Carlsbro slave S1000

I got this from a seller on ebay and paid 2.20 pounds sterling, plus 15.00 in postage, not bad going! Its what used to get called a slave amp from the days before pa. At a guess the late 1970s, going by the styling which is halfway between their 1970s phase and the construction kit 1980s period. Very basic amp with one volume control on the front and four jack sockets on the back. One pair of sockets are for the input/output and the other pair are for the speakers. Theres a power-on toggle switch at the back and an LED at the front. Power input is via a kettle plug type of lead, and it is hard-wired for 230 volts so theres no voltage selector like their other Stingray amps. However the transformer is 110 volt so somebody with a bit of electrical know-how could get it running on the US mains with little alteration.

The unit is basically the power module for Carlsbro's Stingray amps with a volume control across the line input. It is loud and clear in a warm 1970's transistor type of way. Solid state that cruises along at 100 watts (not 1000 as the model number might suggest). The technical guy at Carlsbro now rates these amps at 130 watt RMS with a peak at 150 watt, and y'know they are very loud without even breaking into a sweat. Minimum speaker impedance 4 ohm.

The amp isn't too versatile, though it was never intended to be. Its OK for what it does. Takes its input from the line level of your main amp and amplifies it. The two sockets maked "slave" are joined in parallel, so you can daisy-chain another amp (maybe, but who would risk it?).

Size is 28 inches wide. 12 deep and about 5 high, and quite a heavy beast. Carlsbro later made another power amp called the x-150 which has more inputs each with separate level controls and master volume and tone, but if you are looking for something that provides extra power for a second stack then this will do the job.

Lets get something straight from the start - its a solid state amp so don't expect the warmth of a tube amp. Its not bad though, all transistor and no ICs so although fairly clean, it isn't clinically clean. I don't know if anyone else has noticed but vintage tranny amps seem to roll-off the high end in a nice cosy way that doesn't happen with modern day IC amps. I don't like the extreme highs you get from IC type amps, and neither does it do any favours to your hearing. Carlsbro amps are pretty good at this kind of thing, they make the amps that do the donkey-work and get no credit for it. The sound is reliably good so I will give it a ten, no complaints.

I bought this amp as spares/repairs cos it had a fault which had the seller stumped. That why I got it so cheap. Heh heh, but I've seen a good few Carlsbro amps and know that the fault would have been either a loose connection on one of the jack plugs or something else "mechanical". Sure enough I found the fault in about 2 minutes - It was the volume control which had a broken wiper arm. Replaced the pot and its worked perfect ever since.

I don't know what it is with Carlsbro - they build their amps to be super-reliable in the electronics side, but then make use the switching facility of cruddy jack plugs at a crucial moment in the circuit and inevitably it is at this point that the amp fails. So if you are giggling with them you'd better take the lid off and check the contacts on those jack sockets and make sure they are still tight and springy. This amp doesn't suffer from those design faults but it was broken when I bought it so points off.

Carlsbro have one of the best back-up services for their old gear. You can get in touch via the internet and they are very quick with their response. They have a good web site with a user forum - good for picking-up tips. Unusually for manufacturers they are pleased to help sort out problems with real old antique gear, even long after this stuff is out of production. I've heard that they can obtain hard-to-find parts too.

I've had this amp going for about 2 weeks now, just playing music continuously with a lead from an old tape player and connecting into a pa cab. Its clear and can go loud and I like it. So far haven't taken it on the road but I bought it on a whim, and to be honest I don't even know if I need it. It works with my Stingray Super Lead amp and is in fact the perfect partner for doubling-up the volume. Feels like the heyday of the late 1970s, which could be good or bad depending on my choice of tape.