I've played some Carvin stuff - DC127 solidbody guitar, LB70 fretless bass, an X-100 Mesa Boogie-clone 1x12" oak-cab combo that belonged to a former bandbud, and my own MB12 bass amp - and it's well-made gear by any standard; IMO you can't go wrong with their guitars - for whatever reason they don't hold their value on the used market, so you should be able to get that SH550 for a good price...
I've been using one of these as my go-to gigging/practice amp for the last ten years - about $400 when you catch a sale at one of the big-box dealers; a bit on the heavy side but, as one old guy who was around back in the day to another, there's
no substitute for a tube amp for your preferred styles:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...tube-combo-amp