Product: Bad Cat Panther R 112 Combo
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
12/26/2007
at
11:27pm
by
Frank Adams
Features
:
10
2007 model. 35 watts, 6V6 power tubes. 2 channel amp. Bad Cat footswitch is supplied that lets you switch between and blend channels. Channel 1 is the "Fender-like" channel. Channel 2 features a EF86 preamp tube and ventures into more Marshall and Vox tone territory. The tone tweaking options are vast on this amp. Each channel has many options and blending the channels creates a whole other realm to explore. There is a half power switch and also a switch that allows you to tweak the overall low end of the amp. No effects loop, but if you need a loop, I doubt that this amp is for you.
Sound Quality
:
10
Tonally hard to decribe. Channel 1 is more Fender-like but with the Celestion speaker, you get something a bit different than the typical Fender-like sound. Channel 2 is spectacular. The EF86 preamp gives the amp a British flavor but the 6V6 power tubes provide some magic "American" dust. Sounds great with single coils and humbuckers. I own many vintage amps (Fender, Vox, Marshall) and this amp seems to borrow a little from all of my favorites. This is a very rich sounding amp with a character all its own. Again, hard to describe, but the sound is very 3D - lush cleans, nice gainy sounds and blending the channels is a lot of fun.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
I just got the amp but I've owned another Bad Cat amp that has been very reliable. I expect to replace tubes on a annual basis and have the amp checked out by my repair guy annually. I'll leave this unrated for now.
Customer Support
:
10
James at Bad Cat has always answered the phone and returned e-mails promptly. I have had great customer support with them.
Overall Rating
:
10
I've been playing professionally since 1980 and own a ton of gear. I've just about heard and seen it all over the years and I am hard to impress. In my situation, I need an amp that can cover many styles of music but also give me a ton that excites me. If the tone sucks, there is no reason to play...at least speaking for myself. When shopping for a 1-12 combo I had my choice of amps. The Panther rose to the top of the list when compared to everything else out there.
