www.badcatamps.com
The Bad Cat Cub has evolved through several iterations since arriving with the maker’s inaugural lineup 25 years ago. It has gained (and lost) features, morphed into more-affordable PCB-based versions, even occasionally doubled in power. The new Cub V returns to its entirely hand-wired/point-to-point origins equipped for two popular power levels – a 20-watter with EL84 output tubes and a 40-watter with EL34s.
While many amps from the earlier days of the boutique era made a virtue of going light on bells and whistles, the Cub V piles on thoughtful features that enhance its versatility, without a major impact on the purity of the core signal chain. This begins with a selectable/footswitchable choice of either a 12AX7 or EF86 preamp tube – representing the two channels in the maker’s original large-amp flagship, the Black Cat – and sharing a single Gain control. A four-way Depth control essentially acts as a voicing switch, followed by Bass, Treble, and Cut. A Reverb knob controls the tube-driven spring circuit, followed by two Master-volume controls, also footswitchable. Construction inside and out is immaculate, workmanship within the chassis notably reflecting a thoughtful update of the PTP wiring ported over with the first Cub, courtesy of former Matchless main man Mark Sampson, who is once again working with Bad Cat.
Tested with an ES-355 and a Telecaster into 1×12″ and 2×12″ cabs with Eminence and Celestion speakers, respectively, the Cub V EL34 evoked the chime, bloom, and plentiful harmonic sparkle of the EL84-equipped Bad Cats that have been popular in the past (and for that matter, similar Matchless amps from which some were derived), with the increased girth, punch, and bark enabled by bigger EL34 output tubes. There’s more volume, too, though not “double” the 20-watter’s decibels; rather, a sturdy revoicing with more push and grunt. From crisp, shimmery cleans to a throaty roar when pushed into overdrive – all a little more sparkly with the 12AX7 versus thicker with the EF86 – the Cub V swings with the best of the “boutique” crowd, and is a blast to play.
The only additional feature we might like to see is a separate Gain control for the EF86 channel, so a user-determined balance could be set when switching between them on the fly. As it is, though, it’s plenty versatile and a first-class amp by any measure. – Dave Hunter
This article originally appeared in VG’s February 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
