Brian Carstens has long been working with the Smashing Pumpkins as an amplifier technician. In late 2018, Billy Corgan and Brian began discussing an amp collaboration. Billy expressed, in over 30 years of creating music, “I have never played a high gain amp that I like.” Billy’s lofty request: for Brian to make him an amp with an unheard of amount of gain, high headroom and distinct tone. Brian got to work, and the Carstens Amplification® Grace amplifier was born. Billy was so blown away by the Grace that this custom project turned into this signature Billy Corgan amplifier — Billy’s first and only. To really understand why Billy Corgan calls the Grace “a game changer” and “a step forward,” take a listen.

Now offered in a lower wattage, yet very powerful 20W version, this very versatile, single channel amplifier offers a staggering amount of articulate high gain, yet is exceptionally responsive to changes in your guitar volume, or attack. As such, your Grace Deux can go from clean, crunch to breathtaking overdrive with the turn of a volume, or gain control.

With hand-wound transformers designed specifically for this lower wattage head, a different power supply, different output tubes, etc, compared to the 100W Grace amplifier the Grace Deux does its own thing. The feel and response are special. The headroom is different and the mids sit a little differently. The 6V6 output tone becomes more apparent when the amp is turned up which further gives the Grace Deux a distinctly unique tone, yet still retains the hallmark Carstens wide open 3-dimensional sound, articulation and high levels of harmonic content.

Each Grace Deux is completely handwired using premium components, including specially designed, hand-wound Mercury Magnetics transformers. The result is a beautifully open and immense 3-dimensional high-gain overdrive with incredible note separation.

All are handmade by Brian Carstens.

Specs:

Tubes:

• 2 x 6V6

• 4 x 12AX7

Controls:

• Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass, Master Volume, Presence, Bright Switch, Headroom

• Completely handmade/hand-wired in the U.S.A by Brian Carstens

• Custom cabinet handcrafted in the U.S.A

• Specially designed, hand-wound Mercury Magnetics transformers

• Optional tube buffered series FX Loop

• Premium capacitors

• High grade vacuum tubes selected for low noise and peak performance

• Powder coated/silk screened, high quality aluminum chassis

• Selectable 4/8/16Ω speaker output

• No printed circuit boards

• Mercury Magnetics power cord

• 20W