Markbass AC101, AC601 User manual

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OWNER'S MANUAL

1. Introduction

Congratulations on purchasing one of the world’s best acoustic guitar amplifiers! Markbass amps are built to the highest standards by a small team of skilled
technicians in San Giovanni Teatino, Italy.
We have spent many years researching not only the highest-quality technologies for amp design and construction, but also the practical needs of the working
acoustic guitarist. The end result is a product that combines outstanding sound quality with intuitive features, attractive design and extreme reliability—all
in one impossibly lightweight unit. This amp will allow your instrument to speak in its natural voice, faithfully conveying your musical ideas to your audience
with stunning clarity.
Your amplifier has passed rigorous product testing and should survive even the toughest of environments on the road, in clubs, rehearsal halls and concert
stages. Nonetheless, please treat it with care and you will be rewarded with many, many years of glorious, rich, powerful tone!
If the clarity and power of this amp inspire you to play better music, we will have succeeded in our mission. Good luck and enjoy your new best friend!

Sincerely,
Mark Acoustic

2. Acoustic Amp Product Overview

The AC601/AC101 acoustic amp is a high-quality acoustic guitar amplifier with a solid-state preamp and an analog power amp, which delivers 250W of
power into a 4 ohm cabinet, or 150W into an 8 ohm cabinet.
The AC601 features one custom-designed 6” B&C neodymium speaker and one HF Compression driver.
The AC101 includes instead one custom-designed 10” B&C neodymium speaker and one HF Compression driver.

2.1 Acoustic Amp Front Panel

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INPUTS

The ¼” INPUT JACK (1) connects your guitar to channel 1.
The INPUT JACK (2) connects your instrument to channel 2, and accepts a balanced XLR input, in case your guitar’s pickup supplies a balanced output.
You can also use this input to plug in a microphone—even while you play your guitar through the ¼” input!

GAIN and MASTER

There are three knobs on the front panel of the AC601/AC101 acoustic head that control the volume of your instrument. The GAIN (3)(4) control
determines how much signal is passed through the preamp stage of the unit, which includes equalization and the effects loop. The MASTER (17) volume
regulates how much output comes out of the power amp into your cabinet.
If playing through the amp causes the blue CLIP (5)(6) light to turn on at all, you should turn down the GAIN (3)(4) control to avoid distortion.
When you first plug into the amp, start with the GAIN (3)(4) and MASTER (17) controls set at their lowest levels, in other words turned all the way
counter-clockwise. Then, turn your instrument’s volume up to its full level and play as hard as you do in your most aggressive moments, and turn up
the GAIN (3)(4) control until the blue light starts illuminating. Next, back off on the GAIN (3)(4) just enough so that the light stays off as you
play. This method will result in the optimal gain setting for the instrument you’re playing. Different guitars have different output levels, mostly
depending on their pickups and onboard preamp and EQ settings.
Once you’ve set the GAIN (3)(4) level, use your MASTER (17) knob to control the volume of your instrument.

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EQUALIZATION

The AC601/AC101 acoustic head is designed to faithfully reproduce the natural sound of your guitar. If you have a good instrument, very little
equalization (EQ)—if any—should be required. Acoustic guitars produce a very wide range of frequencies, and all of them need to be conveyed in order to
amplify the true sound of the instrument.

Since the AC601/AC101 has been designed to give you clear, detailed and musical sound at all frequencies, when the amp is set “flat”—with all EQ knobs
at 12 o’clock—you should hear a very true mirror of the sound of your guitar and its pickup. However, if and when equalization is required, you will
find this amp’s EQ to be powerful and musical.

The LOW EQ (7) (8) control is set to a center frequency of 40 Hz. This means that it either boosts or cuts the volume of the frequencies around 40 Hz,
to a maximum of 16 decibels.
The MID EQ (9) control (available on channel 1 only) boosts or cuts the frequencies around 600 Hz, by as much as 16 decibels.
The HIGH EQ (8) control boosts or cuts the frequencies around 6 kHz, by as much as 16 decibels.

VPF FILTER

The AC601/AC101 features a filter that alters the equalization of your signal with specially formulated musical results. The VPF (10) (Variable
Pre-shape Filter) boosts lows (around 35 Hz) and highs (around 10 kHz), and cuts mids at 380 Hz.

EFFECTS

The AC601/AC101 offers six onboard preset EFFECTS (15) to sweeten your sound: Chorus 1, Room (reverb), Reverb 1, Reverb 2, Hall (reverb) and Chorus 2.
The EFFECT MIX knobs (13) (14) control the balance between the dry signal and the effected signal. With the effect mix control in the “off” position,
you will hear no effect. At the “max” position, you will hear only effect and no dry signal.

LINE OUT LEVEL

The LINE OUT (16) knob allows you to control how much signal comes out of the LINE OUT (24) jack on the rear panel. This is useful in live situations,
when the sound engineer may ask you to provide more or less signal to the PA.

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