tech21 VT BASS 1969 User manual

WARNINGS
•Attempting to repair this unit is not recommended and may void its warranty.
•Missing or altered serial numbers automatically void the warranty. For your own
protection, be sure the serial number labels on the unit and exterior box are intact.
ONE-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY
Manufacturer warrants unit to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for
a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase to the original purchaser and is
not transferable. This warranty does not include damage resulting from accident,
misuse, abuse, alteration, or incorrect current or voltage. If unit becomes defective
within warranty period, Tech 21 will elect to repair or replace it free of charge.
After warranty period expires, manufacturer will repair defective unit for a fee.
PROOF OF PURCHASE IS REQUIRED FOR ANY REPAIR
For residents of the U.S. and Canada, please call Tech 21 for shipping instructions
and a Return Authorization Number. Tech 21 will not accept packages without prior
authorization, pre-paid freight (UPS preferred), and proper insurance.
FOR PERSONAL ASSISTANCE & INQUIRIES
Contact Tech 21 weekdays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time.
DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN THE U.S.A.
Fill in the following information for future reference:
Serial Number______________________________________
Dealer’s Name _____________________________________
Dealer’s Address ___________________________________
Date of Purchase ___________________________________
T: 973-777-6996
E: info@tech 21nyc.com
W: www.tech21nyc.com
© 2011 Tech 21 USA, Inc.
Owner's Manual
CHANNEL
GAIN
INPUT
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE

2
1
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS.
READ AND SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
HEED ALL WARNINGS.
This unit is pow r d by pot ntially hazardous voltag . Th r for ,
obs rv th following saf ty pr cautions:
1. R ad and follow all instructions b for
using product.
2. Do not us product n ar wat r (such as
n ar a bathtub, washbowl, kitch n sink, swim-
ming pool, in a w t bas m nt, tc.).
3. Unit should b locat d so that its location
or position do s not imp d th flow of air
through th v ntilation op nings.
4. Product should b locat d away from h at
sourc s such as radiators, h at r gist rs, or
oth r products, including amplifi rs, that pro-
duc h at.
5. Product should b conn ct d to a pow r
supply only of th typ d scrib d in th op rat-
ing instructions or as mark d on th product.
6. Prot ct th pow r cord from b ing walk d
on or pinch d particularly at plugs, conv ni nc r c ptacl s, and th point wh r
th y xit from th unit.
7. Do not allow obj cts or liquids to p n trat th nclosur through op nings.
8. During h avy us , chassis may g t hot to th touch. Handl with car .
9. Prot ct unit from strong impact.
10. Unplug product b for cl aning. N v r spray liquid cl an rs into th amp: wip
with a cl an, lint-fr cloth to r mov dirt and film.
11. Only us attachm nts/acc ssori s sp cifi d by th manufactur r.
12. This product should b us d only with a cart or stand that is
r comm nd d by th manufactur r. Wh n a cart is us d, us cau-
tion wh n moving th cart/product combination to avoid injury
from tipping ov r.
13. Amplifi rs may b capabl of producing high volum l v ls
that could caus p rman nt h aring loss or damag , if th xpo-
sur to such l v ls is prolong d. Such damag is progr ssiv and irr v rsibl ! If you
xp ri nc any h aring loss or ringing in th ars, consult an audiologist.
This symbol, wh r v r it app ars, al rts th us r to th pr s nc of uninsulat d dang rous
voltag within th product’s nclosur that may b of suffici nt magnitud to constitut a
risk of l ctric shock to p rsons.
This symbol, wh r v r it app ars, al rts th us r to important op rating and maint nanc
instructions in th accompanying lit ratur . R ad th manual.
14. Unplug unit during lightning storms or wh n unus d for long p riods of
tim .
15. This unit must b arth ground d. To r duc th risk of l ctric shock, NEVER
r mov or oth rwis att mpt to d f at th ground pin of th pow r cord. If th provid-
d plug do s not fit into your outl t, consult an l ctrician for r plac m nt of th
obsol t outl t.
WARNING: To avoid th risk of fir , l ctric shock or injury, do not xpos this unit
to rain or moistur . Do not r mov th chassis from its cabin t, or r mov m tal cov-
ring from chassis parts. R moving th chassis from its cabin t xpos s xtr m ly
dang rous high voltag s. Th r ar no us r-s rvic abl parts insid . Hazardous volt-
ag s ar pr s nt insid th chassis. R f r all s rvicing to qualifi d p rsonn l.
CAUTION: N v r modify th pow r cord. If original pow r cord b com s damag d,
fray d, or has xpos d wir s, r plac imm diat ly with sam rating and gaug , or
high r. R plac m nts ar comm rcially availabl or you can contact T ch 21 dir ctly.
WARNING: Att mpting to r pair this unit is not r comm nd d and may void its
warranty. NOTE: In th U.S. and Canada, s rvicing is p rform d at factory only. In
oth r countri s, pl as r f r r pairs to th local T ch 21 authoriz d distributor.
FUSE
Fus hold r is locat d insid A/C cord r c ptacl . You must disconn ct
and r mov pow r cord to chang fus . R plac with similar typ
and sam valu : 100V and 117V units: us F 6A L
230V and 240V units: us F 3.15A L
QUICK START AND STOP INSTRUCTIONS
QUICK START: H r ’s how to g t your VT Bass 1969 up and running b for r ad-
ing th ntir manual. Not : By not r ading th manual, you’ll miss out on how to g t
th most out of your n w inv stm nt!
1. Plug th VT Bass 1969 h ad into sp ak r cabin t(s). If you’r not using T ch 21’s
B410s, us cabin ts rat d for minimum of 300W RMS at 4Ω or 200W RMS at 8Ω.
2. Attach th AC cord to th amp and plug into a wall sock t.
3. Plug your instrum nt into th front pan l Input jack (on th l ft sid ).
4. Mak sur th L v l control on ach chann l is turn d down. Th n turn on th VT
Bass 1969 and adjust th L v l controls accordingly.
5. Play your bass and you should h ar a sound coming through th amp. If not, ch ck that
your guitar’s volum control is turn d up, r ch ck your conn ctions, and b sur your
cabl isn’t faulty. If th r is still no sound, r f r to factory or qualifi d t chnician.
QUICK STOP: Aft r shutting off th VT Bass 1969 (or any amplifi r), wait at l ast 10
s conds b for turning it back on.
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ZUR MINIMIERUNG ELEKTRISCHER SCHLAGGE-
F 
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RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
CAUTION
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO
NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
RISQUE D'ELECTROCUTION
NE PAS OUVRIR
ATTENTION
ATTENTION: POUR REDUIRE LES RISQUES D'ELECTROCUTION
NE PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE. AUCUNE PIECE INTERNE
N'EST REPARABLE PAR L'UTILISATEUR. POUR TOUTE
REPARATION, S'ADRESSER A UN TECHNICIEN QUALIFIE.
ELEKTRISCHE SCHLAGGEFAHR
NICHT OFFNEN
VORSICHT
VORSICHT: ZUR MINIMIERUNG ELEKTRISCHER SCHLAGGE-
FAHR NICHT DEN DECKEL ABNEHMEN. INTERNE TEILE KONNEN
NICHT VOM BENUTZER GEWARTET WERDEN. DIE WARTUNG
IST QUALIFIZIERTEM WARTUNGSPERSONAL ZU UBERLASSEN.

T ch 21, th Company
T ch 21, Inc., was form d by a guitarist poss ssing th unusual combination
of a train d ar and l ctronics xp rtis . In 1989, B. Andr w Barta incorpo-
rat d T ch 21 and mad his uniqu inv ntion comm rcially availabl to play-
rs and studios around th world. His highly-acclaim d SansAmp™ pio-
n r d Tub Amplifi r Emulation in prof ssional applications for r cording
dir ct and p rforming liv , and cr at d an ntir ly n w cat gory of signal pro-
c ssing. Whil th r hav sinc b n many ntri s into this nich , SansAmp
continu s to maintain its r putation as th industry standard.
With a full lin of SansAmp mod ls, T ch 21 also off rs ff ct p dals and
MIDI products, as w ll as “traditional” styl amplifi rs for guitar and bass.
Each product is thoughtfully and r sp ctfully d sign d by Andr w hims lf
with th play r in mind. Our goal is to provid you with fl xibl , v rsatil tools
to cultivat , control, r fin and r d fin your own individual sound. T ch 21
tak s gr at prid in d liv ring consist nt prof ssional quality sound, studio to
studio, club to club, ar na to ar na.
3
VT Bass 1969, an Ov rvi w
Th VT Bass 1969 bass amp h ad is a 2-chann l, 2-rackspac adaptation of
its p dal count rpart, th SansAmp Charact r S ri s VT Bass. Th h art of
th VT Bass 1969 is th analog warmth of th SansAmp mulation circuitry
that was d sign d to r cr at th pow rful ton s of Amp g®-styl stacks.
Each chann l f atur s a pow rful 3-band activ EQ s ction and a full-rang
Driv control to dial in your d sir d ton . Th uniqu , continuously-variabl
Charact r control mov s s aml ss b tw n d cad s of diff r nt voicings. It
alt rs th ntir sonic structur of th sound, from thick flip-top funk, to
indi rock snarl, to d p t ctonic distortion.
For studio and liv applications, our propri tary, 100% analog SansAmp
Tub Amplifi r Emulation t chnology nabl s you to go straight into th
mix r of a r cord r or PA syst m via th XLR Dir ct Output.
Th includ d Footswitch furth r xpands th VT Bass 1969’s capabiliti s. In
addition to b ing abl to r mot ly chang chann ls, th r is a MUTE switch
which allows you to sil ntly tun your instrum nt, and a MIX function to
simultan ously ngag both chann ls, yi lding 3 footswitchabl sounds.
Th VT Bass 1969 off rs bootylicious ton s for f arl ss pro play rs y arning
to jump ship from th status quo.
4

FRONT PANEL
Th VT Bass 1969 is d sign d with active controls, which boost and cut, rath r than
traditional passiv controls which only cut. This ff ctiv ly doubl s many of th con-
trol’s capabiliti s, giving you a much larg r rang of adjustability and, ultimat ly,
mor vari ty. It should b not d that you n d not n c ssarily s t v rything at max
to achi v maximum r sults. As you xp rim nt and b com familiar with th int rr -
lationship of th controls, you’ll asily b abl to customiz your own sounds.
Chann l S l ctor Switch
Manually switch s b tw n chann ls wh n th r ’s no cabl plugg d into th r ar
pan l Footswitch jack. To r mot ly chang chann ls, us th includ d Footswitch or
any standard passiv footswitch. It will ov rrid th manual s l ctor switch. (For
mor information, r f r to pag 8.)
Gain
A 10dB gain boost to s t up th pr -amp for diff r nt pickups.
For xampl , with low r output passiv pickups, you can hav
punchi r sounds with Gain ngag d. Conv rs ly, with high r
output activ pickups, you can hav a cl an r sound with
Gain dis ngag d. Of cours , you can also obtain ov r-th -top
distortion by using high output pickups with Gain ngag d.
Input Jack
Faithful to th original d signs of traditional tub amplifi rs, this 1/4" Input is high
imp danc 1MΩ. Th typically additional low s nsitivity input, how v r, is not n d d
du to th Gain switch.
GUIDE TO CONTROLS
Driv
Adjusts th ov rall amount of gain and ov rdriv , similar to wh n th output s ction
of a tub amp is b ing push d. Th first half of th rotation will incr as th volum
as w ll as th ov rdriv .
Bass, Mid and Tr bl
This pow rful EQ s ction is lik having a studio mixing board at your fing rtips. Bass,
Mid and Tr bl ar activ ton controls that cut or boost ±12dB from unity gain at 12
o’clock. Bass is tun d to 125 Hz; Mid is tun d to 12dB @ 500 Hz; Tr bl fr qu ncy is
3.2 kHz.
5
Charact r
Sw ps through an ntir rang of tonal possibiliti s associat d with th Amp g®-
styl family of amplifi rs. In addition to modifying th fr qu ncy r spons , th
Charact r control also influ nc s th attack and driv that ar charact ristic to this
particular amplifi r styl . Th r for , you may n d to adjust your gain and ton s t-
tings aft r tw aking th Charact r control.
L v l
Acts as a mast r volum and is int ractiv with th Driv control. For cl an sounds,
s t L v l at max and control th ov rall l v l with th Driv control. For dirty sounds,
us Driv to s t up th ov rall amount of distortion and L v l for th ov rall output.
REAR PANEL
FUSE
R plac with similar typ and sam valu :
100 and 117V units us : F 6A L
230 and 240V units us : F 3.15A L
IMPORTANT REMINDER: Fus hold r locat d insid A/C cord r c ptacl . You
must disconn ct and r mov pow r cord to chang fus .
6
CHANNEL
GAIN
INPUT

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO
N 

POUR REDUIRE LES RISQUES D'ELECTROCUTION
N 



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Sp ak r Outputs: Wir d in parall l. Total load: Min. 4Ω, 345W RMS.
•Sp akon®Conn ctors. Th s high
quality plugs lock s cur ly to nsur
maximum pow r transf r and provid
fool-proof conn ctions.
•1/4” Conn ctors provid a backup conn ction, should your cabl s not b
availabl or if you us a conv ntional cabin t that do s not us Sp akon plugs.
SansAmp™ XLR Dir ct Out
For r cording, th SansAmp XLR output is lik having a built-in dir ct box. You can
go dir ct to th board and g t th sam sound you h ar coming out of th sp ak rs
right onto tap or disc. Th SansAmp circuitry not only captur s th warm, rich, nat-
ural harmonics and sw t ov rdriv charact ristics inh r nt to tub amplifi rs, its
sp ak r mulation ncompass s all asp cts of multiply-mik d tub amp rigs.
For liv gigs, you can us this output dir ct into th PA syst m and you won’t n d a
microphon in front of th amp. And you won’t hav to subj ct th audi nc to a
st ril , muddy, or boomy bass ton .
L v l S l ctor Switch
Allows you to conn ct th VT Bass 1969 via th XLR Output to oth r quipm nt with
a vari ty of signal l v ls:
0dB position. Lin -l v l output.
-10dB position. Pads down th lin -l v l signal by 10dB.
Ground Lift
Conn cts or disconn cts th ground circuits b tw n th XLR Output of th amp and
th mix r. W r comm nd starting with th ground lift d. If n c ssary, conn ct th
ground by pushing th button in.
Pr -Amp Output
Eff cts Loop S nd.
7
Pow r Amp Input
Eff cts Loop R turn.
Tun r Output
As long as th unit is plugg d in, th tun r output provid s a constant, unaff ct d
signal at all tim s, r gardl ss of th position of th L v l controls or th status of th
Mut button on th Footswitch. This output can also b us d as a buff r d out to
s nd a transpar nt signal to oth r outboard g ar.
TRIPLE-FUNCTION FOOTSWITCH
Th Footswitch furth r xpands th VT Bass 1969’s capabiliti s:
•CHANNEL r mot ly switch s b tw n th two chann ls.
•MUTE allows you to sil ntly tun your guitar or chang instrum nts.
•MIX ngag s both chann ls simultan ously, giving you thr footswitchabl
sound options.
Corr sponding LED indicators l t you know th status of ach switch. Th
Footswitch is pow r d via th cabl , so batt ri s ar not r quir d. And, unlik most
amps which r quir a custom multi-pin conn ctor, this Footswitch is ngin r d to
utiliz any standard 1/4” instrum nt or sp ak r cabl . You can asily r plac th
cabl should you los it, or purchas diff r nt cabl l ngths to suit your particular
n ds.
8
TM

USE WITH ACTIVE BASSES
Activ l ctronics hav high r output and typically g n rat mor nois . To comp n-
sat , w r comm nd low ring th volum on your bass. Additionally, xp rim nt with
using flat EQ s ttings and/or d cr asing th Driv , Charact r and Tr bl controls.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR RACKMOUNTING
1. Unplug unit. R mov top cov r. Install rack ars with provid d hardwar . R plac
top cov r.
2. Consid ring its w ight, w r comm nd mounting unit on bottom of rack cas .
3. If th r isn’t nough cl aranc at th bottom of th rack cas , d tach th rubb r
f t simply by r moving th scr ws.
4. If th r ’s too much cl aranc (with or without th rubb r f t) and you hav a gap,
provid additional support to th r ar of th unit (such as larg r f t, wood n shims,
tc.).
OPTIONAL 4X10 SPEAKER CABINET
(Mod l #B410-VT)
•8Ω / 400 watts handling
•Four cast fram , custom-
d sign d 10” sp ak rs
•R ar v nt d
•Sp akon®conn ctors
•1/4” conn ctors
•Dim nsions: 24”w x 24”h x 16”d
•W ight: 70 lbs.
VT Bass 1969 SPECIFICATIONS
Not : With on-going product d v lopm nt and improv m nts, sp cifications and/or
th cosm tic app aranc of this unit may chang without prior notic .
R plac m nt parts ar availabl , i. ., knobs, logo plat , handl s, tc. For mor
information, pl as contact your authoriz d d al r or T ch 21.
Mod l Numb r: VTB-69
Input Imp danc : 1MΩ
Nominal Input L v l: -20dBm
Optimal Output Load: 4Ω
Pow r Output: 345 watts RMS @ 4Ω (minimum load)
210 watts RMS @ 8Ω
Pow r Amp Input Imp danc : 1MΩ
Pow r Amp Input L v l: approx. -20dBm
Pr -Amp Output Imp danc : 1MΩ
Pr -Amp Output L v l: approx. -10dB*
XLR Output L v l (s l ctabl ): 0 to -10dBm
Maximum Pow r Consumption: approx. 600VA
Forc d-air cool d
AC Input Pow r (factory s t): 100V, 117V, 230V, 240V
NOTE: AC pow r cannot b switch d.
Each unit is construct d for sp cific voltag s.
Cycl s: 50/60 Hz
Dim nsions: 17”w x 3.5”h x 16”d / Ov rall d pth: 17.75”
W ight: 21 lbs.
Optional Acc ssori s: • 4x10 Sp ak r Cabin t (Mod l #B410-VT) and
corr sponding optional black vinyl cov r with
whit logo (Mod l #VC-B410)
*Actual l v ls will vary with your s ttings.
®R gist r d trad marks.
9 10

VT BASS 1969 SAMPLE SETTINGS
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
MID LEVEL
CHARACTER BASSDRIVE TREBLE
®Registered trademarks of their respective companies. ©Copyright. Names of sample
settings are intended for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as an
endorsement or affiliation with the companies, products, songs or artists named.
These settings are an approximate guide to get you started. Levels should be adjusted to taste
and environment. Sample Settings were written using a standard Fender®Precision® bass and
Fender®Jazz®bass, both with passive pickups and the GAIN switch engaged.
Flip Top
SVT®-style
Thumpy Funk
Fuzzed Out
Fat Tube
Warm
Compression
Yes-style
Rage
Tool
Wetton/
Crimson
Rush-style
Muse-style
Dance to the
Music©
(Clean)
Dance to the
Music©
(Dirty)
Pinnick Bi-Amp:
Clean bottom
with raspy
top. Use MIX
function on
footswitch.
Interesting tex-
ture, difficult
to achieve any
other way.

CUSTOM SETTINGS
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