Carr Sportsman 10 inch

Strat_a_tat_tat

Are the cleans on these loud enough to gig?  I know that's a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string?' type of question... but it'd be good to get some kind of guidance.

 

I play in a four piece rock / indie covers band.  Drums, bass, 1x guitar (for most songs... 2x guitar for a few songs) and vocals.  I usually gig with a 45 watt 4x10 bassman clone (on half-ish volume) or a Carr Rambler at up to about two-thirds volume.  As far as reaching the back of a pub... I always mic up through the PA... so I just need enough 'stage' volume to make sure I can hear my guitar well above the loud drummer and bassist (and above the loads of lead vocal coming at me through the monitors).

 

I think there's a guy on here that has a Slant 6V and a Sportsman.  If that's you... do you gig the Sportsman?

 

Thanks for your help.

monquixote

Because small amps are quite beamy you can put them on a kickback pointed at your head and you will pretty much always be able to hear them.

Strat_a_tat_tat

Good point.  I always put my amps on a stand (raised off the floor and angled up a fair bit)... so I've normally got a 45watt 4x10 Bassman or a 28watt 1x12 Rambler pointing straight at my head.  Would do the same with the Sportsman... if I go down that route

JohnPerry

Strat_a_tat_tat said:

I think there's a guy on here that has a Slant 6V and a Sportsman.  If that's you... do you gig the Sportsman?

 

paging @wazmeister

Kebabkid

paging @dindude too.

These are wonderful-sounding amps but wazmeister and dindude will be able to tell you if the cleans have enough headroom.

Wazmeister

Strat_a_tat,

Are you going for the Sportsman in addition to the Rambler ?

Well, yes, I do gig my Sportsman. For the volumes I play at, there is more than enough headroom in the Sportsman. It is undoubtedly, warmer and sweeter than the Rambler , at least to my ears. But bear in mind, you are compering 19w (SM) to the 40w (Rambler).

The Slant, however, has superb and different cleans. THE best Blackface cleans I've ever encountered, at ANY volume. Bedroom or live. Plenty of grunt, headroom in the Slant. The drive channel is fine, an acquired taste yet to me, but I haven't experimented with it yet enough in these early days of owning it.

Strat_a_tat, what's your thinking with the Sportsman vs Rambler ?

Strat_a_tat_tat

Thanks for the info, Wazmeister.

 

No... wouldn't part with my Rambler.  So the Sportsman would be an addition.  A little sweeter (as you say) and a bit less hi-fi than the Rambler (that's not a complaint about the Rambler, I love it).  By the way, I always thought the Rambler was more like 28 watts (maybe I'm wrong)... anyway watts can be a bit misleading as there are so many other factors - including amp type/design and efficiency of speakers etc. that influence how loud an amp is.

 

I'm not in the market for a Slant... I'm just interested in how someone that has a Slant and a Sportsman uses the Sportsman (ie do you gig with it... and when you do gig it, do you really miss the Slant's extra headroom... or do you use the Sportsman for quieter gigs etc.?).

 

As I say... whatever I use, I tend to mic up with a Beta 57... so the sound isn't just coming from a 'point source' that has my fat body in front of it!  So I just need the amp to be loud enough to overcome other items with regard to 'stage volume'.

 

Thanks for your help.

dindude

I've got the 12 inch not the 10 and haven't gigged it, but have played in rehearsal spaces with drummers and I say if you mike it it has plenty of headroom, and when it does start to break it is much more refined than the Fender amp it's based on.

Wonderful amp that is for sure, one happy owner here.

Strat_a_tat_tat

Thanks dindude.  Do you know if the 12 inch speaker makes a difference to clean volume?  What sort of music are you playing when you use your Sportsman in a band rehearsal?

Wazmeister

Strat,

Mine is a 12" speaker too. I A/B'd the 10" and 12" and the 12" was much fuller and better imho. 

I don't think that you will have a problem live at all. BUT, the real secret of the Sportsman is the HEADROOM knob. Turn the volume 3/4 to full up and the headroom down and you have the most glorious break-up I've ever heard in an amp. Glorious Carr cleans too..

I'd like one of all of em !!! Hopefully John Perry will sell his Viceroy to me one day (hint hint)... It would match my Wine Sportsman...

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q493/Warren3333/Carr Rambler/p1_unc0lnttf_ss.jpg

dindude

Strat_a_tat_tat said:

Thanks dindude.  Do you know if the 12 inch speaker makes a difference to clean volume?  What sort of music are you playing when you use your Sportsman in a band rehearsal?

Haven't played the 10 so can't really comment, sorry, although @wazweister has commented to that effect.

I use it with a variety of drive pedals for bluesy / rock / fusion sounds, depending on mood, it's a great platform for bouncing off in a number of directions, and as has been said the cleans with the onboard reverb are beautiful.

Wazmeister

Dindude is spot on... The reverb is divine in Carr amps...

Strat_a_tat_tat

Thanks guys.  Much to mull over!

 

Wazmeister... what sort of music are you playing when you gig your Sportsperson (trying to be politically correct, there!!)?

 

Oh... and yes... I concur about Carr reverb... the reverb on my Rambler is nice.  All round it's a desert island amp.

 

Back to the Sports-chap... I guess a 12 is always going to be a bit fuller.  12s are just so well suited to guitar's voice.  However, part of the attraction of the Sports-geezer 10 is the extremely low weight.

 

 

Wazmeister

I just think that 12" speaker in the SM offers that little bit 'more'. But, i also think that the difference is not that great IF weight is more of an issue. The 10" is 8 pounds lighter...

But I must say that I find the SM easy to carry around. I ordered a Studio Slips cover for mine...

Music I play ? A couple of different styles. My base tone is usually clean, with drive added via pedal or amp. I play in the following;

1. Church Worship Band - surprizingly loud, great muscians, huge variety of styles.

2. Ambient 'quieter' 3 piece - double bass player (luvvely !)

3. New wave covers band - loud and raucous

The Sportsman hasn't let me down in any of them. I'd probably grab the Slant for a really loud gig, as I guess that you would with the Rambler...

Strat_a_tat_tat

Thanks Wazzmeister... interesting that you can use the Sportsman for your loud, raucous new wave covers band... I'd guess that's the loudest of your bands - so, if the Sportsman can cover some of those new wave gigs, that speaks volumes (no pun intended!).

 

As you say, I've got the Rambler for louder gigs... and the Bassman for even louder gigs (that don't require black face cleans!).

 

Thanks for the advice.

Wazmeister

Strat,

Just to confuse the issue, have you tried the Impala ???

Bassman tones and similar overtones to the Sportsman. Very impressive ! Oh, and next on my list is the AMAZING Mercury. Not as sweet as the SM, but great louder/blues/rock tones...

Strat_a_tat_tat

No... not heard the Impala... but reading about it on the Carr site,  makes me curious!

 

The Mercury was the first Carr amp I ever played.  It's on my radar for a purchase at some point before I give up the fight and admit that I'm not much of a guitarist and sell it all... but it's a very different amp - somehow it sounds darker, to my ear.  Great amp.... just not quite what I was looking for when I bought the Rambler.  Dimensional, rounded cleans with a 'lot going on' is what the Rambler gives me.

 

Have you tried The Bloke?  Is that just an overdriven type amp - or does it do some kind of cleans?

Wazmeister

Have heard the Bloke but not tried it...

Seemed a bit more 'rock' based to my ears.

The Mercury blew my mind. And I've yet to try the other offering such as the Artemus. I bought all mine form Doug at Coda...

Strat_a_tat_tat

Yeah, that's my impression of the Bloke.

 

What guitars are you playing through your Sportsman... single coils or humbuckers?

 

Isn't the Artemus more Vox flavoured?  Never tried one... but I think we can trust Steve Carr to have come up with something worthy of note.

 

Yes... Coda is a great shop.

Wazmeister

I use a CS Strat '56 Heavy Relic, and a CS '51 Nocaster.

I do fancy a nice 335 though, and I may even sell the Nocaster.

The Artemus is Vox flavoured...

What's your set up ?

Strat_a_tat_tat

Nooooooo... don't sell the Nocaster.  I've played a few... and they all absolutely sang!  That big neck seems to give them a certain resonance.

 

Yeah, I mostly play a Strat...  and I find the Rambler is particularly cool with a Strat.  Rambler sounds better than OK with a Gibson humbucker... but comes alive with a Strat single coil.