The Fall Of Carvin, And The Infamous Peavey XR 600

[Murph]

I have a few Carvin rigs that have served me well. The AG100D is one. Bulletproof 3 channel (acoustic guitar/bass/voice) with eq, digital effects, many many options, however is does have it's limits.

 

And my R1000 1000 watt bass amp/4:10 Redeye cab I used with the 3 piece version of Double Aught around 2003 or so, which still works fine.

 

However, a friend of mine has had bucketloads of problems with their P.A. gear, to the point where in the last few months he's bringing out a 25/30 year old Peavey XR600 because his Carvin is down to one working channel, so he's using it to push monitors.

 

I remember 20/25 years ago if you went to Nashville you'd see those damned XR600's EVERYWHERE ! I still have one myself, works just fine, is every bit of 25 years old. Lived in the back of pickups, been rained on, frozen, used for everything from mains to monitors to a bass head in an emergency. Made in Meridian Mississippi and tougher than an anvil.

 

I hate to see Carvin go away, because I have a few of their products that have served me well, BUT I have witnessed him have issues with the BelAir 50 watt combo, the 100 watt combo, his first p.a. system, and now this second powered mixer.

 

I know those old Peavey's weren't the finest audio equipment on the market in their day, however they WERE pretty famous for one thing.

 

When you'd flip the switch, the light would come on.

[QuestionMark]

I just got rid of two 600w Peavey speakers. They weighed 95 lbs a piece, but sounded crystal clear, and served me well for a long time. Traded them into San Ash for two 200w Samson 12 inch speakers weighing 25 lbs a piece, which also sound quite good, and are a whole lot more manageable to this aging musician. The younguns at San Ash were blown away when they heard the Peaveys and gave me a good trade in price. Although most speakers bought these days are powered speakers rather than passive speakers like the Peaveys or even the Samsons I bought. I use a 600w Berringher to power them that I’ve had for 12 years now.. I don’t use a full sound system all that much in my gigging or events I stage, but sometimes I still need it for some gigs, where my portable equipment won’t suffice.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

[Murph]

I just got rid of two 600w Peavey speakers. They weighed 95 lbs a piece, but sounded crystal clear, and served me well for a long time. Traded them into San Ash for two 200w Samson 12 inch speakers weighing 25 lbs a piece, which also sound quite good, and are a whole lot more manageable to this aging musician. The younguns at San Ash were blown away when they heard the Peaveys

 

My SP2's weigh every bit of that I bet, and sound HUGE.

 

I gotta admit, those big wood (plywood/particle board) cabinets were heavy, but did sound good.....