Carr Amplifiers Slant 6V

Made in 2002 ,very versatile for clean fender type sounds to tweed overdrive on up to marshall distortion. 2 channels with footswitching, effects loop switchable between series or paralell which can be bypassed completely from the front panel. Reverb added to the drive channel and lighted footswitch for channel select and gain magnification added as options Otherwise as in other reviews. Single input.I play mostly at home. it has plenty of power certainly as much as is claimed.

I play mostly strats, custom shop 62 model. schecter traditional with fralins, fender deluxe fat strat with noiseless and hum in bridge charvel san dimas with dimarzio heavy blues in bridge. Brian Setzer Gretsch and Heritage Johnny Smith. I play blues ,rock some fingerstyle some jazz, influenced by Jimi Hendrix , Robert Fripp and Chet Atkins . On plugging into this amp one is struck by an immediate sweetness in tone. I think it is the best sounding clean sound around. It favors the best sounding Fender blackface amps with something extra, that being a" feel" sort of like compression for lack of a better word." Feel of the road" might be another description and it occurs without any real change in tone or distortin but is a feedback to the player that encourages dynamics. The clean sounds work well with every pedal I have tried so far CC2 Maxon Overdrive Pro, Vox wah , analog man compressors ,dino fuzz, distortion pr 69 peda, octafuzz etc. The amp is very quiet and well shielded in the cab. I noticed some hum in the gain channel only when using Carl Martin Delayla echo which uses ac power. The Fulltone Supra trem is used to complete the picture.The fx loop I dont use much but would rather have it. Reverb was added to drive channel just because the sounds are so usable from slight overdrive on up that a touch of reverb is like the frosting on the cake.. With gain all the way up you would not notice reverb much and might get in the way but while you are there try some Pete Townsend "strums" to get that feel thing. He is using fender amps now. The gain channel has 2 stages that uses a toggle switch. I had this added to the footswitch. These mods add to the cost somewhat but as Steve Carr explained really cant be done once the amp is built. The clean channel respond much like a fender deluxe, stays clean up till about 4, I use the cathode bias mostly at home and full power when I need to get loud or more headroom. The great thing about this amp unlike my Komet or Route 66 I dont need a Hot Plate to get great tone at reasonable volume. Open back cabs give the fender sound and I have several Webers in Carvin 1 12 cabs. Mostly I use the Z Best cab with Vin 30 and G12H. The gain channel doesnt sound good with most alincos after a certain level but with a closed back and greenbacks etc it sound great. The combo that I based my order on and the Rambler which was my first impression use the Carr speakers. I have a new found respect for them after all the swithching around I have done. They do both channels well in an open back design. I like the head seperate for portabilty and being able to protect the more sensitive parts. The half power option needs a certain impedance mismatch to compensate for the fact that one pair of the tubes are off but the transformer is still geared for all 4 tubes. The amp will sound less than great but could go unnoticed for a while. The fullblown distortion is in the territory of my JCM 900 with plexi output trans.

I would use it without a backup. I had a power tube fail that may have been aggravated by impedance mismathching. Taken care of locally by the Amp Shop in Sherman Oaks. When I went to pick it up Coco Montoya had played it and ordered the Slant6 V Double Power.

All of my conversations / dealings with Steve Carr and his company have been helpfull, cordial and with timely results. He sent repacement tube right away, the amp was built in 5 weeks as stated and calls are returned promptly.

I have been playing 36 years. Would replace it with another Carr possibly a Rambler. Have 3 Fenders, Silver Face Deluxe BF at the Amp Shop. Princeton Reverb with the aluminum trim around the speaker board and Princeton with Boogie Mk 1 mod along with Komet and Dr Z.

Made in 2000. See below for general features. Mine is the 1-12 combo. The overall construction is very solid & high quality w/o being overly heavy. The controls all work superbly: quiet, dynamic and fully tapered. By "full taper" I mean when you turn the treble knob from 5 to 7, it gradually and smoothly increases; as opposed to staying the same and then jumping up when you hit 7. Best of all they are all fully usable. Turning the treble or midrange up high simply changes the tone into another good & usable tone with more of an edge , but w/o sounding harsh or unbalanced harmonically. The midrange around 10 o'clock sounds more "black-faced" and around 2:00 sounds more "tweed" - for real. You can turn the treble way down and still have punch & definition. The bass control works equally well. One of the first things I do to try an amp is the "mud test" = I turn up the bass and play an E chord positioned like an open A chord moved up to the 9th fret. Both E strings are ringing open and I'm doing the Hendrix/Stevie Ray rolling-off R&B thing hitting it pretty hard. Flying colors even at high volume. This full range of control with beautiful tone & harmonics make for a very versatile amp. The 40w for bigger clubs and 22w for smaller clubs works perfectly. Also, The amp sounds incredibly good, full, and dynamic at low volume. I play alot of different styles of guitar. I don't know how fluid I am, but the amp covers just about everything. My style is mostly blues & R&B, but I also play rock, fusion, and pop.

I use a stat w/ash body, maple fretboard, and Dimarzio Virtual Vintages. Also, a 335 w/Duncan 59's. Sounds equally good with both guitars. That's another amazing thing about this amp - it does both single coils & humbuckers equally well. You can go from Albert Lee to Hendrix w/single coils and from Wes Montgomery to Billy Gibbons w/humbuckers. The clean channel turned up all the way still sounds incredibly good & balanced, and has a very smooth and gradual break-up from vol 1-10. The OD channel is the best I've ever tried/used/had.
The amp is very quit at all settings and makes no tinkling, rattling, buzzing, farting, humming or other stupid noises. It's as solid as they get. Works very well w/effects. Although you can truly get away with using no effects at all and still cover a lot of ground. I've been using mine less and less (MXR script Phase 45, Clyde wah, Fulltone 69, Fulldrive 2, TS-808).

Built with care with the best quality stuff

When I was considering buying the Slant6 I called Carr Amps to ask them some questions. I talked with Steve Carr. He was polite, un-hurried, and appreciative. But, the best thing was he really understood what I was asking and why, and thoroughly answered my questions. I've spoken to him since also asking him about other models, ect.w/same results. A true professional who really cares about what he is doing and pays attention to detail. He is a good listener' which I'm sure is one of the things that helped him in creating this good of a design. Web page is www.carramps.com.

I can't help but giving all 10's in comparing the amp to everything else - I am being objective & critical. It was hard for me to believe too until I tried it myself. This is the all-around best amp I've ever owned. I've been playing prof. for 30 yr. I'm writting this to try and thank Carr Amps (a fairly new co.) for making things easier and better for me. I love this amp. I've had a number of amps over the years, but in the last 4yrs I've learned more re: electric guitar tone & sound than all the rest put together. Extentensive and expensive experimenting w/tubes, speakers, effects, cabinets, pickups, ect....but worth every penny and minute. I'm not struggling with my sound all the time like I used to, so I can concentrate more on my playing. This amp totally delivers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I sold a BF Deluxe Reverb I had for 10 yr to buy this with no regrets. Still have '61 Silvertone 1472, BF Champ, SF Princeton, Dr Z Carmen Ghia, Victoria Bandmaster, and Victoria Reverberato.

I just have to comment on the review below given that I have owned a Mesa Rectoverb, Bogner Shiva, and Carr Slant 6V. The Carr simply blows the other two out of the water. NO CONTEST. The Bogner has ok tone, but NO feel or vibe. The Mesa Rectoverb has no feel and a very "processed" tone...lacking in harmonics and dimensionality. The Carr is among the best amps I have ever owned (>100 in my lifetime). It blows my mind that someone could really believe a Mesa Recto is a better amp than the Carr. I gues this is why someone once made an Edsel...

This amp was tested at Boston Music Works. It was finished in Feb. 2001. 40 Watts max with power & bias switching to 22 Watts (fixed) or 18 Watts. 2 footswitchable channels. Easy to manipulate, chicken head style knobs. Effects loop. Good reverb! Controls in each channel are articulate & responsive. Panel display is a little busy with that star shit around the knobs & not that it really matters, but this may be the ugliest amp I have ever seen. Well thought out & right idea to step into the one amp do-it-all market.

I was using a older (early 80's) stock USA Tele. I will give you the bad news first. Although I obviously know that tone is a very personal thing I "DID NOT" like Channel 2 at all. I thought it emphasized the highs way too much & the distortion was thin & buzzy. I spent a couple of hours tweaking & twisting & I was unable to get a rich, saturated, creamy crunch. I felt like I was playing through a Z-Vex Fuzz Factory at all times. I tried all power & bias settings in conjunction with every knob configuration I could imagine. I was totally dissapointed. Daniel at Boston Music (he's the man!) said that it had just arrived that day & he loved it, so once again "TONE" is personal. Now, the good news. Channel one easily sounded as good as any vintage Fender I have heard, (but not as good, as something I will review in the overall section) Classic fenderish cleans & reverb with nice bite & honk. I did, however, think this channel could have been voiced a little creamier & again the highs were definitley still noticeable. Not necessarily bad, but different & in your face. This amp "was" a little noisy & it felt a little sensitive in the times I was not playing. Kind of like that feeling that your amp is going to start wildly feeding back despite your best efforts. This was at living room volumes in the store!! I really wanted to love this amp because I like to be on the cutting edge of tone, but I could not have come away less impressed for $1800.

I did not buy this amp thank God. This was only a test!!

Overall I was not blown away to say the least. This amp was a/b'd side by side with a comparably priced Bogner Shiva. There was no contest. The Shiva destroyed it in every way imaginable. Both Clean, Crunch & Reverb in the V6 took a serious backseat to the Shiva. I cannot emphasize enough how different these amplifiers sounded. I thougt that the V6 may have been reacting poorly to the less the stellar tele I was using, But I did not have to touch one knob on the Shiva to get some great tone. It was truly a world of difference. No matter where I set the Shiva it sounded great. Therefore I have no excuse but to attribute the annoying highs to the Slant V6. Made in the USA. The construction & wiring was very clean & top notch & it looked like some great care went into the overall construction & design. But that was it's best feature. If you are in the market for a 2 channel, foot switching amp (clean & crunch ) with the ability to go from lush, reverb soaked cleans to thick & meaty tube saturation I would reccomend trying the Mesa Boogie 50 Watt Rect-O-Verb 1x12 combo($1299). It will save you $500 & you will get a few more features like line out, modern/vintage settings etc... also... the Rect-O absolutley kills the Slant V6 in tone. If you want the ultimate tone in a 2 channel foot switching amp................well.... I'll let you do your own research. By the way, I do not myself own either of the amps I compared the Slant V6 with so this was a totally unbiased review.

In October 99, I met Steve Carr and auditioned a Slant 6V combo. (Please read my review below.) I was about to order a Slant 6V head in January 2000 when I found a Harmony Central deal for an early combo made in March 99. I kept the combo a few months, but it was not quite as good as I remembered the first Slant 6V combo, which was made in September. This one was a little noisier, and it had less tone, volume and punch. Even so, it was a fun amp to play, and it confirmed that I liked the Slant 6V.

Steve Carr explained that in March 99 they used an off-the-shelf power transformer and soon switched to a quieter, custom model. In addition, they made other minor circuit changes during the year. By September 99, I think they had refined the Slant 6V to a higher level. (I am sure that if I had asked *before* buying the used combo, Steve would have candidly explained any differences between it and the current Slant 6V. Ah well, as I often say, "Live and Learn!") Anyway, in April I ordered a head direct from Carr, and sold the combo. I would have gladly bought the head from a Carr dealer, but I wanted a rectangular cabinet instead of the funky, trapezoid shape. I also had the fixed-bias tube sockets wired so I could use EL-34 tubes.

My Slant 6V head was built 4/00, weighs 32 lbs., and measures 25"W x 11"H x 9"D. When matched with the right cabinet, it excels at producing classic Fender Deluxe Reverb tones, but with more available headroom. I am a vintage Marshall fan and the Slant 6V delivers tones that make me smile. This amp gets these tones better than any other amp I have tried, and I've tried a bunch! The "clean w/ reverb" and "lead" channels have separate inputs and tone controls. They are in phase and I can use them at the same time. I use a Ernie Ball pan pedal to select and blend the channels, and I can use different effects with each channel. This setup is simple and versatile.

The unique power section has a rotary selector that lets me choose: 1.) 18 watts cathode-bias, 2.) 22 watts fixed-bias, or 3.) 40 watts, using both sections. Only two of the four 6V6 tubes are used with the lower power settings. For a recent medium-loud classic-rock gig with a two guitars, bass, and drums, I had plenty of power using just the 22-watt fixed-bias setting. I like the slightly softer, cathode-bias setting for edge-of-distortion, slide and quack tones, especially at "around the house" volumes. For maximum headroom, midrange, and harmonics, the full-power setting gets me going! The Slant 6V is fast and responsive at all power settings, without being harsh.

The reverb is deep and lush, with a smooth tail. A little dab will do. Turning it up is like playing in a big cavern or church. Carr uses the medium-long decay (2.75-4 sec) Accutronics reverb tank. I prefer the medium-short decay (1.75-3 sec) of the classic Fender reverb, and will probably install this tank -- a simple and inexpensive project. I think the busy-looking starburst graphic behind the chicken-pointer knobs makes it hard to note control settings. A simple 1-10 numbering would be more functional.

In my previous review, I thought an adjustable negative feedback (NFB) control was desirable. As an option, Steve Carr offered to install one when they built the head. However, after owning the combo, I concluded it was not necessary. I found that the Slant 6V already has tweed-like character in cathode-bias mode when a 5Y3GT rectifier and single low-watt alnico speaker and cabinet are used.

In my opinion, the Slant 6V sounds best with the stock NFB, which uses the 8-ohm tap. I know this because a few weeks after I got the head, Steve Carr sent an e-mail. The manufacturer of the custom output transformer alerted Carr that they had mistakenly reversed the four and 8-ohm output taps in the transformer from the batch used to make my amp. This meant the tube-to-speaker impedance mat

I use a '57 reissue Strat with Callaham steel trem block, Graphtech saddles, Fralin Vintage Hot pickups and D'Addario 10-46 nickel wrap strings. I also used a 24.75" scale Timtone Custom MK7 with active RMC PD-1 piezo electronics, Holmes humbuckers and a Barden Strat Deluxe in the middle, and 10.5-48 D'Addarios. The cabinet is a lightweight Buzz Feiten "Bandmaster" 2x12 with Fane alnicos, wired for both 4-ohm parallel and 16-ohm series operation, depending on which input jack is used.

My tone needs range from clean and clear, through "edge" tones, to medium-gain distortion textures, with sustain that does not depend on high volume. Articulation and quick response is important. I play using a pick and all right-hand fingers. Music styles include Classic Rock, Blues, Jazz and Country. I prefer a maple-neck, alder-body Strat with single coils. This type of guitar is superb for its presence and clarity, but at the same time, I do not want an overly bright lead tone. I want the amp to clean up when I pick lighter or reduce the guitar volume. Fortunately, the Slant 6V can be setup to get all of these tones. With an overdrive pedal pushing the lead channel in its high gain setting, this amp can do saturated Carlos Santana (mids) or Metal (scooped) tones.

Running on full power, this amp is as loud as a healthy 50-watt Marshall head. Similar to a Fender, the clean channel begins to distort around four with a vintage Strat neck pickup and the guitar volume on ten. The clean channel takes off into Blues Land past four, especially with cathode bias. The lead channel, with its thicker texture and more complex signal dynamics, delivers its best tones in either fixed or full power. I also like the lead channel in cathode-bias mode with the volume around 2-3 and the master at seven or higher. Perhaps it is the exceptional power supply -- and the efficient output transformer surely helps -- but whatever the reasons, this amp excels at delivering distortion with clarity, minus the intermodulation garbage found in most amps.

Since I discovered the Slant 6V, I gradually reduced my elaborate pedalboard to a simple A/B layout based around the versatile Ernie Ball Stereo Pan/Volume pedal (500K pots). First, I plug into the new Blackstone MOSFET 2s overdrive, then to the input of the Ernie Ball pedal (in pan mode.) When the pan pedal is at the heel position, the signal goes through a Sabine tuner, then to the Slant 6V clean channel with a little reverb. In the toe position, the signal goes through a Boss DD-5 delay then to the lead channel. It is fun to blend the lead channel distortion and delay with the clean reverb tone.

The Slant 6V mated with a closed-back 2x12 cab compares favorably to a classic Fender and Marshall A/B rig. In full power, it has plenty of headroom for clean tones. Distorted, it has a tone and feel *similar* to a vintage 50-watt Marshall, but with more control over volume. (The 6V6 and EL34 have different distortion and harmonic signatures and this accounts for much of the variation.) The Slant 6V, using all four power tubes in full power, has an especially appealing midrange character.

Carr Amplifiers offers 2x12, 2x10, 4x10, 1x12, and 1x15 combos and cabs for the Slant 6V. Combos are popular because they are less expensive and somewhat more convenient. However, I strongly recommend a head and cabinet(s) with the versatile Slant 6V. Unlike a one-trick combo, you can choose the best speakers and cabinet for the situation. With a head, the tubes, transformers, and electronics operate in a cooler environment with less vibration. When recording, you can put the speaker cabinet in an isolation closet and keep the head in the control room with you.

The Slant 6V shines in its ability to use various power tubes and rectifiers. However, I think it sounds the best with the stock 4-6V6 and 5AR4. The 6.3v filament circuit has about six amps total capacity, which

The build quality of the Slant 6V head knocks me out. Two rows of terminal strips go long-way across the anodized and welded aluminum chassis, each row about a third of the way in. The amp artisans at Carr use secure mechanical connections and neat solder joints to attach components between tube sockets, potentiometers, transformers, terminal strips, power capacitors, and so forth. The polypropylene filter caps should last a lifetime. I applaud Carr for using a Marshall-style chassis orientation so the tubes, transformers and other components do not get excessively hot. There is a metal ventilation grill on top of the head cabinet. After an hour of use, the chassis and power transformer are still not hot to the touch. The tube sockets are ceramic. Base-mounted metal clamps hold the rectifier and four power tubes in place. All internal wire runs are securely anchored. Critical input and inter-stage connections use shielded George-L's cable. A long, detachable, hospital grade A/C cord is standard. Large rubber feet provide mechanical isolation. Protective metal corners would have been nice, but are not included on the head. Due to the conservative operating point, excellent cooling and isolation from vibration, the tubes should last longer than normal. The sturdy Slant 6V head should be trouble free in all typical music environments.

Though Steve Carr is a busy guy, he continues to impress me with his ongoing support. He promptly answers my e-mails and calls. He has been helpful with speakers and tubes. I just bought some different speakers from him to try in the Feiten 2x12 cab, and I am considering a Carr 1x12 or 1x15 open-back cab for smaller rooms. In my experience, customer support does not get any better that this.

In the past 30 plus years, I have owned and played too many amps to list here. The Slant 6V is very special. I am still excited about it after 6 months! I got rid of a bunch of effects once I discovered what the Slant 6V could do for my playing. I think the Slant 6V is a better-than-average value in terms of design, parts quality, construction, tone, versatility, and customer support. I do not have the urge to keep searching for a better sounding amp.

On the other hand, I cannot help wondering what the new Carr Imperial and Hammerhead amps are like...

(For more information, please call the friendly folks at Carr Amplifiers. Better yet, contact a Carr dealer and get a Slant 6V on order! However, you may contact me with any *relevant* comments and questions at kbrakebill "at" mindspring "dot" com. Thanks!)

Steve Carr recently visited Atlanta to select a dealer for his amps. After a "long day at the office," he generously brought his "Slant 6V", "El Moto" and "Rambler" amps to my home for a tone party. Thanks, Steve! I had fun. Steve is a great guy and his amps are impressive. The 1x12 Slant 6V combo I am reviewing was built 9/99. It weighs 42 lbs. and is about the size of a Deluxe Reverb. It is a point-to-point wired, unique and practical amp design carefully hand-built with top-quality parts. Besides that, it sounds great and is fun to play!

The Slant 6V has two channels, each with an input jack, volume, treble, middle and bass controls. One channel is voiced for clean tones and has a single knob reverb. The high-gain channel has three stages of gain, with a master volume control located before the phase inverter. The channels are in phase with each other so you can combine them without any signal loss. An external A/B/Y switch or pan pedal can be used to select either or both channels. This design lets you use separate effects with each channel, and you can blend clean and distorted tones. The high-gain channel doesn't have reverb and I agree with Steve that it doesn't need it.

The unique output section uses 4-6V6 tubes and a 5AR4 rectifier. On back, a three-way rotary selector lets you choose between: 1.) 18 watts cathode-bias, 2.) 22 watts fixed-bias, or 3.) 40 watts using both sections. With either "half" power setting, only two of the four 6V6 tubes are used, and for best tone and power Steve advises setting the impedance selector to 4 ohms with the internal 8-ohm speaker. The fixed-bias section runs at 410 volts, like a typical BF Deluxe Reverb. NOS 6V6 tubes or new Sovtek 6V6-EH tubes will work just fine. The 40-watt setting, besides being the loudest, has the most harmonic complexity as it combines cathode-biased and fixed-biased sounds. The custom-wound paper bobbin output transformer is apparently very efficient.

All of Steve's amps have substantial power supplies using high-current power transformers and non-electrolytic "Fast Caps". This type of capacitor has a lower impedance, less leakage, and less series resistance than the electrolytic caps used in most other tube amps. They are more expensive initially, but Steve says you will probably never have to replace them. So, what do you get with this "Hercules" power supply? A better sounding amp! Whether I whacked the guitar strings or stroked them gently, the Slant 6V responded instantly, with authority, but was never harsh. The ultra-fast response of the Carr Slant 6V is unique in my experience with guitar amps.

Steve calls his custom speaker the "Liquid 50." It is a WeberVST C12N-T with an updated 50-watt voice coil. It is detailed and bright without sounding hard or edgy. In contrast, many folks thought earlier WeberVST "N" series speakers sounded too dark. Bass response is good, though a bit lean for my tastes. The speaker was new, so it will probably get warmer sounding with use.

No bones about it, this amp can get LOUD. My 1971 50-watt Marshall Bass head into a 2x12 is also "loud", but I think the Slant 6V is louder. In guitar amps, potential tone quality and volume are determined by, among other things: 1.) The power supply transformer size/type and filter cap type/values. 2.) The cabinet and speaker(s). 3.) The preamp design - number of stages, gain structure, headroom, tone stack, etc. And, 4.) The output transformer size/quality, tube quality and biasing. Folks, Steve Carr has done his homework. This is probably the loudest %#@& and most toneful 40-watts I have ever heard.

The Slant 6V looks as sharp as it sounds. Steve uses an attractive brushed aluminum chassis which is superior to the far more common steel chassis. Aluminum is a better conductor than steel, but unlike steel it is non-magnetic. Th

To clarify my enthusiasm for the Slant 6V, I will describe my favorite players, tone goals and style. Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, early Eric Clapton, Robben Ford, Pat Metheny, David Gilmour and Eric Johnson are favorite inspirations. I play using a pick and all right-hand fingers. I like dynamic, articulate, woody lead tones with just enough brightness to cut through a live mix. Attack transients are critical to "feel" and need to be fast and well controlled, not "spitty" or harsh. I think many guitar player's live tone is too bright. This quickly becomes tiring, not to mention the harm done to everyone's hearing! (Perhaps due to how they place their amp onstage they simply can't hear what the audience does? Maybe they are becoming deaf? I wonder...) I want sustain from the guitar and amp that doesn't rely on excess volume, high gain or gobs of distortion, which usually rob the amp of all nuance. I like a broad range of rhythm tones, from clean, lean and spanky with lots of presence, to a jazzy, fat, rounded sound. I love that "clean on the edge of distortion" tone where playing just a little harder puts a rich fur on all the notes, yet close-voiced chords still ring true. Hopefully, I can get these tones using just the guitar, amp and my fingers, but I will use a compressor, OD or other pedal as required.

For this audition, I used a '57 reissue Strat equipped with medium output Seymour Duncan Nashville Studio pickups in the neck and bridge, and a Fralin Vintage Hot RWRP middle pickup, which has the same polarity as the Duncans. Like a 50's Strat, the quack tones sound full but are not hum-canceling. I use GHS 10-46 Nickel Rockers and standard tuning.

My fairly large music room has excellent acoustics. By hearing the Slant 6V in this room, I could tell how it will sound in a full-band context compared to other fine amps I am familiar with. Note: I tend to prefer the tone of a 6V6 power tube to the EL-84, which, IMO is voiced too bright and harsh with a Strat in most amps.

Using a 15' George L's cable, I plugged into the clean channel with the amp set on full power. The quick transient response, detail and smoothness immediately knocked me out. Did I say this amp can get LOUD? Steve warned me to start with the volume on 2. Ha! Well, I never put it past 4, and by then it was as loud as I care for, yet still clean. I have played/owned many so-called 40-watt amps, mostly using the 6L6 output tube. Even with solid state rectifiers, none of them had the clean headroom of the Slant 6V. The reverb was controlled and natural sounding, and complimented the dry tone. A setting of 2-3 gave the amount of reverb I am used to with Fender amps.

Next, I tried the high-gain channel on full power. I was greeted with well-defined notes surrounded by harmonically-rich distortion, but absent the nasty intermodulation garbage found in many amps. I was pleased to find I could get this rich, clear distortion at a low volume, too. Like all well-designed preamps, the distortion would "clean up" when my guitar volume or pick attack was decreased. A switch near the gain knob lets you drive the Slant 6V into very saturated tones, even with a single coil pickup. With appropriate adjustments to the amp, my guitar, and playing technique, I could use the high-gain channel to get "edge of distortion" all the way to "pedal to the metal" tones.

Now I connected my versatile A/B/Y pedalboard. After the wah and tuner, a Whirlwind A/B/Y splits the guitar signal. Generally, "A" is the clean/edge side and "B" is the lead/distorted side. After one or more Comp/OD/Dist/Fuzz pedals on each side, the signals go to an Ernie Ball stereo/pan pedal with 500K linear pots, then to delay/phaser/chorus/flangers and finally the A and B amp(s). In this case, I simply used the two Slant 6V channels. With the A/B/Y, I can select the A and/or B sides with the

This amp is designed and built about as good as possible. Fenders and Marshalls have been reliable for decades and Steve Carr's amps easily surpass the build quality of those venerable makes. I'd give it a 10, but I think all cathode-biased amps need a cooling fan, or even better, a Marshall-style chassis orientation so the tubes and transformers are cooled by natural convection currents. (Note: The chassis in the Slant 6V head is oriented this way. Alright Now!)

Carr Amps have a Limited Lifetime warranty to the original owner.

Since my first e-mail exchange with Steve Carr, I have been impressed with his patient, customer-oriented manner. He answered all my questions in detail, and sought my comments and suggestions. He manages this in spite of the fact that -- along with his two assistants -- he is busy as heck building and promoting Carr amps. Steve recognizes that "good tone" is subjective, that we don't all have the same tastes or perceive sound the same. Besides his in-depth knowledge of amps, Steve is a fine guitar player. I think you will find him helpful in your quest for good tone.

I really like the Slant 6V, but I don't believe any amp merits an overall rating of "10". That would be perfection, a worthy but unobtainable goal. I think this amp can help me become a better player. At around $2000, the Slant 6V combo is expensive. Considering what other high-end amps sell for, it represents a good value.

If you think Tone Heaven is an A/B rig with a Strat, a Super Reverb, an EL-34 equipped Marshall 50-watt with a 2x12 cabinet, and a few pedals - then you will dig the Slant 6V. Surprisingly, this grab-and-go powerhouse has a stage volume and dynamics similar to those classic amps. It is simpler to use and setup and should prove more reliable. Another plus is that you can get it's cathode/fixed-biased tones and rich distortion at low volumes. This is a quiet, studio-friendly music-making tool. Like I did, you may discover just how good your pedals sound, then decide you don't need most of them. The reverb is lush and lovely. The transient response is almost TOO good. I think Danny Gatton would have liked this amp!

I don't own a Carr amp but I want one. Hmmm...
Perhaps a Slant 6V head or 1x15 combo, or maybe an El Moto...
You owe it to yourself to contact Carr Amplifiers and arrange an audition.

This is the same basic amp as reviewed above with a couple of exceptions, most notably the 12" speaker in my amp is one of the Naylors originally used by Steve Carr until Naylor went OOB and supply became an issue. (My amp was manufactured in February '99 and is one of the first Steve produced, serial # 4.) The other difference is that I own the "standard" Slant 6V configuration which is two channels, the first one clean with volume, treble, mid, bass and reverb, channel two the "crunch" channel with the above plus master volume, gain selector and no reverb. Other than that, my amp is a "spec" Slant 6V -- 40 watts, 4 6v6 power tubes (2 fixed bias, 2 cathode bias) with switchable power settings (18w, 22w, or 40w) and switchable impedance (4, 8, or 16 ohms for compatibility with any external cabinet.) Point to point wiring with George L's cable, pine cabinet, cream tolex, rest of tube complement is a 5AR4 Rectifier, (4) 12AX7 and (2) 12AT7. Lifetime Warranty. A very successful attempt at producing an amp with Fender BlackFace Deluxe tone with more power and clean headroom. The 9 rating is assuming you value clean Fender tone; if you want modern high gain stuff/effects loop etc look elsewhere.... The only thing I would like to see is reverb in both channels. Steve explained his reasoning for not incorporating that into the design but I guess it didn't sink in with me.

I play a 57 Strat Reissue w/ VV '54 pickups, a Suhr Classic T w/2 Suhr HB's and a Suhr V60, and a McInturff Polaris Pro. Mainly blues and classic rock. I've been gigging out with this amp for 6+ months and it has killer tone with all these guitars. Killer tone period. I mainly use the clean channel with Fulldrive II and a few other pedals and for what I play there's nothing I need which this amp can't deliver. I did upgrade the tubes from the NOS Philips which come standard to some NOS 60's RCA Black Plates and Visseaux. This amp is also frigging LOUD. Stage volume in small clubs can easily get out of hand at the 1/4 setting with the amp on the 40 watt setting. Amp absolutely sings though, great tone.

Rock solid so far, though I am careful with it. Obviously you want to have replacement tubes with you, but gigging without a backup doesn't scare me. If I were going on the road for an extended period you obviously would want a backup. So far so good.

Spoke with Steve Carr on the phone and via email a few times, very personable and prompt. Also a good listener, really wants to know what you think and how he might be able to improve. Though he hasn't had to work on the amp, he did offer to change out the speaker to the new Weber he's using at cost if I wanted to, but I like the Naylor so I'm staying put at least for now. Also gave me some good input on NOS tube choices. If there were a problem, I have no doubt that between Steve and Eddie Berman at Indoor Storm it would be resolved quickly and completely.

I've been playing about 25 years, and have always been partial to the Fender clean tone. I use a Fulltone Fulldrive II, TC Chorus/Flanger, Boss DD3, and Budda Wah for effects, and have a Fender '65 RI Deluxe for backup. I'm very happy with this amp -- great tone, plenty of balls, not too big or heavy, and excellent quality control. If it were stolen or lost, I'd make sure I knew what was out there as I did when I bought this amp, but I certainly would talk to Steve Carr as well and see what his latest is. If you're looking for great Fender type tone with more power than a Deluxe but alot less weight than a Twin, check it out. To me, there was nothing that compared favorably at the time or I would have bought it instead. All that said, the amp is not cheap but I do believe it is a good value.

?NOS 6V6 output tubes ?Floating baffle board ?4, 8, and 16 ohm output impedance selector ?40 watt dual bias output stage >switchable half-power settings (cathode [18w] or fixed [22w] bias)
1 x12 combo (available with 2x10's) with 2 separate channels, independent eq's, reverb, tremolo. All tube, point-to-point wired, made by hand. Pine cabinet.

I gravitate towards Fender amps. I like a clean amp and use pedals for overdrive and effects. I've been begging Fender for the past few years to build a Custom Shop lightweight, portable, and loud 40-50 watt amp that would stay clean with great reverb, tremolo, and no master volume. I prefer point-to-point wiring for easy repairs and possible tonal benefits. My main amp is a Fender Dual Professional which features 2 clean channels, switchable for different volumes. I wanted essentially a lighter and more portable amp of similar attributes.
Most of Steve Carr's Slant 6V's are channel-switching with a clean channel and overdrive section. Steve gladly designed me a two clean channel setup and added a tremolo (in place of the gain channel) with a half-speed/on-off footswitch. This is what I'm reviewing here.
One of Steve's favorite amps is an old blackface Deluxe Reverb. He wanted to build a higher wattage version of that amp which was more roadworthy and versatile (especially w/ overdrive channel.) To my ears, this amp sounds similar to an old Pre-CBS Deluxe Reverb I used to own, but better, with more clean headroom and more volume. It is also tighter and punchier with no harshness. It is very musical and sweet. The reverb is of superstar caliber. It is deep and spacious without covering up the natural tone of the guitar. It's only a one knob setup, but very effective. This amp is loud enough to gig in a small club without miking, if necessary.
WeberVST has designed a speaker specifically for Steve's amps called the Liquid 50. It's as good a speaker as I've heard, period.
I'm using Strats and ES-335's through this amp with great results. Even my baritone works well through it. The speaker holds up very well. Styles range from roots, blues, rock, country, and jazz/swing. This is as good as any old blackface Fender I've owned and has a very open and touch-sensitive sound character. As I've said, it's what I wanted Fender to build for a long time. It's very Fender-like, thus warm and clean with great clarity. I find the British sound like Matchless and Vox to be "fizzy" on the top end. This will achieve a Matchless-type of clarity, without that "sizzling" overtone I hear. This is very much from the classic Fender school of tone as far as the clean sounds are concerned. This is great.

The interior chassis on this amp is extremely clean and meticulously engineered. Steve's work (wiring, soldering, routing, etc..) is uncluttered and aesthetically pleasing to view. He even uses George L's cables for the interior wiring. I don't think I've seen such clean wiring before. Therefore, I think reliability will be good with this amp. If anything goes wrong, the circuits are so clean that any tech worth his salt should be able to effectively repair any problems without much effort.
Gets an 8 because it hasn't been used hard enough yet to draw firm conclusions. I did borrow his prototype for two outdoor shows in temperatures near 100 degrees this summer. It worked flawlessly. With proper care, this amp should require normal maintenance.
Steve grants a lifetime warranty to the original owner.

Steve's operation is still very small, so chances are you'll be dealing with him ,as I have, when inquiring about his products or service. He's a guitar player, so that's a very good thing. He understands the player's perspective on tone and performing.
There was a minor flaw in my cabinet. Pine is a soft wood and suceptible to minor indentations under the covering. Both Steve and his cabinet maker noticed an sagging spot on a small area of the wood and volunteered to fix it before I took delivery of the amp. I didn't have a problem with it, but they insisted upon repairing it due to the pride they have in their work, so they fixed it in two days. No problem!
Excellent and friendly support! How can I not give a 10 to a guy who custom designed and made an amp and added a tremolo (he usually doesn't make these) within three weeks of my ordering it? This was an insanely perfect experience that I probably couldn't encounter anywhere else.

I'm saving a 10 until I get to heaven and plug into one of God's amps. This amp gets a strong 9 from me because of the personal input Steve allowed me to have in the conceptual design of this unit. He really listened to me and my concerns and did his best to accomodate my desires.
There are probably some amps out there that feel more heavy duty, not that this is flimsy because this is extremely well built. It is lightweight and the cabinet is pine. Mine's covered in a special order naugahyde finish. Steve has a nice protective cover as an option for this amp. I just don't know how it will fare versus tolex.
This is an expensive amp. There's a lot of manual labor that goes into this design. Couple this with the small production operation and that equals a boutique-type of price. I wish it was less expensive, but then again, I wish it was free. This amp clocked in at just less than two grand. That's a lot of dough, but the problem is that no one else seems to be building this type of amp, which is of common sense design to me. Figure that mine was custom-ordered and featured a special covering and color, so in reality, the money I paid to Carr is not that much when you consider that no major amp company would have custom-built something like this.
I've already heard that a guitar player with a major country artist played one of these and was blown away by it. It doesn't surprise me. I don't mean to say that Steve Carr isn't original, nor do I mean to downplay his skill and products, but this is the amp Fender should be making today. If you love old Fender blackface reverb amps but want modern tightness,punchiness and handmade craftsmanship, you'll absolutely respect and love the Slant 6V. It is a noteworthy club and studio amp. It's real tone. Check out Steve's site at http://www.carramps.com