Marla Amplification has a simple mission: create handmade, handwired tube amps that deliver professional tone at a price working musicians can afford—and name each amp after a cute doggo. Founder and builder Anthony Hernandez doesn’t chase luxury status or high-dollar exclusivity. He builds tools for players who gig, record, and push their amps night after night.
The Charlie Barker S40 6L6, available exclusively on Reverb, is Marla’s boldest release yet and the new flagship of the S Series. Anthony describes it simply: "Think of it as bold, Twin-style tone without the 120-pound weight or the price that puts it out of reach."
Designed to be a pedalboard’s best friend, the Charlie Barker is a workhorse for any genre. Powered by a pair of JJ 6L6GC tubes and delivering 40 watts, it offers a wide-open American voice: punchy, dynamic, and endlessly flexible. Two independently voiced channels each feature high and low inputs, plus their own boost switches for pushing mids and top end into the power section.
Channel One includes a Bright Cap switch for extra sparkle and tightness at lower volumes, perfect for rhythm players or those running lots of effects. Channel Two adds its own dedicated tone control, giving players an alternate EQ curve that shines for leads or heavier styles.
The amp’s Superbass-sized coupling caps deliver deep, detailed low-end and smooth subharmonic overdrive, giving it the kind of punch and feel normally found in much larger amps. With this design, the Charlie Barker goes from shimmering cleans to warm, spongy breakup depending on how hard you push it—ideal for players who stack overdrives or need a highly responsive platform for pedals.
Inside, the Charlie Barker uses premium components chosen for tone and longevity:
- Hammond 290 Series power transformer and 1760 Series output transformer
- Orange Drop coupling caps and Mojotone King Cap filter caps
- Alpha pots for smooth, reliable control
- Matched with 12" Anthem 50W speakers in the combo or a two-speaker configuration (Anthem 50W + Watchtower 70W) in the T212CB extension cab
This careful component selection ensures the Charlie Barker can stand up to years of heavy use while delivering consistent tone, night after night.
Anthony’s approach to pricing is as thoughtful as his builds. By rethinking materials and production, he offsets rising costs without passing them on to musicians. "Instead of asking, ‘How much are players willing to pay?’ I ask, ‘How much should I charge for this?’" he says. The result is a fully handbuilt, U.S.-made amp that brings pro-level tube tone to a wider range of players—no cutting corners, no outsourcing to overseas factories.
The Charlie Barker S40 6L6 is available as a combo ($1,499) or head ($1,329), along with a T212CB extension cab ($799)—all sold exclusively through Marla’s Reverb shop.