It is no surprise that we are a huge fan of Bad Cat amplifiers. Their rock hard durability, hand-wired over spec construction and fantastic classic tones are just a few of the reasons these amps find their way onto church stages around the world. In 2017 Bad Cat launched their USA Player series line. This new line of amps takes the transformers, switches, jacks, speakers and 12 ply cabinetry and incorporates a PCB construction method for the other components. Using this construction method cuts down close to 12 hours of built time while keeping the overall tonal characteristics of their hand-wired siblings.
Many people are raving about these amps and John has told us that he believes they are just as good as the hand-wired series. We were skeptical, because we have never heard a PCB constructed amp sound as good as a point to point hand wired amp, regardless of manufacturer. We stand corrected. These new Player Series amps sound pretty much spot on to the hand-wired series with little subtle differences in the treble frequencies. Every difference we found between the series was not necessarily a negative but just a slight difference.
The 40 watt Cub model seemed to get all the attention and coming in at $1399 for the head and $1599 for a 1×12 combo, you will be hard pressed to find a better sounding amp for the money.
Pricing:
- Head: $1399
- 1×12 Combo: $1599
Learn More: Bad Cat Amps Website