Tech 21 Trademark 120 Owner's Manual

WARNINGS

•Attempting to repair this unit is not recommended and may void its warranty.

•Missing or altered serial numbers automatically void the warranty. For your own
protection, be sure the serial number labels on the unit and exterior box are intact.

ONE-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY

Manufacturer warrants unit to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for
a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase. This warranty does not include
damage resulting from accident, misuse, abuse, alteration, or incorrect current or
voltage. If unit becomes defective within warranty period, Tech 21, Inc. will elect to
repair or replace it free of charge. After warranty period expires, manufacturer will
repair defective unit for a fee.

PROOF OF PURCHASE IS REQUIRED FOR ANY REPAIR

For residents of the U.S. and Canada, please call Tech 21’s main headquarters for
shipping instructions and a Return Authorization Number. Tech 21 will not accept
packages without prior authorization, pre-paid freight (UPS preferred), and proper
insurance.

FOR PERSONAL ASSISTANCE & INQUIRIES

Contact Tech 21, Inc., weekdays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time.

DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN THE U.S.A.

333 West 52nd Street, New York, NY 10019
Tel: [phone] / Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]
Website: www.tech21nyc.com
© 2001 Tech 21, Inc.

Fill in the following information for future reference:

Serial Number______________________________________

Dealer’s Name _____________________________________

Dealer’s Address ___________________________________

Date of Purchase ___________________________________

Owner's Manual

TECH 21, THE COMPANY

Tech 21, Inc., was formed by a guitarist possessing the unusual combination

of a trained ear and electronics expertise. In 1989, B. Andrew Barta incorpo-

rated Tech 21 and made his invention commercially available to players and

studios around the world. His highly-acclaimed

SansAmp™

pioneered

Tube Amplifier Emulation in professional applications for recording direct

and performing live, and created an entirely new category of signal process-

ing. While there have since been many entries into this niche, SansAmp

continues to maintain its reputation as the industry standard.

After developing a full line of SansAmp models, Tech 21 expanded its offer-

ings to include effect pedals; a compact, battery operable MIDI footcon-

troller, the

MIDI Mouse;

as well as “traditional” style amplifiers for guitar

and bass. Each product is thoughtfully and respectfully designed by

B. Andrew Barta himself with the player in mind. Our goal is to provide you

with flexible, versatile tools to cultivate, control, refine and redefine your

own individual sound. Tech 21 takes great pride in delivering consistent

professional quality sound, studio to studio, club to club, arena to arena.

TRADEMARK 120, AN OVERVIEW

The 100% analog Trademark 120 merges the preamp format of our excep-

tionally popular SansAmp GT2 pedal with the look and feel of the Trademark

60 into a 2x12 stereo configuration with 3 channels.

Go from sparkling clean to semi-dirty to mega overdrive or from crunchy to
crunchier to crunchiest in three easy steps. The included Footswitch allows
you to select channels, activate the Reverb and Boost functions, and engage
the Effect Loop. It is engineered to utilize any standard 1/4” instrument or
speaker cable which can easily be replaced, in any length you want.

For studio and live applications, our proprietary SansAmp Tube Amplifier
Emulation technology enables you to go straight into the mixer of a recorder
or PA system via the XLR Direct Outputs. In addition to each channel’s 3
amplifier/speaker styles you can choose with the flick of a switch, the
Trademark 120 can also be miked.

This handsome, touring-sized combo delivers a truckload of the industry’s
most desirable tube amp sounds and provides sensitive controls with a
unique responsiveness to create your own trademark sounds as well. As is
customary with all Tech 21 products, the Trademark 120 is a multi-function­al, super cost-effective package suitable for any player’s repertoire.

2

1

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

This unit is powered by potentially hazardous voltage. Therefore, observe the follow­ing safety precautions:

WARNING: To avoid the risk of fire, electric shock or injury, do not expose this unit
to moisture. Do not remove the chassis from its cabinet, or remove metal covering
from chassis parts. Removing the chassis from its cabinet exposes extremely danger­ous high voltages. There are no user-serviceable parts inside. Hazardous voltages are
present inside the chassis. Refer all servicing to qualified personnel.

CAUTION: Never modify the power cord. If original power cord becomes damaged,
frayed, or has exposed wires, replace immediately with same rating and gauge, or
higher. Replacements are commercially available or you can contact Tech 21 directly.

WARNING: Attempting to repair this unit is not recommended and may void its
warranty. NOTE: In the U.S. and Canada, servicing is performed at factory only. In
other countries, please refer repairs to the local Tech 21 authorized distributor.

ADDITIONAL PRECAUTIONS:

1. Do not allow liquids or objects to penetrate unit.

2. When in use, provide proper ventilation at top and back of unit.

3. During heavy use, chassis may get hot to the touch. Handle with care.

4. Protect unit from strong impact.

5. Do not locate near heat.

6. This unit must be earth grounded.

QUICK START INSTRUCTIONS

Here’s how you can get your Trademark 120 up and running before you read the
entire manual. By not reading the manual, however, you’ll miss out on how to get the
most out of your new investment!

1. Plug your instrument into the top-panel Input jack (on the left side).

2. Plug the AC cord into a wall socket.

3. Connect the Footswitch.

4. Turn on the Trademark 120.

5. Use the quick start sample settings provided on the amp. If missing, please refer to
the Sample Settings in this manual.

6. Play your guitar and you should hear a sound coming through the amp. If not, check
that your guitar’s volume control is turned up, recheck your connections, and be sure your
cable isn’t faulty. If there is still no sound, refer to factory or qualified technician.

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TOP PANEL

The Trademark 120 is designed with

active

controls, which cut and boost, rather
than traditional passive controls which can only cut. This gives you a much larger
range of adjustability and, ultimately, more variety.

It should be noted that you need not necessarily set everything at max to achieve
maximum results. As you experiment and become familiar with the controls’ interrela­tionships, you’ll easily be able to customize your own sounds.

INPUT JACK

Faithful to the original designs of traditional tube amplifiers, this 1/4" Input is high
impedance 1M . An additional low sensitivity input isn’t necessary due to each chan­nel’s trimmable Drive control.

CHANNEL SECTIONS

PRE-AMP STYLE

For each channel, there is an independent Character switchable pre-amp with a
choice of 3 styles. Each of the three positions affects multiple dimensions of the indi­vidual personality traits inherent to each amplifier type. This switch is not merely a
simple EQ change, nor does it just affect the gain structure. Each amplifier type has
its own tonality and its own input sensitivity. Each reacts differently to the dynamics
of your playing style and to the signal level of the instrument.

DRIVE

Adjusts the overall amount of gain and overdrive.

LOW, MID and HIGH

Specifically voiced for guitar, these

active

controls set the tonal balance of the amp
relative to your environment. Boost or cut ±12dB from center point (12 o’clock). We
recommend starting with EQ controls flat, at 12 o’clock. Then try a slight Low boost
(2 o’clock) with a slight Mid cut (10 o’clock), and a slight High boost (2 o’clock).

LEVEL

Adjusts the volume of the particular channel.

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TWEED:

Fender

®

-style

BRITISH:

Marshall

®

-style

CALIF:

Mesa/Boogie

®

-

style