CARVIN Vintage 16 Operating Manual

CARVIN ENGINEERING DATA
212 Bel Air™
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; Joe Walsh, Chet Atkins, Jeff Beck, James Burton,
Jorma Kaukonen, and many other great musicians. You will discover that these
amplifiers represent a significant sound improvement over conventional tube ampli-
fiers. 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 delivering 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_______________
76-10302C 0705
NOMAD, BEL AIR COMBO & VINTAGE16 GUITAR AMPS
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-
trol at 0 (or) the treble at 1 and the bass at 10 depending dual or single coil pickups. These
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
FEATURES
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
CELESTION
the studio. A special pre filter eliminates the spring "boing" normally heard in other sys-
SPEAKERS!
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. The Vintage 16™ does not have the footswitch option.
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.
Vintage16™
GETTING STARTED QUICKLY
If you are like most players, you probably want to plug in your new amp and get started play-
ing it right away. You can read the rest of the manual later to learn the finer points of operat-
ing your amp. In order to get started you will need your VINTAGE TUBE SERIES amp, a 120
or 230 AC grounded power outlet, your instrument and a standard guitar cord. With the amp
turned off, you may now plug it into the proper AC voltage.
Now turn all the volume and drive controls off and set tone controls at their mid center posi-
tion. If you have purchased the FS22 foot switch, plug it into the rear foot switch jack for switch-
ing the channels and reverb. Note: The channel SELECT switch must be selected for channel
1 for the FS22 to function (a hum will be heard if it's in the wrong position).
Now, turn the power switch and allow a few minuts for the tubes to warm up then turn on
the standby switch. Gradually raise the volume controls and re-adjust the tone controls and
your ready to go. Please call if you feel your amp is malfunctioning. Occasionally tubes are
damaged in shipping.
VINTAGE16 SPECS:
RMS Power:
Output Imp:
Input Imp:
Tone Controls:
Sensitivity:
Preamp Tubes:
Power Tubes:
USA Model:
USA Fuse:
Export Model:
Export Fuse:
Cabinet Size:
Cabinet:
Warranty:
Options:
OPERATING MANUAL
NOMAD & BEL AIR COMBO SPECS:
16/5 watts Speakers:
8Ω RMS Power:
100,000 ohms Output Imp:
BASS: 80Hz Input Imp:
MID: 600-700Hz Tone Controls:
TREBLE: 11k Hz Both Channels:
1mV for clipping
16mV for full output Ch 1 Sensitivity: 1mV for clipping
3—12AX7's (dual stage) Ch 2 Sensitivity: 16mV for full output
2—EL84's Channels:
120VAC, 300VA Voiced Line Out: 1.5 VAC @ 100 watts RMS
1A 250V slow blow, 5 x 20mm Preamp Tubes:
240VAC Power Tubes:
1A 250V slow blow, 5 x 20mm USA Model:
16W x 17.75H x 8.5"D, 31 lbs. USA Fuse:
7-ply poplar wood Export Model:
One Year Export Fuse:
CV16 cover 112 Cabinet :
212 Cabinet :
Cabinet:
Warranty:
Options:
c
12340 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128
800.854.2235 carvin.com
One/Two Celestion G12 Vintage 30 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