FAME AC60R User manual

ACOUSTIC AMP
Owner‘s Manual
AC60R

2
Congratulations!
We would like to thank you for purchasing the AC60R Acoustic Amplifier. It has
been designed and developed for the use with almost any acoustic instrument.
Before using your new amplifier, we advise to read the following pages carefully.
Taking care of your AC60R
Safety Warnings
We want you to be aware of certain safety aspects,
for reasons of product safety and liability. With all
due respect, please read the following before
operating your new Fame amplifier.
• Do not use or store your amplifier in or near
moist or wet areas.
• Make sure that the voltage shown on the back of
the amplifier is the correct voltage for the
location you are using it. The AC60R can
never be used at different voltages than shown.
• Opening the amplifier housing must only be
done by authorized personnel. No user
serviceable parts inside.
• The power amp is configured to deliver
highest tone at normal volume levels. We
suggest for your own good not to expose
yourself to very high volume levels for long
periods of time. It can lead to hearing
damage.
Transporting the AC60R
• The AC60R is a solid state instrument
amplifier. The built-in circuits are sensitive to
hits, especially when hot. To avoid damaging
the unit, we recommend using care during
setup and tear down of the unit.
• Allow the amplifier to adjust to the ambient
temperature before operating, 10 minutes
should be sufficient in all cases. Especially the
change between a cold vehicle and, in most
cases, warm stages can cause condensing
fluid inside the electrical circuit. This can lead
to circuit shorts.
• For continued road use, please protect the
amplifier with a professional flight case. Trans-
port only in operating position. Do not trans-
port upside down or on its side.
Daily use
• Never be rough with knobs, connections
or other parts of the amplifier.
• Be careful while pulling out cables. Pulling
plugs out quickly can cause damage.
• Disconnect all cables before transporting
the unit.
• Avoid physical shocks, such as hits or drops.
• You should never put any heavy items on top
of the AC60R.
Cleaning the AC60R
• Usually it is sufficient to wipe down the outside
of the amplifier with a slightly moist
cleaning rag.
• Do not use any abrasive cleaning chemicals.
• Sometimes a vacuum cleaner can be used to
remove dust and dirt from nooks and crevices.
• Avoid putting any vinyl on top of the unit.
It glues and discolours the surface.
Electric enviroment
• This amplifier contains electric circuits, which
can cause interference when operating near
Radio or TV units. If you notice any abnormal
noise, we recommend to put the amplifier
away from such devices.
• Blown fuses can only be replaced with fuses
of equal values. The use of incorrect fuses is
prohibited and can cause severe injury or
damage of the amplifier.
• Use only a grounded power cable in good
condition.

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Content
Setting up the AC60R ..................................................................................................... 4
Peripheral Connections.................................................................................................. 5
Preamp Section ............................................................................................................... 6
Channels .............................................................................................................................. 6
Effects .................................................................................................................................. 6
Notch Feedback Filter............................................................................................................ 6
Controls & Switches........................................................................................................ 7
Special Gimmicks I.......................................................................................................... 8
Special Gimmicks II ........................................................................................................ 9
Specifications ................................................................................................................... 10

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Setting up the AC60R
WARNING!
To avoid electrical shock or any other damage, make sure that the AC60R
and all other devices are switched off before you start connecting them to the
amplifier!
Power Connections/Mains
Before connecting to a grounded power outlet,
make sure the power switches are in the off position
(facing down). The AC60R is set up for 230 V of line
voltage. Once the amplifier is plugged in, you can
get started!
Connecting an acoustic instrument
The input jack on the left side of the frontpanel
receives your acoustic instrument signal by means of
a shielded guitar cord with 1/4” mono style plug.
Make sure the master volume of the amplifier is set
to the lowest position to avoid disturbing noise while
connecting.
Speaker protection
The AC60R has two built-in 8” Speakers and a 1” HF
Horn. These can be damaged by heavy feedbacks of
the connected instruments. You should always keep a
sufficient distance to the amplifier to avoid such feed-
backs. This will extend the life of the speaker and the
power amp.
Travelling Abroad
If travelling to countries outside the EU, always check
their local voltage before operating the AC60R.
Mismatched voltages can and most likely will destroy
your amplifier. Should you encounter voltages and
frequencies other than those indicated, a transfor-
mer must be used between the power socket and the
AC60R. This transformer must be able to transform
the voltage and frequency to one of the indicated
settings.
Main Fuse
The main fuse is situated in a little drawer which is
part of the power input jack. This sliding fuse holder
also hides a spare fuse. For 230 V, the fuse must be
a 2A slow blow. It is crucially important to use the
specified fuse values only.
Maintenance
All checkups and repairs must be performed by
authorized service personnel. With the right treat-
ment, the electric circuit and the power amp will not
need any kind of maintenance at all.

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Periphal Connections
Signal In Jacks
The AC60R has several types of input jacks built in.
In Channel 1 you will find a mono style 1/4” jack
for connecting acoustic instruments (i.e. an acoustic
guitar). The second channel offers different connec-
tion types. The XLR jack can be used for vocal micro-
phones, so you can sing while playing your instru-
ment. With the two RCA jacks it is possible to connect
external audio devices, such as CD/MP3-players, for
the usage of playbacks or to jam with your favourite
music tracks. Please note that you can only use one
of the possibilities described above. The simultaneous
use can overload the preamp which can damage the
unit.
CONNECTIONS ON THE BACKSIDE
FX-Loop
On the back of your amplifier you will find both a
send and a return jack. These will be useful if you
want to loop external effects units between preamp
and power amp of the AC60R. The built-in fx-loop
is serial type. This means that the signal path of the
AC60R is interrupted, the signal is sent to the effects
unit, gets processed and then sent back to the return
of the power amp.
XLR-Direct Out/Line Out
Your AC60R needs to be connected to a PA-System?
You would like to record the sound directly to your
recording desk or audio interface?
The XLR-Direct Out was put in to do just that. All you
need is a standard 3-pin XLR cable to connect the
AC60R to a channel strip of a mixing desk. Please
note that the volume set on the amplifier will be the
level that’s running into the channel strip of your
mixing desk. You should set the volume to the lowest
level possible and increase it step-wise.
Footswitch
With an optional footswitch, it is possible to control
the AC60R’s Chorus and Reverb functions. To use
this option, you just need to connect the footswitch
with the “Foot” jack on the back of the amplifier. We
recommend our heavy-rugged VM-38 model for best
performance.
Mains
This jack is used to connect the AC60R to a grounded
power outlet.
Your guitar cord is an important part of your signal chain and it‘s quality and
construction type clearly affects the overall tone of your rig. Try and buy the
best quality cord you can or want to afford for maximum sound!

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Preamp Section of the AC60R
Channel 1
The first channel of the AC60R is exclusively used for acoustic
instruments, i.e. acoustic guitars. You will find a level adjustment as
well as an equalizer. We built in a mono type 6,35 mm jack for the
connection of your acoustic instrument.
Channel 2
The second channel offers several connection types. It is possible
to either connect a second instrument, a vocal microphone or an
external audio device. You will find the appropriate input jacks left
of the equalizer.
Effects
The AC60R comes with a high quality effects processor, which
contains Chorus and Reverb. The Chorus adds a delayed signal to the
original signal with a constant delay. The delay is very short in order
not to be perceived as echo. It is also slightly pitched, so it creates a
multiple voiced sound that reminds a little bit of a 12-string guitar. The
Reverb simulates the time and frequency of a real room. Shortly after
the direct sound, the reverberant sound arrives. This can enhance the
sound of acoustic instruments and voices.
Notch Feedback Filter
A “Notch Feedback Filter” is a band-stop filter with a narrow stop-
band. This feature reduces feedback, while having a noticable effect
on the rest of the frequency spectrum. It will be explained later in this
documentation.

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Controls and Switches
We suggest you start exploring the channels with all controls set to 12 o‘clock
and the master volume slightly cracked open.
CHANNEL 1
Volume
This knob controls the volume of Channel 1. The
chosen setting takes effect on the amplifiers overall
sound
Bass & Treble
These controls are responsible for the overall sound of
Channel 1. Bass adjusts the lower frequencies while
Treble will decrease or increase the level of high fre-
quencies.
CHANNEL 2
Volume
This knob controls the volume of Channel 2. The
chosen setting takes effect on the amplifiers overall
sound.
Bass & Treble
These controls are responsible for overall sound of
Channel 2. Bass adjusts the lower frequencies while
Treble will decrease or increase the level of high fre-
quencies.
CHORUS SECTION
Speed
Controls the rate at which the chorus modulates. Turn
this knob clockwise to increase the rate, and counter-
clockwise to decrease the rate.
Depth
Controls the depth of the chorus effect. Turn this knob
clockwise to increase the depth for a thick chorus
sound, and counter-clockwise to decrease the depth
for a shallow, light chorus sound.
CH1 & CH2
These buttons activate the chorus effect for every
channel of the AC60R. If you wish to use the chorus
for Channel 1, just push “CH1”.
REVERB
Balance
This knob controls how much reverb is
assigned to every channel of the AC60R.
Reverb
Controls the percentage of effect used for the overall
signal.
NOTCH FEEDBACK FILTER
Frequence
This knob controls the frequency that needs to be
reduced inside the overall signal. The bandwidth
ranges from 60Hz up to 1 kHz.
Phase
This feature allows you to turn the phase of the
signal about 180 degrees. By activating this option, all
frequencies that erase each other will be turned
around to fit inside the whole frequency spectrum.
Notch
This switch activates the Notch Feedback Filter. If you
notice a frequence that is out of phase, we recom-
mend the following procedure:
Activate the “Notch” switch. Turn the “Frequence”
knob clockwise until the phased-out frequency is
erased.
Master
This knob controls the overall volume of the AC60R.

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Connected Instruments
Various acoustic guitars feature a built-in pickup system
as well as high-quality preamps. In most cases, they also
contain a control panel on the side with the option to
change several settings (i.e. volume or overall sound). This
can cause problems sometimes, if you want to synchronize
the settings between your guitar and the amplifier. For this
case we recommend the following procedure:
• Set all controls of the AC60R to 12:00 o’clock.
• Start adjusting the settings on the panel of your
acoustic guitar until you find your favorite sound,
but make sure that the volume is set to a lower level.
If this procedure did not deliver the desired effect, it is
recommended to work the opposite way. All controls of
the guitar’s side panel must be set to a neutral position
before you start adjusting the controls of the AC60R.
If you would like to further enhance the sound of your
amplifier, it can be useful to insert an external equalizer.
These units are able to control almost every frequency
inside the whole spectrum seperated from each other.
For using the second channel with another instrument, a
vocal microphone or an external audio device, the follow-
ing points could be very helpful:
• You should carefully approach the final loudness
of every channel.
• Try to place the connected instruments clearly inside
the frequency spectrum by using the equalizer in
both channels.
• When using the built-in effects, we recommend to
carefully approach the desired value. The reverb
should be used sensible to avoid feedback and keep
the signal clear and transparent.
• The rate of external effect devices should also be
well adjusted.
External Effects
The acoustic guitar is the most natural and original form
of a guitar in general.
Most guitar players try to keep the sound of an acous-
tic instrument as natural as possible, even when it’s
amplified. Although, the usage of additional effects
devices can provide a wide range of interesting sounds.
These are divided into level-based, volume-related,
filtering-related and time-based.
• Level-related effects are: Compressor, Limiter or
Noise Gate
• Time-based effects are: Delay/Echo, Chorus or
Flanger
• Volume-based effects are: Tremolo, Auto-Volume or
Pan
• Filtering-related effects are: Equalizer, Phaser,
Rotary or Vibe
While the last three effects groups can be inserted in the
fx-loop of the AC60R, level-related units must always be
connected between instrument and amplifier. Due to the
fact that the AC60R features a notch filter, there is no need
to use an external noise gate or stop-band filter.
A lot of our customers gave us a positive feedback on the
usage of a compressor in front of the AC60R.
Special Gimmicks I
We came up with the following advice and “wisdom“ according to our per-
sonal experiences. This will help you to improve the performance of your
AC60R.

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Special Gimmicks II
How to choose the right device
High-quality effects like a vibrato or time-based units like
delays can complete the sound, when placed in the fx loop
of the amplifier. But the final sound is depending on the
choice of the specific unit.
A multieffects processor i.e. digitalizes the incoming
signal by using an AD-converter and inverts it after adding
several effects. In addition to the used model, the sound
can be influenced in a negative way.
Expensive units contain very capable converters, which
keep the signal in its original value and even improve the
sound quality.
Analogue units will not harm the signal’s quality, but they
are also limited and normally produce only one overall
sound.

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Specifications
Power Output: 60 Watts
Speakers: 2 x 8“, HF-Horn 1“
Switches: Chorus CH1 & CH2, Feedback Phase & Notch, Mains
Equalization: Bass, Treble (Channel 1); Bass, Treble (Channel 2)
Effects: Reverb, Chorus
Connection Jacks: Input (Channel 1)
AUX (Channel 2)
Microphone (Channel 2)
Input (Channel 2)
FX Send & Return
XLR Direct Out
Line Out
Footswitch
Dimensions: 54,2 x 41,6 x 26,1 cm
Weight: 14 kg
Accessories: Owner‘s Manual, Power Cable
Optional: Footswitch VM-38 (Music Store)