Bad Cat Hot Cat Series User manual

Congratulations and thank you for
purchasing a professional tube ampli-
er from Bad Cat. As with all Bad Cat
products, your amplier is designed from
the ground up to provide the very best
tones possible in a rugged, reliable pack-
age. Each one of our pro quality models is
constructed with Bad Cat’s commitment
to making the highest quality, hand-built,
American-made ampliers.
CAUTION
With a little care and caution, your Bad
Cat amplier should provide you with
years of trouble-free operation and
enjoyment. Please avoid damp areas and
moisture during operation of the amp
and in storage. This includes placement
of beverages near or on the amp that
could spill into the amp’s chassis. Liquids
can easily damage tubes, switches and
other parts. Immediately disconnect the
amp from power source should a spill
occur and dry the amp thoroughly prior
to switching on the amp again. Drying
may require the complete removal of the
chassis from the cabinet and the removal
of the tubes for cleaning. Avoid tipping the
amp, using it in unbalanced positions, or
lifting it unassisted to awkward heights. A
little common sense will go a long way in
making sure the amp does what it’s sup-
posed to do: provide you with dependable
operation and great tone on a consistent
basis.
GROUNDING
Please check thoroughly that the ground
tip on the power cord plug is connected to
true ground prior to operation of your Bad
Cat amp. Using unfamiliar junction boxes
can cause potentially dangerous oating
grounds. Please do not cut or defeat the
ground tip.
FOR YOUR RECORDS, YOU MAY WISH TO RECORD THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION.
SERIAL NO._____________________ INVOICE DATE______________________
Last updated: March 12, 2014 - Rev. 08
LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY
Bad Cat Ampliers has a limited lifetime warranty on select amps and cabs agains work-
manship or defect. The warranty excludes pedals, The Unleash and accessories.The war-
ranty does not cover tubes, speakers or cosmetic damage, wear and tear, or abuse. This
warranty is transferable. Modifying or altering the amp in any way voids the warranty.
Shipping to and from the warranty repair center is the responsibility of the customer.
We have a new Lifetime Warranty on all new amps leaving the factory. We are extending
the Limited Lifetime Warranty to all of our pre-acquisition amps for $349. Simply send
the unit back to us with an approved RMA number, and we will have one our technicians
go through it from the ground up. Shipping to and from the warranty repair center is
the responsibility of the customer. For more information please contact us at sales@
badcatamps.com or directly at 1-800-730-0966.
When returning merchandise to the factory, you must call for a return authorization num-
ber (RMA). Any items arriving without a proper RMA number will be rejected at customer’s
expense. Bad Cat Amps may update its warranty from time to time. When we change
the warranty in a material way a notice will be posted on our website along with the
updated warranty.
IMPORTANT!
FOR YOUR PROTECTION, PLEASE READ
THE FOLLOWING:
WATER AND MOISTURE: Appliance should
not be used near water (near a bathtub,
washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a
wet basement, or near a swimming pool,
etc). Care should be taken so that objects
do not fall and liquids are not spilled into
the enclosure through openings.
POWER SOURCES: The appliance should
be connected to a power supply only of
the type described in the operating in-
structions or as marked on the unit.
GROUNDING OR POLARIZATION: Precau-
tions should be taken so that the ground-
ing or polarization means of an appliance
is not defeated.
POWER CORD PROTECTION: Power sup-
ply cords should be routed so that they
are not likely to be walked on or pinched
by items placed upon or against them,
paying particular attention to cords at
plugs, convenience receptacles, and the
point where they exit from the appliance.
SERVICING: The user should not attempt
to service the unit beyond that described
in the operating instructions. All other
servicing should be referred to qualied
service personnel.
FUSING: If your unit is equipped with a
fuse receptacle, replace only with the
same type fuse. Refer to replacement
text on the unit for correct fuse type.
This symbol is intended to alert
the user to the presence of
uninsulated “dangerous
voltage” within the product’s enclosure that
may be of sufcient magnitude to constitute
a risk of electric shock to persons.
This symbol is intended to
alert the user to the presence
of important operating and
maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the appliance.
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL!
THIS UNIT CONTAINS HIGH VOLTAGE INSIDE!
PHONE [phone]
FAX [phone]
[e-mail]
WWW.BADCATAMPS.COM
140 Technology Drive Suite 500, Irvine CA 92618
BAD CAT HOLDINGS LLC. USA
Operating Manual
Hot Cat series
Copyright ©2014 Bad Cat Holdings LLC.USA. All rights reserved.
Tube Chart
hot CAt 15R
12AX712AX7 12AX7
EL84
12AX7
EL84
12AX712AX7 12AX7
GZ34
Outside View (Tubes Up)
Input Jack
Back Panel
Choke
Reverb
Transformer
POWER
TRANSFORMER
OUTPUT
TRANSFORMER
xx
Copyright ©2014 Bad Cat Holdings LLC.USA. All rights reserved.
Tube Chart
hot CAt 30R
12AX712AX7 12AX7
12AX7
12AX712AX7 12AX7
Outside View (Tubes Up)
Input Jack
Back Panel
Choke
Reverb
Transformer
POWER
TRANSFORMER
OUTPUT
TRANSFORMER
EL34 EL34 GZ34
xx
Copyright ©2014 Bad Cat Holdings LLC.USA. All rights reserved.
Tube Chart
hot CAt 50R
12AX712AX7 12AX7
12AX7
12AX712AX7 12AX7
SS RECT.
Outside View (Tubes Up)
Input Jack
Back Panel
Choke
Reverb
Transformer
POWER
TRANSFORMER
OUTPUT
TRANSFORMER
EL34 EL34
xx
TROUBLESHOOTING
Your new Bad Cat amplier is designed for many years of
professional trouble free operation. Common sense will tell
you that if you notice any severe abnormalities in operation
like burning smell, smoke, etc.; you need to shut down the
amp immediately.Always consult your Bad Cat dealer if you
are unsure of the problems that you are dealing with; i.e.,
take your amp to where you purchased it.
HELP SECTION
Amp Will Not Turn On
Check the power to the amp. Check for tripped circuit break-
ers, unplugged extension cords or power-strip switches that
may be turned off. Check the fuse. If a dark brownish color
or no wire can be seen within the glass tube, then replace.
The amp may be perfectly ne but occasionally a fuse may
blow because of high AC voltage surges. After the fuse has
been replaced with the proper Slow Blow value and if the
fuse fails again, the amp will require servicing.
Weak or No Output Level
Verify the signal output from your instrument rst. Check
guitar’s controls and that the cables are working properly.
Also, check any effects pedals that may be connected in
between the guitar and the amplier.
No Output with Power light On
Tubes damaged in shipping will be the primary reason for
your amp to not function properly. Please give us a call to
help guide you through this simple repair.
Keep Your Amp Looking New
Use a damp cloth to wipe the controls on the front & rear
chassis panels. Wipe the black vinyl covering with a damp
cloth.
Adverse Sounds-Hum, Whistle, Loss of Dynamics,
Feedback, Howling
Check loudspeaker cones, frayed guitar cables, controls on
your instrument, the guitar’s pickups and any other devices
that many be connected to your amplier such as effects
pedals or rack processors. Some of these devices are “am-
pliers” in their own right with gain and boosted volume
levels and they may cause hissing and unwanted feedback
if set too high in front of the amp. Shut down the amp and
check the tubes. Wait for the amp to cool down. Remove
the back panel of the amplier. Avoid handling hot tubes
as they can cause severe burns. Check the larger output
power tubes rst by carefully removing the tube shields
or loosening the clamps, and then unseat the tubes from
their sockets but note from which sockets you removed the
tubes. Inspect the integrity of the laments in the tubes. If
one or more of these tubes are bad, you will need to replace
the entire set of the power tubes. If all the tubes are OK, you
can eliminate the adverse sounds by swapping the location
of these tubes. If this fails to x the problem, you may need
to replace the entire set of power tubes with a new matched
set. Use of inferior quality (unrated) tubes may cause dam-
age to your amplier. You should also check the preamp
tubes, especially the rst input stage tube (far right if you’re
looking at the amp from the back). Microphonics (feedback
noise that cannot be controlled by turning down the volume
pot on you guitar) indicates a bad preamp tube(s). You may
want to swap the position of preamp tubes to see if this will
x the microphonics problem. Preamp tubes can go bad
without warning but can also last many years without any
problem whatsoever.
As you can see when handling tubes, they are sensitive, fragile and somewhat
prone to inconsistencies. Please handle your amp with care when transporting
it. Although your Bad Cat amp is sturdily built and designed to take years of
rugged use, the tubes are not. It’s always a good idea to keep extra tubes (both
preamp and output power tubes) handy, especially for performance situations.
An overwhelming majority of minor problems on tube amps are tube-related
and it’s just a matter of swapping one or more out to have your amp performing
like brand new again.
LED CHANNEL INDICATOR
BASS AND TREBLE CONTROLS ON THE NEW HOT CAT SERIES GIVE YOU FLEXIBLE CLEAN CHANNEL
SIMPLIFIED GAIN CHANNEL: BASS, MID, TREBLE TONE STACKS
SEPARATE REVERB CONTROLS FOR EACH CHANNEL
15-WATT
2-EL84
CATHODE BIASED
2-CHANNEL FOOT SWITCHABLE
HALF POWER SWITCH
A little over ten years ago Bad Cat created the worlds rst Class A high gain amplier. One decade,
multiple editors pick awards and in 2004, Guitar Player Magazine recognized the amp with a 2nd
place in the top ten best combo amps ever made! The honor was presented at the Summer NAMM
Nashville show.
Bad Cat has once again dened and rened the best. We have taken the best clean channel in the
business and expanded its capability. We have added a bass and treble control for added versatility.
Along with the defeat-able master volume the clean channel can cover everything from sparkling
pristine clean to the type of crunch found on 70’s vinyl.
The Hot channel has been simplied in its controls and expanded in its capabilities. The controls
have been simplied to gain, bass, mid, treble , master and now for the rst time reverb. The gain
structure has been recongured to begin with a bluesy smooth breakup and gradually roll into thick
syrupy high gain.
This amp covers everything from clean sparkle to harmonically rich saturation.
Available with or without reverb.
ELECTRONICS
Power: 15 Watt Class A, 30 Watt Class A, 50 Watt Class A
Channels: Two
Controls: CH. 1 - Volume, Bass, Treble, In/Out, Master, Reverb, Presence
CH. 2 - Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, Master, Reverb, Presence
HARDWARE
Available Conguration: Head Shell, 1x12 Combo
Cabinet Material: Head - Italian Poplar, Combos - 13 Ply Baltic Birch
Speaker Description: Head Shell: N/A Combo: 12” Bad Cat Proprietary Celestion Speaker
Impedance: Selectable 4, 8, 16 ohms
Power Tubes: 15 Watt - 2 EL84, 30 Watt - 2 EL34, 50 Watt - 2 EL34
Pre-Amp Channel 1: 12AX7
Pre-Amp Channel 2: 12AX7
Rectier Tube: 15 Watt - GZ34/SS, 30 Watt - GZ34/SS, 50 Watt - Solid State
30-WATT
2-EL34
CATHODE BIASED
2-CHANNEL FOOT SWITCHABLE
HALF POWER SWITCH
50-WATT
2-EL34
GRID BIASED
2-CHANNEL FOOT SWITCHABLE
HALF POWER SWITCH
MODELED & IMPROVED FROM
THE LYNX

OPERATION
If this is your rst all-tube amplier, 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 amplier. 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 airow 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 ow 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 unveried impedance loads. In other words, do not
clip on or otherwise attach additional speakers unless you
know the system impedance. Tube ampliers 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 cong-
urations will work ne. If you are not familiar with “Ohm’s
Law”, please consult with a dealer or a qualied amplier
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 rm
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, signi-
cantly brightening the overall sound. This knob is found on many tube ampli-
ers. Turning the knob clockwise will allow more high harmonics, signicantly
brightening the overall sound.
BACK PANEL
A/C Plug
Plug your amp’s power cord in here rst, 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, 50 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 amplier in
the event of tube failure. If you replace the tubes and the
fuse blows again, seek qualied 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 rst 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 ampliers. 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 rm
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.