Vai Legacy™ Guitar Amp


David Alessandri
Gig Magazine™ Sept. 2000

When it comes to the tube amps available today, the Steve Vai signature Legacy series is in a class all its own.

Sometimes it's nice just to get back to the basics. With all the amp simulators coming down the pike these days-modeling just about any type of amp you could imagine-it was a treat to get a chance to review the Legacy VL212, a traditional tube amp that could stand on its own. Don't get me wrong, I think technology is doing an amazing job, making it possible to carry a dozen amps in your gig bag. But they have to model those sounds off of something, and there's nothing like the real thing baby, if you know what I mean. Nothing to program, no wordy manual to interpret, just your basic volume and tone knobs-set 'em and let her rip. If you've read any of my articles over the past several years, you know I've reviewed quite a few amp simulators/processors and they've saved my butt more than once when I've been stuck using bad amplifiers with no tone on cruise ship gigs. They also come in handy for direct recording which saves a great deal of studio time setup. But the fact of the matter remains that I am basically a traditionalist: my main rig is a tube amp-Mesa Boogie 50 Caliber. It was great to review a tube amp that I could just take to the gig, without any manuals, set my tones and play.

When it comes to the tube amps available today, the Steve Vai signature Legacy series is in a class all its own. Even at first glance its appearance is an eye-catcher. Off-white, chicken-head volume and tone knobs and the metal see-through grill covering the speakers give the look of class and durability. Priced reasonably at $949.95, the Carvin operating manual has Steve Val quoted as saying, "It had to be something affordable for most musicians and not for just a few privileged ones." With a world-class guitarist like Steve Val playing with tube and circuitry variations, and also testing dozens of enclosures loaded with various vintage and prototype speakers, you expect tone. Let's see what he came up with.

The Meat and Potatoes

Even though the VL212 is a straight-ahead, in-your-face tube amp, there are several features about this amp that give it a vintage sound with a modern twist. The clean and overdrive channels have independent volume, bass, mid, treble and presence controls unlike many other multi-channel tube amps that have separate volume and gain controls but often share EQ. The clean channel's bright switch boosts only the guitar's highest harmonics, which are in the 10 kHz range instead of the 3 kHz range of a normal bright switch. This will add an acoustic shimmer to your guitar for sweet rhythm playing, while the presence knob control on the lead channel adjusts the edge of your tone. With a wide range, you can get super smooth tones or crank it up and add bite to your leads. The greater range of the passive bass, mid and treble controls is due to the high-impedance 1 meg sealed pots (most guitar amps use 250k pots).

The Legacy's incredible highs stem from the very high treble frequency setting of 11 kHz; while the bass is set at 80 Hz and mid at 650 Hz.

The reverb system is reminiscent of '60s tube amps with a "pre-filter" eliminating the spring "boing" heard in other combo amp reverb units. The FS22 footswitch switches only the reverb send, leaving the tall of the reverb to decay naturally-the way it is done in the studio. Even my Boogie-with a modified spring reverb unit-doesn't do this. For example, you're playing a lead or single note line and the reverb can make your last note hold over, you can use the footswitch and turn it off, leave your last note hanging and be playing another part and almost sound as if there are two guitar players on stage.

The Legacy uses EL34 power tubes, which have a smooth distortion tone when overdriven. The tubes react even to the most subtle changes: play soft and they remain clean, play harder and they become more distorted. But if you want to customize your Legacy to your own personal tube taste, there is a bias switch for 5881 or 6L6GCs, making power tube changes a breeze.

A snazzy feature-something I was fond of because I play different size venues-was the 100/50-watt switch. Switch to 100 watts and you get four power tubes (when you need that extra oomph) or switch to 50 watts using two power tubes, and you can get your amp to clip at lower levels for smaller rooms.

Some of the other features are: a cabinet-voiced line out, 2 1/4" speaker jacks also with a speaker impedance switch for four, eight or 16 ohms to match your speaker system, and the Vai Hidden Feature, allowing you to use the lead channel with a generous amount of drive, then back off the volume on your guitar causing the channel to become cleaned up at a lower volume. This feature is handy for playing both lead and rhythm without switching channels.

On the Gig

To begin with, setup was a snap. The room I was playing didn't really allow for a sound check as it was a three-nighter in a hotel lounge adjacent to the dining room which always had customers present, so under these circumstances, using new equipment can be a little scary. Even after you program your sounds, you always need to EQ some for a live performance. But with the VL212, this was no problem. I picked out some basic settings at home for my lead and rhythm channels and through the first set I simply turned around and tweaked the knobs just like the good old days.

At the end of the first night, our keyboard player came over to ask if I was reviewing something new saying "your leads are cutting through. " Which prompted the rest of the band to start commenting on the tone of my guitar that evening and how much they liked the sound of this amp. I was in hog heaven because my solo tone was hot and rhythm tones were cool and crisp. With the wide frequency range of the tone settings, I was able to EQ my tone to cut through the band without having to increase my volume. And as any guitar player knows, we always get hit with that volume thing.

In the end, the Legacy VL212 proved to be a solidly built, greatsounding amp in the tradition of the classics, but with some modern features that really make it stand out.

 
Dominic Hilton
Total Guitar® July 99 issue

"There is definitely a sizeable chunk of Vai's tonal mojo in the Legacy, thankfully he is also responsible for producing some of the best guitar tones ever - eat 'em and smile"

Around the time he got the gig with David Lee Roth, Steve Vai was an endorsee of Carvin stacks. However, the lure of his modded Marshalls seduced him away from the Californian company for many years. However, his obsessive search for 'the tone' led him back to Carvin's doorstep and, after many months of listening tests on tubes, circuitry, speakers and enclosures, the Legacy was born.
FEATURES

Vai eventually settled for an all-tube, two-channel 100 Watt amplifier with no less than five 12AX7 valves in the pre-amp section. The power amp uses EL34s, chosen for their dynamic response and smooth distortion, and a switch on the rear of the chassis allows you to switch to just two for a 50 Watt output (you'll need it, this ain't a quiet amp).

This array of valves provides the juice for the surprisingly simple two-channel system. If you were expecting onboard harmonizers and alien-water-kiss modes, think again. Instead there is simply a clean and lead channel, each with the usual treble, mid, bass and volume controls, and a drive control for the lead. The rear panel is well equipped for the modem player and features an effects loop and a cabinet-voiced line out for mixer and recording applications. The closed-back cabinet is made from quality 7-ply poplar and is protected by black tolex and metal corners. The aesthetic Vaister had strong opinions on what the amp should look like, and he did a fine job. The hieroglyphic logo is a subtle clue to the co-designer's identity, otherwise the amp looks mean, serious and tough as hell.
PERFORMANCE

I dusted off my old Charvel, equipped with a Jemstyle pickup system to feed the Legacy its usual diet of tones for the test, and a Les Paul to cover some other bases. First thing to note; this is one loud rascal, even on the 50 Watt setting, and the closed-back cab delivers more punch and kick than a Thai boxing match. One of Carvin's strengths is clean tones, and the VL212 is another home-run in that area. The clean channel offers some exceptionally crisp and responsive tones with hifidelity balance and detail. The presence switch also works very well, adding a subtle brilliance to those quacky single-coil selections. And so to the lead channel. Sweet mercy. It's probably safe to assume you won't be needing your Tubescreamer or, quite possibly, your bass player. The gain and bass response of this amp is phenomenal
CONSTRUCTION

With a less-than signature price tag of E885, the Legacy certainly fulfills Vai's list of demands; it's affordable, well built and sounds monstrous. If you want to hear it for yourself simply click your way to www.carvin.com/vai for samples and settings.

This isn't an existing model with a few tweaks and tacky graphics, it's a smart new design with an exciting character of its own. Any player seeking powerful, futuristic drives and reactive clean tones will enjoy the Legacy - you don't need to be a dedicated shredder. There is definitely a sizeable chunk of Vai's tonal mojo in the Legacy, thankfully he is also responsible for producing some of the best guitar tones ever - eat 'em and smile... TG


E.D. Menaché
Guitar® May 99 issue

"From a creative standpoint, my only gripe was that I had to turn the amp off to write this review."

-The Key to the Vai Way-

Steve Vai is no stranger to sonic innovation. Since his career began as the blazing guitar wunderkind in Frank Zappa's mid-eighties lineup, Vai's most notable strength-more than his breathtaking technique, mastery of effects, or flashy showmanship-has been his ability to bring fresh vision to whatever musical situation he happened to be in. This creative vision has extended as much to his gear as to his technique-the man has been playing a seven-string since before Munky knew the meaning of Head-and Vai's tone is among the the broadest in the business: How many guitarists of his generation can lacerate the fretboard with pristine clean tone, then jump into a passage of singing distortion, while still sounding emphatically like himself?

Like his playing, the Carvin Vai Legacy amp covers the breadth of the sonic spectrum while maintaining a distinct and fresh identity. The two channel 100-watt head we tested was a refreshing departure from amps that seek to define themselves by how closely they imitate the competition's classics: Comfortable points of reference like "Fenderish clean tone" and "Marshall-like grit," got tossed out the window in favor of a more original character profile.

As tested, the EL34 tube-powered head was mated to a C412 4x12 cabinet equipped with Celestion G12M Greenback speakers. A 2x12 combo version is also available; it has a removable back for both close or open cabinet operation.

The Legacy's clean sound is instantaneously identifiable as it's own, very large, beast: I was immediately impressed with how "open" it sounded-especially considering the fact that the amp was driving a closed-back cabinet. The Clean channel offers tons of headroom across the entire frequency spectrum, a characteristic which contributes to the Legacy's uncanny ability to reproduce the guitars lower register with both depth and detail. I found it particularly cool playing a Strat equipped with heavy strings: no matter how hard I hit the guitar, I couldn't knock the amp out of sorts, even with the bass control pushed way up. Single notes sounded almost piano-like in their forceful attack and shimmering clarity, even with the midrange pushed. The Clean channel upheld it's name at all volumes. Pushed to the max, it responded by getting punchier and ever-so-slightly compressed, but never sounded muddy.

The Legacy's wide ranging tone controls are exceptionally useful-most tube amps have one or two "sweet spots" that work with your guitar, but the Legacy lets you dial in subtle timbral tweaks without overwhelming your instrument's sonic stamp. The lead channel sounds fat and creamy, yet also, detailed and balanced, so that all the voices in a complex chord ring clearly, even at maximum saturation.

The Legacy's overdrive is more dynamic than most; the amp doesn't over-compress your signal to the point where changes in your dynamic approach are homogenized out of your sound. In fact, the manual recommends setting the drive control relatively high, then using your guitar's volume knob to control the amount of gain, and this technique works very well (backing off on your guitar cleans up your sound without sacrificing the overall character of the tone), as does simply playing your instrument with a varied attack. Again, the EQ is extremely effective and well-voiced. The Treble control, for example, is set to a higher frequency (11k) than is common on guitar amps, allowing you to push the top end for enhanced clarity without paying for it with an over-boosted, strident, tone. Carvin points out that the amp uses 1-meg ohm sealed pots (as opposed to more common 250k ohm pots), which enhance each control's useful range. The bottom line-the Legacy's lively tone sounds in-your-face, but not fatigue-inducing, even after a long workout at high volume.

Like the clean channel, the legacy's lead channel remained relatively consistent at a range of volumes. At maximum power, the legacy is loud, but not overwhelmingly so-I've heard many heads that have been louder, but few that have worked as well at the limits of their controls.

Additional features include a switchable effects loop, a long and lush-sounding reverb, a compensated speaker out for direct recording, a half-power switch which de-activates two of the power tubes, and the capability to switch the bias for use with 5881 (6L6GC) output tubes in place of the standard EL34s. Everything about the Legacy's look and design seems to be of high quality. The manual, too, is brief but excellent and informative.

I appreciate the fact that Carvin includes a parts list. in fact, from a practicality standpoint, my only gripe was the power-cord, which, though a standard issue detachable cable, was way too short for an amp obviously designed to be used onstage.

From a creative standpoint, my only gripe was that I had to turn the amp off to write this review. Thanks to its rich tone, supple-and-subtle response, and easy operation, playing through the Vai Legacy left me wanting only one thing: more.

 
Lisa Sharken
Vintage Guitar® October 99 issue

"If you're in the market for one amp that can do it all, the Legacy might provide everything you're looking for at a very fair price. It's well worth some investigation."

Carvin's Legacy series amplifiers were designed exclusively for fretboard wizard Steve Vai - unquestionably one of the best players around is Vai well-known for his keen ear, incredible technique, and formidable tone. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with his work, Vai was introduced to the guitar community as a fiery young player in Frank Zappa's group in the mid '80s. He impressed Zappa with his accurate transcriptions of Zappa's works and his ability to play the parts with such precision. Eventually,

Vai developed into a solid solo artist. His first release was a soft vinyl "Soundpage" insert record in an issue of Guitar Player magazine, which featured Vai's "The Attitude Song." His first (and self-produced) EP, Flex-able (Akashic), was released in 1984.
Vai went on to play with Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth, and Whitesnake before forming his own group. His first solo alburn, Passion & Warfare (Relativity), was released in 1990 and earned him recognition as one of the foremost instrumentalists in rock. Vai's style and finesse are admired and imitated, setting new limits for what's considered over-the-top.

Vai's first signature model Ibanez JEM guitar was introduced in the late '80s, becoming one of the most popular guitars in the company's product line and marking the beginning of a new series of instruments. Later, his seven-string signature models were introduced and today the seven-string guitar is a strong influence on many of the most popular bands around, including Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Fear Factory. Now Carvin is showing its respect for Val by building a signature model amp, the Legacy.

The Legacy is available as either a head or combo, with optional speaker cabinets. The VL212 has the same features as the original 100-watt VLIOO Legacy head, equipped from the factory with four EL34 power tubes and five 12AX7A preamp tubes. However, the Legacy can be set up for use with either 5881s, 6L6GCs or EL34s (when switching tube types, take the amp to a qualified technician).

The Legacy has a single input jack and two independent channels - Lead and Clean. A pushbutton on the front panel changes channels and red LEDs indicate which is active. An optional FS22 footswitch selects channels and activates the reverb. The amp's on/off power switch and standby switches are also located on the front panel.

The Lead channel includes tone controls for Bass, Mid, Treble, and Presence, in addition to separate Drive level and channel Volume controls. The Clean channel has Bass, Mid, and Treble tone controls, a Presence switch (functions more like a bright switch on other amps, rather than a rotary Presence control knob), and a master Volume control. Additionally, there's a master reverb control which regulates the intensity of the reverb effect for both channels.

The amp's back panel includes Send and Return jacks for the built-in effects loop, an input jack for the optional footswitch, a Cabinet Voiced Line Out (very handy for playing direct into a console for recording or even live performance), the Bias Selector switch for selecting the type of tubes in operation, a 501100 Power switch to choose operation at 50 or 100 watts, an impedance selector switch for operation at 4, 8, or 16 ohms, and two speaker output jacks. The amplifier section can be used with the built-in speakers or with an extension cabinet (with or without the built-in speakers) or used with up to two external cabinets. A variety of matching 4 X12 and 2 X12 cabs are available.

The stock VL212 comes loaded with two Celestion 12" (G12M) speakers. The amp's cabinet has several options, too. It can be used closed-back or open-back or half open for tighter or IoDser speaker response to best suit a player's personal tonal tastes and/or the acoustic environment of the venue. For more punch, keep the back closed and for looser sounds, leave the back of the amp open. If you have the back open or half-open, it can be mic'ed for different effects in the mix. To explain the amp's tonal range, it's best to relate to familiar sounds. The Legacy possesses prevalent qualities of both Marshall and Fender sounds. The Lead channel is reminiscent of a hotrodded old Marshall and the sounds produced by the Clean channel are along the lines of a well tuned old Fender. And whether it's set for dirty or clean, subtle differences can be heard at each increment as the amp's controls are adjusted. This allows for maximum fine-tuning of the amp to shape the sound.

I tested the VL212 using a stock '65 Strat, a '78 Les Paul Custom with Seymour Duncan pickups, and one of Val's white Signature model Ibanez JEM guitars (like his main guitar); a good cross-section of the most popular types of instruments. We can also get an idea of how the amp responds with one of Vai's personal guitars.


So how does it sound? The Legacy proves itself a versatile workhorse capable of handling just about any gig. In situations with each type of guitar and trying out a range of rock and blues styles, the Legacy receives high marks. For those classic-type clean or overdriven sounds with the Strat or Les Paul, the Legacy produces smooth, sweet highs, and tight bottom end. As on some of the other Carvin amps I'd tested over the years, the Legacy's clean sounds are very impressive, delivering a rich tone that responds well to pick dynamics and subtle differences in fretting-hand touch and technique. The Lead channel provides a powerful, chunky tone with excellent sustain and impressive low-end throw for a combo. The Legacy offers excellent sustain for soloing and a fat, solid sound for rhythm.

Players who favor seven-string guitar or use low tunings will find it a great match for playing heavier rock styles because the sound stays together rather than farting out on the bottom or sounding thin and brittle on the high-end. An overdrive pedal can be used to enhance the sound of the amp's natural gain and alter the distortion characteristics to achieve a particular tone. Then, to further craft the sound, the amp's back panel sections can be removed or secured for looser or tighter speaker response.

To test the Legacy's stack sound, I plugged in two Marshall 4 X 12 cabinets loaded with 25-watt Celestion greenbacks, disconnecting the combo's internal speakers. The full-stack sound was equally impressive, but bigger - just ask my neighbors! Needless to say, Carvin has provided a good variety of options to accommodate the needs of most players.

While you won't see Carvin amps displayed at your local music store (unless you live near one of their showrooms in California), the company's gear can be purchased directly from the manufacturer. Now that mail order and buying over the internet have become popular, Carvin's direct sales approach is becoming more common. The company offers a 10-day trial period with a money-back guarantee (customer pays shipping, which is not refundable). And all Carvin instruments and amps carry a one- year warranty.

While signature models can be a bit cheesy for anyone other than the artist whose name it bears, Carvin's Legacy is an intelligently designed amp that proves a real winner on its own credentials. If you're in the market for one amp that can do it all, the Legacy might provide everything you're looking for at a very fair price. It's well worth some investigation.

 

Carvin Legacy VL212 Combo
by Dominic Hilton

"The VL212 certainly delivers a range of inspiring and kinetic tones, along with some distinctive flavors of its very own "

WE WERE MORE THAN A BIT SURPRISED when this understated, business-like amp slipped from its cardboard carton. No fluorescent floral Tolex? No trans-dimensional quantum drive? Not even a monkey grip? Steve Vai designed this, didn't he? Well, yes, he did, and not before the demanding shredmeister put Carvin's R&D team through sonic hell. Following countless months of comparison tests on tubes, speakers and circuitry, the exhausted amp designers were finally released from Steve's aural vivisection, and this, indeed, is his Legacy.

Vai also designed the exterior of the Legacy VL212 combo ($969.95), although his involvement is only evident in the logo's subtle hieroglyph. Otherwise, this is a very serious-looking and intelligently designed amp, complete with black Tolex, seven-ply poplar cab, metal corner protectors and a kick-proof grille. Like the exterior, the guts of the VL212 are refreshingly simple and gimmickfree. The all-tube, two-channel design pumps out 100 watts from its quartet of EL34 power tubes, and if you play in small venues, a half-power switch on the rear panel allows the amp to run at 50 watts on just two EL34s. Another switch can re-bias the amp to accept 5881 or 6L6GC tubes in the power section, should you prefer a grittier tone. The pre-amp stage uses a total of five 12AX7 tubes, one ofwhich drives and adds warmth to the Carvin long-tail reverb.

This collection of tubes provides the thermionic magic for the clean and lead channels. Both channels have the usual treble, mid, bass and volume controls, while the lead channel boasts a drive control. What's more, instead of a master presence control, the VL212 uses a rotary control on the lead channel and a presence switch on the clean. This switch is designed to add clarity to the highest guitar harmonics (8-lOkHz), which translates as a dose of extra sparkle when single-coil pickups are used through this channel. The Legacy's arsenal continues with a master reverb control, an effects loop, footswitch socket for the optional FS22 footswitch ($80) and speaker extension sockets with impedance selector on the rear panel. Its everything a modern guitarist could need, without mode-switch overkill. In addition, the VL212 houses a pair of Celestion G12M Greenback speakers in a closed-back cab for enhanced projection, and the amp is also available in the head-only VL100 model with the same speakers in the C412 4x12 closed-cab (head, $1,599; cabinet, $1,195, stack, $2,695).

Does it sound like Steve Vai in a box? To say so would be to sell the Legacy short. The tone-obsessed player has certainly left his indelible thumbprint upon the tones of the VL212, but this amp would please any player seeking powerful, complex sounds. One noticeable characteristic is the stupendous bass response from the closed-back cab. Clean sounds are exceptionally responsive and leap with dynamics, while dirty sounds are an absolute chunkfest. Another characteristic appears in the overall sound, which is precisely balanced across the spectrum and avoids the midrange swampland found in many vintage-style amps. This high-resolution tone is modern without being clinical, with plenty of tubular warmth behind the clarity, and bristling harmonics. Clean sounds are rounded, articulate and powerful, with more headroom than Michael Jordan. The lead channel is nothing short of phenomenal, with spatial overdrives, bone-splitting crunch and the sort of vocal lead tones for which Vai is famous. Settings 3 to 6 on the drive control offer some of the optimum distortions, and settings 6 to 8 provide enough blistering gain to make any distortion stompbox unnecessary. Go beyond 8, and you may not come back. These distortions are also designed to clean up efficiently with a guitar's volume control to deliver superb fat and honky, semi-clean tones.


THE BOTTOM LINE

The VL212 certainly delivers a range of inspiring and kinetic tones, along with some distinctive flavors of its very own (hear it for yourself at Carvin's website). Its macho exterior would probably win in a fight with a roadie, and Carvin's factory-direct selling policy keeps the price within the grasp of mortals.

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