Up for sale, a Carr Amplifiers Impala 1x12” combo amplifier in near-mint condition and in perfect working order. Based in Pittsboro, North Carolina, Carr builds meticulous, unique designs with point-to-point construction, premium components, and hand-crafted cabinets. Carr’s take on a mid-’60s Black Panel Bassman, this versatile combo features that iconic circuit’s beating heart in a more user-friendly format, ensuring an ideal balance of vintage Bassman tonalities with modern versatility.
When it comes to robust, guttural cleans that offer both sparkle and muscle, it’s hard to beat a Bassman Black Panel-style circuit, and this Impala is rich and roaring, transitioning into smooth tube overdrive as the volume is dialed up. The simple controls include Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Reverb, and Master knobs, and the tube-drive spring reverb is very lush and atmospheric.
The impala delivers 44 watts of power via a matched pair of 6L6GCs, with solid state rectification, a pair of 12AT7s, a 12AX7 and a 5751 (a drop-in replacement for a 12AX7 with 30% reduced gain). Carr uses military and NASA-grade power supply componentry (Solen Fast Cap Film), and true point-to-point wiring with premium components including custom USA-made transformers, USA-made Jupiter signal capacitors, and Analysis Plus speaker cables. The Carr Elsinore speaker is custom-built by Eminence, delivering a notably detailed, smooth sound that compliments the circuit exceedingly well.
The cabinet is made in-house at Carr, crafted from solid dovetailed North Carolina yellow pine, with a floating speaker baffle for optimal resonance. Cosmetic touches include two-tone gray and fawn (slub) tolex, white piping, wheat grillcloth, leather handle, and a vintage-style jewel LED. There are just a scant few faint marks on the enclosure, and the faceplate has pristine graphics and a full complement of chicken head knobs.
The original Carr-branded slip cover is included.