Your all-time favorite, desert island amp?

L. L. Elwood

L. L. Elwood

Jan 22, 2004
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#1
What is your desert island amplifier??Your all-time favorite? There can only be one…

OK I’m posting this because I want to shout from the hilltops about my all-time favorite amp…The mighty Carvin B1500. I don’t care that it’s big I don’t care that it’s bulky. I don’t care that it weighs 35 pounds. I don’t care that it’s discontinued. It’s been nothing but reliable and there for me gig after gig year after year. It is a monster piece of audio gear. Plus, it sounds just so damn good with very little knob tweaking. Behold…
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#5
Hehe! OK for the literal folks out there there is a massive solar bank on the south side of this desert island and a stage, and the most beautiful people you’ve ever seen from all over the world that have traveled just to see your dream band play (with you in it)playing with your “desert Island“ Bass amp :) I know it’s a tough one, but I thought some folks might put forth a few gems.
 
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#7
I know you said one, but It'd be a toss up tie for my ears between Mesa's M-6 Carbines (the earliest model that still had Fathom printed on it's insides,) and my present gigging amp, GK MB Fusion 800.

Both are hybrids, both are simple to dial in, both have a big, clean, clear sound with slam and a feeling of a fast transient.

(And for Marko, pics! :))

Top picture: GK MB Fusion 800.

Bottom picture: Mesa M-6 Carbine.


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#9
L. L. Elwood said:
Hehe! OK for the literal folks out there there is a massive solar bank on the south side of this desert island and a stage, and the most beautiful people you’ve ever seen from all over the world that have traveled just to see your dream band play (with you in it)playing with your “desert Island“ Bass amp :) I know it’s a tough one, but I thought some folks might put forth a few gems.
Click to expand...

Inexplicably there’s a really, really well designed & built hurricane-proof 30 table jazz club on the island.

Drummer has one of those weird Catalina Club Mod drumkits with the small diameter but long/deep kick drums, a chonky fat sounding snare, they have some dirty old Zildjian Amir cymbals, and they play with brushes.

Five guitar players and four of them are playing through Fender 1w Mini ‘65 Twins and one has a Blues Jr.

Full horn section.

Full string section.

I think I’d be fine with an SVT CL, 810, my trusty old Peavey Bandit 112, and my pedals, but I sure would like to try a Mesa Woah Dogg & 2x215 in that situation.

———

I did have a Kerouac Firewatch Tower -like experience for a few months and had my old fliptop, a couple dirt pedals and a cheap fiver with me and there were no people (beautiful or otherwise) but it was still pretty fun.
 
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#18
L. L. Elwood said:
What is your desert island amplifier??Your all-time favorite? There can only be one…

OK I’m posting this because I want to shout from the hilltops about my all-time favorite amp…The mighty Carvin B1500. I don’t care that it’s big I don’t care that it’s bulky. I don’t care that it weighs 35 pounds. I don’t care that it’s discontinued. It’s been nothing but reliable and there for me gig after gig year after year. It is a monster piece of audio gear. Plus, it sounds just so damn good with very little knob tweaking. Behold…
View attachment 5370764
Click to expand...
A v4-b

Because I don't really need an SVT if I'm stranded on an island and playing by myself.
 
#19
That’ll be the same amp that I’ve been using since like 2008 or so: my old GK 500MB combo. I’ve played it at hundreds of shows over all these years… it’s never once had to go to the shop for repairs, and never not been enough even on stage for a crowd of nearly 20,000 (it was just a side wash personal monitor for me as that group didn’t use iems). I’ll be keeping it until either it fails (unlikely) or I can’t play anymore.
 
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