Ceriatone CREME BRULEE User manual

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Ceriatone
CRÈME
BRULEE
15W Class A
guitar amplifier

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User’s Manual
Thank you for the purchase of your Ceriatone Crème Brulee guitar amplifier!
Here, we hope to explain how best to use your new amp.
Table of Contents
1) About the Crème Brulee……………………………………………………………………………………………..page 2
2) Quick setup……………………………………………………………………………………………………………page 3
3) Front Panel controls………………………………………………………………………………………………….page 4
4) Rear Panel controls…………………………………………………………………………………………………..page 6
5) Tube compliment………..……………………………………………….……………………………………………page 8
6) Frequently Asked Questions………………………………………………………………………………………...page 9
1) About the Dizzy 30
One of our most popular and versatile amplifiers, the Dizzy 30 was our response to one of the most sought after amplifiers in
guitar history.Combining classic tones with modern features, the Dizzy 30 is a true benchmark in hand-wired, Class A tone.
Over time, we have branched our offerings in this family of amplifiers. We recently added the Crème Brulee, a no-frills amplifier
offering the best of dual EL84 tones.
The Crème Brulee utiziles a preamp similar to the “EF86 channel” from a late 1950s AC15. This preamp has a wide frequency
response and impressive clean and overdriven tones. Despite its simplicity, it offers a variety of no-compromise tone
Importantly, we hope the Crème Brulee becomes an integral part of your tone equation to exhilarate your playing and music.
Rock on!
-Nik Azam

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2) QUICK SETUP (for instant gratification)
1) Plug your guitar using a 1/4” instrument cable into the INPUT on the far left
2) Plug a suitable power cable from the Crème Brulee’s rear panel AC MAINS cable inlet to your wall power receptacle
3) Plug the Crème Brulee into your speaker cabinet using 1/4” speaker cable
4) Set the IMPEDENCE selector to the match the impedance of your speaker cabinet
5) Set VOLUME, TONE, and CUT controls at 12:00 (clock face)
6) Set BRIGHT in the middle position (off)
7) Push VOLUME in (disengages BOOST)
8) Set MASTER at 10:00 (clock face)
9) Pull MASTER out (engages MASTER)
10)Set front panel POWER switch in the downward ON position
11)Allow amplifier to warm for 30 seconds
12)ROCK!!!!!!

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3) FRONT PANEL CONTROLS
From left to right:
1) INPUT ¼” instrument jack
2) BRIGHT three-way toggle
3) VOLUME control (PULL for BOOST)
4) TONE 6 position rotary switch
5) CUTcontrol
6) MASTER control (PULL to ENGAGE)
7) POWER two-way toggle switch
8) INDICATOR lamp
INPUT is a ¼” jack for instrument cables. Plug your guitar in here.
BRIGHT is a three-way toggle switch that can add two different bright caps to the VOLUME control. BRIGHT with the toggle
UP engages a larger cap, which is the brightest setting. BRIGHT in the MIDDLE has no bright cap, and is the darkest setting.
BRIGHT with the toggle DOWN engages a smaller cap, which is a medium bright setting.

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VOLUME adjusts the preamplifier volume. When used in conjunction with the MASTER control, you can use this to set the
amount of grit and crunch, and still have control over your general volume level.
Pulling OUT on the VOLUME control engages a BOOST circuit. This provides more gain coming out of the EF86 tube into the
remainder of the circuit.
TONE is a 6-way rotary selector adjusting the frequency response of the EF86 channel. Counterclockwise has the most bass,
and clockwise is the brightest.
CUT adjusts the high frequency response of the power amplifier. Since the Crème Brulee does not employ negative feedback
(which contributes to it’s open, complex response), this control behaves differently than a traditional presence control. As CUT
is turned clockwise, the tone becomes less bright. The most counterclockwise position is the brightest. Use this to control
sparkle and edge.
MASTER sets the overall volume of your amplifier. Unlike most master volume controls, this control is placed within the power
amplifier, between the phase inverter and the power tubes. This unique volume control retains the tone and feel of a cranked
amplifier much better than traditional master volumes.
With MASTER pushed IN, it is bypassed. With Master pulled OUT, it is engaged.
You can use the MASTER control to get the cranked sound of your Crème Brulee at much more reasonable volumes. You may
be surprised how accurate the tone and sound remains with this control.
POWER applies high voltage to the vacuum tubes during use.Because the Crème Brulee is tube rectified, we opted out of a
STANDBY switch. Just give your amplifier a few seconds to warm up before use.
INDICATOR will illuminate when the Crème Brulee is powered by turning the front panel POWER toggle switch to the ON
position. If INDICATOR does not turn on, check your power cable connections, and then the MAINS fuse on the rear of the
unit.

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4) REAR PANEL CONTROLS
From left to right:
1) AC MAINS IEC cable inlet
2) FUSE 2A slow blow fuse
3) POWER (HI / LO) two-way toggle switch
4) IMPEDANCE three-way rotary selector
5) SPEAKERS ¼” speaker jacks
AC MAINS IEC cable inlet – plug a suitable IEC power cable into this inlet to power your amplifier
MAINS FUSE 2A slow-blow fuse is used to protect your amplifier from voltage spikes or excessive current draw. Replace only
when necessary.
POWER two-way toggle allows you to essentially halve the output power of the Crème Brulee to about 7W. This switch
effectively switches the EL84s to operate from pentode to triode mode. Each setting provides unique tonal and response
characteristics, so experiment!
NOTE – only change the position of the POWER (HI / LO) switch when your amplifier is OFF!

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IMPEDANCE three-way rotary selector. Set this selector to the position that matches the impedance of your speaker cabinet.
NOTE – if you are using two speaker cabinets in parallel (ex – two 16 Ohm cabinets), set the impedance selector to half that of
a single cabinet (in this case, 8 Ohms).
SPEAKERS ¼” speaker cable jacks. Use a ¼” speaker cable to connect your speaker cabinet to the amplifier using these
jacks. If you use one speaker cabinet, it does not matter which jack is used. If you want to run two cabinets in parallel, connect
the second cabinet to the amplifier using the other jack.
NOTE– never turn your amplifier ON without connecting the amplifier to a speaker cabinet or suitable dummy load! Failing to
do so may damage your amplifier!

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5) TUBE COMPLIMENT
From RIGHT to LEFT
V1 – EF86 (input) NOTE – do not substitute any other tube types for V1, the EF86 position!
V2 – ECC83 / 12AX7 (phase inverter)
V3,V4 – EL84 (power tubes)
V5 – 5AR4/GZ34 (rectifier)
A FEW COMMENTS ON BIASING
…well, don’t worry about it! The Crème Brulee is a cathode-biased amplifier and requires no bias adjustment.

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6) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I hook up this thing?
-See Section 2, beginning on page 3.
Can I substitute different tube types for the 12AX7/ECC83s or EF86?
-Although you can try 12AT7s, 12AU7s, 5751s without any harm, the design is optimized for 12AX7s, and are
therefore the only recommended tube in the preamp positions.
-No substitutions are permitted for the EF86 tube.
What settings do you recommend?
-EF86: Volume 10:00, Tone position 3 or 4
-Power amp: Cut 10:00, Master to taste (but louder is always better J)
Do I need to use matched power tubes?
-Although not necessary, matched power tube sets are recommended for best results.
Do I need to use a matched and balanced phase inverter?
-It is not necessary. Feel free to experiment with different tubes (of the same type) in your Crème Brulee,
though!

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How do I bias my Crème Brulee?
-You don’t need to! The design is cathode-biased, Class A. The amplifier sets the bias point of the power
tubes, and there is no adjustable bias to worry about!
I’ve read that the components used in this type of amplifier are really important. What is inside my Crème Brulee?
-We use a combination of parts custom-made for us to our specifications (power transformer, output
transformer, choke, high-temperature / low-ESR electrolytic capacitors) and those used in the original
amplifiers (1/2W carbon composition resistors). We offer either high-quality Mallory M150 or Tube Amp
Doctor “Mustard” capacitors. All potentiometers are high-quality Alpha 1/2W. We prefer high-quality
enclosed Cliff (built in the UK) jacks to the open-style Switchcraft jacks used in the originals and many clones.
Finally, we occasionally use NOS components from our vast surplus parts collection in locations they work
well and complement the voicing or enhance the performance of the amplifier.