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 Bass Amps
1973 saw a rather dramatic change in
Carvin's catalogs - in a word, color!
This 32-page catalog featured a color cover, and color center spread
featuring the '73 lineup of guitars and basses. Granted, all the
amplifiers were still shown in black-and-white, but it was a step in the right direction.
Click
each picture for a larger version. |
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In 1973, Carvin offered a wide variety
of tube and solid state bass amps, with a variety of cabinets and
heads.
On the far left is the ABM850,
which was a 110W stack comprised of the solid state B2000 head and
AL915 cabinet loaded with Altec-Lansing Speakers. Direct price
on this unit was $479.97.
On the right is the BM900, which
also used the 110W B2000 head, with a BR850 cabinet that was loaded
with dual 18" speakers in a folded-horn enclosure. Direct
price on the BM900 was $429.95. |
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Also based on the B2000 head, the BM355
was similar to the ABM850, but the TR200 cabinet used standard
15" speakers versus the Altec-Lansing's found in the
ABM850. Direct price on the ABM355 was $339.95.
All three of these amps were also
available with the 125W VT2500 tube amplifier.
 The B2000 and B3000 (above) were
solid state heads used with a variety of Carvin bass systems. These
heads featured dual channels, 3-channel parametric EQ, bass boost, and
presence control for mid-range boost. The B2000 was rated at 100 watts,
while the B3000 was rated at 200 watts. The B2000 sold for $189.95, and
the B3000 was $259.95. |
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The FH1400 folded horn bass amp
was also powered by the B2000 head. The difference between this
amp and the ones above was the FH950 cabinet, which featured two
15" speakers reverse-mounted in a folded horn enclosure.
The FH1400 sold for $499.95.
Also available was the SFH2500 Super
Folded Horn Amp, which was comprised of one B3000 head and two FH950
cabinets. Direct price on this unit was $899.95. |
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The Super Amp series of guitar and bass
amps were the top of the line for 1973, and were early forerunners of
the modern double-stack. Bassists were represented by the SABM1800
and SBM1900 amps, both of which were driven by the B3000 200W
solid state head. The SABM1800 included two AL915 speaker
enclosures, which were loaded with a pair of 15" Altec-Lansing
speakers. The SBM1900 included two BR850 speaker systems, which
were loaded with two 18" speakers each. The SABM1800 sold
for $859.95, and the SBM1900 sold for $749.95. |
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Carvin offered a variety of amp heads in
addition to the bass amp heads above. Notably, the ST series of solid
state amps (top left) and the VTR series of tube amps (bottom left). Although
these were primarily guitar amps, they were sold as suitable for bass guitar
as well, since both series' featured a separate bass channel.
In addition to the guitar controls, the ST2400
and ST4000 featured bass-specific bass boost control, wide-range treble
and bass controls and high and low inputs. The 110W ST2400 sold for
$229.95, and the 200W ST4000 sold for $299.95.
The 125W VTR2500 tube amp also included
bass guitar-specific bass boost, bass, midrange and treble controls, and
high and low inputs. The VTR2500 was optional on all Carvin bass systems
(without reverb), and sold for $259.95, or $229.95 with no reverb unit.
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