Carvin SX300H, SX300C, SX300R User Manual
CARVIN ENGINEERING DATA OPERATING MANUAL
12340 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128
(800) 854-2235
carvin.com
For your records, you may wish to record the following information.
Serial No._____________________ Invoice Date_______________
SX300C
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.
SX300C, SX300H, SX300R
GUITAR AMPS
SX SERIES SPECIFICATIONS:
Speakers: SX300C Two
CCeelleessttiioonn SSEEVVEENNTTYY 8800
100w 8Ω speakers
RMS Power: SX300C/SX300H 100 watts @ 4, 8, 16Ω
Output Impedance: 4-16 ohms switchable
Power Amp: THD: Less than 1%
Input Impedance: 100k ohms
Channels: 3—switching
Tone Controls:
Ch 1 and 2 BASS: 80Hz
MID: 600Hz
TREBLE: 8k Hz
PRESENCE: 11k Hz
Ch 3 BASS: 90Hz
MID: 575Hz
TREBLE: 9k Hz
PRESENCE: 8-11k Hz
Ch 1 + 2 Sensitivity: 1mV for clipping, dynamic range 72dB
Ch 3 Sensitivity: 75mV for full output
Line Out: 1.5 VAC @ full power
Power: 120V or 240V model
Fuse: 5 amp 250V internal
Size: SX300C: 26W x 10.25D x 17.5”H
SX300H: 24.5W x 9.5D x 10.5”H
SX300R: 19W x 6D x 1.75”H
Cabinet: Plywood–no particle board
Net Weight: SX300C: 44 lbs, SX300H: 24 lbs, SX300R: 5 lbs
Warranty: One Year
Options: FS44 footswitch,
CV3212 cover SX300
CV3200 cover SX300H
VE212 extension cabinet, two GT12 200w 8Ω speakers
76-10203 C 07/05
c
SX SERIES
Classic Tube Emulation, awesome digital effects, rich black vinyl
covering and the brass red jewel light continue to make the AMERICAN MADE SX
Series one of the hottest amps on the market today!
EMULATION OR MODELING?
Unlike other “modeling” amps, the SX
doesn’t just copy the sounds of other amplifiers – it actually emulates 12AX7 tube
circuitry. The SX waveforms successfully “emulates” real tube waveforms that
breathe and express warmth from a mild soft-clip to a full power soaked sustain.
Pro players and industry gurus have stated that the SX Tube Emulator actually
sounds better than many tube amps!
THREE CHANNELS
– CH1 LEAD with high gain switch, CH2 LEAD with
BLUES switch and CH3 CLEAN. Each channel has its own independent volume
control for setting up equal levels quickly and easily.
ACTIVE TONE CONTROLS
All models feature BASS, MID, TREBLE con-
trols and a PRESENCE switch on all channels.
24-BIT EFFECTS
Once you have your tone, add in just the right amount of
lush REVERBS, rich CHORUSES, thick textured FLANGING or pristine ECHOES
using fully adjustable parameters for damping, decay, depth, speed, time and regeneration–up to 256 24-BIT effects. There is also a second digital processor dedicated to creating a lush, concert-hall reverb at the push of a button.
POWER
The SX300C and SX300H feature a full 100 watts RMS. The SX300C
features two 12” heavy-duty 100w Celestion SEVENTY 80 speakers that provide
awesome guitar reproduction – from clean to blues to scream’n metal. The
SX300H head can be paired with either a 4x12 half stack or 8x12 full stack. The
SX300R rackmount pre amp can be paired with the amp of your choice.
REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS
All back panels feature a voiced LINE OUT
for recording or running a slave amp, HEADPHONE jack, EXTENSION SPEAKER jack
and a FOOT SWITCH jack for the optional FS44 for remotely changing channels and
turning on/off the effects, (The extra dedicated reverb on the SX300C, SX300H and
SX300R is controlled by a front panel switch.) The SX300C & SX300H also adds
SEND/RETURN jacks for your own external effects. A 4, 8, 16Ω impedance switch
is featured for optimizing the amp for the extension speakers.
RUGGED CONSTRUCTION
SMT surface mount electronics ensure consistent, reliable performance, which is impervious to bumps and vibrations.
Strong, lightweight plywood cabinet (not particle board), aluminum chassis, steel
grille and corners deliver one of the lightest, yet most rugged amps available.
SX300R
SX300H
FEATURES
CELESTION
SPEAKERS
VOLUME DRIVE TREBLE
TREBL
VOLUME DRIVE MID
MIDBASS
1
PRESEN
INPUT
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1
0
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
6
5
4
3
2
PRESENCE
HI GAIN
SEL
BASS
2
SEL
BLUES
GETTING STARTED QUICKLY
If you are like most players, you probably want to plug in your new amp and get started playing 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 SX 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 overdrive controls off and set tone controls at their mid center
position. If you have purchased the FS44 foot switch, plug it into the rear foot switch jack
for switching the channels and effects.
Now, turn the POWER SWITCH ON. Gradually raise
the volume and overdrive controls. Check the BLUES SWITCH and HI GAIN switch setting
before adjusting the tone controls.
FRONT PANEL
1. INPUT
Connect a 1/4” guitar cable to this input. Use a professional quality 1/4” plug shielded
guitar cord (Carvin SH25) no longer than 25 feet. A longer cable will reduce the overall
treble response from your pickups.
2. CHANNEL SELECT
Select the desired channel using front panel switches or FS44 foot switch at any time.
The LED’s will let you see which channel is functioning. Use CH1 for overdrive/lead, CH2
for lead/blues, and CH3 for clean playing.
CHANNEL 1 AND 2 DRIVE
3. CHANNEL INDICATOR
When channel 1 is selected, its RED LED will be illuminated. When channel 2 is select-
ed its YELLOW LED indicator is illuminated. Notice when the channel indicator is illuminated, the Effects indicator (14) matches the selected channel's color. This indicates the
stored effects setting when that channel is on.
4. CHANNEL VOLUME
The volume of the drive channels are to be used as a master level controls. For partial
clean output, set the VOLUME control to nearly 10 and turn the DRIVE nearly off.
5. CHANNEL DRIVE
The channel drive delivers 12AX7 tube saturation and EL34 power tube compression.
This channel incorporates a dual section lead DRIVE control with 72 dB of dynamic range.
So you can go from shimmering clean to fabulous blues soft clipping to full blown overdrive with total tube warmth. For mild 12AX7 tube emulation, set the DRIVE control
between 2 & 3. For some of the best saturation, set the control between 4 & 6. For full
blown drive, set the control between 6 and 10 (your guitar volume should be turned all
the way up). Because the SX AMP has a lot of gain in the DRIVE control, you can get
guitar feedback. If feedback is a problem, reduce the amount of DRIVE or move the guitar away from the speakers.
6. CHANNEL 1 HI-GAIN SWITCH
The Hi-Gain switch adds extreme gain and super scooped mids. This setting allows for
very long sustained notes and heavily over driven power chords.
7. CHANNEL 2 BLUES SWITCH
The exclusive BLUES SWITCH adds the critical mid tones in the 525 Hz range that are so
important to great sounding blues-rock tone. However, when the BLUES SWITCH is not
used (OUT), the SX delivers a great “scooped” sound for hard rock metal players. It is
important that you pre-select this switch for your style of playing before adjusting the
tone controls.
8. CHANNEL BASS, MID & TREBLE
These active tone controls develop the heart of your sound. It is important that you start
at the mid point (5) on each control. The total range of these controls are a substantial 20
dB (±10 dB) with a center frequency at 80 Hz for BASS, 600 Hz for MIDS and 8k Hz for the
TREBLE. These controls are very powerful in their effect, so take time to adjust each control for your ultimate sound.
9. CHANNEL PRESENCE SWITCH
The PRESENCE switch frequency range is at the very high end of the guitar spectrum (11k
Hz) for shimmering, glassy harmonics. If your sound is too dull, try the presence switch
for more highs.
CHANNEL 3 CLEAN
10. CHANNEL 3 INDICATOR
When channel 3 is select its GREEN LED indicator is illuminated.
11. CHANNEL 3 VOLUME
Channel switching from the Drive channels into
CHANNEL 3
gives you instant crisp, clean
sounds. Thanks to special mud-cutting circuits that work between the frequencies of 550
and 700 Hz, your guitar tones will be full and vibrant.
12. CHANNEL 3 BASS, MID & TREBLE CONTROLS
To start, set the BASS, MID & TREBLE controls at their center (5) position. These con-
trols are most likely to be set according to the type of pickups used (dual or single coil).
Most musicians like to reduce the MIDs deeper bass and crisper highs.
13. CHANNEL 3 PRESENCE SWITCH
For added clarity, the
CH 3 PRESENCE
control increases the highest guitar harmonics in the
8-11k Hz range. A normal bright switch works only in the 3-5k Hz range leaving your sound
somewhat flat.
Single or dual coil pickups will determine the use of this control.
DSP EFFECTS SECTION
14. SMART EFFECTS™ ADJUST
(PARAMETER)
CONTROLS
The 24-BIT processor provides a host of great sounding effects including FLANGE,
REVERB, ECHO, & CHORUS. Turn up the LEVEL control to 5 as a starting position. Turn the
LEVEL higher if more effect signal is desired. Use the SELECT and the ADJUST controls to
get the desired effect. Move the effects ADJUST and SELECT controls to the desired effect
for each channel. Each channel now has its own effects. Smart Effects™ will automatically store your last selected effect settings for each channel and will recall them when
you switch between channels. As you select each channel, notice that the LED next to the
LEVEL control changes color to match the channel LED color to indicate that the effects
has been changed. The settings are stored in memory even when the amp has been
SX300C, SX300H AND SX300R FRONT & REAR PANEL CONTROLS
1
5
2
8
6
2
SX
300
R
GUITAR PRE-AMP
INPUT B
P
H
O
N
E
S
OUTPUT TO
GUITAR AMP
-10 dB
+4 dB
-10 dB
+4 dB
BALANCED DIRECT OUT
TO MIXER
FS-44
FOOT
SWITCH
(NOT MIDI)
SPEAKER EMULATION
UN-
BAL.
8
4
4
5
3
3
7
9
9
26
20
21
19
27
Loading...