Crate Amplifiers BV120H User Manual

User ’s Guide

All Tube

Guitar Amplifier

BV120H All Tube Guitar Amplifier

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

• READ, FOLLOW, HEED, AND KEEP ALL INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS.

• DO NOT OPERATE NEAR ANY HEAT SOURCE AND DO NOTBLOCK ANY VENTILATION OPENINGS ON THIS APPARATUS. FOR PROPER OPERATION, THIS UNIT REQUIRES 3”

(75CM) OF WELL VENTILATED SPACE AROUND HEATSINKS AND OTHER AIR FLOW PROVISIONS IN THE CABINET.

• DO NOT USE THIS APPARATUS NEAR SPLASHING, FALLING, SPRAYING, OR STANDING LIQUIDS.

• CLEAN ONLY WITH LINT-FREE DAMP CLOTH AND DO NOT USE CLEANING AGENTS.

• ONLY CONNECT POWER CORD TO A POLARIZED, SAFETY GROUNDED OUTLET WIRED TO CURRENT ELECTRICAL CODES AND COMPATIBLE WITH VOLTAGE, POWER, AND

FREQUENCY REQUIREMENTS STATED ON THE REAR PANELOF THE APPARATUS.

• PROTECT THE POWER CORD FROM DAMAGE DUE TO BEING WALKED ON, PINCHED, OR STRAINED.

• UNPLUG THE APPARATUS DURING LIGHTNING STORMS OR WHEN UNUSED FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME.

• ONLY USE ATTACHMENTS, ACCESSORIES, STANDS, OR BRACKETS SPECIFIED BY THE MANUFACTURER FOR SAFE OPERATION AND TO AVOID INJURY.

• WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK OR FIRE, DO NOTEXPOSE THIS UNIT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

• SERVICE MUST BE PERFORMED BY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

• OUR AMPLIFIERS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HIGH SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS. CONTINUED EXPOSURE TO HIGH SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS CAN CAUSE PERMA-

NENT HEARING IMPAIRMENT OR LOSS. USER CAUTION IS ADVISED AND EAR PROTECTION IS RECOMMENDED IF UNIT IS OPERATED ATHIGH VOLUME.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPARATUS TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

PRECAUCION

RIESGO DE CORRIENTAZO

NO ABRA

PRECAUCION: PARA REDUCIR EL RIESGO DE INCENDIOS O DESCARGAS ELECTRICAS, NO PERMITA QUE ESTE APARATO QUEDE EXPUESTO A LA LLUVIA O LA HUMEDAD. PARA DISMINUOIR EL RIESGO DE CORRIENTAZO. NO ABRA LA CUBIERTA. NO HAY PIEZAS ADENTRO QUE EL USARIO PUEDO REPARAR DEJE TODO MANTENIMIENTO A LOS TECHNICOS CALIFICADOS.

ATTENTION

RISQUE D'ELECTROCUTION

NE PAS OUVRIR

ATTENTION: PROTÉGEZ CET APPAREIL DE LA PLUIE ET DE L'HUMIDITÉ AFIN D'ÉVITER TOUT RISQUE D'INCENDIE OU D'ÉLECTROCUTION. POUR REDUIRE D'ELECTROCUTION NE PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE. AUCUNE PIECE INTERNE N'EST REPRABLE PAR L'UTILISATEUR. POUR TOUTE REPARATION, S'ADRESSER A UN TECHNICIEN QUALIFIE.

"IT IS NECESSARY FOR THE USER TO REFER TO THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL" “ES NECESARIO QUE EL USUARIO SE REFIERA AL MANUAL DE INSTRUCCIONES.” "REFERREZ-VOUS AU MANUAL D'UTILISATION"

EXPLANATION OF GRAPHICAL SYMBOLS: EXPLICACION DE SIMBOLOS GRAFICOS: EXPLICATION DES SYMBÔLES GRAPHIQUES:

"DANGEROUS VOLTAGE" “VOLTAJE PELIGROSO” "DANGER HAUTE TENSION"

able Of Contents:

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

The Rear Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Important Information About Tubes and Tube Products

A Brief History Of The Tube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Tube Types And Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The Nature Of Tubes: Why (And When) To Replace Them . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The Importance Of Proper Biasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Survival Tips For Tube Amplifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Some Suggested Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

System Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . back cover

Congratulations!

Your love of performing and driving ambition to be the best have brought you to a turning point in your musical career: the incredible BV120H All Tube guitar amplifier. A powerhouse of an amplifier designed to take you to the top and keep you there.

We know something about you: we know you were never impressed with those "toys" that some of your friends called amplifiers. We know you were holding out until someone of fered you an American-made, affordable piece of professional equipment you could really sink your teeth into. Aserious amplifier, designed for a serious musician: an amp with the sounds you've always looked for, the power you've always dreamed about, and the reliability you know you'll need. And all with a name you know you can trust: CRATE.

Your BV120H was designed by musicians, and built using only the best components. Extensive testing at the hands and ears of skilled technicians and musicians insures you that this amplifier is the absolute best it can be.

In order to get the most out of your new amplifier, we strongly urge you to read this user’s guide before you begin playing.

And thank you for choosing CRATE.

BV120H All Tube Guitar Amplifier

Introduction:

The BV120H is an all-tube, feature-packed professional stage performers' amplifier. Rugged construction, reliable American craftsmanship and two powerful channels of pure tube power are some of the trademarks of this new and impressive piece of musician's equipment. This amplifier features two distinctly different 12AX7 tube-driven channels: one with classic tube rhythm sounds and one offering you some of the finest lead and overdrive sounds of any stock amplifier.

Each channel features an all-tube preamp section with separate reverb level controls and three bands of equalization for total tone control. The master Presence control lets you custom tailor the sound of your guitar to suit your particular needs. The effects loop can be quickly bypassed via the front panel switch or an optional footswitch and features a switchable “pad” for use with either floor pedals or rack-mounted effects.

The Line Out signal is tapped directly from the speaker outputs, then attenuated and frequency-compensated to replicate the sound of a miked speaker cabinet. Dual speaker jacks and an impedance selector switch allow the use of multiple cabinets totalling 8 or 16 ohms. The BV120H packs a solid 100 watts of output power.

Features:

Here's a quick overview of the BV120H's features and controls. Additional information can be found on the pages indicated.

• All-Tube Preamp and Power Amp: Classic tube sounds with Crate’s legendary performance and reliability.

• Two Completely Separate Channels: Independent level, tone and reverb controls (page 4).

• Presence Control: Provides even greater tone control and flexibility by allowing you to vary the

upper harmonics of your guitar (page 4).

• Footswitch Control: Remote channel selection and Effects Loop On/Off is available through the use of an optional two-button footswitch (such as Crate’s CFP-2) (page 5).

• Switchable Effects Loop with Pad: Footswitch or front panel button controlled, the external effects loop can be switched in or out with ease. A switchable pad provides optimum performance from line-level rack mounted effects as well as floor-dwelling foot pedals (pages 4,5).

• Impedance Selector Switch: Proper impedance matching is essential for optimum performance and life expectancy of a tube amplifier. These amps allow the use of 8 or 16 ohm speaker configurations (page 5).

• Line Out Jack: Taken directly from the speaker output jacks, the Line Out signal is frequency compensated to sound like a “miked” speaker cabinet. Use this jack to connect to the house mixing board, a recording console or another performer’s powered monitor (page 5).

• DC Filament Supply: The first preamp tube has a DC filament supply for reduced hum.

• High Cosmetic Appeal and Stage Presence: The unique cosmetics of the BV120H serve as a tribute to your good taste in musical equipment.

• Musician Made in the U.S.A.

BV120H All Tube Guitar Amplifier

The Front Panel:

1. POWER: This switch applies AC volt-

age to the amplifier, and should always be turned on first. The switch illuminates when the AC power is on.

2. STANDBY: This switch activates the amplifier, and should always be turned on last. The switch illuminates when the high voltage power is passing through to the tubes.

NOTE:

When you first power up this amplifier, leave the Standby switch OFF for at least 20 seconds. This gives the power tubes a chance to prepare themselves for action.

3. PRESENCE: Increase the level of

upper harmonics with this control. The presence control allows a boost of up to 5dB at 10kHz.

4. EFFECTS LOOP PAD: This switch activates a 12dB pad on the effects send signal and corresponding gain recovery on the return. In the out position the signal is full strength which is best suited for line level rack mountable effects. With the switch depressed the signal is lower which is best suited for foot pedal type effects.

5. EFFECTS LOOP SWITCH:This switch controls the effects return signal of the effects loop. The loop is only active when the switch is pressed in. When a footswitch is used, this switch is disabled. The adjacent yellow LED illuminates when the loop is in use.

6,7. REVERB 2, REVERB 1: Adjust the amount of reverberation on each channel with these controls: at the "0" position the signal is "dry" (no reverb). As you rotate the control clockwise, the amount of reverb increases.

Channel 2:

8. LEVEL: Set the output signal level of

channel 2 with this control. At the "0" position (full left) very little or no signal will be heard; as you rotate the control clockwise (towards center) the output level of channel 2 increases. Use this control along with your guitar's volume and the channel 2 gain control (#12) to produce a wide variety of sounds.

9. BASS: Adjust the bottom end response with this control. The low control covers a range of 15dB at 100Hz. This sets the amount of bass heard (and felt) from the amp.

10. MID: Adjust the midrange response with this control. The mid control covers a range of 13dB at 500Hz. This controls the “voice” of your guitar.

11. TREBLE: Adjust the high end response with this control. The high control covers a range of 10dB at 10kHz. This controls the “bite” of your guitar.

12. GAIN: Adjust the overdrive (distortion) level with this control. With the control towards “0” (to the left) the signal is relatively clean. As you rotate the control clockwise the distortion increases, along with the overall output level. Rotate the control towards “10” and you’ll increase the distortion even more.

13. CHANNEL SELECT: Switch between channels with this push-button switch. The adjacent amber LED illuminates when channel 1 is selected (switch in the out position), the red LED illuminates when channel 2 is selected (switch depressed). When a footswitch is used for channel switching, this switch is disabled.

Channel 1:

14. BASS: Adjust the bottom end re-

sponse with this control. The low control covers a range of 16dB at 100Hz. This sets the amount of bass heard (and felt) from the amp.

15. MID: Adjust the midrange response with this control. The mid control covers a range of 20dB at 300Hz. This controls the “voice” of your guitar.

16. TREBLE: Adjust the high end response with this control. The high control covers a range of 10dB at 10kHz. This controls the “bite” of your guitar.

17. LEVEL: Set the output volume level of channel 1 with this control.

18. INPUT: Connect your guitar or wireless receiver into this standard 1/4" jack by means of a shielded instrument cable.

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