Carlsbro TC-100 Head

I believe this is a 100 TC ("Top Cut") from the early 70s. I found it in a pile of used equipment in a New jersey repair shop in 1978. Having just been turned on to Bebop Deluxe at the time, I was eager to get one of these amps.
It has: 2 channels, each channel has- with high and low sensitivity inputs, volume control, bass and treble EQ and the amp has an overall "Top Cut" control (cuts the "presence" frequency). I reversed the leads to this Top Cut control so it would act similarly to the other control- adding presence as you turn the knob clockwise. I also had a Master Volume control circuit added for crunch at low volumes.

Wonderful tone! Loud and has held up all these years of gigging and recording. I blew out the power tranny by f'ing around with the wiring without the proper knowledge but had it replaced and it has worked well forover 20 years. Sounds great through a Hiwatt 4x12 cab but this is overkill for most of the clubs I play in.
Both single coils and humbuckers sound great. Gibson ES-335 and Yamaha SG2000 through this head evoke memories of Bill Nelson playing Modern Music live in 1978!!!

It has turned on and played well since I got it in 1978. only when i screwed with the circuit and blew the power tranny did it sit for a while and gave my Marshall and Hiwatt stuff some playing time.

Very good people at Carlsbro. Only asked them if they could ID the amp (not much in the way of markings on it when I got it)and send an appropriate schematic -which they did.

I paid $175.00 for the amp in 1978.
It sounds great, looks great and has held up better than my back has lugging it around for years. I'll bet it will outlast me and get passed down to my kids! They better start learning to play rock and roll guitar!!

Made in 73 I bought the Big O's off E Bay- I am soooo lucky!!I use it for every thing from My girl to American Idiot and sounds superb.The limiter is an excellent device and if I were to play blues I would need nothing else to get beautiful thick sustain. Very good clean sounds too! All tube!!It will not do metal without a drive pedal tho'. I have bin playin' for 40yrs and have used all the major amps at one time or another but this beats them all. Why was I using a Stingray in the 70's when this was about!!?? Features are limited but I can't mark it down for that!!!

Once again the sound is thick and creamy over drive with good sustain with the limiter up. I can't tell you if it overdrives when clean far too loud coulnt stand it. It copes easily with a Marshall 150 and Peavey 500 Bass with the limiter at 60% and the vol at 30% for rehersing increasing to maybe 40% at gigs.Noisy only with wireless & pedals together

I have a backup and maybe one day it will get used!

Very old now but Carlsbro always answer questions quickly and provide diagrams etc without charge apleasure to deal with. I would ask them to service it (at any cost)

I also have a Roland Jazz chorus that is largely redundant now and a 60 carlsbro pa as a backup (untill I find another 100 tc)I would have to have another if it was lost. I would take a course in building tube amps and build one myself if I couldnt find one. I wanted a valve amp again and these are mightily underestimated(it didnt break the bank to buy)

Two channels, with 4 inputs for high and low sensitivity inputs, limiter and basic EQ (Inc Presence)

I use this with a les paul and a telecaster, It;s is just the Holy Grail. As you wind the volume up on this amp, it just ooses the best guitar tone you have ever heard in your life. Its like a time machine. It's so good it makes me want to cry. Whiy is this not the most sought after amp in the world. My amp used to belong to the lead guitarist of the Honeycombs and he used it on tour with Roy Orbison in the very early 70's. The overdrive sound is a dry creamy thick warm syrupy taste with an edge that really bites or can be smoooooth with lots of "oooooo's"

The most reliable amp in the world of its era, period.

The most genuine down to earth company you will ever deal with.

If this were lost or stolen I would buy another immediatley I found one. I cant compare it to anything else, listen to Be Bop Deluxe and you will see what I mean.

1 channel with 2 inputs, real valve sound, minimal features but hey what do you need............the sound is everything, if you have that nothing else matters... and this amp has it in bucketfulls!
Mine is a '73, only 200 or so were ever made....they are much rarer than JTM45's, and they sound better!

As previously stated this amp is the sound that we look for all our lives, we try to compensate by using pedals or buying a boutique head when all the time the guys at Carlsbro found the ultimate sound in the seventies. The head sings with single coils and humbuckers, it has a natural compression that works well with a tele or strat and plug a gibson in and you're talking woman tone or Kosoff.

It's a simple circuit and well engineered...built to last.....mine's 36 years old and used 3 times a week with no problems.

Carlsbro are one of the most helpfull companies in the amp game, they go out of their way to help you, they sent me service info and diagrams for free and even told me when the amp came out of the factory from the serial number.......This is good old fashioned courtious service. If this category went to 20 that would still be too low a score.

Been playing semi-pro for 36 years, owned or still own Mesa, Marshall, HiWatt, simms-watt, Peavey, WEM, Vox, Selmer and you know what? this baby is the dogs bollox.
If I ever lost it or had it stolen I'd buy another as soon as I could find one, which would most likley be a while because they don't seem to be that often for sale. If you see one buy it.......you'll be glad you did.

Made in 1973 or 74.
Paid $0 (long story), but spend $130 fixing it up.
Two channels, no reverb. There is no footswitch to change channels, but you can buy an A/B pedal - it`ll do the job.
It has no master volume, no gain or overdrive - it overdrives when the volume is pumped up - and, yes it`s a tupe amp.
It also has limiter and presence knobs, and a studio out jackc-slot.
It`s 100 W, and that`s enough.

I use a Gibson Epiphone Standard, two humbuckers. I also plugged in my Takamine... and they soundeed amazing.
This is an amp build over 30 years ago, and back in those days they didn`t have channelswitching-pedals, overdrive etc..BUT they did have GREAT sound. And this amp sounds like a big peace of heaven. If God was an amp, he would be this one. But since God is kinda...whatever... I`ll take this amp as my god.
It`s not noisy, the only noise comes from the pedals you plug in.
I`ve tried a lot of amps, and this is by far the best I`ve ever heard.
I play rock!
In fact I can`sit here... I MUST PLAY MY CARLSBRO!

I just got it.. so I don`t really know yet.. but I`ll give it a 10.

Great support. Send them an e-mail asking `bout this amp and got response two days later.

I it were stolen I`d walk through hell to find another one.
And that`s to bad for all you suckers out there.. these amps are not easy to get a hold of.
When I plugged in my guitar to try it the first time, and kicked of a E flat... the spund coming out... I was speachless, I still have no speach.
Start walking trough hell to find one.
Good luck!