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Bad Cat amps - worth the price?


Argali

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I'm pricing out what will be my next amp. Bad Cat stuff keeps catching my eye as a really nice option. I had a chance to play a Trem Cat combo once and it was quite nice, but I balked at the price tag. Are they worth it? Are there similar amps out there that will get you the same tones for less?

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They're not really priced that bad if you consider your other options to get similar tones. I personally couldn't shell out that much for one, but it's more a matter of my cheapish nature versus not liking the amp. I'll start liking them alot more after my next promotion at work

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Originally posted by Argali

I dunno guys, $2,500+ for a combo amp is quite a hefty pricetag to me.

 

 

Yeah same here. I'm with you in that it's not worth it to me personally. I mean, I don't play or get paid like Keith Urban, so I probably have no business with a Bad Cat.

 

But there's really no substitute based on my experience with those amps (similar to Matchless.) I did have one of those new Crate V-series for a couple days. It's been called the "poor man's Bad Cat" by a number of folks. It's no bad cat, but the clean and driven tones on channel 1 are simply superb. I had the opp to AB it to a Cat. Different animals, but I will honestly say the Crate held it's own in the clean/slightly overdriven area. Different, but every bit as musical sounding. I didn't like how hot the damn thing got, so I took it back. Try one out if $$$ is a concern.

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the Crate held it's own in the clean/slightly overdriven area. Different, but every bit as musical sounding. I didn't like how hot the damn thing got, so I took it back.

 

That's something that really rips my ass about St. Louis Musical Instrument Co. :mad:

 

I had a VC50 with three tens back in the 90s and that thing RAWKED! It was simply gorgeous toneage ... clean or dirty. Fender sparkle and Marshall clank, sorta' like a poorman's VHT Pitbull ... the total package. Why do I no longer own it, you may ask? Because mine was in the shop multiple times in the first month, as was EVERY SINGLE FRIEND'S VC COMBO WHO BOUGHT ONE! Now I'm already reading/hearing stories about reliability issues with the new VC series 50 and 30 watt combos, and I heard on here last year that the problems may be heat-related, iirc.

 

Crate builds awesome-sounding tube amps with probably a 75% failure rate within six months, yet their goddamn solid state stuff is built like Peavey's amps ... can't fucking kill 'em if you tried. Whazzup wid dat? Who the flying fuck is designing and spec'ing tube amps at SLM? :mad::confused::mad:

 

Sorry for the thread hi-jack ....

 

Bad Cat worth it? It's worth three grand if you really gotta have one, I guess. I'm glad I ain't really gotta have one. I'd take a Pitbull 45 combo over Bad Cat any day ... even if someone else was buying. :thu:

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I was flipping through the channels the other day and came across a Bonnie Raitt "Freeview". While she's not reallly my cup-o-tea the guitarist was playing through a Bad Cat and his tone was amazing. Kinda medium-gain grind and REALLY full sounding. Nice low-end but not muddy at all.

 

CC

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ive had my bad cat hot cat 100 for two years now. this amp grows on me on a daily basis. for the record, i own a 1974 MKII

superlead. a 82 800/2203, and a soldano .s.l.o.

the badcat seems so alive compared to these other amps. this isnt saying that the other three dont sound awesome, butthere is a richness of tone that just doesnt compare.

mine is the original two chanel, with seperate inputs for each.

i live in vancouver canada. i bought this amp when our dollar was around .75$ us. so i bit it . i paid 3700$ canadian for a HEAD!!!!!

i really think that this is a special amp. i bought it comming back from my mothers funeral. i needed some "pick me up":D

to this day , when we do a show, i roll this oversized "head monster"out, and everyones like WHAT THE {censored} IS THAT????

then i turn it on and i bury them.

point.????................. buy the bad cat. nothing comes close.they sound amazing. thing is you HAVE to do your homework and figure out how the tone controls work or youl end up with a very loud fart sounding bee in a can tone!! its not plug and play thats for sure. whta is cool about mine, is the two seperate chanels. i can run both together and have a clean/dirty layerd sound. but what i like is a matchless hot box on the clean, run together with the dirty chanel. that... is total tone meltdown.

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Originally posted by MRscratch

ive had my bad cat hot cat 100 for two years now. this amp grows on me on a daily basis. for the record, i own a 1974 MKII

superlead. a 82 800/2203, and a soldano .s.l.o.

the badcat seems so alive compared to these other amps. this isnt saying that the other three dont sound awesome, butthere is a richness of tone that just doesnt compare.

mine is the original two chanel, with seperate inputs for each.

i live in vancouver canada. i bought this amp when our dollar was around .75$ us. so i bit it . i paid 3700$ canadian for a HEAD!!!!!

i really think that this is a special amp. i bought it comming back from my mothers funeral. i needed some "pick me up":D

to this day , when we do a show, i roll this oversized "head monster"out, and everyones like WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT????

then i turn it on and i bury them.

point.????................. buy the bad cat. nothing comes close.they sound amazing. thing is you HAVE to do your homework and figure out how the tone controls work or youl end up with a very loud fart sounding bee in a can tone!! its not plug and play thats for sure. whta is cool about mine, is the two seperate chanels. i can run both together and have a clean/dirty layerd sound. but what i like is a matchless hot box on the clean, run together with the dirty chanel. that... is total tone meltdown.

equip14.jpg

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i think they're worth it i bought my 1st one(hotcat30) when i was just wanking at home. didn't plan on buying it, i was at a store and decided to check it out. and i fell in love with it. lusted after it for a few months, then finally bought it when i got the $. that was 4 yrs ago. 2 yrs or so ago, i ordered the hot cat 100 as i was playing in my band and wanted the extra headroom within my tone. so i run both together now.

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Originally posted by MRscratch


equip14.jpg

.

 

+ 1!!!

 

I got my HC-100 just when it came out, and I would not change ANYTHING about it. No fx-loop, reverb, etc...The TONE this "simple"amp" deliver is awesome.

It will be a keeper for years to come.

I've also used the HC-30 and HC-30R. These are long gone.

IMO the HC-100 are similar to the HC-30's, but it has "more of everything". That means, IMO even better tone.

 

If You can do with a KILLER gain-ch, and a great clean-ch, this amp is a winner.

 

:thu:

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Originally posted by Argali

I'm pricing out what will be my next amp. Bad Cat stuff keeps catching my eye as a really nice option. I had a chance to play a Trem Cat combo once and it was quite nice, but I balked at the price tag. Are they worth it? Are there similar amps out there that will get you the same tones for less?

 

Only you can answer if it's worth it or not. Sounds like it isn't to you. If price is the only issue though, try and find a used one.

 

That said, I think they're really cool amps. I used to own an HC30 head, and I regret selling it. Lots of gain shaping options and the cleans were fantastic, IMO. I hope to get a 30R in the future, or maybe even the 15 (el84) combo for those sparkly cleans. :thu:

 

As for similar amps, I haven't played any that really cop the BC vibe, but they might be out there. Good luck w/your decision!!

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Originally posted by 2B

.


+ 1!!!


I got my HC-100 just when it came out, and I would not change ANYTHING about it. No fx-loop, reverb, etc...The TONE this "simple"amp" deliver is awesome.

It will be a keeper for years to come.

I've also used the HC-30 and HC-30R. These are long gone.

IMO the HC-100 are similar to the HC-30's, but it has "more of everything". That means, IMO even better tone.


If You can do with a KILLER gain-ch, and a great clean-ch, this amp is a winner.


:thu:

yeah i had the 30 as well. it sounded amazing,and i really liked the tube rectifiers . i spoke to james about tube recto,s in the 100 but he said , that it just takes too much real estate.

needless to say i traded the 30 for the 100. i ordered it , they built it. i got it right out of the box. i really like 100w amps.i felt the 30 was just a little squishy for the music i was playing at the time.(think, minor threat!} anyhow, this ones a winner. it still has that weird "badcat" smell.

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Originally posted by MRscratch


you saw my picture on the previous page??

bad cat on top of s.l.o

equip05.jpg

one day i did this.

i used a tonebone head bone, and a/b between the s.l.o and the badcat, then i used a morley a/b/y box to switch between the two amps/cab stacks. and remember that the badcat was running with a matchless hot box in the clean chanel and the slo is also a two chanel amp, i had sooo many buttons to push on, i said fukit!! it wass fun, but impractical for me!

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