# Carvin releases mini V3



## potatohead (Jan 14, 2011)

Gentlemen, meet the new V3M



> Once again, you asked for it, you got it! Carvin is excited to announce the all-new 50W V3 Micro head and combo. The great tube sound and 3-channel capability of the V3, in a small package that's light and easy to transport.
> 
> Power mode switch allows you to run at 7 watts, 22 watts or 50 watts, enabling you to get the overdriven crunch you want at lower volumes. Two speaker outputs which can be run with 4, 8 or 16 ohm cabs. The V3M head features blue and red backlit LEDs. The V3M112 combo has a 12" GT12 speaker. Other features include footswitch connectors (FS44L or FS22), effects loop, master boost, digital reverb, & parametric EQ.
> 
> ...


 
Carvin.com BBS :: View topic - NEW! V3M Micro Head and Combo!=












Unless the price is retarded, I will buy one of these the first day they are available.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 14, 2011)

This is pretty fucking awesome. I love my V3.


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## metal_sam14 (Jan 14, 2011)

Fuck yes


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## potatohead (Jan 14, 2011)

Three channels, 4 EL84's, 4 12AX7's, built in reverb and boost... Beyond cool

It will be mine... Oh yes, it _will _be mine.


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## troyguitar (Jan 14, 2011)

Seriously cool that they kept it 3 channels with independent EQ's. Looks like it might be narrow enough to put in a rack with minimal effort too.


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## Thep (Jan 14, 2011)

Hmm....this pleases me.


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## Philligan (Jan 14, 2011)

That's awesome, I really wanna see these in action.


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## Leuchty (Jan 14, 2011)

wow.


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## thrashcomics (Jan 14, 2011)

thats cool


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## Duke318 (Jan 14, 2011)

Wow. Also, there is a mini 50W 5150 III at NAMM.


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## edsped (Jan 14, 2011)

Fuck, I'm gonna have to get one of the heads. Might be getting rid of my HT-5H sooner that I thought.

Although 8 tubes is a little hard to justify for a head that will probably see most of its playtime in my bedroom.


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## Wookieslayer (Jan 14, 2011)

This is totes awesome!


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## AeonSolus (Jan 14, 2011)

Carvin heard my prayers at last!


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## Cheesebuiscut (Jan 14, 2011)

I wish my v3 got down to 7 watts 

Still this is pretty badass!


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## kherman (Jan 14, 2011)

rear panel shot


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## potatohead (Jan 14, 2011)

troyguitar said:


> Seriously cool that they kept it 3 channels with independent EQ's. Looks like it might be narrow enough to put in a rack with minimal effort too.


 
There will be an available rack mount bracket



edsped said:


> Although 8 tubes is a little hard to justify for a head that will probably see most of its playtime in my bedroom.


 
No it isn't, don't be ridiculous


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## splinter8451 (Jan 14, 2011)

Man this thing is awesome, I can't wait to hear what it can do


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## asmegin_slayer (Jan 14, 2011)

kherman said:


> rear panel shot



That ass looks like it can take a lot! 

But seriously, great head and this would be perfect for bedroom or small club shows.


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## groph (Jan 14, 2011)

Man, it goes up to 50 watts, it can do large shows as well as small ones. This would be sweet if you're sick of hauling around a 45 pound full size 100W tube head all the time.

I wasn't expecting something like this AT ALL, but I'm interested..


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## troyguitar (Jan 14, 2011)

potatohead said:


> There will be an available rack mount bracket



Even better, I won't have to make one myself 

This amp is now on my purchase list for 2011.


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## SirMyghin (Jan 14, 2011)

edsped said:


> Fuck, I'm gonna have to get one of the heads. Might be getting rid of my HT-5H sooner that I thought.
> 
> Although 8 tubes is a little hard to justify for a head that will probably see most of its playtime in my bedroom.



Probably has to do with only reengineering what was necessary. 

This is pretty cool, not sure I can justify one with a 10 W setting on my Mark though.


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## Razzy (Jan 14, 2011)

groph said:


> Man, it goes up to 50 watts, it can do large shows as well as small ones. This would be sweet if you're sick of hauling around a 45 pound full size 100W tube head all the time.
> 
> I wasn't expecting something like this AT ALL, but I'm interested..



+1

I've got the regular, trusty 'ole, V3, and I've never NOT run it at the 50W setting. It's a loud mother fucking amp.


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## kherman (Jan 14, 2011)

Looks like I'll be needing to stack another head on here.






Which won't be bad.
I've got 6l6's in the V3.
I'm going to put some EL34's in the X100b.

So an EL84 head would be nice for rounding out the Carvin collection.


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## op1e (Jan 14, 2011)

Rack mountable, but no more midi? That kinda stinks.


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## AvantGuardian (Jan 14, 2011)

I think I might need to pick up one of these. I'm curious to hear how loud this thing is in the 7 watt setting. It would be pretty sweet if I could get some good tones at bedroom volumes and also be able to gig with it.


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## edsped (Jan 14, 2011)

7 watts is still pretty damn loud.


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## AvantGuardian (Jan 14, 2011)

edsped said:


> 7 watts is still pretty damn loud.


 
Yeah. I have a 5 watt Epi Valve Jr and that thing rips if you crank it but still sounds nice and warm/tubey at low volumes. I've never tried a low wattage high gain tube amp though.


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## potatohead (Jan 14, 2011)

AvantGuardian said:


> Yeah. I have a 5 watt Epi Valve Jr and that thing rips if you crank it but still sounds nice and warm/tubey at low volumes. I've never tried a low wattage high gain tube amp though.


 
Well, it's got channel volume and master volume, so you can play with combination of pre/power amp volume to get a nice mix. 

It seems most of the small tube "rock/metal" amps use 2xEL34's rather than 4xEL84's, but I guess there is a lot more to the sound than tubes alone. Will be nice to see a demo. With Carvins return policy I'll buy it and try it at home anyway.


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## ZXIIIT (Jan 14, 2011)

The head kinda looks like a HD147


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## robertkoa (Jan 14, 2011)

OK guys - what do you think about the 4 EL84s - they usually have less bottom end than the bigger tubes and saturate more quickly.

So how do you think it will sound if it's the same preamp as the V3 ?

You guys with the V3s - is the clean channel almost Fender Clean and can the drive with lower gain do the prettier Gilmour kind of stuff - even though on 7 string that's not what you probably play...................?


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## robertkoa (Jan 14, 2011)

AvantGuardian said:


> I think I might need to pick up one of these. I'm curious to hear how loud this thing is in the 7 watt setting. It would be pretty sweet if I could get some good tones at bedroom volumes and also be able to gig with it.


 Well - it depends how good the Master Volume is - 7 watts especially high gain is very loud , but with the master on 1 or so there's a chance that the 7 watt setting will help at low volumes.


The trick I found years ago- weird but true is at VERY low tube power- you don't want a guitar speaker with a huge magnet- you want a stereo speaker with the tweeter disconnected that will still produce full bass and bandwidth at half a watt or so. Or a vintage type small magnet guitar speaker in a closed back cab.

Or Closed back stereo speaker with 8 or 10 inch driver no tweeter ( disconnect) and maybe disconnect midrange if a 3 way speaker. IF you get the right one they work great for very low volume.


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## kherman (Jan 14, 2011)

robertkoa said:


> OK guys - what do you think about the 4 EL84s - they usually have less bottom end than the bigger tubes and saturate more quickly.
> 
> So how do you think it will sound if it's the same preamp as the V3 ?
> 
> You guys with the V3s - is the clean channel almost Fender Clean and can the drive with lower gain do the prettier Gilmour kind of stuff - even though on 7 string that's not what you probably play...................?



The clean channel on the V3 is actually pretty good.
Not as sparkly as the X100b clean channel.
But, I still think cleaner than a Marshall or Mesa clean.



As for the dirt channel.
Watch this video.
Made by Carvin forumite, Bundy.


Demonstrates how well the dirty channel cleans up by just backing off your guitars volume knob.


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## viesczy (Jan 14, 2011)

I completely WANT that little bad boy! 

I was set to add to my collection the Randall 503H just for a "smaller" amp as I have a "need" for something more pedestrian than my 100 watt amps (and M123 is giving me a killer deal on it by beating the lower prices on AMS), but the versatility of the mini V3 sorta trumps that! 

Either that or I just might score a Genz Benz tribal El D head from World Music's ebay account to go along with my El D 100 head and 60/30 combo!

DECISIONS!

Derek


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## edsped (Jan 15, 2011)

I'm GASing for one of these so bad. I really hope it can handle high gain stuff without a problem. I also hope the price point is good, but I'm not TOO worried about that since we're talking about Carvin.


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## jnukes2 (Jan 15, 2011)

Whoa. I had a V3 combo for awhile... I wouldn't mind trying another now that I know how to EQ better. This looks pretty promising.


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## kherman (Jan 15, 2011)

ToneKing demos V3m at NAMM.


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## edsped (Jan 15, 2011)

Of course it had to be TTK.


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## op1e (Jan 15, 2011)

We need an anti-TK. Someone with a djent background that can travel and give real demo's. Not "plank plunk twang oohhhh look I'm in drop D now tearin it up".
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## TemjinStrife (Jan 15, 2011)

op1e said:


> We need an anti-TK. Someone with a djent background that can travel and give real demo's. Not "plank plunk twang oohhhh look I'm in drop D now tearin it up".
> UUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Sure. Just find one site *other* than this one that's interested in that genre, and you can pay someone to do it.

There are other styles out there, and while he's hardly a great player, he at least showcases some interesting gear.


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## GuitaristOfHell (Jan 15, 2011)

If the price is right I'll sell so much shit for it.


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## potatohead (Jan 15, 2011)

Well, the sound review isn't great, but I can tell this has more gain that I need. Sold.


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## MetalGravy (Jan 15, 2011)

op1e said:


> We need an anti-TK. Someone with a djent background that can travel and give real demo's. Not "plank plunk twang oohhhh look I'm in drop D now tearin it up".
> UUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




You mean like Bulb? Isn't he supposed to be at NAMM?


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## splinter8451 (Jan 15, 2011)

^ Yes, Misha is there, Mark Holcomb (Haunted Shores) is there, Keith Merrow is there. There are a bunch of dudes I would love to see dial in and play this thing. Doesn't mean it'll happen though


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## Hollowway (Jan 15, 2011)

Wow, I'm surprised by all the positive comments. I've never played through a V3 before, but iirc there have been loads of negative comments about their sound on here. But it seems like everyone is totally jazzed about the V3M.


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## splinter8451 (Jan 15, 2011)

Yeah I agree with that  I don't remember many positive V3 comments on this board before this. 

I think people are more excited that there is finally a high gain mini head. Companies keep releasing mini heads that are for blues/rock but now there is one (besides the HT-5 and its other versions) that is legitimately for high gain purposes.


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## themike (Jan 15, 2011)

splinter8451 said:


> ^ Yes, Misha is there, Mark Holcomb (Haunted Shores) is there, Keith Merrow is there. There are a bunch of dudes I would love to see dial in and play this thing. Doesn't mean it'll happen though



Any clue why Misha is doing an appearance/performance at the Egnator booth? I wonder what his association is with them


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## splinter8451 (Jan 15, 2011)

Didn't even know he was doing that man. Weird


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## Cheesebuiscut (Jan 15, 2011)

While the tone kings not the best at dialing in heads I do enjoy his coverage of a lot of stuff. Hes already snagged a good handful of interesting namm coverage and you can't fault the guy for that. 

and I wasn't watching the video to critique his playing but to hear the head. Now I know what it sounds like with pres / treble / bass: 6, mid 2, and the drive at 9 xD

but srsly I watch the guys youtube videos all the time.


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## TemjinStrife (Jan 15, 2011)

Hollowway said:


> Wow, I'm surprised by all the positive comments. I've never played through a V3 before, but iirc there have been loads of negative comments about their sound on here. But it seems like everyone is totally jazzed about the V3M.



I'm psyched because it's a three-channel high-gain mini head with EL84s. I love EL84s.


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## edsped (Jan 15, 2011)

TemjinStrife said:


> Sure. Just find one site *other* than this one that's interested in that genre, and you can pay someone to do it.
> 
> There are other styles out there, and while he's hardly a great player, he at least showcases some interesting gear.


Well, sort of. He has the uncanny ability to make even great gear sound shitty. His review of the JCA20H was the first I had seen of the amp and if I had only gone by his I would've thought it was a piece of shit. Same with the HT-5.


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## troyguitar (Jan 15, 2011)

I'm excited because it's a 3-channel rack-mountable tube amp with separate EQ for each channel and it's made in this country and it will most likely be reasonably priced. There is no comparable product on the market, even if you take away one of those features.


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## op1e (Jan 16, 2011)

EL84's? Didn't notice that. How are they compared to 34's? I hear less headroom when I was researching a Peavey 50 50 for a power amp. Are they more bright? Oh, and sorry about my TK explosion of hate. There are many other sites than this that reflect our brand of metal, albeit this is the best one. Just jaded from all the research and clips I listen to trying to get a feel for potential products.


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## Lava Joe (Jan 16, 2011)

Ah, that looks so cool! 3 Channels & 19 lbs...hell yeah!


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## potatohead (Jan 16, 2011)

op1e said:


> EL84's? Didn't notice that. How are they compared to 34's? I hear less headroom when I was researching a Peavey 50 50 for a power amp. Are they more bright? Oh, and sorry about my TK explosion of hate. There are many other sites than this that reflect our brand of metal, albeit this is the best one. Just jaded from all the research and clips I listen to trying to get a feel for potential products.


 
They break up a little sooner, don't have quite as much bottom end, and have smoother highs

However, the way the circuit in the amp is designed is much more important than the tubes themselves.


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## TemjinStrife (Jan 16, 2011)

potatohead said:


> They break up a little sooner, don't have quite as much bottom end, and have smoother highs
> 
> However, the way the circuit in the amp is designed is much more important than the tubes themselves.



They're midrange monsters. They have a great "chime" in the highs and are pretty tight in the lows since there's less information down there. They're like EL34s with less headroom, less bass, and more punch.


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## Mordacain (Jan 16, 2011)

TemjinStrife said:


> They're midrange monsters. They have a great "chime" in the highs and are pretty tight in the lows since there's less information down there. They're like EL34s with less headroom, less bass, and more punch.



 I dig EL84's a lot myself. Actually prefer them to 6V6's personally. I'm actually pretty psyched to see what these sound like in 7 watt mode in a variety of styles. This would fit the bill for my needs nicely I think.


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## AeonSolus (Jan 17, 2011)

I guess this will do for now



Why do i have a feeling that these will retail for less than 400?


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## aiur55 (Jan 17, 2011)

AeonSolus said:


> I guess this will do for now
> 
> 
> 
> Why do i have a feeling that these will retail for less than 400?





You wish!!


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## edsped (Jan 17, 2011)

The guy who put up that video on the Carvin forums was told $599.


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## AvantGuardian (Jan 17, 2011)

edsped said:


> The guy who put up that video on the Carvin forums was told $599.


 
That sounds like a pretty sweet deal. Between this and the Bugera Magician, I have major cheap tube amp GAS from NAMM.


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## potatohead (Jan 17, 2011)

$599 would be amazing. It's a heck of a deal compared to the rest of the market at $100 more than that. Unless they can build a freaking pile of them right off the bat, they won't be on the cheap end of the market.

Of course however, the cheaper the better. Oh, and build a matching 112 and 212, please .


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## SirMyghin (Jan 17, 2011)

edsped said:


> The guy who put up that video on the Carvin forums was told $599.



Yikes that is sweet, american made, all tube, 50W, very loud bedroom level available amp...


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## themike (Jan 17, 2011)

SirMyghin said:


> Yikes that is sweet, american made, all tube, 50W, very loud bedroom level available amp...



Exactly - that price for an American made amplifier with all tubes is insane


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## edsped (Jan 17, 2011)

My bad, it wasn't the guy who up'd the video who was told $599, just another forumite who was at NAMM. The guy who uploaded the vid actually works for Carvin. But either way $600 for the head sounds about right given all the features and Carvin's typically low price points.


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## TemjinStrife (Jan 17, 2011)

7W is not "Bedroom level" 

"Bedroom Level" is basically whether or not the amp's preamp is where the majority of the tone comes from; if it needs power tube volume to smooth things out, then it's not a 'bedroom amp.'


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## Razzy (Jan 17, 2011)

TemjinStrife said:


> 7W is not "Bedroom level"
> 
> "Bedroom Level" is basically whether or not the amp's preamp is where the majority of the tone comes from; if it needs power tube volume to smooth things out, then it's not a 'bedroom amp.'



+1

A "bedroom" level amp would be more like 1 Watt. 7W, or even 5W like the valve juniors cranked up is fuck'n loud for a bedroom.

However, 7W for recording purposes would be GREAT.


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## potatohead (Jan 17, 2011)

It has both pre and power amp volume. You will be able to keep it at bedroom level without a problem.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 17, 2011)

If it's anything like the big V3 it'll need some power tube breakup to take away some fizz.


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## JamesM (Jan 17, 2011)

Damn!


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## kherman (Jan 17, 2011)

Johnny DeMarco

[youtube]vFGJORQU0vY&feature=related[/youtube]


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## AeonSolus (Jan 17, 2011)

599 Street price or MSRP?


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## SirMyghin (Jan 17, 2011)

TemjinStrife said:


> 7W is not "Bedroom level"
> 
> "Bedroom Level" is basically whether or not the amp's preamp is where the majority of the tone comes from; if it needs power tube volume to smooth things out, then it's not a 'bedroom amp.'



I did say "Very loud bedroom level" . Having a Mark V I run in 10W mode, and 7W putting out 89% that power, I can safely say you won't get it past 3 without pissing off the neighbours.


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## edsped (Jan 17, 2011)

AeonSolus said:


> 599 Street price or MSRP?


I would assume street. Any cheaper than that seems like it would be too cheap.


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## viesczy (Jan 17, 2011)

The vid put up by Carvin sounds the best, I'm sure that little amp will be quite capable. I know the V3 doesn't seem to get much respect, but I thought Wade Cooper's vids showed the capability of that amp. 

Again, decisions... 

Derek


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## bklixuz (Jan 18, 2011)

shiver my timbers!
cant wait for march Aarggg...!


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## SirMyghin (Jan 18, 2011)

Forgot to mention, 600$ for the amp, you will need to pay 40-50 more for the footswitch though... Forgot Carvin sells the foot switch separately.. Real useful there.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 18, 2011)

SirMyghin said:


> Forgot to mention, 600$ for the amp, you will need to pay 40-50 more for the footswitch though... Forgot Carvin sells the foot switch separately.. Real useful there.



Though, every few weeks they run a sale/special for them to be included with the amp (they occasionally do that with covers as well), both my V3 and X100B came with free footswitches. 

Though, given Carvin's pricing I wouldn't see that extra for the footswitch a serious deal breaker/burden. That's like not buying a $300 guitar because it doesn't come with a HSC.


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## troyguitar (Jan 18, 2011)

They also have 2 different footswitches depending on what you want to do.


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## SirMyghin (Jan 18, 2011)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Though, every few weeks they run a sale/special for them to be included with the amp (they occasionally do that with covers as well), both my V3 and X100B came with free footswitches.
> 
> Though, given Carvin's pricing I wouldn't see that extra for the footswitch a serious deal breaker/burden. That's like not buying a $300 guitar because it doesn't come with a HSC.



Fair enough, hadn't noticed those deals as I never bought a carvin amp, almost got a X-100 but decided I wanted a Mark V more. Not sure what I would do with a 300$ guitar though, practice fretwork?


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## potatohead (Jan 18, 2011)

Is the $600 for real? I thought it was just a rumor for now.


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## edsped (Jan 18, 2011)

troyguitar said:


> They also have 2 different footswitches depending on what you want to do.


I wish it worked with the regular FS44, though. I'd much rather forego the switchable reverb and have a button for each channel instead of just one channel button. Controlling all 3 channels with one button is ridiculous, unless you can only switch between the clean channel and only one of the crunch channels in which case, well, that's still ridiculous!



potatohead said:


> Is the $600 for real? I thought it was just a rumor for now.


It's still a rumor, nothing's been confirmed.


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## Bevo (Jan 18, 2011)

I thought $700!

This may be the new HT-5, everyone is jazzed to get it, looks like a waiting list for sure.


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## troyguitar (Jan 18, 2011)

edsped said:


> I wish it worked with the regular FS44, though. I'd much rather forego the switchable reverb and have a button for each channel instead of just one channel button. Controlling all 3 channels with one button is ridiculous, unless you can only switch between the clean channel and only one of the crunch channels in which case, well, that's still ridiculous!



I don't know anything about Carvin's footswitches. There aren't 3 separate channel buttons!? If so that completely defeats the purpose of a 3-channel amp.


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## edsped (Jan 18, 2011)

troyguitar said:


> I don't know anything about Carvin's footswitches. There aren't 3 separate channel buttons!? If so that completely defeats the purpose of a 3-channel amp.


I didn't know anything about them either, but I decided to take a look today. They only have 4 different footswitches, and the V3M works with two of them, the FS22 and FS44L. The FS22 only has 2 buttons, Select and Reverb/Effects, so I don't know exactly how that one will work. The FS44L has Channel, Reverb, Effects, and Boost/Mute. Maybe they mapped the Effects switch to toggle between the two drive channels and the Channel switch just switches between clean and drive. That would be fine. But they also have an FS44, which has 3 individual channel buttons and then an Effects button. I don't know why the V3M isn't compatible with that one since the original V3 is.


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## viesczy (Jan 18, 2011)

For the footswitch stuff, didn't the one vid (from TTK maybe) show that it takes the regular FS44 for channel switching/loop control and then another plug for reverb control? 

For the detractors, no reason to rain on a parade of the folks who love the idea. It isn't like you're being forced to buy one. 

Derek


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## AvantGuardian (Jan 25, 2011)

Saw this was posted over at the Carvin forums by a guy from Carvin yesterday:



> OK, here it is:
> 
> V3M Head $699, w/ $100 Instant Rebate: $599
> 
> ...


 
I'm pretty tempted to grab the combo w/V30 upgrade since it seems like a pretty versatile little amp to haul around.


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## potatohead (Jan 25, 2011)

$599, consider it sold.... Twice on Sundays


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## ShadyDavey (Jan 25, 2011)

Any idea on the ramp-up for the price in the EU?

As much as I diss Carvin for that policy I can't deny that make some outstanding products and this really does sound great for a 'lil bedroom blaster, all the way up to decent sized gigs.

/takes off hat


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## Bevo (Jan 25, 2011)

Spoke to them yesterday, if you want one you need to get in touch with them, they have a waiting list already.


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## edsped (Jan 25, 2011)

Yeah, anyone wanting one of these on day one better jump on the phone.


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## potatohead (Jan 25, 2011)

^where are you seeing this? The word on the Carvin boards is pre-orders won't be taken until maybe next week, and they won't ship until very late March/April.


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## viesczy (Jan 25, 2011)

That's the price? [email protected] I seriously want one of those things like nobody's business! That and the Trirec/Magician. 

This waiting SUX!

Derek


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 25, 2011)

Any one have pics of these rackmounted?


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## TemjinStrife (Jan 26, 2011)

Man, 5U seems like it wouldn't really be worth racking one of these things size- and weight-wise, although I suppose running a V3m and a Gmajor2 with a power strip in the back of the rack might work pretty well in a shallow 6U case.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 26, 2011)

Yeah, I really wish they slimed it down to 3U or 4U. They probably could have if they arranged the tube sockets differently.


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## TemjinStrife (Jan 26, 2011)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Yeah, I really wish they slimed it down to 3U or 4U. They probably could have if they arranged the tube sockets differently.



I'd rather have a small head (heh heh, see what I did there) than a deep and awkwardly weighted rackmount head. But that's just me.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 26, 2011)

If I was going to use it to play shows I'd be with you on that one. Though, I'd just keep it at home. It'd be nice to just be able to throw it in one of my racks. Plus, it'd be easier to hide it from the lady of the house.


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## troyguitar (Jan 26, 2011)

If you use anything other than guitar -> amp -> cab, I don't see the reason NOT to use a rack live. I plug in one power cable, one speaker cable, and one footswitch cable to be 100% ready to play.

I don't know if I can handle 5U for this, though. Especially if the footswitch can't select all 3 channels individually via 3 separate buttons, that is a huge deal-breaker.


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## edsped (Jan 26, 2011)

potatohead said:


> ^where are you seeing this? The word on the Carvin boards is pre-orders won't be taken until maybe next week, and they won't ship until very late March/April.


I was mostly referring to the comment above mine about the supposed waiting list. But either way, you'll still probably need to jump on getting a preorder if you want one of these.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Jan 26, 2011)

I just don't see this head having much promise without the master eq section.

I guess a EQ pedal would make up for it though.


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## Bevo (Jan 26, 2011)

I spoke to this fellow after he sent me this, he told me about the waiting list.
Cool guy, give him a call, they have an 800 number.

The v3m head will be $599.00 and the combo will be $699.00
Thanks,



Eddie Fuentes
Product Specialist
Carvin Corporation
12340 World trade Drive
San Diego Ca. 92128
PH:1.800.854.2235 EXT.115
FAX


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## TemjinStrife (Jan 26, 2011)

troyguitar said:


> If you use anything other than guitar -> amp -> cab, I don't see the reason NOT to use a rack live. I plug in one power cable, one speaker cable, and one footswitch cable to be 100% ready to play.
> 
> I don't know if I can handle 5U for this, though. Especially if the footswitch can't select all 3 channels individually via 3 separate buttons, that is a huge deal-breaker.



I generally like individual pedals on a board since it's much easier to tweak them and see where everything is, and I don't need to worry about getting into submenus if I need to make a tweak mid-song. Makes it a little more annoying to transport, but each piece doesn't weigh much and I only run three long cables (guitar > pedalboard > amp > pedalboard (for solo booster) > amp.) I go from clean to dirty on the volume control, and use a Tubescreamer for my rhythm sound. Works pretty well. Rack is nice, but it's expensive and heavy.


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## xtrustisyoursx (Jan 26, 2011)

Guys, there are many of you that are sorely mistaken. This will in no way be quiet AT ALL. 50w tube is extremely loud still, only about 5db less headroom than a 100w amp. Even the HT-5 I used to have got absurdly loud above halfway or so.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Jan 26, 2011)

so at 7w it will be just ever so slightly louder than an ht-5.

The whole point being you only want to turn it to maybe 3~ish to usually get the amp to start sounding decent. 

So with a 7w amp your getting roughly 1.5~ish worth of turning up on a 70 watt amp with the thing on 3 which would be very doable at home.

Yeah it'll still be loud, but it won't be 50w loud where its entirely too much for home use.


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## viesczy (Jan 26, 2011)

xtrustisyoursx said:


> Guys, there are many of you that are sorely mistaken. This will in no way be quiet AT ALL. 50w tube is extremely loud still, only about 5db less headroom than a 100w amp. Even the HT-5 I used to have got absurdly loud above halfway or so.



+1,000,000,000!

I can't even have my El D 60/30 combo on 30 watt beyond like 3 w/o nearly melting every car within 2 miles!

They, tubes, do sound AMAZING loud though... that said, anyone know how bad the wait list is?

Derek


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## TemjinStrife (Jan 26, 2011)

The thing with tube amps is I find they generally give up all their volume in the first half- to two-thirds of the volume knob, and the rest just adds power tube saturation. So yes, they get loud quickly, even the low-wattage ones. Darren shook an entire basement with a HT-5 through a 4x12 with a Source Audio Multiwave Distortion out front.


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## HaloHat (Jan 27, 2011)

This posted on Carvin Forum tonight by Carvin's webmaster/Forum Admin...

*"Kevio wrote:*First of all, thanks for the patience. Secondly, watch this space on Friday morning."

Link to post - http://www.carvinguitars.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=24428&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=240 


Cab options to go with the head/combo?
Proper foot switch? 1/2/3/Fx/Reverb
Offical Pre-Order info?
MIDI Option? like its big brother.

I dunno. I will check it out Friday morning I guess lol. I am buying the V3MH though. Never have liked combos [torture chambers haha]

Don't forget to mention to Carvin how good it would be if they were to expand their 7 string guitar offerings if/when you order one of the V3M's. Symmetrical v7 / Semi Hollow Double Cut 7 / CS7 / CT7 / SC7 etc. I hate to say it but probably waste of time asking them for an 8 string if that is your weapon of choice. I'm not too sure mentioning more 7's stands much of a chance either but at least they do make one so who knows. I am going to mention a desire for an extended scale/baritone scale for the 7 string as well as a baritone option for some of the 6 strings. 27" please.


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## HighGain510 (Jan 27, 2011)

Interesting.... I've been thinking about getting an EL84 tube amp as I really like the clean and OD tones from EL84's and the price on this is just right. Might wait for one of the sales like Max was talking about where they include the footswitch but I'll be waiting to check one of these out for sure.


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## potatohead (Jan 28, 2011)

Check it out...

Mini stacks!!

Carvin.com - Guitars, Amplifiers & Pro Audio: V3 Micro Series Amplifiers

Pre-order now available, V30's are optional


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 28, 2011)

V-Series 2x12s? Fuck yeah! 

I loved my 412VT cab, and those Carvin GT12s (their take on the V30) were actually pretty awesome. The feet on the side are a good touch as well.


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## AvantGuardian (Jan 28, 2011)

potatohead said:


> Check it out...
> 
> Mini stacks!!
> 
> ...


 
Sweet! I went ahead a preordered a combo with white tolex. Those mini stacks are awesome, but I really want something that I can carry with one hand.


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## potatohead (Jan 28, 2011)

I am going to pre-order tonight, just deciding on 112 or 212. I only NEED a 112, but you know how that goes 

Max, do you think the $50 V30 upgrade is worth it?


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 28, 2011)

potatohead said:


> I am going to pre-order tonight, just deciding on 112 or 212. I only NEED a 112, but you know how that goes
> 
> Max, do you think the $50 V30 upgrade is worth it?



If you love V30s then it's a pretty cheap upgrade and it's nice getting the speakers you want straight from factory. If you dig the V30 sound but want a little less high end chime and presence then sticking with the G12s can save you a bit of cash.

If neither of those tickle your fancy, and you'll be speaker shopping anyway, stick with the Carvin speakers and use that $50 bucks to get your favorite speaker aftermarket.


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## GuitaristOfHell (Jan 28, 2011)

xtrustisyoursx said:


> Guys, there are many of you that are sorely mistaken. This will in no way be quiet AT ALL. 50w tube is extremely loud still, only about 5db less headroom than a 100w amp. Even the HT-5 I used to have got absurdly loud above halfway or so.


. My friends 30w tube ART or whatever it was got more then loud enough to annoy the crap out of the neighbors. (which by him aren't many ). Well as long as it's as good as the Normal V3 most people will be like "Sweet, a lower price."


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 28, 2011)

xtrustisyoursx said:


> Guys, there are many of you that are sorely mistaken. This will in no way be quiet AT ALL. 50w tube is extremely loud still, only about 5db less headroom than a 100w amp. Even the HT-5 I used to have got absurdly loud above halfway or so.



Quiet is very relative. While 7w isn't "whisper soft" having gotten to know the Ve circuit pretty well, I think the 7w setting has the potential to be a good amount better having a low overall volume feel to it. These aren't JCMs or ACs, they don't need piles of poweramp volume to start singing, it helps, but it's not absolutely essential. Throw a 1x10 or 1x12 speaker cab into the equation, preferably a very directional one, you'll be able to get workable, solid tones that won't get you immediately evicted. You won't be able to crank it through a 4x12 at midnight, but at around 9 o'clock, with a 1x12, in the afternoon should be fine, bar you don't have super restrictive (as in folks who work nights) neighbors. 

Another option would be to use an attenuator with the low wattage settings. I've noticed that the lower the wattage the less "tone suck" an attenuator imparts, so you'll be able to get that attenuated sweet spot (yeah, they exist) with even more power tube rage. 

This is all in a high-gain "Metal tone" context. I'm sure you could cover a lot more ground though in regards to the cleaner, lower gain tones. Of course while retaining a lower volume. 

Keep in mind though, I haven't played a V3M, just a V3, so for all I know the 7w mode will be shit, though I have a feeling it won't be.


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## potatohead (Jan 28, 2011)

Just ordered the head and 212


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