Carstens Amplification is a boutique guitar amplifier builder based in the Chicago area, founded and operated by Brian Carstens. Before launching the brand, Carstens ran the amp repair department at Chicago Music Exchange and did restoration work under Tim Schroeder, building a reputation as a tech for touring artists including The Smashing Pumpkins. Every amplifier is hand-wired by Carstens himself in small numbers, with an emphasis on dynamics, touch sensitivity, and letting the character of the guitar come through rather than coloring it heavily.

The lineup is made up of tube heads and matching cabinets, including the Grace — a 100-watt single-channel high-gain amplifier developed in collaboration with Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins — along with the lower-wattage Grace Deux, the Empire, the Cathedral, the Warm Machine, the Black Flag, and the Blue Sky. Builds use premium components such as hand-wound Mercury Magnetics transformers.

The amps have been used by players including Billy Corgan, Joe Walsh, Adam Jones and Danny Carey of Tool, Mike McCready, Dweezil Zappa, Jeff Tweedy, and Brad Paisley, and have seen service at studios such as Rick Rubin's Shangri-La and Blackbird Studio in Nashville.

Carstens Amplification has 7 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Guitar Amplifier Heads, Guitar Amplifier Cabinets, and Overdrive Effects Pedals. Their gear is featured by 3 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock and Metal. Notable users include Billy Corgan, Misha Mansoor, and Joel Bauman.