dave_bass5 Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 (edited) Had a gig recently where i couldnt take my cab. The band said they would supply an amp. Glad i took my LMII to use as a pre amp. Not seen one of these for years. he band said it sounded much better with the LMII than it usually did when one of their other bass players uses it. Edited March 25, 2009 by dave_bass5 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazm Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 I had a Carlsbro Stringray 150W bass amp and 2x15 400W cab in the 80s. Absolute sh*te, I think the cab went down to about 500Hz Pete. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viajero Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Ooh, I had one of those Cobras as my second ever amp. Hilariously ill-defined tone, no high mids or treble to speak of. Great for dub or walking bass, terrible for anything else. But such fragrant, happy memories. I've not seen one for years - are they still being used out there? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerdragon Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Snazzy lead though, it would go well my equaliser t shirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 [quote name='dave_bass5' post='47788' date='Aug 20 2007, 04:05 PM']Had a gig recently where i couldnt take my cab. The band said they would supply an amp. Glad i took my LMII to use as a pre amp. Not seen one of these for years. he band said it sounded much better with the LMII than it usually did when one of their other bass players uses it.[/quote] Cool. My first amp that wasn't easy to lift was a Carlsbro Viper. It was awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elros Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 The school has a huge Carlsbro combo, with a folded horn speaker thing. It's probably 1,2 meters high. Sounds big, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayfan Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Haha... I also remember using one of those beasts - at school in the early 80s! Just to complete the terrible sound, they had a Hondo bass to run though it. Probably one of the most awful instruments I've ever played! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phaedrus Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I had a 150w Carlsobro combo with 1x15" + 1x8". I can't remember what it sounded like, but it was really heavy + big. Haven't been able to find anything on-line about it. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 is there any practice studio in the land that doesn't have some carlsbro stuff in ? odd...cos they sound like sh*te !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukeward2004 Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Ive played throuhg some of the modern Carlsbro bass amps, such as the bass bomber and bass beaver, and thought they where sh*te - so I dont hold much hope for something 20 years older! I can vouch for the pair of Carlsbro PA active monitors we use with the band's PA rig though - clear as a bell and does the job I need them to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alun Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I used a Carlsbro for years - a weird thing with a 15" and this really odd semi-parametric EQ. Only one I ever saw. I think I sold it in the end - amazed anyone bought it as it had more Gaffa tape than real covering by the end! Cheers, Alun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 (edited) They did a really nice upmarket range of bass amps a few years ago called Delta Bass - they weren't bad at all. Two channels, separate powered subs, quite a few bells and whistles. Good tone too. But they were pretty much commercially ignored, despite the fact that there was hardly any Carlsbro branding on them. Edited August 21, 2007 by Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesakabob Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 (edited) [quote name='dave_bass5' post='47788' date='Aug 20 2007, 03:05 PM']Had a gig recently where i couldnt take my cab. The band said they would supply an amp. Glad i took my LMII to use as a pre amp. Not seen one of these for years. he band said it sounded much better with the LMII than it usually did when one of their other bass players uses it. [/quote] AHHH! I have that model amp! Bought it for a pittance as my first amp a while back, anyone know what exact model/wattage/year it is? Can't find a single pic or info on it anywhere but would like to know whats living in my cupboard , and Carlsbro has just gone into administration too so no help there Oh, and good call on taking the LMII hehe Cheers, J Edited March 23, 2009 by jamesakabob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 The place we've been using recently for practice has got an old Carlsbro combo. It has to be, the worst thing I've ever plugged into! TBH, it makes my Rickenbacker sound like a buzzing fly! Terrible!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBeefChief Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Any more dissing Carlsbro and I will do the lot of you. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I like my Carlsbro, gonna get it fixed up soon. Apparently it could stick 500v through anyone who touches it at a gig, which is a feature I feel should come with more amps. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 [quote name='BigBeefChief' post='442815' date='Mar 23 2009, 06:22 PM']Any more dissing Carlsbro and I will do the lot of you.[/quote] I'll get the lube. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I have a Colt 100, which is a full range/keyboard/acoustic combo, rather than a bass specific combo, and it's been great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Once upon a time not so very long ago, Carlsbro were a top manufacturer of bass kit and way ahead of their time. Back in the day, I had a 300w Pro Bass head (two channels with independent semi-parametric tone controls, compressor, variable crossover etc) into a 2x15, biamped with a 150w pro bass slave into a 2x10 top cab. Sounded awesome, weighed a bloody tonne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazz Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 wow...the carlsbro stingray...that was my first amp! Had some odd push in buttons for sound shaping I seem to remember 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 [quote name='Clive Thorne' post='442977' date='Mar 23 2009, 07:40 PM']I have a Colt 100, which is a full range/keyboard/acoustic combo, rather than a bass specific combo, and it's been great.[/quote] I used to have one of those as well when i was playing keyboards. I found it easy to carry around although it wasn't really much more than a monitor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socrates Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 interesting thread - I am going to Brum to see my folks this weekend and in my old bedroom is my Carlsbro stingray 150w combo - big 'bass' logo, 5-band eq and built in limiter . . brought in around 1985 I think as an upgrade from my 60w Marshall Combo (which soon turned out not to be able to compete with the local drummer). I recall the tone was always pretty rubbish - boxy and lifeless - but it was the most wattage for the cash at the time . . . so what do you think? bring it home and stick it on eBay as a 'vintage' combo, or keep it (just in case the sound of 'angry-bee in a cardboard box' ever comes back into vogue)? I've done a quick search and can't seem to find any info on these at all . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umph Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 it's a shame because the original carlsbro stuff is great, especially the top and 200 watt models Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJI777 Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 (edited) It's now 10 years since the last post on this thread and, coincidentally, I have just retrieved my first proper bass head from long term storage: A Carlsbro Stingray Pro Bass 150. I also note that there are a lot of posts here in which it seems that bass players are mocking their amplification i.e., the bass heads made by Carlsbro back in the 80s. This I find a little strange as my sound was not at all bad. In fact, I was regularly complimented on my bass sound and the use of the word "amazing" was not infrequent. Simply put, I don't get it; the "amp blame game" that is; WTF? My bass head was usually played through a Carlsbro 1×15 cab, sometimes in parallel with an HH 4×12. Nothing special, right? I did (and still do) use an Aria Pro II SB900 bass, which helped, but it doesn't explain why my sound was not in the least as bad as described in the posts above. Makes you think, doesn't it? I mean, what is it that they say about bad workmen and their tools? Like I said, makes you think, right? Or, at least, it should. Edited January 5, 2020 by RJI777 Typo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 I don't remember Carlsbro as anything exceptional. My mate who got me into bass had one like the one pictured above, I seem to recall. I've got a Colt 45 guitar combo, that I built a replacement power amp for, two channel, nothing exceptional but workmanlike enough. To be honest I've barely used it at volume and never gigged it (I've only played guitar live once...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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