I agree with you 100% on Carvin's customer service. I talked with a couple people in their customer service group and both were awesome. They presented me with options and never hesitated to offer to replace the item at their cost. I'm glad you stopped by and I know you'll enjoy that Legacy 3. Take Care!
Yes. I find the clean channel to be excellent and pedals work well with it. Plus, the presence button on the clean channel allows you to fine tune the tone, depending upon you're using humbuckers or single coils. Thanks for stopping in.
Great video. I have been looking for a real world review of this amp and your review was good with only the right amount of chatter and lots of sound samples. Thanks!
Great question. I wouldn't say it's generally a "noisy" amp, but volume and the amount of gain plays a role in how much noise is produced. You may consider a noise gate if you are planning on using it in these circumstances. Thanks for stopping by.
Good questions. I was playing an Ibanez Prestige.....straight into the head of the amp. The body on that guitar is bubinga wood and the fretboard is rosewood. The strings are Ernie Ball light top, heavy bottom. The pickups on the Prestige are stock - QM1 (neck) & QM2 (bridge) fire breathing dragon pickups.
I've been pretty impressed with Carvin.....and I've bought different pieces of audio and guitar equipment over the years from them. When I received the Legacy 3 it had a slight buzz to it and the production guy spent a ton of time helping me deal with it. He did end up finding the problem and we fixed it on the spot. All the while he mentioned that they would replace everything if we couldn't get it fixed. Unbelievable personal attention and service.
Good question. I haven't played through a JTM, but I have owned a Marshall JVM. With the JVM, you could get close, but the bass would have to be dialed back for sure. Thanks for stopping.
This is a great observation.....and it is true. The Legacy 3 is a very dark sounding amp.....and you do have to bring up the presence, mid, and treble quite a bit to brighten it up. I've also set the bass fairly low as well. However, I think their is a fine line between too much presence and not enough on this amp. This just occurs when the knob is close to 75%. Great question.
I just picked one up at Carvin in Santa Ana with the matching 212 cab. It is really an amazing value for the money. Very dark on the drive channels compared to my Marshall - I have to play it out to really get a sense of how it sounds at full volume.
Thinking about getting one of these. Sounds better than my Mesa Dual Recto, and I really like the reverb sound. Ch 2 crunch is much nicer too. Gotta hand it to Vai and Carvin for putting together great amp for under $1,000.
I can tell by your response that you have never played through Carvin equipment. I'd put my V3 or Legacy III up against any "boutique" amp costing three times as much. Yes, Mesa makes great stuff but so does Carvin. You just get it factory direct pricing instead of the crazy mark up you have to pay for all other amps.
Although I don't have one of these .. I only play through Carvin guitar amps .. I have 2 Legacy 1's with matching Legacy 2X12 cabs loaded with Celestion V30 speakers , a new X100B re-issue , and 2 Vintage Series 16watt heads through 2 matching single 12" cabs loaded with the stock Carvin GT12 speakers .. I've played through a lot of amps ranging from Marshall -Fender .. I will only use Carvin .. excellent tone for a fraction of the cost !!! I would love to add one of these to my arsenal !!!
Hey bud. There is some validity to your comments for sure. I'm still adjusting the E.Q. to taste and it takes a while to get it right where you want it. I've also been using a Barber Tone Press Compressor as of late and that explains those E.Q. settings to some degree. I appreciate the comments.....would love to hear your take on more of my videos.....check them out and let me know what you think. Thanks!
I have been looking for a decent tube amp ever since I bought my SG Standard and just discovered Carvin. I really think I am leaning toward them. They seem like a great value and seem to sound pretty good.
this sounds beautiful..Carvin is hooking me up with one of these, A+++ to Bart at Carvin and their great customer service, they really care about al of their customers and their satisfaction. Carvin took great care of me regarding an issue i had recently and made my day :) i am looking forward to delivery of my legacy 3 like a little kid awaiting santa's arrival on Christmas eve :) AWSOME!! THANK YOU BART AND CARVIN USA!!
The clean channel in this amp is simply awesome! I judge amps by the clean channel because I mostly use the clean channel for the music I play.i can get most of the distion and efects from my multi f/x. The price point is outstanding.
I've heard and seen many guitar amps in my time. Many having and making some pretty good claims and living up to them.Most people have one thing that they want their amp to do,be it just be loud,overdrive real creamy,distort like crazy,ect. For me,just make a great clean channel that has the power and and ability to stay clean. Carvin's Legacy 3 does just that!! (among other things). I had a chance to hear and play one of these in a local music store. I was absolutely blown away by how clean and smooth the clean channel was.For me,its hard to say that an amp has a better clean channel than the old beloved Fender Twin,but this does! I don't endorse products because most of the time the endorsements are biased,I just listen to my ears! Marshalls,Boogies,Fenders,and all of he others all have something to offer to their prospective buyers/owners. The Legacy 3 holds its own against all of these amps and in most cases surpasses them. Remember,this is just my opinion ( after many years of playing and searching for my sound) Play one yourself,and maybe you'll agree (or maybe you won't) BTW,the overdrive is good too.
One of the best Legacy 3 reviews out there, thumbs up. I like the quality of the overdrive, but it's difficult to put it in context without knowing about the rest of the sound chain. Can you please comment on the following factors: body wood (mahogany or basswood?), pickups, and string gauge (9's or 10's?). Thanks for your time!
Is it the guitar seen in your first video (Guitar Tone Basics.avi)? The S-Type (thinner) body could explain why it sounds relatively soft for bubinga. To me it sounded somewhere b/w mahogany and basswood. Interesting.
Thanks for your insight, my friend. I really dig being able to have two lead channels with different amounts of gain....especially if you want a good crunch channel for rhythm and then a hairy solo channel to switch to in the same song. Your right though, I think the channels are almost identical with the exception of the high gain switch on channel 3.
I'm playing it out tonight for an all nighter St. Pat's gig - so I'll post back tomorrow. Channel 2 needs to be more AC/DC, Jet, Strokes crunch than the stock pre amp style gain it is now for me to be happy. A little too close to channel 3 for me. We'll see how she does live. ;-)
What are the lights about inside the chassis as you change channels? What I noticed is that each channel has an LED 1.) being Green, 2.) being Red, and 3, being Yellow. But only channel 1's color LED matches with the inside chassis, but channel's 2 and 3 are backward.
Nice review. Do you consider this to be a quiet amp? I have heard the Carvin xb100 is very quiet for a tube amp and I was wondering about this one? Thanks!
Hi Jake! Just from listen to them being demo-ed they sound pretty clean! I own the V3m head and that has a nice clean you can tailor to what ever clean your looking for. The soak switch gives you that blues sound.I think their all great sounding amps.
I got one of these and went with the Celestion Vintage 30 single 12 speaker cabinet. Its open or closed back and I keep it open. Its a dark amp and my Strat with single coils or Les Paul both sound great through this. I had a new Engl Screamer (poor quality and no customer support), tried a Krank Jr, had a Marshall DSL, 5150 and a few others. This amp is far superior to those mentioned IMO. Why the EVH 50 watt Vietnam amp cost about the same and the Fender Machette is twice as much is insane!
Hi, amp sounds great. I play in a covers band and there is quite a range of songs, from 60s beatles, stones, T-rex, 80s such as Blondie, Billy Idol, U2, Duran Duran, rock such as ZZ Top, Lenny Kravitz, ACDC etc, would this give me this range?
I think it's very musical and I like every channel. Very responsive to pick attack and very affective e.q. section. One of the best amps I've played and I've owned Marshalls, Hughes & Kettners, Egnaters, etc.
These amps are very nice sounding right out of the box. I currently own the Legacy 2 and love it. I bought this one and played it for 10 days and sent it back. I loved it, but it did not sound that much different than the 2. I really like the clean boost channel on the 2 whereas this has a dirty boost channel. I really liked channel 2 on this amp better than channel 3 which is very similar to channel 2. The legacy 2 channels are a tad more spacious to my ears. PM tubes in leg 3. GT in the leg 2.
I'll have to do a demo of the Belair, B100, and Nomad to know for sure.....I haven't checked out these Carvin amps yet. Are the clean channels on these amps impressive in your opinion?
3:02 - very nice, clarity & transparency of the guitar's wood/pickup "tone" coming through - impressive.... (i guess you're using a pretty decent mic too, am i right?)
Thanks for the demo mate. Best amp I have ever heard. I love how natural and dynamic drive channels are and how warm the clean channel is. Most high gain amps on the market don't have good cleans and most clean amps don't have good drives, this amp does a good balance between the two. Definitely getting this amp.
I just tried one of these at the Carvin factory it sounds great! The presence is definitely the secret to this amp. It gives the amp a nice body to the sound.
Here's my .02..... channels 2 and 3 sound a bit dark. Clean it is absolutely beautiful! If you run at 100w and crank the master and then use the individual channel volumes it helps a great deal. Add a 10 band EQ to the loop, up the bias a bit and this amp will absolutely destroy!!! Just remember, crank the master volume. Gotta get that big glass working.
Is this amp as musical as they say ? I'm looking towards Carvin amps now and this Legacy 3 sounds good? It's hard top tell on internet. Thank you! I have a Blackstar Ht-Club 40 and it is to much on the hard rock/heavy metal side of the tone spectrum. This Legacy sounds right in the middle and it sounds way more musical then mine. Thank you!
Hi, I just picked one of these up used. I'm finding the sound is very bassy and muffled. In order to get a decent sounds I'm having to max out the treble and presence and turn the bass down to 9 o'clock. I'm assuming this amp isn't voiced like this, do you have any suggestions or ideas? Thanks.
I don't believe there is a switch that will allow it. The standard footswitch only controls the three channels and the boost function. I think this is the same deal with any MIDI ready controller as well. Good question.
I have been playing one of these at the practice studio with the band I'm in and I think I am going to pick one up. It's very user friendly, very compact and easy to take with you to gigs, the clean channel is one of the best I have ever heard in an amp and the other channels sound good too. I have to set the bass on the EQ of the dirty channels kind of low because the amp seems to have a lot of low end tones, but other than that, I can't complain about this thing. It's such a good sounding and practical amp. I am not a big fan of signature stuff, but I am ready to make an exception with this amp. It's just too cool not to pick up.
I will say those who buy this amp will love it especially for the money. I own all of carvin amps. I must say though that the amp is ugly as hell, but it sounds great. The legacy two looks like a piece of furniture in my house. Very warm and inviting.
I suppose this could be achieved by adjusting the E.Q. section. Pull down the bass to limit some of the mud. You could consider using some compression as well to smooth things out.
hola! soy de Chile y tengo el mismo amplificador, la verdad que las distorsiones en vivo suenan mucho mejor que las captadas en el video.. es un sonido muy diferente.. llega a imprecionar
Comparing 3 models and kemper profiling: 1) VL300 Legacy 3 2) Mesa-Boogie Mark Five3) Hughes-and-kettner Grandmeister 40 deluxe1- really like authentic Vai's sound, but i think it would be too loud for home gigging2- great sound, versatile, but again too loud for home and this is not Vai's sound but in approximation it would be sound like 1.3 -ideal in loudness, but it sound's like "German rock style".4 have a lot of pluses, but it's only simulation... Which one would you recommend for home gigging jem7v maybe practice with hedphones?
Thank you for your reply and detailed legacy review. I want to achieve sound like Vai, but hesitate to choose legacy 3 because it too loud for silent home playing.
Uh, I think anything's too loud for "silent" home playing bruh... ;) But, there is a 15, 50, & 100-watt switch on back to lower the output so you should be fine with thumbing your nose to your neighbors as you wail away on your 6 string twang stang!
Thx, for your reply! I like the tone and sound of that amp. But my opinion based only on youtube reviews. Anybody knows what is the surprise VAI prepare? carvinaudio.com/blogs/news/steve-vai-announces-something-new-is-coming?
An amp chip is being inserted into Steve's head, so now Carvin can just upload all of Steve's ideas even before Steve creates them! It's a new line called "Steve's Head" by Carvin! Seriously, I can't wait to find out what it is. I am picking up a VL300 with matching cab today, super excited!
+Gravi Corde Hi Gravi. The buzz was the metal "grill" portion of the head. The guy I talked to at Carvin basically said to bend it a bit to see if it eliminated the buzzing. If that didn't work (it did take care of the buzzing) they would replace everything for free. It's rare that you kind that kind of customer service. Thumbs up to Carvin.
+Gravi Corde Absolutely. Good twang is no problem since the clean channel is outstanding. In terms of metal, I'd suggest high output humbucking pickups or an overdrive pedal in front of the amp....tube screamer, etc.
Thanks for playing a clean sound. With the EQ flat. Most people just demonstrate what shitty players they are with the worst distortion sound and create a big fail. Thanks for bucking the trend!
? Legacy3 or V3m? I'm in a cover band playing ranges from Barry Manilow to disturbed and modern country. Currently I use a Bogner XTC but at almost 60lbs it's getting too heavy. Hence my original question L3 or V3M?
+gman598 I'd use the legacy for live gigging. The v3m would be a great practice amp because of the portability, size and weight. I have the legacy and use it in a hard rock cover band. I dont ususally make it through a whole night without someone asking me what kind of amp Im using, and how great it sounds.
Way too much bass and mids on that already warm amp. Play around with the treb mid and bass and you can dial a muchhh better tone. And where you playing through the stock celestion v30's that come with it? Cause it didn't sound like it. There should be much more chew and bite to that amp. Way too much fuzz.
I agree with you 100% on Carvin's customer service. I talked with a couple people in their customer service group and both were awesome. They presented me with options and never hesitated to offer to replace the item at their cost. I'm glad you stopped by and I know you'll enjoy that Legacy 3. Take Care!
Yes. I find the clean channel to be excellent and pedals work well with it. Plus, the presence button on the clean channel allows you to fine tune the tone, depending upon you're using humbuckers or single coils. Thanks for stopping in.
you answered the question i had today 9 years ago. thank you Nostradamus
Great video. I have been looking for a real world review of this amp and your review was good with only the right amount of chatter and lots of sound samples. Thanks!
Great question. I wouldn't say it's generally a "noisy" amp, but volume and the amount of gain plays a role in how much noise is produced. You may consider a noise gate if you are planning on using it in these circumstances. Thanks for stopping by.
Good questions. I was playing an Ibanez Prestige.....straight into the head of the amp. The body on that guitar is bubinga wood and the fretboard is rosewood. The strings are Ernie Ball light top, heavy bottom. The pickups on the Prestige are stock - QM1 (neck) & QM2 (bridge) fire breathing dragon pickups.
I've been pretty impressed with Carvin.....and I've bought different pieces of audio and guitar equipment over the years from them. When I received the Legacy 3 it had a slight buzz to it and the production guy spent a ton of time helping me deal with it. He did end up finding the problem and we fixed it on the spot. All the while he mentioned that they would replace everything if we couldn't get it fixed. Unbelievable personal attention and service.
You bet. Really glad you stopped by. Feel free to check out the AskAGuitarPro website as well. See you on the next one my friend!
Good question. I haven't played through a JTM, but I have owned a Marshall JVM. With the JVM, you could get close, but the bass would have to be dialed back for sure. Thanks for stopping.
This is a great observation.....and it is true. The Legacy 3 is a very dark sounding amp.....and you do have to bring up the presence, mid, and treble quite a bit to brighten it up. I've also set the bass fairly low as well. However, I think their is a fine line between too much presence and not enough on this amp. This just occurs when the knob is close to 75%. Great question.
I just picked one up at Carvin in Santa Ana with the matching 212 cab. It is really an amazing value for the money. Very dark on the drive channels compared to my Marshall - I have to play it out to really get a sense of how it sounds at full volume.
Thanks for the thoughts, man. I've had the Legacy 3 for a few weeks now and I'm still adjusting the E.Q. on Channels 2 & 3 to taste.
For sure. Even after spending only a few weeks with the Legacy 3, I think you can get those tones plus just about anything else.
Given the fact that you can change the power setting (back of the head), you can actually get some pretty good tones at lower volume.
Thinking about getting one of these. Sounds better than my Mesa Dual Recto, and I really like the reverb sound. Ch 2 crunch is much nicer too. Gotta hand it to Vai and Carvin for putting together great amp for under $1,000.
I can tell by your response that you have never played through Carvin equipment. I'd put my V3 or Legacy III up against any "boutique" amp costing three times as much. Yes, Mesa makes great stuff but so does Carvin. You just get it factory direct pricing instead of the crazy mark up you have to pay for all other amps.
It may Be better. I was blown away with Carvin the first time I played one.
Thanks for stopping by!
Although I don't have one of these .. I only play through Carvin guitar amps .. I have 2 Legacy 1's with matching Legacy 2X12 cabs loaded with Celestion V30 speakers , a new X100B re-issue , and 2 Vintage Series 16watt heads through 2 matching single 12" cabs loaded with the stock Carvin GT12 speakers .. I've played through a lot of amps ranging from Marshall -Fender .. I will only use Carvin .. excellent tone for a fraction of the cost !!! I would love to add one of these to my arsenal !!!
Hey bud. There is some validity to your comments for sure. I'm still adjusting the E.Q. to taste and it takes a while to get it right where you want it. I've also been using a Barber Tone Press Compressor as of late and that explains those E.Q. settings to some degree. I appreciate the comments.....would love to hear your take on more of my videos.....check them out and let me know what you think. Thanks!
I have been looking for a decent tube amp ever since I bought my SG Standard and just discovered Carvin. I really think I am leaning toward them. They seem like a great value and seem to sound pretty good.
I agree. Thanks for the comments, my friend!
I appreciate you stopping by. Come see us again!
this sounds beautiful..Carvin is hooking me up with one of these, A+++ to Bart at Carvin and their great customer service, they really care about al of their customers and their satisfaction. Carvin took great care of me regarding an issue i had recently and made my day :) i am looking forward to delivery of my legacy 3 like a little kid awaiting santa's arrival on Christmas eve :) AWSOME!! THANK YOU BART AND CARVIN USA!!
The clean channel in this amp is simply awesome! I judge amps by the clean channel because I mostly use the clean channel for the music I play.i can get most of the distion and efects from my multi f/x. The price point is outstanding.
Thanks for stopping by brother. We'll see you on the next one, my friend!
I've heard and seen many guitar amps in my time. Many having and making some pretty good claims and living up to them.Most people have one thing that they want their amp to do,be it just be loud,overdrive real creamy,distort like crazy,ect.
For me,just make a great clean channel that has the power and and ability to stay clean.
Carvin's Legacy 3 does just that!! (among other things). I had a chance to hear and play one of these in a local music store. I was absolutely blown away by how clean and smooth the clean channel was.For me,its hard to say that an amp has a better clean channel than the old beloved Fender Twin,but this does!
I don't endorse products because most of the time the endorsements are biased,I just listen to my ears! Marshalls,Boogies,Fenders,and all of he others all have something to offer to their prospective buyers/owners. The Legacy 3 holds its own against all of these amps and in most cases surpasses them. Remember,this is just my opinion ( after many years of playing and searching for my sound)
Play one yourself,and maybe you'll agree (or maybe you won't) BTW,the overdrive is good too.
I looked at the V3M for a while. Seemed to be an incredible value. It's nice to hear that it's working well for you, man.
One of the best Legacy 3 reviews out there, thumbs up. I like the quality of the overdrive, but it's difficult to put it in context without knowing about the rest of the sound chain. Can you please comment on the following factors: body wood (mahogany or basswood?), pickups, and string gauge (9's or 10's?). Thanks for your time!
The cabinet is the Celestion 30's. Thx!
Cool. Let us know what you find out.....another perspective would be great. Thanks Spakuloid.
Is it the guitar seen in your first video (Guitar Tone Basics.avi)? The S-Type (thinner) body could explain why it sounds relatively soft for bubinga. To me it sounded somewhere b/w mahogany and basswood. Interesting.
Thanks for your insight, my friend. I really dig being able to have two lead channels with different amounts of gain....especially if you want a good crunch channel for rhythm and then a hairy solo channel to switch to in the same song. Your right though, I think the channels are almost identical with the exception of the high gain switch on channel 3.
I'm playing it out tonight for an all nighter St. Pat's gig - so I'll post back tomorrow. Channel 2 needs to be more AC/DC, Jet, Strokes crunch than the stock pre amp style gain it is now for me to be happy. A little too close to channel 3 for me. We'll see how she does live. ;-)
Thanks bud. The back on the speaker cabinet was closed.
Great review, How bedroom friendly is the master volume? Not looking for whisper tones, but probly loud, louder then tv level tones. Thanks.
What are the lights about inside the chassis as you change channels? What I noticed is that each channel has an LED 1.) being Green, 2.) being Red, and 3, being Yellow. But only channel 1's color LED matches with the inside chassis, but channel's 2 and 3 are backward.
I agree completely. Thanks for weighing in!
Nice review. Do you consider this to be a quiet amp? I have heard the Carvin xb100 is very quiet for a tube amp and I was wondering about this one? Thanks!
If I get a chance to attend, I'll check you out. Thanks!
Hi Jake! Just from listen to them being demo-ed they sound pretty clean! I own the V3m head and that has a nice clean you can tailor to what ever clean your looking for. The soak switch gives you that blues sound.I think their all great sounding amps.
Thanks for stopping, man. More on the askaguitarpro website, as well, my friend.
Was that speaker cabinet recorded with the back open? Great job by the way.
I got one of these and went with the Celestion Vintage 30 single 12 speaker cabinet. Its open or closed back and I keep it open. Its a dark amp and my Strat with single coils or Les Paul both sound great through this. I had a new Engl Screamer (poor quality and no customer support), tried a Krank Jr, had a Marshall DSL, 5150 and a few others. This amp is far superior to those mentioned IMO. Why the EVH 50 watt Vietnam amp cost about the same and the Fender Machette is twice as much is insane!
Love the channel 3 with gain button engaged.
Hi, amp sounds great. I play in a covers band and there is quite a range of songs, from 60s beatles, stones, T-rex, 80s such as Blondie, Billy Idol, U2, Duran Duran, rock such as ZZ Top, Lenny Kravitz, ACDC etc, would this give me this range?
I think it's very musical and I like every channel. Very responsive to pick attack and very affective e.q. section. One of the best amps I've played and I've owned Marshalls, Hughes & Kettners, Egnaters, etc.
These amps are very nice sounding right out of the box. I currently own the Legacy 2 and love it. I bought this one and played it for 10 days and sent it back. I loved it, but it did not sound that much different than the 2. I really like the clean boost channel on the 2 whereas this has a dirty boost channel. I really liked channel 2 on this amp better than channel 3 which is very similar to channel 2. The legacy 2 channels are a tad more spacious to my ears. PM tubes in leg 3. GT in the leg 2.
I'll have to do a demo of the Belair, B100, and Nomad to know for sure.....I haven't checked out these Carvin amps yet. Are the clean channels on these amps impressive in your opinion?
3:02 - very nice, clarity & transparency of the guitar's wood/pickup "tone" coming through - impressive.... (i guess you're using a pretty decent mic too, am i right?)
Hi there.
Pretty sure I used an SM-57 slightly off the center of the cone. Thx. for the question and stopping by. :)
Well said. Thanks for stopping!
Would you say this has the Belair clean channel or the B100 ,nomad or never! Sounds more vintage Belair to me .
Thanks for the demo mate.
Best amp I have ever heard.
I love how natural and dynamic drive channels are and how warm the clean channel is.
Most high gain amps on the market don't have good cleans and most clean amps don't have good drives, this amp does a good balance between the two.
Definitely getting this amp.
I agree with everything you've said here Elliot. This amplifier has few, if any, negatives.
I just tried one of these at the Carvin factory it sounds great! The presence is definitely the secret to this amp. It gives the amp a nice body to the sound.
Thanks for the question. I haven't checked out the MTS 3212; is the clean channel pretty solid?
I have this amp and I’m trying to find rack ears for it. They are sold out at Carvins website. Anyone know where I can get them?
Same here. Very organic distortion.....especially with good humbuckers.
Here's my .02..... channels 2 and 3 sound a bit dark. Clean it is absolutely beautiful! If you run at 100w and crank the master and then use the individual channel volumes it helps a great deal. Add a 10 band EQ to the loop, up the bias a bit and this amp will absolutely destroy!!! Just remember, crank the master volume. Gotta get that big glass working.
Just wondering has anyone who has tried this also tried the marshall jvm410hjs, the joe satch model. If so how do these two amps compare?
Great demo. The channel 2 crunch is beautiful!! Guess I could eBay my OCD ;-)
Well said, my friend. Thanks for stopping.
Is this amp as musical as they say ? I'm looking towards Carvin amps now and this Legacy 3 sounds good? It's hard top tell on internet. Thank you! I have a Blackstar Ht-Club 40 and it is to much on the hard rock/heavy metal side of the tone spectrum. This Legacy sounds right in the middle and it sounds way more musical then mine. Thank you!
You're right......it's a great value. There's not too many tones you can't dial in with the Legacy 3.
Excellent review buddy!!
Thx. Robbie. Have a great one.
Celestions and the mic is halfway between the cone and speaker edge.
Hi, I just picked one of these up used. I'm finding the sound is very bassy and muffled. In order to get a decent sounds I'm having to max out the treble and presence and turn the bass down to 9 o'clock. I'm assuming this amp isn't voiced like this, do you have any suggestions or ideas? Thanks.
Our new 2013 4x12 is a full cage that you can stand inside and rock ...I cant wait to show the guitar world...!!!!
would you say this amp is a little to the JTM marshall side of things or not
I don't believe there is a switch that will allow it. The standard footswitch only controls the three channels and the boost function. I think this is the same deal with any MIDI ready controller as well. Good question.
Thanks 38decembers. Appreciate the feedback.
great demo. what guitar did you use and was it tuned to standard?
Hi Jim. I believe I was playing an Ibanez Prestige for this demo and I was probably tuned down 1/2 step from standard.
Did you understand them..? we are doing our 1st winter Namm this year come see us..not sure what our booth is yet thou...
Ibanez Prestige. Thanks for the questions. I think you'll find that it's worth every penny you save up, my friend. See ya next time!
Great Demo
2nd has a plexi modded tone....
I have been playing one of these at the practice studio with the band I'm in and I think I am going to pick one up. It's very user friendly, very compact and easy to take with you to gigs, the clean channel is one of the best I have ever heard in an amp and the other channels sound good too. I have to set the bass on the EQ of the dirty channels kind of low because the amp seems to have a lot of low end tones, but other than that, I can't complain about this thing. It's such a good sounding and practical amp. I am not a big fan of signature stuff, but I am ready to make an exception with this amp. It's just too cool not to pick up.
Very warm amp. I agree. Thanks!
I will say those who buy this amp will love it especially for the money. I own all of carvin amps. I must say though that the amp is ugly as hell, but it sounds great. The legacy two looks like a piece of furniture in my house. Very warm and inviting.
Is there a way of making the 2nd channel "stringier", with more defined chords?
I suppose this could be achieved by adjusting the E.Q. section. Pull down the bass to limit some of the mud. You could consider using some compression as well to smooth things out.
Now that's something to see!
rectifier type gain on tap
what cabident do you use?do you have Vintage 30?
what type of tubes is in this?> is it stock i may of found a deal in my local area,,,, :)
Preamp tubes are 12AX7's and Power tubes are EL-34's. Thanks for the question, my friend.
+AskAGuitarPro is it PM el34 tubes and 12ax7 china??
mine came with groovetubes sounds great its bascily brand spanking new!!!!!!!!!!!
The stock power tubes at Russian made EL-34's from PM. I can't tell what brand the 12 AX-7's are as they don't appear to be marked very clearly.
Thanks man. I checked out your site as well......very cool.
hola! soy de Chile y tengo el mismo amplificador, la verdad que las distorsiones en vivo suenan mucho mejor que las captadas en el video.. es un sonido muy diferente..
llega a imprecionar
has escuchado Gran Hechicero? el usa uno de estos amplificadores th-cam.com/video/AkCzJDlzCSo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=kKN2AffJvtXGr-tM suena increible!
Yes it is. Nice catch, my friend.
Try finding an all tube USA made 100w/50w/15w head that sounds this good for $900. Steve Vai approved. It sounds that good.
Comparing 3 models and kemper profiling: 1) VL300 Legacy 3 2) Mesa-Boogie Mark Five3) Hughes-and-kettner Grandmeister 40 deluxe1- really like authentic Vai's sound, but i think it would be too loud for home gigging2- great sound, versatile, but again too loud for home and this is not Vai's sound but in approximation it would be sound like 1.3 -ideal in loudness, but it sound's like "German rock style".4 have a lot of pluses, but it's only simulation... Which one would you recommend for home gigging jem7v maybe practice with hedphones?
Evgeny - For starters, what is the kind of sound you are looking to achieve
Thank you for your reply and detailed legacy review. I want to achieve sound like Vai, but hesitate to choose legacy 3 because it too loud for silent home playing.
Uh, I think anything's too loud for "silent" home playing bruh... ;) But, there is a 15, 50, & 100-watt switch on back to lower the output so you should be fine with thumbing your nose to your neighbors as you wail away on your 6 string twang stang!
Thx, for your reply! I like the tone and sound of that amp. But my opinion based only on youtube reviews. Anybody knows what is the surprise VAI prepare? carvinaudio.com/blogs/news/steve-vai-announces-something-new-is-coming?
An amp chip is being inserted into Steve's head, so now Carvin can just upload all of Steve's ideas even before Steve creates them! It's a new line called "Steve's Head" by Carvin! Seriously, I can't wait to find out what it is. I am picking up a VL300 with matching cab today, super excited!
Great tones
Thanks Darryl. Have a great one.
these sound way better in person.. js
Its a litter easier to hear the EQ and the over all tone when the reverb is turned down.
the lead channel is awesome ,
hey, nice review! can you get tones like petrucci, paul gilbert(racer x) out of it?
sounds great!
alright, I 'm sold- price is good, sounds r good -it does'nt weigh much [32 lbs] LETS GO FOR IT
Thanks for sharing, my friend.
What did the buzz problem end up being?
+Gravi Corde Hi Gravi. The buzz was the metal "grill" portion of the head. The guy I talked to at Carvin basically said to bend it a bit to see if it eliminated the buzzing. If that didn't work (it did take care of the buzzing) they would replace everything for free. It's rare that you kind that kind of customer service. Thumbs up to Carvin.
+AskAGuitarPro recommend the legacy for metal or even good twang on a strat?
+Gravi Corde Absolutely. Good twang is no problem since the clean channel is outstanding. In terms of metal, I'd suggest high output humbucking pickups or an overdrive pedal in front of the amp....tube screamer, etc.
+AskAGuitarPro I'm sold what speakers in cab is there a choice of tubes or speakers with the legacy recommend? I had old Celestions with x 100b
+AskAGuitarPro thanks for the reply
Thanks for playing a clean sound. With the EQ flat. Most people just demonstrate what shitty players they are with the worst distortion sound and create a big fail. Thanks for bucking the trend!
? Legacy3 or V3m? I'm in a cover band playing ranges from Barry Manilow to disturbed and modern country. Currently I use a Bogner XTC but at almost 60lbs it's getting too heavy. Hence my original question L3 or V3M?
+gman598 I'd use the legacy for live gigging. The v3m would be a great practice amp because of the portability, size and weight. I have the legacy and use it in a hard rock cover band. I dont ususally make it through a whole night without someone asking me what kind of amp Im using, and how great it sounds.
+skyg0d bought this amp. Lackluster at best. :( clean is pretty good and it gets progressively worse. Although my bass on 2/3 is at 1 not 8 like Urs.
HOW MUCH??
You running it at a very low volume. You will get better results if you put it trough it's paces
i had the 1st legacy amp - kinda poopy - this one snds great
Way too much bass and mids on that already warm amp. Play around with the treb mid and bass and you can dial a muchhh better tone. And where you playing through the stock celestion v30's that come with it? Cause it didn't sound like it. There should be much more chew and bite to that amp. Way too much fuzz.
$1300 to $1400 with footswitch & cabinet. Thanks!