Congratulations and thank you for
purchasing a professional tube ampli-
fier from Bad Cat. As with all Bad Cat
products, your amplifier 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 amplifiers.
CAUTION
With a little care and caution, your Bad
Cat amplifier 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 floating
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 Amplifiers 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
fine 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 qualified
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 sufficient 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
WWW.BADCATAMPS.COM
140 Technology Drive Suite 500, Irvine CA 92618
BAD CAT HOLDINGS LLC. USA
Operating Manual
LYNX 50
DUAL CHANNEL, 50 WATT, EL34 HIGH GAIN
The baddest of the bad! This is our no holds barred, hard rock tone machine. When we set out to
design the Lynx we wanted to build the best high gain amplifier on the market. We brought every-
thing to the table and all the tricks we’ve learned over the years.
Huge and full, but with a note articulation not found at these levels of gain. Saturation and tone is
so full that the single notes are fat. Chords are deep and full because we run the power section
in Class A to get your harmonics soaring in and out of chords and single notes at will. There is a
complexity and three-dimensional quality to the sound of this amp that separates it from any other
high gain amp.
The clean channel on the Lynx is much more than an afterthought. Running in Class A brings out all
of the shimmer in the highs and ghost harmonics in a clean chording passage.
We brought the Bad Cat sound to high gain.
ELECTRONICS
Power
: 50/30-Watt Class A
Channels
: 2
Channel 1
: Volume, Tone, Presence
Channel 2
: Gain, Edge, Bass, Mid, Mid Boost, Treble, Presence, Master
HARDWARE
Available Configuration
: Head
Cabinet Material
: Italian Poplar
Speaker Description
:
12”
Proprietary
Bad Cat Celestion Speaker
Impedance
: Selectable 4, 8, 16 ohms
Power Tubes
: 2 - EL34s
Pre-Amp Tube Channel 1
: 1 - 12AX7
Pre-Amp Tubes Channel 2
: 3 - 12AX7s
Rectifier
: Solid State
Shown as Large Head in Black Tolex and Silver Piping
Solid State/Tube Rectifier Selection
Selecting the solid state rectifier provides you with a more
immediate sound where the notes have more pop to them.
It’s a harder sound with a quicker response.
Selecting the tube rectifier 5U4G or 5AR4 provides a softer
sound where the note is a little more 3-dimensional. The
attack seems to dip and then bloom. Both rectifiers are ca-
pable of providing extremely pleasing tones so experiment
should be done to see what suits your individual needs in
any particular situation.
1-2 Switch
This is a unique switch that allows you to change from a
more vintage style bass response to a more modern style
bass response by changing what value bass capacitor is
in the circuit. Selecting the up or “1” position gives a big-
ger, warmer, more modern bass response. Selecting the
down or “2” position gives a tighter, more classic bass to
the amp’s tone.
Lineout
This is a line-level output which can be used directly into a
processor or effect unit, thereby making your amp the pre-
amp or tone-shaper of a larger “rack” rig. This can also be
used for direct recording, although typically clean sounds
work best for this purpose as the distorted sounds tend to
suffer from the lack of the positive coloration a speaker
brings to a distorted guitar tone.
Speaker Jack
On a combo amp, this jack is for adding an extension
speaker cabinet to be used with the internal speaker of the
amp. The internal speaker runs at 8 ohms for a single 12 or
4 ohms for 2x12 and is parallel with the extension speaker
jack.
On a head, this jack is for connection to your speaker cabi-
net. Please be sure to select the proper ohms to match your
cab.
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.
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.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Your new Bad Cat amplifier 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
Check the power source from the wall first. 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 first. 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 amplifier.
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 amplifier
such as effects pedals or rack processors. Some of these devices are “ampli-
fiers” 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 amplifier. Avoid handling hot tubes as they can cause severe
burns. Check the larger output power tubes first 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
filaments 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 elimi-
nate the adverse sounds by swapping the location of these tubes. If this fails to
fix 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 damage to
your amplifier. You should also check the preamp tubes, especially the first 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 fix 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.
