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Frenzel Tube Amps
renzel Tube Ampsrenzel Tube Amps
renzel Tube Amps
2011 Copyright by Frenzel Tube Amplifiers. All rights reserved. All designs, technical data, pictures, and information are
copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the permission of Frenzel Tube Amplifiers.
Page 1
Owners Manual
HBX-WC30 “Hot Box Wild Cat”
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Frenzel Tube Amps
renzel Tube Ampsrenzel Tube Amps
renzel Tube Amps
2011 Copyright by Frenzel Tube Amplifiers. All rights reserved. All designs, technical data, pictures, and information are
copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the permission of Frenzel Tube Amplifiers.
Page 2
Model: Hot Box Wild Cat 30
Model No: HBX-WC30
The FRENZEL " Hot Box Wild Cat 30" design was "INSPIRED" by the classic Matchless Hot Box and the Hot Cat 30. The
preamps have three stages of high gain and are modeled after the classic Hot Box preamp. We have added separate HI -
LO inputs, gain controls, tone stacks, and master level controls to give you maximum tone control. This allows you to set
each channel for the eact tones and overdrive you want, and then to select or blend both channels with an AB/Y
footswitch. The output stage uses a pair of cathode biased Class A EL34's that will give you 30 watts of pure sound
reproduction. And to finish things off we added a custom Presence control with an Edge pull switch to contour the sound.
This amp is truly a "wild cat" and will drive you crazy with all the tonal variations possible...some which you have never
heard before!
FEATURES:
Input Jacks isolated from chassis for low noise, eddy currents, and hum.
DC on preamp and driver filaments for low noise and hum.
Star ground system to reduce induced current chassis noise.
4 Input Jacks - Hi - Lo Jacks for Clean and Boost inputs with separate Gain controls for the unique smooth warm clean
tones or the great overdrive crunch boost tones....or you can use an AB-Y switch and create your own distinct tones.
Classic 60's vintage style 3-BAND TONE STACKS for extended flexibility in shaping your tone....plus Bright capacitor on
Gain Controls for extra sparkle!
MASTER level controls so you can crank the GAIN's up and overdrive the preamps and drivers without overdriving the
output tubes.
Classic vintage style Presence control .
Effects Loop - Classic insertion type Serial Effects Loop with Return Jack (Power Amp In), Send Jack (Preamp Out), and
Send Level Control.
Unique NNFB "Edge" switch on the PRESENCE control that transforms the power amp section into a No-Negative-
FeedBack style amp for more open, less compressed tones.
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Frenzel Tube Amps
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2011 Copyright by Frenzel Tube Amplifiers. All rights reserved. All designs, technical data, pictures, and information are
copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the permission of Frenzel Tube Amplifiers.
Page 3
Class A cathode biased EL34's for the purest reproduction of sound possible.
Power Output - 30 watts
Power Attenuator - Built-in power attenuator provides three power levels. 7 - 15 - 30 watts.
Dual Speaker Jacks
Speaker Impedance Selector 4 - 8 - 16 ohms
5AR4 heavy duty rectifier for classic Fender pick attack and sag ,.. plus comes with SS plug-in rectifier for Marshall tight
no sag tones.
Extra long (10') three prong grounded power cord.
STANDBY switch to turn off the high voltage during warm-up to protect the tubes.
Rock solid point-to-point hand wiring using only the best of parts...low noise tubular polypropylenes caps, metal film
resistors, ceramic sockets, switchcraft jacks...etc.
Sweet vintage clean to classic overdrive tones with three different types of distortion depending on whether you are
overdriving the preamp, output... or both!
Dimensions: 17"W x 10"H x 12"D
Weight: 20 lbs.
Tube compliment: 4 - 12AX7, 2 - EL34, 1 - 5AR4
FRONT PANEL:
TOP ROW
- CLEAN HI - LO INPUTS
- CLEAN GAIN
- BASS
- MIDDLE
- TREBLE
- MASTER
BOTTOM ROW
- BOOST HI - LO INPUTS
- BOOST GAIN
- BASS
- MIDDLE
- TREBLE
- MASTER
- PRESENCE with NNFB PULL SWITCH
- STANDBY SWITCH
- PILOT LIGHT
- POWER SWITCH
REAR PANEL:
- POWER CORD
- POWER PRIMARY FUSE
- DUAL SPEAKER OUTPUT JACKS
- SPEAKER IMPEDANCE SWITCH 4 - 8 - 16 OHM
Price: $1095.00 Special Sale Price $695.00
CLICK HERE TO ORDER
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Frenzel Tube Amps
renzel Tube Ampsrenzel Tube Amps
renzel Tube Amps
2011 Copyright by Frenzel Tube Amplifiers. All rights reserved. All designs, technical data, pictures, and information are
copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the permission of Frenzel Tube Amplifiers.
Page 4
UPGRADE OPTIONS:
1. QUAD OF EL84'S - Replaces pair of EL34's with a quad of EL84's for that classic VOX AC30 chime. Add $100.00
2. Dual EL84 AND EL34 OUTPUTS - Using a selector switch on the back panel gives you a choice of either EL84's or EL34's or
both in the output section of the amp. Add $150.00
3. 100 - 240 VOLT POWER TRANSFORMER - for operation outside the USA. Please specify line voltage. Add $55.00
4. EDGE FOOTSWITCH - adds jack to rear panel for footswitch control on the NNFB EDGE switch. Includes classic heavy duty
footswitch with LED. Add $60.00
5. CUSTOM CABS AND ENCLOSURES - Please see our Cabinets and Enclosures page for a variety of custom built cabinets and
enclosures including head cabs, combo cabs, rack mount chassis, road cases etc.
6. LONG TANK REVERB - Classic pure tube driven Accutronic long tank reverb for those great warm blues tones! Includes classic
footswitch with LED. Add $200.00 (Requires head cabinet to mount long reverb tank.)
User’s Operation Guide:
FRONT PANEL CONTROLS:
CLEAN INPUT – input for CLEAN preamp. HI –LOW jacks to accommodate different impedance pickups.
BOOST INPUT – input for BOOST preamp. HI –LOW jacks to accommodate different impedance pickups.
CLEAN GAIN – sets the volume and the point at which overdrive distortion is produced by the CLEAN preamp. Set at ¼ for
initial setting.
BOOST GAIN – sets the volume and the point at which overdrive distortion is produced by the BOOST preamp. Set at ¼
for initial setting.
MASTER – sets the maximum volume of the amp and the point at which the output tubes saturate. The higher the setting
on the MASTER, the sooner the output tubes will saturate rate and produce output tube overdrive distortion. Set at ½ for
initial setting. Use the GAIN to adjust the volume level and preamp overdrive. As the GAIN is increased the preamp will
begin to produce preamp overdrive distortion. Turn the MASTER up for output tube overdrive distortion. By adjusting the
settings on the GAIN and MASTER you can set your desired amount CLEAN and OVERDRIVE tones.
TONE STACK – is a three band Bass, Middle, and Treble tone filter. The controls are interactive in shaping the tone. You
will need to experiment to find the best setting for your playing requirements. Initial settings for all three controls is the ½
position. A separate tone stack is provided for each preamp.
BASS – attenuates the Bass frequencies from 10hz – 100hz as it is turned down.
MIDDLE – is a 500 hz notch filter that dampens the middle frequencies. As you turn the control down it deepens the notch.
TREBLE – attenuates the high frequency tones from 1000hz - 15000hz. As it is turned down, the MIDDLE control will have
less effect.
PRESENCE – boosts the high frequency range and gives the amp more bright punch.
EDGE PULL SWITCH – when pulled out will turn off the negative feedback in the amp which produces a boost in the
volume and a more dynamic less compressed tone.
REVERB – sets the level of the reverb. (Only on amps with the Reverb upgrade option.)
POWER SWITCH – turns power ON to filaments of tubes. Pilot lamp will light up when switch is turned to ON (up)
position.
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2011 Copyright by Frenzel Tube Amplifiers. All rights reserved. All designs, technical data, pictures, and information are
copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the permission of Frenzel Tube Amplifiers.
Page 5
STANDBY SWITCH – turns ON high voltage to tubes. Allow tubes to warm up 3- 5 minutes before turning to ON (up)
position. This protects tubes and lengthens tube life. Turn to OFF position(down) when amp temporarily not in use.
REAR PANEL CONTROLS:
EFFECTS LOOP – is a passive insertion point between the preamp and the power amplifier. The SEND jack is the output of
the preamp. The RETURN jack is the input to the power amp. For normal operation these two jacks are connected together
by a push/pull switch on the SEND LEVEL. To use the EFFECTS LOOP, pull the switch out on theSEND LEVEL control.
This will open the loop and allows you to insert an effects unit into the jacks. The SEND LEVEL controls the output level of
the SEND jack and can be used to adjust the level to meet the requirements of the input drive level your effect. Boost and
distortion pedals can be used in the loop, but they usually work better in the front of the amp before the preamp. This is
what they were designed for. The loop works best with studio digital effects that are designed to go after the preamp like
Chorus, Delay, Reverb, Mixer, Volume, etc. ( Only on amps with the Effects Loop upgrade.) The SEND jack can also be
used without the EFFECTS LOOP function to drive a recorder, mixer, or another amp. This function does not require the
switch on the SEND LEVEL control to be pulled out. ( Only on amps with the Effects Loop upgrade.)
DUAL SPEAKER JACKS – connects output of amp to speakers. The jacks are wired in parallel.
IMPEDANCE SELECTOR – selects the output impedance for the speaker to 4 – 8 -16 ohms. Set the switch to match the
impedance of the speaker.
POWER ATTENUATOR – Sets power level output of the amplifier.
EDGE SWITCH FOOT PEDAL JACK – remotely controls Edge switch on Presence control with a foot pedal. When the foot
pedal is plugged in the switch on the Presence control is bypassed. (Only on amps with this upgrade option.)
REVERB PEDAL JACK - remotely turns the Reverb ON and OFF with a foot pedal. (Only on amps with the Reverb upgrade
option.)
FUSE - protects the power supply. Use a 3 amp SLO-BLO type fuse only.
POWER CORD – connects amp to electrical outlet. The power cord is a three prong grounded cord. Always plug into a
grounded outlet to prevent electrical shock. The line voltage is shown over the power cord bushing. Be sure that the
voltage matches your line voltage.
TUBE LAYOUT CHARTS
CAUTION WARNING - VERY IMPORTANT! The large power tubes are removed for shipment. They are packed inside the
cabinet. There is a tube location chart on the chassis of the amp. Please take care when re-inserting the tubes to make
sure the tube guide pins are aligned with the slots in the tube sockets and that the correct tube is inserted into the correct
socket. FAILURE TO DO IS MAY CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE TUBES OR THE AMP.
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Frenzel Tube Amps
renzel Tube Ampsrenzel Tube Amps
renzel Tube Amps
2011 Copyright by Frenzel Tube Amplifiers. All rights reserved. All designs, technical data, pictures, and information are
copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the permission of Frenzel Tube Amplifiers.
Page 6
12AX7
V2
5U4 V7
EL34 V5 EL34 V6
12AX7
V3
12AX7
V4
12AX7
V1
EL34 V7 EL34 V8
12AX7
V2
5U4 V9
12AX7
V4
12AT7
V6
12AX7
V3
12AX7
V5
HBX - WC30R TUBE LAYOUT
V1 - CLEAN & BOOST PREAMPS
V2 - CLEAN TONE STACK DRIVER
V3 - BOOST TONE STACK DRIVER
V4 - PHASE INVERTER
V5 - REVERB MIXER
V6 - REVERB DRIVER
V7 - POWER OUTPUT
V8 - POWER OUPUT
V9 - RECTIFIER
12AX7
V1
HBX - WC30 TUBE LAYOUT
V1 - CLEAN & BOOST PREAMPS
V2 - CLEAN TONE STACK DRIVER
V3 - BOOST TONE STACK DRIVER
V4 - PHASE INVERTER
V5 - POWER OUTPUT
V6 - POWER OUPUT
V7 - RECTIFIER
/
