Two-Rock
Custom Reverb
Signature
V3
OWNERS MANUAL
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your purchase of a Two-Rock amplifier!
As a discerning guitarist, you know the road to great tone begins with
great components. Our classic design of carefully selected parts and
hand-built approach combine to make an extremely versatile instrument.
Please take the time to read this manual. We hope it will answer any
questions that you may have.
We extend a warm welcome to you as a member of a select group of
musicians who have chosen a Two-Rock amplifier.
Important Safety Instructions
1. Read these instructions
2. Keep these instructions
3. Heed all warnings
4. Follow all instructions
5. Do not use this apparatus near water
6. Clean only with dry cloth
7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions
8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, plugs, and the point
where they exit from the apparatus
9. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs and the point
where they exit from the apparatus
10. Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer
11. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time
12. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has
been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled
or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture,
does not operate normally, or has been dropped
13. CAUTION: To disconnect the unit completely from the MAINS, unplug the unit. Turning the
power switch off does not disconnect the unit completely from the MAINS.
Front Panel Functions
Input Jack- High impedance input to the amplifier. Plug in your instrument here.
TREBLE - Adjusts the high frequency response. At lower settings of this control the tone will be
warmer and smoother. As you turn this control up the highs become more prominent and
aggressive adding gain to the signal as well. This control is very interactive with the Bright switch,
Middle control, and Deep switch. In the full counter-clockwise position, high frequencies are
bypassed to ground. In the full clockwise position, high frequencies are allowed to pass to the next
gain stage.
BRIGHT Switch - Boosts the high frequency response. This is most effective when the
Gain control is set at 12 o’clock or lower. This is great for adding sparkle to clean tones. The effect
is less dramatic as the Gain control is adjusted past the 12 o’clock position.
MIDDLE - Adjusts the midrange response. At low settings of this control the tone will be “scooped”
of midrange response, emphasizing the highs and lows. As this control is turned up, the midrange
frequencies are increased. This creates the “body” of your guitar’s tone and is very critical to both
the tonality, feel and overall response of the amplifier. Higher settings of this control also help your
tone to cut through the mix in both a live band situation as well as when playing the amp outdoors.
In the full clockwise position, mid-range frequencies are allowed to pass to the next gain stage.
Middle Control/ Pull Defeat-The Middle control has a “PULL MID DEFEAT” function. In the
normal (IN) position, the clean channel accents the low-mid frequencies and the mid switch and
middle control have a greater effect on the overall EQ. In the OUT position, the middle control is
removed, providing a more “mid scooped” EQ setting.
MID Switch - Boosts the midrange frequency response.
BASS - Adjusts the bass response. In the full counter-clockwise position, low frequencies are cut
and the response of the treble and mid-range controls is greatly reduced. As this control is turned
up, the bass frequencies are increased and allowed to pass to the next gain stage.
DEEP Switch - Boosts the lower bass frequencies. This low frequency contour switch also shifts
the emphasis from the upper bass frequencies to the lower bass frequencies which helps smooth
out and clarify the midrange response.
GAIN - Adjusts the overall gain of the amplifier. Start with this control in the 12 o’clock position
then adjust to taste. This control determines the initial character of your tone, from cleaner/brighter
tones at low settings to fatter/warmer tones at higher settings. As you turn this control up it also
introduces more gain and bass into the signal path, and reduces the amount of available clean
headroom especially when the master volume is set higher. Keep in mind that the amount of gain
set here also determines the signal level feeding the lead channel. Lower settings of this control
will reduce the available signal level in the lead channel so higher settings of lead gain may be
required to achieve the desired amount of overdrive when in the lead channel mode.
EQ1/EQ2 Switch - This switch lets you choose between 2 completely different global equalization
settings greatly affecting the overall personality of the amplifier.
EQ1 is a lower gain, higher headroom setting with extended midrange and bass response.
This setting is suitable for any style requiring a pure clean tone with a nice round bottom end
response, and plenty of headroom. It may seem weak and thin sounding when first switching to
the EQ1 setting from the EQ2 setting. This is due to the lower gain structure of EQ1 thus the gain
and master settings as well as the tone controls do need to be readjusted in order to take full
advantage of the EQ1 setting.
EQ2 - This setting has more available gain yet still provides plenty of clean headroom if desired,
along with a full and balanced response overall. This is the setting that most players will prefer to
use especially with single coil pickups, and or any type of lower output pickups.
MASTER - Adjusts the overall output level of the amplifier. At lower settings on this control the
amp will be much cleaner sounding as well as lower in volume. As this control is turned up the
power section of the amp begins to work harder which increases sustain, fullness, and touch
dynamics as well as raising the volume of the amplifier. At higher settings on this control the power
section will be pushed into natural overdrive especially if the Gain control is set higher.
LEAD GAIN - Adjusts the input level (gain) of the lead channel. Although we refer to this as the
“lead channel” it is actually an additional “cascading” gain stage in the amp’s circuit driven by the
FET, EQ1/2, Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Bright, Mid, Deep, and Bypass controls. It has been
meticulously designed to add a very dynamic and touch responsive overdrive capability to the
amplifier. The setting of the amp’s controls has a direct effect on the gain, tone and feel of the lead
channel. Experimentation is key to striking the desired balance between the clean and lead modes
BYPASS Switch - Referred to as Tone Stack Bypass, this switch bypasses the Bass, Middle, and
Treble controls effectively turning them up all the way and increasing both the volume and
perceived mid-range response. The Bright, Mid, and Deep switches remain active in the Bypass
mode. This function is also foot switchable. To enable footswitch control of this function, the switch
must be in the down position.
LEAD MASTER - Adjusts the output level of the lead channel. Use this control to set the desired
volume of the lead mode in relation to the clean mode.
LEAD Switch - This switch engages the lead channel. This function is also foot switchable.
To enable footswitch control of this function, the switch must be in the down position.
REVERB - This is the reverb return control which mixes the reverb effect signal with the dry signal.
At full counterclockwise rotation, the reverb effect is defeated. Use this return control in
conjunction with the reverb drive control, located on the rear panel, to create a wide range of
natural reverb effects.
CONTOUR - The contour control is an active wide band sweep. In the 12 o’clock position, the
amp’s frequency response is flat. Counterclockwise rotation reduces high end response and
increases low frequencies. Clockwise rotation decreases low end and increases the high
frequency response. This control is very useful for maintaining preamp tone control settings, while
allowing a global adjustment to compensate for differences in room acoustics, speaker cabinets,
or bright to dark guitars (single coils to humbuckers, for example). This control also actively
reduces the articulation available, allowing a softer setting, or extremely open and revealing,
depending on your individual style and requirements.
STANDBY - This switch should be in the down/STANDBY position before you place the Power
switch to the up/ON position. After 20 seconds or more, place the Standby switch in the “up”
position to play the amplifier. When you are taking a break from playing the amp you can leave the
amp “powered up” and simply switch to the “stand-by” position to mute the output of the amplifier
and prolong power tube life.
Indicator Lamp - This lamp will illuminate when the power switch is in the “up” position, indicating
the unit is receiving A/C power.
NOTE: The BRIGHT, MID, DEEP, and BYPASS switches are ON when in the “up” position and
OFF when in the down position.
Rear Panel Functions
A/C Input - Connects the amplifier to A/C power via the power cable supplied. Unless otherwise
specified, your amplifier is designed to operate on 120 volts A/C 60 cycles ONLY.
Fuse - See Fuse Chart
Power Switch -Turns power on.
HIGH/LOW Switch - On 100/50w and 40/20w models the HIGH position is full power, and the
LOW position is half power. The 100/50w and 40/20w proprietary output transformers, when
switching from full power to half power, will automatically compensate for impedance differences
so no impedance adjustment is necessary. On the 50w model the High position is fixed bias, and
the LOW position is cathode bias. The cathode bias setting lowers the amp’s headroom and power
output while enhancing touch sensitivity.
LEAD CONTOUR - This contour control has the same function as the front panel control, but is
assigned to the lead channel only. The contour control is an active wide band sweep. In the 12
o’clock position, the lead channel’s frequency response is flat. Counterclockwise rotation reduces
high end response and increases low frequencies. Clockwise rotation decreases low end and
increases the high frequency response.
.
Speaker Output Jacks -There are 3 speaker output jacks; 4, 8, and 16 ohms.
NEVER OPERATE YOUR AMPLIFIER WITHOUT A PROPER SPEAKER LOAD CONNECTED.
Be sure to match the impedance of your cabinet with the impedance (output) of the amplifier.
Effects Loop –
The effects loop on this amplifier is a “half active” type of loop, see FAQ on two-rock.com
RETURN LEVEL + Push/Pull BRIGHT – Adjusts the effects loop return level. The loop is active in
the circuit even with no effects connected, so the level control also can be used as a additional
master volume control. This function can be useful but also a bit confusing so as appoint of
reference, set this control at 11:00 for unity gain when not using the effects loop. The pull-bright
feature is useful when playing at a lower volume, or when connecting more than a few pedals into
the loop, which sometimes causes high frequency insertion loss.
REVERB SEND - The reverb send control determines the amount of signal applied to the reverb
tank. Low settings will create short decay times. Advancing the control clockwise increases the
signal applied to the tank for longer decay times. Use this control in conjunction with the REVERB
(front panel) control.
SEND - Use this jack to send the amplifier’s signal to the effects that you want to use in the loop.
RETURN - Use this jack to connect the output from the effects in the loop back to the amplifier.
S/N- Your serial number is located here. We strongly suggest that you record this number and
have it handy in case you need service, or in the event that your amp is lost, stolen, or damaged.
Footswitch Jack- The footswitch connects here. The clean/lead and tone bypass functions can
only be activated via the footswitch.
FOOTSWITCH
LEAD - Switches amp into lead mode
BYPASS- Switches amp into a tone stack bypass mode
FUSE CHART
All Fuses are 3AG Type 250 Volt, SLO-BLO
Export 100V: Domestic 120V: Export 220V, 230V, 240V:
3.5A 100 Watt 4x6L6 3.25A 100 Watt 4x6L6 1.6A 100 Watt 4x6L6
2.8A 50 Watt 2x6L6 2.5A 50 Watt 2x6L6 1.25A 50 Watt 2x6L6
(Tube Complement)
V1 - 12AX7, Rhythm channel
V2 - 12AX7, Lead Channel
V3 - 12AX7, Reverb Driver
V4 - 12AX7, Reverb/effects
V5 - 12AX7. Phase Inverter
V6, V7- 6L6GC, Output
V8, V9- 6L6GC, Output (100 Watt) or 5AR4, 50 Watt Dual Tube Rectified
Each fine production tube is tested and matched to our exacting specifications. When the time
comes that the power tubes need replacing, it’s very important to use high quality, matched sets of
power tubes. It’s also critical that the bias of the amp be reset after installing new, or NOS power
tubes. External bias adjustment and test points are located on the bottom of the chassis near the
output tube sockets. A digital voltmeter and small screwdriver are required for bias adjustment.
BIAS PROCEDURE:
Make sure the speaker is connected properly, then power up the amplifier.
Set the rear panel power mode switch to Full or Hi
DO NOT apply any signal to the input during the biasing procedure!
Insert volt meter’s positive probe into the bias test point socket (located underneath the chassis)
Connect volt meter’s negative probe to chassis ground
Switch amp out of standby and allow a few seconds for the circuit to stabilize
Set voltmeter to millivolt scale (or lowest volt scale 60 millivolts =.060 volts.)
Observe the display on the meter to see the current bias setting
If an adjustment is needed, use a small flat blade screwdriver inserted into the bias adjust
pot and adjust by turning bias screw SLOWLY in very small increments until the desired
setting is achieved on the meter. Then wait a few moments for the bias to stabilize and re-
adjust if necessary. You may need to repeat this procedure a couple of times. It is ok to
play test the amp with the meter connected.
A setting of 0.120 to 0.124 volts is normal for 100 watt amplifiers with (4) 6L6’s.
A setting of 0.060 to 0.063 volts is normal for 50 watt amplifiers with (2) 6L6’s.
If an adjustment is needed, use a small flat blade screwdriver inserted into the bias adjust pot
and adjust by turning bias screw SLOWLY in very small increments until the desired setting is
achieved on the meter. Then wait a few moments for the bias to stabilize and re-adjust if
necessary. You may need to repeat this procedure a couple of times.
*Bias ranges are measured and set in volts
*Do not set bias higher than recommended levels as it can lead to tube failure and possible damage to other
components in the amplifier!
WARNING! No user serviceable parts inside! Refer to qualified service person only.
LINE CORD- For your safety, connect to grounded A/C receptacle only.
We know your new Two-Rock amplifier will provide many hours
of enjoyment and inspiration in the years to come. This manual is
a resource for some of your questions. Please contact us with
any other questions or comments that you may have. We look
forward to hearing from you!
PHONE: 1(707)584-TONE (8663) (M-F 9am-5pm PST)
ADDRESS: Two-Rock Amplifiers, LLC
619 Martin Avenue, Suite 5
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
CONTACT: [email protected]
WEB: www.two-rock.com
Two-Rock Amplifiers, LLC
619 MARTIN AVENUE, SUITE 5
ROHNERT PARK, CA 94928
707-584-8663
www.two-rock.com
SERIAL NUMBER: _____________________________
