Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

[75lespaul]

So Gearjoneser got me all jazzed up about the Bad Cat 50H on clearance at MF, and I was actually going to order two as he suggested. But...I saw the combo on Craigslist, and the guy just bought it about a week ago from MF for the same $429 as the head. BTW, the combo is sold out at that price. I ordered one head and got the combo. I had to drive over an hour one way to get it, but he gave it to me with a footswitch and the box for what he paid for it.

The amp is incredible. My buddy and bandmate took the ride with me, and when we got it back to his house (where we rehearse), we really put it through the test. I think the most impressive thing about this amplifier is how responsive the knobs are. Just a slight turn of the knob can completely change the sound. Using my Les Paul with a Super Distortion bridge and Jazz neck, we used the stock Vintage 30, my cab with V30/G12H30 X pattern, his Marshall MDX cab and a few Marshall cabs that I'm not sure of the speakers. It sounded great through them all, but it seemed to like my cab best, and the stock V30 next. Quite honestly, once I set the tone where I liked it, the combo by itself did not sound appreciably different from when I put it through the 4X12. We were pretty freaking shocked by that. A little less bottom, but nothing that would be noticeable in a band mix. Playing with the settings, I got some really lush cleans, brutal, almost recto sounding distortions, screaming Marshall sounding distortions, some great and really heavy modern sounding distortions...quite honestly, I'm stunned by this amplifier. If I knew about this amp, I never would have splurged on the Valveking and Windsor I just got. And may now sell. One warning here; if you do not spend some time getting your tone, the amp is very capable of sounding really bad. IMO, the amp really brings out the tone of whatever cabinet and guitar you are using. I love this amp and from this moment on, is going to be my main amp. Do you know how nice it will be not to lug around a halfstack? SWEEEEEET!!!!

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

I read your review. Seems Tto me you are forgetting about the marginal Chinese build quality in all your glowing praise. I ain't disputing the sound, but Never forget its a cheap chinese built amp, that is disposable. How long will it last? Hopefully forever. Once you guys start totally disregarding build quality for price, I am jumping ship.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

Nice, congrats! Sounds like you have a keeper.
As for going out of your way: pssh! I live in South Brooklyn; EVERYTHING is an hour out of my way!

 

[75lespaul]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

I read your review. Seems Tto me you are forgetting about the marginal Chinese build quality in all your glowing praise. I ain't disputing the sound, but Never forget its a cheap chinese built amp, that is disposable. How long will it last? Hopefully forever. Once you guys start totally disregarding build quality for price, I am jumping ship.

I hear what you're saying, but the build quality seems very good. I haven't cracked it open yet, but compared to my buddy's collection of Bugeras and my Valveking, this amp just "feels" better, if you know what I mean. The knobs, switches, tolex, cabinet. Doesn't seem cheap at all to me. And for the record...I hope it lasts forever as well, lol.

 

[trevorus]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

I read your review. Seems Tto me you are forgetting about the marginal Chinese build quality in all your glowing praise. I ain't disputing the sound, but Never forget its a cheap chinese built amp, that is disposable. How long will it last? Hopefully forever. Once you guys start totally disregarding build quality for price, I am jumping ship.

With wave soldering and board traces to a certain spec, it doesn't matter where the thing is made. As long as components are of a sufficient quality, you'll not have problems over another amp. I have a head on the way to me, and I'll take a peek inside. I know what good boards look like.

 

[man-in-moon]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

Nice score I grabbed one of the 50 watt combos a few weeks ago. So far it does not disappoint. I do want to try a different speaker though I never cared for vintage 30's. As for being made in China I have owned probably 100 amps in the last 6-7 years everything from bogners, splawn, Hughes and kettner, dr. Z and a ton of others. As far as tone, looks and overall quality it seems to be just as good as most of them.
I would have liked to have gotten 2 to setup differently and ran in stereo. The mid boost knob adds a lot to the tones you can get with just a single click.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

Yes! That mid-boost knob is an excellent tool, not just another useless knob. Trev, I can't wait to hear what you say about the guts. I for one am not that great at deciphering whether a build is good or not unless it is obviously falling apart. I can tell you that when driving it home, I took a hard left and the amp slammed down flat on its back in the back of my wagon, hard, and so far it shows no ill effects.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

Nice, congrats! Sounds like you have a keeper.
As for going out of your way: pssh! I live in South Brooklyn; EVERYTHING is an hour out of my way!

Geez, I hear that!

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

Congrats! I hear nothing but positive things about these. Chinese built? Yeah, may not be as solid as others but my Orange TH30 was chinese and I could find nothing wrong with it at all build-quality-wise so I'm sure that thing will be fine.

Enjoy that thing!

I wish these kinda deals would happen north of the border once in a while. Sure MF ships to Canada but once you take the shipping (getting really expensive nowadays), currency conversion (a tad over 20% at the moment) and taxes at the border (another 15-20$) in account, it's definitely not the same deal you guys have down there...

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

I've had the amp a couple weeks now, and am still in love with it. It's without a doubt the best bargain in gear I've come across in a long time. It's not a cheap piece of junk at all. It was designed by James Brown, the guy who worked with VH on the 5150, as well as a lot of other Peavey amps. Then, the owner of Bad Cat did the final tweaks as far as choosing the best smaller components, and it was made where they make Kustom amps. The same guy did all the Kustom Coupe series and their highgain amps. In my opinion, the Cougar 50 is the best amp he's designed.

I'm amazed that Musicians Friend hasn't sold out of the Cougar 50 heads already. They're going for 1/3 of the normal street price of $1200. $429 and free shipping is crazy low!

And yeah, the mid shift knob in conjunction with a regular mid knob is a genius idea. Every amp should have this. It allows you to find a basic mid tone with the rotary knob, then tweak it to perfection with the mid knob. The FX loop and spring reverb is very nice to have.

 

[speed2dirt]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

Any concern over the Kustom 40-watt output transformer in this 50-watt amp? I saw the review where someone mentioned that and checked my Cougar 50H when it arrived and it has the same Kustom output transformer. Truthfully, I don't know the impact of such a component in terms of being underpowered for it's wattage, but it does sound good. I think this amp is primarily preamp gain, which is way more than I need, even at noon, but it's a very versatile 2-channel amp. I like it, especially for the price, but think my Egnater SW45 definitely beats it.

By the way, what tubes are you using in this, Joe? I know you spent quite a bit of time finding the correct tube combination for your XTC, so I'm waiting to hear what you discover for this Bad Cat. I think lower gain tubes will definitely benefit this amp.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

im really happy with mine. used it on a half dozen gigs and it has performed great. i swapped one of the 12ax7's for a 12au7 which lowered the gain a lot, cleans up better too but still has basically the same character.

the preamp tubes are some non-branded chinese 12ax7b, i havent pulled the cage off to check the power tubes.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

I haven't messed with taking it apart or changing tubes yet. I'm just playing the head on my Bogner 212 V30 cab.

I haven't been concerned with the Kustom transformer, mostly because it sounds plenty loud, and I always know if something happens where it gets fried, I'd just get a Mercury output transformer in it. I too think the gain floor could stand to be lowered, and may try the 12Au7 like Jeremy did, or wait until someone comes along with a simple mod for dialing the gain back.....maybe even a foot switchable 50% cut in gain.

I knew going into it that it was a nice clean channel and a brutally heavy but organic EL-34 gain channel. I've got other amps that do mid-gain much better. On the Cougar, I tend to ride the guitar's volume control a lot.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

a 12au7 drops it a lot but it was just sitting there on my desk so i threw it in. theres still plenty of gain for me but others might want to try a 5751 or 12at7 before dropping it way down with the au

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

I've got the head coming tomorrow if all goes as planned. I'll be pairing it with my 2x12 recto cab.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

for the money, its a stupid good deal

 

[trevorus]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

Looks pretty good to me..everything is spaced well, solder joints look clean and nice, plenty of thermal dissipation room. The input jack is chassis mounted, as are the jacks on the back. These are the markers of a well designed layout, and something that should last.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

oh frick, that DOES look good! None of that cheap thin ribbon leads that even Mesa uses. And some nice chassis mounted jacks, even iF the PCB does look a might thin/ not mil-spec, kinda marginal quality like Orange.. Yeah, thats cool. i think the Kustom iron may be the weak link, but for a couple hundred + installation, you could probably get Mercury Magnetics, or better yet Heyboar iron, to make it into something uber special.
i am not so sure about the PCB mounted tubes though, but for high gain modern amps thats pretty much standard I think. just throwing out some ideas.
I'm totally not in the market for an amp like that, and good thing too, cause i could'nt afford one anyway.

 

[trevorus]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

The iron shouldn't be too bad. Sometimes a smaller transformer saturated can sound good. If you put a nicer hunk of iron it might tighten up. I'll have to see how it performs when the volume is way up. I think I already have some mods in mind...

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Bad Cat Couger combo....GrrrrrrrrOOOOOw

Thanks for taking those gut shots. I knew the amp was quality just playing it, but now I see they did a good job designing and building it.

It's already a really loud and tight sounding amp, so I have no worries about the transformers they decided to go with.

If this amp had been introduced in 1985, it would have been an enduring classic. Luckily for us, it came out in a time when players weren't wanting to shell out $1200 for a Chinese made amp, and we lucked into a clearance price tag.

I sure wish they'd bring down the price on the Cougar 15 combo. I'd buy one without question if the price dropped on that one. For some reason, the Cougar 15 stayed at it's normal price.