Mesa/Boogie GRID SLAMMER Owner's Manual

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS:
• Read these instructions.
• Keep these instructions.
• Heed all warnings.
• Follow all instructions.
• Do not use this apparatus near water.
• Clean only with dry cloth.
• Be sure to use only properly rated power adaptors or
universal power supplies (pedal board power supplies)
with appropriate attention paid to proper voltage, am-
perage and ground schemes. Improper voltage/amper-
age being provided to the pedal may cause poor tone,
inconsistent performance, damage to the unit, or all of
the above. Proper voltage, amperage and grounding
specs are supplied at the end of this manual.
• REPLACE THE BOTTOM LID after battery replace-
ment before the unit is used. Some electronic parts
inside are static sensitive and can be damaged from
Owner's Manual
even a small static charge from contact with carpet or
other conductive surfaces. DO NOT SET A POWERED
UNIT "CONTROLS UP" ON A METAL (or any) SUR-
FACE WITH THE BOTTOM REMOVED!
Congratulations on your choice of MESA/Boogie and wel- There is also enough gain available in the LEVEL con-
come to the MESA Family! The same passion for excel- trol to use the GRID SLAMMER as an "input slamming
lence, commitment to quality and dedication to customer device" to introduce a hotter signal to the INPUT stage of
satisfaction is present in each and every product we make your amplifier – hence the name. In this scheme you clip
in our one- and-only shop in Petaluma, California, U.S.A. the amplifier's first stage with a greater amplitude signal
Rest assured that the very same people that hand-build (instead of adding preamp gain) to achieve an overdrive
the finest amplifiers in the world built your pedal and you with a different character. You may find this sound "more
have access to the same resources for help that all our vintage" in nature – though you might also find that you
customers do. Call on us anytime and enjoy! have a little less control over color and harmonic/dynamic
content than you would using the GRID SLAMMER's GAIN
control to create the overdrive.
GRID SLAMMER™
FEATURES & CONTROLS
The GRID SLAMMER is an Overdrive pedal that produces
a variable boost in gain over a wide range with a classic
70s midrange bump for enhancement of many different IN:
This ¼" phono jack is the Instrument Input for the
styles. If you are looking for minimal saturation or more of
device. Plug the Output of your guitar into this jack with a
a "clean boost" to push Clean sounds with just a subtle gain
shielded cable of good quality. The jack is a switching type
increase, try our TONE BURST™ pedal. If you are looking
jack and the circuit is turned on when a cable is inserted.
for an Overdrive device with more control over low and high
When the circuit is activated by inserting a cable, the inter-
frequencies individually, try our FLUX-DRIVE™ pedal. For
nal battery is being used to power it – so be sure to unplug
the highest gain applications, check out our THROTTLE-
the cable from the INPUT when it's not in use.
BOX™ distortion pedal.
NOTE: The internal battery is switched to an "ON" state
Overdrive begins with the GRID SLAMMER in the low re-
(drawing voltage) by a switching element in the INPUT jack.
gion of the GAIN control with a soft clip, transitions through
To prolong battery life, disconnect the cable from the ¼"
medium gain and tops out at the lower-end of "High Gain",
INPUT jack whenever the unit is not in use.
still with substantial saturation of the notes. In the lower
region, the additional midrange boost adds attack and per-
NOTE: If you wish to leave the INPUT connected perma-
cussiveness to the character of your instrument and here
nently – as in a pedal board scenario – it is advisable to
is where some classic pushed rhythm or Blues solo sounds
power the unit with an external 9V power supply. When an
reside. As the GAIN control is increased beyond the 12:00
external (plug-in) AC 9-volt power supply is used to power
range, this midrange bump is softened and a creamier, le-
the unit the DC Receptacle on the pedal automatically dis-
gato personality emerges that is great for singing lead lines
connects the battery to avoid battery wear and preserve its
where a more vocal quality is desired.
useful life. If you are going to use external AC power either
for long periods or permanently in a pedal board set-up, The middle range (10:30 – 1:30) offers the most useful
remove the internal battery to prevent (forgotten) battery region of gain that begins to saturate but still retains a dy-
corrosion. namic punch that keeps notes expressive and tight. This
works well for both Rhythm and Solo work across many
styles of music.
OUT:
This 1/4" phono jack is the OUTPUT for the device.
The high range of the GAIN control (1:30 – 5:30) is all
Connect the OUTPUT to the Input of your amplifier (or the
about smooth saturation. This region is most suited for
INPUT of the next device in line) with a shielded cable of
single note soloing with its softer attack and more liquid
good quality and of the shortest length possible.
response. It also has some applications for big crunch
chording, but is not as harmonically complex in the top end
NOTE: A Word on Cables... Always use shielded instru-
as some pedals that are dedicated to higher gain styles.
ment cables of the best quality and shortest length possible
when connecting these types of devices. This will minimize
degradation of your sound, particularly high frequency
TONE:
roll-off, due to the added capacitance in longer lengths of This control is found on devices that do not incor-
cable. We recommend no more than 18-20 feet total (Input porate individual TREBLE and BASS controls. It provides
and Output combined) between your instrument and the simple, global adjustment of the entire range of frequen-
termination at the INPUT of the amplifier. If you must use cies with one control – but your ear may perceive it as most
longer cable lengths, you might consider the use of a Buffer active on the amount of high frequencies present in the
or Line Driver to keep the tonal integrity intact. While these mix. A setting of 12:00 represents a "flat" setting with highs
change the sound slightly, it will usually be preferable to neither boosted or cut. Increasing the TONE control past
top end roll-off. And yes – those little 4" interconnects count 12:00 boosts a broad band of high frequencies. Decreasing
too, so count them in your cable length. the TONE below 12:00 cuts (rolls off) the same spectrum
of high frequencies.
GAIN:
This control determines the amount of gain (dis-
LEVEL:
tortion / overdrive) in the signal path. This is the master output level and it controls the
amount of signal provided to the host amplifier. It can be
Set low (8:00 – 10:30) it produces a range of subtle over- used either to balance levels to compensate for high GAIN
drive that's soft and furry, yet featuring the classic mid- settings - so that no jump in level occurs when switched
punch associated with these types of circuits. This range out of BYPASS. Another application is higher LEVEL set-
is great for pushed and clip-threshold rhythm sounds and tings to purposefully send a hotter signal to the host amp
to add a slight bump for Blues solo sounds. and "slam" the input stage for increased clip, drive or gain.