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"Official" Carvin and Kiesel Club - Part 3
- Thread starter smperry
- Start date
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- Tags
- carvin bass club kiesel
That CB100 was my dream bass throughout the late 70s!
I got the Carvin catalog for years - bought some of my first bass parts mailorder from them - 1977-ish (used them to hotrod my first gigging bass)
I think Kiesel's radiused pickups have all been good. My two favorites are the first gen radiused dual coils and the 2nd gen radiused single coils.
The 3rd gen radiused single coils I only used for a hand-full of days, until I returned that bass. But I liked them a lot.
The 2nd gen radiused single coils have a really great ability for staccato techniques. And I would say they have a warm purr, rather than a big growl. I thought the neck pickup by itself, really sounded fantastic. It had a really great texture to the tone.
The 3rd gen singles had more crunch in the high mids and also seemed to go a little deeper in the lows. And with both pickups on, they had more of that 'compression' quality that you hear in a Fender Jazz bass. However, that was also a completely different bass and strings. So its not a perfect comparison. I used 1st and 2nd gen singles and dual coils, in my Icon 5.
What I like about Nordstrand's pickups, is their extension in the lows. I prefer to play my basses passive when possible. and I don't want to do a lot of EQ-ing. And Nordstrands give me fuller, more immediate lows, without much EQ. And without needing to exaggerate my playing style. Especially their blade pickups (Big Blades, Zen Blade, etc).
However, I currently have Big Singles in my Icon and they have been in there for over a year. My Icon seems to like them, along with GHS Round Core Boomers, for strings. It has pretty much given me the slightly roided J-Bass tone which is one of the tones I like to have. So.....my Big Blades have been sitting on a shelf >_>
Nordstrands also tend to have a slightly "round" quality to their overall tone. Except for maybe the Alnico 5 Big Rig and the old neo dual coils.
Kiesel's pickups seem to focus more on mid and high mid detail. and are less rounded in the overall tone. The lows sound good, but are more balanced. Rather than a bit exaggerated. Except for the SCP pickup for their PB bass (P-Bass style). It has a bunch of lows.
My favorite pickups ever for overall tone, but also for easily pushing a lot of lows through my cab: Are Lollar reproduction Vintage Thunderbird pickups. I have a set modded into a Fender Jaguar and they are incredible.
Big Blades are the closest any other pickup has ever come to that tone and feel, for me. Those pickups definitely give your cab a workout. So, I have been really surprised that I never bothered to swap back to them, after I installed the Big Singles!! I will at some point, to do the comparison. But, I really like Big Singles in my Icon.
My Icon 5 is 9lbs with a strap.
The Surf Vader I ordered (and returned) was a featherweight, at 7.4lbs with no strap. It was a 4 string.
Those Osiris are such a good looking shape. I've always wanted one. Its looks awesome in that video!
The Osiris is a much better design than the Vader. Out of the box the Osiris sits better on the strap and I can reach the first fret comfortably. Also the curve on the top feels great - the Vader has so many hard edges.
As documented here, I was able to get the Vader to feel good, but the Osiris is better. However, the Vader body is definitely smaller.
Here are some additional ones!
Attachments
That looks great. I don't usually care much about the logo, But-----the logo really looks great!
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I fantasize about an Osiris with a single Music Man shape pickup in the Amos Williams position------with a Nordstrand Big Blademan or maybe 60's thunderbird pickup instead >_>
Probably could. But, I am very happy with my fretted basses.
If I get anything new/different, it would be a fretless.
Older brother, drummer/sound engineer still has every Carvin catalog from 70s forward. Nice to re-visit the online Carvin museum for nostalgic reasons. This CB-100 was my 2nd bass (after '66 Jazz in pic) and my first of 3 Carvins. This '78 has the older APH4S pickups from Carvin's '77 SB-125. Still own and gig with all pictured.
Just got the invoice for the rest of my Vanquish 5er. Paid, and hope to get it soon!
Got my tracking number, estimated delivery Saturday. 
Another headless Kiesel bass with a neck crack popped up on Reverb... (I have no relation to the listing)
I really enjoy my Osiris 5 finished July 2022, so much that I have a Zeus 5 build being finished soon, but I've seen probably 10 online reports of headless Kiesel basses and guitars with the same crack near the headpiece. TB user @GlassToMouth reported that Kiesel switched to threaded inserts for the headpiece in early 2020, unclear if this eliminated or reduced the frequency of these structural failures...
A rare crack developing under the 5 year warranty isn't the end of the world and might cost $100-200 in shipping charges, but the frequency at which these cracks appear at the same exact spot is troubling. A vader would need to be completely rebuilt! There's also a 2016 Vader sitting on Reverb for months with a headpiece crack... Any reports of this happening after Kiesel switched to threaded inserts in early 2020? Am I crazy for being anxious about this happening to otherwise well-built American basses that cost 2-3k?
Yikes... He is asking quite a bit for it even if it didn't have a busted neck.
Delayed until Monday ...Got my tracking number, estimated delivery Saturday.
I'm not sure I'll even be here to sign when they deliver it, so I'll probably have to pick it up Tuesday if I can.Another headless Kiesel bass with a neck crack popped up on Reverb... (I have no relation to the listing)
I really enjoy my Osiris 5 finished July 2022, so much that I have a Zeus 5 build being finished soon, but I've seen probably 10 online reports of headless Kiesel basses and guitars with the same crack near the headpiece. TB user @GlassToMouth reported that Kiesel switched to threaded inserts for the headpiece in early 2020, unclear if this eliminated or reduced the frequency of these structural failures...
A rare crack developing under the 5 year warranty isn't the end of the world and might cost $100-200 in shipping charges, but the frequency at which these cracks appear at the same exact spot is troubling. A vader would need to be completely rebuilt! There's also a 2016 Vader sitting on Reverb for months with a headpiece crack... Any reports of this happening after Kiesel switched to threaded inserts in early 2020? Am I crazy for being anxious about this happening to otherwise well-built American basses that cost 2-3k?
This person should get that fixed under a warranty claim, before trying to sell it. Unless of course it happened from a drop, or some kind of accident with the bass.
Whew, they delivered it today about 20 minutes before I had to leave for an in-person meeting.Yup, missed it.
I'm going to put it through its paces tonight. As long as I'm happy with everything, I'll try to get some decent pictures tomorrow and post a NBD thread!
long since gone, but I used a PB300 head in the 80s and in late 1990 (received early 91) I ordered this strung tenor (EADGB)
Another addition to my Carvin stable, now of 3. 2012 Icon 4 with koa body and neck. Just wow...
