The Bad Cat Lynx is a Bad Cat amplifier. Close alternatives include the Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone and the Vox Valvenergy Mystic Edge. It pairs well with the Greer Amps Royal Velvet and the MXR Micro Amp.
Bad Cat Lynx
Bad Cat · amplifier
The Bad Cat Lynx is a high-gain boutique tube guitar amplifier featuring seven gain stages, designed to deliver modern high-gain saturation with the organic, responsive feel characteristic of Bad Cat amplifiers. Reviewers describe its gain character as combining elements of the Soldano SLO and Marshall with enhanced midrange control, producing thick, dense, immediate lead tones with a distinctive voice. A separate clean channel delivers exceptional clean tone praised as among the best available in a channel-switching amp. Notable players including Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree have used the Lynx on tour. Despite this, it remains obscure relative to other Bad Cat models with limited demo availability.
What stands out
“A separate clean channel delivers exceptional clean tone praised as among the best available in a channel-switching amp”
— from the listing
“The Bad Cat Lynx is a high-gain boutique tube guitar amplifier featuring seven gain stages, designed to deliver modern high-gain saturation with the organic, responsive feel characteristic of Bad Cat amplifiers”
— from the listing
“Incredibly thick, dense high-gain saturation with a distinctive organic character spanning the full gain spectrum from clean through extreme saturation, combining SLO and Marshall character with more midrange control”
— from the community notes
“producing thick”
— from the listing
“reviewers describe its gain character as combining elements of the soldano slo and marshall with enhanced midrange control”
— from the listing
- clean
- high gain
- saturation
- modern
- organic
- thick
- full
- stage
Good for
- Live
- Studio
Genres the Bad Cat Lynx is commonly used in
- Progressive Rock
- Rock
- Hard Rock
- Metal
- Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Bad Cat Lynx
Greer Amps Royal Velvet
Greer
24% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → clean boost)
Greer Amps Royal Velvet takes that high gain character and pushes it toward clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
MXR Micro Amp
MXR
24% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → clean boost)
Stack MXR Micro Amp on top and a high gain tone tightens toward clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
Z.Vex Super Hard On
Zvex
23% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → clean boost)
Z.Vex Super Hard On takes that high gain character and pushes it toward clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo
Caroline Guitar Company
18% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo after Bad Cat Lynx in the signal chain, clear of Bad Cat Lynx's own gain stage
Goes in front of the amp
Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio
Crazy Tube Circuits
14% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio leans toward tight, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Goes in front of the amp
TC Electronic Triple Flashback Delay
TC Electronic
11% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run TC Electronic Triple Flashback Delay in Bad Cat Lynx's effects loop, clear of Bad Cat Lynx's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Electro-Harmonix Pico Canyon
Electro-Harmonix
11% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → slapback)
Run Electro-Harmonix Pico Canyon in Bad Cat Lynx's effects loop, clear of Bad Cat Lynx's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things
EarthQuaker Devices
Alternatives
Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone
Audiocade
72% similarityAudiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Vox Valvenergy Mystic Edge
Vox
72% similarityVox Valvenergy Mystic Edge recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Strymon Iridium
Strymon
72% similarityStrymon Iridium recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Mooer Micro Preamp 004 Day Tripper
Mooer
72% similarityMooer Micro Preamp 004 Day Tripper recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
1970s Mesa/Boogie Mark I 'Snake King'
Mesa Boogie
49% similarityShared character: mix, thickness, high gain settings
Mesa Boogie Rectifier Roadster 2x12 Combo
Mesa Boogie
49% similarityShared character: metal, hard rock, thickness
Mesa Boogie Mark Five:25 1x12 Combo
Mesa Boogie
49% similarityShared character: high gain settings, clean, stage
Mesa Boogie Mark VII 1x12 Combo
Mesa Boogie
49% similarityShared character: high gain settings, clean, stage
Mesa Boogie Mark Five:35 1x12 Combo
Mesa Boogie
47% similarityShared character: metal, high gain settings, clean
Mesa Boogie JP-2C 1x12 Combo
Mesa Boogie
45% similarityShared character: metal, high gain settings, clean
Mesa Boogie Mark Five:90 1x12 Combo
Mesa Boogie
44% similarityShared character: high gain settings, clean, full
Randall Lynch Box
Randall
44% similarityShared character: metal, hard rock, thickness
See all alternatives to the Bad Cat Lynx (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Bad Cat Lynx?+
The closest matches in character are the Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone, the Vox Valvenergy Mystic Edge, the Strymon Iridium.
What pairs well with the Bad Cat Lynx?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Greer Amps Royal Velvet, MXR Micro Amp, Z.Vex Super Hard On — Greer Amps Royal Velvet takes that high gain character and pushes it toward clean boost.