I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to find your channel Gary…but I’m so glad I have! Great tone, great playing…liked & subscribed!! Cheers from Melbourne, Australia!
They all sound great as solo amps. The Bella sounds like it'll cut through in a band setting a bit better. Got one of my favorite recorded sounds (and solos) with a Carr Rambler at Wavelab. Definitely love its tone, pushed.
I owned a Carr Rambler and a Carr 6V head with matching 2x12 cab 18 years ago, sold them both 12 years ago, and stopped playing for 10 years. I considered buying another Rambler in 2020, but decided to buy amps with different voicings this time around. I went with a custom built Deluxe Reverb style 1x12 combo and a Suhr Bella combo without reverb. I am very happy with both. The Bella is surprisingly musical. I love it!
Thanks for watching and commenting. I played a Suhr Bella several times and LOVE that amp. The only reason I don't own one is the weight of the Combo. I'm not into heads and cabs personally. But what a great amp!
@@gair1944 I really enjoy your channel. 👍 And I agree. Lighter weight combos are a beautiful thing and can be the right choice, power-wise and tone-wise, for many rooms. I recently tried an Eastman SB59/V and a Milkman 5 watt Half Pint combo at a local shop. They felt and sounded fantastic together! I can’t swing those anytime soon, but whew!! 😎
Thanks for watching. I would probably choose the Rambler over Telstar as a pedal platform, superior pure cleans and killer tremolo. If you however push your amp to give you tube amp overdriven dirt as your main thing , then Telstar. The Telstar will Deliver good cleans too but it shines when pushed.
Thanks Nick. That Princeton is simply so classic. Sounds great with a 12 Jupiter 12LC. When your comment posted, I listened again. All those amps are truly great and worthy for gigging. The Carr Rambler and Suhr Bella will gig at full band volume easier with no support needed. The Princeton 'could be' borderline depending on your needs.
All three sound great. I have a Knotty pine Princeton with an Alnico Celestion Creamback its a killer amp. I also have a Carr Mercury V 16 watt. Just as in your video the Carr is a bit more refined and of course quality that will last a lifetime. The Princeton is just an amazing re-issue. I love mine.
You did a Fantastic job with this. Fair & thorough comparison, with 3 stellar Sounding Amps. I love a pristine Crystal-Clean Tone. I own a Princeton Reverb - and Love it. Gives me that SRV "Riviera Paradise" Tone, so I am very pleased. Stay Safe everyone.
Thanks Michael! No dogs in this race, but the Princeton Reverb is the "voice" I want. Just works great. The other amps will deliver more headroom and fullness in a band mix, and in bigger venues. But I can mix the Princeton if I ever need to ..and I just need a credible and inspiring stage sound.
@@gair1944 I Agree Gary. There are No Losers in this comparison. I love em all. I just like how Compact my Princeton is. Using a Suhr Strat with Lollar Vintage Dirty Blonde's. Just purchased a Barber Gain Changer S.R. - too. Killer touch sensitive OD. Love your tone-too.
Your comment is very well taken. I could not agree more. I rarely lay down such a busy loop. It was very disruptive. I just listened again and I wish I would have done it different. I don;t have the Rambler or the Suhr Bella right now. I would really like to revisit the Bella. I wound up with a Fender '64 Handwired Deluxe Reverb and it is exceeding my expectations.
I agree with the comment about the backing track being too busy. Gary, you are playing some very tasteful improv ideas and fills. Since the changes are fairly simple maybe just start with a basic Organ or Rhodes pad to blow over!
Thank you J Stat for the nice compliment. I had the Jupiter 12LC speaker because I heard it in a few other amps and loved it. The Fender Princeton Knotty Pine came with a Celestion "Alnico cream:" which was great but I never have cared for Alnico's in Fender Deluxes or Princetons. So I tried the Jupiter and it was just as good as the Celestion but more Fender sounding. I personally LOVe the Jupiter 12LC speaker. Just amazing and they are only $120-ish.
Hi Gary, I know this is an older clip so you may not remember... but I've heard that the Bella has a really smooth volume taper and that you can get a good sound near 0 on the dial, do you think this is true? I have a Princeton 65 RI and it's still tough to get in that "sweet spot" at apartment volume levels
I really cannot comment on what the Bella is capable of but I would say its probably as challenging to get a sweet spot sound at apartment levels. Best guess.
Three years late but great demo Gary. Clearly shows diff between amps being played by themselves vs played with a backtrack. Meaning they all sound good by themselves, but agree with AZFunk that the Bella cuts through the mix best (with the backtrack). Also the low E would string opened up when you switched the Bella to 44W. IMO, for gigging, the Bella is most versatile, nice tones and cuts thru.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. I love the Bella. If it wasn’t so heavy I would still have it. Most of gigs only require a smaller combo with less Power
The Fender is harsher - but, sometimes, that's what I want / it's more rock 'n roll. Can't decide between the Suhr & Carr - each has its own flavor. I have a Bella head and have never tried the 44W setting - what was I waiting for?
Did you try the 44W Setting? I love that setting on the Bella. Ultimately for me, the Carr Rambler is just perfect. Like Goldilocks. This bed is just right!!
@@joanbull9066 Hi Joan. That's awesome, The Bella is a great amp too. But it is a lot bigger and heavier and more than I need. I am very impressed with the performance of the Ironhorse sonically as well as the user-friendly size and weight.
Really good acoustics. Nice job. This video is epic. The reason is that comparisons of high end clean voicing amps are few and often the acoustics are poor. I am searching for amps with great clean tones. I have the Bella. I just acquired a Mesa Badlander 100 that has a different but very good clean. My $800 PRS MT 15 is surprisingly good. Now looking at the Mesa Cali and Magnatone 15. But after your video I should consider the Carr.
Thank you for the kind words. I truly love the Rambler. Lately I am really loving a Louis Electric Columbia as well as a Fender 64 Deluxe Reverb Custom Handwired. and I still LOVE the Carr Rambler. They are all 1x12 combo amps that give me different variations of a classic blackface clean sound.
Thanks for the comparison. Bella has a sweeter, warmer sound that’s less fatiguing than the Princeton, which is brighter and more forward. Rambler has a lot of character and is well balanced
I agree with all of this. The Bella is simply a lot more amp than I need. The Rambler Is more refined in many ways. It is superbly musical, yet less "Fender-is" sounding. All are great amps and have their strengths.
@@gair1944 What do you mean 'more amp than you need'? Is the Bella too loud / unsuitable for home use? I am highly considering getting the Bella head+1x12 cab for my home studio. I demoed the combo a couple times, tone seemed nice at volume 2 with decent fullness. I had a Fender 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb but sold it because it was too loud for home use; the volume taper control didn't work well, went from mute to very loud at volume 2. Tone sounded good at volume 3 but ear splitting! Thanks for any input you can share
@@EsotericWings I have a very small music room/studio with tile floors. So its very "hot" sonically in my room and I don't typically gig electric. When I do, its Solo or Duo at low volumes and the Princeton is often more than I need. For counterpoint, a friend has a Bella head and cab and a much larger music room with wood floors and his Bella works great in there. It truly is A great sounding amp. I also load a ton of gear for my solo gigs with Bose, acoustic guitar, stands, pedal board, and if I bring electric its another Amp, guitar and pedal board. So I need a modest combo typically no more than a Princeton. If I do need more, the size can't be much larger. Just my personal list of contraints
Gary, while all great sounding, I would rate them as 1) Rambler, 2) Princeton, 3) Suhr. I think the Rambler has a certain clarity that can’t be beat, the Princeton with the 12” speaker sounds better than any 10” Princeton I’ve ever heard, the Suhr sounds darker than the others, not in a bad way, just different than the other two. Of course, I’m somewhat prejudiced as I have a Rambler which is the amp i gig with most and to me, is the finest amp I’ve ever played through, followed closely by my Goodsell Valpreaux.
Don Martin I think the fact they are further and further away from the camera mic has to do with that too. In that exact order. I like all 3 but I’m trying to figure out if I want a deluxe or Bella
The Bella and the Rambler seem to be more “relaxed” and loose in the mids. I find that the Princeton has a little bit of a mid bump that I don’t really like. My humble opinion.
You’re right! I agree the Princeton has more prominent midrange. The thing is, what sounds amazing alone might get more lost in a band mix. Midrange “cuts” really well in the mix.
The PRS 594 was fairly new at the time. So I wouldn't say they were brand new because it had been hanging in the store before I bought it. But no idea how old the strings were when I made this video. That was almost two years ago.
@@gair1944 well, then i should say i like worn string instead of sayin' i dislike brand new strings...nonetheless, if the guitar is hangin' on the wall for a year but haven't been played, the strings won't sound like worn strings, they'll still keep that metallic vibe......it's about my taste, i don't mean to say brand new strings sound any bad......cheers...
I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to find your channel Gary…but I’m so glad I have! Great tone, great playing…liked & subscribed!! Cheers from Melbourne, Australia!
Thank you very much and welcome! Cheers back to you my friend
Jeez I could play the rest of my days with the clean tones of any of those amps.
You are very kind. I agree there really is no dog in this race. Just different flavors of great cleans
I have all these amps plus a ‘66 Twin, a ‘55 tweed deluxe, and a 50 watt two-rock combo. All of them I enjoy!
They all sound great as solo amps. The Bella sounds like it'll cut through in a band setting a bit better. Got one of my favorite recorded sounds (and solos) with a Carr Rambler at Wavelab. Definitely love its tone, pushed.
Beautiful tones and equally beautiful playing. Well done
Good idea for a comparison! From the Vid- Id have to go 1) Princeton 2) Suhr 3) Rambler
I have a Carr Mercury V, and it has an outstanding clean tone
I owned a Carr Rambler and a Carr 6V head with matching 2x12 cab 18 years ago, sold them both 12 years ago, and stopped playing for 10 years. I considered buying another Rambler in 2020, but decided to buy amps with different voicings this time around. I went with a custom built Deluxe Reverb style 1x12 combo and a Suhr Bella combo without reverb. I am very happy with both. The Bella is surprisingly musical. I love it!
Thanks for watching and commenting. I played a Suhr Bella several times and LOVE that amp. The only reason I don't own one is the weight of the Combo. I'm not into heads and cabs personally. But what a great amp!
@@gair1944 I really enjoy your channel. 👍 And I agree. Lighter weight combos are a beautiful thing and can be the right choice, power-wise and tone-wise, for many rooms. I recently tried an Eastman SB59/V and a Milkman 5 watt Half Pint combo at a local shop. They felt and sounded fantastic together! I can’t swing those anytime soon, but whew!! 😎
Great video Gary. Very helpful comparisons. If you had to choose one amp between the carr rambler or carr telstar, which one would you go for?
Thanks for watching. I would probably choose the Rambler over Telstar as a pedal platform, superior pure cleans and killer tremolo. If you however push your amp to give you tube amp overdriven dirt as your main thing , then Telstar. The Telstar will Deliver good cleans too but it shines when pushed.
Dude, awesome demo's! Great playing and I love ALL the Princeton content!
Thanks Nick. That Princeton is simply so classic. Sounds great with a 12 Jupiter 12LC. When your comment posted, I listened again. All those amps are truly great and worthy for gigging. The Carr Rambler and Suhr Bella will gig at full band volume easier with no support needed. The Princeton 'could be' borderline depending on your needs.
All three sound great. I have a Knotty pine Princeton with an Alnico Celestion Creamback its a killer amp. I also have a Carr Mercury V 16 watt. Just as in your video the Carr is a bit more refined and of course quality that will last a lifetime. The Princeton is just an amazing re-issue. I love mine.
Carr all life. ❤ Thanks ;)
The Bella is awesome!
It truly sounds great but ulimately too heavy for me to bring to gigs. I don't need to carrying a 50 lb amp to shows. But sonically it is superb!
@@gair1944 yeah…i totally understand
You did a Fantastic job with this. Fair & thorough comparison, with 3 stellar Sounding Amps. I love a pristine Crystal-Clean Tone. I own a Princeton Reverb - and Love it. Gives me that SRV "Riviera Paradise" Tone, so I am very pleased. Stay Safe everyone.
Thanks Michael! No dogs in this race, but the Princeton Reverb is the "voice" I want. Just works great. The other amps will deliver more headroom and fullness in a band mix, and in bigger venues. But I can mix the Princeton if I ever need to ..and I just need a credible and inspiring stage sound.
@@gair1944 I Agree Gary. There are No Losers in this comparison. I love em all. I just like how Compact my Princeton is. Using a Suhr Strat with Lollar Vintage Dirty Blonde's. Just purchased a Barber Gain Changer S.R. - too. Killer touch sensitive OD. Love your tone-too.
What a lovely guitar
Enjoyed the demos, each has it's own characteristics. Humble suggestion - a less 'busy' loop would help with hearing your improvisation
Your comment is very well taken. I could not agree more. I rarely lay down such a busy loop. It was very disruptive. I just listened again and I wish I would have done it different. I don;t have the Rambler or the Suhr Bella right now. I would really like to revisit the Bella. I wound up with a Fender '64 Handwired Deluxe Reverb and it is exceeding my expectations.
I agree with the comment about the backing track being too busy. Gary, you are playing some very tasteful improv ideas and fills. Since the changes are fairly simple maybe just start with a basic Organ or Rhodes pad to blow over!
All amps sonds great. With particular PRS the most relaxing is the Princeton. The playing is excellent again!
Great video, thank you. Why did you change out the speaker in the fender? What was your opinion of the stock celestion? Love your playing.
Thank you J Stat for the nice compliment. I had the Jupiter 12LC speaker because I heard it in a few other amps and loved it. The Fender Princeton Knotty Pine came with a Celestion "Alnico cream:" which was great but I never have cared for Alnico's in Fender Deluxes or Princetons. So I tried the Jupiter and it was just as good as the Celestion but more Fender sounding. I personally LOVe the Jupiter 12LC speaker. Just amazing and they are only $120-ish.
Hi Gary, I know this is an older clip so you may not remember... but I've heard that the Bella has a really smooth volume taper and that you can get a good sound near 0 on the dial, do you think this is true? I have a Princeton 65 RI and it's still tough to get in that "sweet spot" at apartment volume levels
I really cannot comment on what the Bella is capable of but I would say its probably as challenging to get a sweet spot sound at apartment levels. Best guess.
I bet that Jupiter speaker placed in that Bella would sound fantastic.
I love the V-Type...but not the best choice for everything.
I agree. The Jupiter is a great match for a blackface voiced amp
Three years late but great demo Gary. Clearly shows diff between amps being played by themselves vs played with a backtrack. Meaning they all sound good by themselves, but agree with AZFunk that the Bella cuts through the mix best (with the backtrack). Also the low E would string opened up when you switched the Bella to 44W. IMO, for gigging, the Bella is most versatile, nice tones and cuts thru.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. I love the Bella. If it wasn’t so heavy I would still have it. Most of gigs only require a smaller combo with less Power
Nice demo! You get a great sound. Nobody should demo gear in short pants!
Lol summer in Tucson calls for comfort. But yeah, long pants called for. Lol
The Fender is harsher - but, sometimes, that's what I want / it's more rock 'n roll. Can't decide between the Suhr & Carr - each has its own flavor. I have a Bella head and have never tried the 44W setting - what was I waiting for?
Did you try the 44W Setting? I love that setting on the Bella. Ultimately for me, the Carr Rambler is just perfect. Like Goldilocks. This bed is just right!!
@@gair1944 I did try it and it sounds great. But I decided I don't need the Bella - thinking of selling it to raise money for the IronHorse.
@@joanbull9066 Hi Joan. That's awesome, The Bella is a great amp too. But it is a lot bigger and heavier and more than I need. I am very impressed with the performance of the Ironhorse sonically as well as the user-friendly size and weight.
Really good acoustics. Nice job. This video is epic. The reason is that comparisons of high end clean voicing amps are few and often the acoustics are poor. I am searching for amps with great clean tones. I have the Bella. I just acquired a Mesa Badlander 100 that has a different but very good clean. My $800 PRS MT 15 is surprisingly good. Now looking at the Mesa Cali and Magnatone 15. But after your video I should consider the Carr.
Thank you for the kind words. I truly love the Rambler. Lately I am really loving a Louis Electric Columbia as well as a Fender 64 Deluxe Reverb Custom Handwired. and I still LOVE the Carr Rambler. They are all 1x12 combo amps that give me different variations of a classic blackface clean sound.
What tubes are in the Bella, J&J’s or Sovtek?
No idea. Wasn't my amp.
Thanks for the comparison. Bella has a sweeter, warmer sound that’s less fatiguing than the Princeton, which is brighter and more forward. Rambler has a lot of character and is well balanced
I agree with all of this. The Bella is simply a lot more amp than I need. The Rambler Is more refined in many ways. It is superbly musical, yet less "Fender-is" sounding. All are great amps and have their strengths.
@@gair1944 What do you mean 'more amp than you need'? Is the Bella too loud / unsuitable for home use? I am highly considering getting the Bella head+1x12 cab for my home studio. I demoed the combo a couple times, tone seemed nice at volume 2 with decent fullness. I had a Fender 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb but sold it because it was too loud for home use; the volume taper control didn't work well, went from mute to very loud at volume 2. Tone sounded good at volume 3 but ear splitting! Thanks for any input you can share
@@EsotericWings I have a very small music room/studio with tile floors. So its very "hot" sonically in my room and I don't typically gig electric. When I do, its Solo or Duo at low volumes and the Princeton is often more than I need. For counterpoint, a friend has a Bella head and cab and a much larger music room with wood floors and his Bella works great in there. It truly is A great sounding amp. I also load a ton of gear for my solo gigs with Bose, acoustic guitar, stands, pedal board, and if I bring electric its another Amp, guitar and pedal board. So I need a modest combo typically no more than a Princeton. If I do need more, the size can't be much larger. Just my personal list of contraints
@@gair1944 thanks for the feedback! very helpful
Gary, while all great sounding, I would rate them as 1) Rambler, 2) Princeton, 3) Suhr. I think the Rambler has a certain clarity that can’t be beat, the Princeton with the 12” speaker sounds better than any 10” Princeton I’ve ever heard, the Suhr sounds darker than the others, not in a bad way, just different than the other two. Of course, I’m somewhat prejudiced as I have a Rambler which is the amp i gig with most and to me, is the finest amp I’ve ever played through, followed closely by my Goodsell Valpreaux.
Don Martin I think the fact they are further and further away from the camera mic has to do with that too. In that exact order. I like all 3 but I’m trying to figure out if I want a deluxe or Bella
The Bella and the Rambler seem to be more “relaxed” and loose in the mids. I find that the Princeton has a little bit of a mid bump that I don’t really like. My humble opinion.
You’re right! I agree the Princeton has more prominent midrange. The thing is, what sounds amazing alone might get more lost in a band mix. Midrange “cuts” really well in the mix.
They’re all fantastic amps and extremely expensive gear,they all sound good.
They are all well built amps with excellent parts and build quality. I agree there is no dog in this race
I would be Happy with any one of them. But best to last for me....Carr, Fender, Suhr. I thought the Suhr would be the best but no
Your taste in tone is stellar my friend
All the difference is in the speaker. They’re all great sounding amps. But reliability wise, who knows.
Princeton!
All three sound good, The Bella sounds fuller , not as brite.
are you playin' brand new strings?????......i can notice they're brand new.....i cannot stand the sound of brand new strings, i like them worn.....
The PRS 594 was fairly new at the time. So I wouldn't say they were brand new because it had been hanging in the store before I bought it. But no idea how old the strings were when I made this video. That was almost two years ago.
@@gair1944 well, then i should say i like worn string instead of sayin' i dislike brand new strings...nonetheless, if the guitar is hangin' on the wall for a year but haven't been played, the strings won't sound like worn strings, they'll still keep that metallic vibe......it's about my taste, i don't mean to say brand new strings sound any bad......cheers...
Princeton all the way
The Princeton won