Bad Cat Black Cat Head

Tons of useful features. My favorites are the interactive tone controls, and the bridgeable channels. Oh, AND there's two extra AC outlets on the back. I love that!

Pretty much in agreement with the other reviews on this page. The sound is just... head and shoulders above just about everything else I've played through. It has all the great characteristics of the Matchless family, and then some.

The best word I can use to describe the sound of this amp is "BIG". Tone is a word that guitar players throw around liberally. To me, tone is how an amp can fill space with sound. This amp doesn't seem to care as much about what direction you point it in, It just... gives it to you, Everywhere! Great Big Glorious Sound! Much like it's Vox cousins.

The other reviews have described the voicing as well or better than I could, so I won't waste your time there. But I would like add a couple thoughts...

This amp sounds best by itself. Guitar -> Cable -> BadCat. BUT, like most of us, my gigs require me to be a little more flexible. This amp can be a little picky about what pedals you can throw in front of it. The shimmer and voicing make it ideal for chorus/flange and other "post" type effects, but if your going to boost it with a preamp/OD pedal, I recommend using something other than a TS-based effect. My FullDrive 2 is coming off my board because the lack of body is terribly appearant through this amp. I imagine a Keeley BD-2 would really come to life here. I've had great results with Exotic's stuff (AC Booster/BB Preamp) and have a Sex Drive on the way that I'm very excited about!

Finally, this is not a Marshall, nor a Rectifier. I haven't played through any of BadCats higher gain models, but this one is not for metal. Know what your shopping for. This Amp is perfect for Pop/Blues/R&B/CCM/Country/Power-Pop/Hard Rock/Classic Rock.... hell, it'll do just about everything, but if your guitar hero is DimeBag Darrell, this is not the amp for you.

Quick story: I bought this amp on consignment, so I don't know how much it was played or how well it was taken care of. After having it for about 3 months, I was playing one night and the sound began to crap out on me. Like a dumb-ass I just kept turning it up and pushing it harder, until smoke was literally shooting out of all the input jacks! I took it to a highly recommended amp guy in Nashville who told me that I had blown my power tubes, and had this been any other amp, I would have pretty much destroyed half the electronics by pushing it like I did. BUT, because "these BadCats are made so well" he said, all he had to do was replace the tubes and I was back in business. He kept remarking about how impressed he was with the quality "these BadCats" he kept calling them. I was encouraged that such a qualified tech was so impressed with my amp.

I haven't had any problems since.

N/A

I guess this is the part of the review where I try to convince everyone that I know what I'm talking about. Well, I do. I love this Amp. Sorry about the lengthy review, but if your seriously considering spending this amount of money on an amp, then you need all the info you can get you hands on. These amps really are all they're cracked up to be.

A+

This amp has what I consider nothing but usable features on stage. To many knobs when your on stage are horrible for a non-knob twiddler. I just can't seem to turn my back to my audience and make sounds and mess with the knobs and we never do a soundcheck. You can find the sweetspot almost immediatley with this amp. This is huge.

Less is more is really really true when it comes to amps particularly if you're not prone to knobs. I like to focus on the performance and the amp just needs to sound perfect. This one does.

This is where this amps shines. I like it best with SCs but hums are fine as well. I have never heard OD like this amp. It comes on fairly soon but it is just perfect and very forgiving for smear type licks. I play with a very strong picking hand and tend to hit the guitar quite hard, the amp responds and works with me. This is not a clinical tone at all. Very bright but warm at the same time. My feeling on great tone is just that- bright but warm.

The amp is a loud 30 watts and just sounds amazing by itself or with a seven piece band in which there is only one guitar. Our music is guitar oriented so my tone needs to be huge- this amp is the best of my current stable- others in order of preference are Dr.Z z28, Mesa Lonestar, Matchless Chieftain which has the brightness but misses the warmth and something I don't gig with- a Fender Junior.

This amp is hands down the best sound. The Z is great but if you compare the LS to this amp it sounds like the LS has a blanket in front of it. I love this amp!!

I never gig with backups except guitars. I take care ofo my gear and nothing has failed so I couldn't make it through the gig. The amp is huge and heavy. I can't imagine why anyone would buy a 2X12 combo is you gig out. Buy the head as you have so many tonal options and greater portability. Out of the amps I own, I use the Z for small indoor gigs, The Cat for larger indoor gigs and smaller oudoor gigs and the LS for large outdoor gigs as it's got 100 watts. The Matchless is a disappointment as mine is not very loud and misses the warmth of the Cat. My other amps are formidable but this one just captivates me. It looks really well built and the size and weight reinforces that.

I have no idea but would expect iot to be great if there were problems. The only problems I've had with amps were of the Fender, Peavey, Marshall type and they all had to do with shitty pots and input jacks. Having fewer knobs that are much higher quality is the key.

I've been playing semi pro for 20 years and about 35 years all together. I've done to many gigs with an old Mesa Boogie Mark 4 that worked but I could never find comfort in the tone for my style. The mids cut like crazy on that amp and they cut the player too. That amp also had to have loads of pots changed- to many friggin' knobs= bad design ethic. I was looking for the best EL84 amp that had about 30-40 loud watts and getting this great grind is a big plus. I am amazed for the first time in my career at the tones I'm able to get.
I did consider other Z amps but I'm thrilled with the Cat. The grind is just so comforting that I stop sometimes and just have to get a grip as it sweeps me away.

It's an expensive amp and it was hard to find. Is it really expensive as I could lose all my other amps except the Z and not miss them at all. Get great stuff and then stop buying. This amp, like the Z, sounds so good that effects are not necessary. That said I do use a few to bring more dimension to my sound for long gigs which include Fulltone Choralflange and a Fulltone TTE. The D-13 box also has a tuner out and a boost. This rig is a joy to play. Lastly I play this with either a 2X12 V30 closed back Fender Vibro-king cab or a Jenkins Sound open back 2X12 with Weber blue and silver speaks in it. I gig out with the Fender box as it sounds superb and matches the color of the amp.

I'll keep it simple since others have described the features well in enough in the other posts, it's two channels both usable with an A/B box.

As with most of the boutique amps I've played the Black Cat loves single coils more. Humbuckers still sound great, but the single coils just have that wonderful sparkle that's hard to live without once you've heard it. Both channels sound great, the 12ax7 channel is very smooth and has a nice tone shaping section. Though it only has Bass and Treble they interact with each other so that each little tweek can make quite a difference. If you're running the amp with the master by-passed you also have a cut control which is like a presence on other amps. The EF86 Channel has that classic Vox AC sound edgy, raunchy, awesome.

The Master volume is a nice feature, though the amp sounds distinctly different when by-passed. At very low volumes I've been annoyed by the buzziness of the distortion and lack of clarity. If you play mostly in your bedroom late at night and worry about bugging family or neighbors - this is probably not the amp for you. Even if half power mode, this amp is meant to be played loud. With the master volume by-passed the sounds are surreal. The amp will go from nice clean with lots of headroom to a gritty drive just by using the volume on your guitar. It is definatley a rock or country-rock machine. Nu Metal players will need substantially more gain. This amp nails that moderate to heavy overdriven sound. Fans of The Who, AC/DC rejoice. This is the only amp you need.

I've played the amp through a few different 2x12 cabs. My favorite was an open back Fender cab from the 70's loaded with Celestions...I forget what kind, they were nicely broken in though. My favorite cab was a Marshall 4x12. The Bad Cat was meant for that big-big rock sound and with a 4x12 you are moving a lot of air. The 2x12's were nice mind you but you could easily drive a full stack with this head and it would feel really really good.

The reverb is OK I guess. I tend to play without it. I know it sounds weird but when an amp sounds this good it really doesn't need reverb. If you can't live without that Fender reverb sound either go buy a Fender amp or buy one of those reissue reverb units - the Bad Cat reverb is not like Fender verb at all. It's just OK in my opinion, nice to add a splash of dimention for a slower ballad tune maybe, you don't need it for the rock.

Bad Cat makes quality stuff. I've had the amp about a year and never had a problem with it. It feels as though it should last a life-time with the proper care. It's also a heavy weight at nearly 75lbs just for the head. I played a few shows with it, then got tired of lugging it around. I use a smaller 15watt amp for gigs now. The Bad Cat stays at home in the studio and gets used for practice mostly.

I've been playing for about 20 years. I play a tele and a les paul about the same amount. I try to keep my set up minimal, one OD pedal and one Clean Boost. I let the amp and my guitar do most of the work. This amp is a killer no doubt. It is meant to played loud though - if you regularly play in band where you are competing with a drummer then this is perfect. If your band is a bit more laid back or you are an apartment dweller - you may want to consider something a little smaller.

This was the first amp Badcat made to sold be to the public.
Two very usable channels no channel switch but you can do it with a AB switch if looking for two diferent tones or settings. Push/pull Master switch so you can use this amp as non-master control amplifier, 1/2 power switch, speaker phase switch, 1st channel interactive bass & treble, 2nd channel 5 position tone knob like the VOX amps, Cut control, all point to point class A handwired amp, Power tubes 4xEL84, single or dual rectifier, the BAD CAT logo lights up very cool...But allot more important for me This amp kicks ass and I been a Matchless guy for a long time I must say I never played a C30 Matchless that sounded this great. Incredible sounding..

Any guitar sounds incredible with this amp. Great amp almost for every situation, this a killer amp and just incredible every tones out this amp sounds incredible. From clean tones, to incredible dirty tones. I love the tone of this amp with alnico Fane speakers is F kick ass sound. Is pretty quite more so than the Matchless.
You can go from SRV, ZZtop, ACDC, Country, Funk, Grunge, you name it this amp sounds amazing and I had them all but this is a keeper...and I am a amp slut. This amp rates 11 in my opinion.

so far so good built like a tank.

no need so far

I been playing for to long..and I own Two Rocks, Kendrick and Two Bad Cat Black Cat heads..I use to own Matchless C30, Phoenix 35 and all other models, Alessandro, Bruno, Clark, Victoria, Divided by 13, Carr, Bluespearl, Climax, vintage Fender and Marshall...I narrow down to three amps: Bad cat Black Cat, Two Rock Custom & Amethyst Special & Kendrick tc 2210 neither of this amps can out do each other but can do really well on their own specific areas...The Two Rock amps the best all around with great R.Ford/Carlton great for Blues and Jazz, The Kendrick Great clean and blues tones more on a Fender Tweed/Blackface amp and at last the best out the British world and I played great old VOX/marshall amps and moded and original Matchless and other british style amps but the Black cat is quite amazing is the only other amp aside from the Two Rock that produces incredible Overdrive tones that are simply incredible and even with more warm and natural tone like a Vox or Marshall only better in my opinion...If you have a Black Cat and it sound diferent than what I described..Listening carefully: get new EL84 tubes NOS or great new ones like TESLA or EH and change around your preamp tubes use either NOS or china made ones...Than use great speaker like the FANE BLUE ALNICO they are expensive but worth every penny...Best speaker out there for British tone amps...if you like reverb is a must just get a EH holy grail and ad to your sound now you are the king of the world...MORE I PLAY THIS AMP MORE A LIKE TO PLAY... SWEET AND WARM SOUNDING unlike the Matchless. GOOD LUCK FINDING ONE

Black Cat 30R head. 2 separate preamp channels (one 12ax7 & one EF86 based). No channel switching (see comments below). Tasteful reverb (probably no good for surf). Half power switch, which is necessary in my view - it's a very loud amp. No effects loop either (I've taken a point off for this, although even when James & co develop the effects loop for the black cat I don't think I'll add one). Just amazing tone.

I use this amp with a PRS custom 22, '66 strat, an old cheap Gretsch and some other guitars. I'm playing in two classic hits/ classic rock bands, and with a couple of pedals the black cat does everything I need. My setup is PRS >RMC3 Wah >G2D custom OD or Ulbrick 12AXE >Black Cat >Nobels passive DI (between head & cab) for line out to Boss VF-1 and second amp for delays, choruses. Mostly I run the black cat on half power with the OD pedals bypassed - the two channels give me most of the sounds I need.

The 12ax7 channel is very like my Vox AC15, but a broader frequency/ harmonic range and none of the occasional slight midrange harshness I found with the Vox. Plus its tone controls have a much wider sweep than the Vox.

The EF86 channel is very slightly edgier but still very sweet, with subtle tone changes possible with the 5 position tone knob. I use the EF86 channel for solos (with the volume on about the same setting as the 12ax7 channel it is maybe 10-15dB louder). I like the master vol bypassed.

Channel switching is achieved with the Bad Cat A/B/Y box (a rebadged Rapco switch I think), and I prefer the external switching; not only does it mean no electronics/ relays etc required, but it also means I can run either one or both channels simultaneously, or use it as a mute switch.

On the advice of Dave Ulbrick (see Ulbrick Music effects reviews) and the store where I bought the amp I also bought the Bad Cat 2x12 box. They were right! I've since A/B'd it against my Marshall cab with greenbacks, also vintage 30s and G12-T75's. The bad cat box has much better bottom end and is generally tuned better. Definitely worth the extra money.

I've used a lot of amps, and last year I thought I'd got close to the perfect tone (yes, I know this is actually impossible - the quest for tone never ends...) with the Vox AC15, but this amp is a big improvement. I've also used Marshalls (old and new), Fenders, Peaveys, and this amp is just unbelievable. Apart from the tone, there's the sustain, the picking dynamics and just the feel of it. Nearly all the tones I want I can get just by plugging straight in and varying guitar volume and tone, and changing my picking attack. Money well spent.

The build quality is stunningly good - evident everywhere. I would never gig without a backup, but this amp is so well made that I doubt I'll ever need it. Couldn't say that with the Vox or my old Marshall!
I have never seen a better built amp.

Before I bought the amp I emailed Bad Cat with a question and got a quick response from James himself. Also, I know I will have great support from Marcello and the guys at Eastgate Music in Melbourne. Eastgate are the distributor for Australia and not only did they give me a great deal, but Marcello arranged shipping to New Zealand and made the whole thing easy for me. If you're in Australia or NZ and you want a Bad Cat, talk to Marcello!!

I've been playing more than 25 years and owned a lot of stuff. I've reviewed other amps before and I have never given an overall 10... until now. This head & cab are the best I've ever had. I don't mind the lack of an effects loop - I think it's better to keep my tone pure and add effects like delays and chorus etc with a separate amp. This amp was expensive but absolutely worth it!

You know the features, staright up and simple!! 30 very loud watts, I own a Hot Cat also and it has a lot more clean headroom. I think this is a very versatile amp. I have owned it now for @ 6 months.

I use a Baker with Humbuckers or a Baker with P-90's and the amp produces beautiful, gorgeous sounds, when people mention swirling harmonic complexity, this is what they are referring to!! It has LOTS of bottom end, something in my minimal experience with DC-30's is a welcomed cahnge!!

Do you really need to ask? No problems at all.

James has always been very cool when I have called, I own a Cub 2, a Hot Cat, and the Black Cat with no reverb.

I have been playing 15 years and now I solely make my living playing guitar. I also own the matching 2x12 cab which sounds great!! I use my Hot Cat for smaller venues because it's distortion sound is more flexible, but I prefer the Black Cat's sounds overall. I've owned Fender's. Marshall's, Dr. Z's, THD's etc... I am a tremendous fan of Bed Cat's, if you can afford the price it is well worth it!! I would not recommend it if you play small to medium sized venues and don't want to use a power attenuator, if you want amp distortion at lower volumes, go with the Hot Cat although EL34's don't give up as much beauty with clean sounds(they are still great though). EL84's are my preference and I cannot recommend this amp enough!! My only complaint is the 15watt switch does not seem to really cut the power in half, it's still MUCH louder than a 15 watt amp and it's still a medium + venue amp. I thought purchasing a Dr. Z Maz 38 would give me a DC-30 vibe at a lower cost, instead I got more of a Fender vibe than was acceptable for me. Put a Fulldrive FD-2 in front of your Bad Cat for smaller gigs if you have to, or just be loud and position your amp towards the soundman!!!!!! These amps ROCK!! I gave out nothing but 10's, in my opinion these amps are going to be classics!! I think they are a step above Matchless, small steps nonetheless, but noticeable!! FATTER TONES PREVAIL!!

Made in 2003. Black Cat head with matching 2x12 cab. Features are described in detail at Bad Cat webpage. It does not have an effects loop or reverb (optional), or even a direct out, so I'm not going to give it top score on features. However, the ability to run this as two separate amps with a a/b/y box is extremely useful! I would also recommend you get the head and cab for two reasons. The combo is way to heavy and the stack just looks so amazingly cool!

I play a Les Paul 2002 (Standard) with burstbuckers and a Custom Shop 1956 Strat. they both sound great through this amp. Actually, my Les Paul really came to life with this amp, fat AC/DC power chords and lovely Bill Gibbons/Peter Green harmonics. Fantastic! I used this amp on a complete pop/rock CD recording, with everything from squeeky clean to heavy overdrive. I had reissue Voxes and Mesa's to choose from, but the Bad Cat nailed it every time. One thing I must say though. I first only ordered the head, thinking I could get away with using my old cabs. It didn't work. The Badcat loudspeakers are essential if you want the whole sound. In my opinion the best result is achieved by blending the two channels, so get the a/b/y box. the combination of the Vox ringing from channel 1, and the rough bark from the (early marshall era) channel 2, is a fantastic combination.

When I received it parts of the light of the logo wasn't working because a bad connection in the light socket. A local tech fixed it for $10. It is built like a tank so I only bring extra tubes.

I bought this through Chris at Class A High Performance. Amazing customer support. Chris was extremely helpful in any way he could, gave me advice that you only get from someone who understands what you're talking about, threw in extras when things were delayed, and eventually drove 100! miles to sort things out when Badcat sent my cab to the wrong location. I'll be very happy to do business with him again.

I have now made shure that I'm well covered by insurance, because this baby is expensive. I bought this amp after checking out the competition for month, so of course I would replace it. I have owned early marshalls, fenders, boogies and just about everything you can think of. This one replaces them all.

Production year is 2001. It's one of the first and it's rather large. 2 Channels, 4 Inputs, Hi-Lo Power, Speaker Phase Selector, Extension Speaker Out and Speaker Impedance Selector! Channel one is a 12AX7 "triode" preamp with interactive Bass and Treble controles. Channel two is a EF86 "pentode" based preamp that uses a 5 position tone knob for instant access to favorite sounds. Basically, it allows you to dial in the right tone depending on the guitar being used. Two other controls not mentioned yet are a cut control and push-pull (defeatable) master volume which works for both channels. The amps setup is essentially a Matchless HC30. I prefer this basic type of set up. Not a lot of knobs to tweak and jack with your tone. Just plug in, turn up and play. Awesome! Some options I wish it had are master volumes for each channel. I'd love to be able to set the channels up differently and switch between the two. I am okay with it not having an effects loop or a headphone out. It also has a Hi-Low power switch which switches the amp from 30 to 15 watts. It's more than enough power and each power setting has it's own sound. It uses EL84's in the power section. The power tubes on this amp can be changed without having it biased. The amp also allows you to use two different types of rectifier tubes. A 5AR4 for a tighter sound or two 5V4G's for more sag. My amp does not have reverb but they make them that do. I've heard that the non-reverb models sound better. I can't say for sure. Oh one other feature that is very, very cool is the heavy duty leather embossed vinyl that covers the amp. Wonderful to the touch!

The sounds of this amp are to die for. I play the head thru a matching Bad Cat 2x12 cab. I have a Gibson Les Paul, a strat and a tele. They all sound steller thru this amp. In my years of playing I've learned to let more so the guitar provide the sound and not the amp. What I mean by that is if you want to rock hard use a Les Paul. If you want country or pop use a tele or strat with single coils. The amp is not noisey at all. Maybe a little white noise with the gain cranked. The amp can go from beautiful clean to "rockin" in your face with the switch of a guitar and a turn of a knob. I will say that the amp can rock with single coils too as well as clean up with humbuckers. This amp can cover anything and everything very, very well. Pay a visit to the website Badcatamps.com and check out the sounds page. That's what it sounds like! I play all styles and this amp covers them all beautifully. The cleans are as clean as you want them and the gains are wonderfully clear and crunchy. The tone controls work so well. I will add that I used to be a die hard Matchless fan but after hearing this amp that all changed. I've owned several Matchless amps since 94. My two biggest complaints with all the C30 models were that the amps never sounded good with just any overdrive or distortion pedal. Very particular in that department. Also, the master volume was very poor. I could never get the amp to sound good at bedroom levels using the master volume. Earlier I said that this amp is essentially a Matchless HC30. It is! Except that the thing works great with any overdrive pedal and the master volume is perfect. This is a new and improved Matchless C30 design. Any body that is a Matchless fan will love this amp even more. It's gets a 10 for superior sound.

Five year warranty! I can depend on this amp. Although not smart in the world of a professional musician I do play without a backup. I do carry extra tubes of course. It has never broken down. I treat my gear with extreme care. Road cases baby!

James at Bad Cat has been great at answering my questions and returning my phone calls when I've left a message. Now that I think about it, James has been the only guy to answer the phone when I call.

I've been playing since I was 12 (24 years now). I've been playing professionally for 12 years. What I mean by professionally is that's how I keep food on the table and a shelter over my head as well as my wife and little girl. I need and require high end gear because it gets the job done for me everytime. Plus I am spoiled to it. I've either owned, borrowed or checked out almost every amp out there since the middle 80's when I switched from acoustic guitar to electric. Before I married and my wife and I had a baby, I was what one would consider a gear head. I spent most of my life inside the music store trying out this and that. The guys at my local guitar store would run and hide when they saw me coming. It was sick man or shall I say I was sick. I've grown up a little since then and I don't frequent the music stores as much. Perhaps I should say that I am an experienced shopper or I've found what I am looking for. I get in and get out quickly. It only takes me a couple of seconds to know if I like something or not. I currently own a 50's Gibson GA40 (uncle gave it to me), an original 65 Fender Deluxe Reverb as well as a 60's "pawn shop prize" all tube Montgomery Ward tremolo amp. I like them all and would never want to part with any of them. This is what I know about amps. Everyone of them has it very own bag of tricks and tone is completely subjective. The Bad Cat Black Cat is truly a wonderful piece of professional gear. If you can afford it, go get one. I would certainly go out and buy another if something were to happen to it.