background image

 

Important:

 

 

 

 
We recommend that if you intend on using your Komet

Airbrake

in conjunction with much 

older,

 vintage amplifiers

, that you set your vintage amplifier’s impedance selector to 8



for 

the first step of attenuation 

(or the first click of the rotary switch)

, regardless of an actual 16 Ohm 

impedance of the speakers or cabinet used. If your amp and speaker load is 8



 set the 

impedance selector to 4



in the first step of attenuation. This precaution will lower the current 

flowing within the output tubes under full power.  We also recommend this same action with 
EL84/6BQ5 powered amplifiers.  Set the impedance selector of your vintage amplifier 
according to the speaker impedance being used in any other

 

step of attenuation past the first 

click.  
 
 
We recommend that you do not use the Komet



Airbrake



with a 100 Watt plus rated amplifier 

for

 very long

extended periods at very high volume levels 

(or with the volume controls “dimed 

out”).

 This is because the Komet



Airbrake

is a 100 Watt rated device.  Any 100W amplifier 

can surpass its 100W RMS rating when cranked way up. This could possibly over-heat the 
attenuator causing damage to one or more of the load resistors.   
 

Note

:  The Komet

 Airbrake

 will increase it’s ability to handle an amplifier’s wattage as the 

attenuation level increases. The maximum load capability for the Komet

 Airbrake is 

200 

Watts

 under full attenuation.  You should not have a problem using the Komet

 Airbrake with a 

100W amplifier, but it is always best to operate your 100W amplifier and attenuator within 
reason.   

 
 
Final note:  
 

 
The Komet



Airbrake



power attenuator reduces volume by converting the amp’s excessive 

power into heat. The device will get very warm, even hot, during use.  Please make sure you 
place the unit it in a well ventilated area and never have it covered up. The Komet

Airbrake

was designed for optimum performance with Komet



and Trainwreck

 amplifiers. The 

Komet



Airbrake

will work equally well with most other manufacturer’s amplifiers, but 

Komet



Amplification only guarantees safe operation with Komet

and Trainwreck

 amplifiers.    

  

A Special Note on Speaker Cabinets and Speakers

: we recommend that you use quality 

speaker cable with quality brand male plugs. This is to guarantee a tight fit to the speaker jacks 
and cabinet.  We prefer the Switchcraft

 #11 mono input. We also recommend that your speaker 

cabinet wire leads are directly soldered to the to the speaker terminals instead of using the 

"

slide 

on

"

 gripping terminals.  

(See special note in the Speaker Cabinet section of this manual). 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Copyright 1999-2017, Komet

Amplification. Group, L.L.C.  May not be reproduced in any form without express written consent from Komet

Amplification.

 

Summary of Contents for 19

Page 1: ... Komet 19 Owner s Manual Copyright 1999 2017 Komet Amplification Group L L C May not be reproduced in any form without express written consent from Komet Amplification ...

Page 2: ...d in nanoseconds they can cause considerable or permanent damage to electronic equipment Electrical surges can damage electrical equipment by burning or fusing internal wires or by the gradual degradation of a device s internal components The best way to prevent damage is to unplug your amplifier when not in use NOTE Devices such as refrigerators and air conditioners require large amounts of energ...

Page 3: ...ts have fallen into the apparatus the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture does not operate normally or has been dropped 12 CAUTION To disconnect the unit completely from the Mains unplug the unit Turning the power switch off does not completely disconnect the unit from the Mains 13 Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding type plug A polarized plug has two blades w...

Page 4: ...uct must not be disposed of with other waste Instead it is your responsibility to dispose of your waste equipment by handing it over to a designated collection point for the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment The separate collection and recycling of your waste equipment at the time of disposal will help conserve natural resources and ensure that it is recycled in a manner that ...

Page 5: ...f this control is interdependent with the setting of the amplifier s volume control 5 Tone Control adjusts clockwise the low to high end range of frequency equalization Experiment with this control to find the settings that best suit your playing style 6 Pilot Light illuminates when power switch is in On position The pilot light uses a type 47 6 3 Volt light bulb See trouble shooting section for r...

Page 6: ...d in parallel which will accommodate any standard quality speaker cable Note never use a shielded guitar cable for a speaker cable You can severely damage an amplifier 6 Tube Chart Displays the placement of the power and pre amp tubes V1 through V4 TUBE CHOICES FOR THE KOMET 19 PRECAUTION always allow the power and pre amp tubes to cool down before handling They are made of glass and can easily br...

Page 7: ...will help protect and extend the lifespan of the audio tubes and internal components from excessive vibration or damage Please pay close attention when extracting and installing the power and pre amp tubes The pins must align perfectly into the tube s socket Bent tube pins especially when forced into a tube socket can cause serious damage to an amplifier s tube socket pin inserts This results 99 o...

Page 8: ...Groove Tube rating scale for the Songwriter 30 would be a grade 1 through 3 Note the 12AX7 pre amp tubes in your amplifier are internally self biased and need no adjustment WARNING Never remove any of the four EL84 6BQ5 power tubes in order to attempt cutting the power of the amplifier in half The Komet 19 s EL84 power tube circuitry shares only one cathode resistor Removal of one or more of the p...

Page 9: ...uts are in parallel This means that if you are operating the amplifier on two 16 Ohm cabinets you must set the amplifier s impedance selector to the 8 Ohm setting If you operating on two 8 Ohm cabinets set the selector to 4 Ohms We do not recommend using two 4 Ohm cabinets Speaker wiring diagrams are located at the end of this owner s manual An Important Note on Speaker Cables Cabinets and Speaker...

Page 10: ...site www kometamps com for further information on the Komet Airbrake attenuator The Komet Airbrake owner s manual is also located at the end of this manual TROUBLESHOOTING When troubleshooting a problem we recommend that you remove all effects pedals and only go direct with your guitar and guitar cable into the amplifier Also remove any attenuation device from your amplifier to speaker cabinet sig...

Page 11: ...er their life span They may be operating flawlessly and they may also test fine on a tube tester but for what appears like for no reason can suddenly begin to make a hissing or a crackling sound They can begin to feedback or have microphonic or ringing symptoms See previous section titled ECC 83 12AX7 7025 and CV4004 or develop filament humming which is a low background hum often mistaken for a pr...

Page 12: ...sufficiently before handling the amplifier s tubes V1 and V2 are the 12AX7 pre amp tubes V3 and V4 are the EL84 6BQ5 power tubes The tubes are secured to the tube socket by wire retainers that easily slide back and on each tube Note we recommend that you replace one tube at a time as not to accidentally entangle each tube s wire retainers Caution always use a tube glove when handling hot tubes Gen...

Page 13: ...ce and refer to this manual for the tube extraction and installation procedure Install following the reverse of the chassis extraction procedure SERVICING We are very confident that your Komet amplifier is one of the most reliable amplifiers ever built A combined experience of many decades of amp design and service has been applied to the construction all Komet amplifier models We have been inside...

Page 14: ...etal surfaces SPECIFICATIONS KOMET 19 HEAD Dimensions 17 length X 9 depth X 8 height with feet Weight 25 lbs Power 19 Watts RMS 19 clean watts measured before distortion Tubes 2 12AX7 2 EL84 6BQ5 Mains Fuse 2 Amp Slow Blow a k a MDL 2A 250V 1 Amp 240V operation H T Fuse Amp Fast Acting a k a AGC 500mA 250V Amp a k a 500mA SPECIFICATIONS KOMET 19 COMBO Dimensions 20 length X 10 depth X 19 height wi...

Page 15: ...prove tremendously after being played over time The harmonic complexity will continue to improve the tone will sweeten up and become even more fluid and resonant Have fun Thank you for purchasing our product Michael Kennedy Holger Notzel Co owners Komet Amplification CONTACT Komet Amplification 1865 Dallas Drive Baton Rouge LA 70806 1454 225 926 1976 Email info kometamps com Website www kometamps ...

Page 16: ...4 X 12 16 Ohm Speakers in series parallel for 16 Ohms Note Komet Amplification recommends using a 16 Ohm load with their amplifiers for the best sonic results Copyright 1999 2017 Komet Amplification Group L L C May not be reproduced in any form without express written consent from Komet Amplification ...

Page 17: ...Komet Airbrake Manual Copyright 1999 2017 Komet Amplification Group L L C May not be reproduced in any form without express written consent from Komet Amplification ...

Page 18: ...e overall sound of an amplifier The Komet Airbrake sounds very natural and transparent at reasonable levels of attenuation It allows the user to bring the level of a 50 60 Watt Komet amplifier down to that of a cranked 20 to 25 watt amplifier all the while retaining its distinct voice and dynamics It is therefore best suited to match Komet amplifiers to a smaller room or in a quieter playing setti...

Page 19: ...6 Keep in mind that the combined load of both cabinets or both speaker loads will be 8 Set your amplifier s impedance selector accordingly to 8 Do not use two 8 speaker cabinets The combined load will be 4 which is below the Komet Airbrake 8 16 Ohm operating range For the same reason do not use two 4 cabinets Never combine two cabinets of different impedance ratings for example an 8 cab and a 16 c...

Page 20: ...mplifier s wattage as the attenuation level increases The maximum load capability for the Komet Airbrake is 200 Watts under full attenuation You should not have a problem using the Komet Airbrake with a 100W amplifier but it is always best to operate your 100W amplifier and attenuator within reason Final note The Komet Airbrake power attenuator reduces volume by converting the amp s excessive powe...

Page 21: ...The Komet Airbrake Layout Copyright 1999 2017 Komet Amplification Group L L C May not be reproduced in any form without express written consent from Komet Amplification ...

Page 22: ...setting forth the name address and daytime telephone number of the owner together with a brief description of any claimed defects Parts or product for which replacement is made shall become the property of Komet Amplification The customer may be responsible for all costs of transportation and insurance both to and from Komet Amplification depending on result of inspection and validation of warrant...

Page 23: ...e n o s We are a commercial address Please check any corresponding box on shipping label Please do not return ship your amplifier for Home Delivery service or Saturday delivery Please do not send for early morning before 9 00 A M delivery We prefer afternoon delivery Note Komet Amplification will not be held responsible for any Komet amplifier amplifier component or contents damaged or lost during...

Reviews: