Carvin X100b 100w valve head.....any good??

[Rocker35]

Anybody got experience/opinions on these amps - I've been offered one in a trade for a Sansamp PSA-1. Any help would be appreciated.

[Biu]

Re: Carvin X100b 100w valve head.....any good??

Is it the head version of the X-60A? I have a Carvin X-60A and it sounds AMAZING! I was told by Chris Grimmett at Chris' Guitars that it's Carvin's attempt to put Fender cleans and semi-modern Mesa/Boogie distortion into a combo amp. It even looks like the old Mesa/Boogie Subway Rocket I used to have, but sounds waaaay better.

Sorry, I don't have any info on the X100b, but I'm assuming they're in the same series of amplifiers. I think Stevo had one though.

[kevlar3000]

Re: Carvin X100b 100w valve head.....any good??

Anybody got experience/opinions on these amps - I've been offered one in a trade for a Sansamp PSA-1. Any help would be appreciated.

As good as my x100b was with clean is was horrible with gain. Perhaps the worst tube distortion I personally have heard. Not articulate, scratchy, stiff, you name it. Those amps are worth about 200.00 for good reason. I bought it new in 87 and the day I got it I remember being bummed. If you listen to Vai's Blue Powder it will give you an idea of the tone. I would never own one of those again. YUUUUCKKKKKKKKKK

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Carvin X100b 100w valve head.....any good??

Absolute rubbish! Trust Kevlar and I. When I was 16, I traded a Risson head, which was a good Marshall copy from the 80's. As soon as I came home and turned on the Carvin head, I realized the cleans were good, but the gain sounded like wet cardboard.
I tried to sell it, but everyone who came by hated it. I showed it to one guy, and the amp started acting up. As soon as he drove away, I took the amp by it's power cord, spun it around over my head, and let it fly into a brick wall. Nowadays, I cringe when I see an X100B.

[kevlar3000]

Re: Carvin X100b 100w valve head.....any good??

Absolute rubbish! Trust Kevlar and I. When I was 16, I traded a Risson head, which was a good Marshall copy from the 80's. As soon as I came home and turned on the Carvin head, I realized the cleans were good, but the gain sounded like wet cardboard.
I tried to sell it, but everyone who came by hated it. I showed it to one guy, and the amp started acting up. As soon as he drove away, I took the amp by it's power cord, spun it around over my head, and let it fly into a brick wall. Nowadays, I cringe when I see an X100B.

Man a Risson even !! I sold a stinkin JCM 800 to get that hype machine. Very funny as we both got em right around the same time. DUNCAN FORUM WHERE WERE YOU!! You kids don't know how good you got it, all we had was the catalog description to go by.

[aleclee]

Re: Carvin X100b 100w valve head.....any good??

Absolute rubbish! Trust Kevlar and I. When I was 16, I traded a Risson head, which was a good Marshall copy from the 80's. As soon as I came home and turned on the Carvin head, I realized the cleans were good, but the gain sounded like wet cardboard.
I tried to sell it, but everyone who came by hated it. I showed it to one guy, and the amp started acting up. As soon as he drove away, I took the amp by it's power cord, spun it around over my head, and let it fly into a brick wall. Nowadays, I cringe when I see an X100B.

Are you saying you didn't like it?

[Boston Joe]

Re: Carvin X100b 100w valve head.....any good??

Let me guess: Late 80's amp heads, EL34 tubes--rat hair instead of tolex?

[lastwinj]

Re: Carvin X100b 100w valve head.....any good??

accept the offer. they are relatively well built. and, you could send it to me for modding, if you want to. good luck!!

germ

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Carvin X100b 100w valve head.....any good??

Let me guess: Late 80's amp heads, EL34 tubes--rat hair instead of tolex?

Oh my, oh my, I forgot the "rat hair" ozite covered gray ones! That would mean that your amp was not only horrible sounding, but it looked like a mangy dog. I'll never forget being 15, wanting a Marshall stack, and seeing Steve Vai in the Circus Magazine Carvin ads. Looking so impressive in his dayglo green pants/renaissance shirt, standing in front of a wall of X100B's! It looked so impressive, it conned me into thinking they're better than Marshalls, because of it's 7 band EQ.
To this day, Carvin catalogs don't even get the seal broken....they go straight into the trash. X-100B's ruined me on Carvin.

[Rocker35]

Re: Carvin X100b 100w valve head.....any good??

Well, I guess that's a resounding NO!!!

I've had plenty of tube amps in my time (mostly Marshall) so I had to ask the question. Are they really that bad???

Still scouring for a Jubilee 2554 and saving for a Cornford Mk50!!!!

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Carvin X100b 100w valve head.....any good??

I'll give you an axe, just so you can go to that guy's house and chop it up!