NAD: Carvin X-60

[marnold***]

Happy birthday to me! I just got a used Carvin X-60 combo from the same place I got my Fender Tele. Two channels, 60W, 2x6L6, 3x12AX7, spring reverb tank, footswitch. There is also a switchable boost on the lead channel. It's also got a Celestion G12M-70 in it. It also has two rather enormous transformers. I'm pretty excited! The clean channel with the bright boost gives a very good Blackface vibe. It will be an excellent complement to my Jet City.

Best of all, it was 299 American dollars!

More details later . . . off to have a birthday dinner with my beloved!

[Robert****]

Nice! Congrats! Happy birthday is in order! Send a pic of that thing.


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[Jipes***]

Use to be very popular those amps isn't it Steve Vai which was en official endorser ??

[marnold***]

Use to be very popular those amps isn't it Steve Vai which was en official endorser ??

Yes, although not this particular model.

[marnold***]

Nice! Congrats! Happy birthday is in order! Send a pic of that thing.


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Ask and ye shall receive. I love the cleans. The distortion is OK, although bluesy grit is cool. There's tons of reverb on tap. I cranked the clean channel. Even cranked it's almost completely clean. It's also ear-drum-shatteringly loud.

[tjcurtin1]

What?!?!? $299!!! Lots of birthday enjoyment there, Rev - congrats. Very blackface looking control panel to go with the sound. 60 Watts! You're going to have to dig yourself an underground man-cave I'm afraid... ��

And oh yeah, Happy Birthday!

[marnold***]

In perusing the Carvin Museum, I think I found some more facts about this amph. It is an X-60C (the "C" indicating a Celestion speaker). It was most likely made in 1986 (they were made between 1983-1987, but the "C" part seems to have started in 1986) and originally cost $329 which would be $773 in today's dollars. They don't hold value because they don't have "Fender" on the grill, but it does a great quasi-Blackface imitation.

It is a circuit board design, made in America. I had to have the tech spray the pots with some contact cleaner--the tone controls were pretty noisy. The footswitch jack (which is an XLR type) was pushed in so that had to be adjusted. The guts of it looked very clean. When he had it out I noticed that the previous owner put JJ 6L6s in it. The three preamp tubes (maybe two? not sure if one drives the reverb tank) are JJ, Fender, and one I couldn't read. The reverb tank is Accutronics. It is the same size as their current type 8 tank.

[marnold***]

I found the surprisingly in-depth manual online which even includes a schematic. The V1 is the preamp for the rhythm and lead channels. The V2 is used on the lead channel only. The V3 is the phase inverter. The reverb is op-amp driven. I could tell from futzing with the tone stack that they are active cut/boost with 5 being flat. From the sounds of it the "Hi Lead" mode (when you pull the master volume) seems to be another version of a bright switch.

[marnold***]

Yes, although not this particular model.

I stand somewhat corrected. Steve Vai and Frank Zappa both used the X-series in the 80s before Vai came out with his Carvin Legacy amps. They used the X100B head which is just the 100 watt version in a head instead of a combo. The only other difference is that the head had five-band EQ sliders.

[marnold***]

I just quickly tried it with some dirt pedals in front. Let's just say it takes pedals very nicely.

EHX Hot Wax: I didn't like this pedal at all with my Jet City but it sounds great with the Carvin. With my Tele the Crayon side is a nice mostly transparent OD while the Hot Tubes side ventures more into the distortion territory. With both sides engaged it is pleasantly rude. With my Jackson the Hot Tubes side ventures into fuzz. Apparently you need to hit it harder.

Thesis 96: This is a whole new animal with the new amph. The boost makes it LOUD and a tiny bit of OD. I'm going to have to play with the various switch possibilities. There's a lot to explore.

Cool Cat Fuzz: sounds really nice with my Tele. It can get into Jimi territory, if only my talent could.

[Jipes***]

That should be a really "Workhorse" with all this gain stages and EQ possibility

[Bloozcat]

Congrats, Rev! Happy Birthday to me often makes for the best presents!
Ah, February....when all the cool people were born