It’s always special when we can support local builders, and in the case of Marla Amplification, it’s an absolute pleasure when I get to crank up one of their fine amplifiers. Today, we’re looking at an exclusive collaboration between Marla Amps and Reverb.com, the S40 Charlie Barker Special Edition Amplifier. The man behind the curtain, Anthony Hernandez, and I met up here in the Asheville area, and I got a sneak peek at the Charlie Barker amp head and 2×12 setup – come along as we dive in and explore this incredible piece of guitar gear…
Buy a Charlie Barker on Reverb.com https://tidd.ly/46Tl047
The Charlie Barker is Marla Amplification’s answer to clean tones, the perfect amount of headroom and the flexibility to drive a power section into modern rock territories. This amplifier is the final piece to the Marla Amps S Family group of products. It retains what players have loved about the S20V, but gives them so much more. Named after the friendliest neighborhood dog in Chicago, the Charlie Barker will fit right in at its new home.
Amp Features:
Tubes: (2) 12AX7, (2) 6L6GC, GZ34
Inputs: High Sensitivity (Top Inputs)
Low Sensitivity (Bottom Inputs)
CH1: Round, Loose, Expanded Low Pass
CH2: Classically Voiced with Tone Sweep control
Controls: CH1 Volume, CH2 Volume & (CH2) Tone
Switches: CH1 Boost, CH2 Boost, Tone Bright
Wattage: ~42 Watts
Impedance: 8ohm, 4ohm, 2.67ohm
The Charlie Barker can be ran with 5881, 6L6, or EL34 power tubes (be sure to have a professional amp tech bias the amp each time you change the tubes!). The 5881 swap will tighten the mids and compress the headroom, while the EL34 swap will keep the midrange tight and give the amp a more “JCM” feel when driven into overdrive. The 2×12 cabinet is loaded with speakers from Mojotone – a 50W Anthem on top, and a 70W Greyhound on the bottom, providing a perfect mix of chime and bassy low end that never pierces or muddies up. Handcrafted in Asheville, North Carolina, Marla Amplification is dedicated to craft, value, and consumer.
Anthony at Marla Amps takes away what he believes to be the “unnecessary” in his amps, helping to reduce the overall cost to players across the board, keeping these wonderful amps obtainable for the gigging artists. And, as a cool bonus, each Marla Amp has a name instead of a serial number, each one inspired by a dog up for adoption at a local shelter (this amp head is named Steve, and the 2×12 cabinet is named Steve Too!). Find your next best friend at your local animal shelter or animal rescue!
Visit the Marla Amps website https://marlaamplification.com/
Although this isn’t our first foray into the world of Marla Amps, the S40 Charlie Barker Special Edition might be my favorite amp of theirs yet (they’re all amazing, really). Very versatile, incredible-sounding and looks that rival anything on the market, this amp truly is special. Excited to be partnering up with Reverb on this as well – I’ve been using their site to buy and sell gear for about a decade, I think, and it’s nice to finally connect and collaborate on this rad release. Be sure to visit the Marla Amplification and Reverb.com websites, and please Like, Subscribe and Leave a Comment when you check out the demo video on our YouTube channel – enjoy this one, cheers!!
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