The Carvin Museum - 1987 Basses

Basses

This was another good year for Carvin basses. The single-pickup LB40 was gone, and a new model was added. Carvin also began using their own line of parts, including Carvin strings and Carvin tuners. The M22B pickups, which had been used since the late 70's, were replaced with H11B stacked humbucking pickups. Most significantly, this was the last year for the set-neck - something better was just around the corner...

You can click each picture for a much larger version.

1987 Guitars

1987 Guitar Amps

1987 Bass Amps
1987 Pro Audio

The LB60 (left) was unchanged for '87, with the exception of the new pickups, and Carvin-brand tuners and strings. This model was referred to as the "LB60 Stereo Bass", rather than simply the LB60 as it was in '86 (even though it was stereo then, too). There were no price changes on this model from the '86 models.

The V440 (right) was also unchanged, with the same exceptions as the LB60, and it's representation in the catalog from a two page spread to a one-pager.

There were also no price changes on the V440, in what would be it's last year.

With the departure of the LB40, a new bass was needed to fill the void. Enter the LB90. This model sort of split the difference between the LB40 and the LB60. It had a single volume and tone control like the LB40, but had two pickups like the LB60. It also sported the "arrow" headstock of the V440, which gave it a unique and interesting look, especially for the bassist who wanted some with more pizzazz than the LB40, but not as extreme as the V440.

It was available with all the same options as the other models of this year, which hadn't changed significantly from '86. The one exception was the reintroduction of a maple fingerboard, which was only available with the clear finish option (called the LB90CM).

Base price on the LB90 and the LB90CM was $389.

The Kahler bass tremolo (left) was still offered on all Carvin basses in 1987, for an additional $120. These were available in chrome, black and gold, and were featured prominently in the '87 catalog.

The DN640 (and DN612) were still available in '87. As in previous years, the same photo was used in the catalog, and there were no price changes.

In 1987, the new H11B stacked humbucker was the standard pickup on Carvin basses. It was originally intended only for the LB90, but ended up being used in all '87 basses. Carvin also switched to their own line of tuners on guitars and basses in 1987. Models earlier than this had German-made Schaller tuners as the standard. These would last until 1992, when Sperzel tuners would become the standard. Note that the Carvin logo was the new black-style, which would appear on all Carvin gear beginning in 1988.