Owner’s Manual
for the
BT-350
Bass Amplifier
BT-350 ThunderBass Amplifier
Congratulations!
You are now the proud owner of one of the most advanced bass guitar amplifiers available, the Crate BT-350 ThunderBass amp. This flexible and compact unit combines a tube preamp, 7-band graphic equalizer, chorus, biamp capabilities and 350 watts of power in a rugged and attractive package that can be rack-mounted in only three spaces. A wide array of front-panel controls along with footswitch options allow you to “tailor” the sound to best suit your personal needs.
Like all Crate products, your BT-350 ThunderBass amp is Musician Made in the U.S.A., using only the best components. Extensive testing at many stages in its production, including a final “audition” by a skilled musician, insures you that your BT-350 ThunderBass amp is the best it can be.
In order to get the best possible performance, please read this manual before you use the amplifier.
And thank you for choosing 
Contents:
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
The Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4, 5
The Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
System Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Using the Biamp Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8, 9
Some Suggested Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10, 11
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .back cover
CAUTION |
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK |
DO NOT OPEN |
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, |
DO NOT REMOVE COVER. |
NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. |
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL. |
THIS EQUIPMENT
LIFE OF THE
ATTENTION
RISQUE D'ELECTROCUTION
NE PAS OUVRIR
ATTENTION: POUR REDUIRE D'ELECTROCUTION NE PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE. AUCUNE PIECE INTERNE N'EST REPRABLE
PAR L'UTILISATEUR. POUR TOUTE REPARATION, S'ADRESSER A UN TECHNICIEN QUALIFIE.
VORSICHT |
ELEKTRISCHE SCHLAGGEFAHR |
NICHT OFFENEN |
VORSICHT: ZUR MINIMIERUNG ELEKTRISCHER SCHLAGGEFAHR NICHT |
DEN DECKEL ABENHMEN. INTERNE TEILE KONNEN NICHT VOM |
BENUTZER GEWARTET WERDEN. DIE WARTUNG IS QUALIFIZIERTEM |
WARTUNGSPERSONAL ZU UBERLASSEN. |
THE |
CAUTION: TO |
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WARNING: TO |
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CAUTION: NO |
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CAUTION: OUR |
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PRESSURE |
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HEALTH |
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NOISE |
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EXPOSURE, |
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SOUND LEVEL dBA |
DURATION PER DAY |
SOUND LEVEL dBA |
DURATION PER DAY |
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SLOW RESPONSE |
IN HOURS |
SLOW RESPONSE |
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90 |
8 |
102 |
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6 |
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115 |
1/4 or less |
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100 |
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EXPLANATION OF |
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= "DANGER HAUTE TENSION" |
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GRAPHICAL SYMBOLS: |
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"GEFAHLICHE SPANNUNG" |
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"IT IS NECESSARY FOR THE USER TO REFER TO THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL"
="REFERREZ-VOUS AU MANUAL D'UTILISATION"
"UNBEDINGT IN DER BEDIENUNGSANLEITUNG NACHSCHLAGEN"
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BT-350 ThunderBass Amplifier
Introduction:
The Crate BT-350 ThunderBass amp is a high-quality bass guitar amplification system that combines extremely high power with very desirable features. Each feature and control is discussed in detail in the sections entitled “The Front Panel,” “The Rear Panel” and “Using the Biamp Capabilities.”
Crate offers a heavy-duty three rack space enclosure (Crate model #CR-3) which will house the BT-350 perfectly, providing the extra protection and convenience needed when you take your Crate on the road. Also available is a five rack space enclosure (Crate model #CR-5) which is ideal for use when the BT-350 is combined with a second amplifier for biamping.
The BT-350 is equally suited for use in the club, the studio or on the stage. When combined with Crate’s line of superior bass cabinets, the results are nothing less than phenomenal. (But then, what else would you expect from Crate?)
Features:
Additional information can be found on the pages indicated.
•Tube Preamp: Adjustable Drive control. Low, Mid and High frequency controls. Low and High Boost switches. Normal (0dB) and padded (-15dB) input jacks. (page 4)
•Graphic EQ: 7 bands. 40Hz to 10kHz. 12dB cut or boost. Master Level control. Footswitch controllable. LED Indicator. (pages 4 and 5)
•Master Level: Peak (overdrive) LED indicator. Switchable Limiter circuit with LED indicator. (page 4)
•Chorus: Adjustable Depth and Rate controls. Variable cut-off (“Spectrum”) control. (page 5)
•Biamp: Adjustable crossover frequency control. Low-to-high balance control. Independent Line Out level control. Balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (1/4”) outputs. (pages 5 and 6)
•Internal Amplifier: 350 watts into 4 ohms. 1/4” mono speaker output jacks. Extensive heatsinking. Detachable AC power cord. (page 6)
•Effects Loop: 1/4” Send and Return jacks. Allows use of external signal processors. Return jack doubles as input for power amp in Biamp mode. (page 6)
•Musician made in the U.S.A.
•Crate’s exclusive 5-year warranty (U.S. only, – see your dealer in other areas for warranty information)
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BT-350 ThunderBass Amplifier
The Front Panel:
INPUTS:
1.0dB INPUT: Connect your bass here using a shielded instrument cable. The output signal of your bass will run full-strength into the amplifier, which is fine for most basses having passive electronics and/or low-output pickups. If your bass has active on-board electronics and/or active pickups, use the -15dB input jack (#2) to avoid overloading the amp’s input stage.
2.-15dB INPUT: Connect your bass here if it has active on-board electronics and/or active pickups. The bass’s output signal will be attenuated by 15dB to keep it from overloading the amplifier’s input stage.
NOTE: Even if your bass has passive electronics, if the Peak LED (#9) flashes at seemingly low levels when you’re plugged into the 0dB input, try using the -15dB jack instead.
TUBE PRE-AMP section:
3.TUBE DRIVE: This serves as the gain control for the BT-350’s tube preamp section, which gives you the natural compression of a tube amplifier. For the best compression. adjust the Tube Drive control as you strike your strings (hard). Watch the Peak LED (#9): when the LED starts to flash, you’ve reached a choice setting for the best signal-to-noise ratio and “tube feel.”
4.LOW BOOST: Switch on the Low Boost and you’ll feel a large increase in the very lowest bass notes, especially noticeable when you hit the low B string of a five or six-string bass. This is due to
the impressive 8dB of gain added at 20Hz, increasing the deep, “floor-shak- ing” sounds of your instrument.
5.LOW: Adjust the output level of your low-bass tones with this control: the center position is “flat” (no boost or cut). Turning the control to the left reduces the low frequency output; turning to the right increases the low frequency output. The Low control primarily affects the notes you feel, providing up to 13dB of boost or cut at 40Hz.
6.MID: Adjust the output level of your upper-bass tones with this control: the center position is “flat” (no boost or cut). Turning the control to the left reduces the upper-bass output; turning to the right increases the upper-bass output. The Mid control provides up to 11dB of boost or cut at 260Hz, which changes the “voice” of your instrument’s sound. By boosting the Mid control you can make the sound of your bass cut through the rest of the band, without getting a whole lot louder.
7.HIGH: Adjust the amount of high-fre- quency overtones with this control: the center position is “flat” (no boost or cut). Turning the control to the left reduces the high-frequency output; turning to the right increases the high-frequency output. The High control allows up to 15dB of boost or cut at 5kHz, which allows you to adjust the “crispness” of the sound of your bass. Players looking for a sharp, slapping sound may tend to want this control turned up farther than those who
seek a more traditional sound.
8. HIGH BOOST: Turning on the High Boost greatly enhances the upper-har- monic overtones of your bass, increasing such subtleties as the sounds of your fingers on the strings or the strings striking the fretboard. High Boost produces an additional 10dB of gain at 10kHz, making the “crisp” characteristics of your bass even more pronounced.
MASTER LEVEL SECTION:
9.PEAK LED: This LED indicator will light when you’re nearing the highest desirable level for your input signal and are in danger of overdriving the preamp’s solid state circuitry. (This can cause the output of the amplifier to sound distorted.) To get the maximum benefit from the BT-350’s tube preamp section (good, clean sound with the “feel” of natural tube compression), adjust the Tube Drive control (#3) until this LED begins to flash when you’re hitting your strings pretty hard.
10.MASTER LEVEL: This is the BT-350’s master volume control. The output level of the amplifier through your main speakers, the Biamp Outputs and the Effects Loop Send are simultaneously adjusted by this control: at the full-left position there will be no output; rotating the control to the right increases the volume level.
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