The following are suggested settings for common bass sounds and styles. These settings provide a good starting point to get familiar
with the PB200 and PB100’s controls. Don’t be afraid to make adjustments and experiment with the controls to find your particular sound.
• LOW PRE-SHAPE IN
• MID PRE-SHAPE IN
• HI PRE-SHAPE OUT
BASS
TREBLE
300
200
2K
1K
800
GAIN
MID SWEEP
FREQ
0
3
6
12
12
9
6
3
9
0
3
6
12
12
9
6
3
9
0
3
6
12
12
9
6
3
9
1. INPUT JACK 1/4”, CD/TAPE RCA INPUTS
The 1/4" phone jack is an instrument input designed to handle both active and passive basses. The
RCA Tape/CD inputs are line level inputs designed to work with CD and TAPE players. These jacks will
work simultaneous together. Use the volume control on the CD player to control the mix with the bass
guitar.
2. VOLUME CONTROL
The VOLUME control adjusts the overall volume of the amplifier. Depending on the output of your
bass guitar’s pickups, the volume control will be set at different positions. Because of the amps extra
gain to compensate for low output pickups, you can easily get the amps full output at “3” on the dial
with high output pickups, so adjust the volume accordingly. Likewise, if you add more boost from the
LOW pre-shape switch or increase the BASS tone control, you can easily distort the amp unless you
reduce the volume. The setting of the volume control does not affect the compressor or gate settings.
3. PRE-SHAPING SWITCHES
The pre-shaping switches are preset boost and cut equalization settings to enhance your sound.
• LOW - With this switch in, the result is a strong punchy low end starting at 100Hz.
• MID - The mid switch is a mid cut switch in both switch positions. With the mid pushed in, the cut
is centered around 300Hz which enhances the deep bass and leaves the mids intact. For the slap
player and anyone who wants tight lows and bright mids and highs this is the desired position. With
the mid left in the out position, the cut is centered around 500Hz and produces a brighter more common
bass amp sound for the player who uses a pick or is light on the fingers.
• HI - The Hi switch is a treble boost for frequencies above 6k Hz. This switch is for player who wants
a bright fret clicking sound.
4. BASS AND TREBLE TONE CONTROLS
The BASS and TREBLE tone controls are custom shaped controls to deliver punchy lows and crisp
tight highs for a variety of bass sounds.
When the BASS control is turned to the right, it boosts the signal and when turned to the left cuts the
signal. The effected frequencies are centered at 80Hz and can deliver a great deal of volume. Be care-
ful not to distort the low end, especially with the LOW pre-shaping switch pushed in.
When the TREBLE control is turned to the right, it boosts the signal and when turned to the left, it cuts
the signal. The boosted frequency for the TREBLE control is centered at 8k Hz.
5. MID SWEEP TONE CONTROLS (GAIN & FREQ.)
These two controls will take some time to learn how to use. First, the FREQ. control does not func-
tion if the GAIN control is set in the center “0” position. To demonstrate, turn the GAIN to the right for
full boost. Now turn the FREQ. control from full left to full right and notice the added mids change fre-
quencies as you play your bass. Now turn the GAIN to the full left and re-sweep the FREQ. control and
notice the mids disappear at different frequencies. There are many variables as you can hear, so write
down some of the settings for future reference. Unlike normal mid sweeps, Carvin’s mid sweep system
is tailored to gradually lower the gain in the harsher frequency ranges around 1k Hz. The mid sweep
system is designed for fine tuning your overall sound. However, with the pre-shape filter switches already
in your amplifier, you may not require the use of the mid sweep feature.
6. COMPRESSOR (COMP)
For some people, a compressor is a new feature. What it basically does is reduce (or compress) the
volume of the incoming signal to conform to a preset maximum output level. This describes the COMP
knob in the full-clock wise position where it functions as a limiter. As the knob is turned back (counter
clockwise) the compressor lets a larger and larger percentage of the incoming signals to pass through.
This percentage is called the “compression ratio”. When the knob reaches the off position (full counter
clockwise) the ratio is 1:1 were all the input signal passes through the compressor. The maximum com-
pression ratio is 3:1.
The advantages of a compressor is to increase the overall level of playing (or the average level) and
not have peaks or other sudden loud parts (transients). For example, in slap bass playing, the plucked
notes can put out peaks that could distort the amplifier at normal playing volumes. On the other hand,
if the amplifiers volume was adjusted for these peaks, the rest of the notes would be too quiet to hear.
Now, when the compressor is adjusted to where the indicator LED comes on when the peaks are pre-
sent, the amplifier can be played louder and still reduce the peaks without distortion. It’s like having
someone constantly and instantly re-adjusting the volume of the amplifier to prevent distortion when
the peaks occur.
7. NOISE GATE
The noise gate may also be a new feature to some people, but it is a fairly simple tool for reducing
pickup hum noise or any other noise on the input of the amplifier when the player is not playing. Think
of the gate functioning like a door or (gate) at the input of the amplifier. When no input signal is detected
the volume shuts down (as if a gate closes), therefore eliminating any noise picked up from entering
the amplifier. Then when an input signal is detected, the volume is restored instantly (as if a gate was
FRONT & REAR PANEL CONTROLS
2
3
4
5
4
6
7
1
9
PB100
14
• LOW PRE-SHAPE OUT
• MID PRE-SHAPE OUT
• HI PRE-SHAPE OUT
MID SWEEP
BASS
TREBLE
300
200
2K
1K
800
GAIN
FREQ
0
3
6
12
12
9
6
3
9
0
3
6
12
12
9
6
3
9
0
3
6
12
12
9
6
3
9
• LOW PRE-SHAPE IN
• MID PRE-SHAPE IN
• HI PRE-SHAPE IN
BASS
TREBLE
300
200
2K
1K
800
GAIN
MID SWEEP
FREQ
0
3
6
12
12
9
6
3
9
0
3
6
12
12
9
6
3
9
0
3
6
12
12
9
6
3
9
SUGGESTED SETTINGS
PB100/PB200
STANDARD FINGER
STANDARD SLAP
ACCENTED SLAP
11
13
12
10