The Carvin Audio X1 is an all-tube guitar preamp pedal, a preamp pedal that puts the circuits of a full amplifier head into a floor unit. Carvin says it is based on "one of our most iconic guitar amps, the X100B," and it carries real 12AX7 tubes and four gain stages1. It was announced in January 2018 with a MAP of $449 and slated for late spring 2018 availability1.
The X1 arrived at a turbulent moment for the company. Carvin Audio had announced the closure of its San Diego factory and the liquidation of its stock in October 2017, after 70 years in operation, then relaunched as Carvin Amps & Audio in January 2018 with a new website1. The X1 was one of the products of that relaunch.
What it does
The X1 gives a player two channels of tone, controlled by a Master volume: the Rhythm channel for clean tones and the Lead channel for overdrive tones1. A Gain switch is built for even more intense leads1. Tone shaping comes from Bass, Mid, Treble and Presence controls that use the original circuits of the X100B amplifier1.
Guitar World's reviewer found the X1 delivers "a multitude of stunning clean, overdrive and high-gain distortion tones suitable for any style of music from smooth jazz to extreme metal," and called it "ideal for any live rig or studio setup, providing the tonal versatility of a multi-channel amp in a compact package"2.
MusicPlayers.com's reviewer described how the controls interact: with the gain off, the drive control ranges from a warm clean sound through bluesy breakup to a dynamic crunch overdrive, and turning the gain on adds thick distortion harmonics while retaining 12AX7A tube dynamics, so hi-gain sounds are available without additional pedals that can limit dynamics3.
"With the gain off, the drive control has the range to go from a warm clean sound, to a bluesy breakup, to a dynamic crunch overdrive. Gain on increases the amount of drive available, allowing thick distortion harmonics while still retaining 12AX7A tube dynamics."
Connections and outputs
The rear panel holds a 1/4-inch input and output, a mono send and return for an effects loop, and a 1-watt output that can drive an external 4 or 8 ohm speaker cabinet2. That 1-watt output means the X1 can work as a small practice amp on its own, feeding a cab directly, in addition to its role as a preamp feeding a power amp, a studio interface or the front of another amplifier.
The two channels are switchable, giving instant access to two separate tones2, which is the same clean/lead split a player gets from a two-channel amp head, here in a pedalboard unit.
Videos
Phillip McKnight
Nic Chassé
Craig Shutt
Sources (3)
- Carvin Audio Returns, Announces X1 All Tube Guitar Preamp Pedal, Guitar World, 2018-01-25
- Review: Carvin X1 All-Tube Guitar Preamp Pedal, Guitar World, 2018-12-03
- Carvin X1 Tube Preamp Pedal, MusicPlayers.com, 2018-11-28