Bad cat Trem cat 30 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: July 30, 2013

LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY

Bad Cat Ampliers warrantees our amps and cabs against workmanship or defect for

life. The warrantee does not cover tubes or cosmetic damage, or wear and tear or abuse.

This warrantee is transferable. Lifetime transferable warranty is only for North American

sales. Please see your local dealer and distributor for warranty information. Modifying or

altering the amp in any way voids the warrantee. 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 Lifetime Warranty to all of our pre acquisition amps for $249. Simply send the unit

back to us and we will have one our technicians go through it from the ground up. And to

top it all off, we will pay for the shipping back to you. For more information please contact

us at [email protected] or directly at 800-730-0966.

When RETURNING merchandise to the factory, you must call for a return authorization

number.

HELP SECTION

1) AMP WILL NOT TURN ON

Check the power to the amp. Check for tripped circuit breakers, 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.

2) 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.

3) 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.

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 800.730.0966

FAX 714.630.0106

INFO@BADCATAMPS.COM

WWW.BADCATAMPS.COM

140 Technology Drive Suite 500, Irvine CA 92618

BAD CAT HOLDINGS LLC. USA

Operating Manual

TREM CAT 30

SINGLE CHANNEL, 30 WATT, EL84

Start with the rich chime of the EF86 side of a Black Cat 30. Add lush reverb and pulsating tremolo

and you have one of the nest single channel amps ever made. A 4 - EL84 30 watt power platform

running in Class A provides the engine. The Trem Cat is a Guitar Player magazine Editors’ Award

winner and perhaps our most versatile single channel amp.

The tone circuit is truly unique and affords unparalleled control over your tone shaping. There are

two basic tonal options available. First, our ve

position tone cap selector and our standard bass and treble tone stack. The selector switch is the

key to dialing in your sound. Position one bypasses the tone stack altogether and feels like you are

plugged strait into your output section. Position two activates the ve way tone selector. Allowing

you ve choices of tone caps and affording great control over the bottom end and thickness. Posi-

tion three moves you over to the bass and treble controls.

Here the amp has more of a scooped hi- type of feel. Lastly, position four engages both the selec-

tor and the bass and treble controls.

Between the cut control which adds high end sparkle, near innite tone shaping can be had here.

A master volume that can be switched out of the circuit along with a half power

switch insures that you can get to any level of gain at just about any volume level.

ELECTRONICS

Power: 30/15-Watt Class A

Channels: 1

Controls: Volume, Tone, Select, Bass, Treble, Speed, Depth, Reverb, Cut, Master

HARDWARE

Available Conguration: Head, 1x12 Combo or 2x12 Combo

Cabinet Material: Head - Italian Poplar, Combos - 13 Ply Baltic Birch

Speaker Description: 12” Proprietary Bad Cat Celestion Speaker

Impedance: Selectable 4, 8, 16 ohms

Power Tubes: 4 - EL84’s

Pre-Amp Tubes: 1 - EF86, 4 - 12AX7’s

Rectier Tube: 1 - GZ34

Speaker Out

This jack is adding an extension speaker cabinet to be

used with the internal speaker of the Tone Cat. The internal

speaker runs at 8 ohms for a single 12 or 4 ohms for a 2x12

and is parallel with the extension speaker jack.

Speaker Impedance

On a combo this rotary selector knob comes set at 8 ohms

for a single 12 or 4 ohms for a 2x12. The selector knob can

select between 4, 8 and 16 ohms. Check Ohm’s Law if us-

ing an additional extension cabinet to select the right ohm

setting. Example: 8 ohms + 8 ohms = 4 ohm setting.

On a head, please be sure to select the proper ohms to

match your cabinet.

Speaker Phase Switch

This switch changes the phase of your amp’s speakers.

When the amp is played by itself, either position will sound

good, but slightly different. Here is another case where a

little experimentation is worthwhile to nd what is right for

you. This switch becomes very important, though, when the

amp is used in conjunction with another amp in a dual amp

setup. If the speaker in the two amps are set “out of phase”

with each other your tone could be weakened considerably.

So when you’re running the amp simultaneously with an-

other amp, be sure to check this switch to see if one posi-

tion or the other is giving you a better result.

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.

No Power

ICheck the power source from the wall rst. Make sure the

power cord is properly seated at both ends. If there is still

no power, check the fuse and replace if necessary with the

correct rating only.

Weak 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.

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.

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.

Select

This knob highlights the unique tone-shaping feature of the Trem Cat. This knob

allows you to select between the 5-way rotary Tone knob and the active Bass

and Treble controls right of the Select knob. What this Select knob gives you is

unparalleled control in dialing in your nal tone or nding tone or nding various

tonal textures from the amp. With the Select knob set at far left (counterclock-

wise), you completely bypass both EQ circuits. This is as pure as an amp tone

can get. It will be as though you are wired directly to the speaker. The next

setting to the right selects the 5-way rotary Tone knob. The one after that to

the right selects the Bass and Treble controls. Finally, the far right setting on

the Select knob combines both the 5-way rotary Tone knob and the active Bass

and Treble controls. This far right setting will give you the most exibility and

the ability to ne-range of great sounds that you can pull out of this amp using

these controls.

Bass, Treble

This EQ layout is sometimes referred to as a “tone boost” or “treble boost” cir-

cuit. The Bass and Treble controls are highly interactive. Within their individual

frequency ranges, they act as mini-amps to actually boost or reduce their fre-

quency range by as much as 12 db; to actually provide more or less frequency

components than what is available from the input instrument. Experiment with

their settings to learn how tonal shapes can vary greatly with just minor adjust-

ment to either EQ knob. Combined with the 5-way rotary Tone knob using the

Select knob, you will be able to dial in a myriad of superb Class-A guitar tones

as well as nail perfect “Holy Grail” tone that you could call your very own!

Tremolo Speed

A rst in a Bad Cat amp, the tremolo is a classic modulation effect that can be

used in a subtle or extreme manner.

This knob adjusts the speed of the tremolo modulation effect. Tremolo is a uc-

tuation of the volume level and this knob can ne-tune the speed to the tempo

of the song that you are playing. The speed of the tremolo speed is increased as

you turn this knob clockwise.

Tremolo Hi-Lo Switch

This toggle switch allows you to select between fast (Hi) and slow (Lo) speeds

for the tremolo effect. Once you select the basic speed with this switch, you can

ne-tune the speed with the Speed knob.

Tremolo Depth

This knob adjusts the depth of the tremolo effect. It can

also be viewed an “intensity” control although the knob ac-

tually works on a different principle. The tremolo effect’s

perceived intensity will increase as you turn this knob

clockwise.

Reverb

The reverb circuit is a completely new Bad Cat design

that adds spatial dimension to the tone produced by the

amp. Incorporating the very best 3-spring reverb tank with

newly designed reverb tone circuit, the reverb can go from

subtle classic spring reverb effects to rollicking surf reverb

to cavernous hall-like setting with a simple twist of this

knob. This reverb circuit was carefully designed to be use-

ful 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.

Cut

This knob works like a “Presence” control found on many

tube ampliers. Turning the knob clockwise will add more

highs and high-mids, signicantly brightening the over-

all sound. Turning the knob counterclockwise will cut the

highs, darkening the overall sound-hence the Cut moniker

for this control. The Cut knob works at the power section of

the amplier’s signal chain and is ideal to use to ne-tune

the amp’s sound depending on the room you are playing in.

Use the extensive EQ circuits in this amp to dial in your tone,

and then use the Cut to adjust the sound depending on the

playing situation.

Master

As mentioned earlier, the Master knob is only active when

the Master switch on the far right of the front panel is

switch to “In”. When switched to “Out”, only the Volume

control is active to adjust the overall volume of the amp and

the master runs at full gain.

Master In/Out Switch

This switch engages or disengages the Master knob.

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.

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.).

Half-Power Switch

This switch turns off a pair of power tubes to lower the

output to half of the rated 30 watts. Still, it should be noted

that this would not lower the volume by half. It will give

you less headroom, allowing you to overdrive the amp at a

lower volume, but the amp will still be about 70% as loud

as when you have this switch on at full power.

Tremolo/Reverb Footswitch

Any simple double ¼” plug-in footswitch will work for on/

off control of the Tremolo and Reverb effects on the Trem

Cat. The Reverb level needs to be controlled manually via

the knob on the front panel. The footswitch function only

turns both effects on and off.

Send and Return Jacks

Connect the output of the send jack to the input of your

effects device. Connect the output of your effect and 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.

Front & Rear Panel Controls

TREM CAT 30

FRONT PANEL

Input Jacks

Input jack 1 is the normal input. Input jack 2 is padded down 3 decibels and is

recommended for more headroom when using high-output pickups. But if you

want more gain at low volume levels, high-output pickups through the input

jack 1 will allow the amp to overdrive “faster” (i.e., the volume level lower). It is

also possible to switch between the two inputs or use both inputs concurrently

using a “Y” cable or an A/B/Y box to extend the tonal possibilities of the amp,

but in most cases you will nd that either input will work ne depending on the

type of pickups you are using. It’s best to experiment with both inputs to nd out

which sounds best to your ears with you guitar(s) and pickups.

Volume

The rst knob on the left when you face the amp’s front panel is the volume

control. This is the input stage where the preamp tubes rst “see” the gui-

tar signal and goes through the rst phase of amplication. In the non-master

volume mode (with the master switch on off), the volume knob controls the

overall volume level. This is recommended for accomplished guitarists in a per-

formance situation as this will allow for the best power tube dynamics and

touch sensitivity. You can crank up the volume and use the guitar’s volume pot

and your picking attack to get varying degrees of clean and overdrive sounds.

In the master volume mode (with the master switch turned on), the volume

control knob will act as a gain control. Turning the knob clockwise will give you

more input gain, compression and preamp tube saturation. The overall volume

(i.e., the loudness) of the amp can now be controlled with the master knob on

the far right of the front panel. This mode is recommended if you need overdrive

and distortion tones at a low volume level for playing in small clubs, rehearsing

with the band in a garage or practicing at home without shaking walls.

Tone

The 5-way tone knob has been carefully tailored to cover the most critical fre-

quencies in the electric guitar’s sonic range. Each setting of this rotary knob af-

fects the most important midrange frequencies that provide body, warmth, bite

and punch in your guitar tone. When the rotary knob is set at the most counter

clockwise setting, the amp provides the most cut and brightness. As you turn

the knob clockwise, the tone gets fatter with more low-midrange emphasis,

adding body and warmth. Although the differences are subtle between the 5 dif-

ferent settings, you will nd this knob most helpful in dialing in the right sound

that will t in with your band’s mix. Experiment to your heart’s delight and nd

the setting that works the best for you!

Front Panel Controls

Rear Panel Controls