2002 Carr Slant 6V 1×12 combo

Overview:

The Carr Slant 6V is a 2 channel amp, with the clean channel based on a 1964 Fender Deluxe Reverb and the overdrive channel based on an early 70’s Marshall JMP 50.

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History:

Carr is an American guitar amp company started by Steve Carr in 1998 and based in Pittsboro, North Carolina.

Steve attended Purdue University for Aerospace Engineering and finished his degree at University of North Carolina in Physics. He also played in bands, recording and doing live shows.

The Slant 6V was Carr’s first model, and in December of 1998 the music store Indoor Storm in Raleigh, NC bought the first two Slant 6Vs. The amp remains in Carr’s lineup today.

Use:

JT’s Carr Slant 6V combo is dated December 18, 2002, and was bought at Corner Music in Nashville. It became a part of his session rig, initially as one of the a-la-carte amps he would have on the studio floor in front of him. Eventually he bought a head version to go in his amp rack, unseating the 1963-1967 Fender Bassman which formerly lived in the lower slot of the rack.

The Slant 6V combo ended up on the bottom level of the amp shelf at JT’s personal overdub studio. It was his main overdub amp at that studio.

JT favored the clean channel. When recording, JT would plug the combo into a separate cab instead of using the built-in speaker.

Specs:

Carr Slant 6V 1×12 combos measure 24″ x 18.5″ x 10.25″ and weigh 55 lbs. Heads measure 24″ x 10.75″ x 9″ and weigh 38 lbs. When playing through the clean channel, the guitar signal is first amplified by half of a 12AX7 preamp tube, then goes through a passive tone stack. After that the signal level is recovered by the other half of the 12AX7. The signal is then sent to reverb with a 12AT7 and returned from reverb with a 12AX7. Signal then goes to a 12AT7 used for the phase inverter. At this point the signal goes to the Class AB power section comprised of four 6V6EH tubes. And finally, the signal exits through the 16 ohm, 8 ohm, or 4 ohm taps on the output transformer and from there goes through the cable to the speaker cab. This head has two speaker output jacks wired in parallel and a selectable impedance switch.

One of the most unique features of the Slant 6V has to do with the power tubes. One pair is fixed bias and the other pair is cathode biased.

Fixed Biased:
Means the amount of current flowing through power tubes has to be manually set when putting new tubes in. This setup is slightly more efficient and gives more power.

Cathode Biased:
Means the power tubes self-regulate the amount of current flowing through them. When the guitarist hits a note, the tube calls for more power. A convenient side effect of this is the power tubes can be changed without needing to manually re-bias the amp.

Half power mode:
In full power mode, both the fixed bias pair of 6V6 tubes (22W) and the cathode biased pair of 6V6 tubes (18W) are working for a total output power of 40W. But the Slant 6V also has two different half power modes: One where only the fixed bias pair is working and one where only the cathode biased pair is working. If either half power mode is selected, the impedance switch will have to be set to 1/2 the impedance of the cab (i.e. set the switch to 4 ohms if plugged into an 8 ohm cab).

Carr’s components:
Early on Carr made a point to use certain components he believed to be the highest quality. These included:

-Aerospace-grade polypropylene filter caps
-Aluminum chassis
-George L’s cable
-Custom paper bobbin interleaved transformers
-Hospital-grade power cord
-’50s-style carbon resistors
-Kingpin 60 speaker
-Mallory filter caps
-Dovetailed solid pine cabinet with a floating baffleboard
-Point-to-point wiring
-Analysis Plus Clear Oval speaker wire
-Electro Harmonix 6V6GT power tubes
-Electro Harmonix 12AX7EH preamp and tone stack driver tubes
-Philips 12AT7 phase inverter and reverb send tubes
-Sovtek 5AR4 rectifier tubes
(more info on components at the bottom of the page)

The Carr Kingpin 60 speaker was made by Eminence to Steve Carr’s specs. The speaker was voiced to sound like to an old Jensen C12N, but with improved power handling, deeper bass, smoother texture, and a more focused midrange. In 2006 the Kinpin 60 could no longer be produced because the basket vendor went out of business. At that point Carr switched to the Eminence Patriot series Red White & Blues speaker for Slant 6V amps.

Evolution & Changes:
-Channel Switching from serial #45 and up
-Overdrive upgrade #1 from serial #155 to #250
-Footswitch w/ light from serial number #161
-Overdrive upgrade #2 from #250
-Bias Test Points from #205

Component details:

In 2002 Carr’s website had details about his amps’ components. This is a copy/paste of the info from that page:

TECHNICAL NOTES ON CARR AMPLIFIERS AMP MODELS

Our design philosophy is simple: Combine the best of vintage sound and construction with the finest, most toneful, modern components available. Our original designs collage tweaked classic and new circuit concepts, moving the art of tone forward. It is important to note that an amplifier’s tone is bigger than the sum of its parts; everything makes a difference. We have spent countless hours selecting the components which work best together to achieve great tone. Interaction, or feel, is a critical ingredient in the guitar/amp/player system. Our designs preserve the subtleties that are key to an organic, musical relationship between player and amplifier. Here are a few technical points that should help in understanding Carr Amplifiers.

POWER SUPPLY
There are many components involved in the power supply, but the two most important, in terms of tone and feel, are the filter capacitors (which store and filter the DC for each gain stage) and the rectifiers (which covert AC from the wall socket to DC). Almost every other guitar amp manufacturer uses electrolytic filter caps and standard IN4007 silicone rectifiers. These two components tend to impart a harsh glare to the treble and a somewhat sluggish and grainy film to the middle and bass frequencies. Also, electrolytic caps wear out over 10 to 15 years, gradually losing the ability to filter DC and slowly loosing punch. To avoid these problems, we use only Polypropylene Fast filter capacitors (originally developed for use in satellites and able to withstand the demanding conditions of space). And in our designs that do not use tube rectifiers, we use a new technology called Ultra Fast Recovery rectifiers (which produce much cleaner DC than old style silicone rectifiers). The result: wonderful, full sounding tones with real clarity and smooth top end for a truly dimensional sound. The filter capacitors are a big contributor to this result (plus they last for a lifetime!). So why don’t all manufacturers use polypropylene caps and superior rectifiers? Cost and size (Other manufacturers’ PC board construction style, unlike our point to point hand wiring, requires standard sized parts that often are not the very best sounding). And while our filter caps do cost more, they represent real value in tone and longevity. (All models)

100% POINT TO POINT HAND WIRING – ARTISANSHIP
Without sounding too corny, there is a real satisfaction and pride in hand building amplifiers! Knowing a craftsman spent 10 ­ 22 hours (depending on the model) bending each wire and fitting each component is a rare and meaningful commodity in the modern world. Hand wiring is extremely durable, and it gives us the freedom to choose components and part layout for tone rather than space considerations. Another result is shorter signal paths for less signal loss. And then there is the pure beauty of the hand wired circuit itself. Excellent fit and finish are central and never to be forgotten at Carr Amplifiers. All of our amps are hand wired to exacting technical and aesthetic standards. (All models)

SOLID PINE CABINETS AND FLOATING BAFFLE BOARDS
The materials of the cabinet are very important to the final tone of an amplifier. We use solid pine, like most American amp manufacturers did in the 50’s and 60’s, for its rich, resonant sound. Pine cabinets add a nice snap to transients and warmth to the overall presentation. Floating baffle boards are another inspiration from the smaller Black Face amps of the 60’s. When the speaker baffle is secured only at a few points and allowed to move with the speaker, the tone takes on a rounder more dimensional sound. Pine cabinets and our aluminum chassis provide the additional benefit of keeping the weight of our combos very reasonable. (Slant 6V, Imperial, Rambler, and Hammerhead)

KINGPIN 60 SPEAKERS
The Kingpin 60 is a custom designed speaker produced for us by Eminence USA. They are loosely based on the mid 60’s Jenson C12N, itself a classic speaker, but we wanted to take it further. Increasing the power handling and bass focus and smoothing top end response were some of the first steps. Also, the efficiency was increased, making the Kingpin 60 a very dynamic, punchy speaker. Raw drivers are available by special order. (All open back combo’s)

HOSPITAL GRADE POWER CORDS
Not only do our power cords look 50’s rocket cool, they provide superior performance. Designed for critical applications where shorting, kinking, and fraying could mean someone’s life, hospital grade cords are super durable. Fiberglass batting internally runs the length of the cord, and the jacket is resistant to cuts. Electrically, they use very high quality copper. These cost nearly 10 times the price of a standard power cord. (All models)

INTERNALLY WIRED WITH GEORGE L CABLE
George L Cable is very transparent and clean sounding. We found that compared to other brands of shielded cable, it was superior at preserving the purity of the guitar signal’s high end shimmer. (All models)

50’S STYLE CARBON COMPOSITION RESISTORS
Vintage type resistors (you will find them in American amps up to the early 70’s and in most other amps of that period) which sound much more musical and organic than modern metal film and carbon film types. (All models)

MALLORY 150M COUPLING CAPS
These signal caps, used to link the stages of the pre-amp, have a similar construction to the Astron caps American amps used in the 50’s and a vintage tone as well. The most important aspects of these caps are the clarity they have without becoming edgy or shrill and their wonderful midrange bloom. (All models)

CUSTOM HIGH QUALITY PAPER BOBBIN INTERLEAVED TRANSFORMERS
The heart of any amplifier is its output transformer. All of our transformers are custom designed and produced by a company that has been making transformers since the late 40’s. Our designs combine vintage interleaving techniques and old style paper bobbins with new technology lamination grades for a smooth yet dynamic sound. (All models)

BIAS
We use both fixed and cathode bias output in our line of amplifiers. Here is a simple tonal overview of the two circuit’s sounds.
Fixed Bias delivers a punchy attack, with plenty of headroom, for a tight, crisp sound.Examples of amps that use fixed bias output stages are:Fender Black Face, Marshall, and Hiwatt.
Cathode Bias takes advantage of the power tubes’ inherent, naturalcompression, giving plentiful sustain and tasty harmonic distortion,while allowing the player both more “feel” and control over the amp’sdynamics. Examples of amps that use cathode bias output stages are early Fender Tweeds, Vox, Matchless, also some Valco’s (Supro/Gretsch).

ZERO FEEDBACK
Negative feedback is a circuit used in many modern amplifiers. It lowers distortion in the power section and increases bass control. When too much negative feedback is used amps tend to sound dead – with stifled dynamics, little or no bloom, and diminished immediacy. Through use of overbuilt transformers, clean, direct circuit layouts, and ultra dynamic filter capacitors, we achieve full bass without having to resort to negative feedback circuits. This is one of the reasons our amplifiers are so responsive and sound so alive.

CLASS OF OPERATION
Imperial, Rambler, and Hammerhead: Class A – Cathode Bias – Zero Feedback

Slant 6V: Class A/AB – 1 Cathode and 1 Fixed Bias tube pair -­ low Negative Feedback

El Moto: Class AB ­- Fixed Bias ­- Zero Feedback