Bad Cat Bobcat 5 1x12 5w Tube Guitar Combo Amp With Reverb Review

Our Verdict

Bad True cat has unleashed another beast in the Classic Pro Reverb.

Pros

• Very little dissonance - ideal for the studio also every bit the stage.
• Authentic vintage USA sounds.

Cons

• It would have been a bonus if the effects loop was footswitchable.

MusicRadar Verdict

Bad Cat has unleashed another beast in the Archetype Pro Reverb.

Pros

• +

  Very trivial noise - ideal for the studio as well as the phase.

• +

  Authentic vintage USA sounds.

Cons

• -

  It would have been a bonus if the furnishings loop was footswitchable.

As one of the original and most respected names in the then-called 'boutique' market, California-based Bad True cat Amplification produces indicate-to-signal manus-wired designs that blend vintage valve know-how with exceptional build quality.

This comes at a price, of course, and in the by Bad Cats were exclusively for those well-heeled plenty not to need to inquire "how much?".

Notwithstanding, things changed for the better when Bad Cat introduced its USA Thespian range, which uses loftier-quality PCB structure to make substantial savings on build time, while managing to retain the earth-shaking sound and response by using the same transformers and British-made Celestion loudspeakers as its more expensive counterparts.

The USA Player range has been a large success for Bad Cat, and here we're looking at the latest addition, the Classic Pro Reverb philharmonic. Like all Bad Cats, the Classic Pro comes housed in a perfectly fabricated Baltic birch ply cabinet. The 1x12 enclosure is slightly oversized to help bass response, and the usual Bad Cat attending to detail is everywhere. The tweed covering on this sample has no visible cuts, even in the tight radiuses under the command panel, which takes real skill.

The tough ventilated aluminium chassis supports a pair of Bad True cat'southward sectional paper bobbin handwound transformers.

Inside, the electronics are all supported on one big high-quality PCB, including the Archetype Pro's digital reverb chip, the forepart and rear panel components and the valve bases. This is where the toll saving is made, and yet the components are no different to those on a point-to-bespeak Bad Cat and the board paths are large enough and thick plenty to avert signal degradation.

One benefit of using PCBs is consistency, which is especially important in a high-impedance valve-powered circuit. Where each point-to-betoken amp in a production run will need careful attending to component and wire positioning, once a board is working to expectations, every copy of that board will be identical.

Feel and sounds

The Classic Pro Reverb is very quiet in performance, with minimal hiss and hum. This is a medium-gain excursion that sounds best when driven hard to develop overdrive in the ability stage every bit well as the preamp, and to that end, the Archetype Pro has ii of Bad True cat'due south special G Main master volume controls, one for rhythm and i for solo, which tin exist toggled using the single-button footswitch that comes with the amp.

The K Master is a special excursion that works similar a carve up gain stage sabbatum between stage splitter and power valves, which tin bulldoze the power amp independently of the preamp, allowing full use of the gain control for make clean and driven sounds, extending make clean headroom and improving dynamics at low book.

Information technology's very special when wound up, so it's an ideal amp for purist players who like to control everything from the guitar

Driven at the levels it'southward intended for, the Classic Pro produces sugariness yet punchy make clean tones, with a toothsome tweed-inspired seize with teeth from the 6V6s when the gain control is wound up. The digital reverb is fantabulous, calculation a smooth halo to notes without whatever splashiness.

The switchable dual chief book idea works well in practice. It does exactly what information technology says on the tin can, finer extending the Classic Pro's range and making it sound much bigger than 20 watts. We tried the Classic Pro out with a selection of guitars and, while information technology sounded great with them all, nosotros felt the best results came from our PAF-equipped Les Paul. The hotter output and bright top-end bite fit the Classic Pro'southward tone perfectly, with plenty of sustain from the slightly college output pickups. Played with lower proceeds and cleaner tones, the Classic Pro also sounds dandy with pedals, thanks to its series effects loop.

The PCB doesn't get in the way of that special Bad Cat sound and the rest of the amp is built to the aforementioned standard as top-of-the-range hand-wired models. While this one sounds good with pedals, it'due south very special when wound upwardly, so it'south an ideal amp for purist players who similar to control everything from the guitar. While it isn't cheap, information technology's relatively accessible compared with hand-wired Bad Cat models, then hither's a take chances to own that legendary illuminated badge and all the great tone that comes with it.

espinozatheighavell.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/bad-cat-classic-pro-reverb-1x12-combo-american-beauty

Share this post