OPerATION
If this is your first all-tube amplifier, please become familiar
with a few issues that differentiate your amp from solid-
state or hybrid amp products. Only a few precautions are
required but they will insure that you will get the most of
your new all-tube amplifier. Vacuum tubes are “old world”
thermal devices that require more attention than transis-
tors, but that’s the reason they sound so much sweeter and
more musical than integrated circuits and other solid-state
components. A little heads-up on the following points will
ensure maximum performance from your Bad Cat amp.
1. Place the amp at least 6 inches away from any wall or
obstacle to provide adequate ventilation around the amp.
Good airflow around the amp will go a long way in prevent-
ing the amp from overheating, especially the tubes. Do not
place covers, clothing, or any other materials on or in the
amp that can obstruct the free venting of the chassis to the
outside air. Trapped heat in the chassis may cause a condi-
tion known as thermal runaway. To put it simply, to warm
or cook the tubes is good, to heat-cycle or fry the tubes is
extremely dangerous and will also shorten the life of the
tubes considerably.
2. Vacuum tubes will last longer and sound more musical
when they are allowed to warm up prior to introducing an
input signal from your guitar. A full flow of electrons from
the cathode can only be achieved when the tube is heated.
This requires some time. Please allow at least one minute
of warm-up time before playing through the amp.
3. Avoid long idle periods with no input signal. The vacuum
tubes prefer to see a signal present. When taking a break
between practice sessions or in between sets of a perfor-
mance, use the standby switch or turn off the amp.
4. Avoid unverified impedance loads. In other words, do not
clip on or otherwise attach additional speakers unless you
know the system impedance. Tube amplifiers are very sen-
sitive to speaker impedance matching. This is due to the
relationship between the internal resistances of the output
transformer, the output power tubes and the load that is
required to drive them. Unbalanced loads can cause de-
structive arcing; the transformer and the tubes may actually
burn themselves out. This is not covered by our warranty.
With proper impedance matching, multiple speaker config-
urations will work fine. If you are not familiar with “Ohm’s
Law”, please consult with a dealer or a qualified amplifier
technician. Do not attempt to operate the amp if you can-
not verify system impedance after connecting the speakers.
Never operate your Bad Cat amp at 2 ohms or less.
5. Avoid unapproved “Power Soak” devices or attenuators
that are not recommended by Bad Cat as they can shorten
the life of your power tubes considerably. Attenuators burn
out tubes prematurely because they require the power
tubes to overwork continuously. Also, please note that pow-
er tubes are best replaced as a matched full set whenever
any of them fail.
gain
The Gain knob controls the amount of gain applied to Channel 2, the Hot Cat’s
famous overdrive/distortion channel. Set the knob low (approximately 9 o’clock
to noon) and you will get bluesy breakup to classic rock crunch. Turn the knob
clockwise past noon and you get punchy hard rock distortion to modern over-
the-top metal and shred tones. You will also notice that the gain on the Hot Cat is
very sensitive to your guitar volume knob adjustments and your picking attack.
The touch sensitivity of the Hot Cat’s gain control allows you to access a wide
range of overdrive and distorted sounds without having to readjust the Gain
knob in between noon and 2 o’clock and use your guitar volume knob to go from
bluesy with slight breakup to crunch to searing saturated leads.
bass
The Bass EQ knob has been carefully tailored to cover the critical low-end fre-
quencies in the electric guitar’s sonic range. Whether you need depth in your
sound or low-end punch, this control will allow you to dial in just the right
amount of bass frequencies.
Mid
This knob controls the frequencies in the guitar’s middle range. If a frequency is
too bright to be bass and too deep to be treble, then it’s the mids. Turning this
up provides a thicker tone with more weight. Turning it down provides a more
scooped tone with more air.
Treble
The active Treble EQ circuit boosts or cuts carefully selected treble frequencies
that are critical to a great guitar tone. You will notice some dramatic tonal shifts
by going from around noon on the knob setting to around 2-3 o’clock. Combine
this with the active Bass circuit to dial in just the right amount of balance of firm
clear lows and sweet yet cutting highs.
Presence
(this is operational with both channels)
Turning the knob counterclockwise will cut the highs, darkening the overall
sound. Turning the knob clockwise will add more highs and high-mids, signifi-
cantly brightening the overall sound. This knob is found on many tube ampli-
fiers. Turning the knob clockwise will allow more high harmonics, significantly
brightening the overall sound.
bACK PANel
A/C Plug
Plug your amp’s power cord in here first, then to the wall.
On/Off
Switch
This switch turns the amp on or off. Please make sure that
the Standby Switch is in the Standby mode before turning
on or off. This will help increase the life to the power tubes.
Standby
Switch
Leave this switch off when turning on the amp and let the
amp warm up for a full minute before turning this switch
on. It’s best to let tubes warm up before playing. Also, turn
the Standby switch to Standby when you will not be playing
for a while (for example, breaks in between sets of your
performances, etc.).
high
Tension
Fuse
(15 W & 30 W 1/2 Amp Slow,
5
0 W 750mA slow)
High Tension is just another way of saying High Voltage.
Voltages at this point can be anywhere from 350-500 volts
depending on the model so it is always a good idea to make
sure the amp is “off” when installing or removing the fuse.
Do not stick anything inside the fuse holder other than a
fuse. This fuse is in series with the power transformer. Its
function is to prevent collateral damage to the amplifier in
the event of tube failure. If you replace the tubes and the
fuse blows again, seek qualified technical help.
Full/half Power Switch
(not available on 50W)
In the up position this switch allows the use of full power of
your amp. For more headroom, full power mode is a must.
Full power mode also provides a bigger, bolder tone. The
down position of this switch is Half power mode. Half power
is very useful for getting the amp to break into desirable
distortion at lower volumes for home use or use in smaller
rooms. The tone character is slightly different between the
modes and a little experimentation is worthwhile.
Footswitch
Jack
(Single button F/S Included)
Switch between Channel 1 & Channel 2.
Main Speaker/extension Speaker Jack
*
This jack is connected to the speaker in the combo. Do not
unplug when operating the amp.
Impedance Selector Switch
This switch is to select the impedance load of the output.
It comes from the factory set at 8 ohm since the internal
speaker is 8 ohm. If you add an extension cabinet that is 8
ohm, the switch needs to be set at 4 ohm.
Send and return Jacks
Connect the send jack to the input of your effects device.
Connect the output of your effect to the Return jack of the
loop. The Send can also serve as a Line Out to drive external
processors in a wet/dry/wet rig.
* This jack can be used to add an external speaker cabinet along with
the internal cabinet. Since the internal speaker is 8-ohm, you should
use another 8-ohm cabinet to run the impedance load at 4-ohms. If
you only want to use an external cabinet, the speaker cab impedance
should match with the impedance switch selection.
Front & rear Panel Controls
Hot Cat series
FrONT PANel
Input
Jacks
Plug instrument here.
Volume
The first knob on the left when you face the amp’s front panel is the volume
control when in the non Master-Volume mode. In the Master-Volume mode with
the Master toggle “In”, the Volume acts as a gain knob for overdrive and distor-
tion sounds.
bass
This active EQ circuit boosts or cuts the bass frequencies. You will notice that
this control has a much wider range of control compared to bass controls on
most other guitar amplifiers. It should also be noted that it interacts with the
Treble control to truly provide a wide range of tones.
Treble
This active Treble EQ circuit boosts or cuts carefully selected treble frequencies
that are critical to a great guitar tone. You will notice some dramatic tonal shifts
by going from around noon on the knob setting to around 2-3 o’clock. Combine
this with the active Bass circuit to dial in just the right amount of balance of firm
clear lows and sweet yet cutting highs.
Master “In” and “Out” Switch and Master Volume - Ch. 1
This switch activates and deactivates the master volume. When the switch is
“On” the Master knob now controls the overall output level of the amp. When
the switch is “Off” the Master knob is now out of the circuit and does not affect
the amp.
reverb
(optional)
The reverb circuit is a completely new Bad Cat design that adds spatial dimen-
sion to the tone produced by the amp. Incorporating the very best 3-spring
reverb tank with a newly designed reverb tone circuit, the reverb can go from
subtle classic spring reverb effects to lush surf reverb to cavernous hall-like
setting with a simple twist of this knob. This reverb circuit was carefully de-
signed to be useful across the entire sweep of the reverb range. It adds a wide
range of spatial effects that you just can’t duplicate with pedals and digital
effects processors.
Front Panel Controls
rear Panel Controls
1.
1.
6.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
7.
8.
9.
10.
2.
3.
4.
5.
2.
3.
4.
5.
5.
6.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
19.
20.
18.
Channel 1
Indicator
Channel 2
Indicator
11.
