SONICTONE AMPLIFICATION Mercenary Modern Series User manual

Modern Series
Fixed-Biased High-Gain Tube Amplifier
50-Watt Head or 2x12 Combo
-or-
60-Watt Head or 2x12 Combo
- or -
100-Watt or 120-Watt Head
Owner’s Manual
www.sonictoneamps.com
Made in the USA
Mercenary

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Table of Contents
Introduction
Safety Instructions
Features
Front Panel
Rear Panel
Warranty
Specifications
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SonicTone Amplification, LLC
P.O. Box 24456
New Orleans, LA 70184
[e-mail]
www.sonictoneamps.com
Made in the USA

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Introduction
I’d like to personally thank you for purchasing the SonicTone Mercenary tube amplifier. I know
how important every player’s tone is to them and that consideration goes into every amp.
Part of the flagship Modern Series line up, the Mercenary is a pure no-frills, purpose-built high
gain amp. It’s a simple amp that gets right to the point, delivering blistering high gain tones.
Whether playing live or in the studio, this amp will deliver for you. Good luck and enjoy the
amp!
Sincerely,
Nick Sagona
Always use the correct types of tubes for this amplifier.
Always match the impedance to correct value of the speaker load.
Do not attempt to bypass the fuses or use different fuse values.
Please only use the provided SonicTone footswitch, which is compatible with this amplifier.
Please only use an active 5-pin DIN cable to connect the footswitch to the amplifier.
Please operate the amplifier in dry and safe conditions.
Please store the amplifier in a reasonable, climate-controlled environment.
If you are experiencing issues with the amplifier, please have it worked on by a qualified
service technician only. Do not attempt to open the amp and work on it yourself.
WARNING!
Dangerous and potentially lethal voltages may be present in the amplifier even after it has
been turned off and unplugged. Do not open the amp yourself or touch the inside of it.
Only have a qualified service technician open up and work on the amplifier.
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Safety Instructions

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Features
The Mercenary is a fixed-biased tube amplifier that uses four (4) 12AX7 preamp tubes. The 50-watt model uses
two (2) EL34 power tubes and the 60-watt model uses two (2) 6L6 power tubes. The 100-watt model uses four (4)
EL34 power tubes and the 120-watt model uses four (4) 6L6 power tubes. The features include:
Footswitch Operation:
The footswitch requires the active 5-pin DIN cable to be inserted into the footswitch jack on the rear panel as well
as the jack on the footswitch. In order for the footswitch to operate correctly, the corresponding switches on the
amp must be set to the OFF position. The left button (orange LED) engages channel 2. The right button (red LED)
engages the volume 2 lead control.
2 channels with independent gain controls (footswitchable)
Shared 3-band EQ
Rhythm and lead volume controls for channel 2 (footswitchable)
Presence and resonance controls
Master volume
Bright switch on channel 1
Buffered FX loop, bypassable
Half-power pentode/triode switch
3-way output impedance switch (16, 8 or 4 ohm)
Two (2) 12” Celestion 65-watt 8 ohm Creamback speakers,
wired for 16 ohm (stock combo version only)
Birch plywood cabinet with finger-jointed construction
2-button footswitch

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Front Panel
Pilot Light – illuminates when the amp is turned on.
Power Switch – turns the amp on.
Standby Switch – allows the amp to be played. When the standby is off, the tubes are kept warm, but
the amp will not make any sound.
Master – the overall master volume of the amp.
Resonance – active tonal control that can be used to thicken up the amp’s overall sound.
Presence – active tonal control that can be used to brighten up the amp’s overall sound.
Bass, Middle and Treble – passive equalization controls to adjust the tone of the amp.
Volume 2 Lead – control to adjust the
overall volume on channel 2 for leads.
Volume 2 Lead LED – illuminates when
Volume 2 Lead is engaged.
Volume 2 Rhythm – control to adjust the
overall volume on channel 2 for rhythm.
Lead/Rhythm – switch to engage a either the lead or rhythm volume controls on channel 2.
Gain 2 – control to adjust the amount of gain on channel 2.
Bright Switch – switch to engage a slightly brighter tone for channel 1.
Gain 1 – control to adjust the amount of gain on channel 1.
CH 1 / CH 2 Switch & LED – switch to change between channels 1 and 2 when not using the
footswitch. The LED illuminates when channel 2 is engaged.
Input Jack – mono input jack to plug your guitar into.
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119 13 15 16
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INPUT
PRESENCE
BRIGHT NORMAL
CH 2
CH 1
BASS MIDDLE TREBLE
VOL 2 LEAD GAIN 2 GAIN 1
2 8
0 10
4 6
RESONANCE
2 8
0 10
4 6
MASTER
2 8
0 10
4 6
2 8
0 10
4 6
2 8
0 10
4 6
2 8
0 10
4 6
2 8
0 10
4 6
VOL 2 RHYTHM
2 8
0 10
4 6
2 8
0 10
4 6
2 8
0 10
4 6
POWER STANDBY
ON ON
LEAD RHYTHM
INPUT
PRESENCE
BRIGHT NORMAL
CH 2
CH 1
BASS MIDDLE TREBLE
VOL 2 LEAD GAIN 2 GAIN 1
2 8
0 10
4 6
RESONANCE
2 8
0 10
4 6
MASTER
2 8
0 10
4 6
2 8
0 10
4 6
2 8
0 10
4 6
2 8
0 10
4 6
2 8
0 10
4 6
VOL 2 RHYTHM
2 8
0 10
4 6
2 8
0 10
4 6
2 8
0 10
4 6
POWER STANDBY
ON ON
LEAD RHYTHM

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Rear Panel
Footswitch Jack – 5-pin DIN jack to plug the
provided footswitch cable into.
FX Loop Return Jack – mono input jack for the FX
loop return signal.
FX Loop Bypass Switch – switch to fully bypass the
FX loop circuit.
FX Loop Send Jack – mono input jack for the FX
loop send signal.
Parallel Speaker Jacks – mono input jacks to plug the speaker(s) into. PLEASE NOTE: The jacks are in parallel,
so if you plug two equal impedance speaker loads into them, you must set the impedance switch to half their
impedance. For example, with two 16 ohm speaker loads plugged in, the impedance switch should be set to 8
ohms.
Impedance Selector Switch – switch to select the correct impedance of the speaker load hooked up to the amp.
Bias Probes – test jacks to check the bias values of the power tubes.*
Full/Half Power Switch – switch to change the power setting between half and full power. This feature changes
the operation of the power tubes between pentode (full) and triode (half.) The amount of power reduction in
wattage is approximate.**
Fuse Holders – receptacles for the amp’s fuses.
AC Jack – jack to plug the provided AC cord into.
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6 109
The bias pot is located on the top of the amp chassis
near the power tubes. Please only have the bias
adjusted by a qualified technician.
Please note, the power reduction in wattage does not
equate to a 50% reduction in overall loudness (dB.)
*
**
A note about the FX Loop – When the FX loop is off (bypassed), the entire signal will bypass the FX loop circuit
altogether. However, the send and return jacks are switched jacks that are connected together when nothing is
plugged into them. Therefore, when the circuit is on, signal will be allowed to pass through the FX loop if nothing is
plugged into it. Once a cable is inserted into either one of the jacks, that connection is broken and will the signal will
go out through the send jack and have to be returned through the return jack.

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2-Year Limited Warranty
This amplifier is protected with a limited, 2-year warranty for any and all defective issues with the build
workmanship and parts, excluding tubes, transformers and speakers. The warranty does not cover general wear
and tear, neglect, misuse or abuse, damage from liquids (water, alcohol, etc.), disasters, acts of God or unauthorized
modifications. Any modifications made to the amp by the owner or a technician will void the warranty. The owner
is responsible for all warranty shipping costs. Once the warranty work is completed, the customer will be notified
and sent a final shipping invoice. The owner then is required to pay the shipping invoice to have the repaired amp
shipped back to them. Returned warranty shipping will be insured and will require a signature.

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Specifications
Product Series:
Product Model:
Modern Series
Mercenary Head or 2x12 Combo
www.sonictoneamps.com
Made in the USA
AC Input & Fuses:
Tubes & Power Output:
50-watt Model 100-watt Model60-watt Model 120-watt Model
U.S. Standard IEC jack rated for 120V @ 60Hz
Slo-blo mains fuse: 50W & 60W - 3A; 100W & 120W - 4A
Slo-blo high voltage (B+) fuse: 50W & 60W - 0.5A; 100W & 120W - 1A
Two (2) EL34 power tubes
50W @ 16, 8 or 4 ohms
Four (4) EL34 power tubes
100W @ 16, 8 or 4 ohms
Two (2) 6L6 power tubes
60W @ 16, 8 or 4 ohms
Four (4) 6L6 power tubes
120W @ 16, 8 or 4 ohms
Width: 30 in
Height: 10.75 in
Depth: 9 in
Weight: 29.5 - 43 lbs
Dimensions:
Footswitch:
2-button SonicTone footswitch
5-pin active DIN cable required for proper operation
2x12 ComboHead
Width: 30 in
Height: 20.75 in
Depth: 10 in
Weight: 51-55lbs
Speakers:
Two (2) 12-inch 65W 8 ohm Celestion Creambacks, wired for 16 ohm (Stock Combo Only)
All models use four (4) 12AX7 preamp tubes.