timbuktoo kangaroo
04-02-2005, 10:07 PM
Brand: Carvin
Model: B4A ("A" meaning active as well as passive)
Price: ~500 w/ shipping
I purchased this bass as a kit because it's cheaper than buying it pre-built and I had the help of my father to finish the wood and wire the pickups. Carvin sent everything as requested and the package arrived with no dents, dings, or scratches in the body/neck. The standard kit is an alder body, maple/ebony neck, and 2 single coil j99 pickups (passive). The upgrades I ordered include the active/passive module, black hardware (knobs/tuners), swamp ash body, and a bridge humbucker w/ coil tap + neck j99 PU. These were all included as ordered as well as detailed information as to how the pickups needed to be wired. We sanded/finished the swamp ash body/neck with danish oil and I must say I love the outcome of both. The only problem we had during the build was the holes for the bridge; they were not large enough, which required a small amount of extra drilling as to not risk splitting the wood. Other than that the build itself was simple and took 3-4 hours max.
I must say this bass plays like a dream. For $500 I got a $700-$800 quality bass. The range of tones is amazing and it has a very nice slap tone. I purchased a Behringer V-amp to direct connect to my PC and the Carvin sounds great through it. The neck is very fast and it feels so easy to play in general. We adjusted the action to the recommended specs and it's perfect. My conclusion: as long as you don't mind soldering wires and finishing wood, I highly recommend this bass. You simply cannot buy another (new) bass at this price and get the same quality. I've played Fender J/P basses and they do not compare as far as tone/quality. Here's a pic of the finished product. :thumb:
http://photobucket.com/albums/y87/timbuktookangaroo/?action=view¤t=Guitar6.jpg
Model: B4A ("A" meaning active as well as passive)
Price: ~500 w/ shipping
I purchased this bass as a kit because it's cheaper than buying it pre-built and I had the help of my father to finish the wood and wire the pickups. Carvin sent everything as requested and the package arrived with no dents, dings, or scratches in the body/neck. The standard kit is an alder body, maple/ebony neck, and 2 single coil j99 pickups (passive). The upgrades I ordered include the active/passive module, black hardware (knobs/tuners), swamp ash body, and a bridge humbucker w/ coil tap + neck j99 PU. These were all included as ordered as well as detailed information as to how the pickups needed to be wired. We sanded/finished the swamp ash body/neck with danish oil and I must say I love the outcome of both. The only problem we had during the build was the holes for the bridge; they were not large enough, which required a small amount of extra drilling as to not risk splitting the wood. Other than that the build itself was simple and took 3-4 hours max.
I must say this bass plays like a dream. For $500 I got a $700-$800 quality bass. The range of tones is amazing and it has a very nice slap tone. I purchased a Behringer V-amp to direct connect to my PC and the Carvin sounds great through it. The neck is very fast and it feels so easy to play in general. We adjusted the action to the recommended specs and it's perfect. My conclusion: as long as you don't mind soldering wires and finishing wood, I highly recommend this bass. You simply cannot buy another (new) bass at this price and get the same quality. I've played Fender J/P basses and they do not compare as far as tone/quality. Here's a pic of the finished product. :thumb:
http://photobucket.com/albums/y87/timbuktookangaroo/?action=view¤t=Guitar6.jpg