bc audio 9/2014 Amplifier No. 9 Owner’s Manual
Do not operate the amplifier without a speaker or suitable load connected as this
can cause damage to the amplifier. It is perfectly safe to use a quality attenuator
for those quiet restaurant gigs and weddings. Say, what are you doing playing
those kinds of shows?
18 & 19. Fuses
Disconnect the power cord (20) before changing a fuse. Replace with same type
and rating only (see p. 3). The MAINS fuse (19) is on the main power input to the
amplifier. The HT or High Tension fuse (18) is on the B+ plate voltage supply.
The HT fuse may blow while the MAINS fuse is still intact. In this case, the Power
Indicator (9) will be illuminated but no sound will be produced. The HT fuse is
usually tripped by a faulty power tube.
20. IEC Power Inlet
With the POWER switch (8) in the OFF position, plug the included power cord
into the IEC power inlet, and the other end into a suitable power source. Any
medium or heavy duty cord designed to fit the standard IEC power inlet will work
fine, but Amplifier No. 9 ships with a Hospital Grade cord. Sick!
Get it? Hospital...Sick...
21. Voltage Selector (behind rear panel)
The Voltage Selector is set to your country’s voltage from the factory and does
not need to be changed unless you wish to use the amplifier in a locale with a
different voltage. The Voltage Selector is labeled 115/130. The amplifier is
designed to run on 110-120VAC or 220-240VAC. To access the Voltage
Selector, remove the rear panel.
PLAYING IT
Amplifier No. 9 is a very simple amplifier. With a minimum of controls, you won’t
have a hard time dialing in your sound.
To really hear Amplifier No. 9 and what it can do for you, I suggest you start out
by plugging your guitar directly into the amp without any pedals, rack gear or
multi-fx units. Plug in the included foot switch, and turn off Boost.
Begin with BRIGHT VOL AND NORMAL VOL on 5, and PRESENCE and
DEPTH on 0. You should be somewhere near the onset of breakup, depending
on your pickups. Adjust BRIGHT VOL and NORMAL VOL up and down to get a
feel for the various tonal possibilities and how much distortion you get at various
settings.
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EQ
With some moderate distortion, slowly dial in some PRESENCE and DEPTH,
and note how these two controls effect on the tonal response of the amplifier. If
you use a lot of distortion, you’ll probably want to crank the BRIGHT VOL while
lowering NORMAL VOL, which tends to be more bassy. You can then increase
DEPTH to bring the low end back in without causing flubby distortion.
Using the Boost
As a non-Master Volume amp, Amplifier No. 9 is meant to be cranked up in order
to bring out its overdrive tones. The Bright Channel naturally has more gain and
will yield overdrive tones at lower settings than the Normal Channel. Increasing
BRIGHT VOL and/or NORMAL VOL settings will bring on more rich, thick and
chocolaty distortion.
The amount of Boost you might need depends on the volume control settings
and what type of sound you are going for. Try setting the volume controls for a
moderate amount of overdrive, then set BOOST high enough for liquid, singing
sustain. And don’t forget to use your guitar’s volume controls to vary the amount
of distortion, too.
Using Effects
Generally speaking, wah, phase and distortion pedals work best in front of the
amp – between your guitar and the Input jack – where they color the guitar signal
before the amp makes its own distortion. Chorus, delay and reverb sound best in
the loop, where they color the already distorted sound.
For best performance with guitar pedals, set SEND LEVEL to 5-7 and set
RETURN LEVEL to 10. For line level gear, raise SEND LEVEL as high as
possible without overdriving the outboard gear, and set RETURN LEVEL to
match the bypassed signal. In some cases, depending on the outboard
equipment’s ability to handle various signal levels, the perceived return level
might be lower than the bypassed signal.
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