Tucana amp

fcs101

Axe-Master
If you haven't tried the Tucana, you really need to. It's on my shortlist of favorites. Only recently did I even give it a go and something instantly clicked. Not knowing much about it, I then referred to Yek's guide and found this quote:

"One of the best amps in the world IMO. I have a Dumble and a Trainwreck and various other boutique amps and the Tucana is better than all of them.” (I believe the quote is from Cliff.)

Anyway, if you like Dumbles and Trainwrecks, you need to check this one out.
 
All the Carol Anne amps are superb - my favorite is the CA3 + which is a very warm clean amp - and with low gain drives added you get some very tasty goodness.
 
All the Carol Anne amps are superb - my favorite is the CA3 + which is a very warm clean amp - and with low gain drives added you get some very tasty goodness.
The CA3+ isn’t a Carol Ann, although it sure sounds like it would be with that name! It’s the Custom Audio Amplifiers 3+ SE preamp.
That said, yea, Carol Anns are fantastic. The Tucana has been my go to for years, to the point where I was lucky enough to find a real one here. The Triptik and OD2 are great amps as well. Alan Philips is a gosh darn genius.
 
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Ha! I just spent the last two weeks gelling with the FAS Wreck. I've literally been addicted to the sound. Now the quote you put above from Cliff has me wanting to start again. What a time to be a Fractal user!
 
Yes, I liked the Tucana 3 model so much that I bought one, and I’ll second Cliff’s assessment that it’s a monster of a amp. It’s a shame Alan had to close the doors, because this thing ought to be in that rarified air where the Dumbles and Trainwrecks reside… and I won’t be shocked if that happens one day.

The model in the Axe Fx is a great representation of it overall.
 
For guys using the Tucana,

1. What cabs are you using?
2. Are you using drive pedals with it to get you lead tones?
3. What type of music are you using it for?

Any more details of how you use them will be helpful.
Thanks.
 
Yes, I liked the Tucana 3 model so much that I bought one, and I’ll second Cliff’s assessment that it’s a monster of a amp. It’s a shame Alan had to close the doors, because this thing ought to be in that rarified air where the Dumbles and Trainwrecks reside… and I won’t be shocked if that happens one day.

The model in the Axe Fx is a great representation of it overall.
Wow. I had no idea he had shut down production. Here's the post from his site (almost 2 yrs old):

"Due to the declining guitar amplifier business I sadly had to make the decision to essentially shut down any new production of amplifiers and had to take a full time job outside of the business. I didn't want to completely close the business, but I am currently only able to support valid warranty work at this time. With the exception of a small number of outstanding orders that will be delivered in the very near future , no new amplifiers will be built at the present time. This will hopefully change in the future once time permits.
I appreciate all the support and the many friends I have made in the last 15 years and hopefully will get the chance to work with you again in the future.

21st September 2019."
 
For guys using the Tucana,

1. What cabs are you using?
2. Are you using drive pedals with it to get you lead tones?
3. What type of music are you using it for?

Any more details of how you use them will be helpful.
Thanks.
Lately I'm using it for everything. I only discovered it thanks to the factory presets (Tucana & Tucana II), so whatever cabs Cliff selected (haven't looked yet). The website claims it is "very forgiving" with any choice of cab (so hard to go wrong). It also states (and I think Yek quoted this) that it is hard for even a novice guitarist to screw up the tone.

I'm using it for practice (clean & dry-something I started doing to develop cleaner playing technique) and for blues/rock stuff mostly.

Here's a link from the website (basically claiming this thing can do it all-and I believe it):

http://www.carolannamps.com/amp-model-guide.html
 
I’ve used the lead 80 and a 12L with my real life one- both sound great, just different. Personally, the lead 80 seemed to have a little more character, but the 12L is maybe a little smoother and well composed, if that makes any sense. The Tucana takes pedals just fine- it’s not picky with drives, so I usually go with something like a TS that cuts some bass, as the bass can get pretty powerful on this thing- it’s never woofy or bassy, but for leads, add some mids, cut some bass, gain to taste, and you’re there. It’s a solid choice for almost any type of music outside of metal or super high gain stuff.
 
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Can't say I appreciate the Tucana model on anything near the stock settings. For some reason (I assume accuracy), the pre-EQ has a very steep bass roll-off that makes it sound very thin to me. Getting rid of that makes it much better in my opinion.

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I’m currently using a 1x12 Carol Ann cab loaded with a Celestion Alnico Cream 90W 16ohm speaker with the real head, and it’s a very musical combination. If that speaker is available it’s worth trying. My Axe Fx is currently in the band trailer, but I’ll look at the cab in use at next setup.

As I recall, it wasn’t hard to get a good sound with it on the Axe Fx, and the real amp does reveal what’s being sent to it very well. Those KT88s don’t compress in the way EL34s or 6L6s do, and they can shoulder a lot of volume without losing articulation.
 
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Can't say I appreciate the Tucana model on anything near the stock settings. For some reason (I assume accuracy), the pre-EQ has a very steep bass roll-off that makes it sound very thin to me. Getting rid of that makes it much better in my opinion.

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Of course it's all dependent on the gear used. The factory presets sound great on my HBs, but they are very full sounding and I usually have to fight the bass on them.
 
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