Carvin Amplifiers

[shogun]

Anyone hear have any experience with Carvin? I hear a lot of negative reviews of the legacy.. Does anyone here own one, and if so would they please post some clips.. Are the MTS or V3 supposed to be any good?

[ColinMmmmm]

I think lots use the V3 . . . I've heard good things

[Martyr Machine]

As I've said before, the Legacy lead tone leaves a lot to be desired. It's obviously geared towards a very specific genre, and I would strongly insist that you try out the amp before buying it. The overall tone just seems lacking to me. The clean channel however, is honestly the single best clean I have ever heard in my entire life. I can't put into words just how amazing it sounds. It has a very strange "ambient" quality that I really can't explain.

The V3 honestly sounds sterile to me, but I've only had the chance to try it with stock tubes, and I've been told a tube change makes a world of difference. The MTS has a great tone for the price - better than most amps in the price range - but it just doesn't quite do it for me. Again, try it out yourself.

[Smitty]

I own a V3, run through an Avatar 2x12 with Celestion Vintage 30s. I've got the stock tubes, and now that they're worn in, this amp is one of the best I've ever heard. It takes FOREVER to get to know the amp...it has a few different ways to sculpt your tone, including toggle switches and a master section. But you can really dial in a great tone. The clean channel is incredible, and I've set my rythm channel to "thick" on the toggle switch, which simulates the bass sag of tube rectifiers incredibly well. My lead channel is in the middle setting, which is a similar tone but tighter bass. The high end and mids take a little getting used to and many hours of tweaking, but I can honestly say that I've succeeded in obtaining much of the smoothness of the Legacy, mix with a tone similar to that of a Mesa Mark IV. And I've got stock Groove Tube EL34s. I plan on doing a complete retube with 6L6GCs from Eurotubes, and I can't wait for that tone. I'll probably crap myself. Also, this thing is freakin responsive. Just absolutely amazing tone. I've got the mids scooped just enough to have a very crystal clear tone, but if you switch up the "EQX" switch, the mids and low mids are boosted, creating a very Andy Timmons tone. The clean channel on "soak" reminds me of Scofield, and on "bright" reminds me much of Jason Becker's clean tone.
In short, buy it and make sure you use Vintage 30s. You won't regret it.
smitty

[David McCarroll]

Saw Zappa Plays Zappa last Monday - Vai's playing was, as always, a joy to behold, but his tone SUCKED. Dweezil was playing mainly through two Fuchs Heads and quads, much, much nicer tone than Steve. The Legacy seems to be a very pointy, buzzy sounding amp - but Mr Vai obviously loves it - go figure!

[bdk]

Originally Posted by shogun

Anyone hear have any experience with Carvin? I hear a lot of negative reviews of the legacy.. Does anyone here own one, and if so would they please post some clips.. Are the MTS or V3 supposed to be any good?

I've owned the MTS3200, and I live by the Carvin store in Hollywood and play all their amps quite a bit. I am not a huge Legacy fan. I wouldn't say it is "buzzy". It actually is NOT a super high gain model. It's really at it's best when soloing. It has a lot of mids, and thickness to the sound.

I think the MTS3200 is the best value for the money. THe distortion is nice, and it is a tad buzzy though. It's not a bad amp, I just wouldn't pay over 300 for the head version.

The V3 is nice too, but really indistinguishable from the 3200 imo. It has 3 channels, but two of the channels are identical. There are some more bells and whistles, but all in all it's just a suped up 3200 IMO.

The pleasant surprise of Carvin amps is their stunningi clean channels. I really think that's the best part of the amp. Some swear by Carvin's amp claiming a "singyness" to them. I do find the amps to sing a bit, but the distortion has no balls. And no offense, but Carvinn products, guitars, amps, pickups, have no character whatsoever. They're just solid made products, that's it. They all have a very "generic" feel to them.

If you will use a clean channel extensively, aka over 50%, then I would look into the Carvin. But if you're after a solid distortion, you can bump up a price range and find a JCM900 4100 DR for around 500.

[Triggerman9]

I've both a Legacy full stack and an Mts 3200 half.... The legacy must be cranked to produce the richness that the mts can produce at 1/4 the volume.... both heads sound better (for my Van-vai-ish tone) thru the MTS 3200 cabinet.... different speakers in each one.

Triggerman

[Triggerman9]

I've a Legacy full stack and an MTS 3200 half. The legacy must be cranked to produce the richness that the MTS can do and 1/4 the volume...

both sound better (for my Vanhalen-vai-ish tone) when ran thru the mts speakers.

[shogun]

Originally Posted by Smitty

In short, buy it and make sure you use Vintage 30s. You won't regret it.
smitty

Have you tried it with any other cabinets.. I have a 1960A

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by shogun

Have you tried it with any other cabinets.. I have a 1960A

Nope, but I've heard soundclips of it G12T75s, which I assume are in your Marshall cab. I don't think it sounds nearly as good with those speakers; Vintage 30s really give it a sweet tone.
About the distortion having no balls...WHAT?! This amp has got lots o balls. Like any other amp worth playing, you really need to spend time with it to get a really good tone out of it, and you need a good cab with it too.
I compared it to my buddy's Mark IV, and the only reason I liked the Mesa was because I like 6L6s more than the V3's EL34s, but I know that when I retube it, it'll beat out the Mesa.
The two distortion channels are identical for a reason...find a good tone, and then base the other channel off of that one so that it doesn't sound like you're playing two different amps. But if you want it to sound like that, you can. It's incredibly versatile.
I know I sound like a Carvin whore or something, but it really is a fantastic amp. If you buy one, you can send it back in 10 days for a full refund. It's worth a try, atleast.
smitty