The Carvin Museum - 1977 Bass Amps

Bass Amps

Not a great deal changed with Carvin's bass amps in 1977. The SC2000 and SC3000 were still the heads of choice on Carvin's bass amps systems. MagnaLab speakers were still the standard, with EV's being used in the folded horn enclosures, and JBLs available as an option. Prices on the bass systems increased slightly - about $10.00 on each model.

1977 Basses

1977 Guitars

1977 Guitar Amps
1977 Pro Audio

New for 1977 was the SB500 combo bass amp. This portable amp marked the return of smaller combos to Carvin's lineup, and would help re-invigorate that segment of the market.

The BM700 Musician's Bass Amp (left) was unchanged for 1977. This amp was comprised of the 125W SC2000 solid-state head (see below) and one TR1000 cabinet with a pair of 15" MagnaLab speakers. The price increased slightly to $439.00. It was also offered as the SBM700-1, which included an SC3000 head, and sold for $509.00. A more powerful version was offered as well, the SBM700-2 Super Bass Master, which included a 250W SC3000 solid-state head and two TR1000 speaker cabinets. Direct price on this model was $719.00. JBL K140 speakers could be added for $170 per cabinet.

As in 1976, Carvin offered the FH1800 Folded Horn Concert Bass Amps (right) in 1977. 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 rose slightly in price, to $599.00. Also available was the SFH1800-1, which had a 250W SC3000 amp with a single FH980 speaker cabinet. It sold for $669.00. 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 $999.00.

All new for 1977 was the SB500 Studio Bass Amp. This solid-state combo amp was based on the SC2000 head, and produced 80W RMS, and used a 15" Carvin MagnaLab speaker. Other features included a 7-band graphic equalizer, high and low inputs and master volume and tone controls. The SB500 sold for $319.00. It could also be ordered a 15" JBL K140 speaker instead of the MagnaLab speaker for $399.00.

The SC2000 and SC3000 power amps used in some 1977 Carvin systems were unchanged from 1976. The prices increased slightly, with the SC2000 selling for $249.00, and the SC3000 selling for $319.00.