"In all, the RL1018 rig performs fantastically as a stage or studio setup. At 1,000 watts of output power, it produces loads of clean, deep sound."

Carvin's Red Line series of bass amps has been around since 1996 and its latest incarnation, the Series III, has been making a serious splash amongst pros and amateurs who have given it a good go.

The Series III design was launched in mid 2001, with some changes to its interior workings, including surface-mounted components that Carvin says increase its performance and reliability, a new tube emulator circuit in lieu of an actual 12AX7 tube, smoother and faster-acting noise gate. Improved compressor, adjustable direct out, and separate input jacks for passive and active pickups.

Standard features also include a nine band graphic EQ, an active shelving "Low"control, sweepable midrange, and active "High" control.

We recently snared the 1,000-watt (two amps, each 500 watts at 4 ohms) Series III RL1000 head along with Carvin's 4x10" and lxl8" cabs.

Out of the box, the Redline head is aesthetically striking; a matte black finish with white and red silkscreen printing, red brushed-aluminum-look knobs for input gain, preamp tube emulator effect. Compressor, gate, crossover, individual volume controls for the two 500watt amps, and master volume (all knobs on the face are the same size, shape, and color).

For easy monitoring of the amp's many functions, the face has eight LEDs that indicate when the amp is powered up, when the graphic EQ. effects loop, compressor. and noise gate are activated, and when signal clip is occurring in the preamp and/or the individual amps.

Instruments

For our trial run, we grabbed a recent issue Fender Precision Bass Deluxe (P/ J pickup arrangement) loaded with Seymour Duncan Basslines' passive Hot for Jazz and Hot for Precision pickups, and a Warwick Corvette Standard with active single-coils.

Features

Any modern amp worth its salt takes steps to help bassists avoid low-end rumble and extraneous noise. The Red Line is no different. With its built-in compressor and noise-gate. both of which are controlled by sweeps. We found the compressor did an exemplary job, and Carvin's improved noise gate was quite responsive.
If there's an element of the Red Line series that has left a bad taste in the mouths of some, it's that there is so much tone control/EQ adjustability at the user's fingertips. Some find it intimidating, but in the hands of an experienced player (or sound tech), this degree of control is purely beneficial.
When you pull the Red Line from its box, one is arguably best served by simply studying the faceplate; don't touch any knobs, don't push any switches, Notice how, like most amps, it's laid out such that you can follow the signal path from the input jack, and through the various stages until it goes out the master volume to the cabs. Also note how the EQ slider frequencies interact with the pre-EQ shelving.
Next (and yeah, it's difficult and painful, but ... ), read the instruction sheet! The front page has a "get started quickly" section if you're a complete ADD case. But after you've plugged in and noodled around, open to the centerfold (!), and read the finer points of making the amp work. Skipping this step will likely result in less-than-peak performance.

EQ Overkill?

So the question is, "is there too much EQ?" Well, that's subjective, but after about 45 minutes of familiarizing ourselves with it, the answer for us became "No."

Why?

Because although there are a lot of tone-shaping options, the process doesn't have to be difficult.
For starters, we found that engaging all three pre-shape filters (to the right of the input section) does a great job if filling out the entire frequency range, thus leaving the main EQ section - and .especially the graphic EQ - to be used for only discreet adjustment. The "Low Boost" switch provides a 8dB boost at just under 80Hz. It adds noticeable depth without affecting the lower midrange. The "Mid Shift" functions a little differently; pushed in, it gives a lOdB cut at 250 Hz, and in the out position it raises the cut frequency to 500 Hz. The "Hi Boost" switch offers a 6dB boost at 3 kHz, which lends high-frequency compensation if you're playing through 15" or 18" speaker/cabinet with no horn/tweeter.
The main EQ section consists of a low shelving control, a sweep midrange, and a high shelving control. The "Low" control's action, Carvin says, has been matched to the response of the bass guitar. The "Mid Sweep" is a two stage EQ; the mid "Gain" knob boosts/cuts a narrow band of frequencies, while the "Freq" control selects the frequency where boosting/cutting occurs. This is exemplary of a sound-shaping element that requires practice. And the "High" control adjusts high frequencies of the bass guitar. Boosting this brings up the high harmonics of the bass - very useful for slappin' and/or poppin'.
More Than Just a Pretty Face
Carvin says the Red Line amps are engineered for studio and live use. That means functionality, which can be further determined by a look at the back panel. There you'll find a balanced XLR output with its own level control, ground lift, and line/direct switch for selecting pre/post feed.
There's also an effects loop (inserted after the main EQ and compressor, but before the graphic EQ), Tip Ring Sleeve (TRS) preamp insert jacks (high and low-frequency), and outputs for the footswitch, tuner/headphones, and the speaker output array.
The unit contains two 1/4" and two Neutrik Speak-On connectors - one for each amp. The low-frequency jack goes to Amp 1, while the high-frequency routes to Amp 2. There's another set of the same for running the amp in bridged mode with a minimum 4-ohm load. Speakers can be daisy-chained by either connection, as long as impedance doesn't drop below two ohms per amp.

Cabs

The RL1018 rig is rounded out with the RL410T and RL118 extension cabs, both of which are available separately.
Run independently, we noticed that the 4xl0 offered nice, tight low-end, even when we dropped the E string to low B. With the attenuated horn, this cab is a great full-range choice that handles high power levels with aplomb.
And for those who like it really low, the RL118 offers sounds reminiscent of 70s classic rock tone, similar to an old Sunn or Casino rig back before the days of midrange drivers and compressor horns. Its frequency response (at 3db) is listed at 38 hz to 2 khz.

And if you're wondering, the entire RL1018 rig weighs about 175 pounds, and when broken down becomes very manageable; the RL410T weighs 72 pounds, the RL118 weighs 69 pounds. Both cabs have caster inserts in case you need the optional wheels. And Carvin's line of cabs includes most any configuration a bassist would use, including 2xIO with horn, 8xlO with compressor horn, and 1X15. There are also numerous combo configurations, employing amps with 100, 160, and 600watt power ratings.

The Verdict

In all, the RL1018 rig performs fantastically as a stage or studio setup. At 1,000 watts of output power, it produces loads of clean, deep sound. Carvin admits that it takes a bit of familiarization to get the most from the rig, but once you've got it dialed in, it's eminently versatile.

- Ward Meeker / Phil Feser