Bad Cat Cub V EL34 vs Bad Cat Mark Sampson Modified Black Cat

The Bad Cat Cub V EL34 and the Bad Cat Mark Sampson Modified Black Cat are both amplifiers sharing glassy, dynamic, high headroom. The Bad Cat Cub V EL34 leans bright and edge of breakup.

Similarity
citedBlended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.

72% — moderately similar

Shared genres
citedGenres both listings are associated with.
  • Indie Rock
  • Blues
  • Country
Shared tone character
citedDerived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.
  • glassy
  • dynamic
  • high headroom
  • mid-forward
  • harmonically rich
  • transparent
Citation fame
citedCitation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.
17%
0%
Price

$2350via Reverb

—
Description

The Bad Cat Cub V EL34 is a 40-watt point-to-point hand-wired guitar amplifier using two EL34 power tubes, delivering the chimey Vox-lineage character of the Cub V with more punch and midrange authority than the EL84 version. The EL34 power section provides a slightly more British-influenced breakup character and greater stage headroom, while the switchable EF86/12AX7 preamp tube and tube-driven spring reverb expand the tonal range from pristine clean to harmonically rich overdrive. It suits players who want the Cub's expressive touch response and chimey personality at volumes where the 15-watt EL84 version runs short.

The Bad Cat Mark Sampson Modified Black Cat is a 30-watt guitar amplifier representing Mark Sampson's direct revision of the Black Cat design he originally developed during his Bad Cat tenure. Based on the Matchless C30 circuit topology Sampson pioneered, the Black Cat features a Vox 1964 Top Boost-voiced tone stack. Sampson's modifications produce a tighter, louder, and more dynamically responsive character compared to the standard Black Cat, with improved note definition and harmonic character throughout the gain range. Available as a head or 1x12 combo, it delivers classic chime, harmonic bloom, and expressive overdrive in the Matchless tradition.

Genres
citedGenres this gear is documented as being used in.
—
  • Rock
  • Classic Rock
Tonal lean
  • bright
  • edge of breakup
—
Good for
citedOccasions this gear suits — judged per model, or derived from its wattage, connectivity and category.
  • Live
  • Studio
  • Live
  • Studio
  • Worship
Full page →
Full page →

Related searches