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Author Topic:  Carvin Combo amps for steel
Scott Duckworth


From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
Post  Posted 31 Mar 2017 2:01 pm    
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Anyone ever used a Carvin combo amp for lap / console steel?

For instance, the MB-15 Bass combo:
https://carvinaudio.com/collections/mb-series-bass-combos/products/mb15-micro-bass-amp-15-inch
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Bill Moore


From:
Manchester, Michigan
Post  Posted 31 Mar 2017 5:25 pm    
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I have used the MB-15 for a couple of years. I also have the BX 500. The MB-15 is a very good value, light, powerful, lots of EQ, very reasonable cost. I use a Digitech RP155 for effects, delay, sometimes combined with reverb. I like the amp a lot, to me, it sounds very good. There have been several past threads about these amps. Just do a search.
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Howard Steinberg


From:
St. Petersburg, Florida , USA
Post  Posted 1 Apr 2017 3:38 am    
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I used a carvin xv-15 for a lot of years. It had a 15" K130 and was incredible for psg. 4- 6L6's, graphic eq, nice reverb. Also really nice for guitar. It weighed in between 85 and 90 pounds. Got to be more than I wanted to deal with. There are a lot of these amps around with 12" speakers, not so many with the 15. It cost about $700. In 1982.
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David Weisenthal

 

From:
Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 6 Apr 2017 6:00 pm    
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Hi Scott I recently got an early 80s xv-212 shipped from a guitar center(their shipping rates are amazingly low). It arrived in very good shape. Played e9 through it at low volume in a small bedroom and like it. Its started changing gains on me while playing, so I have it opened up to clean and spray. Very high build quality. I know some guys change to a single 15". It sounds very good on the clean channel. Will make a great 6 string amp too. Has the eq sliders...I want to drive the 15" speaker in the session 400 with it for a test soon. Smile
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Howard Steinberg


From:
St. Petersburg, Florida , USA
Post  Posted 7 Apr 2017 4:39 am    
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David - I had a similar problem with my Carvin where I lost volume while playing. My recollection is that my amp had a few pull pots. These would loosen up over time. I believe that all was necessary was to crimp them so that good contact was made. I do miss that amp but not the weight.
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Alan Cannell

 

From:
United Kingdom
Post  Posted 7 Apr 2017 4:47 am     Carvin for Steel & Guitar
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I have the Carvin XV112 which I run on 4ohms with a Blue Marvel 12" Steel Voiced speaker and it is excellent with Pedal Steel & Lead Guitar.
The only problem , as mentioned, is the weight of 27.6 Kgs but it is less than a Fender Twin and as mine has el34 valves to me it is not as scooped mids and has fuller tone which is not to everyone's taste.
I use a Peavey Profex 2 with it and can't fault the tone , they are well built.
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Darrell Birtcher

 

Post  Posted 7 Apr 2017 9:25 am    
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Scott,
I'd like to confirm what Bill Moore said about the MB15. I stumbled on a used one for bass a while back. It came with a second 15" cabinet, and I quickly found out that it was pretty much worthless for bass without the second cab. But, it makes a great steel amp with the right effects in front of it. Like Bill said, good value, light, powerful, etc.

The stock speaker is serviceable but it is a little light on the bass end (even for E9), and you will want to disconnect the tweeter. The stock speaker is actually very bright.

Howard Steinberg (Hi Howard!) mentioned the greatness of the JBL K130. If you can find one it's probably perfect for this amp. If you take the tweeter out, the port hole should tune this cabinet nicely. I did it with a K140. Not a perfect match for steel but very close, and I think the K130 would be excellent. It adds a bit of weight but overall it's still very portable. It will be a lot louder than the stock speaker and add some muscle to the sound while retaining good definition.

I got a bit fancy and changed the speaker wiring so that I can run the amp head to any cabinet I want or use the internal speaker with another head. Not hard to do but I won't bore folks with the details. Contact me if interested.

David Weisenthal

 

From:
Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 7 Apr 2017 11:55 am    
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Thanks for the tip Howard, will check on that. This is an interesting post. Thanks for starting it Scott.
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Scott Duckworth


From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
Post  Posted 7 Apr 2017 12:59 pm    
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Thanks Darrell!
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I may, in fact, be nuts. However, I am screwed onto the right bolt... Jesus!
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