Carol-Ann TripR Head in Brown Ostrich

The Carol-Ann TripR is
the exact same amp as the Triptik, but it's cathode biased, meaning it
doesn't need to be biased when swapping power tubes. The design
of a cathode biased circuit also results in a lower wattage (35 as
opposed to 50 in this case) and the amp will have a slightly softer
feel in it's response and a touch more compressed that the quicker
response found in the Triptik. That's neither good nor bad,
depending on your needs and what you'd like to get our of your
tone. If this is confusing, no worries! Give us a call at
(706) 866-2161 and we'd be glad to talk it over with you.

From this point forward, we're just going to use the same description
for all the Trip series amps, since they are identical other than the
TripR being cathode biased.

The Trip series of amps from Carol-Ann are quite the rock and roll
machines! When
Alan Phillips
created this three channel amp, he started from scratch and designed
this
circuit from the ground up to be a true player's amp with all the
versatility and road-worthy construction he could muster. It truly covers more ground
than any boutique amplifier we know about.

Can the TripR Do Clean?

The clean channel (Channel A) is remarkably clean, with a sparkle and
shimmer not typically found in EL34 based amplifiers. The clean
channel also makes for a great pedal platform and it's able to handle a
fairly strong signal before breaking up, thus playing very well with
most all the overdrive and distortion pedals out there; Not at
all an easy feat with typical amps of this type. Want some light
bluesy crunch out of the clean channel? No problem. You can
get some smooth breakup when the Input Level is increased.

How About Overdrive?

Ok, this is where
Carol-Ann really shines. Wow! The TripR covers
the whole gamut from early Marshall classic rock tones to the most
aggressive modern metal.

The TripR
achieves it's gain a little differently from most other amps.
Many like to cascade high numbers of gain stages to produce distortion,
and it works, but in the process a considerable amount of your tone and
dynamics are lost. That's why typical overdrive is compressed
sounding and lacks the punch and response that a clean channel
has. So, what Alan does is generate his overdrive through
superior design. He runs each gain stage to its extreme, just keeping them this side
of instability.
This method preserves your dynamics which drastically improves your
ability to cut through the mix. It also helps keep noise to a
minimum and emphasizes the harmonic
overtones of each note without ever sounding bright or harsh.

Ok, So What's The Catch?

Well, the bad side of an amp being super versatile means it's not a
one-trick pony with a single knob. If an amp is going to cover a
lot of ground, it needs to have all the associated controls, switches,
and whatnot to do so. Is it really a bad thing? Not at
all! But it can mean some degree of confusion for many of you
reading this. I'm going to do my best to break it down for you in
a way that's easily understood. Naturally, if I ever lose you,
just pick up the phone during business hours and give us a ring.
:)

Operation of Clean
Channel (A)

FIRST, you start with your input level. The best way
to describe this control is to compare it to typical amps with hi
and lo inputs. On these type of amps, you'd
typically chose the input based on what guitar you are using. A
tele, strat, or the like would go into the high input, while a guitar
with hotter pickups would go into the lo input. The idea is to
get as hot of a signal as possible without overdriving the front
end. The Triptik has a knob for fine tuning that input level so
you can precisely find your desired input level, and not have
to choose one of two preset levels the manufacturer deemed
appropriate. This is important to achieve the strongest, purest
signal for the clean channel. For those guitar players out there
familiar with running sound (*insert joke here*) this control is
essentially a carefully designed trim or input gain control. By
the way, if you're not looking for pristine cleans, crank the INPUT
LEVEL to produce a bit of overdrive in the clean channel, and increase
the gain in the others. As a rule of thumb, the INPUT LEVEL
will typically live in the 12:00 o'clock to 2:00 o'clock region.
Your mileage may vary...

So, the rest of the clean channel then works as expected. Set the
INPUT LEVEL, and then you have tone controls and then MASTER-A is your
master volume.

Operation of Overdrive Channels (B & C)

If you skipped the "operation of clean channel" section above, go back
and read it. This amp costs $2795, so don't skimp on the
reading! :)

Now that you have the INPUT LEVEL where you want it... The
overdrive channels consist of two identical channels (Channel B
and Channel C) and each one has a switch that changes the particular
channel to either 'Classic' or 'Modern' voicings. The
'classic' voicing produces 70's and 80's Marshall tones with a very
wide and complex sound stage with no buzz or brittle high frequencies.
The 'Modern' setting has more gain and bottom end for those more modern
heavy rhythm, dropped tunings. This channel also makes for a superb
liquid lead channel with incredible sustain and harmonic bloom.

Each overdrive channel also has it's own DRIVE control so you can
independently set the amount of gain/overdrive for each channel.
As well, each overdrive channel has it's own master volume, MASTER-B,
and MASTER-C. And if that wasn't enough, the Triptik also has a
LEAD MASTER control. Say what?

Operation of the Lead Master Control

This is a nice feature. You can certainly tell Alan Phillips (the
builder) has done his share of gigging! The LEAD MASTER is a
footswitchable feature that allows you to override the master volume
for whatever overdrive channel you are on. In other words, let's
say you are playing a show and you're on overdriven Channel B.
The MASTER-B knob is set at 1:00 o'clock. You can have the LEAD
MASTER set at 3:00 o'clock and when you hit the footswitch, the
Triptik's volume will jump to the 3:00 o'clock setting. As well,
if you have the LEAD MASTER knob set at 9:00 o'clock, the volume will
drop down to the 9:00 o'clock setting when you hit the
footswitch. Leave the boost pedal at home. It's built in to
this one!

Specs:





Output:

TripR:
35 watts,
Cathode Biased





Power Tubes:

TripR:
2
x EL34





Preamp Tubes:

3
x 12AX7, 1 x 5751





Controls:
Global
Input Level

(affects
all channels)




Channel
A (clean):

Bass,
Middle Treble




Channel
B & C (overdriven):

Bass,
Middle, Treble





Channel
B

Drivel
Level & Classic/Modern Switch





Channel
C

Drivel
Level & Classic/Modern Switch




Independent
Master Volumes for A, B, & C







Lead
Master Control for B & C

(like
a boost of sorts for B & C)





Global
Presence Control

(affects
all channels)



Features:

Hand Built & Hand-Wired Construction!







Tube
Driven Effects Loop





3
Button Footswitch Included. It controls:
Clean/OD,
B/C, & Lead Master Boost with LEDs


Speaker Outs:

2
Total: 1 x 8 ohms and 1 x 16 ohms





Dimensions:

21" W x 10.25" D x 10" H (minus feet)





Weight:

Coming
soon!






*Estimate Shipping between 5 - 12 weeks, or please call (083) 497-2227 for a faster air freight service with special price rate.





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