MASTER ACOUSTIC FAME User manual

ACOUSTIC AMP
Owner‘s Manual
MASTER ACOUSTIC

2
Congratulation!
We would like to thank you for purchasing the Master 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.
Take care about your Master Acoustic
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 amplier in or near
moist or wet areas
• Make sure that voltage shown on the back of
the amplier is the correct voltage for the
location you are using it. The Master Acoustic
can never be used at different voltages than
shown
• Opening the amplier housing must only be
done by authorized personnel. No user
serviceable parts inside
• The power amp is congured to deliver
highest tone at normal volume levels. We
causion for your own good not to expose to
very high volume levels for long periods of
time. It can lead to hearing damage
Transporting the Master Acoustic
• The Master Acoustic is a solid state instrument
amplier. 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 the unit
• Allow the amplier to adjust 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.
Transport onyl in operating position. Do not
transport upside down or on its side.
Daily use
• Never act violent to knobs, connections
or other parts of the amplifier
• Be careful while pulling out cables. Pulling
plugs out too fast can cause damages
• 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 Master Acoustic.
Cleaning the Master Acoustic
• Usually it is sufcient to wipe down the
outside of the amplifier with 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 to put any vinyl on the top of the unit.
It glues and discolours the surface
Electric enviroment
• This amplier contains electric circuits, which
can cause interferences 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
operation condition

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Content
Setting up the Master Acoustic....................................................................................... 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

4
Setting up the Master Acoustic
WARNING!
To avoid electrical shocks or any other damages, make sure that the Master
Acoustic 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 Master Acoustic is set up for 230
V of line voltage. Once the amplier is connected to
power, 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 amplier is set
to the lowest position to avoid disturbing noise while
connecting.
Speaker protection
The Master Acoustic has two built-in 8” Speakers
and a 1” HF Horn. These can be damaged be heavy
feedbacks of the connected instruments. You should
always keep a sufcient distance to the amplier to
avoid such feedbacks. This will extend the life of the
speakers and the power amp.
Traveling Abroad
If traveling to countries outside the EU, then always
check their local voltage before operating the Master
Acoustic. Mismatched voltages can and most likely
will destroy your amplier. Should you encounter
voltages and frequencies other than those indica-
ted, a transformer must be used between the power
socket and the Master Acoustic. This transformer
must be able to transform the voltage and frequency
to one of the indicated settings.
Main Fuse
The main fuse ist 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
specied fuse values only.
Maintenance ???
All checkups and repairs must be undertaken by
authorized service personnel. In the right treatment,
the electric circuit and the power amp will not need
any kind of maintenance at all.

5
Periphal Connections
Signal In Jacks
The Master Acoustic features several types of input
jacks. In Channel 1 you will nd a mono style 1/4”
jack for connecting acoustic instruments (i.e. an
acoustic guitar). The second channel offers different
connection types. The XLR jack can be used for vocal
microphones, so you can sing while playing your
instrument. 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 injury the unit.
CONNECTIONS ON THE BACKSIDE
FX-Loop
On the back of your amplier you will nd both a
send and a return jack. These will be useful if you
want to loop external effect units between preamp
and power amp of the Master Acoustic. The built-in
fx-loop is serial type. This means that the signal path
of the Master Acoustic is interrupted, the signal is
sent to the effect unit, gets more or less processed
and then sent back to the return of the power amp.
XLR-Direct Out/Line Out
Your Master Acoustic 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 will realize it. All you need is
a standard 3-pin XLR cable to connect the Master
Acoustic with a channel strip of a mixing desk.
Please note that the volume set on the amplier 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 Master Acoustic‘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 Fame FS-201
model for best performance.
Mains
This jack is used to connect the Master Acoustic to a
grounded power outlet.
!!!
Your guitar cord is an important part of our signal chain and it‘s quality
and construction type clearly affect the overall tone of your rig. Try and buy
the best quality cord you can ot want to afford!

6
Preamp Section of the Master Acoustic
Channel 1
The rst channel of the Master Acoustic is exclusively used for
acoustic instruments, i.e. acoustic guitars. You will nd a level adjust-
ment 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 nd the appropriate input jacks left
beside the equalizer.
Reverb
The Master Acoustic 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 lter 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.

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 cracked open.
CHANNEL 1
Volume
This knob controls the volume of Channel 1. The
chosen setting takes effect on the ampliers 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 frequencies.
CHANNEL 2
Volume
This knob controls the volume of Channel 2. The
chosen setting takes effect on the ampliers 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
frequencies.
CHORUS SECTION
Speed
Controls the rate that 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 activates the chorus effect for every
channel of the Master Acoustic. If you wish to use
the chorus for Channel, just push “CH1”.
REVERB
Balance
This continuous control how much reverb is
arranged to every channel of the Master Acoustic.
Reverb
Controls the percentage of the effect inside 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 cancel 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
recommend the following procedure:
Activate the “Notch” switch. Turn the “Frequence”
knob clockwise until the phased-out frequence is
erased.
Master
This knob controls the overall volume of the Master
Acoustic.

8
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 Master Acoustic to 12:00
o’clock
• Start adjusting the settings on the panel of your
acoustic guitar until you nd 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 Master
Acoustic.
If you would like to additionally 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 next
points could be very helpful:
• You should approach carefully to the nal 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
approach carefully to the desired value. The reverb
should be sensible divided 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 acoustic
instrument as natural as possible, even when it’s
amplified. Although, the usage of additional effect
devices can improve a wide range of interesting sounds.
These are divided into level-based, volume-related,
filtering-related and time-based.
• Level-related effects are: Compresser, 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 Master Acoustic, level-related units must
always be connected between instrument and amplifier.
Due to the fact that the Master Acoustic 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 to the
usage of a compressor in front of the Master Acoustic.
Special Gimmicks I
We made up the following advices and “wisdoms“ according to our personal
experiences. This will help you to improve the performance of your Master
Acoustic.

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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 round up the sound, when placed in the fx
loop of the amplier. But the nal 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 addiction to the used model,
the sound can be inuenced in a negative way.
Expensive units contain very capable converters, which
keep the signal in it’s 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.

10
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: 41 x 55 x 26,5 cm
Weight: 15 kg
Accessories: Owner‘s Manual, Power Cable
Optional: Footswitch Fame FS-201