Photo by Kelly Pace
Play LOUD For Best Results
Guitar Amp
User Manual
Our inspiration for the BF-TEN was to capture the spirit of Leo’s classic mid 60’s black face sound and
put it into a compact but dynamic package. Scooped mids and chimey ringing bell tones are only the
beginning of what this amp is capable of.
To move back in time to the tweed era of the fifties, just dial in the Attitude control to bring in a less
focused low end with more gain and earlier breakup. A Mid boost switch moves the center point and
adds gain to the Mid control. If 10 watts is too loud (don’t laugh) then adjust the Scale control from
10 watts all the way down to half a watt, without significant tone change. Think of voltage scaling as
the ultimate amplifier master volume control. This amp will run a variety of power tubes without any
bias adjustment and the tubes do not need to be matched. Feel free to mix different types of power
tubes together for a huge tone variety.
A full featured, all tube effects loop is located in back. There are level controls for send/return and a
switch to run the loop in series or parallel with the main signal path. Switch between line level rack
effects or guitar level pedal effects. You can use the BF-TEN as a preamp send for re-amping into another power amp. Connect the return on the BF-TEN to the send of your favorite amp to get it’s sound
through the BF-TEN’s big class-A watts. Protect your investment with an optional ATA custom road
case or soft padded cover.
Features:
The welded steel chassis is hand assembled from the highest quality components, and reliability is insured with rugged point to point construction. Quick, soft start power supply needs no standby switch
and full warm-up takes less than a minute. Two select JJ-6L6 power tubes are run in parallel, class-A.
Experiment with other power tubes to find your unique tone, no bias adjustment required! Select between 4/8/16 speaker load with two parallel output jacks. Ground lift circuit allows simple, noise-free
integration with effects and other gear.
Top Quality Components:
•silver plated Teflon wiring •Sprague-Atom & Mallory caps
•carbon comp resistors •Switchcraft jacks
•Carling switches •custom output transformer
•Mercury Magnetics power transformer and choke
Preamp Tubes: 12DW7 12AT7 12AX7
Power Tube Options: 6V6 6L6 EL34 6CA7 KT66 KT77 KT88 6550
Cabinet: 22 x 10 x 8.5 inches, 24 lbs.
Warranty: 10 years to original owner on everything but abuse and tubes
FRONT PANEL
1 PILOT LAMP – use 6.3v type #47 or #756 bulb.
2 POWER SWITCH – quick, soft start circuit does not require a standby switch,
unit is fully warmed-up and ready to play in less than a minute.
3 SCALE – full power at 10 setting, as you turn it back the power output will be reduced down to
about half a watt. This feature is quite different from a master volume found on other
amps because your tone will not change as the Scale reduces only the loudness.
4 ATTITUDE CONTROL – tight low end response on 1 that is characteristic of a mid 60’s sound, as you
end that is typical of a tweed era amp from the 50’s.
5 VOLUME CONTROL – used together with the Scale control to set output level.
6 TREBLE/BRIGHT SWITCH – adjust high frequency level, switch provides more presence when Volume
control is at lower settings.
7 MIDDLE/SHFT SWITCH – lower settings will provide a scooped midrange frequency response, use
higher settings for a more up front sound. Switch will provide extra
midrange boost for soloing.
8 BASS/SHIFT SWITCH – adjust low frequency level, switch provides a warmer tone with extra gain.
9 INPUT JACK – connect guitar cable here.
REAR PANEL
1 SEND – output jack to effects or other amp.
2 SEND LEVEL – adjusts volume of signal sent to effects or another amp, reduce if clipping or distortion occurs.
If loop is not used, and Send/Return Controls are set to 12:00 you have unity loop gain
(no change in volume). Maximum loop gain is about +20dB if you turn Send/Return controls
all the way up, adding loop gain will provide a more aggressive tone with earlier breakup.
3 RETURN – input jack from effects or other amp.
4 RETURN LEVEL – adjusts volume of signal from effects or another amp, set the mix between wet effects
and the dry normal signal when in Parallel loop mode. If loop is not used, set Send &
Return Controls to 12:00 for unity gain.
5 RETURN LEVEL SWITCH – set to 0dB when using rack type effects, -20dB for pedal type effects.
6 (S)SERIES/(P)PARALLEL
SWITCH – in series loop mode, the entire signal is routed thru the effects loop and the mix level is set on the
effects unit. Parallel loop mode separates the dry normal signal from the wet effects return signal,
mix level is determined by Return Control and/or mix setting on effects unit. Normal setting for this
switch is parallel with effects set for maximum wet signal and Return Level controls the mix between
wet & dry signal. NOTE: some effects devices invert the polarity of the input signal, when this
happens the return signal when mixed with the dry signal results in a thin low volume sound because
the two cancel each other. If your effect inverts then use the Series loop mode.
7 SPEAKER JACKS – both jacks are connected in parallel, when using multiple speaker cabinets, set the
speaker Impedance Switch (8) to match the net speaker load.
8 SPEAKER IMPEDANCE SWITCH – select between 4/8/16 to match speaker load.
9 HIGH VOLTAGE FUSE – fast acting 250mA rated.
10 GROUND SWITCH – up is grounded for normal use, lift ground if hum occurs when amp is connected to
other equipment through guitar input jack or effects loop.
11 AC INPUT – connect standard IEC power cord here.
12 MAINS FUSE – slow blow 1.5A rated, with space for spare fuse.
TUBE LAYOUT
6L6GC 12DW7
NOTE: The 6L6GC power tubes do not have to be gain matched and can be replaced without any bias
adjustment needed, see the Specifications for a list of alternate types that can be used. Regardless
of which type of power tube is chosen, power output will remain about 12 watts RMS. Higher power
rated tubes will change the tone and may provide more clean headroom. Experiment with different
tubes to find the tone that best suits your taste and style.
6L6GC
12AT712AX7
www.megatoneamps.com
DJL Vintage Audio
2907 Pacific Avenue
Greensboro, NC 27406
336 274-6767
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