Fat Sound Guitars Sales Staff
Stuart "Stu" Carter, Owner, Tone Consultant
Ah the elusive "TONE". Sought by many, but obtained by few. In a very real sense Fat Sound Guitars developed out of my search for tone which effectively began about the time the photo below was taken during my first gig.......in 1979 although I began playing guitar at age 5 and just never lost interest except for maybe the year I got my driver's license. Flash forward to 1990.......after 11 years of buying, selling and trading gear I realized I was going broke trying to find a guitar/amp combination that would help me realize the tone I heard in my head. Not to mention the fact that hours of knob twiddling on various "amps of the week" was about to lead to a messy divorce.
Finally, in 1992, I came to the conclusion that if I opened a guitar store that specialized in high-end gear I could get all the cool stuff at wholesale and maybe even make a few dollars. Seventeen years later I am totally happy, tonally happy and many of my customers and friends feel I have a vast expanse of tone knowledge which I should impart to others to perhaps shorten their search and save their marriages and bank accounts. Let me point out, however, that tone is so subjective that I would never assume that what I believe or what is right for me is necessarily right for everyone.
FatSoundGuitars.com allows me to meld my two great creative loves: guitars and photography. I hope you enjoy browsing the website; I've attempted to make it as visually appealing as possible with properly lit, color corrected and detailed shots of every item that passes through our doors. Every guitar we sell comes with a disc of web sized images of your new guitar to use as a screen saver, for insurance purposes or for bragging posts on one of the many great guitar/amp forums.
I remain as accessible as possible so if I can offer personal assistance to you during your quest for tone please don't hesitate to email me directly at Stu Carter
Putting the "Family" in Family Owned Business
Not part of the sales staff, but some of the people our customers help to feed.......Stu Carter's wife of 24 years, Sherry the "fitness freak", oldest daughter Anna (13 at time of photo) and youngest daughter Sam (10 at time of photo). Can you guess which of his kids is the jock and budding guitarist and which modeled for Gap Kids at age 7? ;-)
Stuart met his wife and soulmate during their junior year at East Carolina University. After college and marriage she actually supported his crazy decision to leave a successful corporate gig to have a go at his dream of owning a different kind of guitar shop than what was considered the norm when Fat Sound opened in 1993. She's now a stay-at-home mom and "gym rat".
Anna loves skateboarding, basketball, track and, of course, guitar and is actually becoming a pretty good player. Her main axe is a '59 Fender Musicmaster that her dad bought for her before she was born. She takes weekly guitar lessons at Fat Sound under the tutelage of Blair Linthicum (who's been an important part of the Fat Sound family since before the shop even opened for business) and has an eye on Daddy's Brazilian board R7! She excels at anything athletic and hates to be indoors.
Sam is all about fashion, school, socializing and artwork with her preferred medium being oil on canvas.
"I couldn't do what I do, work the incredible hours I put in, without their amazing love and support"
Stu Carter
September 2010
Now back to some rock-n-roll
Mike Ayers, Shop Manager, Sales Associate & Tone Consultant
Bio Coming Eventually........come on Mike......write your bio already. What's it been......11 years?!?
"In the meantime I'll briefly summarize what I think you really *need* to know about Mike. He's a North Carolina native, his knowledge of Pop Culture is scary and he loves British TV crime shows. He's my right-hand man, knows as much about the gear we sell as I do (in the case of effect pedals often more) and, after working together for 11 years, I couldn't do it without him. Considered more of a business partner and best friend than employee, Mike has an incredibly large base of his own loyal customers and is a truly gifted rhythm, ambient guitarist and song writer who utilizes a Matchless Avalon, Top Hat Super 33 and an effects pedal board nearly as big as my car for live performances all over the country often in front of enormous crowds."
-Stu Carter
Some shots below of Mike Ayers on stage with his band The Connells at older and more recent shows around the country.
Mike Gallo, Sales Associate & Tone Consultant
Bio and Photos Eventually.
Yes, I know, we've been saying that forever, but "Mikey G." is actually in The Witness Protection Program so don't hold your breath!
Current Staff Rigs
Stu Carter
Guitars
1994 '60 Custom Shop Strat (Fralin Vintage Hot/Vintage Hot/Steel Pole 43)
2009 Grosh Electrajet Dual P-90 (Grosh G-90's)
2010 Grosh Electrajet Dual Humbucker (Grosh Blown 59's)
2010 Thorn R/S / 2-Tek Hardtail (Thorn Pasadena '66 set)
MotorAve MotoVox (Lollar P-90's)
Amps
Home and Recording
Carr Sportsman 112 (Eminence Red, White and Blue)
Mesa Mini Recto Twenty-Five > Mini Recto 112 Slant (Celestion Vintage 30)
Swart Atomic Space Tone Original (Mojo BV-25M)
Moving Air
Dr. Z Z Wreck Head > Matching OB 212 (Celestion Gold, Celestion Blue)
Dr, Z MAZ 18 Head > Z Best Closed Back, front Ported 212 (Celestion Anniversary G12H30, Celestion Anniversary Vintage 30)
Germino Fillmore > Germino Straight Front, Pinstripe 412 (Celestion Heritage G12M)
Matchless HC30 > Matchless OB 410 (Celestion Vintage 10's)
1971 Marshall JMP-50 > 1971 Marshall Slant 412 (Original, Pre-Rolla Greenbacks)
Effects Chain - Custom Helwe Pedal Board
Lava Cables (solderless patch)
Pedal Power Plus 2 (x2)
Teese RMC8 Eqwahlyzer Wah
Vox V846-HW Hand-Wired Wah
Sonic Research ST-200 Tuner
Wren and Cuff Phat Phuk
Wren and Cuff Your Face (Fuzz Face)
Wren and Cuff Box of War ('Civil War' Big Muff)
Wren and Cuff Tri-Pie '70 (1070 Big Muff)
Wren and Cuff Tall Font Russian (mid-90's Sovtek Muff)
Spaceman Gemini III Fuzz
Spaceman Mercury III Harmonic Boost
Spaceman Aphelion Boost
Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay Hand-Wired
Fulltone Tube Tape Echo (2011 Hard Lid)
Fulltone Deja'Vibe (1995 Large Box - Handpainted)
JHS Little Black Buffer
Accessories
Brookwood Leather straps exclusively
V-Pick Large Light Triangle
D'Addario EXL110 (10-46) and EXL115 (11-49) string sets
Lava Cable Blue Demon Cables (long runs)
Mike Ayers
Guitars
'93 Les Paul Deluxe with TonePros bridge
Motorave LeMans (single Lollar P-90)
Chandler Futurama (custom wound nk/mid pu's.....Seymour Duncan Custom Flat bridge)
Grosh Electrajet Custom - (Grosh G-90 neck / custom humbucker bridge)
Danelectro Baritone
Amps
Top Hat Super 33 112 combo
Matchless Avalon 112 combo
Effects and Such
VHT Valvulator I Line Buffer
Furman SPB-8C powered pedalboard
George L solderless cables
Boss TU-3
Z Vex Fuzz Factory
Electro-Harmonix Freeze
Boss DD-20 delay
'85 ProCo Rat II
Keeley-modded Rat II
NOC3 Firefly overdrive
Fulltone Fulldrive II
Electro-Harmonix Killswitch
Hughes and Kettner Tube Rotosphere
Palmer Triline switcher with EFrog cab loader
Creation Audio Labs MK.4.23 clean boost (48V version)
Stigtronics Grey Compressor
Spaceman Mercury III Harmonic Boost
Teese Picture Wah
Boss TR-2 tremolo (personally modded)
EBow
Vovox Sonorus cables
Fulltone cables
Visual Sound Volume Pedal
SIT Power Wound Strings
Fender California Clear medium picks
Clayton Ultem picks
Brookwood straps
Jayco straps
Stagetrix Pedal Risers
Stagetrix Pedal Fasteners
Fingerease
Lizard Spit Polish
G7th and Paige capos
Planet Waves Lubrikit Friction Reducer
DR String Life
Mike Gallo
Guitars
2005 Fender '60 Custom Shop Strat (stock w/'69 pick-up set)
2010 Fender Road Worn Series 50's Strat (stock)
2003 Fender '52 Re-issue Telecaster
1999 Taylor W14 Walnut Series
2009 Martin LX1
Amps
Carr Mercury 112
Bogner Shiva (EL34's) 112
Victoria 35115
Effects and Such
Boss TU-3 Tuner
Boss DD-20 Digital Delay
Fulltone OCD
Fulltone Clyde Std. Wah
Fulltone Deja Vibe (Gold)
Xotic AC Boost
Xotic BB Pre-amp Boost
Xotic Robotalk
EH Neo Clone Chorus
Pedaltrain Pedal Board
Brookwood Leather Straps
Moody's Leather Straps
V-Picks "Euro" (small jazz size)
DR Pure Blues 11-49 strings
Spectraflex Cables
