Carr Amplifiers
| Founder | Steve Carr |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | , |
| 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, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Billy Gibbons of ZZ TOP, Jorma Kaukonen Canned Heat, Jefferson Airplane, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, Eric Johnson, Mitch Easter, Eric Clapton, Neko Case, Kaki King, Morgan Geer, Coco Montoya, Bill Frisell, Charlie Hunter, Johann Frank, Erick Walls, Paul Simon, Joe Walsh, Eric Johnson, Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids, Bob Mothersbaugh of Devo, Jay Jay French of Twisted Sister, and Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline 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:
- Mercury V (16 watts, 2 x 6V6's, Celestion Creamback M)
- Lincoln (18/6 watts, 2 x EL84's, Celestion Creamback M)
- 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, 1x12" Eminence "Red-White & Blues")
- 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 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]
- Skylark (12 watts, switchable variable attenuator 1.2 watts down to zero, two 6V6GT, two 12AX7, two 12AT7, 1x12" Celestion A Type)
Notable players
- Joe Perry
- Jeff Tweedy
- Ed King
- Jay Jay French
- Eric Johnson
- Nils Lofgren
- John Fogerty
- Jorma Kaukonen
- Darrell Scott
- Erick Walls
- Johann Frank
- Rodney Gene, Jr.
- Paul Simon
- Joe Walsh
- Bob Mothersbaugh
- Vince Gill
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Neko Case
- Keith Richards
- Billy F. Gibbons
- Charlie Hunter
- Bill Frisell
- Will MacFarlane
- Coco Montoya[7][8]
References
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b Fox, Darrin; Guitar Player staff (February 2009). "8 New Amplifiers". Guitar Player. 43 (2): 120–34.
- ^ a b Leslie, Jimmy (December 2007). "Carr Vincent". Guitar Player. 41 (12): 158–62.
- ^ a b Burtell, Julian (March 2008). "Mode Versatility: The Carr Vincent". Vintage Guitar. 22 (5): 188–90.
- ^ Made in South Award Winners 2010 Archived 2011-11-24 at the Wayback Machine page 4 Dec/Jan 2010 Garden & Gun
- ^ 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.