Although the list of Carvin users reads like a Who's Who of American Guitarists, not a lot was known about these amps in this country until fairly recently. Their British Importer, West Coast Wire And Wood, has decided to raise the products' profile considerably, and after reading Lord Dominic of Hilton's gushing review of the Bel Air (January 1997), a combo I personally didn't get the chance to try, I was happy to be given the opportunity of putting the MTS3212 through its paces.

  LAYOUT

Carvin has taken a simple approach to this 2 x 12 combo, discarding push/pull features on the post to concentrate, according to the manual, on the basic sound produced by a total of nin pre and power tubes.

This is 100w, all-American, all-tube combo that weighs in at 55lbs; substantial, but not quite the "blue whale encased in lead" of some Boogies, Riveras, etc.

The two channels are labelled Lead 1 and Clean 2, which leaves the player in little doubt as to their dedicated functions. Each has the lowest practical number of controls, aiding in the unit's simplicity of operation. Both channels are equipped with a three-band treble, mid, bass EQ plus channel volume, while Lead 1 includes an extra drive pot.

The knobs themselves are of the cast steel [NOTE: They are brass] variety more usually seen on electric guitars and, although, they each have a small dimple on their dome to depict where on the dail they have been set, it may prove a little difficult to see where they are on the scale of 0-10 - especially under stage lights.

The master section of the front panel features a master reverb post, which accesses the all-valve, long tailed Accutronics spring reverb which is pertinent to both channels. The term "long-tailed" refers to Carvin's method of switching the effect; when the reverb is turned off (via the optional FS22 Footswitch), only the reverb's "send" is disengaged, which in turn allows the "tail" of the reverb to decay naturally. This gets 'round the sudden "chopping off" of the reverb and is designed to allow the effect to sound a little more realistic.

The other pot in this section is Lead 1's presence control, while Clean 2's ultra high-end can be increased via the microswitch between its bass and volume pots.

Hefty power and standby switches top off a front panel which has been finished in white (rather like Soldano and selected Crate amps) and features the words "50th Anniversary" to celebrate Carvin's half-century.

I do miss an overall master volume pot in the combo's complement of knobs. I'd wager that it would make quick alterations in the heat of a gig that much easier - certainly in situations where the balance between channels is just right but a general increase or reduction on volume is required.

Although the front panel is a nicely straightforward affair, the rest of the combo features at least some of the options you would be forgiven for expecting on such a combo, the most useful of which is arguably the 100w/50w Output selector switch.

As its name suggests, the switch allows you to halve the combo's output by taking two of the four 6L6 power tubes out of the equation. Carvin says that the actual drop in volume between the two ratings will be no greater than 3dB but that, when set to 50w, the amp will provide earlier clipping of the power stage. Useful for "real" sounds at lower volumes.

A Power Tube Bias switch will enable you to have the combo fitted with iether 6l6 or EL34 valves, depending on your preference, but you must get the internal bias set by a qualified electrician or technician - do not, under any circumstances, do it yourself.

The line out has been "cabinet voiced" to prevent excessive lows or highs going into an external mixer or whatever, which should make the sound much easier to EQ for the outfront engineer.

There are two speaker outputs too, which would allow you to use the amplifier section as a 100w head and an impedance switch (with options of 4, 8 or 16ohms) wich lets you adjust the ohmage accordingly. The combo is rated at 4ohms, and comes fitted with two Carvin British Series 12-inch speakers.

A useful troubleshooting inclusion is a Tube Replacement guide, printed next to the mono effects loop, which illustrates which of the valves to replace under certain circumstances.

IN USE

It's an American valve amp, so to ascertain whether it can produce that sought-after "brown" tone it's up with the volume and out with the cherished Go-Faster-Stripes Custom.

Actually, the MTS3212 is a more versatile beast than I at first assumed, because, in the process of turning the drive control all the way up, there are some excellent crunch tones along the way.

Maybe it's the British Series speakers, or the simple fact that the amp pristles with glowing tubes of loveliness, but these mid-driven sounds are of that responsive type that you just can't beat. It's warm, of course, but vibrant enough to cut through, and the tone's dynamic qualities would seem to offer musical assistance to all but the most colourless of blues players.

However, I would argue that it's at high gains that this Carvin comes into its own. In this situation, it's one of the most satisfying amps I have played in a long tim. EVH was once quoted as saying that you know that you have a good sound when the guitar seems to play itself, and if Sir Edward of Van plugged into this combo, he would be more than happy with the brown-ness of the tone.

High octane rock sounds? No problem. Is mid-scooped thrash or angst-core your bag? Just step this way, Sir. The EQ is simple because it has no reason to be anything else, such is the efficiency of both the amp section and speakers to kick out a tone full of ballsy clout and high end shimmer. Putting it through a 2 x 12 extension cab merely enhances the tone further - I dread to think what would happen if you splashed out £529 on a Carvin 4 x 12...

Just when you thought it was safe to think, "so... It's like a Peavey 5150" (yes, the overdrives really are that good), a flick to Clean 2 will see you reaching for your Strat and switching to position 4. An amp's clean sound is, if anything, a more subjective affair than its dirty compadre, but I would say that the MTS3212 has the best clean sound I've ever heard from a 100w combo. Others might prefer a black-faced Fender Twin or even a Roland JC120, but the bass end available here is nothing short of incredible. It has the potential to turn the sound of a single coil solid into something akin to that of a monstrous f-hole jazz beast (should you so desire). Those inbetweeny Strat tones are well served, as is the neck position of a Gibson ES335, and the fact that the combo can handle such diverse sounds with equal aplomb is a major feat.

CONCLUSION

Whatever styles of music you play, I have a feeling that you may well be blown away by this Carvin. The price tag of £825 represents excellent value, and it could give amplifiers costing twice as much a serious run for their money. It's a pity that there is no footswitch included, and I would have liked an overall master volume control, but such niggles pale into insignificance alongside the sheer quality of tones available here. Please put the MTS3212 high on any amplifier shortlist; anything that sounds this good deserves to be heard.

- Simon Bradley, Guitarist Magazine

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