FAME VS5012 User manual

ELECTRIC GUITAR AMP
Owner‘s Manual
VS5012

2
Congratulations!
We would like to thank you for purchasing the VS5012 Electric Guitar Amplifier.
It has been specially designed and developed for the use with electric guitars.
Before using your new amplifier, we advise to read the following pages carefully.
Taking care of your VS5012
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 VS5012 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 VS5012
• The VS5012 is a vacuum tube instrument
amplifier. The built-in tubes 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, 30 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.
Transport only in operating position. Do not
transport 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 VS5012.
Cleaning the VS5012
• 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.
• Only use a grounded power cable in good
condition.

3
Content
Setting up the VS5012................................................................................................... 4
Peripheral Connections.................................................................................................. 5
Preamp Section ............................................................................................................... 6
Channels .............................................................................................................................. 6
Reverb.................................................................................................................................. 6
Controls & Switches........................................................................................................ 7
Special Gimmicks............................................................................................................ 8
Specifications ................................................................................................................... 9

4
Setting up the VS5012
WARNING!
To avoid electrical shock or any other damage, make sure that the VS5012
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 VS5012 is set up for 230 V of line
voltage. You should start up like this: Set the power
switch to position „On“ and wait for about 40-60
seconds. During this time, all tubes and electric cir-
cuits will warm up. After that you can activate the
power amp by switching the standby switch to the
“On“ position. Once the amplifier is activated, you
can get started!
Connecting an electric guitar
The input jacks on the left side of the frontpanel
receive your electric guitar 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 VS5012 has a built-in 12” 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 VS5012.
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
VS5012.Thistransformermustbeabletotransformthe
voltage and frequency to one of the indicated settings.
Main Fuse
The main fuse is situated inside a rotating pin next to
the power input. This sliding fuse holder also hides a
spare fuse. For 230 V, the fuse must be a 1,25A slow
blow. It is crucially important to use the specified fuse
values only.
Tube Maintenance
Power tubes last 1 to 3 years, depending on care,
volume and frequency of use of the amplifier. If you
use your amp only once a month, then the tubes
will last longer. Get it? We have heard tubes that
were over 10 years old, but it was not a good thing.
Tubes age very slowly, slow enough for the artist to
get used to the changing tone. To keep things fresh,
we recommend retubing, cleaning and biasing once
a year if the amp is used frequently.

5
Periphal Connections
Signal In Jacks
The VS5012 features two different input jacks, which
you will find on the very left side of the panel. They
are titled with “High” and “Low”, and were in-
stalled to transmit the signal of your guitar perfectly
to the preamp of the amplifier. If you play a guitar
with high output pickups (i.e. humbuckers or active
systems), you should use the “Low” input. For the
usage with singlecoil equipped guitars, we recom-
mend the “High” input.
CONNECTIONS ON THE BACK
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 VS5012. The built-in fx-loop
is serial type. This means that the signal path of the
VS5012 is interrupted, the signal is sent to the effects
unit, gets processed and then sent back to the return
of the power amp.
Speaker Outputs
These jacks can be used to connect the VS5012 to an
optional speaker cabinet. This option will be useful if
you would like to enhance the volume and low end of
your overall sound. Please note that the impendance
value on the back of the connected cabinet has to
be identical to the value shown on the back of the
amplifier.
Footswitch
These jacks are for the connection with the optional
footswitch Fame FS400. It switches the most impor-
tant functions of the amplifier by foot while you can
just play without changing position.
Mains
This jack is used to connect the VS5012 to a ground-
ed power outlet.
Your guitar cord is an important part of the 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!

6
Preamp Section of the VS5012
Normal Channel
The VS5012’s Normal channel offers you a very clean and brilliant
sound. At a higher setting of the “Clean” knob you are able to slightly
overdrive the preamp. The basic sound features a british accent. With
the boost switch, the preamp can be overdriven more to create a
bluesy lead sound. The built-in 12” speaker also features very low
frequencies, so there is no need to worry when playing with deeper
tunings or 7-string guitars.
Overdrive Channel
You shouldn’t mess with this one! The Overdrive channel is able to
produce a wide range of overdrive and distortion sound. Starting at
a bluesy crunch sound, it goes up to very high gained rhythm or solo
sounds. It also features two independent gain controls, which can be
switched by hand or foot. Every gain stage has its own character,
while Gain 2 produces more drive and compression. The basic sound
will remind you of the sounds of a very famous british company.
Reverb
The VS5012 features a built-in reverb effect. It can enhance
the overall sound of the amplifier, if you would like to produce a
special clean sound. We recommend to use this option very carefully.
It can also cause a very unclear overall sound.

7
Controls and Switches
We suggest you start exploring the channels with all controls set to 12:00
o‘clock and the master volume slightly turned up.
OVERDRIVE CHANNEL
Gain 1
If active, this knob controls the amount of gain in the
overdrive channel.
Gain Switch
Switches between the two gain knobs of this
channel. With an optional footswitch you can also
handle this function by foot.
Gain 2
If active, this knob controls the amount of gain in the
overdrive channel.
Bass, Middle, Treble
These three knobs control the overall sound of the
overdrive channel. Bass controls the level of low fre-
quencies, while Middle and Treble are responsible for
the middle and high frequencies.
Level
Controls the overall volume of the overdrive channel.
CHANNEL SWITCH
Switches between the two channels of the VS5012.
With an optional footswitch, this option can also be
handled by foot.
NORMAL CHANNEL
Level
Controls the overall volume of the Normal channel.
Boost Switch
Activates the boost option of the Normal channel.
With an optional footswitch, this option can also be
handled by foot.
Bass, Middle, Treble
These three knobs control the overall sound of
the Normal channel. Bass controls the level of low
frequencies, while Middle and Treble are
responsible for the middle and high frequencies.
MASTER
Reverb
Controls the amount of reverb in the overall sound
of the VS5012. The more you turn this knob clock-
wise, the more effect will be heard inside the sig-
nal. We recommend a well-balanced setting for this
option. A very high amount of reverb can disturb the
signals qualtiy.
Volume
Controls the overall volume of the VS5012. Please
note that the maximum amount of volume will be
reached at a setting around 2 o‘clock. A higher
setting will harm the lifespan of the power amp tu-
bes.
Standby
Switches between the active and passive mode of the
amplifier.
Power
Switches the VS5012 on or off.

8
External Effects
We are convinced that the basic sound of the Fame
VS5012 will suit the demands of most guitar 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 effects groups can be inserted in the
fx loop of the VS5012, level-related units must always be
connected between instrument and amplifier.
A lot of our customers gave us a positive feedback on
using a boost pedal in front of the VS5012.
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 experience. This will help you to improve the performance of your
VS5012.

9
Specifications
Power Output: 50 Watts
Speakers: 1 x 12“ High Performance speaker
Tubes: 3 x 12AX7EH & 1 x 12AT7EH preamp, 2 x EL34EH power amp
Switches: Gain Switch, Channel Switch, Boost Switch, Standby, Power
Equalization: Bass, Middle, Treble
Effects: Reverb
Connection Jacks: Input (High & Low)
FX Send & Return
Footswitch
Power Socket
Dimensions: 57,2 x 48 x 25,5 cm
Weight: 24,1 kg
Accessories: Owner‘s Manual, Power Cable
Optional: Footswitch Fame FS400

VS5012
2007