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BH1K Guide 04272105 

 

Thank you

 for choosing Trickfish, we hope you fall in love with your new amp and enjoy a lovely life together. The 

Bullhead 1K is a truly dynamic piece of gear and nothing will take the place of spending time playing and 
experimenting with it as you learn about the amp, your basses and maybe yourself.  
 

This manual contains valuable safety instructions, operational information, some insights we’ve gained over the 

years and some suggested settings that may help you get where you want to be just a bit quicker. Who needs a 
manual, right? Humor us and look through it 

 you might be surprised! 

 

 

About us:

 Trickfish Amplification is dedicated to delivering a collection of killer products that will serve as valuable 

tools for discriminating bassists as they seek inspiration for their artistic vision.  We share a common vision of 

intelligent design, precision, delectable tone and rugged durability in everything we build and we’re committed to 

providing impeccable customer service, service tha

t’s commensurate with the quality we strive to deliver in every 

design we offer.  
 

Trickfish products are designed and manufactured for discerning musicians looking for accuracy, power and 

reliability while in pursuit of their artistic vision. We strive to deliver intelligently designed product that is easy to 

operate, is beautiful to look at and yet without compromise, reveals the nuance and subtlety of the player and their 

instrument. We have a passion for what we do and that love is channeled through strong principles and ideals. We 

demand the best out of ourselves because without that resolve, the product would be only average 

 we are not 

striving to be average. 

Quality: We believe that the best quality products only come to fruition when the time is taken to ensure that the 

concept, design, components, manufacturing processes, testing and packaging are the best they can be 

 

regardless of the price. 

Passion:

 We love our work. We believe that work should be fun and that all creative work is an adventure and a 

challenge. Our real rewards come when the challenges we set are met and our customer’s expectations are 

exceeded. 

Vision:

 

While we are pragmatic about the work of the day we don’t forget to dream, to explore the stream of 

consciousness and most importantly, to listen. Creativity is elusive and at times you have to stop and just listen to 
the world around you to find inspiration. This is where the new realities, ideas and concepts reveal themselves. 

Originality:

 

We’re not afraid to do things differently than others have in the past. We’re not trying to just meet the 

standards that have come before us 

 at our best we hope to set new standards. We may do things differently and 

that may not sit well with those who are comfortable with the status quo 

 so be it. If we choose to do something 

different it’s because it’s a better way. 

 

Intelligence:

 We push our minds every day. We learn new things every day. We possess an insatiable, natural 

curiosity for technology (Geeks) and we simply live to grow because we believe you live well when you grow.  

Honesty:

 We embrace complete honesty and integrity in all we do.  

Respect:

 We respect our customers and practice the golden rule in all aspects of our day-to-day business. 

Excellence:

 

We believe that excellence isn’t a destination, but a way of life and we bring that to work every day. It 

permeates all that we do and is a prerequisite to becoming a strategic partner or an

 

employee. And we expect this 

standard when we communicate with our dealers, distributors and customers. 

Diligence:

 

We’re diligent, hardworking and will accept only the best efforts from ourselves as well as our strategic 

partners. 

Gratitude:

 We believe that we are privileged to have customers for what we love to do - that philosophy is the basis 

for our mission statement: 

Summary of Contents for BULLHEAD .5K

Page 1: ......

Page 2: ... design components manufacturing processes testing and packaging are the best they can be regardless of the price Passion We love our work We believe that work should be fun and that all creative work is an adventure and a challenge Our real rewards come when the challenges we set are met and our customer s expectations are exceeded Vision While we are pragmatic about the work of the day we don t ...

Page 3: ...tems They should be used when shipping your Trickfish Amplification product Please inspect the shipping carton If the packaging seems damaged please return this item to the shipper Warning TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPARATUS TO RAIN OR MOISTURE Caution TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT REMOVE THE COVER NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE REFER S...

Page 4: ...all outlet and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following conditions a When the power supply cord has been damaged b If liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus c If the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture d If the apparatus does not operate normally by following the operating instructions Adjust only those controls that are covered by th...

Page 5: ...ill 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 e...

Page 6: ...e Low Mid Bandpass EQ 9 Hi Mid Cut Boost Center detent is flat Counter clockwise cuts clockwise rotation boosts 10 Hi Mid Frequency Select Selects the frequency for the Hi Mid Bandpass EQ 11 Treble EQ Cut Boost Center detent is flat Counter clockwise cuts clockwise rotation boosts 12 Treble EQ Frequency Select Selects the frequency for the shelving Treble EQ 13 Master Volume Controls the overall v...

Page 7: ... routes the signal TO the destination device 6 EFX Loop Return phone jack returns the signal FROM the destination device 7 Tuner Out phone jack sends signal to tuner 8 Amplifier Mute Footswitch Jack phone jack accommodates a latching footswitch and mutes the amp when activated 9 Direct Out Level Control Rotary knob controls the level of output to the intended destination 10 Direct Out Pre Post sel...

Page 8: ... until you see the blue light come on indicating LO gain Powering Up 1 When the Bullhead 1K is powered up by switching the AC Mains on the right hand side of the head it will go through a power up sequence The lights will blink and you ll see one of the red LED s in the Input Level Indicator flash The amplifier is giving itself a test to make certain everything is functioning correctly If the amp ...

Page 9: ...ion a A common misconception is that this is just a jack where you plug the bass in and volume knob it is but it s really much more This is the first block in building what is commonly called Gain Structure The signal your instrument plugs into the jack and depending on where you adjust the input sensitivity in the case of our amps it is labeled HI LOW and here is where you set the first block of ...

Page 10: ...these filters has been tuned for the most musical range These frequencies were selected for their particular sonic characteristics and are very Bass Instrument specific If you ve owned P basses or J Basses you know that there are mid range frequencies that make them ridiculously musical or just difficult to listen to and when you experiment with cutting or boosting this filter you ll appreciate th...

Page 11: ...fter you release it i e the on status is maintained after the switch is released When you press the switch again it will turn off and stay off i e the off status is maintained after the switch is released Best practice with a mute pedal o Plug the mute pedal into the amplifier o Turn amp on wait for self test o Un mute amp from front panel o Now mute pedal has control of the mute function o If you...

Page 12: ...r Amplifier Class D Power Supply Switch Mode Power Supply Pre Amp Low noise solid state Input Phone with switchable attenuation and rotary gain control Input Level Indicator 10 Segment LED Ladder EQ 4 Band Switchable Shelving Bass and Treble with selectable Hi Pass frequencies Low Mid and Hi Mid Variable Gain Band Pass EQ with selectable frequency bandwidth options Master Volume Rotary Control Lin...

Page 13: ...r both the pre amp and power amp and if it glows brighter than the rest you are clipping and should back off the gain If you are running the pre amp cleanly and the last red LED glows brighter than the rest you are most likely clipping the power amp and should turn down the master volume until the condition disappears Warranty We proudly stand behind our products with a 5 year warranty against man...

Page 14: ... adding a little gain Remember when you add gain in the EQ section you re also adding overall gain to the signal path and you should take a look at the bargraph to see if you re not overdriving the circuit This setting achieves a good aggressive tone and sounds great with a P Bass and a pick The Bass setting gives you enough bottom to still be the bass player and the Low Mid setting gives you the ...

Page 15: ...ing that works nicely for Reggae Salsa etc where that velvety almost blurry tone fits the music Remember when you add gain in the EQ section you re also adding overall gain to the signal path and you should take a look at the bargraph to see if you re not overdriving the circuit Mike Pope s setting for his Acoustic Bass The LF on an acoustic bass can get out of control quickly and as the setting s...

Page 16: ...BH1K Guide 04272105 15 Personal Settings Trickfish Amplification USA LLC 1410 Brittmoore Road Houston Texas 77043 www trickfishamps com info trickfishamps com service trickfishamps com ...

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