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Bad Cat Panther Reverb.

mayorstoner1

By mayorstoner1
in Sound, Stage, and Studio

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mayorstoner1 Newbie

mayorstoner1

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Hello, Folks. I'm a newbie to this forum, so forgive any faux paus, etc.

One quick question. I'm the proud owner of a used Bad Cat Panther 1-12 combo. The amp is top draw in every way, especially build quality.

My only concern is the reverb. In Channel 1, it's almost non-existant, until the reverb knob is almost all the way up. In Channel 2, it's very lush and full with the reverb only on about 5. When the channels are mixed as long as Channel 2 is set higher, the 'verb is about normal. I e-mailed Bad Cat, and James said, this is normal because Channel 2 is ef-86 powered[hotter] and Channel 1 is 12AX7 powered[milder]. I'm not so sure about this explanation. The amp seems unaltered in anyway. Any comments or advice ? M.S.

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mayorstoner1 Newbie

mayorstoner1

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" Thanks Phil. By the way, it's one hell of an amp. Built like a tank, sturdy parts and construction, heavy as hell. I'm basically a Fender-Mesa/Boogie guy, so it's a little different for me. Maybe, that's why the reverb seems a little weak to me. But, I was looking for something a little different than those, anyway.

I haven't gigged with it yet, so, we'll see how it goes 'on the job'.

The Panther has 4 6V6's for power tubes, instead of their famous EL-84s.

I really like Fender Deluxe Reverbs, but, live, I always wished they had a little more 'everything'-volume,fullness, stage coverage. But, like I said, I was kinda' looking for something different, this time around. It's plenty loud and the tone controls have plenty of good interaction. M.S.

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thankyou Grand Master

thankyou

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"

The Panther has 4 6V6's for power tubes, instead of their famous EL-84s.

I really like Fender Deluxe Reverbs, but, live, I always wished they had a little more 'everything'-volume,fullness, stage coverage. But, like I said, I was kinda' looking for something different, this time around. It's plenty loud and the tone controls have plenty of good interaction. M.S.

 

 

This is interesting. I always learn something here. The Deluxe, I think uses two 6v6's, and I think 12ax7's, plus a rectifier tube. It never really occurred to me that the different recipes between pre and power tubes would affect reverb, but I can see it with that explanation.

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mayorstoner1 Newbie

mayorstoner1

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" Well, I am mostly playing covers -'Turbo-Twang'-Contemporary Country with a little Southern Rock-70's Rock. I live in Eastern North Carolina, and we play a pretty interesting mix of music, to a pretty interesting mix of people.

I've heard good things on the Carr amps. They're made near here, I believe, up around Raleigh-Chapel Hill ? " M.S.

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Phil O'Keefe Rookie

Phil O'Keefe

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The Deluxe, I think uses two 6v6's, and I think 12ax7's, plus a rectifier tube.

 

IIRC, that's correct, although there may be a 12AT7 in there someplace... I don't recall offhand. I'll take a look at some of my books and get back to you on that... :)

 

I don't think that different tubes per se cause the issue of more / less verb in each channel. I believe it's different gain structures, and the way that the reverb circuit is incorporated into the amp's design. Most amps probably tap the signal going to the reverb driver immediately after the preamp stages and just before the power amp section, so if you hit the front of it harder, the reverb will be driven harder, resulting in more level on the 'verb for the higher gain / lead channel of the amp. On some Fenders, where a 12AT7 is used as the reverb driver, you can replace it with a 12AX7 (which has a higher gain factor than the 12AT) and get more 'verb that way.

 

I've heard Ken's amp - it's a monster. :cool:

 

And for the record, I think that 6V6's are quite possibly my favorite power tube. :phil:

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UstadKhanAli Newbie

UstadKhanAli

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I'm so happy with the Carr I can't even begin to tell you. I've been recording with it all week, and every single guitar sounds so sweet through it. SG, Ibanez archtop, Strat, GirlBrand - doesn't matter. Clean, distorted, wah, heavy effects - doesn't matter. Quiet enough to record in a studio, loud enough to fill a club.

 

According to http://www.gguitars.com/carram.html, this is what it has:

 

Power: 28 Watts, Class A

Power Tubes: 2 Matched 6L6GC's

Preamp Tubes: 2 12AX7's, 1 12AT7

Speaker: 1 12" 60 watt Kingpin

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thankyou Grand Master

thankyou

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The Deluxe, I think uses two 6v6's, and I think 12ax7's, plus a rectifier tube.


And for the record, I think that 6V6's are quite possibly my favorite power tube. :phil:

 

 

Glad to hear that. I have a little hi-fi amp that my dad and I assembled from a kit sometime in the mid fifties. The company that made it was called Pilot and from what I can google, they were primarily in the aircraft electronics business, something that makes me think the components are pretty good quality. Dad bought the kit for my sisters who were teenagers then and wanting to hear Elvis and Eddie Cochran. My dad did the majority of the work, as I was less than ten at the time. We wired it into a cabinet in our basement, then cut a hole in the knotty pine paneling for some kind of Jensen speaker. On the other side, we had a Garrard turntable.

 

The amp has two 6V6 power tubes, and 12AU7, 6C4, and 5YGT preamp and rectifier tubes. It also has a couple of pretty sizeable transformers. It's one of those projects that I hope to get around to, though I've thought of turning it over to someone who likes to tinker with that kind of stuff. I'd like to make it into a little tweed Deluxe type of setup. I have three sixties Jensen "bell back" speakers, one of which might just do the trick.

 

Edit: I just googled again and came up with this.

 

Pilot amp

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MrKnobs Rookie

MrKnobs

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" Thanks Phil. By the way, it's one hell of an amp. Built like a tank, sturdy parts and construction, heavy as hell. I'm basically a Fender-Mesa/Boogie guy, so it's a little different for me. Maybe, that's why the reverb seems a little weak to me. But, I was looking for something a little different than those, anyway.

I haven't gigged with it yet, so, we'll see how it goes 'on the job'.

The Panther has 4 6V6's for power tubes, instead of their famous EL-84s.

I really like Fender Deluxe Reverbs, but, live, I always wished they had a little more 'everything'-volume,fullness, stage coverage. But, like I said, I was kinda' looking for something different, this time around. It's plenty loud and the tone controls have plenty of good interaction. M.S.

 

 

I have a couple of BadCats (Cub IIRT and HotCat 30R) and I love the tone of 'em. The Cub uses EL84s and the 30R uses EL34s. The 30R is a dual channel and the Cub is a single channel. I think James' explanation is certainly correct.

 

Your comment about their sturdy construction is an understatement. Unfortunately, this makes them heavy as hell (even the 15 watt Cub) and a little less likely to be gigged in some situations, at least for me.

 

About the one thing I would change about my Bad Cats is the vinyl covering. It's very delicate compared to standard Fender covering and tears from the slightest things. Quite a shame, really.

 

Terry D.

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mayorstoner1 Newbie

mayorstoner1

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" Thanks, MrKnobs. If you've got a couple of them, especially two different models, you probably know the nature of the beast. I'm just going to have to tweek the channel and reverb settings, to dial in some things I can work with. And, because of the 'Ostrich' covering, and all the gigging involves being carted in and out of a truck, she's going in a road case very soon.

And, man, it's really going to be heavy then. Luckily, there's always a band of guys, to help tote this stuff. " M.S.

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alphajerk Newbie

alphajerk

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i think Carr are made in Cary, NC [might be Apex... but almost hte same town]... i know a hifi company there called Carr, would be suprised if they werent the same although im suprised they make guitar amps if so. their low wattage hifi power amps were relatively inexpensive with a killer sound, i dont know if that has changed of the years.

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mayorstoner1 Newbie

mayorstoner1

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" Right you are, folks. Pittsboro is a suburb of Chapel Hill, N.C. Lovely area actually. Not too far down the road, now living in Fuqauy-Varina, is the fellow who makes 'Top Hat' amps. Never played one, but hear nice things about them, too. Hmmm, these guys may be on to something . " M.S.

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