Cornford Hellcat Head

This is an original run Hellcat, it has NO cat on the front plate of the amp serial number HC0057
Im sure there are many reviews that can tell you what this amp has, two channels vintage and modern. no clean and drive which doesnt bother me as i have the vintage channel set up pretty clean

the high and lo input are handy too

iv given it a 9 rather than a 10 because it has no REAL clean channel, obviously the vintage channel can function as a clean channel but its nothing on my carvin legacy

I play a HUGE range of styles as a Degree student so i run all my guitars from telecasters to seven strings through this and it does well. The thing i love about this is its a boutique amp....that can do metal.... nice!!!

it has the same operating noise as your regular tube amp

cornford are renowned for being tone gods...and this amp is, it can do ANYTHING! an i still cant get over how metal that modern channel is with the drive on 10!

as of yet there have been no problems, its a sturdy beast!

I have called cornford to ask a few questions like the history of the amp and i was dealt with in a fast polite manner, very nice guys!

Iv been playing 6 years now, and own quite alot of gear...but this is my favourite! if it were stolen...id pay someone to hunt down the thief then use his ***** as a patch cable...simple as

come on!!! its point to point hand wired!!! that deserves a 10!

I have one of the early ones made in the 1st yr or 2 of production. For what I'm mostly playing now, which is jam-band, free jazz stuff the 2 ch is all I need. I'm into high gain as much as any metalhead, but when doing the exploratory improv stuff I'm using the clean ch about 75% of the time.

The fx loop works astonishingly well for a serial loop for my mostly analog pedals.

Its 35w is enough for me. I get to crank it pretty loud - clean ch. halfway & dist ch around 2:00 when jamming. That's w/a 2x12 cab on the floor which I do on purpose so it doesn't project as well & thus allowing me to turn the vol up.

By now you all know it's P-to-P wired, no PCBs.

In the preamp I'm using Tung Sol goldpins in pos 1, 4 & 5. JJ's in ps 2 & 3. The EL84s are Electro-Harmonix stamped, which might be made by Sovtek. I was told the JJ pwr tubes burn too hot in this amp unless you change the input resistor from its 1k vers to roughly a 5k.

One thing I'd wish for is ch. switching on the front panel.

I'm using a Carvin SC90S & an American Strat w/high output Carvin pickups - a HB & a stacked single-coil. No middle p/u for me - it gets in the way when doing the metal chugging.

I recently had 3 amps but had to downsize for monetary reasons. It came down to keeping this or a Marshall JVM410H. When I played them back-to-back it was no contest no matter what cab I used. It's the distortion tone that decides it for me. The JVM is very versatile & does everything well - capable of very high gain, but this Hellcat's dist tone is so much richer & less compressed.

I'm using the hi input. The low input as expected, has slightly less gain. I also use a Humphrey Audio-modded Metalzone w/its EQ settings halfway & dist level on 0 - as a solo boost. Also sometimes a Phoenix Electronics Cream Tangerine, which is a boutique compressor that doesn't compress/flatten entirely like most of them do. The reasons for using these pedals for boost is I often like to solo w/the neck p/u when playing the upper registers as it allows for a creamier tone & better sounding sweep-picking.

The pot for the ch-switching broke soon after I got it. Soon afterwards the reverb stopped working. I thought it was also the switch, but turns out it's something else. Fortunately I don't care for reverb esp. when the tone is already near perfect. I'd prefer if there was no reverb tank in this thing. I should actually disconnect it and/or remove it since it's not working & I have no intention of getting it fixed or selling the amp.

I've been playing since 1981 though I took a few yrs "off" during the mid-90s. I use this head w/an Avatar 2x12 (V30s) & a shitload of pedals. One thing you should do is connect as few pedals as possible bet. your gtr & amp input or it'll deplete your tone. Your tuner, dist pedals & noise gate can go in the front, but any kind of modulation, delays, etc should go thru the fx loop. That is unless you're using a true bypass loop switcher for all your pedals.

I've had a Marshall JMP, 30th Anniversay, JVM, a couple of Boogies, Peavey Triple X, Sovtek Mig50, Roland JC-120, Soldano HR-50 & Decatone, Carvin Legacy & maybe others I can't remember right now. Only the Decatone was as good as this. The only other amp I'm planning on getting when finances shape up is an SLO-100, which is still my favorite amp. This & the Decatone is #2 fave.

The Hellcat is a boutique and point to point wired product for players who truly love tone. It has 2 channels , modern (high gain ) and vintage (vox ac30`ish ).35 watts output , but its a loud 35 watts and no problems whatsoever for use in live bandsituation. In terms of build quality, the Hellcat is built to withstand an atomic war, if you ever got a look on the inside, the PTP wiring will take your breath away, these things are built with a pride in the product.My only gripe is with the footswitch for changing channel and switching reverb on or off, it doesnt have led`s so as you can tell at glance..........quite silly really and its -1 point for this Cornford.

With the Hellcat being el84 based, you arent going to get the bottom end of an el34 or 6L6 based head, I dont play thrash metal or any of the music that Engl amp buyers love, so this aint no problem for me whatsoever. The cleaner vintage channel will make your strats chime like a tuning fork and is sublime for those eric johnson moments. The high gain modern channel is made for those parisienne walkways moments and has more drive than you will ever need.Take a nice guitar with PAF style pickups and the Hellcat will put a smile on your face , the fx loop is quiet and unintrusive and the reverb is lush and musical ....just brilliant.

Its the mercedes of boutique tube heads, these things are built for the gigging pro right down to the bedroom hack .

The Hellcat performs so superbly, I havent had a need to phone them, says it all really.

I just love it, I really do. Ive gigged it, recorded with it and noodled in a room in my house with it and its never even broken sweat. You can buy a cheaply made with cheap parts amp like a modern Marshall and wait whilst its in the repair shop have blown transformers and/or warped circuit boards replaced or......you can spend that little bit extra or a handbuilt and hand wired product that is made to last and not have the headaches and stress a Modern Marshall will give you.If my Hellcat were stolen or lost, id be distraught for sure. Well done to Cornford, the Mercedes of boutique tube amps.

testa 35 watt, due canali.distorto e pulito che dire unici!!!!!!!un amplificatore capace di fare qualsiasi genere dal blues al metal!! io riesco a suonare in un concerto con un solo canale e riesco a fare distorte pulito solo giocando con il volume!!!!!!!!!!

io lo uso con una fender strato natural, un diamond memory lane 2 , petterson stromp 2 e un isp decimator .per questo amplificatore occorre avere dei ottimi pedali,che senso ha avere un ampli cosi e mettere dei bos??? il suono spacca!!! i puliti cristallini fino anche a sonorita jazz, i distorti mostruosi un po rumorisi ma ?? normale per un amli spinto cosi!!!ha un suono vero non acito asciutto solo metallaro dei soliti mesa eng ecc...grande cornford!!!!!!!!!

mai un problema!!speriamo in bene

se mandi un'email sul sito ti rispondera facilmente non poco per prodotti cosi!!! grazie per avere costrutio dei gioielli!!!!

il voto finale ?? un vero amplificatore con le palle!!capace di soddisfarti in qualsiasi genere occhio pero che se pur avendo due canali tutto sembra facile in realta non lo ??!!! risalta ogni piccola pecca anche la chitarra se non ?? sistemata bene ,il tuo tocco e tuto quello che entra nel segnale!! per il resto ?? unico!

Can't change channel without footswitch!
Can't use many types of valve on older models.
Otherwise all I ever wanted.

Just never quite as good as my Plexis.
vintage channel is nice, but not as nice as my Cornells.
Modern is noise, squealing feedback (nasty type), and too much compression.
Doesn't cut in the mix - it has a dark tone.
Sounds wonderful at home - but why spend so much on a practise amp?
I was so disappointed as I had hoped and expected to keep this for life. I would even have forgiven the naff nameplate and tacky embarrassing cat on the front.
It lasted ten weeks of almost endless A/B work and soul searching - then it went.

No problems

Phoned a couple of times - spoke to Martin Kidd - very helpful

Biggest disappointment ever.
I wanted to love this amp as I had always wanted one based on all the reviews below etc - but it didn't do it for me.
I guess the world divides, if you like a plexi - EL84 or EL34, don't buy this one!

This is a 2nd. review of the Hell cat..

After owning it for a few months the same thing happens to my ears that every EL84 amp has done to me..to much FIZZ...the harmonics on the bass strings are waisted..they dont come off at all its just buzz & fizz..the rest of the amps tones are awesome, but I happen to love pinch harmonics..and I believe EL84 based amps under lead gain volumes dont have the headroom for them...

killer amp build

excellent

I am selling this head, and going back to a modded 50 watt plexi type amp..Looking at a custom 50 by Dabeck amps...

Two channel EL84 based brittish amp. It does have shared EQ, but its perfect for both channels, and really works great. a very loud 35 watts, with uncanny headroom. Great looking to boot...

The cleans can do about anything you ever dreamed of, and this clean channel can crunch as well. The lead channel can really be played with no pedals at all. lots of gain on tap here, but I like turning it to 12:o clock and useing a Barber direct drive to boost the leads..This way I can have a super clean, a fat clean, a killer crunch and a very fat ass punchy lead tone. If you overdrive the front end to much you can get that fizzy EL84 tone, so I really dont puch it very hard with the pedal.
AS for tones & feel....Its the bomb. I sold my beloved Two Rock Emerald Pro for this amp, and the first few weeks I was in shock. But now its really a better amp for my needs, much more feel & emotion come out of me with this amp. Very singing in all modes, with just the right amount of brittish grain.

I have heard they are very well built amps, but it is point to point, and that means very easy to fix, and will outlive me.

One of the very best out there. Paul will e-mail you right back on any ? you might have. many forum info on these amps as well.

I use everything from a Tom Anderson strat to a SG standard and they all sound great. I am still finding all the sweet spots this amp has to offer, and I am still on the honeymoon period. So far I really like everything the amp has to offer. I did find, like many other EL84 type amps, some OD pedals work and some dont..the old Barber direct drive works very well, my Anologman OD ...did not.

I bought the Hellcat head and matching 4x12 cabinet used. The serial number is #0051 and the date of manufacture is 2002. The reason I know the exact date the head was built is because being an electrician by trade and obcessive compulsive by birth, when I the head was delivered to my house, the first thing I did was rremove the chassis from the head box. The inside of the chassis was dated and signed by Martin Kidd. Because of my profession, I was immediatly impressed by the quality and apperance of the wiring. To go to so much trouble to make something that will never be seen by most people so neat and tidy speaks volumes for the love that this company has for it's products! Most people reading this already knows the specs so I'll deal more with sound.

I was a little worried at first about the shared eq for both channels. I am not one to buy something I've never played and certainly not for this much money, however I had been looking for a channel switching amp for sometime and having played almost everything in my area I was ready to take a chance. The worries about the shared eq were quickly put to rest, this amp sounds so good that the eq that sounds good to your ear on one channel magically blends in to the other. My only reference to this amp was a DVD I got from Tone Merchants of Guthrie Govan playing one of there heads. I was amazed at how he was able to coax any tone out of the head by tone and volume changes on his guitar. Because he could make a Peavey Bandit sound amazing I was still a little worried. But this amp actually works like that, it is so responsive to every nuance of what it's being fed. Another unique quality of the amp is the tone controls themselves. I had so many amps that were designed by engineers and the bass, middle and treble controls cut frequencies that they thought should be cut and were basically useless! The people at Cornford must be guitar players because as guitar players there is a very narrow range of frequencies at which we like to tweek,and this amp nails it, every control does what it says and the point it should do it, I hope that makes sense! With the reverb on on the Vintage channel and the gain rolled off it almost sounds like a Fender Twin. Roll the gain up on the channel and it gets so chunky and still defined. But the Modern channel is what really does it for me. Turn the gain up raise the volume as loud as you can stand and just let the amp speak to you! You really have to feel the sound to understand. A word of warning to all reading this review, there seems to be 2 camps of Tube amp buyers, harmonic distortion and preamp distortion like the new metal sound. I am into power tube harmonic distortion sound so I don't know how this would work for that style. But living through the 80's shred era this is the perfect amp for me. The Cornford cabinet had greenbacks in when I got it and I quickly changed them out for Hellatone 60L's, which are essentially broke-in Vintage 30's, which is what the cabinets originally come with. I use Les Paul's w/ burstbucker pickups, Jackson Dinky w/Trembucker, Ibanez RG550 & RG 360 w/Trembucker.

Judging by the construction, I would say this amp would be extremely reliable, but I've only had it a short time.

I sent some questions to Cornford via email before I bought the amp and they were very helpful and informative.

This amp is an investment! I could not see myself ever getting rid of it. I have tried so many amps and there was always something that I didn't like about them. I paid more for this amp and cabinet than I have for most of the cars I have driven in my life so how can I call it a value, I can quit wasting time always looking at the next great amp that comes out and focus on my playing and to me, just in time saved that's a great value!

Well what can i say ? 35 LOUD Valve watts ! Amazing tone from standard controls. 2 Inputs for lo and high output guitars, treble, middle, bass, reverb, twin gain controls for "vintage" and "Modern" channels. To put it simply yes the eq is shared on both channels but to be honnest its that good you dont need dual eq.

Had the amp for a short while but afte only a few mins i was blown away with all sounds at all levels. this is the best amp i have ever owned. I have had Mesa, Marshall, Lany, Fender etc.. but this is without doubt the best sounding amp i have been fortunate enough to own. Yes its not cheap but its worth every penny.

I play with Ibanez RG series guitars and get the tone i have always drempt of. My gear is :

Hellcat head, Marshall 1922 cab, TC Electronic G-system, cry baby & Boss ds-3 into the loops on the gsystem. and all i can say is that if you get bad tone from this amp you need new tubes, or get your ears tested ! Its Bloody fantastic.

Cant say anything as im a new user but as with all amps of this nature carry spare tubes and fuses and i think you will be ok. This amp is built very well and i can say that im sure it will take alot of stick but at the end of the day it's electronic and things can and sadly do go wrong. If i had the money then i would buy annother as a spare incase the worst was to happen but i highly doubt it.

I have sent emails asking general advice and have has a reply within the hr so Great ! And have also spoken to mr Cornford himself over the phone and he was very helpful ! how many companies do you know of that put you though to the guy who made your amp ? none that i know of appart from cornford so all i can say is GREAT !

Been playing fo 15 years and have owned alot of gear from crap to pro and i can honestly say that this is the best amp for me ! I play iabanez guitars and also strats etc.. tc electronic effects (only on the odd tune) if it were stolen i would hunt the culprit down and do some very nasty things to him / her ! then i would buy annother !

I feel that I must kick off this review by saying that I have no in-depth technical knowledge on how an amp operates, is constructed or works.I am merely a player and certainley no amp purist/tone-head.I say this merely to excuse my comments regarding the features on this amp.
My main gripe is the shared EQ which actually doesn't pose a problem in a real-world gig situation although separate EQ's would be a nice touch.It just niggles a bit that we haven't got that sort of versatiliy on what otherwise is the greatest of amps.
A previous reviewer commented on the lack of LEDs on the footswitch.Again this would be lovely, but I would refer him to the review in Guitarist magazine some years ago which gave a technical explanation for this omission.Frankly I've never found it a real problem.
I prefer switchable parallel and series effects loops, but let's face it we're into Boogie terratory now.The series effects loop sounds great with any decent modulation device.All in all this baby has all the features Lord Hendrix himself would require to play his largest ever gig!I apologise for my nit-picking

No question, this sounds like nothing else around.Vintage can give the most pristine clean tones,overdriven crunch and, if you're a bit adventurous with the pedals, some quite unique filth.The modern channel is the great prize in my opinion.All the review cliches apply.Utter distortion with the gain full out with every note perceptible.Floor the power amp and back off on the guitar and it's bell-like all the way.My fave is heavy on volume and sparse with the gain.The tone is just divine and suited to just about any mainstream style but if you want more it is all there.I reckon the only thing it can't do is a convincing vintage Fender amp-if you want that get a Fender.The Hellcat is 35W and,girls and boys, we all know the power rating can be a bit confusing.At a recent gig I took a Marshal TSL 100W combo as a back-up but AB'd it with a Lehle unit.The Marshall wound up didn't even approach the clarity of the Hell Cat running through a Cornford 2X12 in a full-on gig situation.I have had this amp for over 4 years and still get a thrill firing it up.If you have the cash this amp is the only choice

4 years-not even a valve gone.Rugged is the word

Have the amp looked at every year or so.No problems.Cornford are reknowned.The boss man will speak to you himself if required.I get the impression that were the amp to develop a fault in 10 years time the Cornford boys (& Girls!!) would be a helpful as if I'd bought it yesterday

9 merely because of the features.Which is ironic because , being an amature, I simply don't need them.I am a lucky boy and am fortunate enough to own a Cornford Harlequin & Carrera(see my review on that Bad-Boy).I also have a music-man valve head(based on the Bassman).I sold my Marshall-they're just not that good(sorry).I love my Boogie Mark IV and have a lingering love for my hybrid Fender combo which served me faithfully for over ten years when I was penniles and couldn't afford any good stuff(please remember it truly is all in the fingers and that no hardware really makes you great!)My beautiful wife bought me an Orange Tiny Terror for Christmas(almost as good as this but cheap!!) and I run a couple of Cornford 2X12's.I own some great guitars and some which distinctly aren't so great.Everything sound beautiful through this.
I feel I know what constitutes great tone and this is at the top of the pile so TRY ONE
P.S
I have serial No 58.This early they didn't have that awful bloody cat tattoed onto the front plate-get rid Cornford!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

35 watt, 2 channel head, with shared EQ and reverb.
Channels and Reverb can be controlled via the supplied footswitch.
Series effects loop. Straightforward operation, no superfluous switches or settings. It would have been a nice touch if the footswitch had LED's when the "Modern" channel or the "Reverb" is selected.
However, between the two channels, and using the volume and tone pots on the guitar, the Hellcat is one of the most versatile tone machines available on the market today.
To be ultra picky, I'll take a mark off the top spot for no LED's on the footswitch, but I almost feel guilty about it!

Our band, Tora Bora, is based in Guernsey, Channel Isles. We play a mix of classic/southern/and original blues-based rock material, playing our own versions of tracks originally recorded by diverse artistes such as The Doors, The Allman Brothers, The Band, Fleetwood Mac, Hendrix, SRV, and Dylan, to name just a few, as well as some of our own.
I play a mix of rhythm and slide guitar, using a Les Paul Goldtop RI '57 (with Bareknuckle "The Mule" pickups), and a Les Paul Standard (set up for slide in open-E tuning, using Wagner "Darkburst" pickups).

The Hellcat is the first amp I've owned that covers all these bases perfectly, without having to resort to various stomp boxes. ( I have recently sold a Boss DS2, Boss Sustain pedal, a Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal and an Ibanez Tube Screamer- I simply don't need them anymore).I have previously owned a VHT Pittbull 45, a hand-wired Germino Masonette, a Marshall DSL 50, and the hand-wired Marshall 2061X.I am not going to knock those amps- they're all good amps- but for versatility, sheer class and monster tone, the Cornford is definately in a class of it's own.
I was a little bit concerned about the shared EQ after my experience with the DSL (I could never get a good tone from both channels on the same settings). However, the Hellcat is beautifully balanced in this respect- two very different channels, but perfect in the same amp- very complimentary.I also use a Marshall 1960 AX (4x12 Greenbacks) with the amp, which I'm very happy with.
The "Vintage" channel can be very clean and shimmery, although the 35 watts does restict the headroom a bit. It's kinda Blackface-ish, but it does have it's own unique voice. Turn up the gain, and the tone begins to thicken up, easing into crunch territory.
The "Modern" channel takes over, providing stunning crunch at lower gain settings. As the gain is advanced, the crunch gradually changes to the most beautiful, open, fluid, dynamic tone that you really have to hear to appreciate. The Hellcat is incredibly responsive to the guitar,and the way it's played. Almost intuitive. Increase the gain even further, and you've got the most brutal, sustaining "Cornford Filth" available, but always staying tight and defined. No mush here whatsoever, just oozing with classic tone. (I see what they mean about going where no boutique amp has dared to visit...)

Only gigged twice so far. I didn't have a backup, but to be honest, tubes/fuses can go on the most meticulously made gear, so it's always a bit of a risk...
However, the Hellcat is completely hand-wired. Cornford never use PCB's, so I'm not expecting any issues with this amp. I won't rate this category as reliability can only be judged over time...

I've spoken to Martin Kidd a couple of times. Very knowlegable, (he should be- he designed the Cornford range!), and always helpful. Normally responds to emails quickly.

Been playing around 35 years, and apart from the Gibsons (already mentioned) I have a Rickenbacker 660/12 for that lovely jangle only a Ric can provide.
I would, without question, replace the Hellcat if such a situation arose. I really think Cornford have produced a fantastic product here. 35 watts is just about the right compromise between headroom and allowing the power tubes to cook a bit on your average gig, and the tone is enough to make you melt.
Not cheap by any means- but when you consider (and HEAR!) what you're getting, it's still very good value.

Just good old fashioned 'useable' knobs, no fancy electronics here. Controls that work and an effects loop. It's a 2 channel amp that does what it says on the box!! The only down side is that channel switching and reverb is via foot switch only and no LED's on the footswitch! Other than that, it's got everything I NEED in a very simple yet sophisticated package.

I use Les Pauls and a G & L Asat, both come to life with this amp... more so than with my other amp which a Cornford MK50. I mainly play Classic rock... Thin Lizzy, Free, Bad Co through to AC/DC, MSG and G & R and it covers all bases very well... it's all there. It's a valve amp so there is a little bit of transformer hum... but it's no big deal, the gain on the modern channel has to be set quite high for it to be noticeable. The sheer amount of variation in tone you have with just basic controls is astounding. The vintage channel can be nice and clean, but with it being only 35 watts means the headroom is going to be limited. The modern channel can go from crunch to madness (think moded AC30 on steroids). Both channels are very sweet sounding, absolutely no harshness... if you get a bad sound with one of these, it's either not working properly or you need to look at the rest of your gear!!!

So far so good.... I have faith. I already own a Cornford MK50 and have never had a problem and I don't expect any with the Hellcat. If it does go wrong I'm not too worried as it's all hand built, point to point wired which means that it's all repairable anyway. I have left the tubes in that came from the factory, but when the time comes to change I'll probably go for Groove Tubes as my MK DID sound smoother and sweeter with these fitted.

I;ve spoken to both Paul Cornford and Martin Kidd several times about various things (though never the need to get my amp repaired), and I have ALWAYS been treated as though I was the only customer! These Cornford folk really do care about keeping ALL their customers happy, absolutely top marks.

I've been playing for 25 years off and on though never with the intention of being a rock star, and I have only recently found a sound I'm happy with. First with the MK, and now with the Hellcat. Why do I have both? Well they are different beasts with different sounds.... either amp will be enough for most. I only brought the Hellcat because I use both with a stereo cab and switch between the 2 to get EVEN more variety of sounds, and it's ALL valve. FANTASIC!! If it were stolen I would get another, no need for any other amp in my opinion... tried the rest and now I'll stick with who and what I consider THE best. If I have any criticism of both my amps then it's the lack of a proper volume boost for lead work. I have found the perfect way round this problem, but I wish Cornford had designed a dedicated solo boost into the circuit. I use an MXR micro amp through the effects loop and it sounds awesome.... it's as simple as that. I was a bit concerned about this and tried various ways of trying to get the solo boost I needed... and this is great.. just a simple pedal with 1 control knob. LED's on the foot switch would have been nice, but you can tell by the sound which channel you are using.

My amp was made in 2002, and was purchased thru Fazios music in st louis missouri.I've had the amp now for going on three years so I feel like I can give an honest review.I'ts a class A 35watt 2channell head with shared eq and series loop.I play in a 4 piece band and most of the venues I play in are small buildings but very open.The 35 watts are more than enough for my environment.Only two channells at your disposal??yeah! and i get more out of this than any 3-4ch on the market..period!!!!!

I play one of three John Suhr standard guitars thru this amp and they all sound huge.It amazes me how the hellcat brings out all the characteristics of each of my guitars. I can even hear the difference when someone else plays them. the clean is amongst the best ever heard. very blackface fender sounding with a light breakup as you increase the gain on ch 1.You can go from eric johnson clean to srv blues by simply leaving the gain around 3/4 of the way up and simply rolling off the volume on your guitar.CH 2 is amazing!!!If anyone has ever told you they are looking for that sound in your head.I found it!!great crunch to start out and then turn your gain up and you get "flying in a blue dream sustain without any harshness.One of the smoothest leads ive ever had the privalage to play and record with.

I've never had a problem after 3 yrs. built to last and as neat on the inside as it looks on the outside.

I've spoke to paul & martin kidd on sveral occasions. Both of the guys are so kind and very easy to deal with.If I worked for a company in the guitar industry i wouldn't hesitate to put my resume in with these guys. you get the feeling that your investing into something of value, a product of commitment. I for one can't wait to see what pops into martins head in the next five years..sacry!

been playing for 17 years,playing in a band for six.i've owned lots of guitars and have sold all of the after finding John Suhr's guitars and I would never go back.Had my hellcat for three years and have found a quality for the $$ that justifies such an expensive purchase. Just like when I look at my suhr's after they've been run hard for a good three hours and notice their still in tune(all with floyds). I get the same feeling getting consistent tone out of my Cornford.I just ordered suhrs amazing new od50sh to sing along side my hellcat/matching 4x12. And although I think I have all my bases covered, if martin comes up with the rumored mk50 2channell I may need to start donating blood for $.

Ive had my Hellcat for 15 months now and can give it another review on how i feel it has performed. The Hellcat can do anything , its that simple and the amp is that good. Thankfully there are NO irrelevant features a la scoop this , cut this , tone shift the other and all that nonsense, this amp is built for tone.Its 35 watts but its a LOUD 35 watts , the drive is sensational , really has all you could ever wish for, the vintage or plexi as i call it, channel , is great for rhythm and if you go clean, it is heavenly , talk about chiming with bell like clarity.Cornford make an astonishing product with their Hellcat Head.

Gary Moore sustain and intensity =Easy
Billy Gibbons Crunch and Grind= Easy
Mark Knopfler Bell Lile Strat Tone = Easy
I use it with a 2001 Gibson R9 , im a huge Gary Moore / John Sykes / Billy Gibbons fan and this amp makes it all too easy !! Ive had Marshalls, Mesa, Laney and Fender amps and this amp just mocks them, its that good.

(touches wood) Flawless so far, Ive phoned Martin at Cornford for technical advice and he gives you all the time you need, is supremely knowledgeable, i mean he is the guy who built my amp and welcomes you warmly any time you call . Magnificent.

If anything went wrong with my hellcat , its a short flight to dorset, it is 100% PTP and should be very simple to rectify any situation should it arise.

Im running out of superlatives. It flat out makes tones that put its player on board the plane to tonal heaven I want a MK50H head by Cornford now to partner with my Hellcat . Supreme Tone , Supreme Build and Supreme Back Up , do I need to say more.Cornford.........you totally RULE !!

I bought this amp in 2003. It is a 35 watt class A with 4 el84's and 4 or 5 12ax7's. Its two channel with a serial fx loop. This amp is very versatile. The vintage channel will do clean and reacts very nicely with pedals. As you increase the gain it will break up. Sounds good with single or humbucker. However I find that I use the treble control sparingly with single coils. Really you can just use the vintage channel with different overdrive or distortion pedals. Its a great channel.

The lead channel is also wonderful. Very tight punchy. You can set it light for a pretty big crunch and use a pedal to kick in lead or turn the gain up for a really singing tone. I would describe the tone similar to the into of ZZtop "Tush" with the gain around 4-5.

Dont let 35 watts fool you. I cant push the masters over 5 in a really loud band. Its plenty loud. It seems right about the right level between 3-5 on the master.

It has a nice reverb as well. I really dont use the reverb much. When I do I keep it low 2-4.

It comes with a nice rugged foot switch. I wish it had LED lights on it as sometimes Im not sure what channel is on. If you run distortion on both channels you can get confused on stage. But its not a big deal.

The fx loop send levels are controled by the gain controls. So if you use the "send" to go to an fx unit and out to another amp, the levels are difficult to control when switching channels, especially if you run the the gain low for clean and really high for the lead channel. If you just use the fx loop for a processor back into the amp, the master vol for each channel will be able to mix them fine. If you want to keep the original tone dry and send fx to another amp, you may want to pull,(Convert) a line level signal from the speaker output via a Hotplate or some other instrument to line level device.

Personally I think the amp sounds best without a processor in the loop. How ever I do use the loop. I send a 20' cable out to my pedal board into a Cornish buffer booster then into a Trex delay. Both of those pedals do not color or change the sound of the amp in any way to my ears. Very clean pedals and the buffer makes up the tone loss of 40' of cable. The delay sounds best to me after the preamp.

I do wish it had a Line out after the power amp. If you only use 1 speaker cabinet you could have the other speaker output converted easily.

Im playing Blues, rock and Fusion. The amp is not noisy at all. Very little hiss with the gain set high. But all high gain amps have some hiss.
As I said prior the clean channel will do very clean. But when you turn the gain up it does sound crunchy. Very nice with a strat similar to SRV. With humbuckers it goes into a low gain distortion. Fuzz pedals will sound better with a little gain in the channel.

The Lead channel is pretty high gain but not like a Mesa high gain. The Cornford gain sound is really unique but also reminds you of the great distortions of the old days. It really shines on solos. Hard to describe. Im sure most guys will love it.

I find that the treble control sounds best set fairly low between 3-5, the bass sounds great at 9-10, and the Mid can vary, it sounds great every where.

The day I bought this amp I opened it up to look inside. It is what they say. Top notch point to point , very neat and they did not go cheap on parts. I do have a concern about the metal grid you have to remove to get to the tubes. Its just screwed into the wood cabinet. After a few times of removing it the holes will probably be stripped out. The tolex also seems easily damaged.

I did have a problem with my 2x12 cabinet. I did not give it good reviews on reliability. However It does sound really good. Im not a fan of the Vintage 30 speaker. I changed to the G12h30 and am much more pleased. You can read that review on the 2x12 cab section. Over all I believe its very reliable. However I would suggest a road case.

The times I emailed concerning a purchase or to ask tech questions I got a nice reply, very helpful. When I had a complaint I heard nothing. I did not ask for warranty repair due to I had already modified the cabinet by changing the speakers and frankly thought they would think I damaged it. I would have though they would emailed back and at least acknowledged my constructive critism. Pretty hard to have good cust service when you are in England. Marshall had the same problem from my experience.

Ive been playing approx 25 years semi pro. I also teach. I own other amps, mesa boogie triaxis/simul 290 rig which I still like. Although im not playing it much.

If it were lost or stolen I would try to buy another one.

What I love about the Hellcat is that it sounds so wonderful and is not so loud you cant rev it up. Its very versatile for all styles of music.

What I hate about it is the price, I think the list is $3500. I dont like that there is not a line out and there is no LED lights on the foot switch. I also think using a threaded insert for things that are going to be removed and replaced during normal maintenence shold be considered. I feel Its worth a good amount money. They could drop the price by $500 on list and I think it might be more reasonable and competitive. If the customer service from the company was there, price wouldnt be an issue for me.

Although I must say the place I bought it in Denver Colo "GuitarX" is one of the finest stores Ive shopped. My friends Gary and Shawna are always going out of their way to satisfy their customers and carry all sorts of boutique instruments. Stuff you wont normally see on the store room floor. They Give a very fair price and service of excellence!

Had this puppy about 3 months now so feel qualified to comment. It is mated with a Cronford 4x12 cab containing Celestion vintage 30's.

It's a hand wired, hand build, British tube amp with hi and low inputs, two channels (Vintage & Modern), spring reverb, shared e.q. and an effects loop. The 4 el84's push out more than enough power for all but the largest gigs for which I would mike up anyway.

I'm giving it a 9 in this category as it's such a versatile little beast. Although it hasn't got loads of superflous features, it doesn't need 'em. It's so versatile that the two channels in conjunction with the controls on the guitar (remember those?) can deliver 95% of what I need.

I had heard legendary things about this amp so off I went down to Vintage Guitars in London to try one out. Within about 10 mins I was totally sold on the sound. I play a variety of guitars from a LP through to a JS1000. The vintage channel can go from very clean (not ultra clean though) to warm, through that 'just about to break up' phase and into crunch territory with ease. And all this by just rolling the guitar's volume on and off. Sounds like an AC30 alright. The Modern channel will just about do clean at about 8 o'clock but from around 12 o'clock upwards it really starts to sing. There is some serious gain available here but it never gets harsh or brittle. Just loads of creamy distortion on tap with shed loads of even order harmonics. I just can't leave it alone, it really is that good. The tone controls are pitched just right and have a USABLE range which is more than I can say for most modern amps. The slight downside as with any tube amp is the noise level which does tend to make itself known at higher gain settings.

These units are built to a very high standard. Physically I would trust it to go several rounds with a rhinocerous. Of course, it being a valve amp it would always make sense to have spare tubes available just in case.

The 4x12 is made of solid pine and is very heavy. The pine no doubt contributes to the warm sound but there is a downside here. Mine was dented during transport and I would say it's more susceptible to damage than say a ply construction.

I rang the company a couple of times and was always able to speak to someone knowledgeable. They treat you as if you were their only customer which makes a refreshing change these days.

Been playing for more than 20 years. Got a LP Jimmy Page, Charvel Custom and JS1000. Have owned loads of stuff and also have my own PC based recording studio. Before the Hellcat I had a Mashall JCM 900 which I used to think was OK until I bought this!

If mine were stolen I'd probably go for the Hellcat Combo as it's more practical for the kind of stuff I do.

I did try a few Mesa/Boogie models before the this but there was no comparison.

2 channels , 4 x el84 , point to point wired and handbuilt etc etc , others have covered all this stuff.

i play a Gibson R9 Les Paul with voodoo 59 PAF pickups, this amp is the sound ive waited all my life for.the modern channel is warm and creamy and the vintage is every tone peter green ever recorded. takes your marshall , mesa , engl and shows em how it should be done . in fact, it shows how the mighty have fallen, when you see what marshall are producing, they should hang their heads in shame when you see the quality cornford are producing. superlative in every way. well done cornford.

had it about one month , time will answer this.

phoned max at cornford to get an instruction manual, mailed to me in under 5 mins, a genuinely nice bloke and service was excellent.

boutique handmade british and built to last a lifetime. there is only one other amp id like to own alongside my hellcat and that is a THD flexi, the rest, Marshall , Mesa ..........you can keep, they simply aint in the same league. Couldnt say enough good things about the Cornford experience, if you dig Gary Moore neverending sustain right down to Peter Green Albatross, this amp will bring tears to your eyes and i mean that. 100% recommended, #1700 new is expensive, i was lucky, mine was 2nd hand and barely broken in , Mark i thank you warmly for a deal of a lifetime, but you get what you pay for, the Hellcat aint a disposable amp like a modern production Marshall , its a life keeper and something to be very proud of indeed.

Ah, what can't you do with this. This amp is every important amp we've grown to love it's in one cab.

Features include two channels with High/Low inputs and a tube reverb.

The loop is as quiet as it gets!

No matter what axe I use - I have 9 - the tone I seek is immediately attainable through the very responsive eq. I have never heard this amp sound shrill and I suspect a previous reviewer has obtained a modified unit. This amp deliveres everything from delicate glassy tones to insane shred. But, unlike other amps, this one maintains it tonal definition through it's entire tonal spectrum.

I've never seen an amp that is better than this beauty. In fact, I've never seen one as good as this glorious point to point unit.

I've not needed support since I got it but I was able to get answers from their web sight and they were timely.

The use of the highest grade components and exquisite care in production make this the best amp I have ever owned and I've owned (and still own) many fine amps.

They're not giving them away and neither should they. Even in this price range, the versitility, make and sound still gives you an incredible value.

I bought this amp new 2 months ago, no too sure when it was made. This amp is VERY versatile - even if it only had one channel. It has two channels- modern and vintage. It also has onboard reverb, which is possibly the best reverb effect ive heard so far. I use this amp for gigging and band rehearsals, and the 35 watts it offers is more than adequate.

I use this with a Gibson Les Paul custom and the tones i get from it are amazing. Im not too sure what the reviewer below was doing to make it sound brittle, hes probably too used to using fizzy marshalls. There is no noise at all, even at high volumes.
The range of sounds on this amp is awesome, it goes from the perfect jazz tone all the way to the heaviest, tightest distortion on this planet. This amp has so many great sounds it will suit everyone...if they have good technique. Its hard to explain the sensitivity of this amp...its almost as if its a part of your guitar. Every nuance of your playing is picked up, allowing maximum expression in your playing. To hear the amp being played, go to www.tonemerchants.com, as theyve got videos of the legendary Guthrie Govan playing through a Hellcat.

I had a look inside the amp a few weeks ago and was amazed by the sheer attention to detail put into the making. No PCBS at all. This amp can take all the abuse you can give it and still provide amazing tone

I met some of the geniuses behind this amp at the London Guitar Show this year, and they were very friendly and dedicated to providing the best tone at the best prices. After having a look inside the amp, I dont think theres any need to get warranty.

I have been playing for 5 years now, and im glad i found this amp so early into my playing career. If it were stolen or lost, id buy two in case it happened again. I love everything about this amp, it is actually FLAWLESS. Put this next to any amp and it will come out on top. I cant believe I spent 5 years without this amp.
Its already got a good list of users, and im sure there are many that would enjoy it (cough)Paul Gilbert(cough).

So remember BUY CORNFORD BURN MARSHALL

2003 amp, has a footswitch option for both channels.I thought the sounds were a little brittle and predictable. It looks a couple steps short of class and sounds it

I just use a Paul and its volume and tone controls, and the Paul stays, the amp goes. There is quite a large initial buzz as you switch on and off. This may just have been one of those amps, but it does affect the sound. I had heard that this was a "brown sound" type of amp and I think dirty describes it better. Just a little naive and brutal. No real class.

No real reliability issues. The powder coating looks a little poor to the rear of the amp where it sits in the cab and I am sure that will flare up at some point.

Can't really comment. They do not answer messages.

Les Paul '59 reissue out of Daves in La Crosse. Tube screamer and Dog's wah. Suits me.
Playing 24 years. Had lots of gear, I'll stick with my Marshall.

Made in UK in 2002,2 footswitchable channels,reverb(also footswichable)series effects loop whicn I never use,extremely versatile amp which I use for small/medium gigs,playing classic rock and blues.35 watts of delicious valve power via 4 el84's,this is loud enough for most gigs-anything bigger I go through the board.Even though there are relatively few features in comparison to other amps it still scores 10 because it's perfect for me.

This section is where the hellcat shines,the vintage channel is exactly that,vintage ac30 like tones- you can get just on the edge of breakup tone with the gain around halfway right through to a classic ac/dc crunch when wound up.I'm using a PRS cu22 and in single coil mode chords are sparkling and 3-dimensional.Switch to the modern channel and you can get the most wonderful clear distortion,does that make sense? fellow hellcat owners will understand.In this channel it will do a very good metal with the gain set high and master low using pre-amp distortion,but my favourite tones are with the gain low at around 10'o'clock and master high and making the poweramp stage breathe.With humbuckers you can emulate your favourite guitarists tones,Slash,Gary Moore it's all in there,just turn the guitar round to face the amp and the most beautiful harmonics jump out of the speakers,hang on to one note and it jumps to the 5th or the octave,you get the picture.The best thing is at 35 watts it is possible to turn it up to gig volumes and finding the sweet spot without damaging your hearing,even though it is still loud.How many times have you used a 100 watt head only to find the sweet spot was way too loud and nearly being paid off for upsetting the audience.
The reverb is very good too,but I only use a touch with the clean sounds-smooths it out nicely.
I have been using a mesa boogie roadking that cost twice as much as the hellcat and am not impressed by it,to say the least,it should be the most versatile amp on earth with 4 channels and different valve configurations but I have to say the hellcat absolutely murders the roadking for tone and is more versatile because it reacts well to backing off the guitar volume and is just a more musical amp,and more intuitive to use.I don't give out 10's lightly, in fact my review of the roadking was a 4 for sounds in an amp costing double that of the Cornford,but again a perfect 10 because it suits my style perfectly and has improved my playing over the last 4 months since I've had it.

Had a problem which was self inflicted- burnt out a resistor when trying different,unsuitable output valves,but excellent response from Cornford,won't try that again!
Top notch components,hand wired,point to point,built to last a lifetime,not expecting any problems and am gigging without backup.

Rang up needing the part as described above,spoke to Martin who sent it foc by return of post,even though I bought the amp secondhand,it wasn't covered by the warranty and the problem was caused by me pratting around with different valves.It doesn't get any better,this is getting monotonous but another 10.

been playing 25 years,gigging a lot of them, had too many amps to mention-probably about 30 including boogies,marshall,fender,peavey,laney and others- this is the absolute best amp I have ever owned,I'm afraid it's another 10 but it is well deserved,even though it is expensive you could save yourself a lot of time and money and be cured of gear acquisition syndrome.If only I could have bought this hellcat years ago it would have saved me a small fortune.

Before submitting this review, I would like to thank the prior reviewer for his comparisons of this amp to various high end models (esp Bruno, etc). I was lucky enough for this to be my first real high-end tube amp purchase, and judging by the comparisons that I've heard - I'm done!
This amp is serial number 026 - I won't go over all of the features as these are mentioned in the prior review.
This amp is as versatile as they come - with all tones being controlled by the volume control and pickup switch on your guitar as well as your pickup select switch, and then the channel switch pedal that comes with the amp. There are no bells and whistles with this amp. This is a plus for some and a detriment to others, so I will refrain from rating in this category. For me, this is perfect!

In all sincerity, I have been searching 20 years for this amp. I have tried other "high-end" models (except Bruno and Dumble!) and the thing that sets this amp apart is its incredibly controlled, tight distortion. It almost seems as if there is a built in compressor in the circuit somewhere. Notes are so well defined, and NO amp that I have tried cleans up as well as this one, even when you back off on the guitar's volume control to 2!
To use effects with this amp would be a blasphemy. There is no need for an overdrive pedal. The only pedal that I use with this amp is a Hughes and Kettner Replex (awesome pedal!), which imperceptibly colors the amp's tone - but it is barely noticeable.
The amp is not noisy, and it better not be for the amount I paid! ( I also have the Cornford cab).
I play mostly rock and progressive, atmospheric stuff. Nothing that I say here will compare with you actually hearing the magic of this amp.
I play a custom shop Strat (I have many other guitars as well) - but it is my personal opinion that this amp is made for stratocasters and passive pickups. If you are one who prefers active EMG style pickups, I cannot comment on how they would sound with this amp.

I have had the amp for almost a year and have had no problems whatsoever.

I would like to congratulate Paul Cornford on this masterpiece. I have not yet utilized the customer support yet.

I have been playing for about 21 years, and I own at least 15 "high-end" guitars. I have been victim to GAS(gear aquisition syndrome) but recently, I think that I have been cured. I learned a valuable lesson in getting this amp. There is no need to buy a 100 watt monster if you only utilize half or less of the amp's power. The beauty of this amp is that it is powerful and plenty loud, yet one can find its loud "sweet spot" and still have a pair of ears left. Like I said, I think I have finally found the sound that I have been looking for. If you are interested in this amp, however, no written review will do it justice. Pick up your guitar and take to the nearest dealer and make the discovery yourself.

British pure valve amplifier. Two channels sharing the same set of controls, that is, Bass, Middle and Treble. The two channels however have separate Gain and Volume control, which makes it supremely versatile.
35 Watts of pure Class A. It's really really loud. Loud enough for gigs.
Although that 2 channels share the same equalisation, they do have their own distinct voices. I find it extremely versatile for what I play (Blues, 60's Rock'n'Roll, AC/DC, Jazz and Deftones!!!).
It's an old school amplifier. Stop thinking in terms of plugging you multi-effect in it or 1000s of stompboxes, this is the real thing all these effects try to emulate! It's a valve amplifier for THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK (and I salute such a good job!!)!!!
Wonderful features for me! It has to be a 10!
Not an amplifier for foot-tap dancers!!!

OK, this is where it really gets interresting!!!
Being the very proud owner of a Tony Bruno (the best custom amplifiers builder since Dumble? Maybe!), I think that I can submit a very very critical review of this amplifier.
I don't have a lot of guitars, but my small collection will definitely bring water to a lot of mouths. 2 PRS Custom 22, 1 PRS McCarty, 1 PRS Singlecut, 1 Gibson ES-175, 3 Gibson Les Paul Standards (one original 1959!!!), 2 Fender Stratocasters (1 Custom shop Eric Clapton Strat given to me by the Man himself!!!), 1 Fender Telecaster, 1 D'Aquisto Archtop. I'm really in love with all of them.
Before buying my Bruno, I had a Mesa Heartbreaker which was modified by a luthier in the UK. Since I bought my Bruno, I just don't use it anymore.
The Hellcat sounds absolutely ASTONISHING!!!! It cost me less than half of the price of the Bruno (cabs included) but to my ears it sounds just as good, if not better!!! I'll definitely keep both of them. The Bruno has an IRREAL clean tone. It's just out of this world. But when it comes to filth and blues dirt, I think that the Cornford is a class above. Absolutely Sir, A CLASS ABOVE!!!! It's that good! The thing that is really amazing is that even though you crank it to its maximum, which a lot of gain, you can still hear every articulation of your playing. And what is more important to me, I can really hear the difference in the guitars (which isn't as obvious on the Bruno). The Hellcat is so respectful of the guitar you are using that I can even hear the difference between my 2 PRS Custom 22!!!
The Cornford overdrive can be compared to dark chocolate, it's brown as the brownest thing! It's also very 3-dimensional and organic. JUST A DREAM!!!
Just think of Eric Clapton's tone with Cream, that's it!!! Or Jimmy Page, you get it! Dave Gilmour, easily! Very very sweet overdrive indeed!!!
I could talk for hours and write a book on this amplifier, it's just so good. But to be able to really understand the 'Cornford Effect!' you just have to try one of them (by the way, the Harlequin and the Hurricane are absolutely amazing as well!)

It's a completely handcrafted amplifier. Point-to-point wirering. 100% pure valves. Top notch components. Built to last forever!!!

Being a very small company, it's really easy to interract with the guys there! Special mention to Paul Cornford and Martin Kidd, you really ROCK guys!!!

I've been playing for more then 25 years, and I regularly gig. I don't do it as a living, but it's a lifestyle to me. I've had the blessing to jam with some of the most gifted musicians on this planet (Eric Clapton, Pat Metheny, Ben Harper, Angus Young, Eric Bibb).
Having made such fantastic experiences, and having heard the best guitar tones on Planet Earth, I have a very critical judgement of what an amplifier should sound like!
The Hellcat ain't a cheap amp. But just think about it. You are buying a one of a kind amp, and compared to top boutique builders in the States, Cornford seems to be amazing value for the money.
Believe me, just try the Hellcat, if you don't come out of the music shop with it in your arms (and with a bank overdraft!), you should start asking yourself what's wrong with you!!!