Carr The Bloke Amp User manual

CARR AMPLIFIERS
OWNER’S MANUAL
Revised 13 April 2012

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Bloke Instructions
Thank you for purchasing a Carr Bloke amplifier. The Bloke finds its inspiration in both
classic British 70s and 80s heads plus late 60s American tube bass amps. We meld raw
brashness with an incredibly muscular direct driver output section. Bloke overdrive is thick,
articulate, and has exceptionally solid speaker control. Massive filter capacitors in all power
supply stages further add to the rock-breaking punch. Footswitchable Lead mode increases
sustain and odd order harmonic drive – perfect for cutting through on solos.
Please take time to familiarize yourself with this manual.
Drive – Adjusts the drive (pre amp gain) of the amplifier. Use this to set the desired
distortion and sustain level. Lower settings are clearer and brighter while higher settings are
more compressed and darker with more sustain. The action of the drive knob will be affected
by the Hi/Low toggle when in the Normal loudness setting
Loudness (Normal) – Adjusts the overall volume of the amplifier in Normal mode
(footswitch light off).
Hi/Low Toggle – Sets gain level of Normal mode from high to higher.
Loudness (Lead) – Adjusts the overall volume of the amplifier in Lead mode (footswitch
light on). You can use the Lead mode for rhythm and the Normal for lead depending on your
preferences.
Treble – Varies the top end from dark to bright.
Mid – Varies the midrange frequencies and is interactive with the Treble control. Low
settings yield a more scooped out sound while higher settings are great for cutting through a
mix with more aggressive tones.
Bass – Varies the low end from lean to full. The Bass control uses a separate circuit path
from the Mid and Treble. This affords the Bloke bass knob with a lower, firmer sound.
Standby – Set the amp to Standby (switch baton up) before turning on the power switch (see
On-Off-On below). After 1 minute of warm up, switch the Standby baton down. Because the
Bloke uses a lot of filter capacitance in its power supply, it will take 30 seconds or so for the
preamp voltage to reach peak performance once off standby. You can play while this
happens, but you will notice it ramp up.
Using the Standby switch every time the amp is turned on will prolong tube life. It is not
necessary to set the amp to standby when turning it off.

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On – Off – On – Selects between two ON positions and the OFF position (middle). The two
ON’s are wired in opposite phase of each other. If you receive a shock from another piece of
equipment (a microphone or another amp) that is not properly grounded, or if you hear
static, switching to the opposite ON may solve the problem. This is sometimes called
“switching polarity”.
Bottom Panel
Fuse – In the unlikely event that a tube fails, the Sportsman is protected by a 2 Amp slow
blow fuse for 120v and 100v (North America and Japan) models or a 1 Amp slow blow fuse
for 220v and 240v (Europe and Asia) models. Please consult us or a qualified tech for
assistance in the event of a fuse blowing. The fuse is located on the bottom of the chassis
near the power cord.
Impedance Selector – The impedance selector is located between the pre amp tubes and the
power tubes on the chassis (see Chassis Diagram). For maximum power and best tone set
the impedance selector to equal the speaker load (4, 8, or 16 ohms). The speaker load in
Bloke combos and extension cabinets is 8 ohms.
If you are using 6V6 power tubes, set the impedance selector to ½ the speaker load. For
example, a stock 1x12 Bloke combo with an 8 ohm speaker and 6V6 power tubes should
have its impedance selector set to 4 ohms.
Speaker output jacks – The speaker output jacks are located between the Impedance
Selector and the power tubes. The two output jacks are wired in parallel.
To run an external cabinet and the internal speaker, turn the Bloke OFF, plug in the external
cabinet’s (use 8 ohm cabinets) speaker cord and set the impedance selector to the new total
load (4 ohms). To run an external cabinet by itself, unplug the internal speaker and plug in
the external cabinet then set the impedance selector to the external cabinet’s load (4, 8, or 16
ohms). Damage will result from operating the Bloke without a speaker load.
Biasing your Bloke
The Bloke utilizes a direct coupled output section and when adjusting bias the amp will take
a moment to settle in to the new bias setting. Please use well-matched pairs of output tubes
for maximum performance. The Bloke can use matched pairs of EL-34s for 48 watts or 6V6
power tubes for 23 watts (set impedance selector to ½ speaker load when using 6V6s).
The bias needs to be adjusted whenever the power tubes are changed. This is easy to do with
a voltmeter:

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1. With the new tubes installed turn on the amp and let it warm up.
2. Set the voltmeter to Volts DC.
3. Locate the bias test points on the bottom panel, and plug the red lead of the voltmeter
in to the red test point and the black lead into the black test point.
4. Locate the bias adjustment control on the bottom panel of the chassis (see Chassis
Diagram). Flip Standby to play mode and turn the bias pot left or right until the
voltmeter reads 1.0 Volts when using EL-34s. When using 6V6s, set the bias to .66
Volts.
Please note the bias will vary a little bit as the amp warms up. Fluctuations in the AC line
voltage can also cause the bias to fluctuate – this is normal and not to be of concern. If you
do not feel comfortable making the adjustment yourself, take the amp to a competent tech.
Carr Amplifiers selects and tests the finest current production tubes specifically for each
amplifier model. Caution should be used when buying replacement tubes from any dealer
who does not have a return policy as all tubes can have problems (NOS tubes are
susceptible to microphonics and failure too).
Effects Loop (optional)
The Bloke can be ordered with a series effects loop. Models that have this will come with
Send and Return ¼” jacks on the bottom panel and an external Loop Interface Pedal (LIP).
The LIP pedal has 4 jacks, (Amp Send, Amp Return, Effect Send, Effect Return), a Loop
bypass footswitch with LED indicator, a Send Volume knob, a Return Volume knob, and a
power supply jack (12V @100ma). The LIP receives the Send guitar signal from the amp -
then when the foot switch on the LIP is pressed it directs the guitar signal to the effects
(Effect Send jack) and takes the Effect Return signal from the effects and directs it to the
amp.
Follow the steps below when using the effects loop.
1. Set the Bloke with its Loudness (Masters) adjusted for normal play volume with the
LIP in bypass mode (LED off).
2. Move the Send Volume and Return Volume pots on the LIP to zero and plug the
Effect Send into your effects and the output from your effects into the Effect Return
jack.
3. Engage the LIP footswitch (LED on).
4. Set the Return Volume Knob to about 10 o’clock and start turning up the Send
Volume while playing until the effects sound full. If the Send Volume is too high for a
given Loudness (amp master) setting the effects will sound grainy and distorted – in
this case turn the Send Volume down a bit until the sound is clear.
5. Now turn the Return Volume up to match the volume of the amp in LIP bypass mode.

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6. You may want to have your effect sound louder or quieter - the Return volume is the
way to adjust this overall level. It only acts on the volume when the LIP in engaged
(LED on).
You can leave the LIP engaged at all times and turn you effects on and off as normal or use
the LIP to true bypass you effect chain entirely. This would allow you to have multiple
effects on and set to go – bringing them into the signal chain all at once by engaging the LIP.
You will need 4 high quality ¼” guitar cables to use the Loop with the LIP.
Recommended Settings
Sound Drive Loudness
(Rhythm)
Hi/Low
Gain
Loudness
(Lead) Treble Mid Bass Rhythm /Lead

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Important Reminders
Please keep the original packing materials in case your amp
needs to be shipped for service.
When inserting power
tubes, the power tube key
must line up with the tube
socket keyway.
Do not insert power tubes
with missing or damaged
keys or pins.
When inserting preamp
tubes, the tube pins must
line up with the tube socket
holes.
Do not insert preamp tubes
with missing or damaged
pins.
To reduce the risk of electric shock, keep the unit away from
excess moisture.
No user serviceable parts inside.
Potentially lethal voltage present.

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CARR AMPLIFIERS WARRANTY
All Carr amplifiers are warranted to be free from defects in workmanship (solder
joints, hardware assembly etc.) for the lifetime of the original owner, and free from
defects in materials (including cabinet) for three years from the date of purchase by the
original owner, provided that:
The owner mails the signed warranty registration card (next page) and a copy of the
original sales receipt to Carr Amplifiers within thirty days of purchase.
Problems are not the result of misuse, abuse, tampering, circuit modification, improper
tube installation (incorrect orientation of tubes can damage the amp), or spilled
beverages, as these will void the warranty.
The amplifier is shipped to Carr Amplifiers in the original packing materials with freight
paid by the purchaser. We pay the return shipping after the warranty work is complete.
Tubes, speaker(s), and reverb tanks carry a ninety-day warranty, and are subject to
the same terms and conditions as above.
Please call us at 919-545-0747 if you have a warranty claim. Be prepared to provide the
model and serial number of your amp. We will issue a Return Merchandise Authorization
number (RMA#) before the amplifier is shipped for service.
For customers outside of North America, warranty and repair service is provided through
the dealer where the amp was purchased.
Shipping address:
Carr Amplifiers
23 Rectory St., Suite E
Pittsboro, NC 27312
Mailing address:
Carr Amplifiers
433 W. Salisbury St.
Pittsboro, NC 27312
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.carramps.com
[e-mail]