Boutique amp brand Bad Cat was founded back in 1999 with the aim to bring players thoughtfully designed amplifiers made with the highest quality components. While the brand has gone through some changes in the two decades since, the new team behind Black Cat is using that founding mission as its guiding light.
The brand's expanded team has brought in talent from all corners of the boutique amp world—from places like Mesa Boogie and Boutique Amp Distribution, to name a couple—and together they've set out to create newly designed versions of some of the brand's most award-winning and popular amps. This lineup comprises of four amps that will suit different players' needs: the Cub, Lynx, Hot Cat, and Black Cat.
Longtime fans of the brand will recognize the Cub—one of Bad Cat's first designs and a highly sought-after boutique amp still today. This new iteration retains the simple single-channel layout but now features two gain modes. For the original Cub circuitry, play the amp in clean mode. But switching to the overdrive section will give players a brand-new gain stage for more harmonic content and complexity not offered before in a Cub amp.
The Lynx will definitely attract modern metal players and other fans of high-gain amps, with its two channels and whopping seven gain stages. The first channel handles more of the classic high-gain hard rock and metal tones, while the expansive channel two will appeal to more modern players.
The Lynx is a great amp for players looking for excellent note articulation, high-gain but not harsh frequencies, and effective midrange shaping. An added bonus is that it features a uniquely designed noise gate with a buffered active effects loop for players who want to run their pedals transparently.
Next in the lineup is the reimagined Bad Cat Hot Cat, first introduced in 2005. This newly reimagined design refines previous iterations but, of course, retains the sparkling cleans, brilliant highs, and deep lows that Bad Cat is known for. That signature Bad Cat tone can be had in channel one of the Hot Cat while channel two provides an excellent high-gain option for ultimate versatility. With its new lo/hi selectable gain switch, the options and combinations are nearly limitless for players interested in having it all. The Hot Cat is also available as an amp head.
Last but not least, the Black Cat is a longtime darling of the boutique amp world, and this new head and combo iteration makes sure to stay close to what the original always intended. It features two channels with bias-modulated tremolo and studio-quality reverb.
Similar to the rest of the line, the classic bright, clear, and responsive characteristics the Black Cat is known for can be found in the first channel. The second channel promises to retain all of the complexity of that sound but with the ability to achieve heavy but still clear overdrive.
All of these new amps are available now right here on Reverb. Click any of the buttons above to learn more and pick up your own.