EXTENSION CHORDS

Carvin A New Path

EXTENSION CHORDS

by

Allen Hester

There can be no doubt that transistors have profoundly changed the face of the music industry in almost every area. Even now, as the new digital technology begins to permeate the recording industry, it would seem that microprocessing circuitry will soon dominate the instruments, tools and hardware that is used to make music. But in at least one area, the technology of the future has yet to overcome the old way of doing things. When it comes to guitar amplifiers, most players still seem to prefer the old tube-type amps that have been around since before the birth of rock ’n’ roll.

This is not to say that there have been no improvements in the tube amp designs; obviously much of what has been developed in recent years, such as overdrive circuitry, graphic and parametric equalizetion, chapnel switching and mixing, and so forth, has been to the benefit of the musician. However, it is safe to say that tube amplifiers would still be tremendously popular, even if no improvements were being made, because they have the warm sound and the smooth sustain that is right for electric guitar, not just in the rock music genre, but in jazz and country music as well.

The new X-100 series guitar amplifiers from Carvin Manufacturing Co., Escondido, California, are a well-balanced blend of tube design and more up-to-date features. Of particular interest in this new series is the XV-112E, which is a 100-watt single 12-inch speaker all-tube guitar amp that can hold its own with the biggest and the most expensive tube-type amps on the market today. This particular model features an Electro-Voice EV12L speaker, a speaker that lends itself will to the versatility of the amplifier because it is efficient, therefore clean-sounding for chord work, yet it is not “too clean” because it “breaks up” • very smoothly when the amp is cranked up in the basic “Set Fhasors For Stun!” rock ’n’ roll mode.

One of the things I like most about this amp is its ability to sustain notes without sounding harsh or muddy. This is because the preamp circuit has been designed to emphasize the even-numbered harmonics of the guitar. These “even” harmonics are the ones that make a guitar sound warm and rich, and one of the main criticisms of transistorized amps and many overdrive circuits is that they allow the “odd” harmonics to come through, which makes for a harsh, nasal sound. The XV-112E definitely has the smooth rich sustain that comes only from “even” harmonics.

Another feature of the preamp, which by the way is equipped with high quality 12AX7 tubes throughout, is that it has four separate volume controls which are arranged in such a way that the player has control over the signal strength at each stage of amplification in the preamp. A Rhythm Volume control and its Master Volume control are connected in series to a Lead Drive Volume control and its Master Volume. Basically what this means is that there are two independent channels, one for rhythm and one for lead, and the player can switch between the two for solos and chord work. This is a feature that I feel is essential, particualrly in live performance, and Carvin is one of the few amps on the market today which has this feature.

When it comes to tone control, there is an almost endless variety of sounds available from this amp. The XV-112E has both passive and active tone controls, including Bass, Mid, Treble, and Presence (all passive controls that rotate clockwise from 0 to 10) and a 5-band graphic equalizer that can boost or cut the signal plus or minus 18dB over a five octave range. Even the passive tone controls, which seem ordinary at first glance, are unique because thaey have a full 40dB range between boost and cut on the Bass and Treble controls.

The various volume controls are “pullpots” that perform several useful functions when engaged. There is a bright switch in the Rhythm Volume control for increased clarity. The pull-pot on the Lead Drive control gives a crackling high-end sound, and when the Presence control os rotated to “10,” the XV-112E really begins to cook. It sounds like an old tube-type Marshall: hot and nasty! Still another pull-pot on the Rhythm Master control defeats the Bass, Mid and Treble controls and gives a boost to the signal. This particular function immediately reminded me of the old “Blue Box” effects device that gave a big booming sound that was slightly muted but extremely fat and sustaining. Tnis is a useful sound, when properly applied, and it can be engaged via an optional footswitch.

The 5-band graphic equalizer can also be engaged with the footswitch, so that a radically different tonal coloration can be used as desired without having to go to the amp and change tone settings. I must say that I was skeptical of the graphic feature, because most of them I have found built into amplifiers fend to add a lot of noise to the signal when the high end of the graphic is in the “boost” position. This one does add some noise, but not enough to be annoying and considerably less than 1 expected.

One of the “Old-time” features of guitar amps that is still around is reverberation. Back in the surf music days of the Ventures, every lead guitar player had to have reverb in order to survive. In later years, when the Marshall sound came into vogue, reverb was considered old-fashioned for rock guitar sounds, although reverb never lost its place as an inexpensive alternative to echo and delay sounds that are usually applied in the studio. The XV-112E has a three-spring Hammond reverb unit as standard equipment. This is one of the best reverb units available because it has good frequency response and it doesn’t sound “springy” like the old-time units did. The control for the is located on the back panel of the amp, and it can be engaged with the optional footswitch. (It should be apparent by now that this “optional” footswitch is really essential if you are going to get the best performance out of this amp!)

If you are fortunate enough to own an echo unit or a delay line (or any other effects device, for that matter), you can patch it into the rear panel of the amp by using the Preamp Out and the Interrupt jack. This is always better than running effects directly into the front of the amp because it is less noisy. Also on the rear panel is a Slave Output Control and a W’ phone jack. The jack can be used to patch into a mixer, and the Slave gain control is used to adjust the output to match the mixer so that it won’t be overloaded. In addition, there is a power output switch on the rear panel that enables the user to drop the RMS wattage from 100 to 60. This means that you can make the amp distort at the lower volume, without sounding artificial because it is a natural power tube distortion.

The cabinet that houses this amp is made of plywood, not particle board, and is covered with black tolex and a fire-retardant grille cloth. It has. steel-reinforced corners. The speaker is front-mounted with T-nuts instead of wood screws. As an option, a solid oak cabinet with a cane grille available for an extra 85 bucks.

As you may have already guessed, I like this amp a lot. The warm sound of tubes will never be obsolete to my ears, and there are still plenty of 6L6GC tubes around to keep the XV-112E hummin’. This amp is made right here in the States, using Americanmade components. Best of all for the consumer, Carvin sells directly to the public, so there is no middleman involved. You will be surprised at the low cost of their equipment, which ranges from guitar parts to complete concert sound systems. You can get the catalog by writing to Carvin Manufacturing Co., 1155 Industrial Avenue, Escondido, CA 92025. So what have you got to lose? They offer a money-back, guarantee if you don’t like the goods.