Bad Cat Hot Cat 15 Head

Alright, for starters... I love this amp. For an el84 driven platform, this thing can hide that bright, British flavor that has defined that tube for so long. Perhaps that is because this amp has a huge output transformer; it's about the same size as the one in a bassman 50. It does strike me a bit odd that BC never created a second brilliance control seeing as how that is the only control shared by both channels (-1 point). For those that care, this early version of the head did not have an FX loop, so while this obviously isn't a deal-breaker for me, I'll take another point off there. Aside from that detail, each channel gives you exactly what you need: The clean channel on this model only has volume and brilliance controls while the drive channel provides gain, edge (a preamp brilliance sort of thing), level, interactive bass and treble, brilliance and master.

Lessons learned for dialing in this amp:

1. Keep the master above 10 o' clock, otherwise things get fuzzy.

2. Think like a sparkledrive... mixing the channels together is where the coolest tones of this amp come through.

3. The clean channel fairs better with lower/mid-level brilliance settings for most speakers, while the drive channel sounds best on most speakers with a higher setting.

Here is where this 15-watter beats out the competition. This head has stood next to every brand and model you can name and it still gets first call for studio time. From pop to country to rock n' roll, this Hot Cat covers the gamut. The way this amp translates to tape is actually quite amazing. Even the old-school guys will comment on the clarity of the clean channel. The one caveat here is that this amp falls more in the modern spectrum, so if absolute vintage tones are your thing, you might want to either find a great pedal or two to throw in front of this amp or find yourself a B-amp to cover that ground.

As for speakers, I've used everything in the Celestion line and I still keep these around: Golds, G12H Heritage, G12Ms, GT-75s. The Gt-75s are a well-balanced speaker and for studio work, I usually default towards those or the G12M.

Usually, I'm bringing a 90's era American Tele in one hand with this head in the other, so they're buds by now. The way this amp makes single coils into such huge sounding beasts is incredible. It takes Teles, Pauls, Gretches, and Duesey's all with equal fairness though. Classic 57's and most single-coils are guaranteed hits.

As far as preamp processing, I'll say that most high-end stomps like compressors, od's, distortions, mods, etc can find a home in front of this amp. Personally, my standbys are the Fulltone OCD and FDII, as well as the Lovepedal Eternity.

Again, Bad Cat has kept their Matchless heritage here with impeccable detailing in their build quality. Every transformer is overbuilt for its purpose, every tube socket is actually floated off the chassis so those bumps in the road don't kill the tubes. I'd imagine that feature has saved tons of tubes if/when things get dropped. As for my personal experience, I've had new and vintage Mesas, Fenders, Hughes & Kettners, etc. and all of them have had quirks that I've settled with after the new phase wears off. So far, this amp hasn't shown me a bit of an ugly side.

So far, I've had very limited dealings with Bad Cat HQ... They're very helpful on the phone, but when I asked some specific questions I got the usual 'buy our product' type answers, so I'm not thrilled there. On the other hand, I know touring guys who drop in on the BC crew and get their amps checked out and cleaned up practically for free, so they know how to take care of you once you're made the plunge :).

I've been playing about 10 years now, give or take, so this ain't my first rodeo ;). In summary, I'd say this is one of, if not the most versatile of, the low- wattage amps out there. This amp has replaced much higher wattage clean machines for me, and even the venerable overdrive of the DC-30 is getting some r&r since I've picked up this guy. I'd replace it in a heartbeat... it's that good.

2008 Bad Cat Hot Cat 15. Bought it 6 months ago and waited til now to write a review so I can give a more in depth review of it having played and tweaked and played and tweaked etc etc etc.

2 channels: clean and gain. Different knobs work on different channels. For the clean channel you can use the dedicated Volume knob, and the Brilliance knob (I think that's it!). On the Gain channel you've got Gain, Edge, Level, Bass, Treble, Brilliance, and a Master volume. No channel switching, you have to buy an A/B switch. No Line Out. No Reverb. No Effects Loop. It really doesn't need all that stuff anyway!

This amp is absolutely perfect for the sound I am shooting for. Lots and lots of clean headroom for a 15 watt amp. Clean channel perfect for putting a Keeley BD2 in front of for more lighter stuff. Gain channel perfect for everything!

Sound quality is pretty unbelievable. The greatest thing to me is the way the gain channel works. At least...this is the way I think it works... The Gain knob overdrives the 12AX7s and the Level knob controls the output tubes (EL84), and the Master is a master volume. So what happens is you get sorta two overdrive sounds. If you turn up the Gain to 12 oclock and leave the Level at 9 oclock, you get a gritty rumbling modern rock sounding overdrive. Now if you leave the Gain at say 2 oclock, and you turn the Level knob up to 12 oclock (leaving the Master where it is), you get a smooth classic sounding overdrive. So then what you can do is blend the two! I keep my Gain around 10 oclock, and my Level at 12 oclock, and the Master at 10:30 or so and i think it sounds stupid good....

The Bass and Treble knobs are interactive, so it kinda took me a while to find where I like those set. My old amp before the Bad CAt had the 3 knobs for Bass, Mids, and Treble, so it took some getting used to. It seems to sound best to me with the Bass up pretty far towards 2 or 3 oclock, and the treble at like 9 or 10. That seems up hump the mids quite nicely. Turning down the treble does not take out the treble at all, it just sorta lowers it a little while bringing up some mids. That's where the Brilliance and Edge knobs come in to play. Edge seems to add more grit or more attack from the guitar. The Brilliance knob controls the really high frequencies. I usually turn the Bass knob up, the Treble knob down, and the Brilliance to 10 or 11 oclock or so to keep that sweet shimmer in there. Sounds so good!

Built like a tank! I would recommend getting an ATA amp case. Even though it is a rugged amp, you should spend the money to protect the tolex from bumps and bruises. Especially if you are going to spend a couple grand on something...

One thing to watch out for though is the size of your vacuum tubes. I found this out the hard way with the EL84s. Sovteks (.88")do not fit at all. Any tubes with a thicker glass wall will not fit. JJ's fit (.80"). Ruby's barely fit (.84"). I give this category an 8 for that reason, because I think that is dumb!

2 year warranty I think. Probably will never need it. If you have any unwanted noise, I would check tubes and cables first!

As far as comparisons to competitor's amps, I do not know a whole lot. One of the other guys I play with just bought a Dr. Z Maz 18. It is for sure louder (3 watts does make a difference) and it does seem to handle bass a little better, but I'm sure it's got a bigger output transformer...and the transformer is a Trainwreck design....I think.

I play modern worship music at a church and use a Gretsch Duo Jet (KILLER guitar), a 1989 American Standard Tele, and a variety of mostly boutique effects pedals. The church is somewhat small so we have a sound-proofed amp cabinet where we mic our amps, and we have in ear monitors, so we are able to crank the amps to their sweet spot without destroying the mix. Mine is miked with an e609 which I would fully recommend. This amp recreates the Hillsong sound nicely, and handles Tomlin or Crowder stuff with ease!

I've been playing about 12 years or so and finally made enough money to get a dream amp. Totally worth every penny! It better not get stolen....

Clean and Gain... and that's about it... It would be nice to not have a separate AB switcher to switch between those channels - but, ahhhh, the things we do to not sacrifice an ounce of tone!

WOW! I know a glowing review is not preferred, but how else can you describe perfection? Amazing headroom, wonderful harmonics, etc. I use a customized Les Paul through a few stomp boxes. If you ever have the pleasure of owning one of these, please use only very high quality effects. I tried a Boss GT pedal through this. It wasn't pretty...

I'm the blessed third owner, no problems while in my possesion, no problems with the previous two owners. I don't think I'll have any problems anytime soon. Besides, every part feels as solid as you can imagine.

no clue...

Been playing for 14 years now. I've had quite a few amps. My favorite before this one was a Marshall DSL50. Not bad. Very bright. Just not perfect!

A top notch clean channel, with the best chime of any low poered amp on the market. The gain channel is really great, but don't be afraid to turn the gain down below 9:00 to get a spectacular hard rock sound that can be overdriven into insanity with a Fulltone OCD. This is one loud 15 watt amp ... it will surprise you at first, but realize the clean headroom is really what suffers on a lower wattage amp, not the decibals. This has enough clean headroom for up to a small-medium club without micing. But no better tones exist for my styles of playing. I am still dinging a few points because no reverb, no channel switch, no mid control on the clean channel.

I play greasy blues through farily hard rock, but nothing in the metal realm in my bands. The thick overdrive of the gain channel is just wonderful. I use a Parker Mojo and Grosh Retro Classic, and both of these guitars drip honey through this head. I'm plugging into a Dr. Z 1x12 cab with a Celestion V30, and it sounds unbelievably like a small stack....go figure, but it does, and I have owned mesa big 4x12s down to Bogner Cubes. Score one for Dr. Z ... but this Bad Cat 15 has the thick crunch I desire and also the smooth chimey clean, which takes overdrives very well for that SRV type sound.

As good as any.

Called them and talked with one of the owners, great guy, gave me a bunch of info.

Versatility and monster tones are what you get here, at a lower wattage you can punch out in local clubs. Do NOT let the EL84 tubes scare you away. I hate the gain sounds of those types of tubes, but this is NOT that voxy type gain ... this is more of a refined Shiva gain with more balls and sparkle. And there is enough gain on tap do do thrash if you choose. Highly, highly recommended amp. Class A amps sound like refined butter to my ears. Loads of overtones and sparkle, and tons of gain if you need it. I don't think the reverb models are worth the extra scratch, mostly becuase reverb would hide the lovely chime of the clean channel, defeating the tone. These are really a boutique bargain right now ...