Carvin X100BFG.wmv

BFG amplification modded Carvin X100B. the mod reduces the midrange nastiness that happens in the lead channel, and also stops some of the over compressed distortion.
forums.carvinmu...

[@angusorvid8840]

Wow! That Carvin sounds brutal! I've always loved Carvins, but without doubt this is the best one I've ever heard. It's got even more texture to the tone. Nice crisp, clear bite and great presence, midrange, low end, punch, the whole enchilada. And the Duncan Distortion really kicks butt. I've owned many of them and they really kick any amp really hard. Awesome!

[@JimmyAdcock]

WOW! Blown away at this! Ive had this same fuzzy X100B for about 10 years. Had a mid 80s one about 20 years ago. Ive never parted with the fuzzy because of how awesome the clean sound is but I have never used the lead channel for my distortion, always pedals into the clean channel. A few days ago, a friend let me play thru his Marc Cameron modded Marshall which blew my doors off. I started wondering if a similar mod could be made to the X100b which led me to your thread on the Carvin boards and this video. I think this one sounds almost as good if not better than the Cameraon Marshall Mod. Thanks for your detailed breakdown and this video. Im gonna have my amp guy try to replicate this. Never imagined it could come close to a Bogner! The Bogner Fish is one of my fav tones ever

[@LP_Freak]

Great job on the amp. Brian is the man.

[@tbonuss]

Ross--you really are the best at this. Hands down.

[@leftyfusion88]

Very nice demo. These x100b's are like an American made secret weapon, really awesome amps both in price and in tone.Very dynamic head. And yes, mine too has more bass than I 'd ever want. The clean channel is incredible, more chimey than Fender in many ways . The distortion side can do JCM800 but sounds better with a little help from a tube screamer or good OD pedal kind of like what this BFG mod does. oh yeah, and did I mention LOUD!!!

[@singtall]

the mod cost about $25 in parts to do. the hardest part was figuring out where the parts were that needed to be replaced. i took pictures to help others identify what parts needed replacement. all details are at the carvin forum. the only thing i would change to improve the amp's tone a step further is to roll off some lows before the distortion. that would tighten it up a bit. the current mod is real JCM800 feeling.

[@godface81]

Do you have a link to the schematics or the carvin board that this was on. Ive' been sittin with one that driving me crazy and cant seem to see any indicators Resistor R1 R2 ect , or markings on the board!!?>> thank you if so~ very stoked this amp has some mods to fix it. : )

[@voxpathfinder15r]

I think this amp was tuned to get as much bass as you want with thin sounding speakers they put into their cabs. I think with more modern choices it probably has too much bass. I would love to hear one of these puppies with a stack of Greenbacks

[@MightyMo519]

Great demo Ross!!! Did u re bias the amp or change the transformer?? And what power tubes are the head using?

[@adrianmarsglam]

Mr Scary! Great vid, guitar and amp! I own a reissue, it's great!

[@intervalkid]

Sounds good, x100b is a great amp. Nice guitar also.

[@noelholden6608]

Sounds VERY good. I've thought seriously of getting one since you can get one so inexpensively and they're built like tanks. I think what speakers you play these things through can make a LOT of difference. And with the Graphic, you can get so great tones. But I think Brian's Mod sounds wonderful!

[@wardpowell3962]

Sounds awesome, great video. Sorry to bother you, I know it's an older video, but I found a list of the BFG mods and the poster include 2 "optional" mods. Just wondering if you know what I'm referring to and did you do those two optional mods on your amp? Thanks in advance!

[@CoverCriticShane]

I have a Carvin VM100 half stack and the clean channel is superb.

[@JasonMcFly]

Man I wish I lived closer to you so I could commission you to mod my DSL :)) I've never heard a Carvin sound like that.

[@JoseyStranded]

Amazing sound. It rawks...

[@kellyk.6093]

Like others, I love what I have heard on your video! Could you please post more pictures or video on the mods you did?

[@singtall]

i just got the head back in a trade, so i will be taking more pictures of it shortly. check out the carvin forums for the full story, pics and mod info.

[@jordanelder7095]

Do you have a link to that thread? Looking into doing this mod and had a few question that the pics could probably clear up. thanks!

[@Marshall-uy2dv]

man these amps are underrated! Are they reliable though??

[@tmx63]

Sounds great! Question - what version/revision of the X100b did you start out with? Did it have the factory hot rod mod, and if so, did you leave it intact? Thx.

[@singtall]

not sure, it was a long time ago. it was a used old grey carpet covered head that sounded like crap. it had some factory mods done from what i could tell though. see the post on the Carvin forum for all info and people that can help you. i sold the head a long time ago.

[@tmx63]

Got it sorted, the clue was your mention of the pc-style plug in one of your original posts, which led me to the proper schematic. Did the mods earlier this evening. had to fly a few of the components since mine is an earlier revision, but yeah...dramatic improvement over stock. Thanks for posting it up.

[@singtall]

i recorded with my camcorder mic....not the best, but is ok.

[@Gainovermg]

Just echoing David's post below. Carvin moved around their forum stuff, so the link posted above no longer exists. Any pictures would be fantastic. Email: [e-mail] And thanks in advance!

[@aaronsg71]

I realize this video is old, but do you still have this amp? And did you mod it or send it to Brian?

[@singtall]

I did the mods based on what Brian said. I posted the mods on the carvin forum.

[@aaronsg71]

@@singtall ok, yes I seen that last night thx!

[@salcar490]

Why can't I find any website that talks about carvin x100b mods?

[@singtall]

pickups play a big roll in tone on this amp. any vintage style pickup should sound good.

[@metaljorgo]

ross, i just bought a carvin x100b just for your video, it rocks and i want to mod it like yours, do you have any more pictures of your BFG modded carvin? thnks!!!

[@mjs28c]

I own an X100B from the mid 80's. Nice amp, but I would like more gain. I modded it a few years ago using mods found online ('truejeque'), and it definitely made it a better amp. But now I'd like to do these BFG mods. Possible dumb question: Do the resistors have to be 1/2 watt? (A parts supplier only stocks 1/4 watt and suggested I confirm wattage before moving proceeding.) Thanks! 'truejeque' mods can be found here: www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/carvin-x100b-amp-mods.1730567/

[@singtall]

mjs28c I would always suggest staying with the wattage recommended. If you can't get that wattage, you can get twice the resistance value and twist two of them together which will give you the correct ohm load with the correct wattage. Example: you need 1k. Take two 2k resistors and twist them together in parallel. That will drop the ohm load to half value but double the wattage.

[@mjs28c]

Thanks for the reply! As I still haven't locate my schematic, should I simply go with 1/2 watt resistors?

[@singtall]

mjs28c yes.

[@singtall]

check out facebook, bfg amps

[@primeministerkong]

I'm trying this on mine, it currently sounds like a bag full of assholes.

[@djstatix26]

Mods list or how they were done.

[@singtall]

It's been many years ago. you would need to look at the old carvin forum to see the original thread with pics and info

[@djstatix26]

@@singtall ive been looking and it seems all the old forums have been archived now. :(