Carr Amplifiers
| Founder | Steve Carr |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Pittsboro, North Carolina, United States |
| Products | Guitar amplifiers, guitars |
| Website | http://www.carramps.com/ |
Carr Amplifiers is a Pittsboro, North Carolina, manufacturer of high-end, hand-wired tube guitar amplifiers.
Critical reception
Carr's amplifiers are praised for their workmanship and high-end components; Guitar Player said the Rambler's "layout and wiring are absolutely flawless."[1] Russell Carlson in JazzTimes remarked on the Carr Rambler's "top-notch craftsmanship, hand-wired electronics and thoughtful, well-researched design."[2]
The Carr amplifiers with 6L6 tubes are compared to classic Fender amps; the Slant 6V, which offers 6L6 or 6V6 power tube options also has 12AX7 and 12AT7 tubes, was praised as "an amazingly useful and versatile amp" and was a "Guitar Player Editors' Pick" in 2009.[3] The "exceptional" Vincent was praised for "its rich tone, variable power, and compact size."[4]
Many of Carr's amplifiers have switchable power outputs, adding to their versatility, according to professional reviews.[5]
Carr Amplifiers were praised for having the "retro good looks of the Elvis era" while offering "crystal clear sound" in their selection as a runner up in Garden & Gun magazine's "Made in the South" 2010/2011 competition. Ed King of Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Fogerty, and Jeff Tweedy of Wilco own guitar amplifiers from this "boutique brand". Founder Steve Carr said of the company: "We try to figure out the great things about forties, fifties, and sixties amps and throw in some new twists. But our amps don’t have a whole lot of knobs or switches. They’re super-useful but very simple."[6]
Models
Carr Amplifier models include:
- Impala (44 watts, 2 x 6L6's, 5751, 12AT7, 2 x 12AX7, 1x12" Eminence Elsinore)
- Sportsman (19 watts, two 6V6's, three 12AX7's, one 12AT7, one Eminence "Red-White & Blues" speaker, 1x10" Jensen Jet)
- Raleigh (3.5 watts, one EL-84, two 12AX7's, 1x10" Jensen Jet)
- Viceroy (formerly the Vincent) (7/33 watts, two 6L6, one 12AT7, and three 12AX7 tubes, and a 12" Eminence speaker)[4][5]
- Rambler (14/28 watts, two Svetlana 6L6 tubes. [1]
- Slant 6V (18/22/40 watts, four 6V6 or 6L6, four 12AX7, and four 12AT7 tubes, and a 12" Eminence speaker)[3]
- Mercury (1/10-8 watts, one EL34[7] or KT66,[8] one 12AT7, and two 12AX7 tubes, and a 12" Carr Kingpin speaker)[7]
- Skylark (12 watts, switchable variable attenuator 1.2 watts down to zero, two 6V6GT, two 12AX7, two 12AT7, 1x12" Celestion A Type)
Notable players
References
- 1 2 Buddingh, Terry (August 2000). "Tones from the Unknown: Six New Boutique Amps". Guitar Player 34 (8): 116–22, 134.
- ↑ "Gearhead: Carr Rambler Amplifier". JazzTimes. October 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
- 1 2 Fox, Darrin; Guitar Player staff (February 2009). "8 New Amplifiers". Guitar Player 43 (2): 120–34.
- 1 2 Leslie, Jimmy (December 2007). "Carr Vincent". Guitar Player 41 (12): 158–62.
- 1 2 Burtell, Julian (March 2008). "Mode Versatility: The Carr Vincent". Vintage Guitar 22 (5): 188–90.
- ↑ Made in South Award Winners 2010 page 4 Dec/Jan 2010 Garden & Gun
- 1 2 Thompson, Art (February 2006). "Five Low-Wattage Tube Combos". Guitar Player 40 (2): 146–58.
- ↑ Buddingh, Terry (September 2003). "Carr Mercury". Guitar Player 37 (9): 126–27.
- ↑ Rubin, Dave (May 2007). "Riffs: Coco Montoya". Guitar Player 41 (5): 62–64.
- ↑ Hammond, Shawn (January 2010). "Features: Coco Montoya". Guitar Player 44 (1): 30–34.