Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

dear masters i want to buy a powerful lightweight bass amp.i saw the carvin's new amp model which is bx1600.it has 1600watts @4ohm bridged and only 8.5 lbs with a good price.i love the rick's barking growl with distorsion.what do you think about carvin bass amps ?

other selection is Traynor DB800H.i know it is big and heavy but love its big headroom and growl.what about Traynor too

I had a Carvin head a long time ago, and found it to be a pretty coloroless tone. The knock on their newer models that I've heard is they might be a little too complex for their own good, and were subject to electrical problems. But I mainly heard that about their Red-Line series. I heard a guy recently using one of the newer big blocks, and it was a great, solid sound.

I don't know about their bass amps, but I use a Carvin DCM1540L for mine. I use SansAmps for the front end...

I've used Carvin gear for years, and currently have 3 of their basses, an Icon 4P, a BB70, and a B4.

I had one of the Redline R1000's back when I played in a big R&B band and never had a problem with it. I've had several cabinets and small combo's, all have been great. I think they make good "middle of the road" gear for musicians on a budget. Can you buy better?? Yes of course. But for the money, there's nothing wrong with Carvin IMHO.

Buyer beware though unfortunately, the resale value of Carvin gear is terrible.

thanks for the replies i like the barking growl of RIC and using distorsion a little bit less than Lemmy.is Carvin ideal for that sound ?

What about a Terror Bass from Orange and their small isobaric cabinet.

This will be small, very powerful and will have a nice tube preamp section similar to the big AD200 tube head.

Colonel Sanders wrote:...Orange and their small isobaric cabinet.

From what I have read those cabinets are not worth the money or weight, as you really effectively get half the sound you paid for. 2-10 = 1-10 in real world SPL levels, for example.

I gigged with a Carvin PB300 for over twenty years, and now that the capacitors are starting to give a little noise, I now gig with a Carvin MB12 and an extension 1X15 cab when necessary, and still use the PB300 at the practice venue so I don't have to haul an amp.

[quote="Colonel Sanders"]What about a Terror Bass from Orange and their small isobaric cabinet.

This will be small, very powerful and will have a nice tube preamp section similar to the big AD200 tube head.[/
Orange heads are very very good amps but they have too much low-end for me.their eq sections are inefective too.i'm using eq section of the amp too much.my setup mostly like : bass at 11 am,low mid at 1pm,high mids full,treble at 3pm so i need natural growl with good eq or transpancy with very efective eq.i am happy with my Traynor DB300H.it has big headroom,good growl and efective eq for an 350w amp.but now i'm in a death/black metal band and wanting more power (maybe).