Carvin V3 V3 Product Manual - Page 2

V3 FRONT & REAR PANEL CONTROLS GETTING STARTED QUICKLY If you are like most players, you probably want to plug in and get started playing right away. You can read the rest of the manual later to learn the finer points of operating your amp. In order to get started you will need your V3 amp, a 120 or 230 AC grounded power outlet, your instrument, a standard guitar cord, a speaker cord and speaker cabinet. First, make sure the rear panel 120VAC/240VAC switch is set for the voltage in your area. Plug in your speaker and set the "SPEAKER OHMS" switch to match your speaker. If you have the FS44M footswitch, plug it into the rear 5-pin "FS44M" footswitch jack. Turn all volume controls off. With the amp turned off, and the 120/240 switch set correctly, plug into AC voltage. Now, plug in your guitar and turn the POWER switch ON. Wait 60 seconds or more for the tubes to warm up, then turn on the STANDBY switch. The amp will be ready to play in a few seconds. Gradually raise the Volume and Master controls and re-adjust the tone controls to your liking. If you feel your amp is malfunctioning, first check all settings and connections. However, sometimes tubes are damaged in shipping. In this case, contact Carvin 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 26 25 27 24 28 29 23 30 22 21 20 31 FRONT PANEL 1. POWER SWITCH The POWER switch is to be utilized as the master ON/OFF switch. As the amp is turned on, the large BLUE jewel lamp LED near the input jack will illuminate as your ON indicator. 2. STANDBY SWITCH After turning the POWER switch ON, wait 60 seconds or more for the tubes to warm up - then turn on the STANDBY switch. When turning the amp OFF, shut off the STANDBY switch first, then shut off the POWER switch. Use the STANDBY switch if you are taking a break. This turns the high voltage off, increasing the life of your power tubes while keeping the tube filaments on and warmed up for immediate use. MASTER SECTION These controls affect all output from the amp. 3. MASTER VOLUME Controls output of all 3 channels and effects. Once your channel levels are set up and balanced to each other you may not want to change them. Use the MASTER to change your overall volume level for the amp. 4. BOOST CONTROL AND LED Add up to 9 dB of volume boost via the FS44M footswitch MIDI preset, or CC control. The front panel GREEN LED will light when the BOOST function is ON. (to switch the BOOST without a footswitch, see MIDI PROGRAMMING) 5. BRIGHT Boosts high frequencies starting at 5kHz for added clarity. Adjust for different rooms, or simulate closed or open back cabinets. 6. MID CUT The MID CUT removes midrange frequencies sometimes referred to as "muddy". The MID CUT is a progressive control that varies both the level and frequency of the cut. At low settings, the MID CUT starts mildly cutting frequencies in the 900Hz range. At Maximum setting "10" a deep cut is produced with the frequency centered around 450Hz. 7. DEEP Turning up the DEEP control adds low frequencies at the sub-harmonic range. If your speakers sound unfocused or muddy, try reducing the DEEP control in small steps. This can tighten up your sound and give your amp a more solid feel. You may want to reset the MASTER volume after adjusting the DEEP control. 8. REVERB, "SMART" SWITCH AND LED The REVERB control sets the level of Reverb for the amp. The switch allows you set the Reverb ON or OFF for each channel 1-3. As you switch through the channels, the LED will indicate the REVERB is ON for the channel you are using. CHANNEL SELECTION, LOOPS AND INPUT 9. CHANNEL SELECT SWITCHES Press and release switch 1, 2 or 3 to select the channel to be used. The LEDs next to the channel's volume control indicate which channel is functioning. The FS44M footswitch or MIDI may also be used to select the channel. These switches are also used to set up MIDI presets (see MIDI IN/THRU). 10. SMART LOOPS AND LEDS The V3 remembers your effects loop settings for each channel. Just assign the loop(s) to the currrent channel, Smart Loop™ permanently saves it until you change it. LOOP 1 is a series loop, and LOOP 2 is a parallel loop. The LEDs will also light during MIDI programming. 11. GUITAR INPUT A standard 1/4" input jack feeds all channels through the SELECT switches. Use a professional quality guitar cord no longer than 25 feet. Typical cable capacitance should be under 50pf-the longer the cord, the greater the capacitance (you can measure this with a capacitance meter). A long cable with high capacitance will reduce the overall treble response from your pickups. 12. BLUE JEWEL LIGHT Indicates the POWER is ON. CHANNELS 1 & 2 OVERDRIVE The V3 features extensive tone and drive shaping for each channel. Unlike most 3-channel amplifiers, the V3 allows you to set both overdrive channels to start with the same sound, then change the controls to get mild or drastic differences between the two channels. 13. PRESENCE Each channel features a PRESENCE control for added clarity. It's frequency range is from the mid to high range of the tonal spectrum. Careful adjustment with the TREBLE control will make this feature very useful. 14. TREBLE, MID, BASS CONTROLS To start off with, set the BASS, MID & TREBLE controls at their center (5) position. These controls are to be set according to the type of sound you want. Try adjusting the PRESENCE control also when adjusting the treble. 15. EQX Toggle between standard EQ and Expanded EQ. This switch opens a wider frequency range for the TREBLE and BASS, providing a second set of frequencies to work with. 16. DRIVE MODE 3-POSITION SWITCH The switch labeled INTENSE/THICK is a 3-position switch that changes the gain structure of the channel. This provides three choices of distortion styles: -"INTENSE"(up)- the most gain and sustain, with excellent picking articulation. The low-end is deep and percussive. Mids and highs smoothly blend and still cut through. Turning up the Drive adds more sustain and saturation. -"CLASSIC"(center)-rich overdrive with a dynamic response. Turning up the DRIVE knob adds sustain and harmonics. -"THICK"(down) - designed with a massive low-end, textured mids and blistering highs. Turning up the DRIVE knob adds sustain to the highs and fuller low-end harmonics. 17. DRIVE CONTROL For mild tube saturation, set the DRIVE control below "4". For more harmonics and dynamic playing, set the control between 4 & 6. For full blown overdrive, set the control between 6 and 10 (your guitar volume should be turned all the way up). Because the V3 has been "Hot Rodded" with very high gain available from the DRIVE control, you may encounter feedback. If feedback is a problem, reduce the DRIVE or move the guitar to the side or away from the speaker(s). 18. LED CHANNEL INDICATORS The blue LED will illuminate when channel 1 is selected. The red LED will illuminate when channel 2 is selected. 19. CHANNEL VOLUME Set the volume of the channel to be used. The level of signal coming out of the EFFECT SENDS will also change. To change the volume of all channels without upsetting the balance between the 3 channels, use the MASTER volume control. CHANNEL 3 CLEAN 20. CLEAN VOLUME Switch to Channel 3 for"clean" playing. Adjust the DRIVE and VOLUME controls together to set the level for this channel. 21. LED CHANNEL 3 INDICATOR The Yellow LED will illuminate when CHANNEL 3 is selected. 22. CLEAN DRIVE For the cleanest sounds with the most headroom, set the DRIVE control below "5". As the DRIVE is turned up, tube dynamics and harmonics are introduced to your sound. Try different sounds by setting the DRIVE MODE switch. 23. DRIVE MODE 3-POSITION SWITCH The switch labeled BRIGHT/SOAK is a 3-position switch that changes the gain structure of the channel. This provides three choices of drive styles: -"BRIGHT" - adds high end to the preamp, inviting high frequencies to chime and sustain as the DRIVE is turned up. -(CENTER) - A classic, open clean sound with lots of headroom. Turning up the DRIVE adds harmonics and mild compression. -"SOAK" - boosts all preamp frequencies. As the DRIVE is turned up, a vintage snarl is available when played hard.