CARVIN MTS3200 Operating Manual

CARVIN ENGINEERING DATA
MTS3200
MTS3212
Congratulations on your purchase of the MTS3200 all tube amplifier. Carvin has
been building tube guitar amplifiers since 1949. They have been used by top profes-
sionals like; Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Craig Chaquico, Allan Holdsworth, Larry Carlton,
Chet Atkins and other great musicians. You will discover that these amplifiers repre-
sent a significant sound improvement over conventional tube amplifiers. Spend time
with your new MTS3200 head or your MTS3212 combo and get to know it's many
sounds.
TECHNICAL DESIGN OF THE MTS3200
The MTS3200 design criteria was to build an all-tube guitar amp that sounded better
than anything else on the market. This meant that the MTS3200 was going to be total-
ly new from the ground up and that it was going to be an all tube design with no IC's
or transistors.
HIGH IMPEDANCE GUITAR INPUT
Carvin has long known about the effects of miss-loading a guitar pickup which can
cause high frequency loss. The MTS3200 guards against this loss with its ultra high
input impedance. Also, we considered the capacitance of the average shielded guitar
cable which can reduce the high frequency response of your guitar pickups. Unlike
other amplifiers, we purposely avoided adding capacitance anywhere in the preamp to
control high frequency oscillations. Instead, we controlled oscillations through careful
component layout and lead placement allowing its shimmering highs to be reproduced.
CLEAN AND OVERDRIVE CHANNELS
The equalization of the clean and overdrive channel is designed to offer clarity to
your instrument. Special mud-cutting circuits eliminate the unwanted sounds in the
500 to 700 Hz range which normally take away the tone definition of your instrument.
You will also take notice of the clean channels PRESENCE switch which adds
acoustic voicing to your instrument. This switch boosts only the guitars very high-
est harmonics which are in the 10k Hz range instead of the normal 3K Hz of a bright
switch. The PRESENCE control on the lead channel is designed to adjust the "edge"
on your sound. It's dynamic range allows for super-smooth sounds or an edge for
For your records, you may wish to record the following information.
Serial No._____________________ Invoice Date_______________
76-32000B 07/05
MTS3200 GUITAR HEAD
MTS3212 COMBO GUITAR AMP
RECEIVING INSPECTION—read before getting started
INSPECT YOUR AMP FOR ANY DAMAGE which may have occurred during shipping. If any
damage is found, please notify the shipping company and CARVIN immediately.
SAVE THE CARTON & ALL PACKING MATERIALS. In the event you have to re-ship your unit,
always use the original carton and packing material. This will provide the best possible protec-
tion during shipment. CARVIN and the shipping company are not liable for any damage caused
by improper packing.
SAVE YOUR INVOICE. It will be required for warranty service if needed in the future.
SHIPMENT SHORTAGE. If you find items missing, they may have been shipped separate-
ly. Please allow several days for the rest of your order to arrive before inquiring.
RECORD THE SERIAL NUMBER on the enclosed warranty card or below on this manual
for your records. Keep your portion of the card and return the portion with your name and
comments to us.
your lead channel to reach out.
DYNAMIC 5881 POWER TUBES
Your amp is equipped with 5881 power tubes because of their smooth distortion,
responsive sound and reliability. The compression characteristics of these "soft clip"
power tubes respond to the dynamic range of lead guitar playing. These tubes react
even to the most subtle touch—if you play soft, the tubes remain clean and if you
increase your attack they respond accordingly.
TONE CONTROLS
The T-Bridge passive BASS, MID and TREBLE tone controls offer a wide range of
tone settings. Take full advantage by setting them where they sound best. Your
FEATURES
sound may not be at center 5 on the dial. These controls will not affect or color your
CELESTION
sound when set at extreme settings, nor do they interact with each other. The greater
SPEAKERS
range of these controls comes from the high impedance 1 meg sealed pots (most
guitar amps use 250k pots). The frequency of the bass control is set at 80 Hz while
the mid control is set at 650 Hz. The treble control is set at a very high 11k Hz giv-
ing the MTS3200 it's dynamic highs.
REVERB
The FS22 footswith for the long tailed REVERB system in the MTS3200 switches only
the reverb "send" leaving the tail of the reverb to decay naturally, the way it's done in the
studio. A special pre filter eliminates the spring "boing" normally heard in other systems
giving it a "lush" sound. The all tube reverb system offers vibrant clarity with full depth
reminiscent of the sixties tube amps. Guitar Player magazine rated this system as one
of the best they have heard.
MODEL MTS3200 HEAD SPECS:
RMS Power:
Output Impedance:
Input Impedance:
Tone Controls:
Both Channels:
Ch 1 Sensitivity:
Ch 2 Sensitivity:
Channels:
Voiced Line Out:
Preamp Tubes:
Power Amp Tubes:
USA Model:
USA Fuse:
Export Model:
Export Fuse:
Cabinet Size:
Cabinet:
Net Weight:
Warranty:
Options:
MODEL MTS3212 COMBO SPECS:
50 or 100 watts Speakers:
4, 8 & 16Ω RMS Power:
100,000 ohms Output Impedance:
BASS: 80Hz Input Impedance:
MID: 600-700Hz Tone Controls:
TREBLE: 11k Hz Both Channels:
1mV for clipping
16mV for full output Ch 1 Sensitivity:
2—switching Ch 2 Sensitivity:
1.5 VAC @ 100 watts RMS Channels:
5—12AX7's (dual stage) Voiced Line Out:
4—5881's (power pentode) Preamp Tubes:
120VAC, 300VA Power Amp Tubes:
3A 250V slow blow, 5 x 20mm USA Model:
230VAC, 300VA USA Fuse:
1.5A 250V slow blow, 5 x 20mm Export Model:
24.25W x 10.5H x 9.5"D Export Fuse:
7-ply poplar wood Cabinet Size:
35 lbs Cabinet:
One Year Net Weight:
CV3200 cover, FS22 footswitch Warranty:
Options:
OPERATING MANUAL
2 Celestion G12T-75 speakers
50 or 100 watts
4, 8 & 16Ω
100,000 ohms
BASS: 80Hz
MID: 600-700Hz
TREBLE: 11k Hz
1mV for clipping
16mV for full output
2—switching
1.5 VAC @ 100 watts RMS
5—12AX7's (dual stage)
4—5881's (power pentode)
120VAC, 300VA
3A 250V slow blow, 5 x 20mm
230VAC, 300VA
1.5A 250V slow blow, 5 x 20mm
26W x 10.25D x 17.5"H
7-ply poplar wood
55 lbs
One Year
CV3212 cover, FS22 footswitch