THE CLASSIC BRITISH sounds of the ’60s and early ’70s have never fallen out of fashion, and it’s hard to imagine they ever will. The real trick for many guitarists in the 2020s, though, is achieving the sound of a cranked and raging Marshall “Plexi,” Hiwatt stack or Vox AC30 in a format that jibes with today’s often restrictive playing situations.
It all comes together beautifully in the new Bel-Ray, a three-in-one tribute to the best of British tone from Carr Amplifiers. Proprietor Steve Carr is known for his uncanny ability to compact classic sounds into extremely portable packages, and the Bel-Ray is the latest of his seemingly magic presto-changos.
Onto the foundation of a 16-watt outputat it from a unique perspective, adapting gain and EQ stages using two 12AX7s and one EF86 pentode preamp tube to mimic the tones he’s after.
