Page 1
Valvestate
Handbook
1
Marshall Amplification plc
Denbigh Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK1 1DQ, England
Tel: (01908) 375411
Fax: (01908) 376118
Web Site - http://www.marshallamps.com
Whilst the information contained herein is correct at the time of publication,
due to our policy of constant improvement and development, Marshall
Amplification plc reserve the right to alter specifications without prior notice.
Nov ‘98
VS230R, VS232R
& VS265R Combos
Page 2
2
2x30 Watt Combos with Reverb and
Chorus
Front Panel Features
1. Foot Switch Jack
For connection of Footswitch allowing selection
of Clean or Overdrive Channel.
2. Ch 1/2 Switch
Allows selection of Clean or Overdrive channel
via the front panel.
3. Input
Plug your guitar in here. We recommend that
you always use a high quality screened cable to
help prevent noise, interference and unwanted
feedback.
4. Volume
This controls the volume of the Clean Channel
and is useful for balancing the level of the
Overdrive and Clean Channels. Once turned past
half way this channel will start to crunch up your
guitar sound for semi-distorted chords and bluesy
leads.
5. Bass
Turning the Bass control will effect the amount
of low frequencies or bottom end in your guitar
tone. Rotating this control clockwise will increase
the lower tones and, depending on other settings,
will generally make your tone warmer and heavier
if combined with distortion. By turning the Bass
control anti-clockwise you will reduce the bass
frequencies in your tone which will make your
sound sharper, thinner and more cutting.
It should be remembered that your guitar will
probably be the main influence in your overall
sound and a naturally bassy guitar for example will
probably need less bass on the amplifier than a
naturally trebly guitar.
WARNING!
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING LIST CAREFULLY
A. ALWAYS ensure that a good quality mains plug is fitted to your Valvestate™ conforming
to the latest B.S.I. standards (UK only) lead supplied.
B. ALWAYS ensure that the plug is wired in accordance with the regulations of your country.
C. DO NOT attempt to remove the chassis. There are no user serviceable parts inside your
Valvestate™.
D. ALWAYS have your Valvestate™ serviced or repaired by competent, qualified service
technicians.
E. NEVER use your Valvestate™ in damp or wet conditions.
F. WARNING This apparatus must be earthed.
The concept behind Marshall’s revolutionary Valvestate™ technology is to simulate the performance of a
Marshall valve power stage without actually using power valves. By providing the warmth, feel,
responsiveness and sheer musicality of a valve amp without involving the cost and weight, Valvestate™ has
placed the classic Marshall sound in the hands of thousands of waiting guitarists the world over.
This handbook is designed to help you to get the most from your Valvestate™ and covers our VS230, VS232
and VS265. All of which are perfectly suited to practising at home and recording. The VS230 and VS232 are
ideal for smaller gigs while the VS265 is capable of handling much larger venues. We would stress though
that the simplest way of getting the best from your Valvestate™ is by experimenting. Don’t be afraid of using
radical settings if that is what is needed to create the sound that you want. Valvestate™ is radical technology
for radical thinkers and players and is designed to handle the most gruelling punishment of any playing
situation with ease.
VS230
VS232
Page 3
6. Treble
By adjusting this Treble control you can add or
take away the higher frequencies in your guitar
tone when on the Clean Channel. By turning up
the Treble control and increasing those high
frequencies you will make your guitar sound
brighter and more cutting.
7. Ch 1/2 On LED
Indicates whether the Clean or Overdrive
channel has been selected. Red indicates the
Overdrive Channel.
8. Gain
This in effect controls the amount of distortion
on the Overdrive Channel. Keeping this control
low will result in crunchy vintage type tones.
Turning this dial up will increase the amount of
distortion, fully clockwise giving maximum
distortion providing a gain drenched tone ideal for
heavy chords, wailing solos and ripping harmonics.
9. Bass
This controls the amount of bottom end or low
frequencies in your guitar tone when on the
Overdrive Channel. When using a heavily
distorted tone, increasing the bass will generally
make the tone darker and heavier.
10. Contour
The Contour control basically shifts the midrange frequencies in your guitar tone. By turning
the Contour fully clockwise you will scoop most of
the middle frequencies out of your sound. If you
combine this setting with heavy distortion and high
Treble and Bass settings you can get a killer
‘thrash’ tone, perfect for brutal rhythms and nasty
leads. By turning the Contour fully anti-clockwise
you can get some great fusion type tones. We
would suggest that you spend some time
experimenting with this control to find the
optimum setting for your style, if you’re not sure
simply leave the control set to 12 o’clock.
11. Treble
By adjusting the Treble control you can add or
take away the higher frequencies in your guitar
tone. By turning up the Treble control and
increasing those high frequencies you will make
your guitar sound more cutting.
12. Volume
This controls the volume of the Overdrive
Channel and allows you to balance the volumes of
the Clean and Overdrive Channels.
13. Reverb
Adding Reverb to your guitar tone will add
ambience and size, giving the effect of playing in a
large empty room or hall. This control allows you
to dial in the required amount of reverb.
14. On/Off Switch
Activates the Chorus function.
15. Speed
Governs the speed of Chorus oscillation.
16. Depth
Governs The depth of the Chorus effect.
17. Power Switch
Switches the mains power to the combo.
Rear Panel Features
2x30 Watt Combo with Reverb and
Chorus
1. Mains Input
For connection to the mains. We would always
recommend that your plug is wired in accordance
with your country’s regulations.
2. Head Phones Jack
For connection to headphones. When using
headphones internal speakers will automatically be
shut off.
-D.I. Output-
The VS230R/VS232 features a D.I. Output
which is ideally suited for connection to recording
equipment or to P.A. equipment. This facility is in
stereo which allows you to take full benefit of the
Stereo Chorus feature of the VS230R/VS232.
3. D.I. Output (Left)
Feeds the left hand signal of your sound to
recording or P.A. equipment.
4. D.I. Output (Right)
Feeds the right hand signal of your sound to
recording or P.A. equipment.
3
Page 4
2x65 Watt Combo with Reverb and
Chorus
Front Panel Features
1. Input
Plug your guitar in here. We recommend that
you always use a high quality screened cable to
help prevent noise, interference and unwanted
feedback.
2. Volume
This controls the volume of the Clean Channel
and is useful for balancing the levels of the
Overdrive and Clean Channels. Once turned past
half way this channel will start to crunch up your
guitar sound for semi-distorted chords and bluesy
leads.
3. CLN/OD LED
Indicates whether Clean or Overdrive has been
selected. Red indicates Overdrive, green indicates
Clean.
4. Bass
Turning the Bass control will effect the amount
of low frequencies or bottom end in your guitar
tone. Rotating this control clockwise will increase
the lower tones and, depending on other settings,
will generally make your tone warmer and heavier
if combined with distortion. By turning the Bass
control anti-clockwise you will reduce the bass
frequencies in your tone which will make your
sound sharper, thinner and more cutting.
It should be remembered that your guitar will
probably be the main influence in your overall
sound and a naturally bassy guitar for example will
probably need less bass on the amplifier than a
naturally trebly guitar.
5. Middle
The middle frequencies are those which
generally affect the size of your sound. By
increasing the amount of middle in your tone your
guitar will sound fatter, conversely reducing the
middle frequencies will make your guitar sound
thinner.
6. Treble
By adjusting this Treble control you can add or
take away the higher frequencies in your guitar tone
when on the Clean Channel. By turning up the
Treble control and increasing those high
frequencies you will make your guitar sound
brighter and more cutting.
7. Clean / Overdrive Switch
Allows for switching between Clean and
Overdrive via the front panel.
8. Tone Shift Switch
Re-configures the channel voicing of the Clean
Channel giving the option of a boost in mid-range
frequencies combined with a cut in bass
frequencies.
9. Gain
Controls the input signal from the guitar and the
amount of gain within the pre-amp when on
Overdrive 1 Channel. Increasing the amount of
gain will increase the amount of distortion in your
guitar sound and to some extent increase the
volume. Having the gain level fairly low will result
in vintage style blues crunch. Increasing this will
result in higher gain sounds ideal for classic rock
tones.
10. Volume
Controls the volume of Overdrive 1 Channel.
11. OD 1/2 Switch
Switches between Overdrive 1 channel and
Overdrive 2 channel. Overdrive 1 can be looked at
as the traditional overdrive or distortion channel
giving excellent crunchy blues rock tones, whereas
Overdrive 2 takes off where Overdrive 1 finishes
delivering searing high gain sounds.
12. Gain
This Gain control operates in the same way as
the previous Gain control (item 9). Increasing this
Gain control will increase the amount of distortion
on Overdrive 2.
13. L.E.D.
Indicates selection of Overdrive 1 or Overdrive
2. Red indicates Overdrive 2.
14. Contour
The Contour control basically shifts the midrange frequencies in your guitar tone when on
Overdrive 2. By turning the Contour fully
clockwise you will scoop most of the middle
frequencies out of your sound . If you combine this
setting with heavy distortion and high Treble and
Bass settings you can get a killer ‘thrash’ tone,
perfect for brutal rhythms and vicious leads. By
turning the Contour fully anti-clockwise you can
get some great fusion type tones. We would
suggest that you spend some time experimenting
with this control to find the optimum setting for
your style, if you’re not sure, simply leave the
control set to 12 o’clock.
4
VS265
Page 5
15. Volume
Controls the volume of Overdrive 2 channel.
-Overdrive Equalisation-
The following Bass, Middle and Treble controls
are used for both Overdrive channels.
16. Bass
This controls the amount of bottom end or low
frequencies in your guitar tone. When using a
heavily distorted tone, increasing the bass will
generally make the tone darker and heavier.
17. Middle
The middle frequencies are those which generally
affect the size of your sound. By increasing the
amount of middle in your tone your guitar will
sound fatter, conversely reducing the middle
frequencies will make your guitar sound thinner.
18. Treble
By adjusting the Treble control you can add or
take away the higher frequencies in your guitar tone.
By turning up the Treble control and increasing
those high frequencies you will make your guitar
sound more cutting.
19. Power Dimension Switch
The Power Dimension Switch is designed for use
in situations where you have set your amp to get
your sound but it is simply too loud for the given
situation. Its function is to emulate, at lower volume
levels the extra saturation found when playing
through a transformer and valve power stage pushed
to the limit.
20. FX Loop Level
It is possible to adjust the FX Loop Level 10dB
to ensure that the FX Loop is perfectly suited to the
type of effects unit that you are using, i.e. rack
mounted or floor pedal.
21. FX Mix
When using the FX Loop on the rear panel the
FX Mix allows you to dial in the desired amount of
effected signal into your overall sound. Turning the
control fully clockwise will result in a fully effected
sound, i.e. no dry signal and turning the control fully
anti-clockwise will result in a fully dry sound.
-Reverb-
Adding reverb to your guitar tone will add
ambience and size, giving the effect of playing in a
large empty room or hall. The VS265 features
separate reverb levels for the Clean and Overdrive
channels giving you greater control over your
sound.
22. Clean Reverb
Dictates the amount of reverb on the Clean
Channel.
23. Overdrive Reverb
Controls the amount of reverb on the Overdrive
Channel.
-Channel Assign-
The VS265 features a Stereo Chorus facility
which is channel assignable. This means that it is
possible to allocate the Stereo Chorus to either the
Clean or Overdrive Channels or both.
24. Clean Switch
For assigning the Stereo Chorus to the Clean
Channel.
25. Overdrive Switch
For assigning the Stereo Chorus to the Overdrive
Channel.
26. Speed
Governs the speed of Chorus oscillation.
27. Depth
Governs The depth of the Chorus effect.
28. Power Switch
Switches the mains power to the amplifier.
2x65 Watt Combo with Reverb and
Chorus
Rear Panel Features
1. Mains Input
For connection to the mains. We would always
recommend that your plug is wired in accordance
with your country’s regulations.
-D.I. Output-
For connection to recording or P.A. equipment,
featuring Marshall’s acclaimed Speaker Emulation
circuitry as featured on the JTM60 range.
This facility is in stereo which allows you to take
full benefit of the Stereo Chorus feature of the
VS265.
2. Filtered D.I. Output (Left)
Feeds the left hand signal of your sound to
recording or P.A. equipment.
VS265
5
Page 6
-Speaker Extension-
The VS265R features stereo extension speaker
sockets to allow you to further expand upon the
benefits of a Stereo Chorus amplifier.
Due to the combo’s design the VS265 can be
used with any speaker extension cabinet rated
between 4 and 16 Ohms (inclusive). By using
extension speaker cabinets (model no. VS212) you
will increase the spread of your guitar sound.
3. Ext. Loud Speaker Jack
Feeds the left hand signal of your sound to an
external speaker cabinet such as the Marshall
VS212.
4. Stereo Headphones Jack
For connection to stereo headphones, allowing
you to enjoy the stereo chorus effect even when
silent practice is the order of the day.
5. Ext. Loud Speaker Jack
Feeds the right hand signal of your sound to an
external speaker cabinet such as the Marshall
VS212.
6. Filtered D.I. Output (Right)
Feeds the right hand signal of your sound to
recording or P.A. equipment.
- Effects Loop -
An effects loop allows you to connect external
effects in the optimum position in the signal path.
Time based effects such as delays, reverbs and
chorus are more effective in the effects loop,
whereas effects such as distortion and wah-wah are
more suited to being used in line between the guitar
and the input of the amplifier.
7. Effects Return Jack
For connection to the output of an external
effects processor.
8. Effects Send Jack
For connection to the input of an external effects
processor.
9. Footswitch Socket
For connection of footswitch. The VS265R is a
three channel amplifier and it is possible to switch
between the Clean Channel and Overdrive 1 and
Overdrive 2 Channels via the footswitch which also
features LED’s to indicate status.
It is also possible to switch the stereo chorus on
and off via the footswitch in addition to via the
front panel of the unit.
6
Page 7
Made in England by:
Marshall Amplification plc,
Bletchley, Milton Keynes,
England.
WARNING!:SHOCK HAZARD. DO NOT OPEN. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR
ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. THIS
APPARATUS MUST BE EARTHED.
AVIS!:RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE. NE PAS OUVRIR. POUR EVITER LES
RISQUES D’INCENDIE ET DE DECHARGES ELECTRIQUES, N’EXPOSEZ JAMAIS CET
APPAREIL A L’HUMIDITE OU A LA PLUIE.
CONNECTER CET APPAREIL A LA TERRE.
CAUTION!: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT REMOVE
COVER. NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED
SERVICE PERSONNEL.
ATTENTION!:POUR EVITER LES RISQUES DE DECHARGES ELECTRIQUES, NE
PAS OUVRIR LE COUVERCLE. CET APPAREIL NE COMPORTE AUCUNE PIECE
SUSCEPTIBLE D’ETRE REPAREE PAR VOS SOINS. FAITES TOUJOURS APPEL A UN
TECHNICIEN QUALIFIE POUR TOUTE REPARATION.
MAINS INPUT
120V ~ 60 Hz
100 Watts
LEFT RIGHT
Output 2 x 30 Watts RMS -4
Ω
HEADPHONE
D.I. Output
ChorusOverdrive
Clean
Ch1/2
Foot
Switch
Input
Ch1/2
ON
GAIN BASS CONTOUR TREBLE VOLUME REVERB
ON
OFF
SPEED DEPTHVOLUME BASS TREBLE
0 10 0 10 0 10
0 10
0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10
Power
POWER
ON
VS230
Overdrive 1 Overdrive 2 Overdrive EQ
Clean
0 10 0 10 0 10
BASS TREBLEVOLUME
Input
0 10
MIDDLE
CLN
/OD
ON
Tone
Shift
0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 10
GAIN VOLUME GAIN CONTOUR VOLUME BASS MIDDLE TREBLE
Power
DImension
0 10 0 10 0 10
FX MIX
0 10 0 10
POWER
ON
Power
CLN/OD
OD
CLN
FX
Loop
Level
OD
1/2
OVERDRIVE
REVERB
CLEAN
REVERB
SPEED DEPTH
3 Channel Chorus Amplifier
VS265
Channel
Assign
FX Loop
Made in England by:
Marshall Amplification plc,
Bletchley, Milton Keynes,
England.
Right
Left
FILTERED
D.I. OUTPUT
FILTERED
D.I. OUTPUT
RETURN
SEND FOOTSWITCH
STEREO
H.PHONES
EXT.
L.SPEAKER
EXT.
L.SPEAKER
WARNING!:SHOCK HAZARD. DO NOT OPEN. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. THIS APPARATUS MUST BE EARTHED.
AVIS!:RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE. NE PAS OUVRIR. POUR EVITER LES RISQUES D’INCENDIE ET
DE DECHARGES ELECTRIQUES, N’EXPOSEZ JAMAIS CET APPAREIL A L’HUMIDITE OU A LA PLUIE.
CONNECTER CET APPAREIL A LA TERRE.
CAUTION!: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT REMOVE COVER.
NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
ATTENTION!:POUR EVITER LES RISQUES DE DECHARGES ELECTRIQUES, NE PAS OUVRIR LE
COUVERCLE. CET APPAREIL NE COMPORTE AUCUNE PIECE SUSCEPTIBLE D’ETRE REPAREE PAR VOS
SOINS. FAITES TOUJOURS APPEL A UN TECHNICIEN QUALIFIE POUR TOUTE REPARATION.
MAINS
INPUT
120V ~ 60 Hz
220 Watts
Output 2 x 65
Watts RMS -8
Ω
Extension Sockets
Output 65 Watts RMS
1
3
4
5
6
8 9
10
11
12 13 15 16 17
14
7
2
1
3
7 11 13 19
24
4
5
6
9
10
12
14
15 16
17 18
21
22
23
26
27
25
28
8
20
2
1 2
3
4
1
2 3
4
5
6
7
8
8
VS230 & VS232
VS265
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