Bad Cat UNLEASH User manual

Operating Manual
UNLEASH Re-Amplier & Attenuator
Congratulations and thank you for purchasing the Bad Cat Unleash. As with
all Bad Cat products, your amplier is designed from the ground up to pro-
vide the very best tones possible in a rugged, reliable package. Each one of
our pro quality models is constructed with Bad Cat’s commitment to making
the highest quality, hand-built, American-made products.
FOR YOUR RECORDS, YOU MAY WISH TO RECORD THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION.
SERIAL NO._____________________ INVOICE DATE______________________
PHONE [phone]
FAX [phone]
[e-mail]
WWW.BADCATAMPS.COM
140 TECHNOLOGY DRIVE SUITE 500 IRVINE CA 92618
BAD CAT HOLDINGS LLC. USA
Last updated: May 28 2013
LIMITED 5 YEAR WARRANTY
Bad Cat Ampliers warranties our amps and cabs against workmanship or defect for 5 years. The warranty does not cover cosmetic
damage, wear and tear, or abuse.
This warranty is transferable. 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.
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 base-
ment, 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 instructions or
as marked on the unit.
GROUNDING OR POLARIZATION: Precautions should be taken so that the grounding or polarization means of an appliance is not
defeated.
POWER CORD PROTECTION: Power supply 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.
CAUTION: Dangerous voltage
within this product’s enclosure.
DO NOT OPEN.
WARNING: Do not connect speaker
outputs to grounded plug or allow
speaker cable housings to be in
contact with any metal objects,
i.e. adjacent jacks.
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL!
THIS UNIT CONTAINS HIGH VOLTAGE INSIDE!
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 Bad Cat customer service if you are
unsure of the problems that you are experiencing.
CONSUMER NOTE***
There are NO user serviceable parts inside this amplier! Any attempt to modify this amp will void the
limited 5 year warranty!
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,
switches and other parts.
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.

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A A
B B
SHEET 1 OF 1
DRAWN
CHECKED
QA
MFG
APPROVED
Peter Vu 2/25/2013
DWG NO
Unleash Chassis Final speakon G_punch
TITLE
Unleash Rear Silkscreen
SIZE
B
SCALE
Bad Cat Holdings, LLC.
REV
3
SEND
FX LOOP
SPEAKER - 4, 8 or 16Ω
FUSE - 2.5A
NO LESS THAN 4Ω TOTA L
100-130VAC
50/60 HZ
200-260VAC
50/60 HZ
RETURN
DIRECT OUT 8Ω
AMP INPUT
FOOTSWITCH
WARNING
This device is capable of producing
extreme volume levels. Please
exercise caution when operating this
device. Failure to use adequate
precautions can result in permanent
hearing damage and/or loss.
www.badcatamps.com Unleash™, Bad Cat®Holdings LLC, Patent Pending
INITIAL SETUP
Set your guitar and guitar amp controls to about
where you ordinarily play.
Disconnect the speaker from your guitar amp. Make
sure UNLEASH™ is OFF. Now plug that speaker
output of your guitar amp into the 8Ω input of the
UNLEASH™. If your guitar amp has switchable
outputs, switch to 8 ohms.
!Note:If you are using a 4 or 16 ohm guitar amp
output into the UNLEASH™, you will hear slight tonal
differences compared to an 8 ohm input.
STEP 1.
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4
4
A A
B B
SHEET 1 OF 1
DRAWN
CHECKED
QA
MFG
APPROVED
Peter Vu 2/25/2013
DWG NO
Unleash Chassis Final speakon G_punch
TITLE
Unleash Rear Silkscreen
SIZE
B
SCALE
Bad Cat Holdings, LLC.
REV
3
SEND
FX LOOP
SPEAKER - 4, 8 or 16Ω
FUSE - 2.5A
NO LESS THAN 4Ω TOTA L
100-130VAC
50/60 HZ
200-260VAC
50/60 HZ
RETURN
DIRECT OUT 8Ω
AMP INPUT
FOOTSWITCH
WARNING
This device is capable of producing
extreme volume levels. Please
exercise caution when operating this
device. Failure to use adequate
precautions can result in permanent
hearing damage and/or loss.
www.badcatamps.com Unleash™, Bad Cat®Holdings LLC, Patent Pending
EFFECTS SEND
Use a 1/4” cable from the UNLEASH™ SEND jack to
the input of your effects devices.
EFFECTS RETURN
Use a 1/4” cable from the UNLEASH™ RETURN jack
to the output of your effects devices.
User Tip:It is preffered to use the UNLEASH™ loop
with time based effects such as delays, choruses
and pitch shifting devices.
Gain and distortion devices are best used in front of
your guitar amp input.
INPUT TRIM
Understanding how to use the INPUT TRIM is key to understanding
the UNLEASH™.
The INPUT TRIM controls the amount of input signal from your amp
into the UNLEASH™.
a. Turn all 3 UNLEASH™front panel knobs fully counter clockwise to
the OFF position.
b. Turn the UNLEASH™power switch ON (switch is above power cable)
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4
4
A A
B B
SHEET 1 OF 1
DRAWN
CHECKED
QA
MFG
APPROVED
Peter Vu 11/8/2012
DWG NO
TITLE
Unleash F/B/S Drawing
SIZE
B
SCALE
Bad Cat Holdings, LLC.
REV
3
™
c. Now play your guitar amp into the UNLEASH™and increase the INPUT TRIM knob until the INPUT TRIM
‘led’ starts to blink. You now have the right amount of drive signal into the UNLEASH™.
d. Then adjust CH 1 for your desired volume / attenuation sound levels.
!Note: Switching between CH 1 & CH 2 requires a footswitch (not included).
!Note: For low volume attenuation, keep the UNLEASH™INPUT TRIM lower than the UNLEASH™
CHANNEL VOLUME.
Attenuating more than 100 Watts into the UNLEASH™ can cause the UNLEASH™ to fail. Under this
condition the warranty will not cover the cost of repairs.
!Note: Experiment with different amounts of INPUT TRIM.
HELPFUL INFORMATION
1. - As long as the INPUT to the UNLEASH™is not overdriven, the OUTPUT is transparent.
That is, what tonal quality you put in, you get out.
2. Is the UNLEASH™output fuzzy?
The Cause: You’re overdriving the UNLEASH™ INPUT.
The Solution: Reduce INPUT TRIM (see 3c).
3. Does the UNLEASH™have a darkening tone?
The Cause: You’re overdriving the power section of your guitar amp which causes clipping (dark tone).
The Solution: Try slightly backing down the volume on the power section of the guitar amp.
Also try increasinng Treble control.
FUSE
STEP 3.
!Note: Extra fuse included in fuse clip.
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
A A
B B
SHEET 1 OF 1
DRAWN
CHECKED
QA
MFG
APPROVED
Peter Vu 2/25/2013
DWG NO
Unleash Chassis Final speakon G_punch
TITLE
Unleash Rear Silkscreen
SIZE
B
SCALE
Bad Cat Holdings, LLC.
REV
3
SEND
FX LOOP
SPEAKER - 4, 8 or 16Ω
FUSE - 2.5A
NO LESS THAN 4Ω TOTA L
100-130VAC
50/60 HZ
200-260VAC
50/60 HZ
RETURN
DIRECT OUT 8Ω
AMP INPUT
FOOTSWITCH
WARNING
This device is capable of producing
extreme volume levels. Please
exercise caution when operating this
device. Failure to use adequate
precautions can result in permanent
hearing damage and/or loss.
www.badcatamps.com Unleash™, Bad Cat®Holdings LLC, Patent Pending
UNLEASH SPEAKER OUTPUTS
With the provided Bad Cat speaker cable, connect the
UNLEASH™to your speaker cabinet - 4, 8 or 16 ohms.
!Note:Always connect a speaker to the UNLEASH™
before turning power switch on.
!WARRANTY INFORMATION: Connecting anything to the
UNLEASH™ output speaker connectors other than speakers
will cause the UNLEASH™ Class ‘D’ amplier to fail. Under
this condition, the warranty will not cover the cost of repairs.
Unleash Unleash
Speaker Cab Combo Amp
Example 2
Coupler
Example 1
OUTPUT OUTPUT
STEP 2.
FUSE
OFF
DIRECT OUT
The uncompensated line level DIRECT OUT can be sent
to a PA or recording console.
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
A A
B B
SHEET 1 OF 1
DRAWN
CHECKED
QA
MFG
APPROVED
Peter Vu 2/25/2013
DWG NO
Unleash Chassis Final speakon G_punch
TITLE
Unleash Rear Silkscreen
SIZE
B
SCALE
Bad Cat Holdings, LLC.
REV
3
SEND
FX LOOP
SPEAKER - 4, 8 or 16Ω
FUSE - 2.5A
NO LESS THAN 4Ω TOTA L
100-130VAC
50/60 HZ
200-260VAC
50/60 HZ
RETURN
DIRECT OUT 8Ω
AMP INPUT
FOOTSWITCH
WARNING
This device is capable of producing
extreme volume levels. Please
exercise caution when operating this
device. Failure to use adequate
precautions can result in permanent
hearing damage and/or loss.
www.badcatamps.com Unleash™, Bad Cat®Holdings LLC, Patent Pending
FOOTSWITCH
Use a simple single button 1/4” FOOTSWITCH
(not included) to switch between the CH 1 & CH 2
volume controls.
UNLEASH™SPECIFICATIONS
AC VOLTAGE UNLEASH™UNL A - 100 to 130 VAC 50/60 Hz
UNLEASH™UNL B - 200 to 260 VAC 50/60 Hz
INPUT OHMS 8 ohms -ideal for best sound
4 and 16 ohm inputs work but with slight tonal differences
compared to an 8 ohm input
INPUT WATTAGE Min - 2 Watts (for full output)
RANGE Max - 100 Watts
OUTPUT POWER into 4 ohm cabinet - 180 Watts
into 8 ohm cabinet - 100 Watts
into 16 ohm cabinet - 50 Watts