CARVIN VTS Operating Manual

CARVIN ENGINEERING DATA
Vintage 33™
Nomad 112™
Congratulations on your purchase of the VINTAGE TUBE SERIES all tube ampli-
fier. Carvin has been building tube guitar amplifiers since 1949. They have been
used by top professionals like; Chet Atkins, Jeff Beck, James Burton, Jerry
Donahue, Dan Huff, Jorma Kaukonen, Will Ray, and many other great musicians.
You will discover that these amplifiers represent a significant sound improvement
over conventional tube amplifiers. Spend time with your new amp and get to know
it's many sounds.
TECHNICAL DESIGN OF THE VINTAGE TUBE SERIES
The VINTAGE TUBE SERIES is 100% tube design—no IC's, FET's or transistors. The design
criteria was to build an all-tube guitar amp that sounded better than anything else on the market.
This meant that the VINTAGE TUBE SERIES was going to be totally new from the ground up
and that it was going to be an all tube design.
DYNAMIC EL84 POWER TUBES
Premium EL84 power tubes are selected for their excellent saturation and power soak char-
acteristics. Just like early VOX AC30 amps, EL84's are used for their ideal transconduc-
tance delevering a tight bottom and soft drive with superior definition.
HIGH IMPEDANCE GUITAR INPUT
Carvin has long known about the effects of miss-loading a guitar pickup which can cause
high frequency loss. The VINTAGE TUBE SERIES 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 ampli-
fiers, we purposely avoided adding capacitance anywhere in the preamp to control high fre-
quency oscillations. Instead, we controlled oscillations through careful component layout
and lead placement allowing its shimmering highs to be reproduced.
CLEAN AND SOAK CHANNELS
The equalization of the clean and soak channel is designed to offer clarity to your instru-
ment. 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 rear PRESENCE control which adds acoustic voicing to your
instrument. This control boosts only the guitars very highest harmonics which are in the
10k Hz range instead of the normal 3K Hz of a bright switch.
For your records, you may wish to record the following information.
Serial No._____________________ Invoice Date_______________
76-10302 797
VINTAGE 33, NOMAD 112, 212 BEL AIR COMBO
GUITAR AMPS & VT 50 VINTAGE GUITAR HEAD
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 separately.
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.
TONE CONTROLS
The T-Bridge passive BASS, MID and TREBLE tone controls offer a wide range of tone set-
tings. Take full advantage by setting them where they sound best. Your sound may not be at
center (5 on the dial). Instead, the treble and bass may need to be at 10 while the mid con-
VT50 Vintage™
trol at 0 (or) the treble at 1 and the bass at 10 depending dual or single coil pickups. These
410 Speaker
controls will not affect or color your sound when set at extreme settings, nor do they interact
with each other. The greater 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 giving
the VINTAGE TUBE SERIES it's dynamic highs.
REVERB
The FS22 footswith for the long tailed REVERB system in the VINTAGE TUBE SERIES 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 sys-
212 Bel Air™
tems 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 VT50 HEAD SPECS:
RMS Power:
Output Imp:
Input Imp:
Tone Controls:
Both Channels:
Ch 1 Sensitivity: 1mV for clipping
Ch 2 Sensitivity: 16mV for full output
Channels:
Voiced Line Out: 1.5 VAC @ 100 watts RMS
Preamp Tubes:
Power Tubes:
USA Model:
USA Fuse:
Export Model:
Export Fuse:
Cabinet Size:
Cabinet:
Warranty:
Options:
MODEL 112 & 212 COMBO SPECS:
50 watts Speakers:
4, 8 & 16Ω RMS Power:
100,000 ohms Output Imp:
BASS: 80Hz Input Imp:
MID: 600-700Hz Tone Controls:
TREBLE: 11k Hz Both Channels:
Ch 1 Sensitivity: 1mV for clipping
2—switching Ch 2 Sensitivity: 16mV for full output
Channels:
5—12AX7's (dual stage) Voiced Line Out: 1.5 VAC @ 100 watts RMS
4—EL84's Preamp Tubes:
120VAC, 300VA Power Tubes:
3A 250V slow blow, 5 x 20mm USA Model:
230VAC, 300VA USA Fuse:
1.5A 250V slow blow, 5 x 20mm Export Model:
22.5W x 10.5H x 9"D, 33 lbs. Export Fuse:
7-ply poplar wood 112 Cabinet :
One Year 212 Cabinet :
CV3200 cover, FS22 footswitch Cabinet:
Warranty:
Options:
12340 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128
(619) 487-1600 (800) 854-2235
www.carvin.com
OPERATING MANUAL
One/Two VL12 Vintage Series 12" spks
33 watts Vintage 33, 50 watts all others
4, 8 & 16Ω
100,000 ohms
BASS: 80Hz
MID: 600-700Hz
TREBLE: 11k Hz
2—switching
5—12AX7's (dual stage)
4—EL84's
120VAC, 300VA
3A 250V slow blow, 5 x 20mm
230VAC, 300VA
1.5A 250V slow blow, 5 x 20mm
19.5W x 10.25D x 17.5"H, 44 lbs.
26W x 10.25D x 17.75"H, 56 lbs.
7-ply poplar wood
One Year
CV3212 cover, FS22 footswitch