Rocktron V160R User manual

V160R
ELECTRIC GUITAR AMPLIFIER WITH A TUBE PREAMP,
REVERB AND BUILT-IN CHROMATIC TUNER
User’s Manual
May be covered by one or more of the following: U.S. Patents #4538297, 4647876, 4696044, 4745309, 4881047, 4893099,
5124657, 5263091, 5268527, 5319713, 5333201, 5402498 and 5493617.
Other patents pending. Foreign patents pending.
TM
Vendetta is a trademark of GHS Corporation Battle Creek MI, USA
TM

Your Rocktron Vendetta V160R amplifier has been designed to comply with the following Standards
and Directives as set forth by the European Union:
CouncilDirective(s): 89/336/EEC,73/23/EEC,76/769/EC,1994/62/EC,2000/
53/EC,2002/95/EC
Standard(s): EN55022,EN50082-1,EN60065
This means that this product has been designed to meet stringent guidelines on how much RF
energy it can emit, and that it should be immune from other sources of interference when properly
used. Improper use of this equipment could result in increased RF emissions, which may or may not
interfere with other electronic products.
To insure against this possibility, always use good shielded cables for all audio input connections.
This will help insure compliance with the Directive(s).
Copyright © 2006 GHS Corporation
AllRightsReserved.

NOTE:ITISVERYIMPORTANTTHATYOU READTHISSECTIONTOPROVIDE
YEARSOFTROUBLEFREEUSE.THIS UNITREQUIRES CAREFULHANDLING.
• Allwarningsonthisequipmentandintheoperatinginstructionsshouldbe
adheredto andalloperatinginstructionsshould befollowed.
• Donotusethis equipment near water.Careshouldbetaken so that
objectsdo notfallandliquidsare notspilledintotheunit throughany
openings.
• Thepower cordshouldbe unpluggedfromthe outletwhenleftunusedfor
along periodoftime.
• Donot blockanyventilationopenings(ifapplicable). Installinaccordance
withthemanufacturer’sinstructions.
• Donotinstall near anyheatsourcessuch asradiators,heatregisters, stoves
orother apparatus(includingamplifiers)thatproduceheat.
• Onlyused attachments/accessoriesspecified bythemanufacturer.
• Donotusethisproduct with any case, stand tripod, bracketortablethatis
notspecifiedby the manufacturer. Insurethatthe case,stand,tripod,
bracketetc.is properlyadjustedand setup(followallinstructions). Extra
careandcaution should betakentoavoid tip overandinjury.
• Unplugthisapparatusduringlightningstormsorwhenunusedduringlong
periodsof time.
Referall servicetoqualified servicepersonnel. Servicingis requiredwhentheapparatushas been
damagedinany way,suchas powersupplyorplug isdamaged,liquidhas been spilledorobjects have
fallenintotheapparatus or if theapparatushasbeenexposed to rain ormoisture,doesnotoperate
normallyorhas been dropped.
DO NOTATTEMPT TO SERVICE THIS EQUIPMENT. THIS EQUIPMENT
SHOULD BE SERVICED BYQUALIFIED PERSONNELONLY. DO NOT MAKE
ANYINTERNALADJUSTMENTSORADDITIONSTOTHISEQUIPMENTAT
ANYTIME. DO NOTTAMPERWITH INTERNALELECTRONIC
COMPONENTSATANYTIME. FAILURE TO FOLLOWTHESE INSTRUCTIONS
MAYVOIDTHEWARRANTYOFTHISEQUIPMENT,ASWELLAS CAUSING
SHOCKHAZARD.
OPERATINGTEMPERATURE
Donotexposethis unit toexcessiveheat. Thisunitis designed tooperatebetween32°F
and104°F(0° C and 40°C). Thisunitmaynot function properly underextreme
temperatures.
Precautions

INPUTjack
Connecttheoutput ofyourguitar tothe1/4”input jackwitha shieldedguitarcable.
GAINcontrol
Thisknobdetermines theamountof GAIN(ordistortion) addedtothe cleansignal. Turning theknob
clockwisewilladdmoreGAIN tothesignal. Turningtheknobcounter-clockwisewill decreasetheamount
ofGAINaddedto the signal.
CHSELECTButton /DISTORTION LED
ChannelSelectbutton allows youtoselectbetween the DISTORTION andCLEANchannel. To activate
theDISTORTIONchannel, pushinthe button. Thiswilllight theLED. To activatetheCLEAN channel,
depressthebutton sothatitis “out”. The LEDwillnot be lit.
DISTORTION CHANNEL
LEVELcontrol
Thisknob determinestheLEVEL(orvolume) oftheDISTORTION channel. Turningthe knobclockwise
willincrease theLEVEL ofthedistortionchannel. Turningtheknob counter-clockwisewilldecrease the
LEVELofthedistortionchannel.
AGXTHRESHOLDcontrolandACTIVELED
Thisknob determinestheAGXThresholdsetting. See sectioninthismanualfor amoredetailed description
ofhowtheAGXThreshold operates.
INPUT JACK
FRONTPANELDESCRIPTIONS
1
2
3
4
5
BOTTOMcontrol
Thisknobcontrolsthe overall bass oftheDISTORTION channel. The BASS controlboostsorcuts the
amountof lowfrequency,orbass soundinthe signal.
SCOOPcontrol
ThisknobcontrolstheoverallMIDDLEfrequenciesoftheDISTORTIONchannel. The MIDDLEcontrol
boostsorcutstheamountof mid-bandfrequenciespresent inthesignal.
TOPcontrol
Thisknobcontrols theoverallTREBLEoftheDISTORTION channel. TheTREBLE control boostsor
cutstheamountofhighfrequenciespresentinthesignal.
6
7
8
CHROMATICTUNER
Thistunerwillallow youto tuneyour guitar. Pleaseseethe“Built-inChromaticTunerFunctions”sectionfor
operationdetailsanddescriptions laterin thismanual.
9

CLEAN CHANNEL
LEVELcontrol
Thisknob determinestheLEVEL(orvolume)oftheCLEANchannel. Turningtheknob clockwisewill
increasethe LEVELofthe cleanchannel. Turningtheknobcounter-clockwisewilldecreasetheLEVELof
thecleanchannel.
BASScontrol
Thisknobcontrols the overall bassoftheCLEAN channel. The BASScontrolboostsor cuts theamount
oflowfrequencies,orbass soundinthe signal.
MIDDLEcontrol
Thisknobcontrols theoverallMIDDLE frequenciesofthe CLEANchannel. TheMIDDLE controlboosts
orcuts theamountof mid-bandfrequenciespresentinthe signal.
TREBLEcontrol
Thisknobcontrols theoverallTREBLE oftheCLEANchannel. The TREBLEcontrolboosts orcutsthe
amountofhighfrequenciespresentinthesignal.
EFFECTS and CONTROLS
12
13
14
15
REVERBcontrol
Adjuststheamount ofreverbaddedto your guitar’ssignal. Turn the knobclockwiseto increase theeffect.
HEADPHONEjack
Pluggingyourheadphonesintothisjackdisconnectsthesoundgoingtothespeakerandallowsyouto
practicein private.
POWERswitch
Turns the amp ON and OFF. When the LED is lit, the amp is on.
11
10
16

POWERCORDPLUG
Usingthesupplied detachablepowercord, plugtheamplifier intoanystandard walloutlet. Pleasebe sure
tocheckyour localwiringand voltagetomakesure youramplifieris thepropervoltagefor yourareaof the
world. Pleasefollowalltheprecautionguidelines foundin thefront ofthis manual.When replacingthe fuse,
pleasebesureto replace the fuse withthespecificfuseas stated on the chassisnexttothepower cord plug.
Adescriptiononhowto changethefuse iscoveredlater inthismanual.
19
BACK PANELDESCRIPTIONS
20
EFFECTSLOOPSEND
Usingastandard guitarcable,connectthis jacktotheinput oftheoutboard effects deviceyouare using.
Thisjackis amonojack,but sends twosignalfeeds, left andright.
22
17
CONTOURcontrol
Thiscontrol potallowsyouto“fine-tune” thespeaker’s lowermiddlerangefrequencies. Turning thecontrol
totherightwillboostthemiddlefrequencies. Turningittotheleftwillcutthemiddlefrequencies.
PRESENCEcontrol
Thiscontrolpotallowsyou toadjustthe overallhigh-endfrequency content. Thisisgoodfor“custom
tailoring”distortion texturebetweencoarseandsmooth. Turningthecontrol totherightwillboostthehigh-
endfrequencies. Turningitto theleft willcutthehigh-endfrequencies.
GLOBAL VOICING - Post Dynamic Filter
TheGlobalVoicing-PostDynamicFilter controlsallowyoutoadjusttheoverall equalizationof theampli-
fierafterthesignalhas gonethroughthe preampandchannel EQs. Thesecontrolswill allowyouto make
adjustmentsto theoverall soundof theamplifierandmakecompensationsfordifferentdynamicsyoumay
betryingto achieveorfor thedifferentdynamicsof theroom,hall, bar, etc.youmay beplayingin. Adjust-
mentstothese controlscanbemade usingasmall screwdriver.
REACTANCEcontrol
Thiscontrol potknoballows youtoadjusttheoverall low-end“thump”ofthe amplifier, thetypeoflowsthat
you“feel” morethanyouhear. Turningthecontrolto theright willboostthelow-endfrequencies. Turningit
tothe leftwillcutthelow-endfrequencies.
18
EFFECTSLOOPRETURN
Usingastandard guitarcable,connect thisjackfrom theoutputoftheoutboard effectsdeviceyou areusing.
ThisjackisastereoRTSjack
Theeffects loopallowsyoutoinsert differenteffectsintothesignal chainafterthepreampsection ofthe
amplifier. Pleasefollowallmanufacturer’sinstructionswhenconnectionanoutboarddevicetothisamplifier.
Seedrawingbelowshowing you howtohookup a Rocktron Xpressioneffectsprocessor.
EFFECTS LOOP
21

LINEOUTJack
This1/4”outputjackprovidesalinelevelsignal. Thiscanallowyoutoplugintoarecordingdevice, power
amplifier,speakersimulator,PAsystem,etc. Thelineoutput isnotcontrolled bythemastervolumecontrol.
Pleasefollowallmanufacturer’sinstructionswhenpluggingthisproductintoanyoutboarddevice.
24
* Rocktron single (RFS1) and double (RFS2) footswitches are available and sold separately.
FOOTSWITCHInputRFS2
UsingaROCKTRONRFS2 footswitch and astereocord(bothsold separately) you canchangechannels
betweenDISTORTION and CLEAN and turn the REVERB ON and OFF.
23
EFFECTS LOOP connection:

AGX THRESHOLD control and ACTIVE LED - detailed description:
Thisknoballows youtocontrol the“dynamicattack” ofthenoisereduction. In otherwordsthis control
maybe settoeither eliminatethestandby noise(distortion“ON”withguitar volume“OFF”)or placethe
AGXin ahardgating attack(usefulforheavyhand mutedstaccatochording). Generallywhenplaying, the
AGXACTIVELEDwill be“OFF.” TheAGXACTIVELEDwill turn“ON”(orlight)when thesignal
crossestheTHRESHOLD set by the user.
AGXHARDGATING
To set theAGXcontrol to “HARDGATING”, follow thesesteps. Pleasenotethat theAGXin thehard
gatingmodeis verysensitiveand userdependent. Itis atoolthatyou willneedto experimentwithto fit
yourpersonaltaste.
1.AdjustAGX knobfullcounterclockwise (FullLEFT-OFF).
2.Plugyour guitarintothe ampandadjustthe distortionandvolume toyourtaste.
3.Turnthevolumeonyour guitarFULLUP.
4.Whilemutingyourstrings withyour handturn theAGXknob tothe rightuntil you
hearthe noiseclampoff.
Nowyou candovery “heavydistortedchordchunking”and thenmuteto silencebymutingyourstrings....
You mayneedto adjust theknobthenstand away fromtheampto findtheexactsetting you wantifyouare
closetothe speakers. You maytrya combinationofrollingback yourguitarvolume justalittle1/8-1/4 of
itstravel andleavingit theretogetthebest dynamicresponse. Onceagainthissetting willbedifferentfrom
usertouser so experimenttofind “your” sweetspot.
AGX (Automatic Gain Expander)
Rocktron’spatentedAGXsystem solvesthelongstandingproblem encounteredbyguitar playerswhen
usinghighgaindistortion. TheAGXcircuitexpandsthegainoftheamplificationcircuitonlywhenrequired
basedon theinputlevel. When nosignalispresent,theAGXcircuitexpandsdown theamplificationlevelto
apointwherehumandnoisearedramatically reduced.
AGXPREAMPNOISEREDUCTION
Toset theAGX fornoisereduction,follow these steps:
1.AdjustAGXknobfull counterclockwise(full LEFT-OFF).
2.Plugyour guitarintothe ampandadjustthe distortionandvolume toyourtaste.
3.Turn thevolumeon yourguitar“OFF.”Whatis leftisthe noiseproducedbytheultrahi-gaincircuitryof
thepreamp.
4.Turn theAGX knobtothe rightslowlyuntil thepreampnoise isgone.
Withthissettingyoucangodirectlytosilencejustbyrollingyour volume“OFF” onyour guitar.

Built-in Chromatic Tuner Functions
ON/OFF button
Pressthisbutton toengagethetuner function. Whentuneris“ON” theIN-TUNE(point4) LEDwillbe
blinking.
NOTEdisplay
Thenoteswill lightdependingonthe notebeingplayedor tuned. Thedotsbetweenthe notesshowsharp
orflatnotes,suchasA#or Bflat or C# or Dflat.
FLATArrow
Whenlit,this arrowshowsthat thenotebeing tunedisFLAT.
Thebuilt-inChromaticTunerislocated onthefrontoftheamplifier. ThetuneriscalibratedtoA440,
standardtuning. Please seebelowfor functiondetails.
IN-TUNELED
Whenlit,this greenLEDshowsthat you areIN-TUNE.
SHARP Arrow
Whenlit,this arrowshowsthat thenotebeingtuned isSHARP.
1
2
3
4
5
ToTune
1)Turnthetuner “ON”
2)Playa noteonyour guitar. Thetuner automaticallysensesthe notebeingplayed andwillshowyouthe
notewhichis theclosestto theonebeingplayed bylightingthe appropriate NOTEinthe NOTELED
display.

3) If thenotebeing played isflat,the FLATArrow, willbeflashingas shownbelow. Thisshowsby“how
much”the guitarisoutoftunefromthe notebeingplayed(instandard440Hztuning).
4) Tunethestring“up” untilthecenter greenLEDis lit. Asyouaretuningthestring up,theFLATArrow
willdecreasetheflashing speed as youapproachtheIN-TUNELED. Once this Green IN-TUNELEDis
lit,the noteis intune.
5) Ifthenote beingplayedissharp, theSHARPArrow, willbeflashing as shownbelow.
5) Tunethestring “down”untilthe centergreenLED islit. Asyouaretuning thestringdown, theSHARP
Arrowwilldecreasethe flashing speed as youapproachtheIN-TUNELED. Once this Green IN-TUNE
LEDis lit,thenoteisin tune.
6) Totunethe string to a sharporflatnote,such as D# or Eflattunethestringup or down untilthedot
betweentheD andE(as shownbelow)is lit. Theillustrationbelow showsthestringinTunetoD#(Eflat).
7) Followinstructions3-5 (above)toaccuratelytune thestringto D# (Eflat)

Power Output
InputImpedance
Tube
SpeakerImpedance
Speakers
EQDistortion Bottom
Scoop
Top
EQClean Treble
Middle
Bass
GlobalEQ
LineOutput
EffectsLoop:
HeadphoneOutput
Channels
Effects
Dimensions
Weight
PowerRequirements
Fuse
160 Watts (80 Watts Per Side)
12ax7
2x12”CustomVoicedVelocity Speaker byRocktron
ActiveShelving
ActiveBandpass
ActiveShelving
ActiveShelving
ActiveBandpass
ActiveShelving
Reactance,ContourandPresence
1/4” Stereo jack
One 1/4” Stereo Jack Send
One1/4”StereoJackReturn
OneStereo1/4”jack
DISTORTIONandCLEAN (Footswitchable viaRocktron
RFS2footswitch- sold separately)
REVERB(Footswitchablevia RocktronRFS2footswitch -sold
separately)
745mm(W)x 282mm(D)x565mm(H)
29.5”x 11” x22.25”
76lbs(34.5KG)
100 VoltsAC 50/60Hz or 117VoltsAC, 60Hz
or220/240VoltsAC,50/60Hz, as specified on chassis
100-120V - use T5A
220-240V - use T3.15A
V160R Specifications

We recommend that you use an authorized repair person to change the fuse in this unit.
To access the fuse, first power down the unit and unplug the cable from the wall outlet and the amplifier.
Using a small screw driver, open the fuse tray by prying open the small tab as shown in the drawing above.
Please note that the tray will not come all of the way out.
Remove the old fuse and replace with a comparable new fuse and close the tray being sure that the tray snaps
into position. You will find the information on the fuse used in the specifications section of this manual.
Fuse Replacement

TUBE PREAMP
Replacing the Preamp Tube
Werecommendthatany worktobepreformed onthisamplifierbe donebyaqualified technician. Note
thatany worknotperformed byaqualified technicianmayvoidthewarrantyofthisproduct.
To replacethe12ax7preamp tube,followtheseinstuctions.
NOTE: DoNOTremovethesilverplate on the frontpanelofthe amplifier. This is NOThowyou get to
thetube.
1) Turn OFFtheamplifier
2) Removepowercord fromthewall andamplifier.
3) Usingaphillip’sscrewdriver,removethe screws ontopof the amp
4) Carefullyslidetheentire metal chassisofthe back oftheamp. Youwillnow have accesstothetube.
CAUTION-the tube may beHOT! Allowenoughtime after usingforthetubeto “cool”.
Note,thespeakersmayalso need to be disconnected toremovethemetalchassis.
Reassembletheamplifierfollowingthesamestepsinreverse.

Rocktron -A Division of GHS Corporation
2813 Wilber Avenue
Battle Creek MI 49015
USA
Rocktron Phone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
2006-0001
Rev. 8/01/06
www.rocktron.com
Check us out on the web at:
V160R
ELECTRIC GUITAR AMPLIFIER WITH REVERB AND
BUILT-IN CHROMATIC TUNER
TM