I figured out my pedal issue. It had nothing to do with the amps. It was the power source. I have a new Voodoo Pedal Power unit and this DIPshit
had the DIP switch in the wrong position. The Boss Turbo OD-2, HM-2 and Octave pedals are ACA type pedals requiring a higher voltage vs. PSA. The fact that the LED lights were dim should have clued me in that it was a power supply issue. I never paid any attention to this as they seemed to work fine along with my other pedals with my One Spot pedal power supply.
Now that my pedal issue is mostly cleaned up I was able to get a better feel for the Carvin. It sounds pretty nice, just lacking in reverb which contributes to it sounding somewhat sterile. I think I'll be able to dial in some warmth with the T OD-2.
Anyway, now I can begin working on my combo cabinet. I have a friend who milled some black walnut boards, so I was thinking of using that for the cab.