Carr Mercury V: The Amp to Rule Them All

Carr Mercury V Walkthrough

[@ThePoet007]

I watched lots of vids on the Carr Mercury V before I purchased one. Every vid had an impact on me. But this video is the best of them all. Really gets down to the amp itself and what is does aside from just playing it. Fantastic review of this amp. And I thank you Mark for time spent giving us a fantastic review of this wonderful amp. I’ve had my Carr amp a couple months now. It will never get old. Something new every time I plug in. So much to explore with this amp. For me, It’s the amp of all amps. Definitely not a one trick pony like so many amps out there. The Carr Mercury V covers a tremendous amount of territory. You can do so much with this amp. And it will make you a better player as well. I’m a home bedroom player, this amp fits the bill perfectly. If you think about it, Most of us spend the major amount of our guitar playing time in the bedroom. Don’t get me wrong, this amp will do any venue out there

[@markhopkinsmusic]

Topdog yeah, it’s truly a beautiful box of doom!!!

[@bobboitt3126]

Great review, I have one also. This is the amp I have searched for all my life. Its like a Swiss Army knife. Does the fender clean, Marshall crunch and killer sustain. Its sooooo touch sensitive you can get every nuance of picking and muting, sounds HUGE for a 1x12 and the icing on the cake....the attenuator! This is the last amp I will ever need and I have had many from Marshall, Boogie, Fender,Peavey, nothing touches this amp.

[@markhopkinsmusic]

Thanks for the comment, I 100% agree! I don't think I'll need anything else, it sounds perfect in every scenario.

[@ThePoet007]

Just got this amp. It’s beyond amazing. No need for another amp ever. This is a home run amp.

[@lancemiller3207]

Great demo! You helped me decide on this model. Just ordered it. Thanks for the detailed walk through.

[@markhopkinsmusic]

My pleasure Lance, glad I could help! It’s a dope amp!

[@satinwhip]

The channels are already jumpered or in parallel with the switch up. When you switch it down to series it reconfigures the input to cascade the high / low channels in series similar to what you find on a JCM 800 master volume Marshall. This is a brutal little amp that will cover so much ground. If I didn't have a Kemper (making tube amps obsolete for me) I'd buy one of these in a heartbeat. Great bedroom or studio amp. Probably not quite as useful in some live situations.

[@frantisca]

Thanks for uploading this extensive demo. This amp sounds magnificent . The (only ?) downside of it seems to be that you have to be practically next to it and change the settings by hand if you want to swap between tones... Which is fine for studio/bedroom use, but for live...? A multiple footswitch with Series/Parallel, Boost and reverb would have been welcome.

[@markhopkinsmusic]

Cool Rene 100% true!

[@charliepin4501]

Wondering how difficult that would be as a modification. Perhaps to the head, which might have more real estate for footswitch plug and internal relays for the switch.

[@the92project]

Carrs are single channel amps. If you need switching this and that on the fly rather than with your guitar controls and picking dynamics then maybe Friedman or Bogners are better options. Love my Carr Telstar and love my Bogner Helios.

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

i did'nt stop there i went all the way and bought a carr slant 6v. party time! so happy !

[@stalahoy]

holy smokes... this amp sounds amazing

[@markhopkinsmusic]

It's pretty impressive!

[@rizzlepmizzle]

Incredible tone. Great walkthrough!

[@markhopkinsmusic]

Thanks a bunch!

[@ThePoet007]

He did very well with the review. Showed all the important aspects of it. And played it without hiding the amp through pedals.

[@shred5]

Man, I was all set on buying a Tone King Imperial then I played the original Mercury today and now I have no direction in life.

[@markhopkinsmusic]

choices are hard man- i don't envy that decision - but you can't go wrong buddy!

[@imgonnagetbanned]

This is a great demo that accurately represents what I hear from mine -- do you still have yours?

[@markhopkinsmusic]

@@imgonnagetbanned I actually sold that a little while back. Not because it’s not a great amp, I just really wanted a Two Rock.

[@funfreq9282]

The only thing that sucks about this amp is they didn't make the High/low and boost knob foot switchable. Could have covered a lot more sounds on the fly with a 4 button footswitch.

[@markhopkinsmusic]

Agreed! It would be unstoppable if it had that.

[@lickysixx]

and the reverb needs a foot switch

[@adamscottv]

If this amp had a footswitch with buttons for the three boost modes, I'd buy it. I still might buy it, but ...

[@markhopkins2731]

I 100% Agree!

[@thomasjohnson2750]

How’s it holding up after all these years?

[@markhopkinsmusic]

I sold a couple years ago when I had a mid life crisis and bought a Two Rock haha. But it was one hell of an amp!

[@brianshoaf9026]

Great Video, I just got the same amp. What model Suhr are you using in this?

[@markhopkinsmusic]

I honestly don’t remember the model but I got it in 2015 I think. I’ve actually sold that since and bought a 335 style guitar- Josh Williams Mockingbird

[@colonelranders747]

This amp sounds amazing but how would you compare it to your Magnatone Varsity Reverb? Are they at all similar for the exception of an attenuator?? Great vid btw

[@jtgylland5053]

I've played both, but not side by side. I actually owned the varsity for awhile. I'd say they are pretty different. I think the mercury would be more versatile. Varsity only has treble, bass, volume, and reverb. The varsity does have a negative feedback switch that is pretty cool and acts as a boost in conjunction with the footswitch the amp comes with. all in all, I thought the magnatone was a wonderful amp, bust just a little to dark for my taste. I found myself missing the high end that comes with a fender style amp. perhaps a speaker change would have helped. The mercury from what I recall was in a similar vein as the magnatone, but in a slightly more compact, with more bells and whistles. I don't think you can go wrong either was as they are both top notch amps.

[@WatchMyBeers]

Hey I’m seriously considering this amp since I’m a home player. My only concern is the lack of fx loop. Have you experimented running any delay or modulations into it? Any pedals you recommend?

[@markhopkinsmusic]

I haven't had any issues - I just run my delay in front. Sounds awesome any way you slice it!

[@pappyodanial]

I have a Dr Z mini Z right now but I want something with more head room but also small. My attenuator is a real tone suck on that amp sadly. I don't pedal up too much, a chandler germ drive, jhs charlie brown, talisman plate reverb, and a gurus optivalve before everything kind of always on. I want to try my stuff on this amp but there are no dealers by me in NY. I might just order one though. There are no used ones ever so, that's a testament to how much people like this amp I guess.

[@markhopkinsmusic]

will .............. I don’t think you’ll regret getting one. It has truly changed my musical life! It’s one of the most versatile amps I have ever plugged into

[@Jimjam3056]

Nice demo. I noticed that the neck position pickup on your Suhr strat produces less 60 cycle hum than your Bridge Humbucker. What pickup is loaded into the neck position on this guitar?

[@markhopkinsmusic]

diezel man it’s just the stock neck pickup. Suhr does have some sort of Wizardry with those single coils. The Humbucker is something I swapped out and upgraded to a more PAF style

[@Jimjam3056]

Mark Hopkins thanks for the info

[@stalahoy]

Mark what kind pickups are in the neck of your Suhr strat? I want to make sure I get the right ones 😎

[@markhopkinsmusic]

Hey Ian! It was just the stock neck pickup. I actually sold that guitar so I’m not 100% sure which model it was. Was a great guitar but I upgraded to a Custom shop about one year ago

[@stalahoy]

@@markhopkinsmusic Thanks Mark. Happy playing 😊

[@mikeaustin4138]

I can't decide between this or a Skylark. I'm more into "Fender" tones which is supposedly the Skylark's forte, but the Mercury has so many useful features. Mercury is ~ $140 more than the Skylark - not a problem for me.

[@markhopkinsmusic]

I never got a chance to play the Skylark but I have heard it’s pretty amazing! Have you checked out the Two Rock Studio Signature? You may want to give that a look too before you drop the cash

[@mikeaustin4138]

@@markhopkinsmusic More expensive, no attenuator. Carr's attenuator is a *major* selling point for me.

[@JC-dn8ox]

Great video, thanks! I can't decide between this and the Skylark. Did you choose it just for the boost switch?

[@markhopkinsmusic]

I was between those two as well - but so glad I chose the Mercury V! It's just a more versatile amp in my opinion. It's plenty loud and plenty quiet too. I wouldn't even hesitate going with the V, you'll be glad you did. The boost section is just icing on the cake really. Tonal goodness in every nook and cranny.

[@soofitnsexy]

@@markhopkinsmusic awesome video but isnt this a marshall type vibe and skylark much cleaner ala fender?? thanks again for wonderful vid

[@markhopkinsmusic]

Fat Sugar Salt The V is def based on more Marshall tendencies, but I use it for less gain clean tones. It’s a Swiss Army knife amp for sure

[@BradRocker]

Still have this Beauty ??

[@markhopkinsmusic]

I do not. I actually sold it to get the Two Rock.

[@BradRocker]

@@markhopkinsmusic That's what I thought, but still a great amp i'm sure.

[@markhopkinsmusic]

@@BradRocker Oh man - it served me well the year I had it

[@JP-gt8qr]

Is this amp tube rectified or solid state? Thanks

[@markhopkinsmusic]

Tube Amp!

[@sakitakungtyan]

Seems like a very nice Amp, how does it take fuzz pedals?

[@markhopkinsmusic]

Great! I have a couple different ones, Germanium and Silicon and it does well with both! Check out my video with the Jan Ray, Duelist and Third Stone Fuzz - that's the Carr too!

[@thejamnasium6447]

I am dying for a Carr amp. I've never even played one. hell I've never been in the same room as one. but I know I need one.

[@markhopkinsmusic]

pretty amazing man!

[@thejamnasium6447]

@@markhopkinsmusic I've discovered so many amazing boutique amp companies over the past year. Tone King, Carr, Swart, Milkman, etc. I don't think you could go wrong with any of em

[@markhopkinsmusic]

@@thejamnasium6447 don't forget Bartel Amps

[@rickflippin1]

Got a Telstar freakin loved it. Reached out to Carr amps to ask a question about a stereo set up with the Telstar. Freakin Steve Carr himself answers, gives me the advice I needed, I am following it, getting another Carr amp,will not ever look elsewhere. I have what I always wanted tone-wise and an artist that makes amps that cares what I think. SOLD for life

[@markhopkinsmusic]

@@rickflippin1 Steve is the MAN!!! Amazing company all around.

[@IsakuItou]

Is this amp good for gary moore lead tone?

[@markhopkinsmusic]

It's extremely versatile soI am sure you can get Gary Moore-esque tones out of this thing!

[@the92project]

Telstar or Mercury V. Therein lies the dilemma

[@markhopkinsmusic]

100% accurate

[@karabinerstudios]

If your change your way of thinking to “which one first”, the dilemma doesn’t seem so bad 😁

[@jakestewartmusic]

Does the attenuator get quiet enough for apartment use? I crank a Rambler to 10 for gigs, but I'm looking at Carr's options for amps that can deliver at apartment-friendly volumes. I was considering a Raleigh, but if the Mercury V delivers at the super tiny volume levels too, it'd obviously be more useful overall.

[@markhopkinsmusic]

Jake Stewart Music 100% yes! I use it right below my daughters room while she is sleeping with no issues. It’s a dope amp!

[@jakestewartmusic]

Awesome! I definitely want to play through one sometime. It seems like it'd be a great companion to the Rambler. Have you tried a Raleigh or a Skylark? I know the Raleigh is basically designed to be the at-home amp and the Skylark also has an attenuator

[@markhopkinsmusic]

i haven't, but I was between this and the Skylark but wanted a little more power. Both sound amazing. Steve just builds amazing stuff period

[@jakestewartmusic]

Agreed. My Rambler is the best amp that I've ever owned or played through. When I discovered how great it sounds cranking it to 10 and plugging straight in, I got rid of pretty much all of my pedals and haven't looked back. It's just that good

[@tdunster2011]

@@jakestewartmusic I use my Rambler at home without any issues. I just throw a Soul Food or a Tube Screamer in front of it to get a nice crunch without having to blow the roof off the house. Can even get a nice tone with an SD-1 as well - something I could never get with other amps.

[@stevemercer7569]

I got one!! It is Killer!!!!!!

[@markhopkinsmusic]

YEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!! Such a great combo amp!

[@lickysixx]

what does the amp sound like at full attenuation?

[@markhopkinsmusic]

I no longer have the amp, but it sounds amazing on all settings. Truly one of the best amps I’ve ever owned. The only reason I sold it was for a mid life crisis purchase haha

[@lickysixx]

@@markhopkinsmusic Does it go to whisper levels? The original Mercury I owned did. Not sure this one does...I havent heard a video demo at full attenuation anywhere. As you know one watt is still too loud for certain applications

[@markhopkinsmusic]

@@lickysixx honestly it’s been so long I don’t remember. But I do remember it being a very pleasant volume and tone fully attenuated. I miss that amp, even with having my new Two Rock.

[@lickysixx]

@@markhopkinsmusic Which Two Rock did you go with?

[@markhopkinsmusic]

@@lickysixx studio signature. It’s glorious

[@rpc530]

Does the volume change between the boost settings

[@markhopkinsmusic]

rpc530 I don’t notice a change in volume. If I had any complaints about it, it would be I wish that those boost settings were foot switchable. But that’s not super important to me cuz I just leave it on the middle setting. It’s all up to what level of gain you want

[@rpc530]

Thank You!

[@markhopkinsmusic]

Anytime!

[@MW47742]

No sound of the amp? Does it work at all?

[@MW47742]

L

[@gbc77000]

Yes, sound of the amp. Yes, it does work. What video were you watching?