Carvin has been a household name for 60 plus years now going back almost four generations of family owned and operated making some of the finest guitars, basses, amps, pro audio on the market today. Carvin and Brian Bromberg set out on a musical journey a while back making his signature line of basses from four and five string with a unlimited amount of options. I am known for being more of a metal player so looking into a jazz bass was a little bit out of the ordinary but being such a fan of Bromberg and his style I had to take the leap on the five string version. I set it up a bit more as a metal bass on the options for me personally but the sky is the limit when it comes to all Carvin basses. Lets take a look what this bass is all about!!!!
Standard Features
Construction - Neck Through
Scale Length - 34''
Body - Alder (Optional Flame and Quilt Top)
Neck - Maple
Fretboard - Ebony 14'' Radius
Inlays - 12th Fret Abalone Bromberg Inlay
Neck Width 1.75'' Wide @ Nut, 3.0'' Wide @ 24th fret
Hardware - Chrome
Bridge - Hipshot A-Style Wish .75 String Spacing & String Through
Tuners - Carvin Premium Tuners 20:1 Ratio
Frets - 24 Medium Jumbo
Pickups RJ2 Radius Top Alnico Single Coils
Electronics - 18v Active, Volume, Pickup Blend Stacked Concentric Mid Frequency and Sweep, High Impedance Circuitry With Active Volume Pot
Sound
The sound on this bass with the massive controls is extreme and brilliant with options to be able to dial in any and every sound under the rainbow. I love the sustain this bass has it is beyond anything out there. Brian and Carvin really has really done this bass the right way. The controls take a bit to get use to cause it is not set up like so many with a single volume and tone but once you get them figured out everything from that old school fender to the new school active is within your reach. I was lucky enough to run this bass into two of Carvin's own amps the combo b10 and the bx500 half stack to get a feel on both fronts. The first thing I noticed is running the EQ on the amps was all but not needed I 12 o clocked them on both amps and the tone was still bright and warm with brilliant sounds. The most important thing to remember is your bass will differ tons from mine cause you will be building your own bass. (My personal bass is even different then the standard features but we will get into that in a second).
My Opinion
Carvin sets out to set them apart from the rest not just on amazing prices but by options that you will not find on any street corner. They want when you get a guitar or bass with your hard earned money that it will be more then just a one trick pony and you can use it for many styles and genres on many fronts from the stage to the studio. The Bromberg bass is not just a good looking bass with a very almost flame flowing luster but is the most balanced bass I have ever used. I can just set the bass on my knee and it stays there so playing without a strap is easy for them long nights in the studio or late night jam sessions. The neck is a bit thick for a five string but the neck is very smooth and easy to play. The radiused pickups from the standard single coil to the optional humbuckers are amazing and well thought out. They allow all the strings to ring through and be well balanced with no drop out like some basses with flat pickups can do. I would recommend this bass to them that play all genres if you take the time and have it built with the options you desire.
My Personal B25 (These are the different options I have on mine then the standard features)
Radius Humbuckers
Mother Of Pearl Diamond Inlays
Deep Flame Maple Top
Moss Green Paint
Upgraded Nut
Dunlop Straplocks
These allowed me to enjoy a jazz style bass but be decked out as more of a rock and metal bass.
Video of Brian Bromberg Talking about his signature Carvin Bass!!!
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