Phil Maneri’s
BASS
LAB
This Article Was Originally Published On: December 15, 2015 #Issue 17.
Made in the USA, 5-string Jazz Bass with an active circuit, good lumber and reasonable construction for $1,000? Yea, that’s a really good thing. Carvin continues to challenge USA bass makers to a duel at the lower end of the professional instrument class. They don’t have much competition. This entry is exactly $1,000 as ordered from their website. It’s a good-looking white Jazz-inspired 5-string with a reasonable B string and better-than-decent-sounding electronics.
This bass has a slightly heavy selection of alder body wood, with a maple neck topped with a rosewood fingerboard, in traditional J-bass bolt-on construction. The hardware appears to be solid, with Carvin’s high-mass locking bridge, Carvin’s own compact tuning machines, and other typical chrome-plated J-bass appointments. The neck is bolted on with a 5-bolt curved plate. The alder body sports a solid white finish. The poly finish is a little thick on the body, but it’s clean and correctly applied. The neck is classic slab-cut maple, with a flat-bottom rosewood cap. The fretwork is quite good on this instrument.
Two J-style pickups live in mostly traditional Jazz Bass locations. They feed an 18V preamp with two bands of EQ (plus a passive tone control). The preamp is neatly tucked into a typical J-bass route, with full shielding in foil. There is a little bit of fur or diffusion in the plugged-in tone, but it’s great sounding for the price point.
The JB5 plays and sounds pretty much like the J-bass it emulates. The neck shape and fingerboard radius are flatter feeling than other peoples’ offerings, so they diverge just a bit from the classic curves in this area.
This bass would be hard to beat in a head-to-head shootout at its price point. It’s a little body heavy, the sound is a touch unfocused, but its fretwork is really great and the electronics are quite good for the price point. If $1,000 is your budget, this has to be on your shopping short list.
Cavin Guitars JB5
CONFIGURATION
| Strings: | 5 |
| Style: | Double cutaway |
| Overall Length: | 45 1/2” |
| Body Dimension: | 20 1/2” long x 13 1/2” wide at lower bout |
| Body Contouring: | Moderate |
| Weight: | 10.55 lbs |
NECK
| Scale length: | 34” |
| Neck width at nut: | 1.735” |
| Neck width at 12th fret: | 2.578” |
| Neck width at joint: | 2.822” |
| Neck thickness at nut: | .940” |
| Neck thickness at 1st fret: | .757” |
| Neck thickness at 12th fret: | .879” |
| Neck thickness at joint: | 1.078” |
| String spacing at nut: | .350” |
| String spacing at saddle: | .743” |
| Fingerboard radius: | 14 deg |
| Descriptor for neck shape: | flat C shape |
| Peghead break angle: | 8 deg |
| Bridge break angle: | 50 deg through body, 16 deg top load |
| Afterlength at nut: | 1 3/8” to 6 1/4” |
| Afterlength at saddle: | 1.22” through body, 2.304” top load |
| Attachment: | Bolt-on |
| Pocket gap: | .005” |
| Truss rod type/access: | Dual-action / peghead |
| Fret count: | 22 |
| Fretwire: | 100x45 |
ELECTRONICS
| Pickups: | Carvin JVA single-coil |
| Pickup location(s) from 12th fret: | 10 7/8” and 14 13/16” |
| Electronics: | Carvin 2-band preamp (3-band available) |
| Controls: | Volume, blend, passive tone (push/pull for active/ passive), stacked bass/treble |
| Shielding: | Copper Foil |
| Preamp circuit voltage: | 18V |
CONSTRUCTION
| Body Woods: | Alder |
| Neck Woods | Maple |
| Fingerboard: | Rosewood |
| Body Finish: | Classic White gloss |
| Neck Finish: | Tung oil |
HARDWARE
| Strings: | Dunlop Super Bright™ nickel round wound |
| Gauge: | .040 .060 .080 .100 .120 |
| Attachment: | At bridge |
| Bridge/color: | Chrome |
| Nut: | Graphite-teflon |
| Tuners/color: | Carvin/Chrome |
| Knobs/color: | Dome/Chrome |
| Pickguard: | Red Tortoise |
| Control cavity cover: | Chrome control plate |
GENERAL
| Company: | Kiesel Guitars / Carvin Guitars 12340 World Trade Drive San Diego, CA 92128-3742 (858) 484-8277 sales@kieselguitars.com http://www.carvinguitars.com/ |
| County of origin: | USA |
| Warranty: | 5 years limited |
| Price: | $999 ($1,079 as tested) |
| Options: | None |
| Accessories: | Black Ultimate Soft Bass Case |
| Available colors: | Natural and various paint finishes |
| Acquired from: | Kiesel Guitars / Carvin Guitars |
| Dates: | Spring 2015 |
| Locals: | Illinois, Ohio |
| Test gear: | Gallien-Krueger Neo112-II, Gallien-Krueger MB Fusion 800, Aviom |
TEST RESULTS
1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)
In-hand
| Features: | 4 |
| Tonal Flexibility: | 4 |
| Ease of Use: | 4 |
| Aesthetics: | 3.5 |
| Ergonomics: | 3.5 |
| Tone: | 4 |
| Value: | 5 |
In-hand Score
4.00average
On-bench Score
4.59average
On-bench
| Overall construction | 5 |
| Wood choice | 4 |
| Materials choice | 5 |
| Joinery | 5 |
| Fretwork | 5 |
| Fit and Finish of adornments | 5 |
| Quality of finish work | 4 |
| Ease of repair | 5 |
| Potential range of setup | 5 |
| Balance on knee | 3 |
| Balance on strap | 3 |
| Overall electronic quality | 5 |
| Solder joints, wire runs | 5 |
| Clarity | 4 |
| Noise | 5 |
| Shielding | 5 |
| Quality for Price Range | 5 |
SONIC PROFILE:
Low: Big, clear, and deep
Mids: Present, growly
Highs: Smooth and sweet
TONE-O-METER
This bass is yet another take on a J-bass. It does all a Jazz Bass will do, and then some. Considering the quality, versatility, and especially considering the price, it’s extremely hard to beat.
