REVV Generator 120 User manual

Revv Owner’s Manual - 1
Owner’s Manual
the Generator 120

Revv Owner’s Manual - 2
INTRO
Congratulations and welcome to the Revv family! Thank you for trusting
Revv Amplification with such an important part of your musical endeavors.
Enjoy tone, durability, and ease of use designed to inspire.

Revv Owner’s Manual - 3
table of contents
1.0
1.1
2.0
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.8
2.9
3.0
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
4.0
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
5.0
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
6.0
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
7.0
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
7.5
8.0
9.0
intro
— safety instructions & warnings
— set up & power up
— front panel layout
— input
— channel one (clean)
— channel two (crunch)
— channel three (purple gain)
— channel four (red gain)
— master volume controls
— presence & depth
— function controls
— standby & power switch
— rear panel layout
— main power connection
— bias test points
— impedance & speaker jacks
— FX loop connections
— serial effects loop
— FX loop on/off
— SEND level control
— FX loop in/out
— FX loop hookup
— tubes & bias
— power tubes
— power tube sockets & tube type
— preamp tubes
— power tube bias
— set the bias
— bias chart
— MIDI
— OMNI mode
— MIDI channel setting
— MIDI program change
— MIDI controllable functions
— Revv Generator 120w continuous controller
commands (CC)
— foot switch
— hook up
— control mode
— preset mode
— memory reset
— mute & the footswitch
— amp memory reset (factory default)
— specifications
warranty
— 2
— 4
— 5
— 6
— 6
— 7
— 8
— 9-10
— 11
— 12
— 13
— 14-16
— 16
— 17
— 17
— 18
— 19-20
— 21-22
— 23
— 23
— 24
— 24-25
— 25
— 26
— 26
— 27
— 27
— 27-28
— 29
— 29
— 30-31
— 31
— 32-33
— 33-34
— 34
— 35-36
— 37
— 37
— 38
— 39-40
— 40
— 40
— 41
— 41
— 42

Revv Owner’s Manual - 4
safety instructions & warnings
Please read, understand and follow all safety instructions in this manual,
as well as those on the rear panel of the amplifier. These instructions and
warnings must be followed for your safety, and also to ensure that the am-
plifier will serve you for many years. Please use common sense when
operating, this instrument is designed for electric guitar amplification, and
should only be used with electric guitar signals.
• Do not store or operate the amplifier in
damp/wet areas.
• Do not keep items that contain liquid
on or near the amplifier
• Allow for 4-6 inches of space around
the unit when operating. This unit
produces heat and should be kept
away from flammable items/objects.
• Do not expose the amplifier to high
temperature, keep away from radiators
or heat producing/supplying items.
• Be sure to connect to an AC power
supply that meets the power supply
specifications listed on the rear of the
unit.
• Do not use an AC power cord that is
damaged, has been pinched or is miss-
ing prongs.
• This amplifier must be properly
grounded to local standards when
being operated. Do not use 2 pole
extension or power cords to supply
power to this amplifier.
• Remove the AC power cord from the
amplifier when changing tubes, fuses
or when moving the amplifier. Always
replace fuses with the correct type
and rating. Always remove AC power
cord when removing chassis.
• The AC power cord should be
removed from the outlet when left
unused for long periods or when there
is risk of electrical storms.
• No user serviceable parts inside, all
service should be done by qualified
personnel only.
• Always make certain the proper load
is connected to the amplifier before
operating. Always make connections
to the amplifier with the power off.
• Your amplifier is designed to produce
high volume/sound pressure levels.
Long term exposure to these levels
can damage your hearing. Please use
hearing protection when exposed to
these levels for extended periods to
prevent loss of hearing or hearing
damage.
• Keep away from children.
1.0

Revv Owner’s Manual - 5
set up & power up
Only keep your Revv in a dry place that keeps 6” of space between the
rear and any other objects. Tubes produce heat, and anything flammable
should be kept away.
First,make sure that the power and standby switches are in the off (down)
positions. Next, connect the AC power cord to the amplifier Mains con-
nector on the rear of the amplifier - then to an AC outlet. At this point, all
other peripherals can be connected to the amplifier as well: Foot Switch,
FX Loop, Guitar, and cable
Note: A high quality, shielded instrument cable is recommended for guitar
input as well as FX loop connections to prevent unwanted noise.
Once all your connections are made, move the power switch to the On
position and give the tubes at least one minute to warm up. Now is a great
time to begin setting all controls while we wait. We recommend setting
the master volume, channel level, and gain controls to the lowest setting
or zero (fully counterclockwise) and all treble,mid and bass controls to the
12 o’clock positions to begin. Now set the standby switch to the Revv (up)
position and you are ready start!
Note: Upon power up, you will notice that all LED’s light up for a couple
seconds and then only the Channel 1 LED remains lit.This is normal as the
amp does a start up sequence at power up, then arms channel one to
begin.
1.1

Revv Owner’s Manual - 6
Front Panel Layout
Input
1/4” Instrument cable input.
Active Input
The active input jack is to be used with guitars that have active pickups
& work better with lower impedance than a guitar with passive pickups.
Because active pickups don’t require high impedance & usually provide
a stronger signal out, this jack provides the proper circuit in order to keep
the tone of the amp articulate & preventing unwanted compression &
noise. If you are finding the tone weak to your personal tastes - do not
hesitate to plug an active pickup-equipped guitarinto the passive input
to experiment with new sounds. This operation is safe - & will just hit the
front end of the amp harder if you are going for that sound.
Passive Input
The passive input jack is to be used with guitars that have passive pick-
ups & require high impedance for proper signal transfer. This jack is
designed to get the strongest signal from a passive pickup to the first
tube stage.
2.0
2.1

Revv Owner’s Manual - 7
Channel One (Clean)
Selected by: 1) pushing the designated front panel momentary toggle
switch up, 2) footswitch button #1 or a footswitch preset mode setting,
3) MIDI & CC commands.
Passive treble, middle, &bass controls with a wide range. Small turns =
large tonal change!
Level (volume) controls both volume.
Clean Bright allows you to achieve a brighter or warmer clean tone
without compromising the full range of your treble knob.This is also
useful when using gain pedals that are picky about which amp they are
boosting, so definitely experiment to taste.
Very clean (high headroom) & punchy. Takes pedals very well - or
decrease power to 10 watts for a more broken up sound with the
Output Power Switch. Channel output power is independent so you
can use this to control both tone & volume separately from all other
channels.
2.2

Revv Owner’s Manual - 8
Channel Two (Crunch)
Selected by: 1) pushing the designated front panel momentary toggle
switch down, 2) footswitch button #2 or a footswitch preset mode set-
ting, 3) MIDI & CC commands.
Passive treble, middle, & bass controls with a wide range. Small turns =
large tonal change!
Crunch Bright allows you to tailor the sound to your preferences by
shifting the high end response of this channel. It makes quite a large
difference, so don’t be afraid to turn it on if you like a much more bitey
tone! Pairing this on/off position with dialing of the treble knob can yield
very powerful results.
Crunch Gain allows you to go from an almost totally clean tone to quite a
bit of gain! Most people do not use this past noon or so - but if you go
above 3 O’Clock you will experience some cool fuzz-like tones you may
find useful!
The Output Power Switch operates separately of all other channels & is
useful to decrease power to 10 watts for a saggier sound & feel or
simply a large volume decrease.
2.3

Revv Owner’s Manual - 9
Channel Three (Purple Gain)
Selected by: 1) pushing the designated front panel momentary toggle
switch up, 2) footswitch button #3 or a footswitch preset mode setting,
3) MIDI & CC commands.
All else being equal, external of voicing switch positions, this Purple
channel is drier, tighter, & clearer than Red Channel 4, with less gain on
tap. As a result - most people use the fatter & more saturated Red Chan-
nel 4 for lead & this Purple Channel 3 for rhythm, but please experiment
to your own tastes, especially if you like a thick chunky rhythm distortion
tone or a drier lead tone.This is a 4 channel amp with 2 high gain chan-
nels so you can get the exact tones in your head without compromise -
however you choose to set it up.
Gain, treble, mid, bass &level (volume) control knobs with a wide range
of operation - small adjustment = large tonal change!
2.4

Revv Owner’s Manual - 10
Aggression has 3 levels : least saturation (green), tight saturation (blue),
& highest/fattest saturation (red). These aggression levels are highly
interactive with the gain knob & can result in everything from broken up
rock tones to metal rhythm tones & lead tones.
These aggression levels can be cycled through both by repeatedly
pressing the designated momentary toggle switch & by repeatedly
pressing the Channel #2 footswitch.
The amplifier has a midrange focus & to modify this you can either slightly
dial back the mid control or switch between the two Contour options for
a bright upper-mid focused sound (on) or a thick lower-mid focused
sound (off).
Bright & Fat extend the highs & lows respectively. I find it is best to
engage these if you prefer the overall tone either or both provide & then
set the treble & bass knobs to taste, accounting for the voicing switch
positions. Fat is also a useful tool when switching to a single-coil
equipped guitar.
The Output Power Switch on this channel functions identically to the
previous. On these gain channels you will find this useful for more satisfy-
ing saturation at low volumes. However please note that all else being
equal this will result in a more broken up oldschool sound, compared
against letting the preamp take care of much of the gain in the higher
headroom 120w mode.

Revv Owner’s Manual - 11
Channel Four (Red Gain)
Selected by: 1) pushing the designated front panel momentary toggle
switch down, 2) footswitch button #4 or a footswitch preset mode set-
ting, 3) MIDI & CC commands.
Operates as above (Channel 3). As noted there, many players prefer to
use 4 for lead, but it is totally up to you as each channel has its own char-
acter. Experimentation is key!
2.5

Revv Owner’s Manual - 12
Master Volume Controls
The Generator is equipped with 2 MIDI & foot switchable/programmable
master volume controls. These controls come right after the effects loop
& also work as the FX loop return control. These controls can be toggled
from one to the other for complete volume control & boosts.
Master volume #1 control is in use when the red “masters” LED is off.
Master volume #2 control is in use when the red “masters” LED is on.
The controls can be toggled via the front panel “masters” toggle switch,
the footswitch button #6 (or programmed bank) or a MIDI device.
2.6

Revv Owner’s Manual - 13
Presence & Depth
The Presence control from the off position to the 2 o’clock position will
give you a subtle increase in treble, & everything past that point will then
provide a greater increase for a sharper cut.
The Depth control is a bass control & will add some incredible low end
to the output. Using the control sparingly is recommended to keep the
bass response tight, as higher settings will give you a looser low end.
Note: Lowering the bass control on the three channels & increasing the
depth control is also another means of experimenting with the Genera-
tor’s voicing.
Note: Both of these are controls of the power amp section of the amplifi-
er & are global controls which affect all channels. Because they work
well with the EQ of each channel, experimentation will provide a precise
tone suited to your needs.
2.7

Revv Owner’s Manual - 14
Function Controls
The accessory functions are activated by the momentary toggle switch-
es. These switches are assigned 2 functions each & control the func-
tions when the switch is pushed in the direction of the function’s label.
The LED associated with each function will then reflect the state of the
function.
A - Masters Switch
The master volume toggle switch is a momentary switch that needs to
be pushed up in order to toggle between the 2 master volume controls.
The Red LED is illuminated when master #2 is in use & not illuminated
when master #1 is in use.
B - Mute Switch
Mute totally silences the amp & is useful in many situations as an alterna-
tive to the standby switch.
2.8

Revv Owner’s Manual - 15
This can be controlled by pushing down on the labeled front panel mo-
mentary switch. The Red LED will flash when the amplifier is in mute.
Manual Mute can also be turned on by holding down button #6 on the
footswitch for 2 seconds, as well as with MIDI control.
Note: It is not possible to program mute into a footswitch preset bank.
Button #4 on the footswitch will control mute in any footswitch mode.
C - Serial FX Loop Switch
The FX Loop toggle switch turns the serial FX loop on & off, as well as in &
out of the signal path. On & off is selected by pushing the toggle switch
up & releasing it quickly, in & out is selected by pushing the toggle switch
up & holding it until the LED flashes. The on & off selection will set the
amp to use the FX loop & activate the FX loop footswitch button #5 for
use. When the FX loop is not being used it can be turned off & the
footswitch will react to this condition by flashing the LED when stepped
on.
The in & out control of the FX loop simply does what the footswitch
would do when stepped on, it takes effects in & out of the signal path.
This feature was added to be able to set the in or out condition of the FX
loop to a preset bank on the footswitch when the footswitch is in preset
mode, or to control the in or out function when the footswitch is not
plugged in to the amp.
Note: This amplifier is set by default to startup with the FX Loop turned
off. If you want to bypass the feature & want the FX loop to turn on auto-
matically at startup , simply power off the amplifier, press the FX Loop
toggle switch up & hold it, then turn the main power switch to the on
position. The FX Loop LED will flash & immediately turn the loop on. Now
whenever you turn the amplifier on, the FX loop will also be on & ready to
be put in & out of the signal path as you wish.

Revv Owner’s Manual - 16
Standby & Power Switch
D - Store Switch
The store switch is used to program MIDI as well as set the MIDI channel.
When the amplifier is powered up, by pressing the store toggle switch
down,the store LED will begin to flash.At this point, the amplifier is waiting
for a MIDI program command to be received. Once received, the current
amplifier configuration will then be saved to memory so that anytime the
program command is received via MIDI; the amp will switch itself to the
saved configuration.
Note: When in store mode, once a MIDI program command is received,
the LED will flash quickly then turn off - signaling the user that a program
command has been received & the amp’s configuration has been stored
to memory.
The power & standby switches give the amp power from the mains, as
well as high voltage through the circuit. First turn on the power switch &
wait one minute to allow the tubes to warm up. Turn on the standby
switch to the Revv position once you are ready to play.
Note: NEVER power up the amplifier without the proper speaker load
connected!
2.9

Revv Owner’s Manual - 17
Rear Panel Layout
Main Power Connection
When plugging the amplifier into the mains A/C wall receptacle, always
make sure the amplifier power & standby switches are in the off position.
The Required voltage & fuse ratings are marked on the amplifier, verify
that they are correct before plugging in.
Main & HT Fuses
The mains fuse & HT fuse are in place to protect you & your amplifier
from overload conditions. Always replace them with the same type &
rating only! Always unplug the amplifier from the mains before replacing
the fuses. Fuse requirements are marked on the rear panel of the amplifi-
er.
3.0
3.1

Revv Owner’s Manual - 18
Bias Test Points
This amplifier is designed to allow the user to set the bias of the power
tubes without removing the chassis from the head shell.
Each pair of power tubes needs to be set according to the tubes being
used.
Power Tube Fault Fuses
The power tubes are fused in pairs. Should a power tube fail, the fuse will
blow & take the pair of power tubes out of service. This has the benefit
of protecting the amplifier, & also allows for continued playability, so as to
allow the user to finish the gig on the remaining pair. The volume & tone
will change but the show will go on.
Note: Should the amp be run with 2 power tubes removed from service
(bad or blown fuse), in order to achieve a tone more consistent with
normal 4 tube operation the amp should be run with an impedance
setting of half the speaker cabinet rating. For example, if the speaker
cabinet is 8 ohms, set the amplifier to 4 ohms, & if the speaker cabinet is
16 ohms, set the amplifier to 8 ohms.
3.2

Revv Owner’s Manual - 19
Impedance & SpeakerJacks
The amplifier must always be connected to a speaker cabinet or load
when it is powered up.This amplifier can be used with cabinets that
provide a load of 4, 8 & 16 ohms.
Because the amplifier provides 2 speaker jacks, it can also power 2 cabi-
nets directly from the amplifier, but the impedance will need to be set
correctly.
Most setups are simple, one cabinet plugged into the amp, set the
impedance to that marked on the cabinet & you’re ready to go! Howev-
er, when it comes to adding more cabinets to the rig, more care must be
taken to prevent damage. Most rigs will not utilize more than 2 cabinets
so we won’t go beyond 2 cabinets here.
3.3

Revv Owner’s Manual - 20
Some examples:
2 - 8 ohm cabinets would be run to the amplifier (one per speaker jack),
the correct impedance switch setting would be 4 ohms as they are
being run in parallel.
2 - 16 ohm cabinets would be run to the amplifier (one per speaker
jack), the correct impedance switch setting would be 8 ohms as they
are being run in parallel.
2 - 4 ohm cabinets cannot be run in parallel with this amplifier. This will
cause damage.
Note: No damage will result when running the amplifier set at a lower
impedance (Ex: 4 ohms) into a cabinet rated at a higher impedance (Ex:
8 Ohms). However the opposite will possibly cause damage to the
output transformer or other components & it is suggested that the
amplifier never be run into a lower load than what the amplifier is set to
when hooking up speakers in different configurations.
Note: Depending on the power tubes used, this amplifier can supply
180 watts+ of power to the speakers at high volumes, so it is important
to be sure your cabinet can handle that kind of power, especially when
running KT88/6550 type tubes.