Rocktron Vendetta VH160R User manual

VH160R
ELECTRIC GUITAR HEAD WITH 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.
Vendetta is a trademark of GHS Corporation Battle Creek MI, USA
TM
TM

Your RocktronVendetta VH160R amplifier has been designed to comply with the following Stan-
dards and Directives as set forth by the European Union:
Council Directive(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 READTHISSECTIONTO PROVIDE
YEARSOFTROUBLEFREEUSE. THISUNITREQUIRESCAREFULHANDLING.
• Allwarningson thisequipmentandintheoperatinginstructionsshouldbe
adheredto andall operatinginstructions shouldbe followed.
• Donotuse this equipment near water. Care should be takensothat
objectsdo notfall andliquids arenotspilledintotheunitthroughany
openings.
• Thepower cordshould beunpluggedfromtheoutlet whenleftunusedfor
along periodof time.
• Donotblockanyventilationopenings(ifapplicable). Installinaccordance
withthemanufacturer’sinstructions.
• Donotinstall nearanyheat sources suchasradiators, heat registers,stoves
orotherapparatus(includingamplifiers)thatproduceheat.
• Onlyusedattachments/accessoriesspecifiedbythemanufacturer.
• Donotusethis product with any case, standtripod,bracketortable that is
notspecified by themanufacturer. Insure that thecase,stand, tripod,
bracketetc. isproperlyadjusted andsetup(follow allinstructions). Extra
careandcaution should betakento avoid tipoverand injury.
• Unplugthisapparatusduringlightningstormsorwhenunusedduringlong
periodsoftime.
Referall serviceto qualifiedservicepersonnel. Servicing isrequired whentheapparatushasbeen
damagedin any way, suchaspower supply orplugis damaged, liquidhasbeen spilledorobjects have
fallenintothe apparatus or iftheapparatushas been exposed to rainormoisture, does not operate
normallyorhas beendropped.
DO NOTATTEMPTTO SERVICE THIS EQUIPMENT. THIS EQUIPMENT
SHOULD BE SERVICED BYQUALIFIED PERSONNELONLY. DO NOTMAKE
ANYINTERNALADJUSTMENTS ORADDITIONSTOTHIS EQUIPMENTAT
ANYTIME. DO NOTTAMPERWITHINTERNALELECTRONIC
COMPONENTSATANYTIME. FAILURE TO FOLLOWTHESE INSTRUCTIONS
MAYVOIDTHEWARRANTYOFTHIS EQUIPMENT,ASWELLAS CAUSING
SHOCKHAZARD.
OPERATINGTEMPERATURE
Donotexpose this unit toexcessiveheat. This unit is designedtooperate between 32° F
and104°F (0° C and40°C). Thisunit may not functionproperlyunderextreme
temperatures.
Precautions

INPUTjack
Connectthe outputofyour guitartothe 1/4”inputjack withashielded guitarcable.
GAINcontrol
Thisknob determinestheamount ofGAIN(or distortion)addedto theclean signal. Turningtheknob
clockwisewill addmoreGAINtothe signal. Turning theknobcounter-clockwisewilldecreasethe amount
ofGAINadded to the signal.
CHSELECTButton/DISTORTIONLED
ChannelSelectbutton allows youtoselect between theDISTORTIONand CLEAN channel. To activate
theDISTORTION channel,pushin thebutton. This willlightthe LED. To activatetheCLEAN channel,
depressthe button sothatit is “out”. TheLEDwill notbelit.
DISTORTION CHANNEL
LEVELcontrol
Thisknob determinesthe LEVEL(orvolume) oftheDISTORTIONchannel. Turningtheknob clockwise
willincreasetheLEVEL of thedistortion channel. Turning theknob counter-clockwisewill decreasethe
LEVELofthedistortionchannel.
AGXTHRESHOLDcontrolandACTIVELED
Thisknob determinestheAGXThresholdsetting. Seesection inthis manualforamoredetailed description
ofhowtheAGXThresholdoperates.
INPUT JACK
FRONTPANELDESCRIPTIONS
1
2
3
4
5
BOTTOMcontrol
Thisknobcontrols the overall bassoftheDISTORTION channel. TheBASScontrolboosts or cuts the
amountof lowfrequency,or basssound inthesignal.
SCOOPcontrol
Thisknob controlstheoverall MIDDLEfrequencies oftheDISTORTIONchannel. TheMIDDLE control
boostsor cutstheamount ofmid-bandfrequenciespresentin thesignal.
TOPcontrol
Thisknob controls theoverallTREBLE of theDISTORTION channel. TheTREBLEcontrolboosts or
cutstheamountofhighfrequenciespresentinthesignal.
6
7
8
CHROMATICTUNER
Thistunerwillallowyoutotune yourguitar. Pleaseseethe“Built-inChromaticTunerFunctions”sectionfor
operationdetailsanddescriptionslaterinthis manual.
9

CLEAN CHANNEL
LEVELcontrol
ThisknobdeterminestheLEVEL(or volume)oftheCLEANchannel. Turning theknob clockwisewill
increasethe LEVEL ofthe cleanchannel. Turningtheknob counter-clockwisewill decreasetheLEVELof
thecleanchannel.
BASScontrol
Thisknobcontrols the overallbassof the CLEAN channel. TheBASScontrol boosts orcutstheamount
oflow frequencies,orbasssoundin thesignal.
MIDDLEcontrol
Thisknob controlstheoverall MIDDLEfrequenciesof theCLEAN channel. TheMIDDLEcontrol boosts
orcuts theamount ofmid-bandfrequenciespresentinthesignal.
TREBLEcontrol
Thisknob controlstheoverall TREBLEofthe CLEANchannel. TheTREBLE controlboostsor cutsthe
amountofhighfrequenciespresentinthesignal.
EFFECTS and CONTROLS
12
13
14
15
REVERBcontrol
Adjuststhe amount ofreverbadded to yourguitar’ssignal. Turn theknobclockwise to increasetheeffect.
HEADPHONEjack
Pluggingyour headphonesintothis jackdisconnects thesoundgoing tothespeakerandallows youto
practiceinprivate.
POWERswitch
Turns the amp ON and OFF. When the LED is lit, the amp is on.
11
10
16

POWERCORDPLUG
Usingthe supplieddetachablepower cord,plugthe amplifierintoanystandardwall outlet. Pleasebesure
tocheck yourlocalwiring andvoltageto makesureyour amplifieristhe propervoltagefor yourareaof the
world. Pleasefollowalltheprecaution guidelinesfoundinthefrontofthis manual.Whenreplacingthefuse,
pleasebesure to replace the fusewiththespecific fuse as stated onthechassisnext to the powercordplug.
Adescription onhowtochangethe fuseis coveredlaterinthismanual.
19
BACK PANELDESCRIPTIONS
20
EFFECTSLOOPSEND
Usinga standard guitarcable,connect thisjackto theinputof the outboardeffectsdevice youareusing.
Thisjack isa monojack,butdeliveringa leftand rightsignalfeed.
17
CONTOURcontrol
Thiscontrolpotallows youto “fine-tune”the speaker’slower middlerange frequencies. Turningthe control
totherightwillboost themiddlefrequencies. Turning ittotheleftwillcutthe middlefrequencies.
PRESENCEcontrol
Thiscontrol potallowsyoutoadjust theoverall high-endfrequencycontent. Thisisgood for“custom
tailoring”distortiontexturebetweencoarseandsmooth. Turning thecontrol tothe rightwill boostthe high-
endfrequencies. Turningittotheleftwillcutthehigh-endfrequencies.
GLOBAL VOICING - Post Dynamic Filter
TheGlobalVoicing- PostDynamic Filtercontrols allowyou toadjust theoverall equalizationof theampli-
fierafter thesignalhasgonethrough thepreampandchannelEQs. These controlswillallowyouto make
adjustmentstotheoverallsoundofthe amplifierandmakecompensationsfordifferentdynamicsyoumay
betrying toachieveor forthedifferentdynamicsof theroom, hall, bar,etc.you maybeplaying in. Adjust-
mentsto these controlscanbe madeusinga smallscrewdriver.
REACTANCEcontrol
Thiscontrol potknob allowsyoutoadjustthe overalllow-end “thump”oftheamplifier, thetypeoflowsthat
you“feel”morethanyouhear. Turningthecontroltotherightwillboostthelow-endfrequencies. Turningit
totheleftwillcutthelow-endfrequencies.
18
Theeffects loopallows youto insertdifferenteffectsintothesignalchainafterthepreampsection ofthe
amplifier. Please followallmanufacturer’sinstructionswhenconnectionanoutboarddevicetothisamplifier.
Seedrawingbelow showing youhowtohook up aRocktronXpressioneffectsprocessor.
EFFECTS LOOP
21

LINEOUTJack
This1/4” outputjackprovides aline levelsignal. Thiscan allowyoutopluginto arecordingdevice, power
amplifier,speakersimulator, PAsystem,etc. The lineoutput isnotcontrolledbythe mastervolume control.
Pleasefollowall manufacturer’sinstructionswhenpluggingthisproductintoanyoutboarddevice.
22
FOOTSWITCHInputRFS2
UsingaROCKTRON RFS2 footswitch andastereocord (both sold separately)youcanchange channels
betweenDISTORTIONand CLEAN and turn the REVERB ON and OFF.
EFFECTSLOOPRETURN
Usinga standardguitarcable, connectthisjack fromtheoutputof theoutboardeffects deviceyouare using.
ThisjackisastereoRTS jack.
23
SPEAKERJACK-L (Left)
Usingaspeaker cable with 1/4 jacksyoucanplug into any 8Ohmspeakercabinet as shown below.
SPEAKER JACKS
SPEAKERJACK-R(Right)
Usingaspeaker cable with 1/4 jacksyoucanplug into any 8Ohmspeakercabinet as shown below.
25
24
* Rocktron single (RFS1) and double (RFS2) footswitches are available and sold separately.
26

AGX THRESHOLD control and ACTIVE LED - detailed description:
Thisknob allowsyouto controlthe“dynamic attack”ofthe noisereduction. Inother wordsthiscontrol
maybe setto eithereliminatethe standbynoise (distortion“ON”withguitarvolume “OFF”)or placethe
AGXin ahard gatingattack (usefulforheavyhandmutedstaccatochording). Generally whenplaying, the
AGXACTIVELEDwillbe“OFF.” TheAGXACTIVELED willturn“ON”(orlight)whenthesignal
crossestheTHRESHOLD set by theuser.
AGXHARDGATING
To settheAGX control to“HARDGATING”,followthesesteps. Pleasenote that theAGX in thehard
gatingmode isverysensitive anduserdependent. It isatool thatyouwill needtoexperiment withtofit
yourpersonal taste.
1.AdjustAGX knobfullcounter clockwise(FullLEFT-OFF).
2.Plug yourguitarinto theampand adjustthedistortion andvolumeto yourtaste.
3.TurnthevolumeonyourguitarFULLUP.
4.Whilemutingyourstringswithyourhandturn theAGXknobtotherightuntilyou
hearthe noiseclamp off.
Nowyou cando very“heavydistortedchordchunking” andthen mutetosilencebymutingyourstrings....
You mayneedto adjust theknobthen stand awayfromthe amp tofindthe exactsettingyouwant ifyouare
closeto thespeakers. You maytry a combinationof rollingbackyour guitarvolumejust alittle1/8-1/4 of
itstravel andleaving ittheretogetthebestdynamic response. Onceagain thissetting willbedifferentfrom
userto user soexperimentto find “your”sweetspot.
AGX (Automatic Gain Expander)
Rocktron’spatentedAGXsystem solvesthe longstandingproblemencounteredbyguitarplayers when
usinghighgaindistortion. TheAGXcircuitexpandsthegainoftheamplificationcircuitonlywhen required
basedon theinput level. Whennosignalispresent, theAGXcircuitexpandsdownthe amplificationlevel to
apoint wherehumand noiseare dramaticallyreduced.
AGXPREAMPNOISEREDUCTION
TosettheAGXfor noise reduction,followthese steps:
1.AdjustAGXknobfullcounterclockwise (fullLEFT-OFF).
2.Plug yourguitarinto theampand adjustthedistortion andvolumeto yourtaste.
3.Turnthe volumeonyour guitar“OFF.”What isleftisthenoise producedby theultrahi-gain circuitryof
thepreamp.
4.TurntheAGXknobto theright slowlyuntilthe preampnoise isgone.
Withthis settingyoucangodirectlytosilencejustby rollingyourvolume“OFF”onyourguitar.

Built-in Chromatic Tuner Functions
ON/OFF button
Pressthis button toengagethe tunerfunction. Whentuner is “ON”theIN-TUNE (point4)LED will be
blinking.
NOTEdisplay
Thenotes will lightdependingon thenotebeing played ortuned. Thedots betweenthenotes showsharp
orflatnotes,suchasA#orBflatorC#or Dflat.
FLATArrow
Whenlit, thisarrowshows thatthenote beingtunedis FLAT.
Thebuilt-in ChromaticTuner islocatedonthefront oftheamplifier. Thetuneris calibratedtoA440,
standardtuning. Please seebelow forfunctiondetails.
IN-TUNELED
Whenlit, this greenLEDshows that youareIN-TUNE.
SHARP Arrow
Whenlit, thisarrowshows thatthenote beingtunedis SHARP.
1
2
3
4
5
ToTune
1)Turnthetuner“ON”
2)Play anoteon yourguitar. Thetunerautomatically sensesthenote beingplayed andwillshow youthe
notewhich istheclosest to theone being playedby lighting theappropriateNOTE intheNOTE LED
display.

3) If thenotebeing playedisflat, theFLATArrow,will beflashingas shownbelow. Thisshows by “how
much”theguitarisoutoftunefromthenotebeingplayed (instandard 440Hztuning).
4) Tunethestring “up”until thecentergreen LEDislit. Asyou aretuningthe stringup,the FLATArrow
willdecreasethe flashing speed asyouapproachthe IN-TUNE LED. Once thisGreenIN-TUNELED is
lit,thenoteisintune.
5) Ifthe note beingplayedis sharp,theSHARPArrow,will beflashingas shownbelow.
5) Tunethestring“down”until thecentergreen LEDis lit. As youare tuningthestring down,theSHARP
Arrowwilldecrease the flashing speed asyouapproachthe IN-TUNE LED. Once thisGreenIN-TUNE
LEDis lit,the noteis intune.
6) To tune the stringtoasharp or flat note, suchasD#or Eflat tune the stringupordown until the dot
betweenthe DandE (asshownbelow) islit. Theillustration belowshows thestringinTunetoD# (Eflat).
7) Followinstructions 3-5 (above)toaccurately tunethestring toD#(Eflat)