NAD: Carstens Amplification EMPIRE

[hellzington]

Hey y'all - Last week was a great week as I was the third person to receive a new Carstens Amplification EMPIRE, the new amp from Brian Carstens. (The other two were Misha Mansoor and Billy Corgan! ) If you heard the Carstens Grace but want something more focused, tight, and modern, then this is the amp for you. Check it out!

Tones start at 8:10.

 

[Devin]

Sounds pretty sweet and looks rad af

 

[spguitar]

Woah! I didn't hear about this one yet!

 

[hellzington]

Woah! I didn't hear about this one yet!

Yeah! It's not on the website yet. Brian surprised me with a photo of the amp and then we started talking and he said he had a fully loaded one available from the first run of four so I bought it.

They are available for order. Brian is just keeping this one word-of-mouth for now instead of doing a bigger release like he did with the Grace Deux. If you send him an email, he'll hook you up. (Bonus points if you tell him I sent you.)

As you can hear, it's a pretty different amp from the Grace. It doesn't evolve and shift with your volume knob the same way the Grace does; it's a more direct amp. It has a bit more gain than the Grace and the low end is tighter. The overall voicing is more modern, punchy, and focused.

FYI, the amp is absolutely cranked in this demo. Brian told me Billy sets all his Carstens amps to 11:00 on the Master for his live performances so I wanted to try and capture that same volume level.

 

[mooncobra]

Whoa! 3rd to get the amp after Misha and Corgan! Bro! Are you endorsed by Carstens!?

 

[hellzington]

Whoa! 3rd to get the amp after Misha and Corgan! Bro! Are you endorsed by Carstens!?

Haha, I wish! Nope, just got to know Brian over the last few years. I bought the Grace and loved it, then bought a Warm Machine, then a Black Flag (which I liked but ultimately sold because I can't get along with combo amps). I always gave him feedback on his amps, and we talked a lot about various guitars, players, and other amps we like. Also, I run the Carstens Amplification Facebook group and have made some YouTube demos.

 

[Mr.Fun]

Hey y'all - Last week was a great week as I was the third person to receive a new Carstens Amplification EMPIRE, the new amp from Brian Carstens. (The other two were Misha Mansoor and Billy Corgan! ) If you heard the Carstens Grace but want something more focused, tight, and modern, then this is the amp for you. Check it out!

Tones start at 8:10.

Very cool amp.
I own the Grace, I don’t see this replacing my Grace, but I still like this one a lot.

 

[DeathbyButterslax]

I’m pretty interested in these amps, of all the new ones they just actually seem unique. Unlike all the other newer boutique flavour of the month ones. I was contemplating ordering a Grace, but no FX loop threw me off.

How does this one compare to your other non-Carsten amps? Anything you could compare it to sound/feel wise? My ears are garbage when trying to diagnose sound clips, but it sounds kinda Markish from what I can tell, but not as scooped.

 

[hellzington]

Very cool amp.
I own the Grace, I don’t see this replacing my Grace, but I still like this one a lot.

Yeah, definitely something different from the Grace and not meant to replace it. The Empire is more aggressive and modern. Not as much variety with your volume knob. More straightforward.

 

[hellzington]

I’m pretty interested in these amps, of all the new ones they just actually seem unique. Unlike all the other newer boutique flavour of the month ones. I was contemplating ordering a Grace, but no FX loop threw me off.

How does this one compare to your other non-Carsten amps? Anything you could compare it to sound/feel wise? My ears are garbage when trying to diagnose sound clips, but it sounds kinda Markish from what I can tell, but not as scooped.

I'm pretty sure you can get a Grace made now with a FX loop. It's the older ones that came without one.

Very hard to say what I would compare it to. To me, the Grace sounds like a Fender and a Marshall mixed together with a splash of Orange DNA. Brian describes it as, "somewhere between a BE-100 and a Diezel VH4." The Empire sounds more like a Marshall or Granophyre/Skeleton Key and a Diezel to me. So not too far off from your Mark comparison.

The feel of Brian's amps are very different from Mesa Boogies, especially the Mark series. To me, Mark amps tend to be pretty "sharp," "dry," and "tight." I feel like Brian's amps are a bit "slicker" or "greasier" compared to a Mesa. It's got that hot-rodded Marshall feel under the fingers.

 

[Mr.Fun]

I'm pretty sure you can get a Grace made now with a FX loop. It's the older ones that came without one.

Very hard to say what I would compare it to. To me, the Grace sounds like a Fender and a Marshall mixed together with a splash of Orange DNA. Brian describes it as, "somewhere between a BE-100 and a Diezel VH4." The Empire sounds more like a Marshall or Granophyre/Skeleton Key and a Diezel to me. So not too far off from your Mark comparison.

The feel of Brian's amps are very different from Mesa Boogies, especially the Mark series. To me, Mark amps tend to be pretty "sharp," "dry," and "tight." I feel like Brian's amps are a bit "slicker" or "greasier" compared to a Mesa. It's got that hot-rodded Marshall feel under the fingers.

That’s really interesting.
Do you put an OD in front of the Empire?
I’ve tried it with the Grace but I felt it just colored the tone more than anything and it totally doesn’t need an OD imo.

 

[hellzington]

That’s really interesting.
Do you put an OD in front of the Empire?
I’ve tried it with the Grace but I felt it just colored the tone more than anything and it totally doesn’t need an OD imo.

No, not necessary. It has the built-in boost which, IMO, makes the need to boost it irrelevant.

I boost my Grace all the time, but with my volume control rolled back. My band is a sort of groovy surf rock (emphasis on the rock) kind of thing; think Santana, Mayer, Sublime kind of situation. I play my Grace Deux in the band and usually keep my volume control around 3-6, then either roll the volume up for a huge high gain solo or kick on one of my boost pedals to give a little more drive and color. I use my Zio boost and Carstens Apollo boost most, but I also like the Spark.

 

[hellzington]

I should add, if your volume control is on 7+ with the Grace, you do not need a boost and I agree with you that it colors the sound more than anything. The Grace has an absolutely insane amount of gain on tap.

 

[Mr.Fun]

I should add, if your volume control is on 7+ with the Grace, you do not need a boost and I agree with you that it colors the sound more than anything. The Grace has an absolutely insane amount of gain on tap.

It’s the most amazing amp I’ve ever played.
I can imagine the Empire is a total beast, I’d love to hear one in person.
I tend to play wide open and back off a little for rhythm (7) and more so for (5ish) cleans
The pallet of tones always surprises me and you’re right, it has so much gain but it’s also totally usable.
I’ve really been able to back off the gain, No OD and crank it and let it breathe.
Sounds like a freight train.
I’ve also had really good tones with lower/mid output passives than high output pickups.
I’m envious that Brian lets you play his stuff before anyone else!