This Guitar Amp will make you PLAY BETTER! Carr Mercury V

Amazing 16W Boutique Amp from Carr Amplifiers played with 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty and 1971 Marshall 4x12 1960A . The combo uses a G12M-65 Celestion Creamback speaker.

[@LocoDirewolf]

I discovered this amp a few weeks ago and I have yet to hear a bad review of it. Carr has done some magic with those 6V6 tubes. It just sounds amazing, both clean and dirty. It has become my dream amp.

[@JohanSegeborn]

It’s a dream amp indeed!

[@DMSProduktions]

PITY they fitted such crappy branded valves in it! @ least use JJs!

[@patrikzarkovic289]

You didn't say "okay, let's go" before playing. Is something wrong?

[@JohanSegeborn]

No on the contrary! :-)

[@patrikzarkovic289]

Johan Segeborn Great to hear that 😀

[@JohanSegeborn]

Cheers!

[@krispatel1]

1:02

[@lroy730]

He said "Alright Lets Go !" A little change is good . It means he's not a robot guitar man.

[@costas3953]

Unbelievable amp. Sounds coming from this thing are amazing. 10:27 is out of this world!!! The chord at 10:43 is mind blowing! Great playing in every aspect. Thanks Johan, this is on my wish list!

[@jakestewartmusic]

Awesome to see some Carr amps on here! My favorite amp is the Carr Rambler. I've been using mine for over 6 years now and it's made me a better musician. I like to crank it to 10 on the full power setting and plug straight in. Killer reverb and tremolo built in, so it has everything I need in one portable box!

[@1989guitarplayer]

Since you make anything sound amazing, everybody must be afraid to purchase those equipment e to be disappointed when plays it! Congrats! Great sound! I hope every amp have that kind of attenuator!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Lucas! Yeah that attenuator was really useful

[@marcavus1]

The electric guitar and tube amp are the most magical of musical instruments. You've proved it once again! Thanks for sharing your magic!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks my friend!

[@CentaurusRelax314]

I would not have expected an amp that looks like that to sound like that. An eye-opener. Fantastic.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah, it did quite an array of tones

[@semojo1]

This guy makes great amps. The best I have heard as far as great clean and driven tones, not easy to make a amp that does both very well.

[@BigMikeGuitar]

Glad I checked this amp out today! Really fun, really cool little amp with great styling. An amp with multiple personalities, and each one of them has a lot of character! Great playing too.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Mike, yeah a really versatile amp

[@carljohnson4691]

Johan, you are the Man! I swear you can get more tones out of an amp with just a guitar, than most KZbinrs get with a whole rack of pedals. I had the opportunity to sample Carr amplifiers at the 2008 Summer NAMM show, in Nashville, Tennessee, and I was VERY impressed at the time. I am even more impressed, now, lol.

[@richfiryn]

That's a lot of tone flavors in one box. Really great sound. Now plug a Strat in it !

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Rich, that will be coming up too!

[@fernandel-slideguitarjam6146]

I was crazy to hear the Tele on it ... and a Strat will be even better

[@liv2praz]

Carr amps are sick. Killer playing, as always!!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man, they are indeed!

[@Blaydrnnnr]

They are REALLY nice.. but pricey. Worth the cost IMHO...I've had the pleasure of playing a few.....

[@DMSProduktions]

SO is the price...

[@antigen4]

made me feel sick when i saw the price though! ;P

[@DMSProduktions]

Sometimes, you DO get what you pay for! But a lot of the time, you don't also!

[@TheMrturn1]

I've had my Mercury V since February, and it's heaven.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Cheers

[@pelimies1818]

Hard to believe! Amazing crispness, yet not a bit screetchy. Very versatile. Thanks!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@neocollective]

Great point about being easy to play, good to know. A lot of good boutique amps are so accurate they show and magnify every little technical flaw that the player might have. Awesome videos !! 👍🤗👌🏼✌️

[@quadrogong1111]

I’m a Marshall man through and through, wanted something small for the house, I was thinking @ jubilee combo, but now.. wow. This this is sick! Seems worth it

[@paulsimmons5726]

The tone reminded me of the old Supro tone from the classic 60's and early 70's recordings. The amp sounds great!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man, glad to hear that!

[@JHPRS]

I could actually feel how much you enjoyed playing this amp. Excellent demo of it's awesomeness. Rock on buddy. :)

[@gerryloughran1676]

Stunning amp ...WoW that low end is the best yet and the mids are bouncing- harmonics are just sweet - a real love story Johan! - yet again you've double the price of another amp

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Gerry! ;-)

[@cliveclive54]

Hey Johan,this little beast sounds great,even when attenuated! \m/

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Clive, yeah the attenuator worked great. \m/ Cheers

[@paulj0557tonehead]

Best amp I've heard in a long time. Sounds as sensitive as my 65' Bassman on 2-12" tilt back cab with Utah speakers, playing my 61' LP jr. single P90 PU coil dbl cutaway.

[@bobboitt3126]

I traded in my Marshall JCM and a tele last year to buy this amp! Glad to see you put it through the paces! I LOVE this amp. It is the best sounding combo I ever played. Vintage tones to die for. Really enjoyed this video! Thanks.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Bob, I’m really glad you like it too!

[@timwhite5562]

Whenever I see an amp being described as "making you a better player," I immediately think of clones of the Dumble FM amps. I've assembled a few over the years, and after playing the first one I learned to inquire as to what the owner normally played. If it's anything high-gain with a good deal of compression/mid-scooped, or otherwise a "forgiving" amp, I suggest to throw their compression pedal in the chain for a week or so. The touch-dynamics and particularly bright character of it made it a not very forgiving amp to sloppy dynamics. It's not uncommon on forums for these models to hear new owners saying that they don't like them as much as they thought they would. All of those commenters however in every case that I bothered to check back with a month or two later would do a 180-degree turn on that once they got use to it. Much of the time, afterwards their more forgiving amps went unplayed. Anyway, the dynamics and liveliness made them better players, at the very least, far more dynamic players. I've only played one Carr that I can remember, and didn't get to play it very long since I was there to do something else, but I remember promising myself that I'd play one longer later down the road, but never did. I have heard from people I know who own one, and of whom all have opinions I respect all rave about them. The common thread of the opinions is that they find that the more they played them, the fewer and fewer things they put between the guitar and amp. First distortion/OD pedals would come out, fuzz, compressors, etc. That's always been a better indicator than anything else. Great video, but then, they always are. There's DEFINITELY a process to good Demo videos, of which it seems 80/85% of them do not use; with amps/pickups/certain pedals (gain/EQ/compression); what type of Guitar they're using to showcase them, then how it's recorded and mic'd and the other technical aspects. One thing that's overlooked most of the time however is WHAT they're playing, (as in song, gain level, etc). This channel ALWAYS seems to play just the right thing to demonstrate whatever it is that being focused on.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Tim, I’m so glad to hear that, and really appreciate the feedback. Cheers Johan

[@Dagger_323]

Wow, I’d love to pick up a Carr amp at some point in the future. They really are phenomenal sounding amps, no wonder Ed King uses them!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Cool, I’m a huge fan of Ed King!

[@philfitzsimmons616]

@@JohanSegeborn RIP Ed!

[@Brocktelecaster79]

You set the bar for any review I've watched in the last 12 years I've been watching reviews. Well Done "lets go"

[@remibottriaux]

Man, this tones are sick !! And thank you for adding more infos on the control panels and settings, you rock Johan 😎

[@TheBrandonLewis]

I love the Carr Lincoln is my favorite AC10 style amp ever

[@JohanSegeborn]

Cheers Brandon

[@MauricioIM]

02:03 that E power-chord sounded identical as the classic "Paranoid" Tony Iommi tone in the 1970 record :O Haha! Awesome, Johan. Greetings from Brazil!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man, I love Black Sabbath!

[@jcamp2112]

I think the G12m-65 is slowly becoming my favorite non greenback celestion speaker. It just sounds good with everything

[@JohanSegeborn]

It worked great in this combo!

[@ytca1680]

Wow! It sounds great with the stock speaker, but it really comes alive with the greenbacks in that cab :)

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, glad to hear it!

[@brpadington]

This is a sick little amp!!! Gotta get me one of these!!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, highly recommended!

[@jeff7807]

Oh man what a great sounding amp.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Jeff, glad to hear it!

[@wojciech_migda]

The stacks in the back are just to make us envious ;-). Great job and great tone!!!

[@Sapere-Aude777]

the overdrive is insane, what a beauty love it

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! :-)

[@Sapere-Aude777]

you re a lucky man good for you bro

[@rguitar87]

Great demonstration of how much the speaker contributes to the sound. Also, killer amp. Reminds me of Captain Beyond's first album.

[@atomaalatonal]

this is the top of the ladder. never heard a better sound out of this channel^^.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@sarahwaters1103]

the bands ive been a part of have had a couple people who ended up beeing signed to innerscppe and capital . . we always put the lyrics and music 1st! . . with the stacks-wall behind you, that really shows your musical maturity.

[@JohanSegeborn]

I'm sure Innerscope or Capital will call you too soon Sarah

[@allrequiredfields]

That riff and tone at 07:33 was amazing

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, glad to hear that!

[@paulwright6989]

Wow that little amp sounds fantastic!

[@williamsimmons4678]

Nice vid johan!! ts got that jumped channel rattle that wont break the bank !!

[@DMSProduktions]

This too IS the sound of ROCK! \m/ Sounded good with its own speaker, (RARE for a 1x12 combo) BIT boxy but nice & crunchy! Sounded PHENOMENAL with the 4x12 Marshall! BUT you're paying a boutique price for a boutique built amp!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, yeah through the 4x12 it sounded as good as anything gets to me!

[@strings2wood]

@@JohanSegeborn How did you run it through the 4 x 12 does the line out function as an ext. cab or was through a mixer. Very impressed both ways.

[@cullenj7501]

What a little beast of an amp..wow. Thx Johan for this one!!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Cullen! :-)

[@motokev2727]

Own this amp, love it

[@alexknip]

I play Johan's videos just for aesthetic pleasure. Great sounds every time

[@dangolguitartech]

Another awesome video with awesome playing through a great amp. Thanks for sharing!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Mike!

[@gpeterson999]

Another amazing video. I love Carr amps, but I only know them through profiles. This one sounds amazing. BTW, I know it's not a normal occurance, but I like when you add your opinion. I know its going to be measured, not hyperbole.

[@rts4133]

Sounds great! I'm not sure if it is the size of the cab or the circuits but it has a certain pure vintage "growl" that rocks. Nice open sound

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, yeah biggest sounding combo I’ve played.

[@stevenmgyori3826]

Fine job Johan,nice tones and demonstration!Thanks Brother, Be Well!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks my friend, Cheers

[@Ramiiam]

That thing sounds fantastic. I had sworn off combo, but wow.

[@schizophonicsoundz]

sounds so good with the marshall stack

[@georgekrabs6948]

Johan Segeborn and any amp = killer tone

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks my friend! :-)

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

billy gibons of zz top needs this amp :) there is a lot of rich harmonic content in the low mid, you cant get more vintage sounding then this. i think this is the best sound i have herd out of a 1x12 combo amp.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Dan, yeah the detailed lower mids makes it sound huge!

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

2 me ,, that's vintage,, how did zz top do it on there first record so long ago? :)

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

this is also a great combination with your less pual black b

[@giuliocarmassi]

Actually Billy uses the Raleigh, Carr's smallest combo!

[@DMSProduktions]

What is a less pual?

[@90sPunkRockCovers]

Damn that thing sounds amazing. Great playing as always my man.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man, glad to hear that!

[@franzpitracher8690]

PS: After you are demoing something i have to check for other reviews, because sometimes i feel you make everything sound nice because you understand it!

[@nickthenail]

Man.... That amp coupled with a Carr Sportsman and an A/B/Y switcher, and your set. THANKS JOHAN!!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Nick, that sounds like a nice rig!

[@MrBossei]

Shit! Thats a good sounding amp! Classic tones and classy playing indeed!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Bosse, that’s great to hear!

[@jb-zr7nw]

I spent all weekend going through all of Johan's videos:) Man, was my wife mad. I have a Mercury V and agree, I think it makes you play better. It is extremely forgiving and will 'accomodate' any sloppy playing. Johan- how did this amp compare to your 2204? I know different beasts, but similar tones. Keep up the awesome work!

[@BladeDoomer86]

Wow awesome tones!

[@jjnewbold]

Best tone I've heard on your channel, Johan. Crunchy and fat in all the right places. I see one of these in my future!

[@ericbouza854]

Another excellent video! Keep up the good work.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Eric! Glad to hear that!

[@scotttower5115]

The amp sounds very good on its own, but add the 4x12 and wow! Killer playing as usual.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Scott! Yeah it sounded amazing through the 4x12

[@estring69]

You always sound great. This amp does go to 11 for that push over the cliff. This amp does have some stand out magic.

[@joshuatrietch7456]

That thing is killer!

[@DocHoliday444]

Whow, is there anything this amp can't do or doesn't sound like? That's just amazing... If there'd also be an added tremolo this would be the perfect amp, hands down!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man

[@DocHoliday444]

Is it for sale somewhere? That's a serious question btw.

[@bluesychoosy5881]

damn - hoped to see some single coils! But whaaat a sound! Bad ass combi: AMP, GUITAR, YOU - great components

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks my friend! Strat/Tele version is coming up too!

[@monkeybooby3]

Sounds killer as does your playing.

[@tommyandersson7702]

Den förstärkaren lät riktigt bra måste jag säga.

[@fernandes5986]

Damn, you go from 60s physcadelia to 80s metal riffs in a blink of an eye. Are you from outer space? Great video Johan. Cheers.

[@fernandes5986]

and even Francis Lai's Love story, jesus christ. You're the man.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks my friend, glad you recognized that riff! :-)

[@willdenham]

That little guy has a huge sound.

[@sylvainalain6637]

Yeah that amp is awesome and the Mercury V has a attenuator that goes almost to 0w too.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah and the attenuator works great! I compare some levels at the end of the clip.

[@backspin6698]

Jaha, ännu en stärkare på min önskelista. Den börjar bli lång. Ha en skön midsommar Johan.

[@WiserInTime]

I had a Carr Mercury years back. It seems this is a newer version. There are more controls on it than I remember on mine. Also I loved the clean tones of mine but didn't care for the dirty tones. They sounded boxy and thin to me. In this video that amp sounds great all around.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@bobboitt3126]

Yep, this isnt the old Mercury thats for sure. This is the updated V model and it screams with sustain and you can dial in clean tones to die for.

[@GIBKEL]

I bought this and just didn’t have enough time to play with it. I’ve been playing through my 65’ Reverberocket which has a nice big cabinet. Your ears get tuned to a sound and the Carr was so stark in contrast (it’s what I was looking for) but I wish I had a bit more time to play with it. The rockets don’t get much love for a number of reasons, tubes, techs, but once I found the right speaker to pair it with, it’s my go to. Still….searching for that Vox chime.

[@SirVicc]

Johan must have loved this amp and doesn't want to let go. He play Love Story for it!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Hahaha! ;-)

[@guitarocd9984]

Lol

[@robertbright-jc3sd]

GREAT AMP,NICE PLAYING🎸🎵AND PRESENTATION THAT'S THE WAY TOO DEMO AN AMP NICE BACKLINE OF MARSHALLS🎸

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Robert! Glad to hear it!

[@jenton70]

I bought my Mercury V on the strength of this video. You should get a commission Johan. :)

[@mikolajbojnar]

Sounds like beefed up 5E3 with controllable power. Amp of my dreams!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Glad to hear it

[@lizzietheheretic7831]

Damn!!...sounds fantastic Johan

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Ben!

[@brunojacq5473]

Creamback, yeah ! It sings beautifull !

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Bruno!

[@loveplayinguitars]

Awesome recording amp that can do everything.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@danpeabody5687]

Great sounding amp! Of coarse you always play well but all the tones and gain settings seem GREAT

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Dan!

[@curtisckey]

I've wanted one of these amps ever since I saw a video with Ed King playing through one. If I remember correctly, he called it "the last amp you'll need to buy". He may be right, but the price of admission is high. in the neighborhood of $2,500 US. But damn! it does sound good!

[@Lowtech14]

Great review, and great demonstration of sounds. I do wish you’d played that butterscotch telecaster through it.

[@robbierussell9536]

You ain't lying Johan!!..P.A.that amp WOW

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Robbie! :-)

[@kindnick58]

Was lookin at a Carr today at Rudy's music in NY

[@sugarlife485]

great store im there all the time!!

[@demantoid418]

This Amp sounds great! : o Wow thanks Johan

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@jcoulter43]

That thing sounded Great! How does it compare to the mighty Pure Tone and Forsberg amps? It sounded like it had incredible headroom. Cheers from Dublin. On a family vacation this week, but had to get my Johan fix 🎸😎👍

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks my friend! It’s as good as it get’s like Pure Tone Amps and Forsberg. Different flavors of greatness! :-)

[@guitarocd9984]

Okay we have found the Holy Grail of amps are we done here now. LOL

[@JohanSegeborn]

;-)

[@JohnsDough1918]

In the amp world, there's a quite a bunch of Holy Grails, and a lot are yet to be discovered.

[@ThePoet007]

Just got mine this week. It’s amazing to say the least. I came here prior to my purchase. This amp is totally sick in the best way. I hit a home run buying tthis amp.

[@Θανος-ι6φ]

Amazing sound.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@bluesborn]

Sounds great as always Johan. You have a great knack for jamming and letting the ideas flow. Do you do a lot of jamming with other players? I think you should host one if not. Anyway I'm a Blues guy (obviously) and a fan of the tweed sound but this little amp has had me pining for days over it. Such a little sweetheart.

[@luispaxtor2680]

Damn good tones!

[@scottallen9556]

Thanks Johan, this is exactly the type of demo I've been asking for. I love Marshalls but the best demo I've seen you do was the 12 Boutique combo comparison. I really want to hear your opinion of the amps I own, Tone King Imperial and Falcon Grande, but you said they're hard to find over there? I know you'll keep efforting to bring these quality demos we love, no need to hear. Thanks again from the High Desert, Ca. Brohan

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man, I’m keeping a lookout for those two!

[@dannyjonze]

Tone king isn't very well engineered. Sounds good tho

[@scottallen9556]

Danny Jones I'm pretty sure the engineering for most of these great amps comes from the 1940's or 50's. If you referring to build quality I can't find many differences here. The overall tone that is created has a different range on the Carr amp but, take your pick on that.

[@dannyjonze]

Scott Allen. Not really. For two and a half grand you can buy an old point to point amp that is reliable or get a new one built ptop. Nearly all these amps are pcb which can be good but often they have complicated stuff going on and have unreliability engineered into them. I've seen some of those ones you mentioned opened on the engineers bench and had to have power supplies modded and a few things changed that were literally a design fault. I've come to the conclusion that modern unreliable amps aren't worth my time. This one sounds good tho.

[@bluesborn]

Tone King is a quality company but their Royalist amp blows compared to this Carr Merc V

[@willdenham]

Johan, would you say a JTM or Bassman is more forgiving than a JMP 68' and up plexi and by comparison would you then say the tone of the 68'- is, in fact, better. I thought I was following your logic on that. If not, feel free to disregard.

[@Jonathan-L]

Love that sound at 5:27 :)

[@janders3205]

Man...that sounds killer through the 4x12! I have the combo and love it but was wondering if the speaker had a different sound than I'm used to and what if I changed it or ran it through an external cab??? There is a buzzy sound and maybe a different high end to it compared to my heritage g12-65s or greenbacks. How did you run it through a 4x12 at 8 ohms? Great job! This amp is incredible and has a clarity like a Plexiglas head to me. Super versatile....so many song in there.

[@lroy730]

Sweet easy to get tone ! Killer ! I want one !!!!\m/!!!!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Cheers LRoy!

[@guidobandito4370]

I installed an Eminence E12N speaker in mine. Much bigger sounding and tighter. Loses some of the Brit character but more focused.

[@markymarco2570]

Great find.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Marco!

[@johnmartin5153]

Very impressive!! I think I’d rather have this amp than one of the new Marshall origins. Johan you got a good Andy Scott first the sweet album sound that I love!!!!

[@johnmartin5153]

Yowzaas!! 2300 bucks I guess so! Haha

[@mikewolfe9458]

Sounds amazing like all your demos! Great tones and playing, Johan. Could you describe the mic setup here? Is that a 57 on the close mic? What’s the room mic? Thanks for all the great stuff you have shared. Take care!