Are Carvin/Kiesel basses any good?

[brikus]

I'm after a PJ bass that can nail the low-middy PB sound, but with some added versatility. Given that you can pretty much make your custom bass with Carvin/Kiesel, can these nail that sound in a satisfactory manner? What's your experience with these?

 

Thanks for your feedback, guys.

[isaac42]

I have an 88-89 Carvin LB-75. I wouldn't say that it has that sort of sound at all. Much more of a clean, full range sound. Mine has passive pickups, M13B stacked humbuckers with single coil switches. A newer model, perhaps with active electronics, might be able to get that sound.

[brikus]

Thanks for your reply Isaac...

 

I was wondering if anyone tried their PB4 or PB5 models...they look like what I'm after:

 

http://www.kieselguitars.com/catalog/guitars/pb5

 

...but the big question is to know whether they also sound like that...

[*BLEEP*]

 

You could simply drive over to the Carvin Showroom and try out a PB4 and a PB5.

 

But, for you, that would be a 9000 km drive from Paris, with a major road hazard on the way called The Atlantic Ocean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brikus]

I know, I've been there, some 13 years ago...with also a visit of the factory with Frank Kiesel himself as our guide...having connections helps...

 

But yeah, now my only option is to have one sent to me and see if it works...so I better gather some feedback and experience from people who tried their basses.

[*BLEEP*]

...my only option is to have one sent to me and see if it works.

 

 

I don't doubt for a second that the instrument itself is excellent. But, I might add that as far as Carvin guitars and basses go, the Carvin pickups themselves can be hit or miss in their design. If worse comes to worse, you *may* need to swap out pickups.

 

Otherwise, I would trust the build quality, quality of materials, and the design of any of their guitar or basses if the specifications such as scale length, fretboard radius, fret type / size, bridge + tuner hardware selection, and control layout are what meet your requirements. In your case, if I recall correctly, you will need a left handed instrument. Carvin makes lefty instruments all the time, so, they would be an excellent choice.

 

By the way, every once in a while around here (H-C), I will make the snide remark of referring to an electric guitar or bass as a "pickup holder." Well, guess what, they really are just pickup holders!

 

 

 

 

 

[brikus]

 

 

I don't doubt for a second that the instrument itself is excellent. But, I might add that as far as Carvin guitars and basses go, the Carvin pickups themselves can be hit or miss in their design. If worse comes to worse, you *may* need to swap out pickups.

 

Otherwise, I would trust the build quality, quality of materials, and the design of any of their guitar or basses if the specifications such as scale length, fretboard radius, fret type / size, bridge + tuner hardware selection, and control layout are what meet your requirements. In your case, if I recall correctly, you will need a left handed instrument. Carvin makes lefty instruments all the time, so, they would be an excellent choice.

 

By the way, every once in a while around here (H-C), I will make the snide remark of referring to an electric guitar or bass as a "pickup holder." Well, guess what, they really are just pickup holders!

 

 

I too don't doubt about the build quality...I bought a guitar from them back in the day (yes, in LH, your memory is correct ), and it still holds perfectly well.

 

But back to my bass purchase project it's more about the "voice" of the instrument, in other terms mostly the pickups, I'm concerned. I would avoid having a bass sent to me if I have to swap the pups afterwards.

 

And what about the G&L SB-2 BTW...any experience with that one?

 

 

[*BLEEP*]

 

... it's more about the "voice" of the instrument' date=' in other terms mostly the pickups, I'm concerned. I would avoid having a bass sent to me if I have to swap the pups afterwards. [/quote']

 

 

 

Maybe you know already this, but, there is a Eurozone Carvin dealer at:

 

http://www.station-musicshop.de/epages/64398533.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/64398533/Categories/Category2/Electric_Bass/Carvin_Bass

 

 

 

Below are links to what are presumably the standard P/J pickup set for the PB4 and PB5. These are passive pickups that can be used as direct drop-in replacements for Fender parts.

 

The Carvin/Kiesel J-Bass pickup, from the description, sounds like a slightly overwound J-Bass pickup, which is not much of a departure from a bog-standard Fender bridge J-Bass pickup and likely the perfect match for their Carvin/Kiesel P-Bass pickup.

 

However, from the description they give for the Carvin/Kiesel Split Coil Pair (SCP) P-Bass pickup, it sounds like they are using either a steel blade + bar magnet on bottom arrangement or, more likely, a long-edge-charged bar magnet that has one long edge pointing up at the strings with the magnet wire coiled about bar magnet in the usual manner as if it had a row of cylinder magnets. Of course, each of the Carvin/Kiesel SCP's two pairs will be RWRP in relation to each other as normal for standard P-Bass hum-cancelling capability.

 

As they state at Carvin/Kiesel, you won't experience the slight bit of volume drop with the Carvin/Kiesel SCP pickups that you will get when you aggressively bend a string on a stock Fender P-Bass. So, that's a plus. The Carvin/Kiesel SCP pickup is probably slightly bigger and bolder sounding than a vintage P-Bass. Something like this might offend a dye-in-the-wool vintage nutjob, but probably nobody else -- including YOU.

 

 

http://www.kieselguitars.com/products/J99

 

 

http://www.kieselguitars.com/products/SCP

 

 

 

 

[*BLEEP*]

And what about the G&L SB-2 BTW...any experience with that one?

 

 

 

I've test driven all of the G&L (US-made and Tribute models) over the years. This would be the M-2000, the L-2000s, JB, MJ, and SB basses at one point in time or another -- probably the L-2000 model the most. Actually, it doesn't matter much because they are virtually the same "pickup holder" with very different pickups installed in each, with the 4-string and 5-string designation being the only significant physical derivation between them all -- besides the pickups.

 

If you've played Musicman and Fender basses, the G&L models are somewhat closer to a Fender in shape, but with Musicman refinements and hardware throughout. These G&Ls are a bit of a return to the vintage Fender bass, but have all of the essential refinements that Leo introduced with the Musicman Stingray, such a slightly bigger and stronger neck with a 6-screw mount, the big 3-way humbucker with huge polepieces on the L-2000 series, and large top-mount bridge on all of the G&L bass models. All of the passive P and J pickups that G&L uses seem to be just a bit hotter than vintage Fender pickups.

 

 

[brikus]

Thanks for all this info, man !!