Posted by Phil Maneri | Jul 16, 2019 | Gear, Technical Reviews | 0 |

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.

Low: Big, clear, and deep Mids: Present, growly Highs: Smooth and sweet

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.

Click here to read the “in-hand” Full Reviews of Carvin Guitars JB5

Stay up-to-date with all our recent articles, podcasts and more.

Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress