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.
Last updated: Feb. 12, 2013
FOR YOUR RECORDS, YOU MAY WISH TO RECORD THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION.
SERIAL NO._____________________ INVOICE DATE______________________
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
5 TECHNOLOGY DRIVE IRVINE CA 92618
BAD CAT HOLDINGS LLC. USA
Operating Manual
STELLA
SINGLE CHANNEL, 40 WATT, DUAL EL34
Sometimes we build a custom amp for an artist that is so good that we want to offer it to everyone.
The Stella and the Luca are just that. Both share simple single channel preamps based on opposite
sides of the Wild Cat. Both have 40 watt EL34 based power sections running in class A.
The control panels consist of the classic Bad Cat preamp: volume, 5-way selector, bass, treble, cut
and a master volume that can be switched out of the circuit.
The difference between these two rests in the first stage of the preamp. The Luca is built on a
12AX7 platform with all of the thick articulate and punchy midrange sweetness that goes with it.
Think of an extended version of
channel one of the Wild Cat. The Luca offers a switch between the 5-way tone selector and the
traditional bass and treble tone stack. A feature not found on the Wild Cat’s channel one.
The Stella offers the same control layout only with an EF86 front end. All of the sweet grind and
chime of the EF86 , combined with the full force of two two EL34 ‘s running in Class A.
The Luca and The Stella were made custom for touring artists and were just so good we had to
offer them to everyone. Let us make one for you!
ELECTRONICS
Power
: 40-Watt Class A
Channels
: 1
Controls
: Volume, Tone, Bass, Treble, Cut, Master
HARDWARE
Available Configuration
: Head, 1x12 Combo or 2x12 Combo
Cabinet Material
: Head - Italian Poplar, Combos - 13 Ply Baltic Birch
Speakers
: 12” Proprietary Bad Cat Celestion Speaker
Impedance
: Selectable 4, 8, 16 ohms
Power Tubes
: 2 - EL34’s
Pre-Amp Tubes for Stella
: 1 - EF86 and 2 - 12AX7’s
Rectifier Tube
: GZ34
Shown as Standard Head in Black Tolex, Dark Gray Everglade and Silver Piping
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
ICheck 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 “am-
plifiers” 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 eliminate 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 dam-
age 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 swap-
ping one or more out to have your amp performing like
brand new again.
