Carvin VL300 User Manual

Congratulations on your purchase of the

Legacy 3 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. His choice of EL34 tubes and
Celestion™ Vintage 30 speakers provide the
finishing touches on a truly original amp. Take
some time to discover the extensive features
of the Legacy 3.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS (EUROPEAN)

The conductors in the AC power cord are colored in accordance with the following code.

GREEN & YELLOW—Earth BLUE—Neutral BROWN—Live

U.K. MAIN PLUG WARNING: A molded main plug that has been cut off from the cord is
unsafe. NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU INSERT A DAM­AGED OR CUT MAIN PLUG INTO A POWER SOCKET.

IMPORTANT! FOR YOUR PROTECTION, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:

WATER AND MOISTURE: Appliance should not be used near water (near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen
sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, or near a swimming pool, etc). Care should be taken so that objects
do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the enclosure through openings.

POWER SOURCES: The appliance should be connected to a power supply only of the type described in
the operating instructions or as marked on the appliance.

GROUNDING OR POLARIZATION: Precautions should be taken so that the grounding or polarization
means of an appliance is not defeated.

POWER CORD PROTECTION: Power supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be
walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them, paying particular attention to cords at plugs,
convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the appliance.

SERVICING: The user should not attempt to service the appliance beyond that described in the operating
instructions. All other servicing should be referred to qualified service personnel.

FUSING: If your unit is equipped with a fuse receptacle, replace only with the same type fuse. Refer to
replacement text on the unit for correct fuse type.

This symbol is intended to
alert the user to the presence
of uninsulated “dangerous

voltage” within the product’s
enclosure that may be of sufficient magni­tude to constitute a risk of electric shock to
persons.

This symbol is intended
to alert the user to the
presence of important
operating and mainte­nance (servicing) instructions in the lit­erature accompanying the appliance.

LIMITED WARRANTY

Your Carvin product is guaranteed against failure for ONE YEAR unless otherwise stated. Vacuum
tubes are guaranteed for 90 days. Carvin will service and supply all parts at no charge to the cus­tomer providing the unit is under warranty. Shipping costs are the responsibility of the customer.
CARVIN DOES NOT PAY FOR PARTS OR SERVICING OTHER THAN OUR OWN. A COPY OF
THE ORIGINAL INVOICE IS REQUIRED TO VERIFY YOUR WARRANTY. Carvin assumes no
responsibility for horn drivers or speakers damaged by this unit. This warranty does not cover, and
no liability is assumed, for damage due to: natural disasters, accidents, abuse, loss of parts, lack
of reasonable care, incorrect use, or failure to follow instructions. This warranty is in lieu of all other
warranties, expressed or implied. No representative or person is authorized to represent or assume
for Carvin any liability in connection with the sale or servicing of Carvin products. CARVIN SHALL
NOT BE LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.

SERVICE

In the USA go to www.carvinservice.com

Outside the USA, contact your dealer or go to http://www.carvinworld.com for your nearest serv-

ice center. Include a written description of the problem with serial number and date of purchase.

HELP SECTION

1) AMP WILL NOT TURN ON

Check the power to the amp. Check for tripped circuit breakers, unplugged extension cords or
power-strip switches that may be turned off. Check the fuse. If a dark brownish color or no wire
can be seen within the glass tube, then replace. The amp may be perfectly fine but occasion­ally a fuse may blow because of high AC voltage surges. After the fuse has been replaced with
the proper Slow Blow value and if the fuse fails again, the amp will require servicing.

2) NO OUTPUT with POWER LIGHT ON

Tubes damaged in shipping will be the primary reason for your amp to not function properly.
Please give us a call to help guide you through this simple repair.

3) KEEP YOUR AMP LOOKING NEW

Use a damp cloth to wipe the controls on the front & rear chassis panels.

MODEL VL300 SPECIFICATIONS:

RMS Power 15, 50 or 100 watts (switched)
Output Impedance: 4, 8 or 16 ohms (switched)
Input Impedance: 220,000 ohms
Tone Controls: BASS: 80Hz

MID: 600-700Hz

TREBLE: 11kHz
Channels: 3 - switchable from front panel, FS44M footswitch, or MIDI
Boost function: Switchable, up to +6dB of volume at the Master, by FS44M or MIDI
Effect Loop Series Loop, pre-Master Volume
Master Out / Amp In Series connection, post-Master Volume
MIDI functions: Channel selection, Master Boost, Reverb, backlight LED colors

100 available patch locations, CC control.
MIDI connections MIDI IN, MIDI THRU (5 pin jacks)
Sensitivity: Ch.1: 30mV for full output, Ch.2&3: 15mV, Ch.3 w/Gain: 10mV
Voiced Line Out: 1.5 VAC @ 100 watts RMS
Preamp Tubes: 4 - 12AX7’s (dual stage)
Power Amp Tubes: 4 - EL34’s (power pentode)
AC Power: 120VAC or 240VAC (switchable), 50-60Hz, 300VA
Fuse: 5x20mm, 120VAC: 6A slow-blow, 240VAC: 3A slow-blow
Size / Weight: 17.25W x 8.5H x 9.5”D / 32lbs.
Warranty: One Year
Country of MFG: USA
Options: FS44M footswitch for CHANNEL and BOOST with LED indicators

C412T, C412B: (matching 4x12” Vintage 30 speaker cabinets, 16)

C212S: (matching 2x12” Vintage 30 speaker cabinets, 16ohm)

CARVIN ENGINEERING DATA OPERATING MANUAL

1 CLEAN, 2 LEAD CHANNELS and MORE GAIN

The equalization of the CLEAN and LEAD channels is designed to offer
clarity to your instrument. The CLEAN channel’s PRESENCE switch adds
acoustic voicing to your instrument by enhancing only the very highest
harmonics in the 10kHz range. The LEAD channels “2” & “3” have seper­ate DRIVE, VOLUME, and PRESENCE controls. The second LEAD chan­nel “3” features a GAIN switch which adds even more drive to the classic
Legacy lead sound. By changing the tube gain circuits a higher gain state
is acheived while maintaining a smooth, organic sound.

MASTER CONTROL

The MASTER volume control allows you to get the sound you want from
all 3 channels, then adjust the overall volume of the amp without chang­ing your tone or the volume balance between channels.

GIVE YOURSELF A BOOST!

A switchable volume boost is available by footswitch or by MIDI. Set the
amount of boost with the BOOST control. When turned on, it will boost
your amp’s output by up to 6dB for solos or any time you need to stand
out in the mix.

“SMART” REVERB

The REVERB is channel-tracking, allowing you to assign reverb to only
the channels you want. Carvin’s classic “long-tail” feature lets the reverb
ring out after it’s been switched off.

MIDI MEMORY and CC Control

Set the Channel (1-3), Reverb (on/off) , Boost (on/off) and internal back­lighting color. Put the Legacy 3 in “learn” mode and it will assign your
settings to the MIDI program number you send from your controller.
The Legacy 3 also responds to CC for each MIDI switching function.

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 11kHz giv­ing the Legacy 3 it’s dynamic highs

.

76-32301A 04-02-12

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 DAMAGE which may have occurred during ship­ping. If damage is found, please notify the shipping company and CARVIN
immediately.

SAVE THE CARTON & ALL PACKING MATERIALS. In the event you have to re­ship 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.

LEGACY 3 TUBE GUITAR AMP: VL300

HELP SECTION

a) USING THE VAI “HIDDEN FEATURE” :

One of the “hidden” features of the LEGACY amps is using a technique that
Steve Vai requested be part of the amp for his own use. While playing on the lead
channel with a generous amount of DRIVE (around 6), back off the volume on
your guitar. You will find the channel actually “cleaned up” with your guitar at a
lower volume. This is a great feature for playing both rhythm and lead without
switching channels. You will also find that the amp will be very responsive to your
“attack”. An advanced player knows how to vary their attack when picking or
strumming, and the Legacy 3 is designed to respond to this.

b) FEEDBACK FROM THE LEAD CHANNEL:

The Legacy 3 can easily feedback when the LEAD volume, DRIVE, TREBLE
and PRESENCE are turned all the way up. Like other highly modified tube amps,
this is normal. To help reduce feedback and noise follow these tips;

- Stand with the guitar pointed away from the amp, and mute strings not being
played.

- Keep the DRIVE control set around 5 to 7 on the dial. Some of the best lead
saturation will be at around 5-7, not 10.

- If the V1 or V2 (12AX7A) has become microphonic, replacing it can help reduce
feedback.

c) TUBE REPLACEMENT GUIDE:

It is not uncommon for tubes to malfunction during shipping. If your amp is not
working properly (popping noises, bad ringing, or power tube problems), please
refer to the following tube replacement guide.

1) 12AX7 LOCATIONS: V1 is located closest to the INPUT jack. The other tubes
follow consecutively with V4 towards the middle of the chassis. V1 and V2 are
the most critical tubes for noise problems with V1 being the most sensitive (try
exchanging with V3). Replace these tubes if you have popping or a bad ring­ing in the Lead 2 or 3 channel. Note: Low noise tubes may be hard to find and
must be tested for low noise. V3 and V4 generally do not generate noise into
the amp if they are slightly noisy. V3 drives the Clean channel and Power
Amp IN. V4 is the Phase Inverter for the power amp. If the power amp sec­tion is not working, check V3 & V4 by inserting a signal into the rear POWER
AMP IN jack (it’s gonna be Loud!). If the power amp still does not work, read
about the EL34 power tubes V5 through V8.

2) The EL34 power tubes are the larger tube, located in the following order on
your chassis: V5, V6, V7, V8. Normally you’ll want to replace these tubes as
a set. Please contact Carvin for our latest prices. Sometimes you can spot
defective power tubes when they are glowing red-hot, or flashing blue, along
with an audible hum in the speaker when the amp is idling. If this happens,
shut the amp OFF immediately. Check the rear bias switch to be sure that it
is selected for the proper tubes. Unplug the AC power to the amp. After the
tubes have cooled down, remove the metal cover and carefully remove the
spring retainers. Remove the tubes by rocking the tubes in a small circular
motion while pulling them out. All tubes are keyed in the same direction.
Running defective power tubes could damage the amp. It is recommended
that you have a spare set of power tubes along with several 12AX7A preamp
tubes.

MIDI PRESET MEMORY:

The Legacy 3 will save the CHANNEL selection (1, 2, or 3), BOOST(on/off),
REVERB(on/off) and LED backlight color in a MIDI program location (1 thru 100).
The settings will be recalled when the same MIDI program number is received.
Volume, Drive and Tone level settings will not be saved.

To SAVE a MIDI program setting: First, set the amp features for saving.

1. Hold down the channel (1,2,or 3) button for the channel setting you wish to save.

2. Now press the other two channel buttons, and release all three at the same time.

The REVERB LED will be flashing.

3. From your MIDI controller, select (send) the MIDI program number you wish to save.

The REVERB LED will stop flashing, and normal operation is resumed.

To change the LED backlighting color:

1. Hold down the channel (1,2,or 3) button to change the LED color for that channel.

2. Now press the other two channel buttons, and release all three at the same time.

The REVERB LED will be flashing.

3. On the back panel, press and release the "SET LED" button to set the lighting color

to GREEN, RED, AMBER or OFF. The REVERB LED will stop flashing.

4. Press and release any channel (1,2, or 3) button to save and exit.

Normal operation is resumed.

To change the MIDI receive channel:

1. Press and release all 3 channel SELECT buttons on the front panel.
The REVERB LED will be flashing.

2. Choose MIDI channel 1, 2, or 3 by pressing the 1, 2, or 3 button.
The REVERB LED will stop flashing, and normal operation is resumed.

CC (CONTINUOUS CONTROLLER) COMMANDS:

The Legacy 3 will respond to MIDI Continuous Controller (“CC”) commands. This
allows you to recall a MIDI preset, then switch ON/OFF different amp features on
demand through your MIDI controller.

CC parameters:

#81: Amp channel 1 (any change on CC#81)
#82: Amp channel 2 (any change on CC#82)
#83: Amp channel 3 (any change on CC#83)
#84: Boost (OFF=0-63 / ON=64-127) - toggle with MIDI footswitch in CC mode
#85: Reverb (OFF=0-63 / ON=64-127) - toggle with MIDI footswitch in CC mode
#89: LED backlight colors:

(0-15:OFF) (16-31:GREEN) (32-47:RED) (48-63:AMBER)
(64-79:OFF) (80-95:GREEN) (96-111:RED) (112-127:AMBER)

LEGACY 3: MIDI FEATURES

12340 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128

[phone] www.carvin.com

c

19. REVERB CONTROL / REVERB ON SWITCH / LED

Set the REVERB control for the overall amount of Reverb available. Then for
each channel 1-3, press the REVERB SWITCH to select which channels you
want the Reverb working. The “ON” LED will show Reverb is active for the chan­nel you are currently using. When you come back to that channel, the amp will
remeber if the Reverb should be On or Off. The REVERB circuits are located
after the EFFECT LOOP and before the MASTER. The REVERB can also be
turned on/off through the rear REVERB footswitch 1/4” jack, or by MIDI control.

20. 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.

21. 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.

REAR PANEL

22. SPEAKER JACKS

Two 1/4” SPEAKER JACKS are featured to operate several speaker systems
at the same time. Calculate the total speaker impedance based on parallel wiring
as both speaker jacks are wired in parallel. Select the IMPEDANCE SWITCH for
the correct impedance.

23. SPEAKER IMPEDANCE SWITCH

The SPEAKER OHMS switch offers the selection of 4, 8 or 16 ohms () to
match your speaker systems. The correct setting for one C412 cabinet is 16.
For use with two C412 (16 ohm) cabinets, the correct setting would be 8. In the
case of connecting two 8 ohm systems such as the C212E 8 ohm extension cab­inet, move the switch to 4 ohms.

24. RMS POWER SWITCH

The 3-position RMS POWER switch reduces the 100 watt output of the amp
down to 50 or 15 watts, while still using all four output tubes. Lower settings will
allow the great sound and feel of the tube power amp being overdriven, but at
lower volume levels.

For maximum output power and headroom set the
switch to 100 watts. For early power amp saturation move this switch to 50
or 15 watts. The maximum volume reduction will only be 3dB and 8dB respec­tively.

25. POWER TUBE BIAS SWITCH

If you desire to change from EL34 to 5881 (6L6GC) power tubes, you may do
so by selecting the external BIAS switch to the 5881 (6L6GC) position on the rear
panel. Be sure that this switch is selected to the proper position or excessive heat
will damage your tubes.

We recommend re-biasing when changing power tubes. The internal P11 bias
trim control can be set by a qualified technician. To set the bias, measure the cur­rent across the terminals of the STANDBY switch (set this switch to the off posi­tion when the amp is on). Set the idle current to 100 mA for all tube types.

26. VOICED LINE OUT

The LINE OUT 1/4” jack is “CABINET VOICED” to prevent excessive bass or
highs going to your mixer. This greatly aids in sound quality because you do not
have to move your mixer EQ settings to the extreme. The 1.5 VAC output (refer­ence to 100 watts output at 8 ohms) is more than adequate to drive any profes­sional mixer or power amp.

27. FS44M FOOTSWITCH JACK (NOT a MIDI JACK)

Connect only the Carvin FS44M to this jack. Other devices will not work and
may cause damage. The FS44M will allow you to remotely choose channel 1, 2
or 3 and activate the master BOOST function. The LEDs on the FS44M indicate
your selections, and will also reflect changes made through the MIDI IN jack.

28. REVERB FOOTSWITCH JACK (FS22)

The front panel REVERB on/off feature will follow (track) your channel selection
or MIDI, however you may want to switch it manually with a footswitch.
Connecting an FS22 will allow you to toggle the REVERB on/off.
Other basic footswitches with a 1/4” plug will work.

29. MIDI IN / MIDI THRU

Connect any standard MIDI controller to the MIDI IN jack with a 5-pin MIDI
cable. You can connect other MIDI compatible devices to the MIDI THRU.
(See MIDI PROGRAMMING at the end of this page.)

30. EFFECTS LOOP: SEND and RETURN

For the lowest possible noise from an effects processor, use the EFFECT LOOP
SEND and RETURN. To use the EFFECTS LOOP, plug the INPUT of your effects
into the SEND jack and the OUTPUT of your effects into the RETURN jack. Use
shielded cables, not speaker cables. It’s possible to have a slight gain reduction of
a few dB with some effects units. However, the amp has plenty of gain to over­come any loss. The SEND jack levels will not be affected by the MASTER control.

31. MASTER OUT and POWER AMP IN

The MASTER control affects the MASTER OUT jack level to

allow control of mul-

tiple amps from a single knob

. Signals sent into the POWER AMP IN feed direct­ly to the power amp section and will have no volume control. These jacks can also
be used as an effects loop, however if you are using dynamics based effects that
rely on very specific signal level settings (compressor, auto-wah) it is recommend­ed to use the EFFECTS LOOP instead.

32. AC POWER & FUSE

First, make sure the AC VOLTAGE switch is set for the voltage in your area.
The detachable AC POWER CORD supplied is designed to operate with one
type of voltage (for European 230VAC use a CEE-7 plug cord set). Make sure
the cord is securely inserted into the back of the unit. Plug the cord into a ground­ed “3 prong” power source. No attempt should ever be made to defeat or use the
amp without the ground connected. The fuse is located inside the AC jack.

33. AC VOLTAGE SELECTOR

BEFORE you insert the AC cord into it’s receptacle, make sure the AC voltage
switch is set for your region (120VAC in the USA), and remove the warning label.
The wrong setting may cause severe damage to your amp and will not be cov­ered by the warranty.
For the 240VAC setting, replace the fuse with a 3A fuse before operating.

34. LED SET BUTTON

The Legacy 3 has internal LED lighting that can be set to change color with

channel selection, by MIDI presets, or by CC control.

To change the LED backlighting color:

1. Press and hold down the channel switch you want to change the color for.
(1, 2 or 3)

2. While still holding the first switch in, press in the other two switches, then
release all switches at once.

3. On the back panel, press and release the "SET LED" button to set the
lighting color to GREEN, RED, AMBER or OFF.

4. Press and release any channel (1,2,3) button to save and exit. Normal
operation is resumed.

- SEE NEXT PAGE FOR MIDI SETTINGS -

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
Legacy 3 amp, a 120 or 230 AC grounded power outlet, your instrument, a stan­dard guitar cord, a speaker cabinet and speaker cable.

First, make sure the rear 120VAC/240VAC switch is set for the voltage in your

area. With the amp turned off, plug it into the proper AC voltage.

Then, set the rear panel Speaker Ohms switch to match the speaker cabinet(s)
you are using. (If two of the same cabinets are used, set the switch for 1/2 value.)

Turn all the volume and drive controls off and set tone controls to their center
position. If you have purchased the FS44M footswitch, plug it into the rear foot
switch jack for switching the channels 1, 2, 3 and Boost.

Now, turn ON the Power switch, wait 5-10 seconds, then turn ON the Standby
switch. Allow 30 seconds for the tubes to warm up. Turn up the Master slightly,
and gradually raise the Channel Volumes and Drives. Adjust the tone controls
and you’re ready to go.

If you experience problems with the amp, first check all connections and set­tings. If you still feel your amp is malfunctioning, contact Carvin. Occasionally
tubes are damaged in shipping.

FRONT PANEL

1. GUITAR INPUT

A standard 1/4” input jack feeds all 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 SWITCHES

Choose the desired channel with switch 1, 2, or 3. The LED’s next to the vol­ume controls will let you see which channel is functioning, and will also be dis­played on the external FS44M footswitch LED’s. Use channel 1 for pristine clean
playing without breakup. Use channels 2 & 3 for thicker rhythm or overdriven
lead sounds and use the GAIN switch on channel 3 for super high gain lead
sounds. Channel changes can also be made with the FS44M footswitch or by
MIDI control.

Pressed in combination, these switches allow access to various MIDI settings.

CLEAN CHANNEL 1

Channel 1 gives you crisp, clean playing with high headroom and no breakup.
Thanks to special mud-cutting circuits that work between the frequencies of 500
and 700 Hz, your guitar tones will be full and vibrant.

3. CLEAN CHANNEL INDICATOR

The green LED will indicate the CLEAN channel is selected.

4. CLEAN VOLUME

This control sets the CLEAN channel 1 volume.The MASTER control also

affects output.

5. 6. 7. 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 normalized (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

.

8. CLEAN PRESENCE

For added clarity, the PRESENCE switch increases only the highest guitar har­monics in the 8-10k Hz range which is ideal for brightening up dual coil neck pick­ups

.

LEAD CHANNELS 2 & 3

9. LEAD CHANNEL INDICATORS for CH.2 & CH.3

The red LED will indicate LEAD channel 2 is selected.
The yellow LED(s) will indicate LEAD channel 3 is selected.

10. 11. 12. LEAD BASS, MID & TREBLE

To start off with, set the BASS, MID & TREBLE controls at their center (5) posi­tion. These controls are set according to the sound you are looking for. Once you
have the sound you like, you can set the seperate CH2 and CH3 PRESENCE
and DRIVE controls for CH2 and CH3 to get different sounds between channels.
Even though you may have found “your sound”, you may want to change the set­tings for different guitars or playing conditions. It’s normal to decrease the BASS
at higher playing levels, or adjust the TREBLE or PRESENCE for different
rooms.

13. LEAD PRESENCE - CH.2 & CH.3

Channels 2 & 3 feature seperate PRESENCE controls. The wide range of these
controls, in the higher range of the tonal spectrum, can be set for very different
sounds from each channel. Turning the PRESENCE “up” can allow one channel
to stand out in the mix, or sound more agressive. Turning PRESENCE “down”
can produce a smoother, thicker sound. Adjust each DRIVE, VOLUME, and the
Channel 3 GAIN switch for even more variety.

14. DRIVE - CH.2 & CH.3 ***

For mild tube saturation, set the DRIVE control between 1 & 2. For some of the
best rhythm sounds, set the drive control set between 3 & 6. For full blown over­drive, set the control between 7 and 10. With high-output pickups, Drive settings
above 8 can be subject to over saturation causing sluggish distortion. If so, play
your guitar with it’s volume at 10 and decrease the DRIVE until the crisp highs
come back. For very high gain playing, try Channel 3 with the GAIN switch.

*** USING THE VAI “HIDDEN FEATURE”

One of the “hidden” features of the Legacy series amplifiers is using a technique
that Steve Vai requested be part of the amp for his own use. While playing on the
lead channel with a generous amount of DRIVE (around 6), back off the volume
on your guitar. You will find the channel actually “cleaned up” with your guitar at
a lower volume. This is a great feature for playing both rhythm and lead without
switching channels. You will also find that the amp will be very responsive to your
“attack”. An advanced player knows how to vary their attack when picking or
strumming, and the Legacy 3 is designed to respond to this.

15. CHANNEL 3 GAIN SWITCH and LED

Channel 3 has a GAIN switch for adding even more drive to the classic Legacy
sound, while still retaining 12AX7A tube dynamics. Super-hi-gain sounds are
available without the need for external pedals that can limit dynamics.

The yellow LED near the GAIN switch will indicate the GAIN is ON for CH.3.

16. LEAD VOLUMES

Set the volumes of the LEAD channel 2 or 3 with these controls.

The MASTER

control also affects output

.

MASTER SECTION

17. MASTER

Set the MASTER control for overall volume of the amp.

The MASTER affects

the MASTER OUT jack level to

allow control of multiple amps from a single knob.

The MASTER will not affect the Effect Loop Send level

.

18. BOOST / LED

The BOOST control allows you to add an overall volume increase to the amp
by up to +6dB, whenever you may need it. The BOOST can be activated through
the remote FS44M footswitch, or by MIDI control.

The BOOST does not affect the

SEND jack, only the MASTER OUT jack

.

LEGACY 3 - VL300

Select proper AC VOLTAGE.
Press firmly to fully insert cord.

2

32 33

REAR PANEL FEATURESFRONT PANEL FEATURES

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