![]() ![]() To use it, though, the master volume must be lowered to compensate. I thought that between a quarter and halfway up, the Drive knob added some grit, growl and attack. Although this has a variable level control, you will probably notice the change of gain more than the change of the actual sound. Once again, don’t go to this knob for distortion, but for changes in both gain and harmonic content. Which brings us to the second character bender: a Drive knob. ![]() Because it’s all-or-nothing, you’re not able to get a tube grind kind of sound from it. ![]() I tried this feature with a few different basses and thought it was very subtle, more a difference in the feel of the attack, along with a bit more fullness on the bottom end. Somehow, with all that’s going on, Carvin was able to fit in a 12AX7 tube, which is switchable in/out on the back panel. The specs show up to -15dB of mid cut, but I thought it was a subtle-sounding control, at least up to the halfway point when the real scooping begins.īeyond tone, two more options let you make changes to the character of your sound. But there’s still one more EQ option: a Contour knob that scoops out your mids (around 350 to 500Hz) for slapping, or just a warmer tone. This can be a handy feature for soloing, for EQ’ing two different basses, or for changing up your sound for different musical styles. Going one step farther, the BX500 offers a 9-band graphic EQ that’s switchable by either a front-panel toggle or by a footswitch plugged into the back panel. If that doesn’t do the job, you can get a quick tone fix with two bands of semi-parametric EQ offering broadly adjustable frequency centers. For tone shaping possibilities, the BX500 starts with the usual Bass and Treble knobs, offering 12dB of cut and boost on each. There is a rackmount panel available, too, but a rack case would weigh more than the whole amp! Changing Tonal Colors The BX500 is a tone chameleon-chock full of options for altering its basic sound, making tones available that are quite different from its native sound with everything set flat. There’s no handle on the box, so I’d have to say it’s a two-finger carry. ![]() The BX500 is a little wider and deeper than most of the ultra light amps out there these days-a trade-off for all the features that Carvin had to pack into its 3”x9”x14” metal box. When you first pick up this amp, you might think it’s empty inside. A Two-Finger Carry Enter Carvin’s new flyweight bass amp, the BX500, a 500-watt, Class D amp with a switching power supply, all rolled into a package that weighs less than six pounds. needs over the years and have found the company’s gear to have been sturdy, reliable, feature rich, and value-priced. I’ve turned to Carvin to fulfill these G.A.S. A few times, it’s been just the frustration of an off night. Over the years, I’ve switched amps and cabs more times than I can count, and they haven’t always been necessary changes. is a false certainty that the next piece of gear will be the one. All clips were recorded with a Shure BG 3.1 mic placed about 6" in front of one speaker, into a Blue Icicle and then into GarageBand on a MacBook. Clips 4-5 recorded with '74 Fender Jazz with Fender flatwound strings slightly favoring the neck pickup. Download Example 1 Flat - tube disengaged, no drive level, all EQ settings at noon.ĭownload Example 2 Contour EQ - tube engaged, contour at noon, two midrange controls at 2 o'clockĭownload Example 3 Tube/drive - tube engaged and drive at 11 o'clock, all EQ settings at noon.ĭownload Example 4 Flat - tube disengaged, no drive level, all EQ settings at noonĭownload Example 4 Contour/EQ - tube engaged, contour at noon and two midrange controls at 2 o'clockĬlips 1-3 recorded with G&L L-2500 5-string bass with Black Diamond roundwounds using the neck pickup in active mode. ![]()
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