TC ELECTRONIC BG250 Bass Head Amplifiers with Tone Print Effects User Guide

: June 5, 2024
: tc electronic

Table of Contents

TC ELECTRONIC BG250 Bass Head Amplifiers with Tone Print Effects
Important Safety Instructions
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
LIMITED WARRANTY
BG250-208/BH250 Controls
- Step 1: Controls
- Step 2: Getting started
Specifications
Important information
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION COMPLIANCE INFORMATION
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

TC ELECTRONIC BG250 Bass Head Amplifiers with Tone Print Effects

Important Safety Instructions

Terminals marked with this symbol carry electrical current of sufficient magnitude to constitute risk of electric shock.
Use only high-quality professional speaker cables with ¼” TS or twist-locking plugs pre-installed. All other installation or modification should be performed only by qualified personnel.
This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage inside the enclosure – voltage that may be sufficient to constitute a risk of shock.
This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to important operating and maintenance instructions in the accompanying literature. Please read the manual.

Caution

To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove the top cover (or the rear section). No user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified personnel.
To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this appliance to rain and moisture. The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing liquids and no objects filled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.
These service instructions are for use by qualified service personnel only. To reduce the risk of electric shock do not perform any servicing other than that contained in the operation instructions.
Repairs have to be performed by qualified service personnel.

Read these instructions.
Keep these instructions.
Heed all warnings.
Follow all instructions.
Do not use this apparatus near water.
Clean only with dry cloth.
Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.
Use only attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.
. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.
Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
The apparatus shall be connected to a MAINS socket outlet with a protective earthing connection.
Where the MAINS plug or an appliance coupler is used as the disconnect device, the disconnect device shall remain readily operable.
Correct disposal of this product: This symbol indicates that this product must not be disposed of with household waste, according to the WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU) and your national law. This product should be taken to a collection center licensed for the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). The mishandling of this type of waste could have a possible negative impact on the environment and human health due to potentially hazardous substances that are generally associated with EEE. At the same time, your cooperation in the correct disposal of this product will contribute to the efficient use of natural resources. For more information about where you can take your waste equipment for recycling, please contact your local city office, or your household waste collection service.
Do not install in a confined space, such as a book case or similar unit.
Do not place naked flame sources, such as lighted candles, on the apparatus.
Please keep the environmental aspects of battery disposal in mind. Batteries must be disposed-of at a battery collection point.
This apparatus may be used in tropical and moderate climates up to 45°C.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Music Tribe accepts no liability for any loss which may be suffered by any person who relies either wholly or in part upon any description, photograph, or statement contained herein. Technical specifications, appearances and other information are subject to change without notice. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Midas, Klark Teknik, Lab Gruppen, Lake, Tannoy, Turbosound, TC Electronic, TC Helicon, Behringer, Bugera, Oberheim, Auratone and Coolaudio are trademarks or registered trademarks of Music Tribe Global Brands Ltd. © Music Tribe Global Brands Ltd. 2021 All rights reserved.

LIMITED WARRANTY

For the applicable warranty terms and conditions and additional information regarding Music Tribe’s Limited Warranty, please see complete details online at musictribe.com/warranty.

BG250-208/BH250 Controls

Step 1: Controls

INPUT You can connect an active or passive bass to this ¼” input jack. The BH250/BG250-208 input stage is designed to adapt to any type of pickup.
GAIN switch Set the position of the GAIN switch according to the pickups in your bass. Active pickups typically have a higher output than passive pickups, and you should set the GAIN switch accordingly. If your bass uses batteries, the pickups are active – if not, the pickups are passive.
DYNAMIC TONE CONTOURING FILTER SECTION Ordinary bass, middle and treble controls boost or cut the same frequency area when you turn the controls clockwise or counterclockwise. The tone controls of your BH250/BG250-208’s intelligently address several different frequencies when you turn them, integrating not only tone control but also contouring your sound.
TONE PRINT The TonePrint knob allows you to control the Tone- Print effect amount applied to your signal. For Chorus, Flanger, Vibrato and Octaver, the TonePrint knob acts as a wet/dry mix control. For Compression and Drive, the TonePrint knob acts as an amount (intensity) control. Featured TonePrint artists may have assigned the TonePrint knob to other parameters.
Please note that when you switch from
one TonePrint slot to the other, the current position and parameter value of the TonePrint knob is stored. This means that when you return to the previously selected TonePrint, the position of the TonePrint knob on the front panel and the setting of the parameter may not be in sync, so be careful when adjusting it.
TONE PRINT LED The TONE PRINT LED lights up when the TonePrint effect is active.
To deactivate TonePrint, turn the knob fully counterclockwise or use a Switch-3 footswitch connected to the PEDAL jack on the rear panel.
TUNER The BH250/BG250-208 tuner allows you to easily tune a 4, 5 or 6-string bass. The tuner is always active.
The E, A, D and G LEDs indicate which strings you are currently tuning. When the E and A LEDs are lit, you are tuning the B string. When the D and G LEDs are lit, you are tuning the C string. The string is in perfect tune when both green LEDs to the right of the string LEDs are lit.
MUTE switch To tune you instrument silently, set the MUTE switch to “Mute”
(bottom position).
MASTER level knob Use the MASTER knob to set the overall output level of the amp. The MASTER knob also controls the level of the headphone output.
MAINS IN – Power switch & Power input The switched-mode power supply of this device accepts voltages from 100V to 240V. The ground pin of the power supply unit must always be connected in order to avoid voltage differences between e.g. the PA and the BH250/BG250-208.
PEDAL input You can connect a
TC Electronic Switch-3 to the PEDAL input of your BH250/BG250-208 to control the following features:
- Activate TonePrint A
- Activate TonePrint B
- Mute
USB port To transfer a downloaded TonePrint from your computer to your TC device, connect the computer and your TC device using a USB cable. A USB connection can also be used to update the internal software (firmware) of the TC device.
SPEAKER OUT Use the SPEAKER OUT connector for connecting BH250/BG250-208 to speaker cabinets. Please note that
this is a speakON connector, and you must use speaker cables. Do not use instrument cables!
For BH250, use a cabinet configuration with a minimum load of 4 Ohms. Examples:
- 2 x 8 Ohm (in parallel)
- 1 x 4 Ohm
  For BG250-208, the SPEAKER OUT can only be used with a 1 x 8 Ohm speaker cabinet.
AUX IN The AUX IN is a stereo auxiliary input. Any signal present on the AUX IN jack is played back through all BH250/BG250-208 outputs. This allows you to play along with a rehearsal track, or you can practice to the beat of a metronome click. The included “mini jack to mini jack cable” allows you to use an iPod®, iPhone® or any other consumer playback device as a source for rehearsing.
PHONES ( Speaker Mute) The PHONES jack is a 1/8″ connector for headphones. With a mild speaker filter applied to the bass sound, our studio quality headphone amp caters for a great headphone sound. The headphone output also plays back any signal connected to the AUX IN input jack. This feature allows you to play along with an audio player, a signal from a computer or any other audio source playing background tracks.
BALANCED OUTPUT Use the BALANCED OUT XLR jack to connect the BH250/BG250-208 to the PA when you play on stage, or to connect your amp to a recording device when you are in the studio.
PRE/POST EQ button Use the PRE/POST button located to the left side of the BALANCED OUT jack to determine where in the signal chain the signal for the balanced output should be tapped.
- PRE setting: The signal is tapped before the EQ and TONEPRINT effect.
- POST setting: The signal is tapped after EQ and TONEPRINT effect.

Step 2: Getting started

Protection mode
This product is equipped with an advanced protection system for both the amplifier’s and your own safety. These protection features should only kick in if you operate this product under extreme conditions.
Be sure not to cover the BH250 / BG250-208 cooling grid! Insufficient ventilation may cause the amplifier’s temperature to increase to critical values.
The BH250 / BG250-208 is equipped with an intelligent protection system, ensuring that the amp does not suffer or malfunction if operated wrongly or in extreme environments. When the amplifier switches to Protection mode, the speaker output is muted, and the TUNER LEDs start flashing in pairs of two.
Protection mode is invoked…

if a short circuit occurs (on speaker outputs).
if the amplifier is used in an environment that is too hot.
if proper ventilation is not ensured.
if the combined impedance of the internal speaker and an attached speaker is below 4 Ohms.

In Protection mode, the speaker outputs are shut off to prevent speaker damage. However, the balanced output still passes audio.

How to proceed in Protection mode

If the amplifier does not automatically recover from Protection mode and feels hot, try turning off the amplifier for a minute to let it cool. Ensure sufficient ventilation.
Ensure that your speaker cable is not defective, as such a defect could cause a short circuit.
Turn on the amplifier again.

If these steps do not solve the problem and the Tuner LEDs continue flashing, you will have to send the amplifier to a qualified service center for inspection.

TonePrint

OK – TonePrints. What are they? BH250/BG250-208 is born with a beautiful chorus effect under the hood, and with its TonePrint knob, you can add just the amount your want. But you know what’s even better than having a great effect? Being able to choose from many great effects! This is what TonePrint is about.
Bass TonePrints are signature effects made by some of the world’s greatest bass players. On top of that, product specialists at TC Electronic have also contributed TonePrints that will suit any music genre. A TonePrint is an effect that has been fine-tuned to give you the perfect balance between ease of use and an inspiring sound.

From TC Electronic’s website, you can download and try out numerous effects: BassDrive, Chorus, Flanger, Octaver, Phaser, Spectracomp, Vibrato and Uni-Vibe TonePrints. We also have a Combined category, which combines more than one effect into a single TonePrint. And of course, all these effects are specially tuned for bass.
More TonePrints – created by some of the world’s best bass players and sound aficionados – are added all the time. Last but not least – TonePrints are free. This
is your personal effect library that will never charge late fees.

Transferring TonePrints to your device
There are two ways of transferring TonePrints to your TonePrint-enabled TC device.

If you have a smartphone, download the free Tone- Print app from TC’s website. Once downloaded and installed, this app allows you to choose from the complete TonePrint library.
To transfer a TonePrint to your device, connect your instrument to your TC device using a regular jack cable, launch the app on your smartphone and follow on-screen instructions. Transferring a Tone- Print this way only takes a few seconds.
You can also use your computer to download Tone- Prints from tcelectronic.com/bg250/toneprints/
- Connect your computer to your TonePrint-enabled TC device using a USB cable.
- Once you have downloaded a TonePrint, open the downloaded file on your computer and follow onscreen instructions.

Please note that your BH250/BG250-208 has only one TonePrint knob, but the software contains two TonePrint slots. These two TonePrint slots can also be controlled with the Switch-3 accessory footswitch. Select the TonePrint slot where you want to store a TonePrint before transferring the new TonePrint.
Once a TonePrint has been transferred to your TC device, it will remain in memory, even when you switch the device off.

Deactivating TonePrint
To switch off TonePrint, either…

turn the knob of the currently active TonePrint slot fully counterclockwise or
use a footswitch connected to the PEDAL jack.

Links

TC Electronic Bass Products: tcelectronic.com/bass/
TonePrint Bass: tcelectronic.com/toneprint/toneprint-bass/
TC Support: tcelectronic.com/support
TC @ Facebook: facebook.com/tcelectronic

Specifications

Due to continuous development, these specifications are subject to change without notice.

Important information

Register online. Please register your new Music Tribe equipment right after you purchase it by visiting musictribe.com. Registering your purchase using our simple online form helps us to process your repair claims more quickly and efficiently. Also, read the terms and conditions of our warranty, if applicable.
Malfunction. Should your Music Tribe Authorized Reseller not be located in your vicinity,
you may contact the Music Tribe Authorized Fulfiller for your country listed under “Support” at musictribe.com. Should your country not be listed, please check if your problem can be dealt with by our “Online Support” which may also be found under “Support” at musictribe.com. Alternatively, please submit an online warranty claim at musictribe.com BEFORE returning the product.
Power Connections. Before plugging the unit into a power socket, please make sure you are using the correct mains voltage for your particular model. Faulty fuses must be replaced with fuses of the same type and rating without exception.

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION COMPLIANCE INFORMATION

TC Electronic BG250-208/BH250

Responsible Party Name: Music Tribe Commercial NV Inc.
Address: 5270 Procyon Street, Las Vegas NV 89118, United States
Phone Number: +1 702 800 8290
BG250-208/BH250

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed
to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

this device may not cause harmful interference, and
this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Important information:
Changes or modifications to the equipment not expressly approved by Music Tribe can void the user’s authority to use the equipment.
Hereby, Music Tribe declares that this product is in compliance with Directive 2014/35/EU,Directive 2014/30/EU, Directive 2011/65/EU and Amendment 2015/863/EU, Directive 2012/19/EU, Regulation 519/2012 REACH SVHC and Directive
1907/2006/EC.
Full text of EU DoC is available at https://community.musictribe.com/
EU Representative: Music Tribe Brands DK A/S
Address: Ib Spang Olsens Gade 17, DK – 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark