Bad Cat Mini Cat Combo

volume, bass, treble, and master in a 5 watt amp, that's totally great.
This has a great clean voicing (unlike the mini-Z), and a great overdrive voicing. That's quite an accomplishment in a 5 watt tube amp!
Haven't used the little headphone jack, and probably won't. No reason to really. My main reason for buying this amp is to practice, and record with my band (we typically re-amp the guitar's signal) - and from what others people's responses to this amp - this is what it was REALLY built for. I'm not sure why folks are playing this amp with a drummer at a gig, what were you thinking? it's a 5 watt tube amp. A LOUD 5 watts, but 5 watts nevertheless. Now if it was miked through a PA, yeah go for it. It should do the job well.

For a 5 watt amp (also owned a Dr Z mini-Z, which was great too, but a little less vesatile) it's fantastic. I tend to like the lower wattage amps myself, and this has to be one of the best ones out there. As with the mini-Z there is a nice "zing" definition to the notes even when fully saturated (volume and master cranked). And speaking of saturation,
this little guy really cranks out a beautiful, creamy singing distortion with humbuckers (PRS McCarty with Timbuckers), with my tele (Fender standard tele pu's)it has that great sustained, honking quality when cranked. I also have a semi-hollow Artinger (www.artingerguitar.com), that really sings (has seymour duncan seth lover 59's) with this amp too. the notes also clean up nicely with your guitar's volume back off as well. What i'm really amazed with is that it doesn't sound "boxy", and you get really decent low end, not sure how they did that.

Just bought it. It's a hand-wired amp, so, I would imagine it can take a pounding.

for all the folks ******* about the little things on this amp (most make no sense whatsoever), a great amp won't make up for an inexperienced player who hasn't developed his/her ear. this amp however WILL show your flaws in your playing, that's a sign of a good tube amp. There doesn't seem to many signal buffers, and compression like a bigger amp. It is very simple in it's tone and functionality. For me, that's why I totally dig it-there very little coloring of your notes, so the guitar really shines through. I've been playing since 1985, and I am currently in a band that plays a very eclectic mix of styles. When it comes to recording at least, it shines. As far as gear is concerned I am very particular (see electric guitars above). I really don't plan to use many effects through this amp, it sounds great as it is.

Single channel, volume(gain), bass, treble, master, ohm selector, line out, alnico jensen (italy), real wood cabinet, nice handle, thick covering, matchless-styling everywhere...LED power indicator (looks a little out of place, but why not. I think it'a a 2006or7. I use tis as a recording amp in conjunction with other amps, and it is xactly what I was looking for, a miniature matchless. The main features are the hand-built quality, higher quality component selection and design, and the simplicity and purity of it. It is as versatile as it operator, due to the fact that it replicates the electric guitar almost as if it's an acoustic. In the studio environment, or along with another amp/system(that is what it was designed for,according to the Mark Sampson and the BadCat company)I can use it for vintage rockabilly, psychedelic era rock, janglepop, etc...it's a tube preamp with a speaker! With a load box you can then go into effects/mixer...

I am using it mostly with Tele's, Strat's, Harmony Rocket w/Rowe goldfoils (ahhh, yes!), and maybe a vintage type humbucker or p90 once in a while. As an early Matchless acquirer/dealer (Clubman 35, Spitfire, Lightning), I was happy to see the design live on, in a smaller more affordable package. It's quiet, reliable, pure and simple. It can reveal the best and worst qualities of its player. For crystal clear, slightly driven, crunchy and overdrive, sparkly jangle it excels; not a chunky metal amp by any stretch of the imagination, and I doubt any metalheads would even consider one. One has to consider the manufacturers mission in the overall reviewing process. For what this amp was designed for, it delivers in spades! It does sound "better" through a bigger box/speaker, but what doesn't?
The smallness is part of the appeal. I may experiment with speakers.

If it is anything like a Matchless on the inside (haven't looked YET), it will be as reliable as a manmade item could be. I will speculate tht it is ultimately reliable.

I'd guess they are pros.

I have been playing guitar since 1980-81, performing on and off since 1985, and teaching, tech-ing and so on since 88. Too much gear to list, but let;s say there are/were some holy grails of amps in the collection: brown tolex Fenders, BF's, Matchless, etc....If stolen, I'd probably build a similar amp of my own.
I love the looks, and sound of this amp.
I hate nothing about it, but as a constant experimentalist (heavy on the mental part), will putz around with tubes, speakers, etc...I will compare it to an Epiphone Valve Jr. just for kicks, but that's not totally fair, given the nature of each amp's origins.

Has everything it needs, but I wish it had a filter choke and tube rectifier, for more spongy response. Guess that's why they chose the alnico speaker.

"Reviewers" should realize what manufacturers have designed a certain product for before complaining about it's "shortcomings". THat's like saying "Hey, my overpriced lawn mower won't go 65, or handle turns like a porsche!"

Simple: just a standard tone stack of treble and bass with a master and reg volume knob. It has an ohm selector in the back so you can hook up a different speaker cab which is important for this amplifier. I found that the amp is very versatile and extremely friendly to all of my guitars. I wish it had reverb, but I imagine that it would be hard to get a good reverb in this thing and maintain its tiny stature.

Okay, so here is the deal. I think that a lot of people are giving this amp a bad rap because they can't gig with it. It is extremely loud for five watts, but it will not cut through a mix with a live band: especially if there is a drum set involved. If you are looking for an amp that is tiny and can cut through a live band, then this is not your amp. However, the amp is extremely useful for practice and one could certainly play in small venues with it. It would be good for any low volume type gig, but you aren't going to shake down an auditorium like you're Angus Young or anything with this amp. As far as tone, the thing is a demon. It got really chimy and crisp with my telecaster and stratocaster when I rolled down their volume controls, but when I cranked them, the amp went along with me and got really good overdrive. The speaker is decent in that it responds really well to bass but only to an extent--it does "fart out" after it gets pushed too hard, but then again, what do you expect from a tiny little Jensen? I have a Marshall extension cab with a celestion G12H in it and I found that it sounded much better than the stock speaker inside of the amp, but if you are looking for something portable that sounds really good, then the jensen is fine. It is kind of weird about dialing in tone, but when you find the "sweet spot" for your guitar, then you're golden. It seems that the treble can get overpowering really easily and thin out the tone if you don't have it set correctly--especially when you're running the Jensen, so beware of that. Otherwise, it is a totally outstanding tone monster for its size. I kept on saying to my buddy, "Can you believe that this little thing is doing that??" BUY THIS AMP

I don't know. I am aware that the amp is p2p and it seems to be built really tough. Other than that, I really can't say.

No idea

Once again, do not buy this thing if you are looking to gig in a rock band; that's not what it's made for unless you mic it or something. This is the perfect throw in your car and go amplifier and it sounds great without effects--this is why I bought it. I have been playing for ten years and I use the following gear right now: 1997 collector's edition Fender Strat with AVN kinman pickups in it, a Korina Gibson Flying V with Rio Grande bbq and genuine texas humbuckers with a bibsby tremolo, a 1976 Telecaster with a custom shop neck and Seymour Duncan quarter pound pickups. I play blues and classic rock style music so I need stuff that sounds great clean and dirty and this amp covers both very nicely.

Read earlier reviews for layout, controls, options.
I wish it had a separate speaker output so I can keep the 10" plugged in, but also run a 1x12 or 2x12.

I do like the lineout feature though. Sounds alright as a headphone amp, but the same thing happens with most headphone amps: Bass loss.

It does take awhile to get used to how all the knobs interact (I've never used an amp with such interactive controls). The bass and treble knobs work as cutoffs that either take out bass or treble. Interesting, but mildly frustrating. The rewards are nice though.

Nevertheless, the features meet my needs, but I'm giving it a 9 as it doesn't offer a separate speaker output.

First of all, I'm a looong time 6L6/7250 player.
Never really had many applications for EL84/El34 style amps, but wow, this mini cat rules.

Sounds like a Vox if there was a "more" button on a vox. Don't know how else to describe it.

Nice warm cleans that are fantastic for jazz, crispy distortion, and overall fantastic fidelity that would suit players of all styles (well, maybe not metal or, god forbid, screamo/hardcore/emo/numetal. Gross). Personally, I like the 10" jensen (that's what she said).

I was surprised by how clean it would remain, even at higher volumes.
If you told me this was 5 watts, I wouldn't believe you. Sounds more like 13 or 15 watts. Reacts very well to volume AND tone knobs. Yeah, tone knob! Weird, but cool.
Hooked it up to my 2x12 and it was easily loud enough for rehearsals/small club gigs.

I think a reviewer compared the output to an AC15, and I agree with that. Pretty loud, nice breakup that's very controllable with the master volume.

HOWEVER, I did notice treble loss as I lowered the master volume. It's not the best master volume, but it works decently.

Does get a bit noisy when the volumes cranked, but hey, have you seriously ever played a dead silent amp on 10?

There are previous reviews that complain about the bass. I think there's plenty of bass. Even if you only record with it, you can place the mic off axis and pick up some nice bass (in my experience). Better yet, hook it up to a 2x12. There will be plenty of bass.

Brief equipment rundown: Hollowbody, Semihollow Humbucker and P-90 equipped guitars (sounds just as good with single coils too). Old grey NKT275 Fuzz Face, Lovetone Big Cheese, Zvex Super Duper, Boss DM-2.

It's very pedal friendly.

9 for great overall amp, but weak master volume.

I believe mine is 2 years old. Might be wrong.

Been working great, no problems. I do like that the tubes are covered unlike my Supro or Silvertone.

Although, I suppose it would be smart to start bringing spare tubes to gigs.

I won't rate it because I can't speak of the longevity.

Never dealt with them, but my buddies have had good experiences with their tech support.

Never really trusted boutiques (always played vintage amps.), but am very happy with my purchase.

It's come in handy for a couple quick grab and go jams and a couple small shows where I was able to mic it. It's a bit loud for late night cranked jamming, unless you've got it somwhere mildly soundproof. It loses some definition at EXTREMELY low volume settings, but that's to be expected

I do recommend that you check it out, because it might not be for you (Vox people will love it).

It's surprisingly loud. I was expecting this baby whisper amp that started breaking up early (ala a champ) but was nice beefy, chimy and overall pleasing. Could've used a separate speaker out with an ohmage selector (I understand that the Bad Cat Mini II's have ohmage selectors, smart move Bad Cat).

I think they're 800 new, but for the price I paid to get this unique tone, it was worth it.
I personally love this little amp and have no clue why I didn't check out Bad Cat amps sooner.

Not sure when the amp was made. Isn't very versatle at all. 1 channel, no channel switching. No headpone jak.

The soud qualty of this amp isnt very good. The speeker is to smal and sounds woofy. The disrtrion is bad but probly becuase of the speeker.

The first speeker didnt work so they replced it (had to fight them for the replcment) with a new one and that one was woofy and grity sonding. Other than the speeker it seems ok.

Hard to deel with the guy at Bad Crap. He wasn't very undrstandig at all. Becuase they finaly sent me the new speeker i'll give them a 3

Not very good for any stiles of music unless you play real low volum. I don't like bad cat amps very much and will not purchse a nother one.

This review is for the older 1-10 model Mini Cat. Very basic little amp. It has a headphone jack which is nice but why would you want a tube amp to use with headphones? No reverb, channel switching, etc. It is supposed to be a simple, basic amp, so it meets that criteria well. Keep in mind, I love Bad Cat amps.

I used this thing 2 times on gigs and it was weak. It really sounded very small and could not keep up with the drummer and rest of the band. Granted, that may not be what it is supposed to do, but my idea was to have a very portable, killer sounding tone monster that came in a very small package. Well, the upshot is I sold this amp after using it twice. Do no plan on using this amp out live. It just can not cut it and sounds very small compared to just amp and 1-12 amp. Very little clean headroom and a very buzzy sounding distortion which I found annoying.

Build like a tank. Bad Cat seems to over engineer thier amps which is a good thing. Bad Cat amps in general are very heavy, extremely well made products.

These guys are very good. I also have a Hot Cat 30 and they are very helpful when questions come up. I have never had any service issues with Bad Cats, so aside from a quick query, I have had little direct contact. I get the feeling these guys live for their amps, so I would recommend Bad Cat to any one.

The 1-10 Mini Cat is just too small to be of real value as a working man's amp. I supposd it would be a good bedroom amp, but there is no way you can justify an $850 bedroom amp. It is on no value in a live setting due to no clean headroom and the 1-10 speaker which really sounds kind of lame. The 1-12 model with a bigger cabinent is probably a heck of alot better. This was a good try, but I think simple physics wins. I.E., a very small cabnent with a 1-10 speaker is never going to be enough to sound rich and full in a live setting.

This is a review of the new MiniCat 2 with the twelve inch speaker. This sounds wider and more open than the 10inch version to me that I tried in the same store.

I own a few guitars (Gretsch, Fender, Harmony etc) and quite a few amps including black face Fender Deluxe, black face Super Reverb as well as a Victoria Double Deluxe and a few others.

The amp has a Volume, Bass, Treble and Master controls and I found a number of very useable tones.

I bought this amp for the EL84 "sound" in the studio and for practice. I have been a Fender amp player for a long time but wanted something that gave me a Vox/Marshall chime.

I use a Gretsch 6120, Fender telecaster and a few other guitars. I found it worked great with the Gretsch.

The surprising thing to me was how much headroom this has. I was expecting something akin to a ?EL84 Champ?, where the sound overdrives early but this is not the case with this amp. I got a full clean tone and it was much louder than what I expected (if I needed it). By using the master and volume controls together I found that I could get just the right snarl at many different volumes.

This amp has a great tone with a bit of slap back echo in front of it (from a Fulltone tape echo) and takes other effects very well also.

Only had it a couple of weeks but seems really well built. The exterior is very sturdy and looks like it would last forever.

Not sure - have not needed them.

I have been playing for 30 years and feel I know a good sound when I hear one. I use a Fulltone tape echo which works beautifully in front of this amp, also a Fulltone Fat Boost which dirties the sound up nicely.

I love the clean sounds this produces, they have a real chime and immediacy that some of my other amps do not have.

I can get a very credible Vox sound out of it and find this is great for rhythm recorded tracks.

It is pricey but if it is a sound you are looking for it is hard to beat.

I bought this amp in 2003 for the headphone jack and Class A features. It's a single channel Amp with a 10" Jensen speaker. Very handy size, I use it almost everyday for quite to loud practise.

I play a Deluxe Strat with noiseless pickups. Mostly Rock and Blues. The Amp is very quiet and really shines with the headphones. I was glad to see that other reviewers had noticed the speaker problem. I replaced mine with a Tonetubby Alnico. This Amp and speaker belong together. The Tonetubby gives you the sound that you hear in the headphones. Great distorted and fat sounds. Works great with effects. The speaker barely
fits and makes the Amp heavier, but sounds fantastic. The other issue
is the cost. This $240.00 addition makes the my amp cost $850.00. The amp with the new speaker makes the new rating a 10.

I think it should be very reliable. I have a Hotcat and no problems with heavy use in three years.

I called for bulbs for my Hotcat and they were sent right away at no
cost. Very friendly.

I have been playing over 30 years. I have 3 others Amps and 6 other guitars. I don't know if I would buy this Amp again because of the cost
to add the Tonetubby speaker. If the Tonetubby was a cheap option I would buy the Mini Badcat again.

The Mini Cat is a niche amp. You may like it for its boutique quality. It is the best headphone amp I've ever played. I hadn't seen that mentioned on the other reviews. That's where I get the best sounds. Sort of expensive for a headphone amp, but it has great tube sound. The speaker does have to go. I don't know what they were thinking. I bought a Weber to replace it. Sounds much better, especially cranked. Still doesn't sound as good as an old cheapy sixties Silvertone Amp-in-case I have. The Silvertone of course doesn't have the headphones and convenient package.

Cranked with a replacement speaker it sounds good. Sounds best with humbuckers. It's pretty quiet. I like it because I get better than average sounds in a convenient small package. I would never suggest using this as your main around the house amp. I used a fifties Fender Champ at home for years. Sometimes, I sit down and I am pretty pleased with the Mini Cat tones, but most of the time I wish I was plugged into my Savage, Silvertone, or Bassman. Alas, none of those have headphones ability.

Seems reliable. Time will tell.

I don't really want to mention specifics, but I did not have good experience with their service when I had a problem. I am not saying it's going to be that way for you. Maybe it was a freak thing. They seemed nice enough, it just took a long time to work out 'a situation.'

Basically, play this amp before you buy it. If you can't, think about what you want it for. They are making one with a bigger cabinet and a 12" speaker. Maybe that will sound better. It is true about the mediocre quality of the Italian Jensen speakers. Just look at them compared to an older one or a Weber. The quality just isn't there. If you are making a point to point "boutique" amp it seems smart to put a high quality speaker in it. All in all, there's nothing really bad about it. I like it cause 1. it's portable 2. it has overdrive/master volume 3. it has headphones 4. point-to-point construction 5. looks kinda cool

In response to Sunil...its not the same speaker as you mention. The new Jensens are made in Italy, not the USA like they were and they sound DRASTICALLY different. I know, I have both sets and sold the newer versions. Totally different manufacturing, spec's, and quality.

As several reviewers have posted negative comments about the speaker that the Mini comes with, I just had to put my two cents worth! Do any of you realize that it is the same speaker that made the venerable 1959 Fender Bassman reissue so desireable?? Obviously, the Fender Bassman is one of the most used amplifers of all time, by professionals, of course. Just ask David Gilmour from Pink Floyd! He used a pair of Bassmans in conjunction with a pair of Hiwatt SA-212s to record the Division Bell album. So my point is that it is not the speaker which is the problem... perhaps the dimunitive size of the cabinet is to blame for your lack of satisfaction.

I think the reviews for this amp on HC are slightly misleading. On its own I really don't consider the Mini Cat anything more than a really great practice amp. But it's greatness lies in it's class A, five watts, small stature, and its studio and tube preamp pedal-like uses.

On its own, as a practice amp, the Mini Cat sounds excellent. Definitely the best practice amp I've ever played and for the money, it should be. The speakers aren't the best, but are easily replaceable even though I haven't gotten around to doing so yet. The Mini Cat's greatness, IMHO, lies in a hidden (well, not really hidden, but something I haven't seen anyone on here mention) feature called the line out. I take this and hook it up to my Vox AC30 and BAM! I have amazing, all class A, Vox-meets-Bad Cat heavy overdrive tones in seconds. With an A/B box i can easily switch between the Brilliant channel on my AC30 and Normal Channel that i have the Mini Cat hooked up to. I do wish there was a bypass switch for the Mini Cat so If I ever needed this combo for live use i could have 3 different channels (AC30 Normal without Mini Cat overdrive, with Mini Cat overdrive, and brilliant channel). But the Mini Cat/AC30 overdrive sound is magical. It's like the heaviest AC30 breakup you could imagine and then some. The Mini Cat combined with the magic of those Vox blues just works wonders.

Now I understand few people would be able to afford this combo. But if anyone ever gets a chance to try it, definitely take the chance to do so. The line out is also extremely useful for recording. Though I haven't gotten heavy into that yet, I have dabbled in it and it makes it a breeze.

I've rarely heard a bad word about Bad Cat's reliability. Plus they come with great warrantys.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing for 7 years, right now I own the Mini Cat, the AC30, and a stand by DSL40. For guitars I have my trusty USA Deluxe Strat and Les Paul Custom and I think that's all I'll ever need. I love it's line out function. Quite frankly I think that's it's best feature. I bought it looking for a great practice amp and found a partner for my AC30. The only thing I wish it had was a better speaker. But for this size I'm not complaining.

This is a review of my new, July 2004 Mini Cat. It is a vrey versatile 5 watt pure class A tube amp enabling all genres or styles of play from clean to dirty. Clean ballads to SRV to Guns and Roses are capable with this little guy. It is a single channel, non effects loop amp but does have a line out for recording if you like, capability to power other cabinets and use amp as a preamp, or it has a headphone jack. I mostly use this amp as an expensive but worthy practice amp. Sure you could gig with it but it would definitely need to be miked. It has a volume, bass, treble, and master volume control utilitzing industry standard chicken head knobs. With only one 12AX7 preamp tube and one EL84 power amp tube, bias never needs to be done, and all you need are spare tubes and you are ready to go. An effects loop would have been nice, but not sure there would have been room for it since it is tiny. 14" X 14" x 7".

I use 3 different Strats from 77' to 04' all set up different from heavy blues only to a Highway One with a Seymour JB jr. and Lil 59'. I also play 2 Les Pauls, one a 92' customized Standard with Patent Sticker in neck and Seymour Antiquity at 8.64K in bridge as well as a 03' Gary Rossington Signature model 59' with Burstbucker #2 and #3. Amp sounds great with any of these guitars. It is quiet as can be, much more so than I imagined. The speaker that Bad Cat uses is WEAK at best. A Jensen P10R is an ok speaker, but if you dime the master and run the preamp volume higher than 5 or 6, this speaker sounds bad. I replaced it with a Jensen NEO 10"/100 watt speaker which is a great choice for this amp. You can dime this amp now and the speaker growls. For a small cabinet, I think you get all the sound you can get with this little amp. Tube breakup tones are wonderful now. I give it a 7 in this category because of the cheesy issue speaker it comes with.

It is very well built as I've had it apart changing speakers. As I said before, carry spare tubes and you are fine.

As with any boutique manufacturer other than Soldano (who has great customer service btw), Bad Cat did get back with me but answered my email question poorly.

I've played since 16, but smart enough to fly jets for a living, so on and off for 28 years. I also own a Soldano SLO-100 and Lucky 13, both 100 watt AB heads, a THD cabinet, and a multitude of boutique effects by Fulltone, SIB, Ibanez, Ernie Ball, and Peterson. I love the portability of this amp, the tone it has, and the options available. Tone costs money, nothing is free, and these manufacturer's deserve what they ask for with their pricing in most cases. It is an expensive little amp, but if you want a great tube practice/recording amp, this one is by itself. Is it that much better than a transistor amp the same size at $600.00 cheaper? Absolutely. Once you play a Bad Cat, you'll have to have one, and this is coming from a die hard Soldano guy. Nothing touches the SLO 100 period, but can't practice perse' at low volumes or with a headset with that one.. lol

Hope this helps in your decision.

This is a comment on my earlier review. The amp is still great
sounding. BUT, if I have the master volume over 2 o'clock and
gain over 10 o'clock then I can play for about 30 minutes before
the amp wants to have a break for about the amount of time. It just
stops creating any decent sound, it just pops and blops and hiss.
It I turn down the master volume then it works ok, but the sound is
good only with the master volume up.

If it just could work for at least one hour...

First off, understand that my high rating in the feature category means that this amp does what I expect it to. I wasn't looking for channel switching, reverb, etc. I was looking for a basic amp with great tone. Others have gone over the features.

I use a Paul Reed Smith Standard 24 with stock pickups. I play all sorts of styles, but mainly rock and pop. I grew up on The Beatles, and oddly, this amp does great British tones. It's a dry sound, not the bubbly Fender sound. More British in character which suits me fine. The small cabinet means you don't get a huge sound, but I'm using this amp for recording with a mic stuck right in it's face and it does well for that. The overdriven pre with the master down is great, and pushing it to power amp distortion is greater still. This is one loud little amp, forget cranking it at 1 AM unless you are on a farm. I find I don't need the amp loud to get good tone. It does a very nice clean tone, and I mean clean, not partially distorted. Playing with your fingers instead of a pick really shows off the clean tone of this little guy. The distortion is not metal, more like a Hi Watt breaking up, although I will say I have not had the amp long enough to explore all of it's possibilities in that area. With an extension speaker cab, I have a feeling this amp would be amazing, as it is, the only weakness is the fact that we are talking about a very small cabinet here. Think Champ.

Someone else mentioned how quiet this amp is, and boy, they are right. It is a dream to record with. DEAD quiet. You don't know it's on.

I don't gig, this is strictly studio. It is made like a brick you know what. I get the feeling it's as dependable as any hand made tube amp ever made, and probably more so. I do intend to order a couple of tubes for backup, of course.

I called them once, and the head man (Jim? forgot his name!) answered. He talked for a long time, was very patient, and I felt like he gave a darn. He even took another call, and came back and talked some more. This was before I bought it.

Been playing since 1962. A long time. Been through lots of amps. I think Bad Cat amps sound better than anything out there for what I do (rock and pop). If I was doing death metal I'd get a Marshall and a MESA and go deaf. But I love the Bad Cat sound. If it were lost or stolen I'd buy it again.

This is one pricey little box. I like well made things that do what you want them to do. I like class acts. This is definitely one of them.

Brand new. Volume, Master, Tone, Bass. Single channel, Headphone, Speaker out (very cool). Very loud. Same speaker as Fender Bassman's quartette. Peeked inside, looks good and solid. Big price. Looks like a stocky chihuahua next to other amps

I use PRS and ceramics from different companies. High, clear output. The amp is really quiet, even in situations where it didn't actually have to be. It just sort of sits there waiting for a signal. I used the extreme tone in front of it, but that was asking a bit too much of the speaker. I ran it through an 8ohm Marshall cabinet and that was the trigger. It screams and will even dare to replace a living room monster you're using at volumes level one. This little dude and a marshall box is the ticket. Or you can mic it. I put a Celestion G10 in mine. Ceramic speakers seem to work better with it if you play rock . The marshall solves everything except transport issues, of course. That's the ticket.

Replacing the Jensen with a favorite ceramic takes just a moment.

The distortion is useful, but there's no reverb and so the order gets messed up. I use pedals. It'll do what you want, but smaller.

It's nicely built and you can give it to your kids later. It's the quality that comes along with that price. They'll hopefully expand the line to include more features, though. I haven't notice any weaknesses in this area. It's quite over-built.

Nice guys. Answer questions on the phone. Frindly. Not rushed or hectic. Sorted everything out.

Been playing for a few years. I've had my ears all my life, so I know what sounds good. I'd replace it if it were ripped off. If you're nor shopping for this price, you can always get something else. I was happy to find this class, versatility and build quality for this price. Too expensive? For you guys, there's always Peavey.

This review concerns the new Bad Cat Mini Cat, color creme, with creme knobs graciously thrown into the package by the wonderful folks I bought the amp from. It's a very simple amp in terms of knobs, but what's really amazed me is how versatile it is...just a few minutes of playing around with the settings makes you realize what a great array of tones this amp can create! So I guess I like the simplicity. I also love the fact that it has a headphone jack on the back, and that the speaker can be unplugged so you can record directly, or even hook up a larger cabinet! I haven't used either of these features yet, but I like having the options. I also love the fact that this amp is basically a hand-wired point-to-point piece of art. I looked at lots of cheaper, mass-produced models like the Peavey Classic 30, Fender Pro Jr., Blues Jr., and even an Ampeg, but I found the build quality of each of these companies to be very variable, and the features lacking. And most of these mass-produced models use circuit boards and other such difficult-to-repair components, making it much less likely that they'll pass the test of time. That's why I shelled out the extra coin for the Bad Cat. It's like an investment in a way.

I'm mainly using my new Agile 3000 prestige Les Paul copy, which sports Wilkinson Alniko V pickups. These pickups are unbelievably noiseless, and so is the Mini Cat! What really amazes me about this amp though is the unbelievable diversity of tones it can create. With the 12AX7 pre-amp stage turned down to 2 or so, and the master cranked up towards the max, this kitty puts out crystal clear, sweet clean tones. But if you want to dirty it up, just crank the pre-amp stage towards the max and you get amazing tube distortion! I actually prefer it at lower volumes, so I'll turn the master way down to 2 or 3, and I still get a very dynamic, musical distortion that responds very well to pick attack and playing technique. The more I use this amp the more I'm impressed by what it can do!

This thing is built like a rock. The cabinet build itself is pretty impressive, with a cool leather handle and silver buckles, along with heavy duty reinforced corners. I expect it to last a lifetime.

I haven't had any dealings directly with Bad Cat. My only complaint is that it took a good month to get my amp sent from the factory to the dealer I bought it from, but admittedly this was during the holiday season, and the Mini Cat is relatively new. In any case, it was worth the wait!

Like I said above, I shopped around for months looking for the perfect small home-friendly amp that I could use for recording as well. I tried Peavey, Fender, Ampeg, Marshall, etc. etc., but nothing came close to the Mini Cat in terms of features, quality, and ultimately tone! Unfortunately the Bad Cat also cost literally TWICE as much as most of the mass-produced models I tried. In the end though I think it's definitely worth it, because the tone is superior in my opinion, and also because this amp is much more likely to last due to it's P2P construction. The other comlaint I have concerns Bad Cat's color choices. If you look on their website you see that they have LOTS of cool color options, even including sparkle vinyl and some suede choices! But it turns out that you can only get a few of the "basic" colors for your $650-700, like black, creme, or that army green they have. If you want anything more flashy like the sparkle vinyl, there's a pretty hefty upcharge of at least $50 if I remember correctly. So I had to draw the line and just get the creme colored amp, which actually looks pretty hot with the creme knobs. I just think the plain colors, especially black, look kinda cheap and don't do the Bad Cat name justice. I also wish the Bad Cat logo lit up like all their other amps do. Still, this amp is unbelievable, and I'd buy one again in a heartbeat! (if I could afford it)

'03 Bad Cat Mini Cat. Features have been well covered by the other reviewers.

Sold the amp after a few months of disapointment. Sounds like an overpriced "farty" sounding amp with very few, overly sensitive interactive "sweet spots" between volume and tone. IMO Bad Cat is trying to do too much with too small a cabinet and charging too much for the product. Frankly, decide for yourself. Play the amp before buying it...at varying volumes. It doesn't sound good unless cranked,and even then is just good. $900 should go farther. I sold this for a Savage Macht 6 (yes...slightly larger cabinet but similar price-point and night and day sound quality.)It's all subjective so don't buy this amp based soley on my (or anyone's review).

Played it w/ LP's strats, PRS's w/ P-90s.

Seems very solidly constructed.

Better options are out there. I switched to a Savage Macht 6 for mid-volume practice, small gigs and recording, and own an old Tweed Champ for portability, practice & recording and a Matchless Phoenix 35 for larger gigs.

Not a bad amp -hence the "7" but better choices do exist IMO, I think some of the reviewers are kidding themselves or intoxicated by their boutique spending habits:). Again, don't buy it without playing it first.

2003 Minicat combo in sexy green tolex. One channel, 4 knobs (volume, master, treble and bass), 5 watts, 2 tubes (El84 power and 12AX7) and three ways to get the sound out (headphone jack, recording out and Jensen alnico 10" speaker that can be unplugged without frying the amp). No reverb (totally unnecessary in my view given the 3-D quality and harmonic content of the tone -- with a Strat on the bridge pickup it does a lovely surf tone even without the reverb). No FX loop (might have been nice in theory but I wouldn't want it if it sucked any of the beauty of the tone out which is probably why it was left off). Plenty loud for 5 watts -- as discussed below, the best sounds involve turning it up at which point it's a little bit louder than an un-amplified loud singer -- too loud for 2am at home but not ear-destroyingly loud. For its principal intended purpose, which I presume to be recording, it's got the things I care most about (mostly tone . . .).

The basic tone ranges from a crystal clean with lots of high-end definition (some might find it too trebly but I definitely don't and that high end makes the tone really stand-out in a mix) to a mild overdrive that sounds like the power tube breakup you get when you crank a clean amp. It doesn't come close to a metal tone but when you run it hot you can easily control the level of overdrive with pick attack (also with the volume knob but when you can do it with the pick alone -- even better). Well, actually, if you *max* the volume and master you get a pretty overdriven sound but I think it farts out a little when you drive it that hard -- I prefer to set the volume and tone between 1:00 and 3:00 for a really dynamic tone that cleans up easily and can break up beautifully when you hit hard. I'll note that, even when maxed out, it's incredibly quiet.

As you might expect from 5 watts and a single 10" speaker, the bass response is lacking relative to an amp with a more substantial power section (hence the "farting out" when everything is on 10 described above). The bass knob is a bass cut (i.e., when you turn it clockwise the bass goes away rather than up) and I tend to run it at 9:00 all the time. The trade-off is that you can run it pretty wide open without having outrageous volume -- which for recording is great.

I have played this with 3 guitars: a PRS Custom 24, a Fender Roadhouse Strat (an American Standard with the SRV "Texas Special" pickups) with a maple fingerboard and a Gibson "faded" double-cut Les Paul with P-90s (a surprisingly sweet little guitar given that it's extremely no frills). All sound great. In particular, the PRS is terrific with this amp -- the single coil settings sparkle and the bridge humbucker setting is fat but still has great high-end cut and definition.

The headphone out is a nice feature -- obviously without a speaker in the signal chain, the sound is much more trebly and has more high end overdrive so it's a different sound (that raw sound always reminds me of Steve Albini's tone). Good for late night practice as, although it's not a purely conventional tone, it's still really dynamic. I've also used the recording out to drive the clean channel of a Hot Cat and that sounded great -- basically the same tone as the Minicat but at lower or higher volumes (I didn't run that settup with the Hot Cat up really loud as it does just fine on its own when you crank it but I was curious and tried it out at living room levels).

I give the tone a 10 -- it doesn't do everything but what it does is really inspiring -- an unbelievably pure and dynamic tone that delivers the sound of your guitar and all of your playing nuances in a really expressive and musical way. Really inspiring tone.

Had it for about 3 months without issue. Supposedly, Bad Cats are built to be very rugged but I can't speak from personal experience on this.

Called once to discuss the merits of NOS tubes in this amp and they were very friendly and helpful -- I don't know who I spoke to but from prior posts I'll bet it was the "Head Cat".

I've been playing about 8 years and this amp really rocked me. I played a gig shortly after I bought it and used it with a Soldano -- miked the Minicat with an SM57 and ran it through the PA and A/Bed with the Soldano using the Minicat as a clean channel (well, clean relative to the Soldano . . . ) and that worked just great. In fact, a couple of months after I bought it, I decided to take the big $$$ plunge into the Hot Cat and I sold my Soldano and a Hughes & Kettner Puretone (also a sweet and sadly underappreciated amp -- clean tone nearly as good as Bad Cat but the Hot Cat gain channel blows everything away) to pay for it. I'm 100% bought in to Bad Cat products now -- I feel like I really found my tone with these two amps (the big one for performing and the little one for recording).

I had considered buying a vintage Fender Champ for recording and around the house practice for a long time but my experiences with old amps I've owned and used in the past worry me -- in my experience with some of those the tone will be awesome one day and flat the next and things start to break down and I just haven't found an amp repair person that I'd trust with great equipment. The Minicat is a kind of a different tone than a Champ -- more Vox bright and more dynamic I think -- but it delivers the same kind of thing -- pure, pure tone and the ability to crank it without killing your ears -- personally I find I like the Minicat tone better but that's a personal view -- I won't deny that a sweet old Champ is awesome.

I'll give a 9 overall -- the biggest drawback of this gear is the price -- it ain't cheap -- for $400 it'd be an unequivocal 10 but unless you have serious bank you've gotta think two or three times at least before laying out $800 for a 5 watt amp. I'm totally glad I did and would replace it if it were stolen but that is, admittedly, a lot of coin.

As far as features are concerned, there are not very many knobs, but there are many ways of connecting it. As the manual (a sheet of paper) states: Independant LINE OUT and HEADPHONE OUT function with or without Jensen speaker in operation. The Jensen can be unplugged on the back panel. Can use the LINE OUT for direct recording to desk with or without speaker as monitor, or use as tube preamp pedal to fatten-up or seriously overdrive a second amp. Those of you who like the sound of integrated spring reverbs, remember, this one only comes without reverb. This amp measures 16" high, 14" wide, 7" deep and weighs in at only 19 LBS. Do I wish this amp had chanel switching, effects loops or any other features? Not really, this is a great recording amplifier, not a gigging amp (not with this kind of wattage anyway).

I'm only using guitars with single coils - 2 SRV strats, and 2 G&L Legacy strats. Seeing as I already own a 1959 Fender Bassman reissue, I thought it would be great to own an amp that I can exploit to its full potential (volume-wise) considering that I live in a condo. The volume levels are very reasonable, however there is not very much gain in the preamp section. To get any sort of heavy crunch, you must crank up the master volume which can make this small amplifier seem somewhat loud for my purpose. The amp is not noisy at all either. A great benefit to me was using this amp as a pedal in front of my Bassman reissue - still too loud for my neighbors, but what a fantastic distorted tone!!! The Mini cat on its own has a great vibe to it too, especially when getting the output tube to distort. By the way, no matter what anyone says, two speakers are better than one, and 4 are better than 2. However, I believe the purpose of this amp is for recording - in which case, one speaker ought to do the job. I'm giving this a 9 in the sound category. It would have got a 10 if it would have had reverb...

As with any tube amp, it is only as reliable as its tubes. Carrying spares would be smart. By the way, since it is only a single output tube and in class A, no re-biasing is necessary when changing the tube. Nor do you have to buy a matched set seeing as there is only one tube to begin with. There are still many point-to-point amps from the 1950's in service today, so one can only assume that this one will stand the test of time. In any case, it is a very new model and no one can really tell for certain.

I did call a couple of times to get info on the Mini cat and they were extremely helpful. I did not feel like they were trying to answer as fast as they can to get rid of me or anything. Just plain good old fashioned personalized service.

I have been playing and recording guitars for about 15 years. As equipment goes, I own 2 SRV strats, 2 G&L Legacy strats, 1959 Fender Bassman reissue, Peavey Classic 30, Matchless Dirtbox preamp pedal, POD version 2.0 and PODxt, and about 2 dozen pedals. I love the way the Mini cat breaks up and manages to keep definition in playing chords and single notes. The only bad thing I can say is that I would have enjoyed having reverb built in. As everyone knows, if you use a reverb pedal in front of this amp, you cannot use the overdrive or distortion from the amp. The sound of reverb before distortion or overdrive is simply horrible, therefore you must use a distortion or overdrive pedal AND the reverb pedal in front of the amp. Now, I know that I can add reverb while recording at the desk, but I would have loved to use the amp for practice with reverb too...

4W and 4 knobs, line out, speaker out, no standby, one 10 inch speaker. It can be used as a amplifier on its own with the internal
speaker or an external speaker. It can be used as 'pedal' in front
of another amp. Not many knobs but very versatile. Great for
practising.

My setup is Gibson Les Paul => a few pedals (mostly in bypass) =>
Mini Cat connected to a Marshall 1936 cabinet and line out to the
input of a MesaBoogie Subway Rocket (20w). The combination is very good for Led Zeppelin, Free, Cream, Focus stuff.
No noise whatsoever even with all knobs in '11'. The distorsion
is not very high gain but you can always use a pedal. (I get the distorsion sounds from the Mesa anyway) The internal speaker is a little 'small' but connected to a bigger cabinet the sound is great. On its own it is too weak to play with a band but togehter with an another amp it is ok. My combination is not for gigging, we are just playing for fun. The amp forces you to be careful with your playing, you hear what you play. I can split my humbuckers on my Les Paul and even then there is no noise. I rate both the Mini Cat and Mesa with a 9 but together they are 10+

It is very well built, but I have had it for only one month.

A very good small amplifier. I also tried Cornford Harlequin, which I think sounds even better with low volymes but had a lot of hum when
you turned it up. I think the point with low wattage tube amps is that
you can play it in position '11' without loosing your ears. Otherwise
buy a big amp and play it on '1'.
Would the Mini Cat be better with another (=bigger) speaker?

Volume, Bass, Treble, Master (very useful) in a little, four watt package. Single channel. Micing it for blues and rock recording has proven effective. Use you favorite pedal on clean and you're good to go.

The only item missing is the second speaker out. That would've been fun. This is a mighty loud four watts, but the speaker handles it rather musically.

I use PRS Singlecuts with a variety of pickup configurations. The amp is quiet and no good at hiding my mistakes. It's quite honest. I don't turn it all the way up because I have other amps for that. But this amp accomodates everything well before I have to reach for my Cub II, Hot Cat, or Wild Cat.

NOTE: It won't cross over and replace your 15 watt amp. It's not meant to. Just like your pickups will never replace your strings.

The distortion is musical, but I like the old TS9, Full Drive or the X-Treme Tone.

If you want pristine, chimey clean, then don't sell your JC-120 (or JC-20) just yet. No amp can do everything perfectly.

There is no difference between the build of these and the other Bad Cad amps. I think they want you to give these to your kid in twenty years. They are keepers.

It's a tube amp, so you'll need tubes...eventually. Other than this, I have no reason to expect problems.

The combo, head and cabinet are built very well. That's my first-hand assessment.

I have spoken on several occasions with the Top Cat. He's been gracious and more than fair. I have no complaints except for availability in my particular area. But that's not really crippling.

I always get the feeling that the firm is doing something FOR me instead of AT me. That feeling is enough sometimes.

I have been playing for about 15 years. I have been tempted by several small amps which I never purchased because something was still missing. They're not missing in the Mini Cat.

My dealer gave me cream knobs so it looks like my Matchless SC-30.

I tested the black Combo and the black Mini Cat stack. I bought both (couldn't help it). Sometimes a company comes along that seems to do it right. Bad Cat seems to swing it. Hope it holds.

I tried Fender Pro Jr. and a variety of others in this category, but the quality came up short. My Orange AD15 was right on, but it's been replaced by a Cub II. Smaller firms like Bad Cat seem to try a lot harder than the fatter, clumsier mass production companies.

Fender and its retro-styled Mexican gimmicks suck the worst. Wannabe old school sells well, but that's not my thing. I just wanted a good amp.

The Mini Cat is found at the furthest end of its respective spectrum of comparable products. That end can be pricey. It's a tad more expensive, but you'll have to sort that out yourself.

This is a brand new Bad Cat Mini Cat - a new for 2003 model for the company. Mine is decked out with a cream colored, cab and sports Bad Cat cream chicken head knobs in lieu of the standard black ones (thanks to classahighperformance.com where I purchased from). Its (as described nicely in the previous review) a 4W class A tube practice/performance/recording amp.

It has one channel, but has a master volume in addition to a preamp volume, so its able to morph between clean glassy class A, bluesy grit, and crunch. It doesn't do shredding high gain sounds, but neither do I. It has a headphone jack, recording out jack, and CAN be used without the speaker plugged in (per BC's website) for quiet practice or direct recording.

I use the amp in my home studio, for playing and recording. I've long been a fan of the low watt tube amp, and this represents the ultimate evolution of the species - I've owned a silverface Fender Vibrochamp from the early 70's, a newer Fender Pro Jr, a Top Hat Portly Cadet, and now this. I've finally found the small amp of my dreams.

This 'small amp' is loud when turned up, and you'll be turning it up to get the best and most truely happening tones (with the master turned way up and the preamp well past 12 O'clock) - so you need to accept the volume. You could play with a restrained drummer like this, but you won't have alot of clean headroom. I haven't tried driving a bigger speaker cab yet.

It sounds great recorded as well - with an SM 57 and condensor room mic (in my case a Neumann TLM103 or Blue Baby Bottle). I haven't tested the DI features enough to determine whether I'd use that.

In summary, its no swiss army knife of amps (hey I have a Rivera for that), but if you want amazing tone around the home/studio in a small package - this is the one.

Most of my guitars are vintage fenders from the mid 60's - Jazzmasters and Jaguars, as well as the obligate Strat and Tele (both Custom Shop Relics) - all with original pickups and hardware. I also have a newer Les Paul Classic, and some odd guitars (Silvertone Harmony Stratotone Jupiter, Hamer Special with P90s, etc...) and it sounds great with single coils and humbuckers alike. The Fenders really chime and sing in a way that only class A provides - and suits my melodic and somewhat stripped down playing style just fine. Notes just ring wonderfully.

When turning it up, switching between Fender and Gibson guitars is a real eye opener - it gets medium crunchy with nice sustain when dimed with the Fenders (think Sticky Fingers era Stones), and really does get a beautiful sustaining singing distortion with the Les Paul (think Heartbreaker era Led Zep). The guitars unique personality shines through 100% -as they should.

Note, the volume, tone, and master controls are highly interactive, and time should be taken to find the sweet spots - there are quite a few. Also note, the bass knob is subtractive - as you increase it you CUT bass, so when using the factory speaker I leave it pretty much all the way to the left - with my Fenders. I've noticed I do cut the bass more when dialing clean sounds with my Les Paul, as well as for distorted sounds, but LPs always sound a bit dark to me.

Since the tone controls are so interactive, I can't imagine that you would gig with this amp unless you need only one basic sound from it. (Although putting my Bad Cat Xtreme tone in front of it gives you a virtual 3 channel amp)

It is very well built and I can't imaging having a problem. Its too early to tell whether it would break or have problems.

I would gig with it (with a good mic and house PA of course) but to me thats not really the strong suit of the amp.

Too early to tell.

I've been playing for over 25 years, and have cool guitars and cool amps galore. This is one great amp, and has me hooked. I'd replace it in a heartbeat if lost/stolen.

Its pricey, but worth it. There's nothing else like it, and as above, I've had other small amps that don't even come close.

Its really a perfect example of pure tone - simple, stripped down, and quite special. It needs nothing else - in fact reverb, effects loops, more channels aren't appropriate here.

Its a classic.

2004 Bad Cat Mini Kat. This is the new single channel 4w Class A combo. (1) 10" Jensen Special Design Speaker, (1) EL-84 Power Amp tube (Groove Tube designed for Bad Cat and (1) 12AX7 (Ruby) preamp tube. Vol,Bass,Treble,Master. No standby. Has line out,headphone out and speaker disconnect.I would imagine youcould easily power a larger cabinet but haven't yet tried. I just bought this amp to add a super-portable, high-end boutique amp for jamming in the lounge etc....

This is easily the loudest

Too many guitars to list without sounding like a show off... Strats, LPs, Gretsch 6118Jr, etc. I'm really liking it with my Jimmie Vaughn strat as it lets the variety of pickup combinations sing, but sounds great with everthing so far, including P-90's. Low end response is as good as can be expected in such a small cabinet /speaker configuration.

This is a LOUD 4 watts. The controls really do have interactive "sweet spots" so take your time finding the settings that work best. A millimeter right or left makes a big difference. Don't really expect to gig with a drummer without miking thru the PA, but I expect to be able to do some smaller venue gigs so long as the drummer shows some restraint. This amp sounds amazing with a Keeley modded TS-9 and Keeley Java Boost (no,I don't work for,nor am I related to Mr.Keeley). Strat-to-boosts to Bad Cat = great tone!!!

Built like the proverbial brick..... Carry an extra 12AX7 & EL84 and you're good

So far so good

Been playing 25+ years. Own a Bogner Shiva, Carr Slant 6V, Ampeg Jet RI. Several guitars -Fenders, Gibsons & Gretch's & the odd Dano. I guess I wish the logo lit up like the bigger brothers... Oh well.

If stolen or lost I would either replace or consider the Savage 6w combo. Either amp is a home run in it's category