Cornford Carrera?

[Lew]

I had the Harlequin for over a year and I loved it. It's not a bad sounding amp, it's one of the best around. I found mind had alot of presence but I could easily dial it out. I wish I'd have kept it.

For the same money I think the Cornell 7 smokes it.

One mans meat etc... it's all opinion and not fact :)

[Mark66]

For the same money I think the Cornell 7 smokes it.

One mans meat etc... it's all opinion and not fact :)

The Cornell Plexi 7 is actually £300 less!
I'm following this with interest as I've considered both the Carrera and the Plexi 7, not tried either I'm afraid.
I can only say, if the Cornell Romany is anything to go by, they are impeccably built, and great sounding, although
better suited to single coils, hence my interest in a Plexi 7/Carrera/ whatever? for the LP rock stuff.

[dave_mc]

I haven't tried the cornell plexi 7- i have tried the romany plus (head to head with the cornford hurricane, ironically enough), and it was awesome. the big problem is, it doesn't do anything like the tone I'm after- it's a fendery style amp, and that's really not what i want. Nothing against fendery tones, just not what I want. I'd assume the Cornell plexi is a vintage marshall type of tone, and again, I don't think that's what i really want, I want a lot more gain, and a thicker, woodier tone...

I would say, though, that out of all the amps I tried that day, the Hurricane and Cornell were the two standouts- I didn't think either sounded "better", but both were awesome in their own way.

That soundclip is actually sambo's, who posted already in this thread :lol: (i know you knew it was from a guy here, just pointing out that it's a small world) - it sounds great (as i said when sambo first posted it a while back on here), but again really isn't the type of tone I'm after- that raw ac/dc style of tone is awesome, just not really what i'm after.

I think the big problem is that, as you've already correctly said, it's personal preference, some people are going to like it while some won't... That doesn't exactly help me decide, but at least if I realise that, maybe I can get a little further on. I mean, those cornford clips you posted were much closer to what I'm after, more or less spot-on, in fact (in the case of the single coil one). I definitely dig warmer, thicker tones, I think, and I got tones similar to those youtube links when i tried the hurricane.

Thanks for all the replies, guys, by the way, I read them all even if I didn't specifically reply to them.

:)

[Lew]

Looks like you should get a Hurricane then  8)

If you take your time you could get a used Hurricane and a used Plexi7 for the price of a new Hurricane ;p

[dave_mc]

yeah, i know what you're saying, and the Hurricane versus the Carrera is the big dilemma- if the carrera sounds similar to the hurricane but at lower volumes, the carrera would be better for what i want (home use). plus it has the advantage of changeable tube types (i assume that's an advantage, anyway :lol: ). the volume where the hurricane starts to sound awesome (in my opinion)  is going to be way too loud for home use. Could have the same problem with the carrera, of course, but it should at least be slightly more crankable. :lol:

i haven't tried the plexi 7 either, so that's a whole other problem...

not super keen on used stuff, to be honest, unless there's no alternative (if something is discontinued, for example). sure, it's cheaper, but there's added risk, plus you don't get that nice feeling you get when you get something new. i mean, if i really wanted the plexi 7 too i'd just save up for it... also over here in northern ireland, this stuff rarely comes up second-hand, so you're tied to e-bay (and a lot of amp sellers don't want to ship, plus you can't try it out first).

:)

[Lew]

The Carrera will sound like the Harlequin not the Hurricane, it was made because people were asking for a 'super harly' :)

Move to the UK and get second hand gear  :lol: I know what you mean about used gear, I don't mind used amps or pedals but I'm not happy with used guitars  :?

[PPPMAT]

I owned a carrera for a year or so - it does indeed sound like a harlequin as thats exactly what it is - just with a switch to let you change from the el84 to a 6l6 which makes a difference at louder volumes but not that much at quieter ones.

Like many have already said it does one sound very well - its a dark and very smooth tone. Kind of Brian May like in its smoothness - saturated almost. The tone controls make bugger all difference and it is a loud amp even half way up.

I liked it but I found it very one dimensional - if thats your dimension then it does nail it though

Matt

[dave_mc]

^ Thanks :) yeah, the one dimensional sound, that's the problem. I'm aware it does the "cornford sound", but assuming that the hurricane i tried also did the "cornford sound", then that sound is more or less perfect for me- as i said, almost the sound i hear in my head. And all the ex-shredders (and newer ones, like guthrie govan) who've switched to cornfords more or less seem to get the exact tone I want, too, with them. grrr, i hate making decisions. :lol:

Did you try the carrera with any power valves other than the 6L6, out of interest?

The Carrera will sound like the Harlequin not the Hurricane, it was made because people were asking for a 'super harly' :)

Move to the UK and get second hand gear  :lol: I know what you mean about used gear, I don't mind used amps or pedals but I'm not happy with used guitars  :?

i'm already in the UK ;) just not a part attached by land, unfortunately. :lol:

big problem is, I haven't tried the harlequin either (I've only been able to try cornfords when i was in holiday in London a couple of times, and was limited to what they had in stock at the time, which turned out to be "not much" :lol: ), so saying it sounds like the harley isn't much help unfortunately (don't get me wrong, that's not your fault, it's mine!). I realise that's what it probably most sounds like, and is most likely the best way to describe it (if you were describing a marshall clone to someone and they hadn't tried a marshall, you're going to struggle to describe it too, for example), just that it doesn't really describe what it's like to me... :lol:

thanks for all your help, though (to everyone who posted), it's helped a lot, especially for getting not just positive comments (as i said, i'd rather hear the negatives now, rather than after i buy!). All the comments have helped a lot, cheers, guys. :)

[Tellboy]

Difficult decision Dave  :?- especially after reading all the above contradictory posts. Cornfords are like Marmite - you either love 'em or hate 'em. I've got a Hurricane and Hellcat Combo so you can guess what I think (like Marmite too). I'm very wary about buying amps based on other people's opinions as it will depend on what type/style of music they play as well as what they consider 'good' tone (dark,bright,open sounding etc). Couple years ago decided I wanted a low wattage amp for recording - spent ages on the Matamp forum looking at all the posts/opinions on the Minimat. One particular member did an excellent thorough review which convinced me it was what I wanted. I was bitterly disappointed when I got the Minimat - tried different valves, speakers etc.. my Hurricane sounded much better turned right down than the Minimat flat out .... but again that was my opinion. To rub salt in the wound the guy who raved about the amp had sold ALL his Matamps within a few months (he also had a GTL and King Street Major) and first went on to Cornell and then Marshall  :o. Seems to happen a lot (even in this forum) people rave about a guitar/amp/pup and within a few months have moved on to something else.

[Lew]

lol excuse the brain melt Dave... I ment England  :lol:

IMO the Hurricane and Harlequin sound completley different. FWIW If I had the money, I would have kept the Hurricane for just the break up tones :)
You can say they both have that Cornford sound in the same way that a Plexi and a JCM have that Marshall sound, a Pitbull and Deliverance have that VHT sound and Dual Rectumfryer and Lone star have that Boogie sound... ok I think I made my point :lol:

There's a good review of the Carrera by an american mag floating around on you tube :D

[Mark66]

Have you tried a Blackstar Artisan Dave? They do a 15w switchable to 5w. Never tried one myself, but they
get good reviews. The 5w will probably still be too loud for home use though, if it needs to be cranked to get the
best out of it.

[dave_mc]

^ thanks for the suggestion. :) again, trying them is the problem, I'm not aware of any dealers over here. Plus, I'd assume (perhaps wrongly) that they're more vintage-sounding, considering they don't have a master volume. I had originally considered one of those, just for a laugh, but when I couldn't try them, kind of went off the idea. I haven't tried any Blackstars, but have tried a few Cornfords- Blackstar is a 100% unknown quantity to me, which is too much risk, while at least I've tried some Cornfords. :)

Difficult decision Dave  :?- especially after reading all the above contradictory posts. Cornfords are like Marmite - you either love 'em or hate 'em. I've got a Hurricane and Hellcat Combo so you can guess what I think (like Marmite too). I'm very wary about buying amps based on other people's opinions as it will depend on what type/style of music they play as well as what they consider 'good' tone (dark,bright,open sounding etc). Couple years ago decided I wanted a low wattage amp for recording - spent ages on the Matamp forum looking at all the posts/opinions on the Minimat. One particular member did an excellent thorough review which convinced me it was what I wanted. I was bitterly disappointed when I got the Minimat - tried different valves, speakers etc.. my Hurricane sounded much better turned right down than the Minimat flat out .... but again that was my opinion. To rub salt in the wound the guy who raved about the amp had sold ALL his Matamps within a few months (he also had a GTL and King Street Major) and first went on to Cornell and then Marshall  :o. Seems to happen a lot (even in this forum) people rave about a guitar/amp/pup and within a few months have moved on to something else.

yeah, i know exactly what you mean :) Considering what I thought of the Hurricane, I'd assume I like Cornfords, but you're never sure.

lol excuse the brain melt Dave... I ment England  :lol:

IMO the Hurricane and Harlequin sound completley different. FWIW If I had the money, I would have kept the Hurricane for just the break up tones :)
You can say they both have that Cornford sound in the same way that a Plexi and a JCM have that Marshall sound, a Pitbull and Deliverance have that VHT sound and Dual Rectumfryer and Lone star have that Boogie sound... ok I think I made my point :lol:

There's a good review of the Carrera by an american mag floating around on you tube :D

Thanks, I'll take a look for that review! :)

I know what you mean about the vhts, marshalls and mesas etc. :)

No worries about the brain melt :lol: :drink:

[sambo]

There's a clip on you tube done by a geezer here with a Martamp check it out http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4KmuKkAazcE

Woo!!! Someone linked my video! :lol: :lol: :oops:

I should really do some more actually, and try and do the amp justice.

I get a bunch more gain out of mine than that too.

Interesting! What Martamp have you got?

but again really isn't the type of tone I'm after- that raw ac/dc style of tone is awesome, just not really what i'm after.

Yes it definitely is raw. Or "dry" is another way of putting it. I can imagine it not being many people's cup of tea!

[Lew]

Yes, do more!

It's a v620 with master vol. Guitar has med output alnico pups.

[dave_mc]

but again really isn't the type of tone I'm after- that raw ac/dc style of tone is awesome, just not really what i'm after.

Yes it definitely is raw. Or "dry" is another way of putting it. I can imagine it not being many people's cup of tea!

i actually wouldn't mind having an amp that did that type of tone- just if I had about 10 amps! :D :drink: