Carr Amplifiers Rambler 112 Combo

Always a tricky mark this because it will obviously favour multi function amps. This is not really one of those, because it is a relatively low powered amp that does not do a wide range of sound without a pedals. What it does do is provide a range of truly stunning clean sounds, with lots of variations. It also has a brilliant reverb and tremolo unit built into it, so it is getting a 10.

As others have said, just a brilliant Class A sound. There is much more industry focus on the variation in over-driven and distorted sounds, but usually much less on the range of clean sounds. Well this is best clean amp you will ever use. And the truth is if you have a great clean sound, and use the right pedals, pretty much anything is possible from there.
This amp takes pedals as well as any I have ever used. And if you don't use pedals and want to just got straight into this with single coils or humbuckers, well you are in tone heaven.

They warranty this thing forever, and it is built to the very highest standards standards with top quality components. This kind of craftsmanship is rare nowadays. You get what you pay for, and if you look after this it will only get better and better.

Not had to deal with them.

I am all in for this amp. I have been playing since the 70's, I have had lots of amps, and currently have a Matchless and a Victoria. Both great, but if i had to use just on it would be the Carr.

Mine is a 2005 model with the 12" Eminence Wizard speaker. I bought it lightly used on eBay for a great price. Single channel with reverb & tremolo. The trem is footswitchable. Pentode output is 28W and triode is 14W. No headphone output or effects loop. I mostly play blues and classic rock and was looking for a replacement for my Fender Princeton Recording Amp which is a disappointment. I like lots of clean headroom and the Rambler delivers it in spades. Much better than any of the Fenders I've tried. Being fairly neutral, it takes pedals very well. I use a Fulltone OCD and an HBE Mimic I analog delay. You need an OD pedal to coax dirty tones out of the Rambler since it doesn't break up until at ear splitting levels. Breakup comes a bit earlier in triode mode as you would expect. Since I have many different guitars it would be nice to have a cut switch but that's about all I'd add.

Clean, clean, clean, especially with my Strat and PRS Custom 22 in pentode. It is pure tonal bliss with the PRS set to split the humbuckers. In general the Rambler favors single coils better than humbuckers and is quite dark and much louder with my '69 LP Custom. With the LP I turn the bass down, the treble up and the volume down. My Ibanez reacts much like the PRS & Strat since it has much lower powered humbuckers. The OCD pedal gives me all the distortion and drive I need especially in triode. The Rambler is very quiet. I've never seen a tube amp that is completely silent, but the Rambler is as close as I've heard. I give it a 9 instead of a 10 because of the EQ tweaking I have to do to get the LP to sound like I want.

Haven't had it long enough to know. Since I bought it used, I don't have a warranty, but from the other reviews I've read I don't expect any issues. I do like the fact that I can change my own power tubes without re-biasing the amp.

Haven't had to deal with Carr yet. I don't expect any problems based on their reputation.

It's the quintessential clean amp. If you want Fender clean tone but better, the Rambler is worth checking out. I did a lot of research before I decided I wanted a Rambler and when I saw the great eBay deal I jumped right in. If my Rambler were stolen, I'd definitely buy another. Since I like a variety of sounds, the Rambler won't be my only amp, but it will be my favorite clean amp. I give it a 9 here only because of the $2290 price tag, but you can find them on eBay for a lot less.

all of this can be found on Carr's website. while my score here is kind of low, keep in mind that this amp wasn't designed to be feature-laden, nor was i looking for a bells and whistles type of amp. this amp's main features are TONE, and BUILD.

it's funny, most of the previous reviewers all preferred the triode setting while i prefer the pentode setting as i found triode a bit too dark for my liking. not to say it won't have it's uses when recording. i wanted to start getting more into stomp boxes for distortion and fuzz after years of relying on amp distortion. not that there's any dissatisfaction w/amp distortion, i just wanted to change things up a bit after years of doing things a certain way. anyway, this thing LOVES pedals as it has a ton of clean headroom. my vintage styled strats have a hard time bringing this amp to breakup, but my les paul does the trick, so i CAN get a bit of amp distortion/overdrive out of this amp and it too sound quite good. BTW- i've been told to stay clear of the Rambler's that have the blue webber speakers. spoke with someone at carr and he said that only 100 or so went out with that speaker. luckily, mine has the original eminence designed kingpin 60. i was told that the company that makes the speaker baskets stopped making them, and so ended the run of Kingpin 60's.

go to Carr's site and after you read and see how these are built, you will be convinced that they'll out live us all.

i've contacted them by phone and email and they've always been great, and genuinely pleasant. never spoke to steve himself but exchanged a few emails with him and he always got back to me w/in a day or two and never got the impression i was bothering him. questions were always answered fully and i was always personally thanked for buying his amps. (i also own a Mercury)

this amp replaced my Bruce Zinky designed Fender Prosonic. a less expensive amp that sounded just as good as the Rambler, and had a few more features. the thing was, 1) even at 60 watts, anything over 3 on volume would rip your head off. and 2) it was a money pit! my amp tech LOVED that amp, it probably paid for his daughter's sweet 16! when i told him i bought a couple Carr amps, there was a pause on the phone followed by him saying, "wow, i heard those are built really well." he sounded sad. oh well! LOL! so anyway, while you may be able to find great tone in less expensive amps, look into their reliability down the road. sometimes it's better to pay a little more up front and get the tone you want, reliability you can count on, and killer customer service. when i look back now, it would've been CHEAPER in the long run for me to have bought this amp first! live and learn

New 2006 or 2007 Weber speaker model. Amazing clean tone after some money spent fixing the minor weakness of the new ones.

So i thought it would be good to list my experience with this amp. I played one in a shop that had the kingpin speaker (older model) and fell head over heels in love with it. Then i got mine for a sweet deal on ebay. It was a total let down. I thought it was surely broken since none of the sweetness was there and it sounded like a hollow piece of broken glass with my strat and les paul. It had this super high piercing distortion that should not have been present in any amp, especially not at 9 o'clock on the volume. And surely not with a single coil guitar. Needless to say, i was freaking out wondering if someone sold me a lemon.
So i took the amp to Nashville Amp Repair to see what was wrong with it only to find out that all Weber speakers apparently do this and sound like terds. So they hooked me into a 4x12 cab loaded with 4 different flavors of speakers and i was soon hooked on the eminence patriot cannibus rex. Now it is the amp i fell in love with all those months ago. I never realized how huge the speaker selection is for an amp, but i can only warn Carr that if they don't stop selling these with the Webers they will soon find themselves selling fewer Ramblers and with quite a few less devotees.

No issues with reliability since the problem wasn't mechanical. Built like a tank inside.

No need yet.

I would have given it a 1 before - not even useable over my Peavey Delta Blues 210 (Great amp for the money)

After changing the speaker, 10 all the way.

If you are looking at this amp, you probably already know quite a bit about it. For this style of amp, its feature are quite good. The ability to switch from pentode to triode is a very good feature. Todays country music is more than just clean pickin'. I was worried about the power of this amp and after 6 months, I haven't been past 4. I realiize when it comes to tone, everyone defines it different. I have a Deluxe Reverb, a Mesa Lonestar Special and the Rambler. I have played forover 40 years and have owned many amps, effects, etc. This has the best clean sound I have ever heard. One of the amps hidden features is that it works with pedals very well. I use Xotic RC, Robert Keely Compressor, Robert Keely SD-2, Barber SS, Ernie Ball Volume Pedal and an Analogman Chorus. Set up is the best I've ever had.

In pentode this amp has a very musical quality. Think of a Deluxe Reverb with 6L6s and more headroom. In triode, the amp breaks up very nicely. This amp suits my style perfectly. I have used it on stage next to my Lonestar Special. The Carr was louder and cleaner. I use mostly a John Suhr Classic T and a Gibson Paul Jackson Jr. with Lindy Fralin Pickups.

I use it all the time without backup. The amp has never had a problem, I bought the amp used and the only thing I have done is plugged it in and played. I have emailed Carr, I always got and answer the same day. The amp is overbuilt. I like the long power cord and the upgraded plug. Nothing on it is cheap.

As I said, I've only emailed them, but they always got back to me immediately.

I've playing for 43 years. I have a Suhr Classic T, a Tom Anderson Hollow T, a Fender 52 RI, a Gibson Paul Jackson Jr, and a Takemine NP18. I have a Fender Deluxe Reverb, a Mesa Boogie Lone Star Special and the Carr Rambler. I have various effects pedals and Vox Tonelab SE. I have owned many other guitars and amps. If this amp was stolen, I d sell my car to get another one. I love the sound of this amp. There is nothing I hate, although I feel putting the controls on the front of te amp would be more conveniant for playing live. If I had to own only one amp, this would be the one.

triode 14 watts, pentode 28 switch, trem, verb.

You can unplug the eminence-made speaker as well.
I've hooked it up to a Bogner open back 2x12 cab. Got a full, bassy sound, works great.

Class A, no biasing. Make sure your power tubes match though, or it will hum loud in triode operation.

I wouldn't want anymore features. A verb switch would be cool, but not neccessary. I leave it on light verb all the time anyway.

Big wonderful rich clean, at home or playing with a band.
Crank it up in either mode and you get a nice breakup, that can go clean with just a slight guitar volume knob turn.

Don't worry about not being heard in a rehearsal or jam.I played it in a big echo-room with a hard hitting drummer and a 500 watt bassist.I heard every nuance coming through even at our busiest.I
t works perfect volume wise, unless your in some thrash metal, which, if your reading this, your probably not.

Works great with pedals, OD's. I recommend the Lovepedal Eternity.
Best most transparent OD I've ever tried. It just melds with any amp, the Rambler being no exception.

The tone IS Fenderish, but with more of the good stuff, simply put.
Pentode is brighter, triode a bit softer.
I've played a ton of Fenders, this sounded and FELT better. Great attack, sustain all that stuff.

Mine has deveolped an annoying hum in triode, I guess it needs tightly paired power tubes to resolve this. I haven't gotten around to it yet. This has been my only complaint thus far. Hopefully not a big deal. Otherwise it seems sturdy.

If you have problems or concerns they will answer them happily and promptly. Great guys.

I've played for about 17 years. I wasn't really in the market for a new amp, but when I played this I just had to have it. I actually got the Imperial (the no-longer-made 60w version of the Rambler) first off of ebay. I then realized I didn't need another big amp, and found myself wishing I had gotten the Rambler due to the convienence of it, so I got rid of the Imperial and got the Rambler. They're almost the same amp, and the size and volume difference does not affect the performance at all. The Rambler is plenty in and of itself. If it were lost or stolen I would definitely get another one.

A lot of guys will tell you its not worth it to spend 2k on an amp that is "just an expensive Fender". Bullshit. I didn't get this to brag or to inflate my ego or as a status thing. Steve Carr makes great amps that are special boutique or otherwise.

I bought this Tube Amp new in Sept. 2006, and its a 1X12. It has one input, but has the ability to switch between Triode and Pentode, thus cutting the power by a 1/2 or so. Its got all the standard features plus Reverb and tremolo. The footswitch simply turns on and off the tremolo. I was after a small/portable Amp with good clean headroom, and this fits the bill perfectly. I dont know what else I could/would ask for, maybe another input? Dont really need it tho. For the price, a nice Carr padded Cover? A Built in Beer Coaster? I do Love the green light.

Clean, Brilliant, Bright, Smooth and Sweet> in that order, come to my mind when describing this amps sound. In half power(triode mode) it breaks up like a blackface deluxe> really nicely, creamy and smooth. But its not the kind breakup old amps sometimes make, where you're just wondering if the amp>soldering/wires and speaker are just old & crappy / about to expire... In your home, its got an excellent power/clean volume ratio. In the Pentode Mode it has tons of headroom, similar to my 66 Twin Reverb, but when pushed up to Loud Club Volume, it too will break up a bit. The Reverb is deep and rich. The tremolo is as warm as my 64 Ampeg ReverboJet, but smoother, and with no unwanted noise. I've been told that its REALLY bassy, and though I use a .52 Low E string and like bass alot, it never gets turned up past half. I play a 1990 PRS limited 24 with Humbuckers primarily, although I own a Strat and others, but the PRS and this go together like Rum and coke. The Strat can obvioulsy get a bit more twangy clean country like sounds. Our band plays a mix of Originals and classic rock/jam band/Dead stuff, and this Amp suits our style perfectly. It would be great for Country and Blues as well. I wouldn't recommend it for heavy metal/ pop / full distortion type music, at all. It accepts my pedal board happily. Two TS9's, Octave, Qtron, Delay etc... I was just tired of carrying around a 2X12 Twin, it literally broke my back. Its a joy to get such full sound from such a small package. It really is the consummate clean club Amp.

I've been using this Amp for Gigs for the last 3-4 months or so, and its all I bring. Its been driven around, including in and out of Manhattan, and these roads are awful. So its been pounded around ( I dont have a case or cover yet) ...The craftsmenship wreaks of quality. The wires/cables are thick, its got a hospital grade 3 prong plug, thick rubber feet to rest upon and a solid handle....Its leaps and bounds beyond the reliabilty of 60's era amps that I used to lug around. It is true, old blackfaces sound quite nice, but you need a good local Amp tech to keep them running right, and I didnt want to be at the mercy of our Amp Doctor all the time. Granted I've only owned her for 4 months or so, so if something arises, I will come back to my review and adjust. So far I am more than pleased. I might add that the other guitarist in my band has a rockin 1965 deluxe 1x12, (same amp as Trey A.) that does truly sing when its cranked, but its back at the Amp doctor (second time in 9 months)and he is thinking about a rambler...

I did email Carr Amps the week I got it to ask a question, and I got a reply from Steve Carr himself within 12 hours ! It is really rare to get that sort of customer support or attention from many businesses these days. I havent had to have it fixed yet, and hope I won't have to, but its quite evident that Steve stands behind his products, passionately. I cant remember how long the warranty is, I sent in the form, but I'm really not worried. Steve seems more than reasonable, and confident in these amps.

Well I've been playing about 20 years, I've got a peavy 4x10 tube Combo, that I leave at our practice spot (decent/fine/heavy), a 67 Twin reverb (Love/heavy), an early 80's champ (good for bedroom) , and an Old Ampeg ReverboJet(vintage/delicate/super warm). Thru others in my band and music circle, I've played a bunch of Blackface Amps, Matchless, Tophat, Vox, Victoria etc...Make no Mistake, there are a bunch of great sounding handmade Amps out there. And I havent played them all or heard them all. Most of them are quite expensive, like this Rambler. If it were Stolen I would buy it again. I dont profess to be such a tone master /tone snob that I can hear the slightest tonal nuances like a Dog or an Amp builder could, as many here claim to, but I know for my style, this loud clean Amp, sounding similar to a Blackface is brilliant. No need to search around anymore. I know when I hear an awful solid state or heavy metal mess that its not to my liking. But I realize people can get decent/tolerable tones out of lesser quality (non hand made) amps. This is currently my favorite Amp, although for an big outdoor gig, I would likely use the Twin, and I know its sound is equally as pleasing to my ears. I've got a bunch of guitars and none of them sound bad thru it. I'm trying to realize when I'm happy with what I've got these days. I know the grass is always greener, and we all want another axe, amp, car, house, motorcycle, girlfriend (wife!) > whatever it is. But to be honest, my PRS is so great, I'm satisfied. And this amp is really perfect for what I'm doing /playing that I'm very content. The only way I'm going to sound better is from more practicing. I realize that at $2200 new, its quite expensive and out of reach for alot of musicians. Totally understandable. I watched them go from $1350 used on Ebay to $1800+ so I finally decided to just get a new one, w/ warranty. So for that I'll give it an 8, although Overall, this amp is a exceptional piece of equipment, that really exemplifies the best facets of quality, hand made American products. I hope this helps someone, as many peoples reviews on this site have been very helpful to me in the past. -Pete

This is a tremendously versatile amp in its simplicity. The tone controls are very well voiced and very flexible. They also change the dynamics and breakup characteristics of the amp some. The half power switch is effective in reducing headroom and providing a second distinctive voice to the amp. This amp also produces both extended highs and very big, full lows for a 1x12 open backed amp with a blackface type voicing. It's ability to make just about any distortion, fuzz or od pedal sound great also adds to its versatility.

Perfect reverb and tremolo.

I play mostly contemporary funk, soul, hip hop and R&B as well as some rock gigs, jazz, instrumental noise-funk-surf-stuff. I use teles almost exclusively and a small pedal board that usually includes a wah, OD, fuzz and delay.

I used blackface type amps for years (mostly a Deluxe Reverb reissue, and a silverface Twin and DR). Had reliability problems with both the reissues and vintage amps so I decided to give the Rambler a shot.

This is just a wonderful sounding amp. If you've been using blackface fenders you'll have to get used to a few things, but it's really delivers everything I like about those amps and a lot more. It's got enough fat on it to work beautifully for clean, single-coil lead playing, and enough clarity and "sparkle" for everything else.

It has more "sag" than DR's due to the cathode biasing and a sag resistor in the SS rectifier, and way more bass and midrange available. It's also just a hair less bright than DR's and Twins, though I don't find myself missing it. I've A/B'd it with my silverface DR on some recordings it just sounds better to me. Similar but bigger and fuller. It is a different sound though, and I do still love that very focused blackface thing. But in the vast majority of cases the Rambler sound really works best for me.

This amp is also unique in my experience for how well it maintains its basic voicing and response at different volumes and on different stages. It's the sort of amp that never gives you a "bad night."

I've now played around 100 gigs on the thing (have owned it 10 months) as well as all sorts of sessions and rehearsals. Everything from tiny clubs, to super loud auditorium stages to Pritzker Pavillion, the 11,000 seat outdoor venue in Chicago's Grant Park. Really not a single bad sound to be had from the amp and always the right amount of headroom. The only adjustment I make (other than the volume knob) is how I position the amp. On really loud stages I tilt it back. The added midrange and bass mean that you can use even very high gain pedals to great effect in a live mix. This amp holds together through everything.

Just a great sounding, great playing amp.

Always happy to answer questions via email.

This is actually the main reason I bought it. I was quite happy with the Deluxe Reverb sound and only really realized afterwards how much I gained sonically. Seems like it should hold together through anything at all. And after 100 gigs and almost a year of dragging it all around town and the Midwest not a single problem. Beautifully put together.

It's not an inexpensive amp and I don't say this lightly, but I think the Rambler is an excellent solution for the working musician who is tired of having amps in the shop all time. I'm by no means a gear snob--I've had great gigs and sessions with all sorts of amps--including really affordable ones. I loved my Peavey Classic 30 through many gigs. But it stands to reason that mass producers build to a spec that fits the majority of their customers--this is a guess but I'll say that's players who probably gig or jam 10-20 times a year. If you haul that amp all over town 4 or 5 nights a week it stands to reason you'll have some issues with it. So in the long run, even aside from the really excellent sounds this amp offers, I think it's worth it from the reliability standpoint.

I did email Carr with a few, slightly hysterical new owner questions. Steve Carr answers promptly and seems like a genuinely nice, really smart guy who loves what he does and appreciates and is committed to the musicians who buy his amps. I don't think it gets much better than this.

This is a fantastic amp for a gigging musician who likes both blackface sounds and the fat and grind of tweed fenders, wants an amp that takes all sorts of pedals well, and plays a wide variety of venues.

Steve Carr clearly is trying to innovate by building on the strengths of past designs. I think the Rambler is really a classic in the best sense of the word: a great sounding, beautifully built amp that is truly meant to be played.

2005 Carr Rambler 112 Combo
The versatility comes with the way the amp handles pedals.It loves them.
Single channel. I love the simplicity of the amp.

Custom Tele, PRS custom, custom Strat
It's great for Blues, Rock & Jazz
Very Quite

Very Reliabile

I've played for 37 years as a hobby. I have a 1973 Prinstin Reverb
I would buy it again.
The tone is great!

Single channel, Reverb, Tremelo, 3 tone stack, Hi/low power switch -12" speaker

I've gigged for over a year with the Rambler. Changed the power tubes once so far.(They didn't blow - just got a little noisy). No bias needed, just plugged in the new tubes and I was ready to roll again.
Steve Carr has built a very solid 1-12 amp here. It's costly but, to get this level of quality in an amp these days better save up your pennys.
If you are looking for a big variety in tones for playing live, better get some pedals. But, that's the good news, this amp has a lot more headroom than say a Fender Deluxe and it loves pedals.
For different levels of overdrive/distortion I use a BB preamp,a Sparkle drive and a Reezafratzitz. For modulation I use 2 chorus
pedals(one set up for a leslie sound). I also use a modded Vox wah and an old Ibanez delay pedal. You can cover a lot of musical ground with this amp and some good pedals.
The Rambler is brighter to my ears when playing on the high power setting (28 watts). I prefer to play it on the lower power setting to get a smoother/creamy sound and I mike into the PA. The lower power has enough power for me to hear it well on stage. I just set it on the floor and tilt it back.
I've had many compliments from other musicians about the sound of this amp after gigs.

I don't carry a back up amp - just tubes and fuses.

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