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Audiofanzine FR
Published on 11/01/08 at 15:17
(Originally written by Laudia/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
All-tube 50-watt combo (4 x EL84 and 5 x 12AX7) with 12" Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. Made in the USA. Sturdy manufacturing that inspires confidence.
Just touch the knobs and the channel selector on the front panel and you'll immediately feel its quality. It is definitely manufactured for life!
Pure vintage look with tweed cover (feel the tweed and you'll know it's a high-class product)!
It's a very compact combo (18.9" width and 16.5" height).
Very simple connections: TS input on the front panel plus FX loop, footswitch connector and line output on the back. The rear panel also provides an additional speaker output.
Power on/off and standby switches.
2 channels: clean and distortion.
Separate EQ on each channel with TREB, MID, BASS and VOLUME controls. The lead channel has also a gain control labeled SOAK. One reverb for both channels.
The clean channel provides an "Acoustic Presence" control on the rear panel to add very high frequencies. This can come in quite handy for an acoustic guitar.
In short, this amp offers very comprehensive settings.
UTILIZATION
Very easy to use.
You'll get good clean sounds in no time.
But you'll have to tweak the EQ to get the right distortion sound. And of course you'll also have to set the gain with the SOAK control.
It's a 50-watt all-tube amp so watch out for your ears!
In an apartment you won't be able turn up the volume further than 1.
The sound is awesome with low output levels too. It's a high-quality product.
If you play in a band you won't have to crank it up all the way to get good results.
SOUNDS
The clean sound is superb. The Presence control allows you to add a sound dimension you won't find in any other competitor amps. You can even plug an electro-acoustic guitar and get a very good sound, almost as good as with a specialized amps. Really good!
The reverb effect is amazing. Compared with other spring reverbs (I tested the Vox AC15 reverb for example) it doesn't generate any spring noise or "aquatic" sound. The user's manual states that GUITAR PLAYER magazine describes this reverb as one of the best on the market.
The distortion sound is typically vintage. Not for metal heads.
It feels like the first AC15 models or even a 70' Marschall Plexi when you turn the SOAK control all the way. SOAK produces an overdrive effect that goes from crunch to really fat distortion.
OVERALL OPINION
The amp isn't cheap. I was lucky to find it secondhand and I payed less than for a new Peavey Classic 30 or VOX AC15 CC1 which I also like.
The Peavey is nice but the Carvin has more output power and a much richer clean sound. The Peavey has no standby switch: watch out for your tubes!
The VOX model is also good but it has only a single channel. And its reverb sounds awful.
It's not the same product range. Carvin really offers high-class gear.
The NOMAD 112 is definitely a very high-quality amp.
Chet Atkins and Jeff Beck, among many others, played Carvin amps.
Amen
Update from 11/01/08 : After 6 months of using it for rehearsals I can just say: it's a GREAT F***ING AMP!! It is EXCELLENT! The clean channel will allow you to hear the real sound of your guitar at last. Wonderful! And the lead channel has a real character of its own! HATS OFF!
All-tube 50-watt combo (4 x EL84 and 5 x 12AX7) with 12" Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. Made in the USA. Sturdy manufacturing that inspires confidence.
Just touch the knobs and the channel selector on the front panel and you'll immediately feel its quality. It is definitely manufactured for life!
Pure vintage look with tweed cover (feel the tweed and you'll know it's a high-class product)!
It's a very compact combo (18.9" width and 16.5" height).
Very simple connections: TS input on the front panel plus FX loop, footswitch connector and line output on the back. The rear panel also provides an additional speaker output.
Power on/off and standby switches.
2 channels: clean and distortion.
Separate EQ on each channel with TREB, MID, BASS and VOLUME controls. The lead channel has also a gain control labeled SOAK. One reverb for both channels.
The clean channel provides an "Acoustic Presence" control on the rear panel to add very high frequencies. This can come in quite handy for an acoustic guitar.
In short, this amp offers very comprehensive settings.
UTILIZATION
Very easy to use.
You'll get good clean sounds in no time.
But you'll have to tweak the EQ to get the right distortion sound. And of course you'll also have to set the gain with the SOAK control.
It's a 50-watt all-tube amp so watch out for your ears!
In an apartment you won't be able turn up the volume further than 1.
The sound is awesome with low output levels too. It's a high-quality product.
If you play in a band you won't have to crank it up all the way to get good results.
SOUNDS
The clean sound is superb. The Presence control allows you to add a sound dimension you won't find in any other competitor amps. You can even plug an electro-acoustic guitar and get a very good sound, almost as good as with a specialized amps. Really good!
The reverb effect is amazing. Compared with other spring reverbs (I tested the Vox AC15 reverb for example) it doesn't generate any spring noise or "aquatic" sound. The user's manual states that GUITAR PLAYER magazine describes this reverb as one of the best on the market.
The distortion sound is typically vintage. Not for metal heads.
It feels like the first AC15 models or even a 70' Marschall Plexi when you turn the SOAK control all the way. SOAK produces an overdrive effect that goes from crunch to really fat distortion.
OVERALL OPINION
The amp isn't cheap. I was lucky to find it secondhand and I payed less than for a new Peavey Classic 30 or VOX AC15 CC1 which I also like.
The Peavey is nice but the Carvin has more output power and a much richer clean sound. The Peavey has no standby switch: watch out for your tubes!
The VOX model is also good but it has only a single channel. And its reverb sounds awful.
It's not the same product range. Carvin really offers high-class gear.
The NOMAD 112 is definitely a very high-quality amp.
Chet Atkins and Jeff Beck, among many others, played Carvin amps.
Amen
Update from 11/01/08 : After 6 months of using it for rehearsals I can just say: it's a GREAT F***ING AMP!! It is EXCELLENT! The clean channel will allow you to hear the real sound of your guitar at last. Wonderful! And the lead channel has a real character of its own! HATS OFF!