Q. What is the function of the light on the front panel of the Hot Plate?
This is part of a noise reduction system that drastically cuts down the amount of hiss and hum that reaches the speakers. The light will glow
more brightly when you are playing through an amp set at full output.
Q. Do the settings on the front panel of the Hot Plate affect the line out signal? Only the bright and deep switches. These have a very slight effect on the line out tone, and actually CUT the treble and bass respectively in the line out signal
when they are switched on (up), because they are directing more of the highs or lows to the speakers.
Q. Where should I place the Hot Plate?
The Hot Plate can get hot, so do not place objects on top of it. It has a built-in fan that draws in air through holes in the bottom of the unit, and blows hot air out the fins on the top of the unit,
so do not obstruct the air below the Hot Plate by placing it on a shag rug, for instance. You can safely place the Hot Plate on top of your amp or on a hard floor surface. When picking it up after extended use please check that it is cool enough to carry.
Q. Can I use the Hot Plate with a solid state amp?
NO! The Hot Plate and the power section of the amp will be damaged if the amp does not use output tubes. Thus, even if an amp has preamp tubes, it CANNOT be used with the Hot Plate if it has a solid state output section.
However, an amp that has a solid state pre-amp section but a tube output section CAN be used with the Hot Plate.
Q. Can I use the Hot Plate with a master-volume amp?
Yes. Simply set the master-volume at a full output, add whatever amount of pre-amp gain you desire, and drop the decibels with the Hot Plate. You will get the same effect of distortion at lower volumes, but
the tone will be much warmer and fuller because your amp's output tubes and transformer will be overdriven (not just its preamp tubes).
Q. Can I run a 200 Watt amp through the Hot Plate?
NO! The most powerful amp you should use with the Hot Plate is 185 Watts RMS.
Q. Can I still use the Hot Plate if it has a different impedance than my amp?
ONLY if the impedance of the Hot Plate is EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN that of the amp. However, this will lessen the effectiveness of the Hot Plate's tone controls.
Q. How do the fan and light bulb work without being plugged into the wall? Are there batteries in the Hot Plate?
The fan and light bulb are powered by the signal coming from your amp (originally generated by you plying your guitar). Thus when you stop playing, the fan stops moving. So, no, there are no batteries in the Hot Plate.
Q. What should I do if the lamps do not glow even when I am playing through the amp at full output?
The bulbs may need to be replaced. The Hot Plate will still function, but the noise reduction system cannot work if the light bulbs are blown. Use a Phillips-head
screwdriver to remove the screws from the sides of the Hot Plate, then slide the chassis out. simply remove the light bulbs and replace them with ones of the same value
(24V for the 4ohm, 8ohm and 16ohm models; 12V for the 2ohm and 2.7ohm models). The easiest way to remove the bulbs is by prying up one end of the bulb with a pen or small screwdriver. These bulbs are
available through any THD dealer or directly from THD.
Q. Why doesn't my 2ohm Hot Plate have a fan in it like the others do?
It is unnecessary. The 2ohm Hot Plate will be unlikely to ever see an amplifier powerful enough to justify the fan. we are not aware of any guitar amplifier on the market over 50 Watts which is capable of driving a 2ohm load.
Q. Sometimes when I run a slave amp out of the line-out there is substantial signal to the slave amp even when the line-out level control is turned all the way down. Why is this?
This signal is generated in the cable due to the very high currents involved. To eliminated it, use a cable from the Hot Plate to the slave amp that has its shield connected on only one end.