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 Bass Amps
There are several banner
years in Carvin's 50-year history, and 1976 is one of them. So
many things happened, it's hard to summarize them all. First, in
the marketing department, the 62-page 1976 catalog was printed entirely
in color, the first time Carvin had done this. This was also the
first year that a wide selection of PA systems was offered (which may be
part of the reason that the return
address label on the catalog referred to the company as "Carvin
Music & Sound Co."). The catalog also represented the
basic form that would continue for years to come, with an entire page
devoted to each model, versus many models on each page.
In the Bass Amps
department, there were only two models to choose from, in solid-state
platforms. There were no combos; just full concert stacks.
Although there were no tube models, Carvin's tube amps (see the Guitar
Amps page) could be used with bass speaker enclosures.
Click each picture to see
the entire catalog page. |
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Carvin's primary bass
amp for '76 was the BM700 Musician's Bass Amp (left). This was
comprised of the 125W SC2000 solid-state head (see below) and one
TR1000 cabinet with a pair of 15" MagnaLab speakers. This
model sold for $419.00. It was also offered as the ABM700,
which included the Altec-Lansing-loaded AL1221 cabinet. It sold
for $559.00. A more powerful version was offered as well, the SBM700
Super Bass Master, which included a 250W SC3000 solid-state head and
two TR1000 speaker cabinets. Direct price on this model was
$695.00.
Carvin also offered the
FH1800 Folded Horn Concert Bass Amps (right) in 1976. The FH1800
featured an 125W SC2000 solid-state amp, and one FH980 folded horn
speaker enclosure, which had a single Electro-Voice EVM18B 18"
bass speaker. The complete system sold for $580.00. Also
available was the SFH1800-1, which had a 250W SC3000 amp with a
single FH980 speaker cabinet. It sold for $650.00. For
larger applications, Carvin offered the SFH1800-2, which used
the SC3000 head, and a pair of FH980 cabinets. Direct price on
this system was $980.00.
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The primary
heads used on Carvin's bass amps in 1976 were the 125W SC2000 and 250W
SC3000. These basic solid-state power amps had a master volume, sustain
drive, reversible ground and 7-band graphic EQ. The SC2000 sold for
$240.00, and the SC3000 sold for $310.00.
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Carvin
offered several speaker enclosures for bass applications, loaded with
Carvin's own MagnaLab speakers, Altec-Lansings, or Electro-Voice
speakers. The TR1000 (far left) was the standard cab on
the BM700, and the FH980 (near left) was the standard on the
FH1800. These could also be purchased separately, for $210.00
and $340.00, respectively. |
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