Details
Carr has mastered the trick of building low-watt, neighbor friendly amps that have all the tone, feel and sensitivity you get from cranking high wattage amps at high volume. Carr’s latest amp to continue that trend is the Bel-Ray, which somehow manages to fit the tone of three legendary British amps into one 16-watt package. The trio of settings are accessed via a three way knob labeled V66, H73 and M68. (We’ll leave it to you to figure out what those markings stand for.)
The Bel-Ray features a dual-EL84 output stage and preamp stage that has two 12AX7s and a British-voiced EF86* pentode tube that delivers, as Carr describes it "chime, crunch, and kerrang" at the twist of a switch. The Bel-Ray does not have reverb but it is fitted with a tube-driven, bias-modulated tremolo circuit that produces a warm, lush, swampy throb.
The volume control has a High/Low volume-taper toggle which selects between a direct signal or one with a partial Master Volume inserted after the following EF86 stage. In the High setting, the volume hits the output stage harder for increased crunch. Set to Low, the volume rolls up gradually and drives the EL84s less aggressively, perfect for at-home nighttime playing and quieter settings. You can also harness the decibels further with a built-in attenuator toggles between the full 16 watts and anywhere from 0 to 2 watts of power. As with all Carr amps, the fit and finish is impeccable.
Specs
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Effects amp
Tremelo
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Power amp tubes
EL84
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Power output
16 Watts
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Power system
Tube
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Preamp tubes
EF86
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Reverb
Yes
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Speaker configuration
1 x 12"
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Serial number
0173
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SKU
CARBELRAYCOM-0173
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UPC
170680
