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Carvin Legacy VL100 Amplifier
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Specs from Carvins website. -
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- Dual channels (clean & overdrive/sustain) -
- Separate Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble & Presence for each channel -
- Master Reverb for both channels -
- 50/100W output switch -
- Bias switch for 5881, 6L6GCÍs or EL34 power tubes (supplied with EL34) -
- Cabinet voiced line output -
- 4, 8 or 16 ohm speaker impedence switch -
- Effects Loop -
- All tube: 4-EL34 matched tubes -
- Five 12AX7 tubes -
- Hand crafted 7-ply poplar wood cabinet -
- Optional FS22 foot switch for selecting channels & reverb -
- Dimensions: 24.25" wide x 10.5" high x 9.5" deep -
- Weight: 37 lbs. -
- Warranty: 1 year -
- Made in San Diego, California -
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Searched Carvin Legacy VL100 Amplifier in Reviews
Sweet amp for High volume playing! 
| Sound |
I run a myriad of different guitars from an Ibanez jem to a Gretsch 5120 and some Fenders that fall nicely in between the two. As the instruments suggest the styles of music I play are just as varied. This amp nicely covers all the bases. The clean sound has loads of top end that works very nicely with an overdrive pedal. I use a TS808. Add a distortion pedal with more saturation (in my case a DS-1) and you can get full on Heavy metal chunk with out loosing much articulation. When it comes to straight clean tones it brings out the character in the guitar that's plugged into it. Mahogany humbucker equipped axes will sound warm but not muddy. It also makes a tele or strat really sparkle, without being too harsh. The beauty of it is that's just on the clean channel. The lead channel has a smooth, very warm overdrive that works great either as a boost or as the base distortion depending on how much saturation you want. In my opinion the sweet spot for a base overdrive is when the knob is turned to around 7. This gives you plenty of dirt that still cleans up nicely when the guitar volume is backed off.
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| Reliability |
I haven't had too many opportunities to play out with this amp, but it has stood up to several moves and seems to have a very solid chassis. This thing is built to be used and abused.
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| Customer Support |
I purchased this amp from an other forum member and have not dealt with the company directly but i've heard nothing but good things.
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| Liked about it |
I love this amp for it wide range of tones. The over drive is smooth and warm. I also like the fact that it has a switch that brings it down to 50 watts. Decent sound at low volume.
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| Didn't like |
Sadly this is not an amp meant for bedroom practice sessions and small clubs. If they ever make a "lunchbox" size legacy head I'll be the first in line to purchase one.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.5 |
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A Definite Legacy
| Sound |
First off I am a huge Vai fan so this review might be a little biased. I rock a 1990 RG560LR custom by yours truly. In the bridge position is a DiMarzio "Evolution", in the middle position is a DiMarzio "Fast Track 1", and in the neck position is a DiMarzio "Chopper". I play various styles of music but my first love is Prog Metal and for that style this amp really kicks!! As far as noise goes, it's what you can expect out of a 100 watt tube amp. The clean channel is crisp and clear, a glassy tone that is magnificient. The crunch channel is basically whatever you want it to be, but all in all it's best for leads and soloing because the tone this amp gives cuts right through with class! I will say the louder you pump the crunch channel the better it sounds, but every tube amp is like that right? Not all the time but this amp shines through!!
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| Reliability |
I've played this amp at every show I have ever had and only had to replace the tubes once and that was along waited! It's a wonderful all around amp and I would never think of replacing it, so I don't have a backup...
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| Customer Support |
Carvin is nothing short of amazing for support!
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| Liked about it |
I love the rhythm tone, it has it's own identity, like between a Mesa Dual rectifier and a Marshall JCM 800. Not quite british but definitely not american. There's not enough for me to say about how this amp delivers leads and solo tones(all good things)!! The amp settings are simple and easy to dial a tone without having a shelf full of knobs...It also comes with a voiced cabinet out which is great if you just want to record and not use a actual cabinet!
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| Didn't like |
Well if I had to name something negative about this amp it would have to be...the actual weight of the head itself at a whopping 40 lbs.(pounds)
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
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A surprisingly smooth mid/hi gain amp
| Sound |
A while back when I owned a Bogner Ecstasy 101B my little brother purchased a new Carvin Legacy head and 4x12 cab. So he brough his head over to my house so we could compare the two amps. I was very surprised to hear that the Legacy held its own quite well against the 101B. The clean channel on the Legacy I felt was just a touch better offering up some more chime and creaminess than the Bogner. I tend to go for classic blackface fender cleans and the Legacy did very well on that regard. The overdrive channel was very smooth and could nearly cop the coveted Bogner Blue channel tone. The Bogner though had just a little bit more going on. More complexity and more girth in the low/mids making it sound more earthy and woody sounding than the Legacy. THen when I clicked on the Red Channel of the Bogner it was pretty much over. I will say that I require some fairly high gain and the Bogner Red channel had more gain on tap than the Legacy. The Legacy would require a boost pedal to keep up.
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| Reliability |
So far my little brother still loves the Legacy. He's had it for more than 2 years and no issues at all.
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| Customer Support |
He's not had to contact support yet so nothing to report.
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| Liked about it |
I liked that its clean was very clean, fenderish, chimey, everything i require. I liked that the od channel was smooth and dark voiced. not everyone likes that type of sound, but i happen to love it.
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| Didn't like |
the amp needed to be cranked loud!!! too loud, in order to really sound its best. The Bogner did not require such volume to get there.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
 By Superuser Jan 08, 2010
Last updated: November 18, 2011
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Carvin Legacy VL100 Amplifier
| Sound |
I have had my Legacy I for a couple year's now, running an Ibanez RG1570 with a bridge and neck DiMarzio Evolution pickup. What a fantastic combo! I play hard rock-classic rock-metal etc. It suits these styles excellently!
The sound of this amplifier for the price is absolutely amazing. A lot of people will say it only does one sound and one sound only, and that is Steve vai. Well of course, it was made for the man! But really, don't listen to those people, this amp In my honest opinion can do just about anything you throw at it with the proper boosts.
On it's own the amp can nail a good brown sound. Heres an audio sample with me and the legacy, running through the legacy and both boosts.
Where it really shines, IMO, is when you boost it, i currently run two at the moment alont with a 10 band EQ with IMO is also a must if your wanting heavier tones. I use a TS-9 and a SD-1 and the EQ is a MXR-10 band EQ.
As far as noise, its dead silent, but when you boost you will need a noise suppressor of some sorts.
As for the clean channel, its by far one of the best I've heard and I'm not the only one who thinks so, countless of other people swear by it too. No distortion what so ever on any volume, clean and crisp all the way to 10!
Basically any tone you want, the legacy can do IMO. Everyone has there own opinion and that's mine, hope this helps!
legacy test 1.mp3 legacy metal.mp3
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| Reliability |
Reliability with this amp isn't an issue what so ever. I've never gigged with it but it's carvin! they make absolutely fantastic stuff.
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| Customer Support |
They stand behind there products. My first legacy i had had a bum tube upon arrival and so i spoke with Art there tech and i sent it back in and they gave me a brand new one! Didn't even bother replacing the tube they just sent out a new one.
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| Liked about it |
I didn't like anything about it, i LOVED everything, its an amazingly versatile amp for the money hand's down.
The clean channel, the lead channel. Top notch stuff for the pro or beginner.
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| Didn't like |
I wish there was something i could comment on that needed changing but its flawless!
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
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This is a fantastic amp, but not an all purpose amp.
| Sound |
The sound of the Legacy is obviously subjective. If you are looking for an amplifier that is simply plug and play, this amp isn't going to be the one. It's truly meant to be goosed and massaged with some outboard gear to make it shine. The Clean is out of this world, but wouldn't all clean benefit from a little chorus? The lead tone is silky and sinuous, I absolutely love it, but a little overdrive in front will turn it into a sustain monster.
The rhythm channel is the weakest sound, it really benefits from a distortion to drive it hard. Once you find the right match it's fantastic.
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| Reliability |
I haven't had an issue with it yet, it's been rock solid.
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| Customer Support |
N/A
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| Liked about it |
What's not to like? It's Vai's luscious lead tone and the biggest brightest clean channel I've ever heard.
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| Didn't like |
I could have went for a master volume as it's extremely loud. It will split your ears on 2. I know the Legacy II fixed that, but it seemed like an obvious miss on this model.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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A great mid gain amp with mega volume
| Sound |
okay, i bought this amp new at 2003 a head and cab 4x12 Celestion v30. the amp are equipped with 4 el34 and 5 12ax7 tube from EHX
it was my first tube amp now I've been using it for about 8 years.
this amp has 2 channel : clean and overdrive channel, the clean channel has : treble,mid,bass, volume knobs and presence switch to gain the hi mid freq while the overdrive channel has volume,gain,treble,middle,bass,presence knobs to shape your overdriven tone and both channel share a spring reverb effect that the mix can be adjust on the reverb knob
and from the footswitch FS22, you can turn on/off the reverb and changing the channel
clean channel : i use my ibanez Js1200CA with stock pups..set the amp Treble: at 8 middle: at 6,5 bass : at 3 and presence switched on, with reverb at 4 and it sounds so crystal clear, glassy, really chimey the character is more like an American amp..and you can put any overdrive pedal/ distortion pedal on it and it will amaze you..(i think adding any overdrive/distortion pedal on this channel is just like having the third channel)..just be careful with the presence switch it can be hurting if you gain the treble and middle to much.
overdrive : the set i use on this channel is treble : 7 middle : 7 bass : 4 presence : 8 and gain : 7 now try to damp any note with this set up, and you will get those punch right into your nose, and the overdrive really has a smooth rounded sound that wil clean up by turning down your volume (using the hi pass filter volume knob on the js really maximize this feature)..i think the cab are giving alot of contribution on the 'punch' area..as its a Steve Vai signature amp, getting close to his sound just made easier with this amp..i prefer to add some compression rather than boost the gain with overdrive pedal since the compression will gain the sustain which i need..the sound are really counterclock wise with any marshall"s or any british sound
i always use the reverb from this amp because its sounds so natural and easy to dial..never need any external reverb
the best part from this amp i think is that it will amaze you with its brilliant tone at any volume.
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| Reliability |
really sturdy
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| Customer Support |
never dealt with them
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| Liked about it |
- amazing on both clean and overdrive tone
- the reverb
- classic vibe from the amp
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| Didn't like |
- i hope the tube positions are in a single row rather than 2, because it really gives me the hardtime when i want to change the preamp tube as you must pull off all the power tubes to be able to reach it.
- some might love the amount of volume some might need and THD attenuator (I'm using it now)
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.5 |
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Workhorse amp at a workingman's price
| Sound |
I've played a few Legacy amps with my Les Paul (SD ALnico II Pro's) Fender lonestar strat and a bunch of old Ibanez guitars with various Dimarzio pickups. I found the new one at the Carvin store to be harsh sounding but my buddy got a used older one and brought it by for me to check the bias on. The older halfstack with well broken in speakers sounded much better, a lot warmer and more musical. It took pedals very well. The clean channel was very usable without specifically sounding like another amp. The guitar and pedal tones really come through with this one. Bottom line, if you love using pedals this is the amp for you.
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| Reliability |
Like most tube amps, if you keep your maintenance up and keep it clean and dry this is a good well made amp that can do what you need it to...WORK.
No need for a backup here.
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| Customer Support |
I have dealt with carvin on many occasions as I have another
amp, a California Carve top and a bass all made by them. I found
them to be polite and courteous but not very helpful when trying to
get schematics and parts for an older amp.
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| Liked about it |
The amp was versatile in how it takes pedals well, has a very good effects loop
and has two channels that are good enough on there own to allow you to play without
pedals if you have to.
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| Didn't like |
No inspiring tones here, just a good amp that takes pedals well.
A great sounding amp can inspire you to play better this isn't one
of those for me. Very good but not inspiring to play..
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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Best amp for the money!
| Sound |
Oooooh, the sound! I'm a tone freak, and have searched high and low for 26 years for "the amp!" Well, I found it in the Carvin Legacy! This beast has sparkly cleans, kicking overdrive, over-the-top distortion, and even gets close to that elusive brown sound. I run an Ibanez RG-570 with a Dimarzio EVO2 or an ESP Mirage Deluxe with a Dimarzio Tone Zone through this. While it sounds great dry, I'll typically pump it a little with an Ibanez Jemini pedal. It has enough gain for any metal freak, but can also hit some nice cleans for any jazz player. Hands down, the best amp I've ever owned. If this thing ever dies--I'll get another.
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| Reliability |
I've had it for 4 years, and it hasn't failed me yet. The footswitch is durable. The control knobs are tough. The case is made like it could take a direct grenade hit.
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| Customer Support |
Never had to use them.
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| Liked about it |
I love the overdrive straight out of the box! I do run a Jemini in front of it, but it sounds sweet dry. The cleans are really fantastic. I almost picked up a Peavey 5150, but loved the Legacy.
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| Didn't like |
Do they make these in seafoam green? I'd have prefered a MIDI interface, but Carvin added this feature to the Legacy II.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
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Absolute great base tone amp for the price
| Sound |
This is the second time I own the Legacy, let me explain: The first time I had this amp I was very impressed by it's clean channel: Very warm, responsive, rich in harmonics, attack faster than your shadow. Briefly put, it had been a long time I really loved to play trough a clean channel. This amp made it instantly to my nr1 spot when it came to clean tone. Also, it does no break up (probably you'll get some with very hot pickups at very high volumes)
So why did I sell it the first time? Because I didn't know how to handle the lead channel. This amp has lot's of gain, no worries there, but it's kind of spungy smooth, not palm mute rhythm tight. It's a good 'base' tone for a rock solo and rhythm tone, but this amp is just waiting to get spiced by your own color of preference using:
1. a Booster of choice. I really like to use a Rat, secondary a Boss SD-1 (tons of mods to be found) and a TS-9.
2. An EQ for further personalising.
I would almost go and say it's a must to use these on that amp. This gives you a plethora of possibilities. This amp takes pedals very well, and I think it may be partly designed that way. But I only discovered this the 2nd time I owned the amp.
Another advise: don't turn the Bass and gain way up because it tends to make the tone a bit muddy. If you want extra oompf, put an EQ in the loop and turn the very low freq's up.
Overal this amp is very transparent as well to your playing and the guitar you plug in.
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| Reliability |
Not entirely happy. Not that the amp broke down but it came with some kind of 'factory flaw' some other owners also complain about. It seems to leak DC voltage of some sort making hard switches audible in the front signal and plain deafening in the loop signal, probably because there is no master volume either. If I remember correct I had the problem with rev f or g, so not that it's a early version. Unacceptable for an amp of this calibre. Lukiliy this problem does not occur at al with soft switches (Boss type)
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| Customer Support |
Very good. I had someone looking in deep into the problem I state above, offered me some possible fixes hopping back and forth between the engineers department. Never have had this kind support from any company, and espacially a US company for a EU customer. Thumbs up there!
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| Liked about it |
- Best Clean channel ever.
- Very transparent amp.
- very affordable
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| Didn't like |
- Glitch with hard switches.
- A Master volume would just have been handy.
- The Clean channel's prescence switch wasn't usefull to me.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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internal use: spec82 spec621
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