Bass Gear Review

Reviewer	Matt Howe
Manufacturer	Carvin
Model	LB75
Price	$885

Neck Type	Maple, 1 Piece, Oil Finish, Through-Body
Fingerboard	Maple, Fretted, 24 Frets
Body Type	Koa sides
Finish	Tung Oil Finish
Pickup(s)	J-style, Carvin
Controls	Master vol, Pickup pan, Bass, Treb, Mid-boost

I was a bit aprehensive about buying an instrument through the mail, but it turned out for the best. The fretwork and fingerboard are flawless, no dead spots. I even got them to give me a maple fingerboard which apparently is not a common request. The neck is slim, smooth, and fast (thanks to the oil finish) especially for a 5-string! The neck-through and Wilkinson bridge give incredible sustain. The neck is wonderfully rigid (I haven't needed to tweak it yet!) I did a truss-rod adjustment just for fun, and it's pretty easy, although I would rather see a Music Man style on-the-body truss rod adjustment. The onboard pre-amp sounds great, for the most part it is dead silent, but when the midrange boost is cranked up, I have noticed minor hiss I talked to Carvin and they said they hadn't noticed it. I am currently awaiting a response from Bass Player Mag. to see what they say about it. Tone control is great, you can adjust from bright and sharp to beefy J-Bass growl to fat and thick, or anywhere in between. The fingerboard is easy to navigate (even to the 24th fret on the B!) I'm trying to decide whether or not I like the Sperzel tuning keys, but I haven't experienced any problems with them. (I understand they're using Gotohs now) Anyway, the bottom line is, if you don't mind buying a bass through a McDonalds type custom shop, they are an incredible deal!

Construction	99%
Playability	95%
Sound	90%
Value	99%
Cust. Service	85%
Overall	94%