Carvin V3...I want it

[bvrox74]

Alright...here's my 2 cents. By the way..I'm a new Boogie Board member. I've had mesa's all my life at different times. Recently...I've had 2 Road Kings in the last 3 years. Have one as a backup and have used 2 together at gigs.

I'm starting to realize that I'm not a huge Recto fan. I am a huge Mesa fan...but more the tone they've creaed with the Mark series. I've had an early 90's recto and liked it but didn't love it. I loved it when I used a nice OD pedal in front of it and a bunch of "helpers" to pull the tight bottom end and fluid gain out of it. I've had that experience with most of my mesa's. I've heard dozens of people say that Mesa's sound muddy, muffled and like there is a blanket over your cabinet....and if you pull more highs up...it's too chain saw sounding.

I do love my Road Kings.....or the one I have left. Since lately I wasn't using my older '02 Road King...I sold it and bought a rig that would be more practical for heavy cover band gigging. I bought a V3. I'm not a huge Carvin fan and could care less either way....but I have to say, the V3 so far is the best sounding amp I've owned so far. Of course you can't judge it at bedroom volume. I don't even think of needing an OD pedal, or EQ's. The bottom end is tight, very tight....right amount of compression...the gain is a large amount if needed and never gets muddy....The clean is no worse than the Road King's clean. The solo boost is just like the Road King's....There is an added global "deep" setting that gives you tons more bottom....an added, "bright" setting that gives you more highs...and an added global mid cut, that cuts mids and gives you more break up. And it has midi built in. Every amp in my book should have that no matter what. Althought it hurts me to say this....aside from the amp being only $949...it's an amazing tone machine. I've been playing 22 years and have had alot of boutique amps, and this easily out of the box is hotter than those amps.

As for my 2nd Road King.....I'm going to keep it because it's still a great amp...takes weeks/months longer to dial in a great tone....but the value of a used Road King is $2k....and it kills me to get rid of anything I have left that is Mesa.

I really want to get a new Mark IV and be 100% happy with a Mesa...I'm thinking abut doing that.

I heard that the '05 V3's were shipped with EH tubes and didn't sound great....the new ones are shipped with Grooves and are f***ing amazing sounding.

But....my point is....I wouldn't go around tellling everyone....V3's kill Mesa....I still haven't 100% convinced myself that Carvin is a huge contender....it's just the stoopid names that are confusing my brain. In order for the V3 to gain the respect...it needs to be around for years and slowly gain followers and happy users. I think that will happen and by far pass up the Legacy's. There aren't many amps that you can play out of the box with fluid gain/sustain/tight focused bottom/warm midrange and not need extra gear for it to work. Framus Cobra, V3's, (Mark IV?), JSX, Modded Voodoo Amps, Splawn......this amp is one of them.

Cya.

 

[paleamberglow]

t0aj15, your rant really doesn't reflect well on you, to paraphrase....

My wife is a complete freakazoid *****! I've only re-married her four times though so I'm figuring it out.

Seriously, I just don't get how you hate their stuff and yet own that much of it? Did they hold you hostage?

hahahahaha

 

[jackieTHEjokeman]

I bought two Carvin amps a few years back. I had nothing but problems with them. Their technicians couldn't fix the amps either. I swore I would never buy another Carvin amp since. Their guitars are pretty good though.

 

[RR]

... Their guitars are pretty good though.

Yeah, I read somewhere that some boutique luthiers are wondering where Carvin get its exotic woods and still remain affordable.

 

[bvrox74]

Ya.....believe me...I've always thought Carvin sucked ***....but they definately have made a move in the right direction with this head. It's a nice amp. Like I said before....it will take years of slowly gaining happy V3 users for this company to gain respect as a good modern amp builder. We'll see what happens.

 

[Ravensha]

Carvin designs and manufactures 'affordable' gear.

Some of their electric guitars are decent. A friend of mine recently purchased one of their CT6M California Carved tops - and it is a great guitar.

Their guitar amps - while affordable - have some of the worst amp tones I have ever played with. I played the V3, and the Vai head. Anyone with an appreciation of what great guitar amplifier tone is would never even consider either of these amplifiers. I give Carvin credit for being able to make a functioning tube amp. But they have a long way to go before they figure out how to make an amplifier that has great guitar tone. Having tubes inside an amp is not insurance of having great tone.

Anyone considering the purchase of a Carvin tube amp would be better off spending the same amount or more on ANY Mesa amp. A 50W Rect-O-Verb will blow away any guitar amplifier made by Carvin - at any volume level.

I think someone also mentioned resale value?
Check ebay listings and compare depreciation on Mesa amplifiers to any other amplifer that has sold.

Ditto on their basses and bass amps.

Outside of some of their better electric guitars - Carvin fits the bill for many musicians who really can't afford high end gear. And as evident by the celebration of Carvin's 60th anniversary - there is obviously a market that they support. And they must be doing it well.

I am sure the Steve Vai endorsement is doing great things for for Carvin's notoriety. And when I plugged into the amp at the Carvin store - I was really expecting something great. What a let down! But you know, Steve Vai could make a Marshall Lead 12 sound incredible.

 

[mikeyp]

I own a Carvin Dc127t. Love it. After years of owning it and reading about there amps I bought a used Stagemaster 212 amp. It had a pretty nice clean with lots of headroom. The dirty channel I never really got to like. I think if I was able to really crank it to ear bleed levels it would have smoothed out. Carvin amps have volume knobs that are hard to get used to. They go from bedroom level to way too loud very quickly. After two years it started giving me trouble(the amp was around 10 years old). I had it to 2 different shops and they could'nt fix it. They told me it was fixed but it was'nt. I believe it was something very stupid that was wrong.

So I go amp shopping and tried out an LSC and an F-50. I bought the F-50. The cleans on the F-50 are much fuller/better than that amp and the dirty channel is no contest.

 

[guitarmaniac]

[Rant on]
I need to respond to some negative comments made in this thread.No offense is intended,but I get tired of going on dozens of forums and hear everybody talk down about everybody else.There is room for everybody and every brand in the industry.


Carvin gear is great. I gotta laugh when people put other brands down,just to make them feel good about their own overpriced gear.I've heard many types of amps played.I've heard the V3 and Legacy.They sound awsome imo.
I have a mesa right now,but I don't belittle other brands.

Sterile? The tone is in your fingers,don't blame the equipement.

The guitars are as good or better than your 2-3,000.00 name brand.I'm on my second CT,and it blows the competition out of the water for half the price.Sure, I know I'll get flack for my statement,but hey,I would feel self-consious too,if I wasted a couple extra thousand dollars hung up on names/endorsements.Carvin sells factory direct,that is why you don't pay high prices,and why the people at music shops talk crap about them,cause it is eating into their profits.

Resale value you ask? Actually, I don't care about resale,cause I don't buy to sell, I buy top quality to use.IN anycase,the resale has been getting better,especially in the CT series guitars.

If you prefer Mesa amps, or other brand guitar,to each his own.Each has it's own unique qualities which attract different players, and music types.Don't talk trash about another company,to boost your ego,and make you feel better about your 4,000.00 guitar,cause you paid for the name!
Real working musicians play Carvin gear.

 

[guitarmaniac]

I'm trying to post some soundclips that Drew at another forum posted.These aren't mine.He plays several clips on Carvin amps,and the tones are great.
Hopefully the link works.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=264448

 

[disassembled]

I'm trying to post some soundclips that Drew at another forum posted.These aren't mine.He plays several clips on Carvin amps,and the tones are great.
Hopefully the link works.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=264448

Some of the clips sound pretty bad to me. Mostly just the single guitar improvs of the V3. The preamp sounds too grainy with tons of breakup most likely from the pregain being turned up too high. The tone of the amp does not sound unique by any means. The lead tone has way too much attack for my taste. Don't get me wrong I like attack but it is just not as smooth as my TA, 5150, or Triple XXX was. I guess I shouldn't comment on uniqueness since it seems every band and their mother's are using some sort of boogie.

I prefer a tone with a solid gain structure not one that has this much breakup. I find a lot of amps have this quality and it something that I try to steer clear of. Running less gain can help but sometimes it's the design of the preamp that sets this characteristic. Actually, I hear this quality in nearly every preamp I've used it is just more apparent in some than others.

These recordings could probably be duplicated with an amp that has a similar clean channel and a cheap distortion pedal.

Listening to these recording these words/phrases come to mind: fizzy, sparkly cleans, booming bass(in a negative way), grainy overdrive, good note definition through high gain, cardboard, awkward midrange(like it is searching for it's place).

I will say it sounds much better when placed in a mix. It also sounds a lot like Steve Vai(not just his playing style).

I think those sound clips show a lot of negative sides to the amp so I don't know if someone that had different tastes would come up with something more pleasing to me. Either way I am not sold on the amp and plan to stick with my rack (TA V2 and 20/20 PA).

 

[guitarmaniac]

Well, I guess that's what makes variety and selection of manufacturers/models such a benefit to musicians.There is something made for everybodies tastes,we all have alot of choices out here.I personally don't hear the negative issues you and others speak of about Carvin amps in the soundclips.They have the ability to be adjusted and tinkered with to get the sound your looking for just as Boogies.People speak badly about Crate amps,and one of the best sounding amps I've played was a Crate Vintage 50 watt tube.So, I guess to each his own,we all have to prefer one over the other.My problem was the blanket negative statements about Carvin,which totally don't match my experience or opinion.

 

[papashango]

I am pretty new to this board, but when something is worth commenting on, I will comment. Now this is my own personal view and everyone has their own set of ears and eyes.... I owned the V3, and played it at real volumes (channel volumes on 5-7 and master on 5) and the amp is a great head for the money! very versitile, 3 channels with two effects loops. BUT it is not a replacement for a Dual Recto by any means. The dual recto is what it is, and the V3 doens't come close to copping that sound. It has it's own metal thing going on, but no wear near the girth or presence that the Dual has. I am saying this because I have tried the V3 with el34's and eurotube 6l6's... it really doens't make that huge of a difference at volume.. of course it makes some noticable change in the response and frequency of the head when changing the power tubes, but it's not gonna change the V3 into a Recto. I happen to know this because I am also the proud owner of a 2 month old Roadster. Like I said, at no time am I bashing carvin in anyway, the V3 is a good head... but you can't tell people that is is competition for the Recto's... not even with the price difference in my honest opinion... and that is my two cents

 

[disassembled]

People seem to love cheaper alternatives and will swear up and down they are exactly the same or better than this or that high dollar item. I personally don't care the cost of something; it is either good or it isn't. Just because I enjoy many different amp companies (Peavey, Mesa, Marshall, etc) I don't like to compare things based on price which is where people tend to put more of their judgement on. Tone is tone. For instance, I just saw No use for a name in shibuya japan tonight and they were playing through Krank amps. What a harsh, brittle, and piercing tone. They actually had the worst tone of all three bands even though they headlined. For those that prefer this amp to anything else, great. For those that prefer this amp because it is cheaper than some other more expensive amp, SHAME ON YOU! Ok I am done ranting.

 

[Storm]

I can't say any clips I've heard of the V3 do anything for me. If I had the cash, I'd be looking at the Mesa Roadster. Hmmmm, now that's an amp to die for!

Ciao ...

 

[slashin1357]

I tried out one of these V3's a few weeks ago and wasn't impressed at all. It sounded fizzy to my ears and pretty sterile. I just really can't hear any redeeming qualities in this amp. I listened to those sound clips in that link above and most of them had this harsh/grainy sound to it that is very undesireable to my ears, but maybe that's just the sound that guy was going for.

I'm disappointed, as I had high hopes for this amp and was hoping it would be the one, but my i guess my search will have to continue.

 

[Vilhelm J.S Bachstein]

I don`t mean to bump this thread needlessly but yeah. Anyway, not long ago, I was looking at heads. Randall RM100, Carvin V3 and, if I could afford one, a Mesa of some sort. I was set to go on the V3, but then a Mark III popped up locally for $660. I snagged that and I couldn`t be happier. I haven`t heard any great clips of the Carvin. FWIW, the Mark III was my dream amp during the summer of `08 but I gave up after seeing none around locally. This is also technically a NAD post as I bought the Mark on Tuesday.

 

[domct203]

I owned a V3 for about six months or so. Hard times forced me to sell my Triple, and as I got back on my feet, I picked up the Carvin.

Great amp for the money, but all it really did for me was make me miss my Recto.

I eventually sold it and bought my Roadster, that's the amp I'll be buried with.

Dom

 

[primal]

I owned a Carvin MTS3200 before I go tmy Roadking, and I got to say the Carvin was great! I regret selling it. It is a kick *** backup.

If you were looking for bell chiming cleans, they were actually better on the Carvin then the Road King (Version 1, not 2).

The rest, no it could not compete with the Road King. But Brand new a Roadking is 3K compared to 500 for the MTS.

When I would go to Guitar Center, the only amps in the place that sounded as good as my Carvin where the Mesa's (once I figured out how to dial them in). To me anyway, they smoked all the Peavey's except the 6505, which I would say they were around equal.

 

[primerib]

Can only vouch for their old X100B amp that I had. Not a great sounding amp IMO but back in those days, nothing sounded great without an overdrive in front.

As for guitars, they make great stuff. Carvin makes thee best 7 string in the DC747C. And their DC axes are grand and play like butter.