ENGLISH From Jim Marshall I would like to thank you personally for selecting one of our Valvestate 2000 AVT amplifiers. Ever since its initial launch in the early 1990’s, the original Marshall Valvestate technology received worldwide acclaim and set a new standard in affordable quality amplification. However, my dedicated team of designers are constantly looking for methods to make our amplifiers sound even better. As they are all guitar players themselves this process has become a passion within the design department. As the name Advanced Valvestate Technology (AVT) suggests, your new amplifier benefits from their research and utilises their latest circuit innovations, all of which are totally unique to Marshall. By emulating the feel and response of an all-valve amplifier even more closely, the new AVT range perform brilliantly and represent yet another major step forward in guitar sound technology. I suggest that you read this manual thoroughly before operating your new amplifier and keep it in a safe place for future reference. This will help you to derive maximum enjoyment from our Advanced Valvestate Technology. Wishing you every success. Yours Sincerely, 1 ENGLISH WARNING! - Important safety instructions WARNING: THIS APPARATUS MUST BE EARTHED! WARNING! - Important safety instructions (cont.) ? Caution: Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance may void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. A PLEASE read this instruction manual carefully before switching on. B ALWAYS use the supplied mains lead, if a replacement is required please contact your authorised Marshall Dealer. C NEVER attempt to by-pass the fuses or fit ones of the incorrect value. Head or AVT275 are of a high quality screened type. These should not exceed 10 metres in length. Always use a Marshall approved speaker lead with the AVT150H Head and extension cabinets. D DO NOT attempt to remove the amplifier chassis, there are no user serviceable parts. ? WARNING: Do not obstruct ventilation grilles and always ensure free movement of air around E Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel including replacement of fuses and valves. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as the power supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally or has been dropped. F NEVER use an amplifier in damp or wet conditions. No objects filled with liquids should be placed on the apparatus. When cleaning, only use a dry cloth. G ALWAYS unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time. H Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles and at the point where they exit from the apparatus. I DO NOT switch the amplifier on without the loudspeaker connected. J ENSURE that any extension cabinets used are of the correct impedance. ? Note: It is recommended that all audio cables used to connect to the AVT150 Combo, AVT150H the amplifier! USA ONLY - DO NOT defeat the purpose of the polarised or grounding type plug. A polarised plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong is provided for your safety. When the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet. FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS AND HEED ALL WARNINGS KEEP THESE INSTRUCTIONS ! ? EUROPE ONLY - Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the requirements of the EMC directive (Environments E1, E2 and E3 EN 55103-1/2) and the Low Voltage directive in the E.U. ? EUROPE ONLY - Note: The Peak Inrush current for the AVT150, AVT150H & AVT275 is 32 amps. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: ? Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. ? Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver. ? Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. ? Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. 2 3 ENGLISH ! ENGLISH ENGLISH Introduction Introduction (cont.) What is AVT? DFX Onboard Advanced Valvestate Technology, or AVT for short, is a major step forward in hybrid amplifier design which is exclusive to our new Valvestate 2000 (VS2000) Series of amplifiers. It has evolved from the original, critically acclaimed Marshall Valvestate technology, but is improved so that it emulates even more closely the feel and response of the classic Marshall all-valve power stage.without using valves. It is not only the power stage that has been significantly improved in the VS2000 Series either. Much careful attention to detail and many hours of development have also gone into the preamp section too. As a result, each AVT channel offers the widest possible range of control and shape to your sound, with an ECC83 (a.k.a.12AX7) preamp valve adding to the all-important tone and feel of these latest Marshall creations. Valve Drive Preamp As just stated, each amp in the VS2000 range boasts a preamp stage equipped with an ECC83 Dual Triode valve. Drawing on our vast experience in this field, we have gone to great lengths to ensure that this precious device delivers maximum sonic benefit at all settings and volume levels. As a result, the clean sounds ring with the ‘bell-like’ harmonics that only a valve preamp can deliver and the break-up is never harsh or unnatural sounding. Whenever an AVT Overdrive channel is selected the ECC83’s dual triode is saturated to its limit, providing the dynamics and feel worthy of a place in the Marshall hall of fame. Power Amp Delivery The same sort of toneful care and attention was also focused on the all-important power stages of the AVT series too. Our goal was to ensure that each one would create the warm, musical feel and 3-dimensional sounds that have made our all-valve power amps world renowned. In addition, these VS2000 products were designed to deliver the goods in the often hostile and unpredictable environment of the live performance stage - which is why all the AVT power amps, from the AVT50 upwards, are fan cooled for optimum reliability. 'Extended Bass Response' Loudspeakers Knowing how important the relationship between the amplifier and speaker is, this is another area where we spent a great deal of time and effort when developing the VS2000 Series. By working extremely closely with our long-term colleagues at Celestion Loudspeakers, we have successfully developed a range of speakers which, through radical design, re-define the state-of-theart in rock guitar reproduction. In a nutshell, they allow the compact closed back cabinets used in the AVT range, to maintain the bottom end delivery normally only associated with a full 4 x12 cabinet setup. At Marshall our aim is to create products that offer our fellow guitarists true inspiration in the practice and performance of their art. When integrating DFX (Digital Effects) into the tonal topology of AVT, the greatest care was taken to ensure that the highest level of signal integrity was maintained. Through careful shaping and mixing of the ‘wet’ (processed) and ‘dry’ (unprocessed) signals, we have ensured that the onboard effects enhance your tone while adding none of the nasty, artificial ‘grain’ often associated with DFX. Different effect types can be assigned to the Clean and Overdrive channels and can, of course, be turned on and off via the sturdy 6-way LED foot controller supplied with your amp. We are so proud and enthused by the end results of our labour that we feel fully justified in hailing Advanced Valvestate Technology as a major breakthrough in hybrid guitar amplifier design. We are convinced that you will derive as much pleasure from playing them as we did while designing them. Enjoy! AVT150/AVT150H & AVT275 Front Panel Features Note: The amp’s Master Presence control (21) affords you further adjustment of the high end. I. The Preamp Section Your AVT amp boasts no fewer than four channels: Acoustic Simulator, Clean, Overdrive 1 and Overdrive 2. The preamp section is where the gain, tone and relative volume of these four channels is determined. 1 4 This changes the ‘body resonance’ simulation of the channel from that of a regular sized, steel-string acoustic (switch ‘out’) to that of a large bodied, ‘Jumbo’ acoustic (switch ‘in’). Input Jack Socket This is where you plug your guitar into the amp. You must always use a screened (shielded) guitar cable and never use an unscreened (unshielded) speaker cable. Also, this cable should be one of good quality. If you are in any doubt regarding this, your Marshall dealer will be more than happy to help and advise you. 2 5 6 Clean Channel Selector Switch This allows selection of the Clean channel via the front panel. 7 Acoustic Simulator Channel Selector Switch Clean Channel Gain Control This rotary control regulates the drive into the two cascaded valve stages of the preamp. Lower settings will give you a wide range of well defined, warm clean tones. Top Control At higher Gain settings you will pass through natural, valve-induced compression and into an increased level of desirable ‘breakup’ (a.k.a. ‘crunch’) which is perfect for subtly overdriven blues/rock. This control takes the channel’s sound from a mellow, acoustic tone (similar to a microphone placed towards the neck of the instrument) all the way to a bright, piezo-like acoustic sound and all points in-between. 4 Volume Control This dictates how loud the Acoustic Simulator Channel will be. Allows selection of the Acoustic Simulator channel via the front panel. 3 Body Switch 5 ENGLISH 8 each one functions depends on the exact position of the other two controls. This is especially true of the Bass and Treble controls in relation to the Middle control. As you will discover, the lower the Middle control is set, the more ‘reactive’ the others become. Bright Switch Most of the Gain controls in classic Marshall amps have been fitted with what is known as a ‘treble bleed capacitor’. This device allows extra high frequencies to be ‘bled’ through to the drive section when the Gain control is at low settings. Engaging the Bright Switch will ‘bleed’ extra high frequencies into the drive stage of the Clean channel, giving you a bright, clean tone perfect for many styles, including funk and country. As tone is very much down to personal taste, experimentation and experience is probably the best way of learning how these three controls will affect your sound. To offer you some guidance, suggested settings are shown later on in this manual. The higher the Gain control is set, the less effect the ‘treble bleed capacitor’ has. As a result, at maximum Gain settings, the bright switch will have no audible effect at all. 9 Points to remember are: When selecting a sound on any amp: a) The tone and output level coming out of each guitar is as widely variable as guitars themselves. Remember, guitars and also pickups are not designed (nor intended) to be equal. Therefore, amp settings will vary to suit both your guitar and your playing style, and by necessity, are at your discretion. Clean Volume Control As its name suggests, this control determines the volume of the clean channel. The actual setting you choose will be dependent on how loud you want the channel to be, and also on the type of sound you have selected on the pre-amp. Due to the remarkable realism of our Advanced Valvestate Technology, once the Volume control is turnedup past a certain point the preamp will start to push the power amp section into creating its own, desirable distortion - just like an all-valve Marshall amp. When this occurs, the AVT’s power amp will start to add musical harmonics, compression and ‘break-up’ into your sound. b) The tone of your sound is also dependent on the way you set-up the Volume, Gain and Tone controls of your amp. Taking the time to adjust them to taste will further enhance the sonic textures of your AVT. As is true of all the best things in life, it is worth investing some time playing around until you find the desired sweet spot! Note: The amp’s Master Presence control (21) affords you further adjustment of the high end. Note: As each channel has its own volume control, you can easily balance the levels of all four channels as you so desire. Once set to your satisfaction, these controls can be left alone and you can use the amp’s Master Volume knob (20) to set your overall volume level. 11 OD1 Channel Select Switch Pressing this front panel switch selects the Overdrive 1 (OD1) channel of your AVT. 12 OD1 Gain Control This rotary control can be best described as the ‘sonic brain’ of the OD1 channel. Lower Gain settings will produce well-defined, natural sounding overdrives which have a nice ‘cut,’ making them perfect for funky, blues rock. Higher gain settings will see the sound start to get more ‘rounded’ as the AVT’s pre-amp valve is pushed into saturation. 10 Clean Tone Controls The Clean channel is equipped with rotary Bass, Middle, and Treble controls. These three passive EQ controls are designed to achieve maximum tonal variation from your AVT amplifier and, just like the tone controls on our famous all-valve amps, are highly interdependent on each other. As a result, the way 6 AVT150/AVT150H & AVT275 Front Panel Features 13 OD1 Scoop Switch 16 OD2 Gain Control Fine tuned to create the most awesome mid ‘scoop’ imaginable, OD1's Scoop circuitry is more than just a pre-set middle control. Instead it actually reconfigures the whole postEQ voicing of the channel - from low to high. Because of this, even though the resulting ‘scooped’ sound that occurs when the switch is activated (pushed ‘in’) is totally extreme, the channel's overall tone still remains tight and focused. Cranking the OD2 Gain control will unleash the most extreme gain levels ever found on a Marshall Valvestate amplifier. The higher settings of the OD2 gain control can be likened to driving the front-end of an already raging Marshall valve amp with a high gain, overdrive stomp box. If you've already experienced the tonal pleasure of ‘front ending’ a Marshall valve amplifier in this way, you will appreciate the energy and dynamics of this type of set-up! 14 OD1 Volume Control Turning the OD2 Gain control clockwise will see more of the already smouldering signal being sweetly compressed and ‘rounded’ by the unique characteristic of the AVT's Valve Drive stage as it is driven over the top into total saturation. This channel can also be as nasty and ‘in-yer-face’ as you would like. Engaging the OD2 ‘Scoop’ button (17) will take this channel onto a new level of cranium crushing crunch, perfect for modern (a.k.a. ‘nu’) metal. As its name suggests, this control determines the volume of the OD1 channel. The actual setting you choose will be dependent on how loud you want the channel to be, and also on the type of sound you have selected on the pre-amp (i.e. high Gain settings will generate much more preamp output level than lower, cleaner sounding Gain settings). Due to the remarkable realism of our Advanced Valvestate Technology, once the Volume control is turned-up past a certain point, the preamp will start to push the power amp section into creating its own, desirable distortion - just like an all-valve Marshall amp. When this occurs, the AVT's power amp will start to add musical harmonics, compression and desirable ‘break-up’ to your sound. 17 OD2 Scoop Switch As is true of the OD1 Scoop, this circuit acts like an advanced, pre-set contour control that not only ‘scoops-out’ the mids but also shapes the highs and lows for a tight, focused sound. Engaging OD2’s Scoop Switch loads you up with a ‘bottom heavy’ sound perfect for the de-tuned, high-gain aggression favoured by many modern acts. As previously stated, each channel has its own volume control so you can easily balance the levels of all four channels. Once set to your satisfaction, these controls can be left alone and you can use the amp’s Master Volume knob (20) to set your overall volume level to best suit each playing situation and venue. 18 OD2 Volume Control This control regulates the drive of the OD2 channel into the power stage of the amplifier, hence controlling its output volume. You will find that the louder you go, the looser the bottom end of your sound will become. Having said this, the closed-back cabinet design of your AVT is such that it will deliver tight, welldefined low end at much higher volumes than any other ‘hybrid’ amplifier known to man. 15 OD2 Channel Select Switch This selects the Overdrive (OD2) channel of your amp. 7 ENGLISH AVT150/AVT150H & AVT275 Front Panel Features