Billy Corgan has a new signature high-gain amp from Carstens Amplification

By Jonathan Horsley
published

Grace is a 100-watt single-channel head designed by Corgan's amp tech Brian Carstens, limited to 50 units worldwide

Carstens Amplification Grace Billy Corgan Signature
(Image credit: Carstens Amplification)

Carstens Amplification has unveiled a new signature guitar amplifier for Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan. Hand-wired and designed by Corgan's long-serving amp tech, Brian Carstens, Grace is limited to 50 units worldwide.

The amp is Corgan's first signature amplifier. The design brief was simply to build "an amp with an unheard of amount of gain, high headroom and distinct tone." 

A 100-watt, single-channel design, Grace's front panel features a straightforward set of controls for volume, bass, middle, treble, master volume and presence. Under the hood there are four EL34 power amp tubes, four 12AX7 tubes in the preamp.

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Carstens Amplification Grace Billy Corgan Signature
(Image credit: Carstens Amplification)

Grace features specially designed, hand-wound Mercury Magnetics transformers, premium capacitors and a Mercury Magnetics hard-wired power cord, with components mounted on a powder coated/silk screened, high-quality aluminium chassis.

Grace is available in black, red, or cream/off-white vinyl, with each amp hand-wired by Brian Carstens and signed by Billy Corgan. 

Priced $3,499 in the States, £2,739.43 (not including shipping) for the UK, it is available to order now. See Carstens Amplification for more information.

Jonathan Horsley
Jonathan Horsley

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.