Silly comparison thread Carvin/Keisel vs costlier J brands

[Adam Wright]

the touch the feel of cotton the fabric of our lives

J bass is like cotton in some ways. Have you sent the underdog Kiesel JB5 into battle against some of its more expensive, sought after, and arguably better built competition and how did it fare?

 

[swartzfeger]

No, but they have an aged wood finish I'm dying to have built (antique ash). Then I get a good hard look at their bodies and headstocks... I dunno, a narwhal on thalidomide comes to mind. Doubt I'll ever pull the trigger on a Carvin/Kiesel.

 

[blmeier7]

I haven't owned the Kiesel branded JB5 but I did purchase a new SB5000 and SB4000 several years back. Both had excellent construction, fit, and finish. My only valuable comparison would be against several of the Fender MIA jazz basses I've owned. IMO the Carvin/Kiesel had the edge on overall construction...better fretwork, flawless neck pocket, excellent balance.

 

[G On Bass]

I have owned many Carvins, including an SB500o and they were great basses, especially for the money. IMHO, the B25 'Bromberg' is the best they make, I miss my fretted one but still have a fretless B25. Nowadays, with the whole 'Kiesel' thing, prices have gone up in most cases, and in some cases a laughable amount. My Carvins are/were fanstastic basses at the $1k-$1200 range.

Regarding comparing them, IME a basic, non-pimped Carvin version it will hold up well against US Fenders and other basses within a few hundred dollars it's price range. But when you start getting into coffee table tops and some of the pimps-on-acid finishes, you can suddenly be looking at a bass in the $2K-$4k range and that brings a whole lot of other big-time basses into play (Sadowsky, Wilkins, Lull, Valenti, Nordstrand and others). I've owned some of those boutiques and since they either offer or ship with top-of-the-line, time-tested and highly desired electronics, I would have to give a nod to them for sound. IMHO, $3K Kiesels are not going to sound or play any better than the $1K Carvins (same hardware, pickups and electronics), but if cosmetics are your main thing, then they offer a lot of choices if you are willing to pay for it (and potentially lose your a$$ if you ever decide to sell it....).

 

[aproud1]

I have owned many Carvins, including an SB500o and they were great basses, especially for the money. IMHO, the B25 'Bromberg' is the best they make, I miss my fretted one but still have a fretless B25. Nowadays, with the whole 'Kiesel' thing, prices have gone up in most cases, and in some cases a laughable amount. My Carvins are/were fanstastic basses at the $1k-$1200 range.

Regarding comparing them, IME a basic, non-pimped Carvin version it will hold up well against US Fenders and other basses within a few hundred dollars it's price range. But when you start getting into coffee table tops and some of the pimps-on-acid finishes, you can suddenly be looking at a bass in the $2K-$4k range and that brings a whole lot of other big-time basses into play (Sadowsky, Wilkins, Lull, Valenti, Nordstrand and others). I've owned some of those boutiques and since they either offer or ship with top-of-the-line, time-tested and highly desired electronics, I would have to give a nod to them for sound. IMHO, $3K Kiesels are not going to sound or play any better than the $1K Carvins (same hardware, pickups and electronics), but if cosmetics are your main thing, then they offer a lot of choices if you are willing to pay for it (and potentially lose your a$$ if you ever decide to sell it....).

This is well summed up. Carvin Makes Great basses, no doubt about that and they compare favorably with basses in and a little above the price point Of a standard Fender. But you get into custom builders and you aren't just getting fancy tops and options but much better craftsmanship. If you compare the neck and fretwork on a Zon/Sadowsky/Spector?etc. to a Carvin you can certainly feel a difference.

Not saying the Carvin isn't a great bass. Just what G on bass said, you are getting the same setup with more options. Where IMO on most higher end basses you are getting a better setup and more options.

 

[Wolfhound32]

This is well summed up. Carvin Makes Great basses, no doubt about that and they compare favorably with basses in and a little above the price point Of a standard Fender. But you get into custom builders and you aren't just getting fancy tops and options but much better craftsmanship. If you compare the neck and fretwork on a Zon/Sadowsky/Spector?etc. to a Carvin you can certainly feel a difference.

Not saying the Carvin isn't a great bass. Just what G on bass said, you are getting the same setup with more options. Where IMO on most higher end basses you are getting a better setup and more options.

Now it's not a Jazz, but I have been playing a new Kiesel Vanquish 4-string for the last month or so and I gotta say it's a fantastic instrument. I paid a little extra for a lightweight ash body, Birdseye maple neck & stainless steel frets-- about $130, but after a $100 discount it's only $30 over stock.

Honestly, I can't imagine there being a better setup job than came with this out of the box; everything is spot on. Frets are polished, leveled, dressed, straight neck, slight relief, super low action w/o any buzz... What could possibly be improved?

Against my 4-favorite G&Ls the Kiesel setup is as good or better (lower action). Next week I'll compare it to some of the coveted brands and let you know what I think.

Pickups & electronics; very subjective stuff. Personally, I really like the sound of the Kiesel pickups and appreciate that they are radiused to match the fretboard (14-inch). Electronics do what it's supposed to do and is quiet even under fluorescent lighting.

I suspect that this bass will give the popular fancy brands a real run for their money

 

[aproud1]

N

Honestly, I can't imagine there being a better setup job than came with this out of the box; everything is spot on. Frets are polished, leveled, dressed, straight neck, slight relief, super low action w/o any buzz... What could possibly be improved?

Like I said, Great basses for sure. Setup may not be the right word. Carvin's come setup great and play great. Their setup quality control is excellent in my experience. The one Vanquish I played was excellent although on the heavy side. Their electronics have certainly improved too.

I'll be curious to hear what you think about it vs. the "higher end" basses.

 

[narud]

if youre a diy'er or dont mind spending a couple hundred on some work, its a great bass. fit and finish is about what you would expect for a 1100 dollar bass. with the stock bridge i had to shim the neck to get the action i like, do a fretlevel to get the upper register to play cleanly, theres a pretty good neck pocket gap and some other slop. i dont think id buy one new, but as a used purchase, im pretty happy. it replaced my 70's f bass vf5 and sounds fantastic with the stock guts. as a working musician, i was finding it hard to justify having a bunch of dough tied up into these basses that dont sound or play very much better than something cheaper with a little labor.

 

[Toptube]

I'm late to this party but: you guys. I played a Lull Jazz 5 (Bass NW, Seattle) and despite being very different overall designs: The neck reminded me a lot of playing my Carvin Icon. It was kind of a strange experience, actually.

Some of their necks are pretty darned good, is what I'm saying.

Also, yeah, Antique Ash Treatment is king.


*and more on that Lull: Yeah, that thing was super light and sounded exactly like anyone would want a Jazz bass to sound. It was perfect. And I don't even like maple boards (it had a maple board).

but, in terms of feel and play ability: I walked away feeling even better about my Carvin. Which, brand new with options chosen by me, was half of that Lull's used price.