Carvin MTS3200 User Manual
MODEL MTS3200 HEAD SPECS:
RMS Power: 50 or 100 watts
Output Impedance: 4, 8 & 16Ω
Input Impedance: 100,000 ohms
Tone Controls: BASS: 80Hz
Both Channels: MID: 600-700Hz
TREBLE: 11k Hz
Ch 1 Sensitivity: 1mV for clipping
Ch 2 Sensitivity: 16mV for full output
Channels: 2—switching
Voiced Line Out: 1.5 VAC @ 100 watts RMS
Preamp Tubes: 5—12AX7’s (dual stage)
Power Amp Tubes: 4—5881’s (power pentode)
USA Model: 120VAC, 300VA
USA Fuse: 3A 250V slow blow, 5x 20mm
Export Model: 230VAC, 300VA
Export Fuse: 1.5A 250V slow blow, 5x 20mm
Cabinet Size: 24.25W x 10.5H x 9.5”D
Cabinet: 7-ply poplar wood
Net Weight: 35 lbs
Warranty: One Year
Options: CV3200 cover, FS22 footswitch
CARVIN ENGINEERING DATA OPERATING MANUAL
Congratulations on your purchase of the MTS3200 all tube amplifier. Carvin has
been building tube guitar amplifiers since 1949. They have been used by top professionals like; Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Craig Chaquico, Allan Holdsworth, Larry Carlton,
Chet Atkins and other great musicians. You will discover that these amplifiers represent a significant sound improvement over conventional tube amplifiers. Spend time
with your new MTS3200 head or your MTS3212 combo and get to know it’s many
sounds.
TECHNICAL DESIGN OF THE MTS3200
The MTS3200 design criteria was to build an all-tube guitar amp that sounded better
than anything else on the market. This meant that the MTS3200 was going to be totally new from the ground up and that it was going to be an all tube design with no IC’s
or transistors.
HIGH IMPEDANCE GUITAR INPUT
Carvin has long known about the effects of miss-loading a guitar pickup which can
cause high frequency loss. The MTS3200 guards against this loss with its ultra high
input impedance. Also, we considered the capacitance of the average shielded guitar
cable which can reduce the high frequency response of your guitar pickups. Unlike
other amplifiers, we purposely avoided adding capacitance anywhere in the preamp to
control high frequency oscillations. Instead, we controlled oscillations through careful
component layout and lead placement allowing its shimmering highs to be reproduced.
CLEAN AND OVERDRIVE CHANNELS
The equalization of the clean and overdrive channel is designed to offer clarity to
your instrument. Special mud-cutting circuits eliminate the unwanted sounds in the
500 to 700 Hz range which normally take away the tone definition of your instrument.
You will also take notice of the clean channels PRESENCE switch which adds
acoustic voicing to your instrument. This switch boosts only the guitars very highest harmonics which are in the 10k Hz range instead of the normal 3K Hz of a bright
switch. The PRESENCE control on the lead channel is designed to adjust the “edge”
on your sound. It’s dynamic range allows for super-smooth sounds or an edge for
MODEL MTS3212 COMBO SPECS:
Speakers: 2 Celestion G12T-75 speakers
RMS Power: 50 or 100 watts
Output Impedance: 4, 8 & 16Ω
Input Impedance: 100,000 ohms
Tone Controls: BASS: 80Hz
Both Channels: MID: 600-700Hz
TREBLE: 11k Hz
Ch 1 Sensitivity: 1mV for clipping
Ch 2 Sensitivity: 16mV for full output
Channels: 2—switching
Voiced Line Out: 1.5 VAC @ 100 watts RMS
Preamp Tubes: 5—12AX7’s (dual stage)
Power Amp Tubes: 4—5881’s (power pentode)
USA Model: 120VAC, 300VA
USA Fuse: 3A 250V slow blow, 5x 20mm
Export Model: 230VAC, 300VA
Export Fuse: 1.5A 250V slow blow, 5x 20mm
Cabinet Size: 26W x 10.25D x 17.5”H
Cabinet: 7-ply poplar wood
Net Weight: 55 lbs
Warranty: One Year
Options: CV3212 cover, FS22 footswitch
76-32000B 07/05
your lead channel to reach out.
DYNAMIC 5881 POWER TUBES
Your amp is equipped with 5881 power tubes because of their smooth distortion,
responsive sound and reliability. The compression characteristics of these “soft clip”
power tubes respond to the dynamic range of lead guitar playing. These tubes react
even to the most subtle touch—if you play soft, the tubes remain clean and if you
increase your attack they respond accordingly.
TONE CONTROLS
The T-Bridge passive BASS, MID and TREBLE tone controls offer a wide range of
tone settings. Take full advantage by setting them where they sound best. Your
sound may not be at center 5 on the dial. These controls will not affect or color your
sound when set at extreme settings, nor do they interact with each other. The greater
range of these controls comes from the high impedance 1 meg sealed pots (most
guitar amps use 250k pots). The frequency of the bass control is set at 80 Hz while
the mid control is set at 650 Hz. The treble control is set at a very high 11k Hz giving the MTS3200 it’s dynamic highs.
REVERB
The FS22 footswith for the long tailed REVERB system in the MTS3200 switches only
the reverb “send” leaving the tail of the reverb to decay naturally, the way it’s done in the
studio. A special pre filter eliminates the spring “boing” normally heard in other systems
giving it a “lush” sound. The all tube reverb system offers vibrant clarity with full depth
reminiscent of the sixties tube amps. Guitar Player magazine rated this system as one
of the best they have heard.
MTS3200
For your records, you may wish to record the following information.
Serial No._____________________ Invoice Date_______________
MTS3212
RECEIVING INSPECTION—read before getting started
INSPECT YOUR AMP FOR ANY DAMAGE which may have occurred during shipping. If any
damage is found, please notify the shipping company and CARVIN immediately.
SAVE THE CARTON & ALL PACKING MATERIALS. In the event you have to re-ship your unit,
always use the original carton and packing material. This will provide the best possible protection during shipment. CARVIN and the shipping company are not liable for any damage caused
by improper packing.
SAVE YOUR INVOICE. It will be required for warranty service if needed in the future.
SHIPMENT SHORTAGE. If you find items missing, they may have been shipped separately. Please allow several days for the rest of your order to arrive before inquiring.
RECORD THE SERIAL NUMBER on the enclosed warranty card or below on this manual
for your records. Keep your portion of the card and return the portion with your name and
comments to us.
MTS3200 GUITAR HEAD
MTS3212 COMBO GUITAR AMP
FEATURES
CELESTION
SPEAKERS
GETTING STARTED QUICKLY
If you are like most players, you probably want to plug in your new amp and get started playing it right away. You can read the rest of the manual later to learn the finer points
of operating your amp. In order to get started you will need your MTS3200 amp, a 120
or 230 AC grounded power outlet, your instrument and a standard guitar cord. With the
amp turned off, you may now plug it into the proper AC voltage.
Now turn all the volume and drive controls off and set tone controls at their mid center
position. If you have purchased the FS22 foot switch, plug it into the rear foot switch jack
for switching the channels and reverb. Note: The channel SELECT button must be in the
OUT position (CH 1) for the FS22 to function (a hum will be heard if it’s in the wrong position).
Now, turn the power switch and standby switch ON. Allow 60 seconds for the tubes to
warm up. Gradually raise the volume controls and re-adjust the tone controls and your
ready to go. The brass knobs can feel hot after the amp has been on awhile. This is normal because brass conducts heat while plastic does not. This will not cause a problem
for the controls. Please call if you feel your amp is malfunctioning. Occasionally tubes
are damaged in shipping.
FRONT PANEL
1. GUITAR INPUT
A standard 1/4” input jack feeds both channels through using the SELECT switch. Use
a professional quality guitar cord no longer than 25 feet. Typical cable capacitance should
be under 50pf—the longer the cord, the greater the capacitance (you can measure this
with a capacitance meter). A long cable with high capacitance will reduce the overall treble response from your pickups.
2. CHANNEL SELECT
Set the channel SELECT switch to the desired channel. The LED’s next to the volume
controls will let you see what channel is functioning. Use channel 2 for clean playing.
Use channel 1 for overdrive/sustain. For the FS22 foot switch to function, set the channel SELECT to the “ OUT” channel 1 position.
LEAD CHANNEL 1
3. LEAD CHANNEL INDICATOR
The red LED will illuminate when the LEAD channel is selected.
4. LEAD VOLUME
The volume of the lead channel is to be used as a master level control. For partial clean
output, set the VOLUME control to 10 and turn the DRIVE nearly off—under 1. By reducing the guitar volume, you can use this channel as an alternate clean channel.
5. LEAD DRIVE
For mild tube saturation, set the DRIVE control between 1 & 2. For some of the best
saturation, set the control between 4 & 6. For full blown overdrive, set the control
between 6 and 10 (your guitar volume should be turned all the way up). Because the
MTS3200 has been “Hot Rodded” with so much gain in the DRIVE control, you will have
an abundance of guitar feedback. However, if feedback is a problem, reduce the amount
of DRIVE or move the guitar to the side or away from the speaker(s).
6. LEAD—BASS, MID & TREBLE
To start off with, set the BASS, MID & TREBLE controls at their center (5) position.
These controls are to be set according to the type of pickups used (dual or single coil).
It’s normal to decrease the BASS at higher playing levels. Try the PRESENCE control also
when adjusting the treble.
7. LEAD PRESENCE
Channel 1 features it’s own LEAD PRESENCE control for added clarity. It’s frequency
range is set at the mid range of the tonal spectrum. Careful adjustment with the TREBLE
control will make this feature very useful.
CLEAN CHANNEL 2
8. CLEAN CHANNEL INDICATOR
The red LED will illuminate when the CLEAN channel is selected.
9. CLEAN VOLUME
Channel switching from the Lead channel into Channel 2 gives you crisp, clean playing.
Thanks to special mud-cutting circuits that work between the frequencies of 500 and 700 Hz,
your guitar tones will be full and vibrant.
10. CLEAN PRESENCE
For added clarity, the CH 2 PRESENCE switch increases only the highest guitar harmonics
in the 8-10k Hz range which is ideal for acoustic guitars. A normal bright switch works only
in the 3k Hz range leaving your sound somewhat flat.
Single or dual coil pickups will deter-
mine the need for this switch.
11. CLEAN—BASS, MID & TREBLE CONTROLS
You can start at 5 on the dial for each of the tone controls. However, these settings do
not represent a normalize (flat) sound. You need to set them where they sound best!
Most musicians like to reduce the MID’S between 1 and 4 for deeper bass and crisper
highs. If your sound is too bright with single coil pickups, you may want to keep the
PRESENCE switch off.
MASTER SECTION
12. MASTER REVERB
Set the REVERB control for the desired amount (this works in both channels).
13. STANDBY SWITCH
Use the STANDBY SWITCH If you are taking a break. This turns the high voltage off,
increasing the life of your power tubes while keeping the power and preamp tube filaments on for immediate use.
14. POWER SWITCH & INDICATOR
The power switch is to be utilized as the master ON/OFF switch. As the amp is turned
on, the RED portion of the power switch will illuminate as your ON indicator.
MTS3200 FRONT & REAR PANEL CONTROLS
97121314 2810
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
11
MTS3200 Head as shown
MTS3212 Combo front & rear panels reversed
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