used Pro Junior?

I'm hip to putting a Weber Blue Dog in this amp. Excellent speaker! That and some nice NOS tubes would probably change my rating to a 10.

QUOTE: "I've read some of the other reviews. If you're looking for some kind of high-gain death metal tone - DON'T BUY THIS AMP!!! If you're looking for a responsive, vintage type tone - you'll love it."

First off....Only an idiot would expect this 'vintage' amp to have high gain metal capability right out of the box. Don't mislead amateurs either! Just because it doesn't have a high gain channel doesn't mean it's NOT suited for metal heads! Many people look for a nice clean channel to throw their distortion pedals on.. especially clean tube channels. You can't tell me it's NOT for metal heads.

16 watt, single channel EL84 amp with reverb. Controls include Soak (gain), Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, and Reverb. 12 inch Carvin GT-12 speaker. All enclosed in a Tweed covered poplar cabinet. The reverb is tube driven - great touch in this age of electronic buffered reverbs.

All of my guitars have humbucker type pickups. I mostly play 80s style rock.

Right out of the box - this little amp rocks. I'm not crazy about the tube complement but very few amps come stock with NOS tubes anyway. Nice cleans with an excellent grind when cranked. What surprised me was how quiet this amp was. I'm so used to my Fender and Marshall amps with their noisy gain channels - I couldn't believe my ears.

I've read some of the other reviews. If you're looking for some kind of high-gain death metal tone - DON'T BUY THIS AMP!!! If you're looking for a responsive, vintage type tone - you'll love it. The reverb isn't the greatest but it's every bit as good as, if not better than, what's in my other amps.

I've only had it for a short while so I can't really comment on the reliability.

Carvin customer support is second to none. Very friendly and quick to respond.

I give it a 10 because it's exactly what I've been looking for in a small amp. It won't break you in half money-wise and it has tone to doe for.

I'll be giving this guy a workout in my studio and on stage. Plugging into a 2X12 gives great volume.

I reviewed this amp some time ago and believe that I may have done it a diservice. I, like the most recent reviewer have a Weber Blue Dog, but have yet to install it. It sounds like possibly I should install it but the amp has really grown on me. I have a Fender Blues Jr and it is a great little amp but this Vintage 16, in the 5 watt mode, is tasty. I play at home, and not often enough, so I think the 100 watt speaker needs more time to break in, especially if you are only using the 5 watt mode. I have played the Blues Jr and the Vintage 16 side by side and I like them both, each has its attributes. I was very disappointed at first but now, if it were stolen I would definately replace it. In fact I am considering buying another, just in case. Give it a try, I think you'll like it.

All Tube (Dual Gain stage 12AX7 with a 12AX7 driver Tube, Two push pull EL-84 Power Tubes). Single channel. I would have paid an extra $50 for a clean channel, but oh well that is what my new Roland Cube 30 is for. Has a Reverb. It is switchable to 5 (True Class A -Yeah! or 16W Class AB). Looking inside this things reveals a BMW approach to design-Over engineered. I like it. It is very close to being a point to point wired amp. Very little circuit board stuff.

I use it with many humbucker guitars, solid and semihollowbodies and always in the 5watt mode, because you can't tell much difference in loudness, but you lose that class A purity which is something special.
To sum up the sound when I first bought it-Honky cardboard without alot of gain.

I researched and put a Weber Alnico blue dog in it. That gave detail and shimmer like you hear in your dreams.
Then I put in some way hot JJ EL84s from Eurotubes. That eliminated the cardboard sound, and gave way better definition and sweeter less shrill highs.
Then I put in a Svetlana 12AX7 (Responsible for a vast improveness in the sweetness) in the Main Gain Stage position, and a Electroharmonix 12Ax7 in the secondary gain stage. This had so much more gain that it was screwing with the bias and liquifying the Power tubes. So to tame it down I installed a 12AT7 Electroharmonix tube and PERFECT!

So, $150 later I have a world class sounding tweed. I have gain equivalent to a JCM Marshall on the overdrive channel with the gain up about a third (Pretty Stinking good considering). And it sounds awesome. With the power tubes maxed I get that blues distortion, but it is different from a marshall in that it is not a creamy smooth it always has an edge to it and sounds alot more huge and expansive. sounds hugeObviously a tweed amp isn't the purest clean of sounds. It will always have a littl browness and honk to the sound. But it is so airy and huge sounding. Live with a band (Mic'ed obviously) it would be a hard combination to beat. Not to say it isn't a great studio amp. Looking back I would not recommend this as your ONLY amp because of the tweed tonality. On those days when you are looking for a sweet american tube sound (6L6s, 6V6s) you won't be able to find it. Cause that not what this amp is about.

THIS AMP CAN GET VERY CLOSE TO A VOX AC30 now with the gain maxed and the volume kept down enough to prevent the power tube distortion from dominating (Less than 2 on the volume which is still pretty loud! because there is so much gain coming from the preamp as a result of the tube swap).

It is chimey and sparkly despite it never quite being clean. I can't say enough for the range on the tone controls. They allow so much tone shaping it isn't even funny.

The reverb has no spring whatsoever and is very washy. This helps contribute to the Vox AC30 vibe when used. I like it. I never use the reverb with power tube distortion because it is WAY too honky and sounds like crap (much more so since I changed the tubes)-not a big deal since who uses reverb when playing the blues?

I rate the Amp's sound a 10 now with the above changes. With hindsight moneywise, I could have nearly purchased a Mesa Boogie heartbreaker which has an incredible variety of tones but, wouldn't have a single one that could match this baby in class A 5-watt mode.

Oh well I've also solved that dillema the expensive way too! More amps!

Judging from the construction it should be pretty reliable. The transformers aren't as big as they could be but it is put together very well-Made in the USA baby! Tubes always suck so I guess if I was going to count on the amp I would have spare sets of tubes hanging around.

Good customer service. I'm not to worried if I have problems other than the shipping cost because they only do the repairs at the factory in California

Its an increadible amp to have in the arsenal now that I have modified it. By itself there is no way I would purchase a tweed again. If you can't afford to do some of the changes I mentioned above you might consider just getting a Blues Junior which sounds better out of the box and has a little bit more flexibility.