User guide

OPERATING MANUAL AND USER GUIDE
Designer's Introduction
When I sat down with a blank piece of paper (well actually
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at all the guitar amps that I had designed previously. Even
though many of those designs were destined to be what
can only be called Classics, I wanted to approach these
new amps in a different perspective. Instead of designing
under the corporate image of whatever company I was
working for at the time, the TCT amps were for the first
time “my” amps. This put the image in my mind as “what
do I want from an amp, and how do I want it to look”. As
a guitar player of many years I have used many different
amps, many times different ones hooked up in a multi-
amp set up for the different sounds that I needed at the
time. This realisation formulated the basic concept and
functionality of the direction I needed to go in, something
that was simple to use but was as variable as possible.
Oh, and sounded great at everything it did as well!
The “what do I want it to look like” actually developed
pretty quickly – I wanted something that looked classy
and stood out from the crowd, something that at the same
time was familiar yet unique. For want of a better word
“boutique”.
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and desire with room to spare. Finally “my” amp!
I personally love playing these amps and can sit there
playing them for hours on end without tiring of them –
sometimes to the annoyance of my small team I have to
add – I do tend to play very loud at times, and they do
have to work!
I hope that you get as much playing pleasure out of your
TCT amp as I do.
Thank you
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with a different number of output EL34 valves and required
transformers, biasing etc. The TCT50C (2 x 12” combo,
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has 2 separate switchable channels, both featuring the
same controls per channel. Channel A features the EQ
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the EQ after the gain stages.
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channels have an entirely different spectral response and
player’s “feel”.
The TCT50 and TCT100 also has the ability to mix both
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of 3 channel operation.
The player himself can choose which he prefers for his
particular style and suitability.
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limiting factor on other makes of multi channel guitar
amplifiers. This flexibility sets the Albion TCT guitar
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technologies to provide optimum performance required for
high class consistent playing night after night.
The preamplifier section uses 4 double triode low noise
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relay switching for circuit reconfiguration when channel
switching.
The input gain itself is a very special proprietary circuit
combining a preamp valve mixed with a unique high
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benefits that are not readily available with tube only
designs, in that the input stage noise (particularly heater
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reduced, input stage gain and drive capability is increased
allowing it to drive the rest of the preamp better, and
lastly it imparts a tonality approaching that of a pentode
tube, which is good in its own right! All this means is that
the input stage will perform better and more reliably by
reducing the things you DON’T want from a tube!
A word about the EQ system used on the Albion TCT
range of amps. Although the tone controls are based on
the time honoured interactive passive system historically
used on most guitar amps, our design is somewhat wider
ranging than most others. For instance the MIDDLE
control has a much wider range than normal and will give
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TCT 50.indd 6 2011-5-5 18:32:02