Carvin BX500 wonked out- suggestions?

JohnMcgurik

JohnMcgurik

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Jul 10, 2017
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#1
So about two years ago I picked up a Carvin BX500 because hell a light weight head at 300 bucks year sure I'm with it. Everything worked fine and sounded great, practiced with it a bit, even used it for a gig.

At some point I go a month or so with out using it. Go to start it up and the amp lights are just pulsing on and off, and the exhaust fan is making a faint tic sound like it wants to start up but won't. Of course like an ass I waited to address this until I was out of warranty. I'm assuming this might be an issue with the step-up/down function in the power amp and the whole head isn't getting enough power to function.

Carvin apparently charges $195+ for repairs on this head, if it can even be repaired. Anyone else come across this issue? Is this just the result of some magical power surge? What would a local amp tech generally ask for for this kind of work (if it can be done)?

I'm pretty much settling on the fact that I just have a 300 dollar brick at this point, and currently I need a travel/home recording amp for a noisy blackened doom project. Any suggestions on heads on the market with a decent enough wattage?
 
#4
Bim1959 said:
Price range?
How many watts do you need?
Does it need to be able to handle a 2 ohm load?
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Full disclosure- I got impatient and just ordered a Peavey MegaMini.

wave rider said:
Search in the BX500 threads for this problem. There was a seemingly easy fix involving the ribbon cables that linked the internal boards together. Got many a BX500 back on the road...
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If that's the issue I'll keep it as a backup.
 
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#6
You couldn't pay me to play through a Carvin amp, especially after how many musicians that I've known over the years, that have had failure issues with them, plus the incompetence that I had to deal with concerning their customer service, when I ordered one of their 2 x 10" bass cabs. It took them over a month to even ship it out, after not placing the order when they were supposed to, and even almost shipping it to another state. I know that they have their fans, but I am certainly not one of them. Not worth the risk.
 
#7
Paul LF said:
You couldn't pay me to play through a Carvin amp, especially after how many musicians that I've known over the years, that have had failure issues with them, plus the incompetence that I had to deal with concerning their customer service, when I ordered one of their 2 x 10" bass cabs. It took them over a month to even ship it out, after not placing the order when they were supposed to, and even almost shipping it to another state. I know that they have their fans, but I am certainly not one of them. Not worth the risk.
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Sad that you have had this experience. Unfortunately bad apples are found in every organisation. Most of my equipment came from Carvin. I have had little trouble with the stuff in the time I have owned it. I ran into trouble ordering from a guy named Bart but that’s it.
 
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#10
I have dealt with Carvin for years and have never witnessed anything but pure professionalism from them. I just purchased an amp and speaker cabs and I plan to have a bass custume made for me in the next few months. I think you need to be careful who you bash...Carvin has a good reputation and as far as I'm concerned have earned it.
 
#11
I wouldn't bash anyone unless I felt had a reason to do so. What happened to me was certainly not what I'd call professional, but perhaps other people have had better experience with them. I know that can happen, since I've had excellent service from companies that have had bad reviews, albeit very few.

I think if they were available in various shops, like Fender or Ampeg, and not solely from California, I'd be more confident in dealing with them again, since people can screw up, and their cabs do work rather well. At least then, if I have a problem, I can deal with it locally and not on the opposite side of the country, which I happen to be.

If I have gigs lined up, which I will pretty soon, I can't afford to take a chance of pontentially having to wait a week or much longer to resolve a problem because I can only deal with shipping to or from California. If I happened to live near there, then maybe that would be a different story.
 
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#12
Paul LF said:
You couldn't pay me to play through a Carvin amp, especially after how many musicians that I've known over the years, that have had failure issues with them, plus the incompetence that I had to deal with concerning their customer service, when I ordered one of their 2 x 10" bass cabs. It took them over a month to even ship it out, after not placing the order when they were supposed to, and even almost shipping it to another state. I know that they have their fans, but I am certainly not one of them. Not worth the risk.
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I 've owned many Carvin amps and other equipment and have no problems with anything. Your bad luck doesn't relate to everyone. Their equipment is as good as any. All amps break down at one point or another. JMO, YVMV.
 
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