Carvin B5, AC50, B4, Bass Maintenanc, AC40 Owner's Manual

Congratulations on your Carvin bass purchase.

With proper care Carvin basses will last a

lifetime.

n IMPORTANT

Within several days of receiving your bass, it

may require a truss rod adjustment, especially

if your local weather is either very dry or very

humid. If it is very dry, chances are your neck

will start to acquire too much forward bow. If it

is raining or very humid, the neck may become

backbowed, causing string buzzing. Please refer

to the 2-way truss rod adjustment instructions.

n STRINGS

Your Carvin bass is equipped with a high quality

set of Carvin strings. For replacement strings,

please order from our catalog. If you change

to considerably lighter or heavier strings, you

may need to adjust the truss rod in the neck to

maintain good string action. For long string

life, keep the strings clean with a soft dry cloth.

Replace strings regularly to avoid dead strings

which can cause intonation problems.

n 2-WAY TRUSS ROD ADJUSTMENT

Carvin basses come with a 2-way adjustable

truss rod, allowing you to add the proper

amount of forward bow to necks with a reverse

bow condition. You can check the neck yourself

for the proper amount of forward bow. You will

need a straightedge about 24” long and a feeler

gauge set. Tune the bass to the proper pitch

and place the straightedge edgewise on the

center of the fingerboard so that it is resting

on the first and last fret. Now take the feeler

gauge set and check for clearance at the 7th fret.

Viewing from the tip of the headstock (with the

frets facing away from you), the truss rod nut

must be turned left (counter clockwise) if there is

less than .010” clearance at the 7th fret. If more

than .020” clearance, the truss rod nut must be

turned clockwise. The optimum forward bow is

.015”. Turning the nut to the right (clockwise)

will reduce the amount of forward bow. To make

adjustments use the 4mm hex wrench provided

with your bass. A 5/32” hex wrench will also

work. Turn the nut 1/10 of a turn and recheck.

Do Not force or over tighten the truss rod nut!

Note: If you have just received your Carvin

bass and the string action is very low with

buzzing frets, then chances are the neck needs

adjusting because of a backbowed condition

sometimes caused during shipping. If this is

the case then remove the truss rod cover with

a small phillips screwdriver. Turn the truss rod

counter clockwise until you have .015” forward

bow. This is about the thickness of 2 business

cards or playing cards.

If you don’t have a straightedge or feeler

gauge set you can achieve great results by

pressing one of your outside strings down at

the first fret and 24th fret and having a friend

slide 2 stacked playing cards between the 7th

fret and the bottom of the string. The 2 cards

should slide under without lifting the string up.

Adjust the truss rod accordingly.

MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS FOR CARVIN BASSES

n BRIDGE ADJUSTMENTS

Each Carvin bass is set for best possible

playing action for the average bassist. We

set our basses up for

3

/32” clearance at the

24th fret. If this dimension is much greater or

less than this when you first receive your bass

then your neck will probably require a truss

rod adjustment. Bassists with a light playing

style can possibly lower the action slightly. All

bassist with a hard playing style will probably

need to raise the action slightly. Use a 1/16”

allen wrench to raise or lower saddles.

n CLEANING AND POLISHING

For all Carvin basses with a gloss finish,

use any good quality automobile wax or guitar

polish. To avoid scratching the finish use a

clean soft cloth. Do not get wax on ebony or

rosewood fingerboards.

For Carvin basses with the natural tung oil

finish, apply a good furniture oil such as “Old

English” lemon oil and wipe off the excess.

This should be done at least twice a year.

Ebony and rosewood fingerboards should be

oiled with lemon oil twice a year.

WARNING

• Your bass is constructed of seasoned solid wood

and dried to specific moisture requirements.

• If you live in a desert, high mountain or a

cold winter region, you will experience dry

and extreme weather conditions from time to

time, which can cause your wood and finish

to crack. You can prevent cracking by storing

your bass in it’s case and by not subjecting it

to extreme heat or cold.

• If you live in humid regions such as the

Southeastern United States, or near the ocean,

you should take extra precautions and keep

your instrument in its case or gig bag as much

as possible.

• Do not leave your bass and case in direct sunlight

or in your car when it is hot. Heat build up in the

case can damage the instrument.

• Carvin does not warranty cracks or neck

warpage due to extreme weather conditions,

improper storage or misuse.

n PREMIUM CARVIN TUNING KEYS

Carvin premium bass tuners are designed to

keep your Carvin bass in perfect tune. They

feature a very smooth feel with extra fine 20:1

gear ratio. You can adjust the tension of the

Carvin tuning keys with the phillips screwdriver.

Just tighten or loosen the screw on the end of

the button until the desired tension is obtained.

Tension

Adjustment

n RECOMMENDED PICKUP HEIGHT

After you have the neck and bridge heights

properly adjusted follow these recommend

pickup clearances. All dimensions are measured

from bottom of string to top of pickup.

PICKUP CHOICES:

-SP2 Soap bar humbucker neck 3/32”

-SP2 Soap bar humbucker bridge 1/16”

-H50S J-type humbucker neck 3/32”

-H50S J-type humbucker bridge 1/16”

-J99 J-type Singlecoil neck 1/8”

-J99 J-type Singlecoil bridge 3/32”

-HB2 Alnico 5 humbucker neck 5/32”

-HB2 Alnico 5 humbucker bridge 1/8”

n STRINGING YOUR BASS

You have the choice of feeding your strings

through the rear feed through holes on the back

of the bass or through the T-slots on top of the

bridge. Either way produces great tone. Pull the

string forward until the ball end of the string comes

to a stop. Pull the end of the string past the tuning

key string post and cut the string so that it extends

about 2” past the center of the string post. Now

stick the end of the string into the hole on top of

the string post and wind it around the string post

by turning the tuning key button. Keep the string

wrapping underneath each prior wrap so that the

final wrap is on the bottom of the post.

n INTONATION

Carvin presets the string saddles for accurate

intonation. Use your guitar tuner to fine tune your

intonation. With the aid of your electronic tuner,

tune each string to the proper pitch. Now check

your G string tuning at the 12th and 24th fret. If

the tuner shows sharp at the 12th or 24th fret, then

adjust the G string bridge saddle slightly further

away from the neck. If the tuner shows flat, adjust

the saddle towards the neck. Move the saddle 1/32”

(about the thickness of a dime). Retune the open G

string perfectly and recheck the tuning at the 12th

and 24th fret. If the tuning is perfect, you are done

intonating the G string. If it is still sharp, then keep

moving the string saddle further away from the

neck until your intonation is perfect. Repeat this

procedure for each string.

76-00005D 0808

12340 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128

[phone]

www.carvin.com

c

Intonation adjusting screw

#1 phillips screwdriver

Height adjustment screws

1/16” allen wrench

Lockdown screw for side to side saddle adjustment

1/16” allen wrench