Bad Cat Hot Cat 15 112 Combo

Hot Cat 15

I purchased this amp a few weeks ago and all is well. I fell in love with the hot cat sound when I first played one, and I don't see the new wearing off any time soon. At 15 class a watts, this amp is a tribute to everything Bad Cat is doing right. This one's a winner.

Built like a tank....I don't see there being a possability of any major problems.

I've tried a lot of amps....lately I've been playing on different botique models and I'm certain that Bad Cat quality is unmatched. Fuchs, Dr. Z, Carr, Reinhard are great...but I've had at least some type of problem with each--this is not the case for the Hat Cat, so I'm very happy with it.

2006 Hot Cat 15 watt.2 channels switchind must be done externally via an A/B switch.All tube construction with no reverb.The opnly reason that I don't give it a 10 is for the external channel switching. Having said that you can still get a gritty sound on the clean channel.

Use the amp mostly with a Fender Strat. The amp is very quiet for a tube amp and the clean channel can be turned up full volume with no distortion.Extremely versatile amp that can turn a Strat into a jazz box tone or just a seasily switch to trebly chicken pickin'.The gain channel is fantastic(as is the clean channel) You can range from a creamy Mesa Boogie sound to a low end Marshall thump with ease.

Can't vouch for reliability have only owned it for 1 month.

Asdked company afew questions about one of their distributors and they were veery helpful and laid back as well.Are on a first name basis with even the smaller distributors.

Benn playing 30+ years. Have owned dozens of amps. Do your self a favor and save your money, sell all your $500-$750 amps and buy this baby now. Class A Amplifiers are a great distibutor to purchase from. They were very helpful, shipped promptly and had the best prices.The amp is so good that you won't miss the lack of reverb. The headroom is unbelievable. If you must have reverb I purchased a $135 external spring reverb unit and I don't even use it.This is the last amp that I will ever have, unless I buy a more powerful model from Bad Cat.

Still another reply for the disgruntled guy who still does not get it ....

"The amp arrived from the factory with three bad pots and a messed up stand-by switch. Fed-Ex destroyed it after I sent it in for repair."

"As to the sound, I am not commenting on the whole line, just on the one that I got. "

You knew the amp was damaged (who cares by who) because Bad Cat burns all their amps in test before they go out. Even you must know that. So to leave a bad review of the tone when you had a damaged amp (again, who cares when or how it happened) is just plain wrong. I could search out amps from every builder and find examples where the tubes are bad, and then slaughter them for sounding rotten. Do you think that is helpful to people reading this forum? Give the Cat bad grades for reliability if you want, but how would you know about the sound from a broken amp? Think about it dude...

If you rate any amp higher than these, then you have not played one yet. For example, I can get that Beatles dry voxy clean sound from their early albums, really warm Toad type sounds with lots of chime, or flat out wailing blues like Stevie Ray.... and that is just the clean channel. This is a 15 watt amp ... it only has 2 little EL84 power tubes ... yet it produces a complex wall of sound. Stones to Metallica, Beatles to SRV, 50s music to 2000 new Metal. Thats why you buy this amp. If you just play the blues get the Black Cat amp or Cub ... if you play it all, this is your ticket.

Tube amps are not reliable. This is still a reputable company that handles all phone calls personally. I have no rating for this yet.

Call them and see who answers the phone. Then try that with the other companies. Yes, the good Dr. Z always answers too ...

I feel obligated to let people know these are a great value and a great amp for gigging ... you name it, I have owned it, and I really dig an amp that is small, low powered, and does it all. This drips honey. The tone controls for the gain channel are very specific to tailor the type of gain sound you are searching for. The sound I get with my Parker Mojo is just plain kill .. but I can back off my volume and play a few pop tunes and Stones tunes and sound like the real deal. I am not a fan of El84 tubes ... I have played, owned, and sold many amps with those tubes in them becasue they had a "Karang" type sound that was not appealing to me. The Bad Cat Hot Cat 15s just drip tone. You can't go wrong with one. You can live off the clean channel alone ...

A reply from the guy down the page....

The amp arrived from the factory with three bad pots and a messed up stand-by switch. Fed-Ex destroyed it after I sent it in for repair.

As to the sound, I am not commenting on the whole line, just on the one that I got. I have heard other Bad Cat amps that sound absolutely amazing. THIS ONE (my messed up amp) sounds like crap. I am planning on sending it back in for more work when I can scrape up enough cash to ship it back. Hopefully they can fix whatever is wrong with it.

Please read my review in the Bad Cat Hot Cat 15 Head section. I just wanted to comment on what poor taste it is to receive an amp damaged by a shipping company, and then to write a scathing review of the amp when it is broken. The reviewer below should come to my gigs, and tell me how he can't get a good sound out of the gain channel. If you can't buddy, you really, really suck. Sorry to be so impatient, but that reviewer states the amp was broken when it arrived, continues on about the tone being poor etc.. This is not supposed to be a review of UPS or Fed Ex!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grosh and Parker Mojo, a few overdrives, a Chorus, a wah wah, and the Bad Cat. What else is there? I nail SRV, Hendrix, Zep, Deep Purple, 3 Doors Down, BB King, J Winter, Stones, STP ... and can do any clean tone or thrash tone on the planet. To say the gain channel does not cut when it has Brilliance and Edge controls is ludicrous. Turn the gain below 9:00 to do classic rock. That is plenty of gain, and you can still use a Fulltone OCD to push it into lead frenzy when needed.

NA

I like these guys. Spoke on the phone with them ... very friendly.

The 15 watts is not your momma's 15 watts ... this amp fills a medium club up. Wonderful chime on the clean channel that handles overdrives extremely well for SRV and blues. The gain channel rips. You can dial in thick harmonically rich crunch tones up through screaming high gain thrash. I use it for heavy classic rock, with the gain around 9:00, and this amp turns heads. A Strat's best friend for sure, but will make any humbucking axe sound like a wall of thunder. Tremendous amp ... this is a sure thing unless you don't play rock. If you want different shades of chime try the Tone Cat or Black Cat. Great amps. I like these much better than Bogner or Dr. Z amps, which are also great, but the Bad Cats give you more tone shaping capabilities.

2004. 2 channel amp.

I really do not like the sounds of this amp. I bought it sight unseen based on the clips on the Bad Cat website and the reviews here. I wish that I had not.
The gain input sounds bad. I have never been able to get a useable sound out of this channel. Every note has several harsh overtones to it. It does not cut through in a band situation.
The clean channel is amazing. If only I didn't have a couple of other amps with nice clean channels....

It arrived broken. Something to do with the pots. I shipped it back to be fixed. Fed-Ex destroyed it, so Bad Cat rebuilt it.

Now, about a quarter of the time that I turn it on it starts buzzing and popping. It never moves from the spot that it is in, so I don't know what the problem is...

Bad Cat was very nice.

I have been playing for 10 years now. I saved my money for a year to buy this amp. I sure wish that I hadn't.

I will have to say that the case is pretty, but for two grand I was wanting a whole lot more.

And the search continues

Made in 2004 and purchased new, this was a splurge. I record many styles, professionally, and this amp suites all of them. Seperate clean and dirty channels can be switched between with an A/B switch. No reverb, tremelo r reverb. Very sweet, hot tones can be dialed up at low volumes with the dirty channel, with presence and "edge" controls. Plenty loud if you need it to be. I'm looking forward to using it with a separate cabinet, for more tones. Hand wired, kick-ass amp with glowing eyes above the speaker grill. If you've seen these amps then you know: top of the line craftsmenship!

Strats and Les Pauls are all I've used with this so far. Low noise. The clean side is warm and well defined in the mids and highs. The clean channel does not break up at high volume. Just a pleasure to listen to. The dirty side breaks up very quickly. It's difficult to get that "clean at first, breaks up when you hit it hard" sound without using pedal on the clean side. That being said, the dirty channel is just fantastic. AC-30, Matchless, Marshall...all these tones are here. It's definately a balls out amp.

It's very new, so I can't really comment on this much. I think it came with a 5 year warrantee, but by the look and feel of this amp, it's as solid as they come. A tank. The hand looks well made.

Have not needed to find out about this. I bet I never will.

I bought this amp knowing what it was, so I have to give it a 10, as it lives up to my exctations. Exceeds them, actually. If it were stolen or lost, I would check out some of the other Bad Cat amps before buying another Hot Cat, but I may just return to getting another one of these. I love this amps tone. Again, my only beef is that it breaks up a little too quickly. But then, that's how you get those awesome overdriven tones. I compared this with Savage, Matchless and a few other boutique amps, the names I can't remember. It's a treat to play thru this thing. It's a good period for guitar players right now, when quality items like this are on the market.

Ordered this new in 2003, ordered custom colors. I wanted an amp that was very versatile and had excellent tone. I was in the store looking at the new VibroVerb at the same time, and found I liked the Bad Cat better for my usage. MUCH more gigable volume/breakup point and Just a better sound IMO.

A 2 channel amp sorta...not really two channels, just two different inputs and gain structures...clean vs. gain. You can run either channel or both. Reverb would be nice...but not missed in a live context.

I play this amp at home, at blues jams and now with a new band. Plenty of power for unmiced situation. The cab is big which helps project the sound. two EL84's, 5AR4 rect., and some 12ax7's.

Equipment: 1998 Strat Deluxe w/Lindy Fralin Blues Special pickups, Teese Picture Wah, Electro Harmonix LPB-2 boost, Bad Cat A/B/Y switch pedal.

I like to play SRV, Hendrix, Big Head Todd, Ben Harper, Alice In Chains, Audio slave you name it...my playing is based mostly around SRV, Jimi and Curtis Mayfield style.

I find the amp to be pretty quiet considering my hot single coil pickups. On super high gain it's a little noisy...but to be expected with single coils.

The channels:

Clean: on this model you have two options, volume and brilliance. A very articulate and shimmery clean sound. I preferred it over the Vibroverb I demo'd at the same time...The clean when pushed around half starts to breakup very nicely, one of my favorite tones on this amp...beautiful clean to light OD/bluesy Overdrive ala Jimi SRV...if I need just a little more, I'll click in the LPB-2 for just a tinge of more volume (clean boost)

Gain: The gain channel is very flexible and can be frustrating. It isn't your typical tone stack. Add more bass it starts to roll off treble, higher treble and it starts to roll off bass. Level is well that, how much bass and treble, Gain- pretty easy to figure out, small bluesy up to metal, Edge kinda gives more cut or grind to it, and a master volume for just the gain channel. This channel has a vast amount of gain levels and sounds on tap...it's up to you to dial yours in. There is no Mid on this amp which works for ME, the newer Hot Cat 30 models have a mid switch to add or reduce mids, but I don't think you can get ALL the new features on the amp due to the physical size.

So with the AB/Y box you can run a standard clean/gain channel setup or both setup. I run clean and then engage the gain channel for more gain running both. The beauty in this is it's sorta like a multi amp setup in a way. You have clean and gain tones together which just is a really fat tone. You really need to play with this amp to learn all of its different tricks and sounds.

Built like a tank. Very nice craftsmanship, 13 ply birch, Mil Spec wiring, check the site...very well constructed. Only owned a year...so far..excellent.

The company and owner James, have been very helpful in answering any questions I have. I'm talking with them about possibly putting reverb on...possibly...not sure if I really would use it...hmmm

Overall, I think this is a fantastic and original amp that can fit the bill in MANY situations. I have never gotten as many compliments about my tone as I get now. I have owned/used: Fender, Marshall, Mesa, Matchless, Valvtech, Peavey, Victoria, Torres, Dr. Z, Koch, Bogner, THD, etc...They make some very good and some bad amps...this Bad Cat is the best that I have come across for ME. It is expensive but for build quality and tone, I have no problems with that price. I think people should take a look at the Bad Cat's, 15 Watts are perfect for live giggin' and gettin' the goods at a band level.

Amp was made in 2003. I don't think there is a true '10' out there with anything, but this wonderful amp has changed my life musically. I grew up playing metal and hard rock and a few years ago when I hit 30, I started becoming interested in the blues. The blues as Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray, Gatemouth Brown and Joe Bonamassa play them. Nowdays, I'm a total blues junkie leaning towards some jazz as well. That being said, I also occasionally turn up the gain and the master volume and rip out some Pantera type grooves.

This amp has two inputs, clean and gain. The clean is absolutely incredible. It can chime with the best Fender or Vox and it breaks up the way an amp should. The gain is equally fantastic as you can go from a slight overdriven SRV, bluesy tone to hard rock paradise. No, it doesn't quite do the 'nu-metal' thing, but it definitely rocks hard and will damage your hearing. It didn't come with a switcher but that's fine, I use a Lehle Dual switcher that I consider top notch. And what's even cooler is the ability to switch on both clean and gain at the same time. The tones are awesome! No FX loops and really, I didn't buy this for that. I use a few pedals (Clyde McCoy Wah, Maxon AD-900 Analog Delay, Fulltone FD-2, and sometimes, a Fulltone Custom Shop Mini Deja Vibe) and this Class A beauty works amazing with them though I don't really need my beloved FD-2 with this. If your going to spend a couple of thousand on an amp that truly sings with incredible headroom, I don't see where the question of a headjack is relevant but that's just me I guess.

I'm honestly completely thrilled with this amp as much as I was on the day I bought it. Damn, it really makes you want to play every day (whenever you walk by it actually) and is the best amp I have played. I'm no 'anonymous pro' like others on this forum, but I've played Matchless, Vox, Marshall, Savage, Hiwatt, Dr. Z, Soldano, old Fenders and some others that all sound good (I've owned some of them and have had the pleasure of playing friends amps), I won't take cheap shots at any of them as what sounds good to you, may not be what I'm looking for. But the Hotcat is so awesome, I truly love the damn thing for it's tone and exceptional build quality. I bought the HotCat 15 so I would have a great amp to play at home for practice in addition to a quality blues / rock / jazz amp for recording into ProTools. It's power is second to none. You will lose hearing if you don't wear plugs or take care and this is from a 15 watt combo! The headroom and the sonic boom it gives is spectacular. I used to practice and play with a 50 watt Marshall half stack. What the hell was wrong with me. Ultimately, this amp forces me to play more, I can't get enough of it. There is nothing like a Class A tube amp, nothing.

I play 3 Fender Strats. Two are American Deluxe Strats with the Vintage Noiseless pick ups and my 'Number One' is a 1965 American Strat with Fralin Blues pick ups. As I said, I have my own tone that make peoples jaws drop. Bluesy wailing, clear harmonic and chord tone and the ability to kick you in the face are just a few things this amp gives me. It's not noisy at all. Jazz, blues, rock, some metal, country, this amp does it all and I'm not shittin' ya, try one for yourself and see. It's true, on higher quality Class A tube amps, if your playing isn't on par, it will be heard because this beauty will pick up everything nuance of your playing which is great when you are playing music that needs to be right on. The clean is perfect, when you start digging in with the pick or turn it real loud, it doesn't distort, it breaks up as an amp should. With the gain input, forget it, tonal heaven. You'll find yourself doing bends with your eyes shut and mouth wide open because of the breaking tone, man!!

This thing is unequalled in the way it was contructed. No kidding, check out the website Badcat has and learn about it firsthand. I don't believe any other amp can say it's built better with such quality parts and components. Every review you can find will all say the same thing: This amp's build is unequalled. Military spec components, thick birch wood construction, and the list goes on and on.

I've used this as my primary amp for 6 months and it has never even showed a hint of trouble. I also have a Dr. Z JR. 18 (which I don't want anymore - I'm trying to sell it to a friend so I can buy a Mesa Lone Star though I don't believe it's on the same level as the Badcat) and a Fender Super Reverb, but this amp is my first choice.

When I ordered it and was told to come up with the colors I wanted it built as. I emailed Jim (president) and spoke with him two days after the store turned in the order so I could change it. He was great. Very friendly and appreciative of my interest in his product and bottom line, he took care of me. If something does go bad (let's face it, everything eventually needs work), I have a great relationship with the store here in St. Paul where I buy my gear. I know they and Jim at Badcat will take care of me.

I've been playing for 18 years. I own a Guild D-40 acoustic that was built before Fender bought Guild. I have various amps as mentioned above and numerous effect pedals that I don't really use, my newest being a ZVEX Octane 3 and a MJM Blues Devil overdrive. I love the tone, the quality, the pedigree, and the overall excellence of the amp. Hmm, I don't really hate anything about it. I would perhaps have liked reverb but it's not a factor. I wanted a straight ahead amp and thats what I got. Besides, Fender makes a nice Reverb box! Don't take anyones word, even mine, when determining what to buy. Play it for yourself and see if it sings to you. That being said, you have to try out this gem, you'll be amazed. One last thing, I was looking at other boards here for amps, such as the Dr. Z Jr. 18 and man, do you ever notice all of the professionals here who play with national acts? How come they don't share their names or the names of who they play with. Are they embarrassed? What a joke...

Made-(2004)- If the amplifier does not have the features you want then don't buy it. Simply purchase according to your specific needs.The amp does what my criteria/goals were in this area.

This amplifier is as terrible or as good as the guitar player plugged into the input.

At this point not applicable , its only been in my possesion for about a week.

I emailed Bad Cat 3 times over a three week period with polite inquiries about completion/arrival time of the amplifier too a local retailer. None of these emails were answered and polite consideration was given too the difficulties of completion times on a hand made product. Amplifier was paid for in full and email inquiries regarding build time/ arrival fell within the parameters given by the company . Absolutely no communication at all was attempted by Bad Cat personnel.
A 4th email was sent stating I would be asking for a full refund from my local retailer due to the lack of effort/communication from Bad Cat.
A 24 hour time period was given for this situation to be remedied and I contacted my local retailer regarding the situation.The retailer contacted Bad Cat and I recieved a short email stating the president of the company would be contacting me at my home phone number.
No such contact by phone or otherwise was ever made after a contact commitment from the company had been established. No communication given on the arrival on the amplifier to my local retailer was ever given directly to me from Bad Cat.
I don't believe in supporting corporate America, I do believe in supporting smaller independent buisness. Reasonable customer support/communication is an importent variable in a small independent buisness. It was not even close in this case.
Warranty is being sent in , hope Bad Cat reads this and maybe we can talk about it. 517-355-7937

Built the way USA craftsmanship should be represented. The rest ( Customer Support) remains to be seen.