Steve Vai Carvin Legacy V100 Amplifier - How Has This Amp Held Up Over The Years?

[@bassproable]

My old guitarist played through a legacy, and his tone was never disappointing.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

It's got a really nice tone. Voiced very pleasing

[@Jmilillo]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalkerit has a really unique voicing that I’ve never really heard on another amp. Really warm

[@benburnett8109]

I think this amp got a bad wrap because people wanted it to do something it was not intended for. Everyone always associates Steve Vai with ultra high gain but the reality is, he plays low to mid gain with lots of clarity. So the "high gain metal" guys were always dissappointed. The amp was a BASE designed as a PEDAL PLATFORM (hence the fantastic clean with huge headroom) and a low to mid gain amp designed to work with additional distortion pedals. That is how Steve used it. Thanks for the upload.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I agree with you 100%! Thanks for watching man!

[@ginoames]

My best friend had a Legacy. Wonderful amp. I used to love going over to his practice space and blasting away on it.

[@mikejelinek1413]

I wish I wouldn't have sold mine. It just didn't have enough gain for what we were writing but one of the best amps I ever had for leads. Great demo, I really appreciate your demo of this amp.

[@timbuckxxi9690]

About 2005 I was going to pick up that amp & a 4 X 12 V30 cab .. Well before I got there he sold the amp but I still bought the carvin cab...They made some great gear for a long time..Steve Vai approved !

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I need to find me the legacy cabinet. They really are paired well together. ☮️

[@timbuckxxi9690]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker Nice amp Marty.. A matching cab would be cool..And they sound very good too..

[@Magnum5160]

I have the v1 and v3 Legacy right now, used to be very happy with the v1 Legacy 212 combo until my twenties became my thirties and I couldn't lug that and a les paul around anymore. These remain my favorite amp, and I hope someone picks up the design for Steve and reissues it.

[@thomasturner8064]

I've owned the V1, they say the V2 had nothing in common with it so was never interested. I am curious as to the tonal differences between the V1 and V3. Any thoughts?

[@Magnum5160]

@@thomasturner8064 yes, I think Steve wanted the sound of the original two channel with more flexibility. I feel they succeeded. I've played amps that had more variance just between different serial numbers than these two different models have.

[@jacksoncrate]

how u getting on with v3?

[@Magnum5160]

@@jacksoncrate still love it. Ranks above my Mark V and Rockerverb.

[@jacksoncrate]

@@Magnum5160 i have vids of my band using one

[@johnewilde8753]

Great video. Probably the most underrated rock/metal amp. Notes sing on this amp. It is loud and very powerful. Great platform as mentioned in previous post. Any guitar sounds awesome. Used a new EBMM Majesty with this amp and NAILED Pull Me Under by DT! Yes it can do it!

[@truthtobehonest]

Great video, those amps sound good. Picked up a used Laney GH100L last week myself.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Cool amp man!! 😎🤟🏻

[@goatman3057]

Absolutely love this amp, you have given it the best demo! Thank you! never realized how great it was till this Cuban artist Gran Hechicero told me it’s his favorite amp to use on his electric tres Cubano

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks man. It's got a really nice tone and warm quality. Very distinct sounding. 🤟🏻😎

[@thatguyinaband6341]

bro is this the artist you're talking about!? kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXjbeJJ_ncx7Zqs took me a sec to find him but holy crap! this is a legacy?

[@thatguyinaband6341]

Bro! is this the guy your talking about? kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHOueoifZsp6Z6Msi=ppABHgKrRGBvlAfY

[@jimmcdougall9973]

Great tones from this amp. I can see it fitting well with Steve’s Whitesnake days. Seems to have those tonal characteristics. Nice.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I agree, it does have that creamy warm slip of the tongue sound to it. It's like a warm bath. Lol. Thanks for watching man! 😎

[@knightfall9394]

I got one back in 2015 off reverb, i think its a great amp with a nice clean channel and reverb, extremely loud but it has some nice features

[@NahtzeeDice]

It's too loud. Its my favorite amp but it scares my dog 😂

[@MainPrism]

Get out of my head Marty!!! I was just thinking I should look up some review videos about these. I love Vai and I've heard from a friend these amps are awesome. Now I know why... Awesome stuff as usual Marty, thanks for all you do. It's gotta be tough playing with all this awesome gear for us to watch! Jk, jk. But seriously thanks Marty greatly appreciated!!! LOVE THAT JEM BTW!!! I've gotta get one of those too lol. 🤘🤘🤘🔥🔥🔥

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Lol! Great minds think alike I guess! 😂🤟🏻

[@MainPrism]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker very true!!! 🤣😂

[@kennethmeeker6369]

I have the carvin v3 and a x100B they sound great , never tried the legacy tho I use the v3s power section with my kemper stage 👍

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Nice man!

[@steveclark9934]

Yay! I just picked up a very well cared for combo version for $450 it's amazing. 😊

[@rareform6747]

Loved my two X-100's Full Stacks ....Best Clean Ever 💫89 to 1999 . You Got Brown

[@ChadAnthonyTheReaper]

Sounds like it definitely chugs to me. I'm impressed.

[@esco7352]

I have had mine since I got it new in 2007 and I will never get rid of it. I run it into an 1/3 open back 2x12 loaded with an eminence swamp thang and an eminence governor and it absolutely kills. The open back cab takes some of the low end woof out but these particular speakers stay plenty tight and the swamp thang still has tons of bottom in an open back. the pair are a fantastic match and very full sounding when combined. This setup Is especially good with p90s, a total mid monster that sits very well in the mix. With the high efficiency eminence speakers It's ridiculously loud though. Lol

[@MrPeter924]

Great video great playing guitar 🎸 audio sounds 👍

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks so much! 😎🥂

[@matthughesrocks]

Great review! I own the Legacy 3 and used it on my latest album and it sounds great.

[@MartRockCafe]

Sounds killer....and very evh...which is a good thing!

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks man! 🙏😎

[@douglaschristine8387]

What's up Marty? I like the amp but love that guitar. I think it's one of the most beautiful guitars I've ever seen. You have such great taste in your music and your equipment. Really like your style. Peace ✌️

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks so much Douglas. I really appreciate that. Have a great day! 😎☮️

[@highlights5397]

Great amp. Great build. Only so many of them made. As of this writing (11/23/2022) they are selling for a reasonable price on the marketplace but will only go up in value.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I agree. I think the value will increase. It's a solid amp and the tone is very pleasing and usable!

[@OwenVickersGuitar]

I had one of these heads in the early 00's with the matching 2x12" Legacy cabinet. It sounded absolutely awful. I sold the head and kept the cab. I replaced it with a Bogner head and it sounded terrible. Tried the Bogner with a different cabinet and it sounded amazing.... Should have kept the Legacy head and flicked the cabinet!! 🤦‍♂ Love that blue JEM by the way. My favourite JEM design by far.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Cabinets are so important. Ive overlooked that a few times too. Man, my old 1974 cabs have old greenbacks in them and they are insanely good. I never would have believed the hype.

[@OwenVickersGuitar]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker Yeah, it took me way too many years to work out what a massive difference the cab and speakers make. I probably wouldn't have thrown so much money at amp heads if I had worked it out earlier. 1974 with Greenbacks is a sweet, sweet cab man!!

[@fletmok3548]

My cab is paired with 1 greenback and 1 v30 sounds mint with the legacy v100 head

[@Bridging_the_Political_Divide]

I've kinda found the same, Carvin heads rock, but many of their cabs just don't sound great.

[@drzecelectric4302]

Definitely sounding a little Tobacco Road! Love those gravity storm pickups. I have the same axe

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

They are really nice pickups. The middle one is really a lot quieter that the humbuckers. (My only beef) maybe I need to adjust pickup heights.

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

Carvin made great some stuff, I’d love to either add one of the old guitars or a Kiesel to the collection.

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

@@Jean_Claude Man I bet those are a dream to play. I’ve played 80s/90s Carvins in guitar shops and they’re definitely on my list of “One day” guitars.

[@MainPrism]

​@@Jean_Claude how are the necks on them? Fat? Skinny? Middle? I almost pulled the trigger on one 6 or 7 months ago but wasn't sure about the neck so I bought another PRS (pattern thin). Idk if you're familiar with the PRS thins or not but those are perfect to my hand.

[@MainPrism]

@@Jean_Claude very nice, thank you sir!!!

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

@@Jean_Claude I’m sure even after the honeymoon phase they’ll still feel pretty damn good. It’s all about the neck of the guitar for me, everything else you can change.

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

@@Jean_Claude Not an exaggeration if you ask me lol. My number 1 is an 80s Kramer and every month I try to track down another to add to the collection because the necks they made back then (even the overseas models) are just incredible.

[@CW-ck2yi]

Thanks for the review. Great tone around the 11:30 mark. Anyone tried the amp with more traditional PAF style pickups? I assume it would sound similar as the Gravity Storm pickups in the video aren't too over the top?

[@papablue3015]

How'd you know it was my birthday today?lol Thanks for stopping by! I'm just jammin and watching videos! Thanks Marty

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Happy birthday! 🎉🎁

[@idiotburns]

I had a couple X100-Bs and one of these but now I have the Synergy Vai module

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

How do you like the synergy stuff?

[@idiotburns]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker I am addicted at this point. I got so many, I started making aluminum cases and rack mounts for the modules and then selling them online. Even had some youtubers make some commercials 😂 check those out, called Burns Cases. I think I like the HBE/Uberschall/VAI and Pittbull Ultralead the most. I was a longtime owner of a full VHT Pittbull Ultralead w GEQ and Id say that its very comparible!

[@tusharjamwal]

This is the default amp in ReAmp studio by AudioAssault and I had never heard of it but loved the midgain tone I got immediately. I think it's really good for prog. I mean the character of the amp I really like and then depending on the rest of the mix I can go for an IR I like; with a Zilla it sounds like Tosin a little bit, with a Mesa 4x12 it sounds like TessaracT. I doubt I will ever buy a real amp because modelling is so good but a versatile amp like this which doesn't cost an arm and a leg is definitely what I would want if I were to buy one.

[@MK-tj5bf]

Great demo, great amp! Just got this one. Happy :) I have a question What type of reverb is in this Carvin. Spring? Thanks

[@geezberry8889]

those tubes are really glowing i initially thought they were redplating

[@tonymirabal8832]

Marshall has a Steve Vai model as well

[@motoman963]

High Hopes

[@TheTheratfarmer]

The tubes man, groove.

[@Jarrodpimental]

What do you think this would compare to? I just happened to notice someone locally selling one for 525$ and for that price I might have to take it. But I am saving for a Friedman small box currently.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

It leans more toward a boogie vs Marshall. It's voiced great for leads. The rhythm is right too but it's really a smooth amp. The tone on ultra zone is really close to this amp live. The clean channel is excellent too

[@franksandbeanies]

How does it compare/differ from the Friedman BE100?

[@ronpatterson5483]

Great sounding amp, great demo. Has you ever played a regular carvin stack from 80s/90s? Thanks, 🤘🤘

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I did play a stack back in 1993. It was dreadful. Hahaha. But I'm not sure which one it was. I'm pretty sure the cabinets were the issue. It was in a rehearsal space so I decided to just bring my pedals. Ugh. Next week I brought my Marshall jubilee owned back then and played through the cabs. Not good. So maybe it was the cabinets? For the life of me can't remember what amp the Carvin was. Seems like it had cloth tops and sides?

[@ronpatterson5483]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker Carvin v 220, remember ad in all guitar magazines. The guitarist from starship endorsed them . Thought this was first amp Steve vai got from carvin as his first full stack rig.

[@TheTheratfarmer]

I love a Carvin amp, X-100. the reveb, "turn it all the way up full blast." "you can't play it like that", ohh yeah, watch this, swoosh. Ed.

[@gearhead2017]

Wanna know who played carvins back in the 80s? Vito bratta from white lion,the legacy sounded amazing

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I think I remember that! 🤔

[@knightfall9394]

He was using carvin poweramps

[@billdivine9501]

Didn’t Carlos Santana use Carvins? I remember those catalogs too!

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

@@billdivine9501 I think so!

[@deddiev1718]

I think Vitto used an ADA preamp

[@robbievalentine8239]

Imagine how good it would sound if u turned that volume up past “1”!!

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

It's a great sounding amp man. It's very warm and pleasant. No harshness at all. Cool voicing on it.

[@jimmyjames7946]

Sounds really good.. I never played one.really don't see them too much. Great demo!! I have my sights on the new Friedman pink taco amp.. have you heard it?? It sounds amazing!!

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

The pink taco is great! You really can't go wrong with the Friedman lineup.

[@jimmyjames7946]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker I go through this every few years . Just sold my 5150 iconic. Great amp but always looking for better!! Lol you know how that goes.. the Friedman amps have that hot rod British sound that I have come to love as I get older 🤘

[@travissimpson7829]

I think Vai got his best tones from higher end amps like bogner and mezzabarbra. The legacy was designed for the average consumer, who doesn't want to spend 4k on an amplifier.

[@jacksoncrate]

what??

[@travissimpson7829]

@@jacksoncrate did I stutter? His deal with carvin was about selling amplifiers with his name on it to make money, not about achieving great tone. His best tones on records were usually higher end amps like bongner and mezzabarbara that are out of reach for the average consumer

[@jacksoncrate]

@@travissimpson7829 when did he ever use mezzabarba ?? i went to his gig. legacy 1 all the way

[@jacksoncrate]

@@travissimpson7829 mezz trinity is only 3.5 grand . so not really expensive .

[@vintagetubeamplifiers]

I have a friend bringing by his Carvin Legacy and the 2nd channel isn't passing signal but the 1st channel does. He says he can faintly hear his guitar in the 2nd channel so I'm starting my research to see if anyone else has had the same problem.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Good luck man. I had an EVH 5150iii do this before and it was an issue in the Fx loop.

[@kevinalfrey2633]

I wanted one of those back in the day 😂 what would you say for a blues amp ?

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Yeh sure man, roll back the gain a bit and it's got the headroom and bite!

[@dane4453]

What delay did you use?

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Pro tools stereo delay in the mix during edit

[@robbyb6380]

Hey really great stuff watching this video. These amps are really amazing. I first purchased one back in 2017 and then another one a year later wich now I run on stereo. I mite also add it looks to you're about 1.5 volume on the dirty channel. These baby's really start to show their true colors at about 4.5. Crank that baby!! Rock on

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks ma, I agree. I was jamming on mine just yesterday and I just love how warm and full the sound. It's voiced wonderfully. Even the clean channel. Superb clarity and warmth on both channels!

[@robbyb6380]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker Definitely!! I've read alot of people saying that these amps are voiced to dark but I think Vai worded it right in one interview where he said "when you're playing live instrumental music for 3 hours you better have an that's not going to take the head of the listener" I think these amps are a good representation of that.

[@jonbon7219]

what is the value now do u think in usd or can dollars.?

[@johntuss802]

i bought 2 both sound like shit . im in shock cause all youtube videos they sound kill

[@Bridging_the_Political_Divide]

Point of reference means alot. All Legacy amps are unique and have beautiful tones, but are not a 5150, Dual Rec, or SLO. Not really worse, just different. If people are used to tight, mega high gain amps as I mention, they may not groove with these, but if given the chance (and cranked up), they have beautiful tones to offer.