Carr Skylark 1×12 Combo

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Carr Skylark in Coco custom color. This is my second Carr amp. My second Carr amp as I recently purchased the Carr Lincoln. The Lincoln is to Vox is what the Skylark is to Fender. The Skylark is very versatile where it can produce awesome Tweed sounds, Brownface tones as well as some Blackface tones.

Carr makes expensive hand-built boutique amps in their shop in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Their dedication to detail and tone make these amps unique. Only a few builders today do the meticulous point-to-point wiring using the premium components and hand-crafted cabinets that Steve Carr and company does. Carr amps are not clones of vintage amps… But original circuits. Carr has the uncanny ability to get inspiration from a classic amp and take it to another level.

The Skylark may have taken some cues from the Fender Harvard, that Steve Cropper made infamous on those Stack recordings. Carr left the Fullerton template with re-voiced tone stack, where the ranges are quite different than on vintage Fenders. There are “no bad settings” on this amp. The pine cabinet is flawless and a big part of the amp’s sound.

The Skylark is a single-channel 6V6GT combo achieving a pretty loud 12 Watts full output. The built-in switchable variable attenuator 1.2 watts down to zero Low/High Gain switch Extended range Mid control Extended range Presence control All tube spring Reverb Celestion A-type 12” American voiced speaker. Great amp for small gigs, studio and home.

The tone stack makes this amp quite versatile with the Bass and Treble controls are full range. The Mid control has an unusually wide range which contributes substantially to the versatility of tones. The Mid control is almost like another volume control. The Presence control adds shimmer and more “bite” when cranked up. The Hi/Low Gain switch adds brightness and a bit of volume when turned on. It adds more “bite” to the tone.

The tube reverb using a Mod tank and sounds lush and can get quite drippy. Cranked it does surf sounds – and pretty much anything in between. Skylark takes most pedals well.

Yep, its expensive, but worth every penny in my opinion. Sounds better than my vintage blackface Fender Princeton and many other original amps I have played through.

From Carr Amps:
The Carr Skylark….…Is the ultimate low-power American inspired amplifier!!

The Skylark idea began with our love and appreciation for classic home/student 60s American amps such as the Harvard to name but one. These small – student amps deliver organic tube juice and vibe at real world volumes – making them super usable and super satisfying. Our Skylark takes this fun utility a giant leap forward.

Reverb, a built in power attenuator, Hi/Low gain switch, and the extended range presence control offer an incredible pallet of tones from the Skylark’s beautiful dove-tailed cabinet.

12 Watts full output – (Brilliant Power)

Built-in switchable variable attenuator 1.2 watts down to zero – (Ultra Useful)

Low/High Gain switch – mid-60s to Hot Rod – (Macho)

All tube Reverb – (Aquatic)

Extended range Mid control – (from Double Scoop to Bark)

Extended range Presence control – (Polite to Crystalline)

All NC yellow pine cabinet with floating baffle – (Solid Tone)

Analysis Plus cable – (Super Conductive)

The Skylark merges the spanky tone of our Deluxe Reverb inspired Slant 6V amplifier with the house trained manners of classic 60s Blackface practice amps, like the Harvard. Our second generation, built-in attenuator, lets you play at any volume while retaining the clarity and personality of the tone.

Volume – Adjusts the loudness and drive of the amplifier.

Hi/Low Gain toggle – points up for classic 60s reverb tone – down for higher gain –
boosted tone (the reverb output is lower in Hi Gain mode) Treble – Varies the top end from dark to bright.

Mid – Varies the midrange frequencies and is very interactive with the Treble control. For a 60s American tone, set the Mid to 12 o’clock. The tone becomes more aggressive as you advance the Mid past 2 o’clock. When the Mid is set near full, the Treble control’s effect is more subtle and the amp is easily overdriven.

Bass – Varies the low end from lean to full. To retain clarity, turn the Bass down at higher volumes.

Reverb – Controls the amount of reverb sound from none to deep and lush.

Presence – The Presence is used to emphasize top end frequencies by removing the output section Negative Feedback from the high end. For flat/even tone, set the presence to 0 (off). For typical shimmer set it to 12 o’clock. To push top end and increase bite use higher settings. This control is very useful in setting your overall brightness and cut. It is interactive with the treble control and affords a huge range of tones. Note: If you move the knob quickly you will hear some ‘swooshing’ which is normal.

Attenuator – Set the Wattage toggle up for full 12 watts with the speaker bypassing the attenuator. With the Toggle baton down the amp is in Attenuate mode and you can vary the speaker output from 1/100 to 1.2 watts continuously.

Standby – Off – Play – The Toggle switch baton in the middle position is Power Off. To play set the amp to Standby (switch baton down). After 1 minute of warm up, switch the Power baton up to Play. The amp is ready to be played. Using the Standby setting every time the amp is turned on will prolong tube life.

Recommended Settings (These give you a place to start – the Skylark has a huge range of possible tones – have fun experimenting and remember that guitar pickups vary a lot and you will need to tweak to your guitar and ear!)