Carvin VL212 User Manual

MODEL VL100 HEAD SPECS:

RMS Power: 50 or 100 watts Output Impedance: 4, 8 & 16Ω Input Impedance: 470,000 ohms Tone Controls: BASS: 80Hz

(Both Channels) MID: 600-700Hz

TREBLE: 11k Hz

Ch 1 Sensitivity: 16mV for clipping Ch 2 Sensitivity: 30mV 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—EL34’s (power pentode) USA Model: 120VAC, 300VA Export Model: 230VAC, 300VA Cabinet Size: 24.25W x 10.5H x 9.5”D Cabinet: 7-ply poplar wood Net Weight: 40 lbs Warranty: One Year Options: CV3200 cover, FS22 footswitch

CARVIN ENGINEERING DATA OPERATING MANUAL

Congratulations on your purchase of the Legacy all tube signature amplifier .

Steve Vai worked very closely with Carvin Engineering to develop the sound and look of the Legacy Amplifiers. Exhaustive listening tests of various tube and electronic circuitry were performed by Vai. He also tested dozens of prototype enclosures loaded with various vintage and prototype speakers. His choice of EL34 tubes and Celestion™ Vintage 30 speakers provide the finishing touches on a truly original amp.

CLEAN AND OVERDRIVE CHANNELS

The equalization of the clean and overdrive channel is designed to offer clarity to your instrument. You will also take notice of the clean channels PRESENCE which adds acoustic voicing to your instrument. This switch boosts only the guitars very

MODEL VL212 COMBO SPECS:

Speakers: Two Vintage 30 Celestion™ Speakers RMS Power: 50 or 100 watts Output Impedance: 4, 8 & 16Ω Input Impedance: 470,000 ohms Tone Controls: BASS: 80Hz

(Both Channels) MID: 600-700Hz

TREBLE: 11k Hz

Ch 1 Sensitivity: 16mV for clipping Ch 2 Sensitivity: 30mV 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—EL34’s (power pentode) USA Model: 120VAC, 300VA Export Model: 230VAC, 300VA Cabinet Size: 26W x 10.25D x 19.5”H Cabinet: 7-ply poplar wood Net Weight: 62 lbs Warranty: One Year Options: CV3212 cover, FS22 footswitch

76-32100 0502

12340 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128

(800) 854-2235

www.carvin.com

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 turned the other way, it can add bite to your leads.

DYNAMIC EL34 POWER TUBES

Your amp is equipped with EL34 power tubes because of their smooth distortion, responsive sound and reliability. The compression characteristics of these “high-output” 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 Legacy it’s dynamic highs.

REVERB

The FS22 footswith for the long tailed REVERB system in the Legacy 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.

For your records, you may wish to record the following information. Serial No._____________________ Invoice Date_______________

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 sep-

arately. 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.

VL100 GUITAR HEAD VL212 COMBO GUITAR AMP

When I considered having a signature series amp built, there were several important issues that needed to be addressed. First, it had to sound superior to any other amp I’d ever come across and it had to be built to withstand the abuse that a world tour could give it. It also had to be something affordable for most musicians and not just a few privileged ones! It had to have the appearance of class and integrity that reflects the sound. I’m thrilled to say The Legacy is all that I dreamed it could be.

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. Y ou 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 Legacy amp, a 120 or 230 AC grounded power outlet, your instrument and a standard guitar cord. With the amp turned off, 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 footswitch, 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

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’re ready to go. 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 guitar 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 around 3 & 6. For full blown overdrive, set the control between 8 and 10. Drive settings above 8 are subject to over saturation depending on the output of the guitar pickups used. High-output pickups can over saturate causing sluggish distortion. Play your guitar with it’s volume at 10 and decrease the amount of drive until the crisp highs come back.

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 brightening up middy single coil neck pickups. A normal bright switch works only in the 3k Hz range leaving your sound somewhat flat. Single or dual coil pickups will determine 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.

VL100 / VL212 FRONT & REAR PANEL CONTROLS

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VL100 Head as shown VL212 Combo front & rear panels reversed

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