Carr Amplifiers Hammerhead 212 Combo

New (2004) 2 X 12" Carr Hammerhead 25 watt combo. Four controls (in order: Volume, Impact, Master and Grip), two Kingpin 60 watt 12" speakers. Point-to-point construction, two EL34s, two 12AX7s and a solid-state rectifier. Cathode-biased, resulting in no need to re-bias when changing for matched output tubes. Class A and zero feedback design resulting in very pure signal path. Analysis Plus Clear Oval speaker wire and interior wiring with George L's cable. Other high quality build components and design...in a very lightweight (total weight of combo approximately 45 lbs.) dovetailed pine cabinet.

Primarily using a humbucking-equipped guitar. Music styles are rock, blues and country. Amp is quiet running, even when cranked. Simple layout control-wise as described earlier. Volume and Master Volume self-explanatory. Impact control runs as follows: 1) Flat response, fairly bassy tone. 2) Higher treble similar to a "blackface". 3) Addition of upper mids giving an edgier and fatter tone. 4) Full mids emphasis giving more fullness and sustain to the edge. Grip control also has four positions like the Impact control....working as follows: 1) Low pre-amp gain...least amount of volume and gain. 2) Adds more drive and volume. 3) Extra drive, gain and volume. 4) Adding a subtle change in sharpness to postion 3. Placing the Impact and Grip controls at positions 3 and 4 give more aggressive and full, sustaining tones...especially with Volume and Master Volume at half or above. Positions 1 and 2 on both Impact and Grip clean the amp up, with Volume and Master Volume settings ideally under half; however, pure clean tones are not emphasized with this amp. With single coil-equipped guitars the amp is fairly clean but with humbucking-equipped guitars to get a decent clean...again not purely clean....the volume control on the guitar should be reduced accordingly. The amp's forte is in overdriven tones...when set for such the sound is huge, fat, sustaining and absolutely explosive. At this point no pedal is needed for overdrive, in fact the amp can be coaxed into long sustain and feedback quite easily. Key on this particular amp seems to be the extra 12" vs. the standard 1 X 12" version of this model....just adds a bit more volume, headroom and girth to the overall sound and tone.

High quality construction/design is as noted earlier so reliability should be very good. A pre-amp tube is just a bit noisy when cranked but haven't changed it. Ease of service for fuse and tubes so even if a problem arises with either it's a quick fix.

E-mailed founder and head of the company (Steve Carr) about the pre-amp tube and have been offered a replacement. Other general questions about the amp were answered by Steve in timely e-mails. Warranty on tubes and speakers is ninety days, rest of amp is three years with respect to materials defects and lifetime warranty on workmanship to the original owner.

Have owned many amps, including many so-called "boutique" models, as Carr amps are so termed. This is as good build-wise and design-wise as any of them. Tone-wise may be at the top, the tones when the amp is used as designed are perfect for that intent....as explosive an amp as ever heard or used.

My Hammerhead 2X12 combo is covered in cream tolex and was built in 2004. The solid pine cabinet houses two Kingpin 60 12" speakers and a 25 watt class A tube amp which is point-to-point hand wired in an aluminum chassis. A duet of EL34 tubes makes up the power section and there are two 12AX7s for the preamp. It sports an attractive, asymmetrical grill cloth with a swanky art deco vibe. The lack of metal corners gives it a smooth look too. There is no reverb, effects loop or channel switching with this amp. But all of those things would keep the amp from sounding so rich and direct. The sound, layout and function of the knobs are unique. It takes a little twiddling at first to get used to. But once you do you never have to fuss with the amp again--just play. There are four knobs: Volume, Impact (4-position switch), Master Volume, and Grip (4-position switch). The Impact switch boosts treble and mid frequencies. Grip steps up the preamp gain and low end thump with each click. The Volume affects the drive and volume but also the amount of Impact sound in the signal since the circuits are linked. The Master adjusts the amount of power tube distortion as well as volume.

What the Hammerhead does best is rich, vintage distortion. Its character is woolly, edgy, with a complex midrange. Think classic rock tone! As others have rightly pointed out, not for the modern metal guitarist, though. You can get some fantastic edgy clean sounds as well, especially if you pluck a chord lightly or back off the Grip or Volume. I love boutique amps that blur the line and make you question: is it old Fender or old Marshall influenced? The Hammerhead is a little of that but more Valco roots than anything else. It is a unique animal for sure. This combo is definitely awe inspiring for playing leads. Any style of music fits too. If you want a big, gutsy sound full of character and harmonic complexity this will do it. Any pickup style works well. A humbucker will accentuate the richness of the overdrive more than a single coil of course. Playing at home is not particularly suited to this amp. It is made to crank out many shades of overdrive and thick distortion in small to medium-sized clubs and studios. You could turn the master down at apartment volume but it may not sound as stellar. You have to get the master closer to 12 o'clock or higher on the dial to get the golden tones. Hammerhead just begs to be turned up?part of its feisty demeanor. The Impact switch controls much of the tone. The first setting is warm and a little dark. Position 2 sounds all of a sudden like the amp has 6L6's--very Fendery and bright (great for cleaner rhythm parts). Position 3 is a little louder, furrier with more upper mids and highs. Position 4 presents another level of midrange boost and growl like an old Plexi. So, the first two settings are American and the third and fourth much more British in flavor.

I've never had a problem.

This amp is brand new and has never needed repair. There is a 90-day warranty on the tubes and speakers, and a 3-year warranty on the parts. Workmanship is covered for life if you are the original owner. If you call, Steve Carr answers the phone. So you get to talk to the designer himself.

I used to mainly use a Marshall 1962 model Bluesbreaker reissue combo. I bought the Carr Hammerhead and a Carr Rambler to replace this. I AB switch between the two for clean/dirty. If I hadn't found out about Carr I probably would have sought out a Naylor combo. The Carr Hammerhead has more tonal character and good looks in my opinion. The Hammerhead is good for creating or enhancing a unique style. I have been performing for eighteen years. For lead guitar playing I'm into that Hendrix does country on a sitar thing. Or like Jeff Beck doing new wave. The more bent, twisted, and modal the better. I play a new American Tele, a Gibson with P-90s, DeArmond M75T and an eighties Strat. The Hammerhead goes great with all of these. This amp is most certainly not lacking in the treble department as others have mentioned. However all of the guitar amps famous for great distortion are pretty brilliant and cutting tone wise: Hiwatt, Marshall, Vox. If you keep the Impact and Grip on position 1 and the Master Volume all the way up, the amp will give you a darker sound. If this amp got stolen I would definitely order another one. I hope to keep this amp for life and relax on the tone hunt.