Carvin X100B Demo Part #1

Carvin X100B Demo Part #1

[@shecter68]

It's Uncle Rico off of Napolean Dynamite!!

[@JBGoode-zx7pp]

Looks like he made it back to the 80’s after all and took up guitar. 🤘

[@roncarter2188]

I just bought one of these carpeted versions with the el34's and I must say this amp sounds great, they are pretty cheap to buy and even though I paid a little more than what they are going for I can say I couldn't be happier. Whole lot of amp for the money!

[@Bridging_the_Political_Divide]

The best kept secret. Monsterous amps.

[@roncarter2188]

@@Bridging_the_Political_Divide you know I have to say I really love the cleans that this amp puts out the overdrive or dirt side of this amp I think lacks some luster but my God putting a good pedal on that clean channel makes this amp a real beast!

[@GrimPlays]

I didnt know Jeff Foxworthy played guitar

[@zoddtheimmortal2530]

+Nick Rossi I was gonna say the same thing

[@BillDerBerg]

Despite the commentors' negative opinions, demo guy plays very well- likely he's better than the commentors. Anyhow this shows how gritty & darker the Ozite/carpet-covered X100Bs sounded as compared to the earler vinyl script logo ones, which were a bit fuzzier, chewier & brighter. Not that I don't like Ozite X100Bs- they are top notch for Hair Metal, but if you're into Flexable-era Vai, the script logo Carvin heads are the amps for that... moreso than the Legacy series which are far too smooth.

[@peterjames7324]

A question 8 years after your comment - do you remember what year(s) the Ozite versions were available, including this one? Also - I remember the cabs with the steel coverings, which I THINK are earlier than the Ozite coverings, but I'm fuzzy on that.

[@BillDerBerg]

@@peterjames7324 1989 to 1994 about same time the Legacy came out

[@crazymanwithastick]

Owned this amp when I was young. Used it with a Boss Metal Zone and ended up getting rid of the amp because I thought it was THE AMP that sucked. We've all done dumb things when we were young. Wish I still owned that amp.

[@stupid28273]

I have 2 of these (stereo rig) and what I really love about the old Carvins is how they respond to guitar volume controls. I used to run the Hi Gain up all the way and used my guitar's volume to reduce as needed. Nice reverb too!

[@adrianmarsglam]

I bought this half stack about week ago just basing on your demo, sir. Thanks, I'm very happy with my new gear! Dokken's "In my dreams" riff and "Breaking the chains" solo really helped :D Cheers!

[@JCKnuckles]

These are beasts. I've had one since 1988 till now. They are quite uncommon in Australia heh. ☠☠😎

[@vsavage_old_rockerz]

great playing man! best i have seen on this platform, in a long long time!!!! and this was 14 years ago!!!!!! peace

[@jerrylewis8951]

Used the X 100B for years great amps.Even the Valve master model was pretty good too.

[@drryles]

Have admired this amp since I first saw it as a teen back in the 80's . Incredible sound !!! Will have to get one someday .

[@lecturehc]

Wow this amp rocked my world dude! Carvin sure rocked! This definitely sounds smoother and more american than many modified Marshalls i've heard. It looks sexy too, awesome!

[@mciuan]

this guys a cop...

[@guylorshbaugh2232]

Not with that haircut.

[@benoitpilon6841]

Looks more like a computer guy.

[@rrguitar1]

For the tone quality, the price, the features such as power soaking, bias selection, and build quality overall, this amp is unreal !!! I have had thos on my mind for a while and I just might pull the trigger on it. Either this or the peavey 6534 + head.. for 550.00 less, this is a steal.

[@mikeboxler759]

I honestly didn't realize what this fellow looked like but his tones sounded pretty damn good! Nice review(8 years later). Sounds like that amp would kill some Accept!

[@Rikitocker]

Love these amps ... I've got an XB-60 and the clean on it is as good as any Fender Twin I ever played - the reverb is also pretty amazing. These amps were used for their clean sounds by Zappa and Vai when they were touring together in the early 80's. I can see why ...

[@RoryButler]

Best demo of this amp I've seen, good job! Now I just wish i could afford one!

[@mulehead2229]

I have been a loyal and huge supporter of Carvin guitar amps for over 25 years and have been almost exclusively been using them for that time. I have a Tube 100 power amp and the matching Quad X preamp in a rack rig, A Belair loaded with Celestions, and the amazing V-3 Micro running through a Carvin 2x 12 cab also loaded with celestions. I've used a variety of speaker cabinet combinations with the rack rig and have found that a pair of Marshall 2x12 model 1936 cabs in stereo to fit m tastes the best. I've heard several explanations from Carvin reps and others for discontinuing the Quad X preamps many years ago. I bought a brand new one in '93, and it is still the absolute best and most versatile tube preamp I've ever seen or used. I've found a few of them on Ebay and will soon get another one. I almost pulled trigger on a Marshall JCM 900 with a matching 4x12 cabinet I found at a pawnshop for an incredible price. Unfortunately someone snatched it up before I went back to buy it. Since then I've been taking a close look at the X100B reissue lately and have been considering one as an addition to my amp rigs. People often ask me why I have so many powerful and loud amps ( and Carvin amps can most definitely be extremely loud ), and my response is "why not"? I haven't been out doing steady gigs for a few years, and I really don't see a lot of situations where I would really use all of them at once, but I do have all the Carvins and a Marshall combo set up up together and routed from my guitar through a switching system. Its definitely somewhat of an overkill fir most club gigs, but a hell of a lot of fun when I occasionally run them all at the same time at Spinal Tap 11 at home. I play in many styles and tones, Straight up hardcore blues with a harder bite to it is what I really do the best, but since Lemmy died last year, I've been upgrading my whole Motothead collection and have been relearning a lot of their stuff on guitar. I've spent quite a while learning a big chunk of the Govt Mule catalog, and a variety of other artists. I'm starting to get real close to 60, and I decided I'd get back to some of my old hard core roots, especially Motorhead. I have quite a few friends who constantly keep saying "you're not going to get many gigs around here (southeast lower Alabama). Most of these guys have been playing the same lame and boring bullshit pop and (modern) country crap for the last 25 years for low pay in shithole dives and are perfectly happy to keep doing so. I used to play in bands with most of these guys a long time ago, but I left Alabama around 1980 and have literally traveled all over the world and a good portion of the US until I moved back to Alabama 5 years ago. During that time I played in a lot of good bands with some top notch musicians, spent a few years doing studio session work and learning the recording world along with paying way more of my "dues" than I can remember. Needless to say, when I moved back home to Alabama, my old playing buds were still doing the same old shit while my playing and all musical skills had increased light years beyond what they were still doing. Before I moved back, I figured I look up a couple of guys I had played with over 30 years ago and the only really good musicians around. The problem with that plan is that when I came back, I found out they were dead. Meanwhile, I've been writing, doing some home demos, jamming around, and planning, designing, and gradually buying bits and and pieces of what will one day be a top notch high end home recording project studio. Now, getting back to the X100B, as I stated previously, I've been a dedicated Carvin guitar amp user (all tube naturally) for over 25 years and since I decided not long ago that I wanted to start gigging again, I've been looking around a fairly wide area and asked my guitar tech (who is hooked into the local music scene mainly around the Montgomery area) to keep his ears open for some top notch players who want to get a band together with a similar agenda as mine which is to go old school headbanger playing extremely loud, fast, hardcore, and nasty. I'm not doing this for the money (although it would help get my studio together sooner) or popularity. I am retired and still have quite a bit of my old PA gear in storage. What I really want to do presently is just to find some good musicians who have the same interests as myself, put together a tight ass kicking hardcore band with an attitude who play louder, faster, and better than anyone else around and start out just for the love of playing on a high skill level and bringing some attitude back to what I've seen so far as a stagnant music scene. I've even given some thought to starting a Motorhead tribute band just to wake people up. That's the reason I've been looking at a Carvin X100B half stack. Some people on the East coast are starting to pay attention to Carvin gear and what a huge bang for the buck you get with it. I figured that if I want to really blow the roof and doors off a joint, the X100B may be just the extra kick to push the whole shit over the edge. I worship Zappa and Steve Vai isn't exactly a slouch on guitar either, although he goes a bit overboard with the Floyd Rose, the "Van Halen" tapping stuff, endless arpeggio sweeps which often border on guitar masturbation rather than playing really good hard core rock and roll without the distraction of too much attempted virtuoso guitar "clutter". Wow, I just looked up and realized how much shit I've typed. You're a pretty decent technical player, but if I had one suggestion to offer, it would be to unplug the delay and other outboard effects when reviewing a guitar amp. You're defeating the purpose of demonstrating what the amp actually sounds like with all that shit in front of it.

[@agentkrishall9137]

Mulehead TL;DR: Don't know. Didn't have 45 minutes to read all that shit

[@hazor777]

guess you're pissed to find out Carvin Audio liquidated all their assets and went outta business a week ago .......

[@joeambly6807]

PLease write a few sentances and we will read your comment next time.

[@maraudermusic2714]

Wow! on the hunt for those old amps to refurb and put back in service for folks, a rare Made in USA hidden Gem here! Had no idea these sounded this good! Thank you for your detailed review so I can hear what one of these sound like! Much appreciated! Hope your still playing too, if you were this good then OMG now! Peace!

[@AdamBrownMods]

this is currently my favorite thing on the internet

[@marca7434]

Hey man, you play really well and did a great job showing us this killer amp. Thanks a bunch 🎵

[@b.scottfarthingsworth]

Awesome brother, tone and playing both great

[@antonioortiz4544]

Great sounding amp and great guitar playing. Period.

[@washaconte3956]

Love the sound you get from the amp. I find myself coming back to the video just to hear those leads

[@MisterTee]

6:06 best guitar face in ages

[@CthulhuOO7]

no no no 5:28

[@crazymanwithastick]

😂

[@imagimotion]

Man, who disliked this? Great tone. I have this exact same amp, and it's insane the 80s metal tones you can get with it. Plus, the cleans are so nice on the normal channel. What pickup is in your bridge? It sounds like a hot pickup.

[@finalapproach2ify]

Great demo, the amp sounds great.

[@jspinks2388]

Yeah these amps nail some great 70s/80s tones

[@TrinityMartin1]

WOW, that is some awesome tone!

[@lafeeshmeister]

This baby is such a beast! I only have four amps, and I would sacrifice all three of the other ones to keep this one alive. Technically, I don't even own it myself - my buddy loaned it to me because he can't play it in his apartment. For obvious reasons. Nostalgia x10000000000

[@arjunkaul]

All round great amp but probably THE amp for 80s metal ;)

[@neilswan8015]

Killer! I have the x60 head and the 30w combo, great playing man!

[@KreatorOfDeath1985]

damn dude you shred.

[@bflo1000]

Yeah, good player.

[@brandon5881]

Awesome, awesome, awesome. And I'm not referring to the amp. Great playing.

[@wardpowell3962]

Great 80's chops!

[@EnvyInc]

Picked up that exact same head a few weeks ago. Sounds fantastic. I prefer my TS7 with the 17-point mod to give me my crunch/lead sounds, though, but when used with the amp's Lead channel, it essentially gives me four footswitchable channels. the amp on its own definitely has that late 80s/early 90s metal tone.

[@solerso68]

thanks for the x100 demo. youre demos are defenitive and i havent seen a good one for this amp yet. thanks

[@wglennhowells]

First amp I ever owned, way back in 1982. Man I miss that sound!

[@LoudProudNPunk1]

This amp sounds badass. Sounds more like a Marshall than a Marshall sounds like a Marshall! More accurately, like a good JCM-800 on crack. I am very interested in one of these. And I just found out Carvin reissued these! \m/

[@D1vid3By0]

Hell yea I'm buying it today! Thanks Supersonicmods!!!

[@Richard_Biggs]

best demo of the gray x100b on youtube! Thanks

[@dickbiggs7508]

Thanks for the demo and the killer deal on this amp. I owned a stock carpeted x100b a few years back. That amp was a monster. Killer mids and the clean tone is amazing. I'm looking forward to trying out the sag mod, the eq mod, and also actually having the footswitch! You shred btw. Is that a gotoh trem?

[@UglyBunnyJase]

There's guy who knows how to sling a strat! sweet vid.

A Classic Amp!! This thing will make your building quake.

[@goodbassfishin]

holy shit my love for carvin is unbound I don't care if I sound like a fanboy

[@Nordland796]

I just got an 1980s black tolex carvin X100B today...I paid $325 for the head and the foot switch in excellent condition....the tolex looks like new....no rips...mint...its the 6L6 version and man does it really rip. :)

[@D1vid3By0]

I never got into Mesa's amps. But anyway, I love the clean channel on this amp! Sweetest damn tone i've ever heard. I'm diggin the sound of the hi-gain channel but i think i'm going to need a pedal to get the gain i need since i can't really turn it past 3. Even at 25 watts it is loud and has some serious balls. If you find one for a decent price hop on it because it is tottaly worth it!

[@FoundryStreetJason]

Great demo.

[@HOUNDDAWG]

Take no prisoners demo! I'm impressed.

[@canaan_perry]

Great sound and playing. I love this vid!

[@valdon116]

KILLER DEMO!!! I'm going to sell my V3M and buy this half stack immediately...

[@EnvyInc]

@carvin112 It's an original logo on that amp. The X100B came like this (fuzzy gray ozite finish and modern logo) from the factory from 1989 up until 1993, when it was discontinued.

[@waynelewis8710]

Ripping playing bother carvin sounds great.

[@tatsandteles]

The Valve Master is a great value as well. If you can find one that isn't trashed, you can get it for around $200 if you look. They have two independant channels as opposed to the X100 that shared an eq.

[@VictitiousStudios]

It would be interesting to learn who made these for Carvin , and what fellow was responsible for this great and stable design.

[@davidrobinsonmagic]

I wonder if that is amp distortion only (no pedal) If so, awesome tone :)

[@colten2524]

this amp kicks ass man

[@tneatrour]

Dude! Excellent demo.

[@pauldoan8391]

Great playing , amp sounds great thank you !

[@ajjs02]

Great playing...super amp...^_^...Great finger tone as well...Best review of this amp yet,,,,

[@creyflan]

This head sounds absolutely wonderful with a really good distortion/overdrive inline with the input through the clean channel. Although, the 25w setting is for shit, the 50w mode is perfect. 100w mode is just plain balls out loud. Not really sold on the lead channel. It's good, but not as good as the clean with an inline pedal. The fuzzy head he's playing through is an 89 - 93/94. EL34 power and 3 preamp tubes. Lots of mod options that can, and have been done by many people. (including myself).

[@jlang357]

Ive got one of these too an early 90s one with the carpet. it has el34s but i was thinking about putting 6l6s in it. I want more of a vintage tube sound. Glassy distortion and the "bbbrrrrriiiiiinnnnngg" sound when strumming a power chord.

[@candidfukup]

I just bought one from a pawn shop here in Winnipeg MB. I got it for $250. The carpeted one. The guy at the pawn shop said it had been there for quite a while. And he told me it had been modified. I haven't had alot of time with it, but it seems as if maybe two channels are combined, and the volume is full on but the gain is still ajustible. hmm ?

[@SRKanai1]

@danidanger1987 I tend to have good luck getting that sort of tone by scooping the mids a tad with the on-board EQ, turning the gain up, and then giving just a bid of reverb like he said. Hope this helps. Also the amp is designed to clean up a bit when you use your guitars volume. So make sure your guitars vol is all the way up, and then control the volume through the amp. Hope this helps. I know how frusterating tone finding can be,

[@angusorvid8840]

What pickups are in that strat? Sounds great.

[@chrisschneider5480]

Awesome playing!!! Is this the one with the fur?

[@mrr3000gt]

Jeff Foxworthy the shredder :-)

[@chrisgentry2217]

I have a carvin cab exactly like that one as far as the grill minus the black carpet cover.

[@trentcercone761]

I like the stash

[@dewycatt2112]

These are great amps, but I wish they would have more beef instead of sounding thin

[@jamesrockford2626]

+Anti Law the strat is thin 25.5 is tinny

[@TheMrturn1]

Thin is what they are NOT. A lot of cheedling metal guitarists fumble with this amp because they don't understand the approach required by active electronics, nor the interplay between the parametric and the five babe graphic. I have the 6l6 1985 genuine vintage version--this one doesn't look super vintage, and the second he mentioned el34 I knew it was not truly vintage. But you can get any sound from concrete thick and fat to run foil hat thin. if you can't you're just a junior with active circuitry plus graphic and should stick with a simple Marshall.

[@dewycatt2112]

+TheMrturn1 My first tube amp was an X60B I ordered in 84'. I have had a few X100s on and off through my years of going through amps. I like the old carvins, but they just couldn't deliver that british crunch like a real british amp does. so I went to other amps. The new reissues( I bought one when they came out) are real nice amps. they have an added master volume and an gain switch that really helps getting a good crunchy/sustaining tone. Still a somewhat thin sounding amp compared to others. Definitely great amps for $500+ new!

[@tedcarcich1059]

+TheMrturn1 I doubt he is running the same tubes it came with you can always swap and try different tubes man

[@leedemkiw6085]

Definitely not a thin sounding amp by any standard. This thing walks all over my Marshall TSL100 every day of the week. And my boogie for that matter.

[@Ratchet2]

Excellent demo of this amp. Where did you go? Hope you are well.

[@D1vid3By0]

Grats man! I'm loving mine for the clean playing, i still can't get into the dirty tones yet (I've only used this amp for church playing). I'll be getting a decent 4x12 later this week though hopefully.

[@davidbuzzin426]

👍 GREAT DEMO.......WHAT TYPE OF SPEAKERS ARE IN THE THE 412 ?

[@carvinblack]

Great tone!

[@ruk777]

Totally awesome demo. Most folks talk way too much. I recommended this amp to a friend of mine which he bought and LOVES. But his uses 6L6s. You mention that yours uses EL34s. Was that a mod or did they change it at some point? Just wondering. Thanks. Great playing and demo!

[@D1vid3By0]

The tone is awesome but I can't really recreate the exact tone in his video. I've been messing with settings for a while and I can't get that liquid crunch that this guy has. I think part of the reason is that my Ibby has shitty active pickups. I'm gonna replace those anyway. I don't know how to describe it but I feel like I have to "fight" the guitar to get it to respond the way I hear this guy playing. With a tube OD pedal I can get in the ballpark but I feel like it sounds a bit too "gainy". After a pickup change I think my next move will be to retube it. Still in love with the clean channel, I haven't come across an amp that matches it, until I weasel enough money for a bogner XTC101b or something crazy the x100b is a keeper. And If people have any questions or anything you want to know about this amp message me and I'll get back to you. The guy in the vid is inactive on youtube.

[@D1vid3By0]

*OK screw anything negative I said in the previous comment*. I just didn't mess with the settings enough. For some reason presence and reverb (especially reverb) REALLY affects my tone. I messed with the reveb a bit and threw my boost in front of the drive channel. The thing sings! Funny how everything decides to work right after I already ordered replacement pickups (Dimarzio Evos). I'm still planning on retubing it when i have more $ to blow.

[@carvin112]

Awesome playing! Did you get Carvin to put their newer logo on it, or did you replace it yourself, because that's what I was gonna do when I got this amp.

[@MeritMaestro]

hey man great sound with the carvin and nice playing as well. i was wondering what camera and mic setup did you use. looks and sounds clear. thanks. keep rocking!

[@D1vid3By0]

@stlflyguy Yea the second time i watched it i got that, i skipped him talking for some reason. I've decided on buying this amp, there is one going for $350 and i just got $175. This Christmas is looking good!

[@garykcarpenter]

Carvin knocked the ball out of the park on this one, where in this world, can I buy an amp even close to this one for the price they sell....absolutely 'nowhere' I owned a Marshall in the '70's, it cost three times more than this amp, 'fifty' years ago! This thing ia all a budding guitarist needs. Well maybe a Carl Martin 'quattro' :0

[@syfman6]

Nice playing! Made USA at 1/3 to 1/5 the price of the others. There is no reason to buy anything else. I know Frank Zappa used this head. That say a lot. This is my next purchase! Thanks for the great video!

[@oxnegative]

Jack Butler tone.

[@rwayneh]

Very nice playing! I was wondering what speakers come with that cab? Are those celestions?

[@scooterboizkansas5070]

What distortion and delay pedal are you using on this video? I just bought one and I'd love to match that sound you have. Thanks for your time sir!!!🤘🤘🤘

[@benjaminshinobi]

wow thanks for this info! I was considering this head 2 years ago, I'm glad there's more info on it. Do you gig with it often? I find the biggest problem playing out with an amp is that it often sounds totally different in a live context...

[@syfman6]

@aaroxx8447 It will take both. There is a switch on the back!

[@richardmahan6888]

That switch acts more like a boost more then a extra channel

[@D1vid3By0]

BAD ASS!!! dude, are you using any pedals or anything or is this all amp? I think i've found my new amp!

[@D1vid3By0]

Dude, Not only is the amp awesome but that was some brilliant playing! i just sent out some job applications... guess what i'm going to buy as soon as possible? Hahaha!

[@myway43]

Nice amp, nice sounding delay too. Can you tell me what delay you were using please?

[@jasonarp]

Do you have a date on you cabinet or what speakers are in it? It looks like mine except mine isn't carpeted.

[@aaroxx8447]

Great Demo........ does this amp have 6L6 or EL34's ? Thanks.

[@KreatorOfDeath1985]

hey what pedals are you using and are you on the gain channel? if you are how the hell did you get that tone, what tubes?? mine sounds like mud.

[@Nordland796]

Thanks....now to find one that has not logged a million road miles gigging. and does not need to be re-capped.?

[@D1vid3By0]

You think so man? I kinda like the 25% setting but i can't really talk about the 50 or 100 because i'm too much of a wimp to try it. I have the same model as the guy in the video. I wish i could get rid of the fuzzy style but the amp it self is amazing.

[@41224jason]

that things an original. it IS so different from the IV version...it came before it. as for me, i've grown to like (if not love) this fuzzy grey wonder). i'd love it more if i played 80's metal/hard rock (which is kinda what it was designed for), but i can get a good range of tones out of it. especially on the clean channel

[@nitrofr]

Which tubes do you use in this video?? Do you use any pedals to boost??

[@SanFranciscoFatboy]

great great vid, bro. i have an old carvin z100b also. i have a question, is there a benefit to having the delay in the effects loop instead of the floor pedal arrangement? also, try a Traynor mark3. it is another low dollar awsome 100 watt amp. thanks agin for the good info. these amps will be around for centuries.........

[@leedemkiw6085]

Delay has a stronger and truer signal through the loop. Adding a delay through the front of the amp is ok on a clean channel but goes muddy on the drive channel.

[@carvinblack]

Yeah, you are right. Way too washed out in the front of the amp. Delays and reverb pedals should always go through the effect loop if you have one.

[@abradfordajb]

Carvin has a Mesa Boogie complex.

[@12groney]

Great! How does it sound with a one or two speaker cab?