RatingsPros:Delivers big-amp feel in a compact combo. Beautifully well-built. Versatile voicing switch. Effective attenuator. Cons: Lacks the tremolo that many love in black-panel combos. Street: $2,490 Carr Super Bee carramplifiers.com
| Tones:  Ease of Use:  Build/Design: Value:  |
Summoning big-amp tones from smaller, lighter, less-window-rattling amplifiers is now a top priority for many amp builders. For some of these manufacturers, that quest takes the shape of getting convincing high-gain sounds out of a less potent circuit. But Carr's new Super Bee takes on an arguably more challenging task: making the sound, dynamic response, and complex tone nuances of Fender's big Super Reverb into a less hefty whole.
Crank It Down
The original Fender Super Reverb 4x10 is a pretty loud 40-watt amp. So to rein in the power while retaining a Super's thumping push-pull feel, Carr employs a pair of unusual 6BM8 output tubes, rather than 6L6s. They generate only 10 watts between them, but when you push them hard they yield surprisingly full-throated response. The front end includes a traditional 12AX7 preamp tube. A Fender-inspired spring reverb is powered by another 12AX7 and a 12AT7. And because those unusual 6BM8 tubes each house both a preamp triode and an output pentode in the same bottle, they perform phase-inverter duties as well. A 9-pin EZ81 tube takes care of rectification.
Two key features further distinguish the Super Bee from a vintage Fender. First is Carr's fourth generation attenuator, which takes the output down to 2 watts, or a near-silent setting. Then there's the 3-way Sting switch that offers three voices: “64," which is scooped and shimmering; “68," which is a thicker, classic black-panel voice; and “72," which delivers higher gain and greater midrange emphasis.
The solid pine cabinet measures 21"x17.75"x10" but tapers beautifully to 9" deep at the top. The trapezoidal speaker cut-out is a distinctive retro-design touch. And the vertical central racing stripe (our review amp features a tasty two-tone of cream with a Carolina-blue stripe) and the Super Bee name are another cool Carr nod to '60s muscle car culture. The speaker is a 12" Eminence-made Carr Valiant, though a 10" Eminence Copperhead is also available. Inside, the Super Bee is classically Carr: point-to-point wiring, a bundle of high-end components including Jupiter capacitors, and American-made transformers by Chicago's TMI, who have built transformers since 1949.
Sting Like a…
Matched to a Fender Stratocaster, a Gibson Les Paul, and a Collings I-35 LC, the Super Bee fast made it clear how thoroughly Steve Carr attained his design goals. Classic black-panel sounds might seem, for some, an unoriginal jumping-off point. But the Super Bee feels both familiar and full of possibilities. It delivers big, sparkling clean tones, meaty twang, and deep output-stage overdrive—which are all easy to fine-tune via the simple 3-band EQ and the Sting switch voices. The resulting combination of bite, articulation, and compression is positively addictive. It's difficult to switch this amp off once you get into a groove.
Obviously, one of the main attractions of a vintage black-panel Super Reverb is the volume and pronounced low end you get from the 4x10 speaker configuration. But apart from the Carr's essentially lower volume, you shouldn't expect anything less than a genuine black-panel experience. The reverb is lush and full. And though it sometimes feel like it comes on a bit strong at lower levels, you'll never worry about having too little reverb to replicate the surf-ier side of the vintage Fender experience. The amp also interacts with overdrive pedals wonderfully. Even at just 10 watts, full-power mode gives you enough gas to hang with a drummer. But if there's no band to compete with, the attenuated sounds deliver much of the same richness, overdrive characteristics, and stout playing feel at quieter volumes.
The Verdict
On the surface, the Super Bee might seem to do relatively little for the price. There's no channel switching, no effects loop, no high gain switch, and no master volume—yet that's exactly the point: the amp just flat out sounds great, and enables players to rediscover a classic tone and feel that can be hard to achieve in intimate gigging and recording environments that require lower volume. The Sting switch also significantly extends its versatility, delivering three distinctive amp voices in one. When it comes to providing exquisite American-style big-amp tone in a manageably sized combo, the Super Bee is a total success, and one of the most inspiring amps I've played in quite some time.
Watch our First Look demo:
A mix of futuristic concepts and DeArmond single-coil pickups, the Musicraft Messenger’s neck was tuned to resonate at 440 Hz.
Until its untimely end, Musicraft made roughly 250 Messengers in various configurations: the mono-output Messenger and the flagship Messenger Stereophonic, both of which could come with the “Tone Messer” upgrade, a built-in distortion/fuzz circuit. The company’s first catalog also featured a Messenger Bass, a wireless transmitter/receiver, and various models of its Messenger Envoy amplifier, very few of which have survived, if many were ever made at all.
“To this day, even fans will sometimes call the decision to use DeArmonds the Messenger’s ‘Achilles’ heel.’”
Upon its release, the Messenger was a mix of futuristic concepts and DeArmond single-coil pickups that were more likely to be found on budget instruments than pricier guitars such as these. The Messengers often featured soapbar-style DeArmonds, though some sported a diamond grille. (To this day, even fans will sometimes call the decision to use DeArmonds the Messenger’s “Achilles’ heel.”) The Stereophonic model, like the one featured in this edition of Vintage Vault, could be plugged into a single amplifier as normal, or you could split the bridge and neck pickup outputs to two separate amps.
One of the beloved hallmarks of the guitars are their magnesium-aluminum alloy necks, which continue as a center block straight through the tailpiece, making the guitars relatively lightweight and virtually immune to neck warping, while enhancing their playability. Thanks to the strength of that metal-neck design, there’s no need for a thick heel where it meets the body, granting unprecedented access to the higher end of the fretboard.
This Stereophonic model could be plugged into a single amplifier as normal, or you could split the bridge and neck pickup outputs to two separate amps.
The neck was apparently also tuned to have a resonant frequency of 440 Hz, which, in all honesty, may be some of that 1967 “whoa, man” marketing continuing on through our modern-day guitar discourse, where this fact is still widely repeated on forums and in YouTube videos. (As one guitar aficionado to the next, what does this even mean in practice? Would an inaudible vibration at that frequency have any effect at all on the tone of the guitar?)
In any event, the combination of that metal center block—resonant frequency or not—the apple-shaped hollow wooden body of the guitar, and the cat’s-eye-style “f-holes” did make it prone to gnarly fits of feedback, especially if you engaged the Tone Messer fuzz and blasted it all through the high-gain amp stacks favored by the era’s hard rockers.
The most famous devotee of the Messenger was Grand Funk Railroad’s Mark Farner, who used the guitar—and its Tone Messer circuitry—extensively on the group’s string of best-selling records and in their defining live shows, like the Atlanta Pop Festival 1970 and their sold-out run at New York’s Shea Stadium in 1971. But even Farner had some misgivings.
The Messengers often featured soapbar-style DeArmonds, though some sported a diamond grille.
In a 2009 interview, he talked about his first test-run of the guitar: “After I stuffed it full of foam and put masking tape over the f-holes to stop that squeal, I said, ‘I like it.’” He bought it for $200, on a $25-per-pop installment plan, a steal even at the time. (He also made it over with a psychedelic paint job, befitting the era, and experimented with different pickups over the years.)
When these guitars were new in 1967, the Messenger Stereophonic in morning sunburst, midnight sunburst, or mojo red would have run you $340. By 1968, new stereo models started at $469.50. Recent years have seen prices for vintage models steadily increase, as the joy of this rarity continues to thrill players and collectors. Ten years ago, you could still get them for about $1,500, but now prices range from $3,000 to $6,000, depending on condition.
Our Vintage Vault pick today is listed on Reverb by Chicago’s own SS Vintage. Given that it’s the stereo model, in very good condition, and includes the Tone Messer upgrade, its asking price of $5,495 is near the top-end for these guitars today, but within the usual range. To those readers who appreciate the vintage vibe but don’t want the vintage price tag, Eastwood Guitars offers modern reissues, and eagle-eyed buyers can also find some very rare but less expensive vintage MIJ clones made in the late ’60s and early ’70s.
Sources: Reverb listing from SS Vintage, Reverb Price Guide sales data, Musicraft July 1, 1967 Price Schedule, 1968 Musicraft Catalog, Chicago Music Exchange’s “Uncovering The Secret Sounds of the 1967 Musicraft Messenger Guitar,” MusicPickups.com article on the Messenger.In continued support of their 3x GRAMMY-nominated album Dark Matter, Pearl Jam will be touring select U.S. cities in April and May 2025.
Pearl Jam’s live dates will start in Hollywood, FL on April 24 and 26 and wrap with performances in Pittsburgh, PA on May 16 and 18. Full tour dates are listed below.
Support acts for these dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for these concerts will be available two ways:
- A Ten Club members-only presale for all dates begins today. Only paid Ten Club members active as of 11:59 PM PT on December 4, 2024 are eligible to participate in this presale. More info at pearljam.com.
- Public tickets will be available through an Artist Presale hosted by Ticketmaster. Fans can sign up for presale access for up to five concert dates now through Tuesday, December 10 at 10 AM PT. The presale starts Friday, December 13 at 10 AM local time.
earl Jam strives to protect access to fairly priced tickets by providing the majority of tickets to Ten Club members, making tickets non-transferable as permitted, and selling approximately 10% of tickets through PJ Premium to offset increased costs. Pearl Jam continues to use all-in pricing and the ticket price shown includes service fees. Any applicable taxes will be added at checkout.
For fans unable to use their purchased tickets, Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster will offer a Fan-to-Fan Face Value Ticket Exchange for every city, starting at a later date. To sell tickets through this exchange, you must have a valid bank account or debit card in the United States. Tickets listed above face value on secondary marketplaces will be canceled. To help protect the Exchange, Pearl Jam has also chosen to make tickets for this tour mobile only and restricted from transfer. For more information about the policy issues in ticketing, visit fairticketing.com.
For more information, please visit pearljam.com.