Fuchs Audio Technology TRAIN-45, TRAIN FORTY-FIVE Operation Manual

Instrument Amplifier

V 2.1

Operations Manual

For the TRAIN FORTY-FIVE

(head/combo) Amplifier



Website: www.fuchsaudiotechnology.com

Email: [e-mail]

Fuchs Audio Technology

407 Getty Ave, Clifton, NJ 07015

[phone] (fax) 973-772-4460

 2000-2008 Fuchs Audio Tech nology. All rights r eserved.

T45m 5/2005



A Note From Andy,

First of all, Thank You for purchasing a Fuchs Audio Train Forty-Five amplifier!

We created the Train 45amp to fill the need for an “affordable” amplifier for those seeking the
performance & “attitude” of the venerable Trainwreck™ style amps. Based on the basic “Trainwreck
Express
high standards all Fuchs products are built to. Each Train 45

” circuit topology (with our own upgrades and enhancements) Your Train45 is built to the very

 is precision handmade by myself and the

staff at Fuchs Audio, built to extremely high standards of excellence using the highest quality components
available today. Our original prototypes were tested and evaluated by many “real” Trainwreck™ owners.
Compared against originals and other “inspired” products, our Train45 was refined to meet or exceed the
prime characteristics that Trainwrecks™ are known for. The addition of a Fan, separate power tube bias
circuits, DC filaments for low level tubes, a 3-position bright switch, and a presence control, give added
flexibility to the basic Trainwreck™ circuit.

With over two decades experience in the service, manufacturing, and design of tube audio/music
equipment, we at Fuchs Audio are extremely proud of the quality and tremendous musicality of our Train
45. This amp seriously rocks!

Please read this manual carefully

. Although the Train 45 was created to be a simple amplifier to

operate, it will perform to its fullest glory with your full understanding of the contents of this manual.

Feel free to call or e-mail us (we prefer emails!) with comments & questions about your Train 45, or just
to find out what’s new here at Fuchs Audio.

Lastly, I recommend checking out our new web site: www.fuchsaudiotechnology.com, for product/user
updates, cool links and other info benefiting our customers.

Sincerely,

Andy

Andy Fuchs
President

Fuchs Audio Technology

Fuchs Audio Technology

407 Getty Ave Clifton, NJ 07015

Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

www.fuchsaudiotechnology.com

[e-mail]

(“Fuchs Audio Technology” & “Overdrive Supreme” are registered tradema rks of Fuchs Audio Technology)

T45m 5/2005

Table of Contents (by section)

1) Introduction to Fuchs the Audio Train 45 amplifier

2) Please Read before powering up your Train 45

3) Diagrams- FRONT/REAR panels, Tube bias diagram

4) Front panel Controls, inputs & their functions

5) Rear Panel controls, inputs/outputs

6) Biasing Train 45 power tubes & other technical info.

7) Sample tone setting diagrams & notes

8) Warranty/repair information & mail-in warranty form

 2000-2005 Fuchs Audio Technology. All rights r eserved.

T45m 5/2005



1 Introduction to the Fuchs Audio Train 45™ Amplifier

The Train-45™ ... your new tone just pulled into the station!

Perhaps some of the most famous amps from New Jersey (besides ours!) were the Linden Ampegs and
the legendary Trainwreck amps made by Ken Fischer in Colonia, New Jersey. Ken Fischer was actually
laughed at when he suggested a channel switching amp to owner Everett Hull at Ampeg! Ken eventually
became legendary, building a series of single channel non master volume amps under the Trainwreck
name. Being from the N.Y, New Jersey area, I couldn’t help but see, hear and service my share of
Trainwreck amps over the years. Although I’ve built a great reputation for channel switching amplifiers,
I’ve never lost my love for a good grinding rock and roll amp. Give me a Les Paul, a couple of hot naked
humbuckers, an AC/DC riff or 2 thru a nice 412 cabinet and I can be a happy camper!

Well, when I started the development of the Lucky 7™, Blackjack 21™ amps, I wanted to make a series of
single channel non master style amps with a more rock and roll attitude than our ODS and TDS amps.
These new series of amps offer that rock-n-roll tone & attitude in varying power levels. All these models
share a similar “in your face” attitude, at different power levels. I felt a fitting “top-model” in the series
would be a traditional “wreck-style” amp that had both the EL-34 power & attitude to drag off to a gig
and shake some people up. An amp that was “clean to mean” using both the guitar volume control and
your hands, a simple, short signal path for maximum speedy response and hand-to-speaker transfer, and
just plain simple to “grab and go.” I took the basic 3-gain stage circuit topology of the original Express, had
the correct power and output transformers designed, and added a few circuit twists of our own to the
mixture.

I’ve always believed in audiophile style circuit techniques to bring out the best in any tube circuit. Guitar
amps are no different. I started with an audiophile style high voltage storage system. Instead of using
single large capacitors, I used a group of smaller capacitors in a back. By using a bank of smaller capacitors
ganged together to produce one large capacitance, you end up with a power supply that is both forceful
yet agile. One that holds lots of energy for transients, yet can respond quickly to each and every note.

I then laid the amp out on a heavy fiberglass two-sided circuit board. The power and preamp tubes are off
the board, chassis mounted on premium grade sockets. I used extremely wide and heavy traces to
emulate a hard wired amp. I made constant comparisons to both real Wrecks, many of the so-called
“Wreck-clones”, and my hard wired prototypes. I even used ground plane technology on the circuit board,
which adds capacitance to select circuit traces like a wire would get from resting on a chassis. This warms
up the tone, lowers noise, and keeps the circuits stable. I used single point star-type grounding to keep it
ultra-quiet, and DC preamp tube filaments to wring the last ounce’s of noise out of it, (no matter who’s
preamp tubes you use). Other than logically selecting the first preamp tube for lowest noise and crosstalk,
the remaining preamp and driver tubes are non-critical. Like the high-end ODS and TDS Fuchs™ amps it
shares much of the same premium metal work including an aircraft grade aluminum chassis, and a cooling
fan.

By using many of the same components of our other products, we’ve kept this great tone affordable. The
Train-45™ features a unique train logo with an LED “headlight”, which is super-bright and will never need
replacement!

Specifications:

Cabinet: 10.5 deep, 8” tall, 18” wide.
Weight: 35 lbs
Cabinet Material: Pine
Covering: Tolex
Power tubes: 2 X EL-34/6CA7. (6V6’s may be used for reduced power)
Preamp tubes: 3 X 12AX7
Controls: 3-position brite switch brite/flat/dark. Gain, high, mid, low, presence.
Rear panel: IEC Detachable power cord, fuse holder, AC and Standby switches. 4, 8, 16-ohm outputs (one
each), Hard/Soft switch.

Rated power: 35 watts clean 45 watts peak with EL-34/6CA7’s.
6v6’s provide approximately 22 watts of power.

“Trainwreck” and “Trainwre ck Express” are registered trademarks of Ken Fischer.

2 Please read before powering up your Train 45.

Please see Panel Diagrams in next section 3 for assistance.

1) Inspect to make sure power & pre-amp tubes are intact & snuggly seated in their sockets.

2) Make certain a speaker (load) is plugged into speaker output jack on the back of the amplifier.

Failure to have a speaker connected to the amp will result in damage to the output tubes
amp is supplied with 4, 8 and 16 ohm impedance speaker output jacks, select the one closest to
your speaker(s) impedance. USE ONLY ONE SPEAKER OUTPUT JACK.

3) Reduce Front panel GAIN control to moderate level.

4) Install instrument cable from guitar into front panel INPUT

5) Be sure both POWER and STANDBY switches (rear panel) are in DOWN position.

6) Install power cord to amplifier (AC POWER IN) and to AC power source.

7) POWER UP amplifier by: 1) flipping POWER switch UP. Allow at least 30 seconds to minute for

tubes to fully heat up.

8) The Amplifier is now fully on and ready to use. Feel free to adjust all toneshaping controls as you

see fit.

9) Provide adequate and unimpeded ventilation.

10) Do not expose the unit to drips or splashes.

11) Do not to place liquids on the unit.

12) Properly ground the unit (i.e. make sure the outlet used is grounded, and ground is not defeated

between the outlet and unit).

NOTE:

Your Train 45 CAN be safely used with an attenuator* device (see below). These will allow you to
obtain higher gain settings while reducing the overall volume of the amplifier.

! Your



(*) Watch for the new Fuchs “Conductor”™ Amplifier-Attenuator (coming out summer 2005). The

“Conductor”™ is a low-coloration power reduction device, designed for use most tube amps including this

series of Fuchs™ amps. (Not recommended with ODS or TDS amplifiers).

T45m 5/2005

3 Diagrams of FRONT & REAR Panels, Tube Bias Diagram

Front Panel

Rear Panel

Power Tube Bias Pots

Tube Bias diagram-Train 45

4 Front Panel Controls, inputs & Their Functions

Input Jack:

Input jack is a 1/4" phone plug, designed for 1-Meg impedance, guitar-level signal. This input will readily
accept pedals/effects without any loss in performance. Pedals/effects input is also inserted to this input in
series with your guitar.

Brite/Flat/Dark Control:

This control provides 3 positions of equalization to the amplifier’s overall sound and are considered a
toneshaping control. Adjust to your preference.

Gain Control:

The gain control sets the overall gain/volume for the amplifier. Adjust to your volume/tone tastes. (NOTE:
Your Train 45 can be safely used with attenuator devices. These will allow you to obtain higher gain
settings while reducing the overall volume of the amplifier)

NOTE: There are no “correct” Gain settings. Finding the desired tone setting depends on the
guitars/pickups used, as well as your own personal tastes. This amplifier works in unison with your guitar
volume to control the nature of the clean/overdrive tones.

High Control:
Adjust the high control to taste, it controls adjusts the high frequency spectrum of your Train 45.

Mid Control:

Adjust the Mid control to taste, it controls adjusts the mid frequency spectrum of your Train 45.

Low Control:

Adjust the Low control to taste, it adjusts the low frequency spectrum of your Train 45.

Presence Control:

This control adds an edge to the overall amplifier tone. It's excellent for cutting through in a band or a
recording mix. It also allows greater ability to selectively make notes feed back and "sing". It operates like
a traditional presence control, reducing negative feedback at high frequencies within the feedback loop of
the power amp. Not all Trainwreck amps had this feature, however we thought (as did our evaluation
team) that it added an additional level of flexibility to the amplifier, much like the 3-position bright switch.

Power indicator light:

Located to the right side, this LED light indicates if the amplifier is seeing AC power.

5 REAR Panel Controls, inputs/outputs

AC power cord input:

Using the supplied IEC 120vac power cord. Connect to AC POWER IN on the amplifier and to AC power
source.

AC power fuse:
This fuse protects the amplifier if any malfunction occurs. Use ONLY stock fuse rating as supplied by
factory. Using any other fuse value can damage amplifier and void factory warranty.

ON/OFF switch:

In the DOWN position amplifier is completely OFF. In the UP position the amplifier is seeing AC current
and is considered ON.

Standby switch:

In the UP position the amplifier is fully ON and will produce sound. In the DOWN position the amplifier is
in STANDBY mode and will not produce sound, yet amplifier is seeing AC current.

HARD/SOFT switch:

This setting controls “sag” of the amplifier power supply allowing for a harder or softer overall “bite” to
the amplifier’s sound and can be considered a tone shaping control. UP is HARD, DOWN is SOFT. This
switch can be used when the amplifier is on.

Speaker outputs (4, 8 & 16 ohm):
(You must have a speaker load inputted to the amplifier before powering on!) Each (1-4 ohm, 1-8 ohm, 1­16 ohm) output optimizes the amplifier for 4, 8 or 16-ohm speaker impedances. Connect using a ¼” phone
plug to an outboard speaker cabinet. If you have a Combo amplifier, connect to the combo speaker with
supplied wire/1/4” jack.

6 Biasing Train 45 power tubes & other technical info

WARNING: High Internal voltages inside this amplifier can cause harm or Death!

The Train 45 (PCB) circuit board is shown below with the chassis sitting on its transformers, and front
panel facing you. There are exposed high-voltages in this chassis, even with the amplifier shut-off! If you
are not familiar with tube
amplifiers and/or high voltages, do not attempt to remove the chassis from its cabinet or attempt to
service this amplifier. Refer servicing to the factory or to someone with experience servicing these types
of amplifiers.

Output tube Bias Setting:

“Each” OUTPUT tube (EL-34/6CA7) is factory set for .040 Volts (40 millivolts), which is equal to 40 ma per
tube (for EL-34/6CA7), which is measured at pin 8 of each power tube. Optional ”6V6” output tubes
should be set for 30 ma each (30 mv .030 volts). There are two trimmers on the pc board, and one is for
each output tube bias. Bias is measured at the pin 1/8 connection of each output tube, measured to
ground and set to the above voltage setting. This should be set with the amp cold, then reset after the
amp has run for about an hour. Use a reliable digital voltmeter for these settings. It is normal for one tube
to affect the other initially. It’s wise to check each tube after they have warmed up and stabilized.

Power Tube Bias Pots

DISCLAIMER: There are exposed Internal high-voltages in this amplifier. Do not attempt to service, repair

or conduct tube biasing unless you are qualified to do so. Please contact Fuchs Audio beforehand with

questions in this regard. Fuchs Audio takes no responsibility or shall be held liable for any personal harm

caused or damage to this amplifier as a result of unauthorized service, repair or internal adjustments

made to this amplifier

.

BRIGHT GAIN HIGH MID LOW PRESENCE

(REAR PANEL) NORMAL / SOFT

BRIGHT GAIN HIGH MID LOW PRESENCE

(REAR PANEL) NORMAL / SOFT

BRIGHT GAIN HIGH MID LOW PRESENCE

(REAR PANEL) NORMAL / SOFT

7 Sample Setting diagrams & notes

FLAT

DARK

Notes:___________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

FLAT

DARK

Notes:___________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

FLAT

DARK

Notes:___________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

B

B

B



8 Warranty Information

The Fuchs Audio Technology-Train Forty-Five Warranty

Fuchs Audio Technology guarantees our products to be free from defective

workmanship or material failure for a period of FIVE years (tubes excluded)from date of new

purchase to the original purchaser. This does not apply to Fuchs amplifiers that have been

tampered with, damaged by shipping carriers, reverse engineered, or modified. Your warranty

form/information must be returned to Fuchs Audio Technology within 30 days of purchase, or

your warranty will not be in effect. Fuchs Audio Technology reserves the right to suspend or

terminate the above warranty at our sole discretion, should damage from any of the above

limitations and or exclusions be detected upon examination.

Keep the information on this page for your records.

Please mail-in warranty form on next page

FUCHS MODEL ______________________ (Train Forty-Five)

SERIAL NUMBER ______________________

OPTIONS INCLUDED ______________________

________________

________________
________________

PRODUCTION DATE ____/____/____

TESTED BY ______________ Fuchs Audio Technology

Fuchs Audio Technology 

407 Getty Ave Clifton, NJ 07015

Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

www.fuchsaudiotechnology.com

[e-mail]



WARRANTY REGISTRATION FORM

This completed form must be returned to Fuchs Audio Technology within 30 days of

purchase along with a copy of your receipt from your authorized dealer.

Please fill in all requested information on this form so we may register you for future warranty repairs
or future upgrades, should they become available.

Purchasers Name: ___________________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________

City: ____________________ State: _____ Zip: __________ Country:___________

Phone Number: _______________________ E-Mail address: ________________

Model: ___________ Serial Number: ___________________________________

Date of Purchase: ___________________________________________________

Dealer Name: ______________________________________________________

Comments:
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Please return this form to:

Fuchs Audio Technology

407 Getty Ave, Clifton, NJ 07015

[phone] (fax) 973-772-4460

Website: www.fuchsaudiotechnology.com

Email: [e-mail]

Universal Warr-reg 4/2005