Carlsbro Cobra 90 Twin 112 Combo

This is a 1980s transistor amp. 2 channels; clean and distorted. Footswitching between the 2, and reverb available on both. Footswitch for the reverb as well. Just the right combination of features for me; nothing that I won't use, but everything I need (gain, overdrive, effects loop, parametric EQ, and master vol. Oh, and it's LOUD; I mean REALLY LOUD! Nice Celestion G12H 100w apeaker means that the sound is reproduced very well indeed!

I bought this as a cheap gig amp, not expecting too much (thought I would use effects to achieve an overdriven sound) but, oh, what I surprise I've had! As a tube amp lover, I thought this would have a sterile, artificial sound; how wrong I was! After 30 minutes of practice I put the effects board away and simply relied on the overdrive and gain from the amp itself. It has a wonderful bluesy and crunchy sound. Main guitar used was a 1980's Washburn A20; this has a wonderful fluid sustain with this amp. I haven't used the clear channel at high volumes, so can't make much of an informed comment here, but the crunch settings are marvellous! Variable gain and overdrive need some experimentation, but even after 10 minutes I had sounds I will keep and re-use!

Built like a tank! Bombproof build quality; all corners protected. REALLY well made!

Second hand, so no comment here because I've had no need to contact Carlsbro. But they are a long-established name, and I have confidence in their products.

My main amp for 30 years has been an antiquated Hohner all-valve 15W combo from the 60s. I got this when I was 14, and I was spoiled for life; there's simply nothing like an all-tube amp when overdriven! But, here the Carlsbro makes a very respectable effort to achieve that Classic 70's rock sound. Well worth having! It's heavy (and ugly!) but simply sounds great. You can even get controllable feedback from it with a little care. Sadly these amps are OOP. Don't let that put you off; find one; buy it!