FAME SL30B User manual

ELECTRIC BASS AMP
Owner‘s Manual
SL30B

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Congratulations!
We would like to thank you for purchasing the SL30B Electric Bass Amplifier.
It has been specially designed and developed for the use with electric basses.
Before using your new amplifier, we advise to read the following pages carefully.
Taking care of your SL30B
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 voltage shown on the back of
the amplifier is the correct voltage for the
location you are using it. The SL30B 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 advise you
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 SL30B
• The SL30B 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 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 SL30B.
Cleaning the SL30B
• 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 environment
• 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.
• Only use a grounded power cable in good
condition.

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Content
Setting up the SL30B ...................................................................................................... 4
Peripheral Connections.................................................................................................. 5
Preamp Section ............................................................................................................... 6
Basics................................................................................................................................... 6
Contour................................................................................................................................ 6
Controls & Switches........................................................................................................ 7
Special Gimmicks............................................................................................................ 8
Specifications ................................................................................................................... 9

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Setting up the SL30B
WARNING!
To avoid electrical shock or any other damage, make sure that the SL30B
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 SL30B is set up for 230 V of line
voltage. Once the amplifier is plugged in, you can
get started!
Connecting an electric bass
The input jacks on the left side of the frontpanel
receiveyourelectric basssignal bymeansof ashielded
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 SL30B has a built-in 10” speaker. It can be
damaged by heavy feedbacks of the connected
instruments. You should always keep a sufficient
distance to the amplifier to avoid such feedbacks. 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 SL30B.
Mismatched voltages can and most likely will destroy
your amplifier. Should you encounter voltages and
frequencies other than those indicated, a transformer
must be used between the power socket and the
SL30B. 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 0,5 A slow blow. It is crucially important to use the
specified fuse values only.
Maintenance
All checkups and repairs must be undertaken 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 SL30B features two different input jacks, which
you you will find on the very left side of the panel.
They are titled with “Passive” and “Active”, and were
installed to transmit the signal of your bass perfectly
to the preamp of the amplifier. If you play a bass
with high output pickups (i.e. humbuckers or active
systems), you should use the “Active” input. For the
usage with singlecoil equipped basses, we recom-
mend the “Passive” input.
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 SL30B. The built-in fx-loop
is serial type. This means that the signal path of the
SL30B is interrupted, the signal is sent to the effects
unit, gets processed and then sent back to the return
of the power amp.
Headphone
For quiet practicing at home you can also use
optional headphones. For best performance and a
brilliant sound, we recommend our Fame DT 790
studio headphones. Please note that the overall
volume of the amplifier will influence the master
volume of your headphones.
CONNECTIONS ON THE BACK
Mains
This jack is used to connect the SL30B to a grounded
power outlet.
Your guitar cord is an important part of our signal chain and its quality and
construction type clearly affect 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 SL30B/Contour
Basics
On the frontpanel of the SL30B you will find several possibilities to
adjust the overall sound in combination with an electric bass. The
preamp also features a built-in contour control, which can customize
the dynamic range of the signal to your favourite setting. This can be
useful if you want to adjust the amplifier’s sound to a specific playing
style. You can always work with one basic sound, as the SL30B is a
single channel amplifier.
Contour
In addition to the SL30B’s general equalization, we built in a contour
control right next to the treble knob.
This knob allows you to adjust the middle frequencies in a very
fine range. In the lowest position, the sound will be very raw with
a high dynamic range. The more you turn the knob clockwise, the
sound will be less dynamic and the middle frequencies will become
flat. This can be useful if you would like to play funky styles or slap
techniques.

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Controls and Switches
We suggest you start exploring the channels with all controls set to 12:00
o‘clock and the master volume slightly cracked open.
Volume
This knob controls the master volume of the SL30B.
At the same time, the preamp level will increase too
which can lead to unrequested distortion. This also
depends on the bass model you are using.
Bass
Controls the low frequencies of the overall sound. If
you would like to have a deeper sound with more low
end, you can add lows by turning this knob clockwise
up to the wanted setting.
Middle
Adds or removes middle frequencies in the overall
sound.
Treble
Controls the overall value of high frequencies in the
overall sound.
Contour
This knob allows you to adjust the middle frequencies
in a very fine range. By turning the knob clockwise,
the sound will be more flat and less dynamic.
Mains
This switches the SL30B on or off.

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External Effects
We are convinced that the basic sound of the Fame
SL30B will suit the demands of most bass players.
Although, the usage of external effects devices can
provide a variety of new and interesting sounds.
These are divided into:
• 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 effect groups can be inserted in the fx
loop of the SL30B, level-related units must always be con-
nected between instrument and amplifier.
A lot of our customers gave us a positive feedback on
using an Auto-WahWah in front of the SL30B.
How to choose the right device
High-quality effects like a vibrato or time-based units like
delays can round up 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. Depending on 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.
Hints & Gimmicks
We came up with the following advice and “wisdom“ according to our
personal experiences. This will help you to improve the performance of your
SL30B.

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Specifications
Power Output: 30 Watts
Speakers: 1 x 10“ Special Design
Switches: Power
Equalization: Bass, Middle, Treble, Contour
Effects: none
Connection Jacks: Input (Active, Passive)
Headphones
FX Send & Return
Mains
Dimensions: 51 x 26 x 47 cm L/B/T
Weight: 16 kg
Accessories: Owner‘s Manual, Power Cable
Optional:

SL30B
2007