Welcome to Carlton Guitars - Repairs, Setups, Custom Built Guitars, Hand Wired Blues King Amps
COMING SOON!! - FREE JAM TRACKS download and have a jam with yourself :)

Nov 2008 Update - In stock now - figured guitar tops

Carlton Blues King amps - The tone from heaven
The chassis are lovingly handwired by Jim Nickelson at "Lil Dawg" amps in the USA using the best US made components. The cabs are built here at Carlton Guitars. Currently, Aussie made Lorantz speakers are being used and they sound great. At left is the 25 watt D-lux which is based on the original 59' Fender Deluxe 5E3 circuit. A lower power stock standard 14 watter is available. The tone from this amp is astonishingly rich, complex & easily competes with a drummer. These amps are built to last a life time - My personal favourite amp of all time. I have had old school Fenders, new tweed Fenders and a whole slew of other valve and solid state amps over 40 years of playing. This lighweight simple little amp does it all. MORE>

Custom Amp Cabs, Speaker Cabs, Head Shells- email enquiry
New guitars in the workshop -
Just finished 2 new guitars and one is gone already - the second one is up for grabs.
headshells and cabs will be on show here soon



Guitars up for grabs
The FATMAN
This guitar has an obesity problem. Fat1" thick neck and a big fat tone that will punch your lights out. Seriously though this is one great sounding guitar and would suit just about any style of music. Sounds great highly overdriven as well as a big fat clean tone from trad style tube amps. Cleans up well riding the volume control.


The Telstar
Myrtle offset body. Very lightweight and comfortable to play. I used Mick Brierley Blues Special hand wound tele pickups plus the usual top quality hardware set.

Micks pickups are something else with a thick meaty twang on the bridge and a scorching over the top sound on the bridge. These pickups are hand wound to the original Broadcaster spec. So are little hotter than your normal tele pickup

This is the first of the Telstar series. I developed the body shape as a lightweight comfortable take on the tele style. It has contours cut front and back like the strat. It is a great player and I found it to be very versatile on stage.

You can see both guitars being built in the workshop space


  

Hotrod "T"
 mmm Claro walnut top with African mahogany core, Allparts [Licensed by fender] vintage 70's style replacement CBS strat neck and a set of Mike Brierleys handwound vintage blues pickups. Grover locking tuners Gotoh Hardtail strat bridge etc etc

Great player this guitar. It has a thick meaty tone and a light weight body. Great for blues and rock