I've played one of these: http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/BX500








 

 

I'm still loving my BBE BMax.  I've had friends that really liked their Tech 21 Sansamps, too.  It's pretty inexpensive to get either of these, relative to buying an entire integrated head.  And when you're set in the future, you can simply drop in the planet-destroying, super-badass power amp of your choice and proceed to decimating your band's guitarists.  

Integrated heads are good for practice spaces, though, I guess...  

That being said, the Carvin looks to have an awesome EQ section, and is very reasonably-priced.  The down-side... unless you know someone with one, you can't really play one, to see if you like it or not.  That's worth a lot to some people, myself included.

What kind of amp was this?

It was a BBE Bmax. I like it just fine, it's just it's discontinued and broken to all fuck. I took it apart today and the board is cracked along with several pots.

I'm a gear head. I have played through tons of chit over the last 40 years and have yet to find anything that has move be to replace the  preamp section in my gig rig I bought in 1992. That piece of gear: http://www.alembic.com/prod/f1x.html

Over twenty years later I still think it's the chit. While I have changed cabs and power sections.

I will never own another integrated section except for practice set ups. Currently that choice is a Trace Elliot combo

Good luck in your search

I decided on the BX1500. Apparently they were out of stock and I received a free upgrade to the BX1600.



Score!