OPERATION
If this is your first all-tube amplifier, 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 amplifier. 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 airflow 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 flow 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 unverified impedance loads. In other words, do not
clip on or otherwise attach additional speakers unless you
know the system impedance. Tube amplifiers 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 config-
urations will work fine. If you are not familiar with “Ohm’s
Law”, please consult with a dealer or a qualified amplifier
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 final tone or finding tone or finding 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 flexibility and
the ability to fine-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 first 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 fluc-
tuation of the volume level and this knob can fine-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
fine-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 amplifiers. Turning the knob clockwise will add more
highs and high-mids, significantly 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 amplifier’s signal chain and is ideal to use to fine-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 first, 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 find that either input will work fine depending on the
type of pickups you are using. It’s best to experiment with both inputs to find out
which sounds best to your ears with you guitar(s) and pickups.
Volume
The first 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 first “see” the gui-
tar signal and goes through the first phase of amplification. 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 find this knob most helpful in dialing in the right sound
that will fit in with your band’s mix. Experiment to your heart’s delight and find
the setting that works the best for you!
Front Panel Controls
Rear Panel Controls
