NBD! (caution: non Warwick)

Gerry

Gerry

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Hey everyone,
I guess I'm waiting until the end of the day to see what Boston A has coming, so, in the meantime, I'll share a pic or two of my new bass. I actually got it Monday but needed a few days to make sure it's a keeper since I ordered it with only a few clues from Youtube and TB forum. It's a Carvin SB5000 and also my very first CS bass from anyone. It took 7 weeks to build and I received it exactly on the due date. I ordered this bass before I knew what Warwick had in store at the NYC CS regarding storm relief, or the storm itself. Anyway, final test will be this weekend at rehearsal, which I will be filming on the Zoom Q3hd.
I find this bass to be an excellent jazz bass clone. I hear a lot of reviewers saying "it's great for the price" but I could easily see the bass costing 2-3 times what I paid. It came in a heavy but quality tolex case with no shipping damage this time. The bass is exceptionally well made and all details were up to, or exceeded my expectations. Color, grain, weight and balance were spot on.
Tone is a subjective thing but I'll just say, it sounds like a high end, bright jazz bass. Very much like my Marcus Miller with the John East pre already in it, but a junior version it. I have it wired vol/vol - tone (pull passive)- stacked B/T. Very usable eq and great tonal range when favoring pickups. Very much like the Youtube videos. I can not find any flaws with this instrument.
Ash body (requested heavier piece)
Honeyburst high gloss finish
1 piece eastern hardrock maple neck (tung oiled)
Birdseye fingerboard
Birdseye headstock
Med jumbo nickel frets (12in radius)
Brass bridge
Gold hardware
Red tort pick guard
Dunlop dual strap locks (gold)
Engraved trussrod cover
Gold front pickup cover
Med light
Tolex case
$1200.00 delivered
20121211_112543.jpgCarvin 2.jpgSb5000#1.jpg
 
Do you find the pups to be very bight? I have played a few 10yo carvins and i find their Jazz pups to be way to bright, but it might be down to woods/positioning.
 
I've never been a Carvin fan. I tried several Icon models a few years back and also found them way too bright. This one has their new j99 single coils. They are more clear than bright. No artificial tones or weirdness going on. I'm so surprised how impressed i am with this model. I was prepared not to like it and send it back before the 10 day, no questions asked trial period was up and get the Lx5 I was looking at. I'm keeping it! It's a very well made jazz bass with high end electronics. I even like the reverse horns and odd looking headstock. It really is opposite to my PNut and that's what i was looking for. The low B takes a little getting used to because I'm used to Warwick tight focused tone, but on it's own, it's well within my standard for low B strings and had a cool, scooped tone. I thought the you tube vids were processed versions of the bass, but it really sounds like that. Not going to be everyone's cup o' tea but I gotta hand it to Carvin on this particular instrument.
 
Congrats, Gerry! Nice looking bass for sure!! Hey, what was your reasoning behind requesting a heavier piece of ash? (Just trying to learn from you...again! :-))
 
I never really dug carvins because of that over-bright tone as well, but their construction is always been top-notch. the long horn on that thing looks like a jazz had secks with a dolphin! kewl bass. and happy NBD!
 
Just-A-Wick said:
Congrats, Gerry! Nice looking bass for sure!! Hey, what was your reasoning behind requesting a heavier piece of ash? (Just trying to learn from you...again! :-))
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Hey Kev, thanks a lot! Lol, I'm still learning from you guys here! I asked for the heavier piece because I don't like light weight basses. I like my bass to feel solid. Also, I was going for the "vocal/nasal" grunt, but not overly scooped in the mid range. It was my experimental compromise between choosing ash or alder. I'm guessing I got a heavier piece but I don't have a bathroom scale and my Warwick is noticably heavier, but in that good way that I love. For strong mids, I'll break out the PNut ;).
 
I said it once, and I'll say it again, Congrats! There's nothing wrong with a Carvin or Jazz Bass. I think that having all your ranges in check is always a good thing. You've got the Pnut 3, Carvin, a Road Worn Jazz, and a MM Jazz sig. You've got your bases cover (HAHA! Pun!), and a killer amp to match it with!

Oh, and I'm with you man, I'm not much of a light weight bass lover either, Wicks and Rics are the normal weight requirement for me.... and when ever I get a Wal (which I believe is heavier than most basses) I think I'll handle it. ;)
 
Augie said:
I never really dug carvins because of that over-bright tone as well, but their construction is always been top-notch. the long horn on that thing looks like a jazz had secks with a dolphin! kewl bass. and happy NBD!
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Lol, I'm glad you mentioned the odd similarity regarding the horn because I thought that too! I'm really picky when it comes to my jazz basses. The Fralin pick ups in my Roadworn went back to Lindy twice before I was happy with the tone. Oh, I should mention that he was super helpful and patient on the phone....he gets it;). My Marcus bass had numerous pick up brands, Sadowsky pre w/vtc, Bartolini, stock Fender pre and finally the John East. I've been to Sadowsky a few times (before they moved across the city) and tried a few of their excellent basses as well as some high end stuff at Rudy's music shop. Believe me, this is not the old Carvin that I didn't like either. I actually have no plans to mod this bass, even though I have an extra John east pre in the closet. In my opinion, the pre is on par with John East and Audere with a high quality bypass/passive mode. No brittleness or sterile "clanking" either. I can actually use all of the bass and treble. Between this and my PNut, I have it all covered.
 
lasteffect said:
I said it once, and I'll say it again, Congrats! There's nothing wrong with a Carvin or Jazz Bass. I think that having all your ranges in check is always a good thing. You've got the Pnut 3, Carvin, a Road Worn Jazz, and a MM Jazz sig. You've got your bases cover (HAHA! Pun!), and a killer amp to match it with!

Oh, and I'm with you man, I'm not much of a light weight bass lover either, Wicks and Rics are the normal weight requirement for me.... and when ever I get a Wal (which I believe is heavier than most basses) I think I'll handle it. ;)
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Thanks again bro! It's really hard to find a bass that I like playing as much as the PNut. No matter what bass I play, it still hits me with the "oh s#!t" effect". I will admit that this Carvin makes me want to get a tube amp for it!:twisted:
 
Oh, the vintage tonal basses sound so much better with fully or hybrid tubed amps. My Ric (even upgrade) and my JB sound stunning through my Krank head.

If you go tube hybrid, I vote Orange (Terror Series), Krank or Tubepath. If you want full tube, Orange AB, Eden, or hell Ampeg is still what guys go for for that classic tone. LOL!
 
Congrats, Gerry! I looked through your posts and found that we have amazingly similar taste. :)
You have Warwick P-nut as a leader with that "oh s..t!" effect, which I always get with my SSII. I adore jazz basses of any kind and currently waiting for Fender jazz (2008) to arrive. Traded to Ibanez Sr3005 which was loaded with Bartolini J1 pups+NTMB preamp.
My second axe - Katana NT is a jazz bass with SSI construction. I love it too for overwhelming tone and aggressive look.
I like heavy basses as you do! That's a really rare thing among bassists I know.
I had a try on a similar Carvin bass and was shocked about the price. A sweet, juicy sounding bass with a stylish design!
So, I'm twice happy for your acquisition! Have fun with it, and don't forget to share some samples ;) At least one person here is interested. :D
 
lasteffect said:
Oh, the vintage tonal basses sound so much better with fully or hybrid tubed amps. My Ric (even upgrade) and my JB sound stunning through my Krank head.

If you go tube hybrid, I vote Orange (Terror Series), Krank or Tubepath. If you want full tube, Orange AB, Eden, or hell Ampeg is still what guys go for for that classic tone. LOL!
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That's the part about selling off gear, you never know when you might have a taste or need for it. Sure miss my Ampeg V4 right now! I'm thinking a pedal of some sort that i could blend into my live sound through the HB pre. Maybe even an Eden tube pre to go with my WT1250 power section. My least favorite amp was Hartke 500...something or other, until i turned up the tube gain and played reggae through it on the PNut. I have a clip somewhere.
 
Yep. Hybrid amps ftw!
How does the Carvin stack up to your MM sig?
 
SimonQwerty said:
Congrats, Gerry! I looked through your posts and found that we have amazingly similar taste. :)
You have Warwick P-nut as a leader with that "oh s..t!" effect, which I always get with my SSII. I adore jazz basses of any kind and currently waiting for Fender jazz (2008) to arrive. Traded to Ibanez Sr3005 which was loaded with Bartolini J1 pups+NTMB preamp.
My second axe - Katana NT is a jazz bass with SSI construction. I love it too for overwhelming tone and aggressive look.
I like heavy basses as you do! That's a really rare thing among bassists I know.
I had a try on a similar Carvin bass and was shocked about the price. A sweet, juicy sounding bass with a stylish design!
So, I'm twice happy for your acquisition! Have fun with it, and don't forget to share some samples ;) At least one person here is interested. :D
Click to expand...
Cheers! Those NTMB pre's work with some basses and not with others. It was flat and sterile in my Fender and sounds great in a friends' custom build. I did have a brief affair with a Katana NT5 that I should have kept. I returned it and they sold it the same week for $999.00! I miss the days when you could walk into a Guitar Center and see a pair of Thumb NT5s, FNA Jazzman and even a SS1!
Warwick should consider putting some amps and combos in reach of the general public again, imho, of course.
Carvin isn't on the shelf either and I didn't know what to expect. I'm really glad it worked out because now I have 2 very different main basses that I'm quite happy with so far. I'll record rehearsal session this weekend and put something up.
Thanks for the interest, Im glad the forum is still as open minded as ever;)
 
DiMarco said:
Yep. Hybrid amps ftw!
How does the Carvin stack up to your MM sig?
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Well, they both sound like suped up jazz bases with different personalities. The MM nails the big scooped Marcus tone down to the fret noise. The Carvin is less scooped and is more like one of the lovely Sadowsky basses I've tried. The MM also has the 70's neck profile and radius and is completely glossed. The Carvin is less thick and feels like 4 string spacing in my right hand and tapers down nicely, so, it doesn't feel wide in my left. Very much like my former Ken Smith bass. I almost bought a MM5 but so far, I'm glad I went with this. The band liked the MM at rehearsal but requested the PNut. It cuts through beautifully and is so focused. I'm interested to see how the Carvin stacks up in a mix. It cuts better than the MM at home for sure and is the most comfortable bass I have right now.
 
I think Carvin have a good price/quality value, and if you like that bass, I am sure it is a very good buy :-)
Congrats Gerry!
 
Thanks Flo! I'm not sure how the rest of their basses are selling but this one is fairly popular. Best part, is that replacement parts are local and inexpensive. I got a great deal on this bass....now if it only had brass bell frets..
 
Nice one Gerry! Looks like a crossbreed of Fender Jazz and Dolphin :D
 
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