Chucko's Collection
Carvin BBS ID: chucko

Another frequent visitor the the Carvin BBS is Chucko, and here is his very cool collection of Carvin 5-string and 6-string basses.  He also has some Carvin guitars and amps - check 'em out on his website.

 First up is a 2000 model koa/maple LB75 that Chucko scored at the Carvin store in San Diego.  Must be nice to live close to one of their showrooms!  Says Chucko:

"I bought this gem in July 2000 at the Carvin factory store in San Diego. It was the most resonant 5-string hanging on the wall, thanks in part to the wide, 5-piece laminated neck. The fact that it had a bargain price tag didn't hurt either! Originally equipped with J99 pickups, it now has a pair of Sadowsky single-coils. What was already a very solid-sounding bass became positively thunderous!"
Next is a very nice all koa LB75.  I'm a huge fan of the all koa models - having lived in Hawaii myself, and having an all-koa DN640, these have always been my favorites.

Chucko adds:

"This was an eBay find in March 2002. I believe it to be a 1993 or '94. The pictures don't show some slight scratching and dings in the wood - nor did the eBay photos. This bass was well used, and it has a few minor battle scars. But fortunately none of them affect the playability. This bass is light and well-balanced, and the standard neck makes it more nimble than the koa/maple bass above. The tradeoff is that the low B isn't quite as solid as on the one above. It came with H50 stacked humbuckers. And yes, those are Sperzel locking bass tuners."

Finally, a gorgeous LB76 with a great vintage yellow quilt.  Of all the quilts, vintage yellow is by far my favorite - it's close to the natural wood color, so it's not to obtrusive.  I like the colored quilts as well, but who's ever seen a blue tree?  This is just subtle enough for my tastes (which admittedly are strange).

The story:

"My most recent acquisition, this was picked up at the Covina store on July 3, 2002. It had a ridiculously low price tag hanging on it - low enough that the salesman did a double-take when he saw the price! But it was legit, the bass having been a showroom queen that was priced to move, and I couldn't leave the store without it. Isn't she a beauty? And surprisingly playable for a six-string, too."

Yes, it must be nice to live close to a Carvin store!