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So often has the phrase “Mark Sampson era” been applied to pre-2000 Matchless amps or early examples of the Bad Cat line that the term has become a “thing” in and of itself. As applied to Bad Cat’s new Era 30, it means Sampson is back in the fold (see our interview in the March ’25 issue) while giving the company’s latest offering the full weight of his acknowledged mastery of tube-amp design and construction.
As such, there are few surprises regarding specs and build quality, yet several clever twists that take familiar Sampson designs forward. For shorthand, we might consider the Era 30 an updated Bad Cat Black Cat or Matchless DC30, each of which shares Sampson’s flagship circuit with one EF86 pentode-preamp channel, one 12AX7 channel, and 30 watts of ostensibly Class A (a.k.a. cathode-biased) power from four EL84s. Notable updates to the format include a Treble control to enhance the six-position Depth switch on the EF86 channel, individual Volume controls for each channel in addition to the global Master, and footswitchability to select or blend the two. Circuit construction is hand-wired/point-to-point using top-quality components and the exterior is austerely stylish, with two stages of illumination for the name plate to indicate standby/on status.
Tested with an ES-355 and Telecaster into 1×12″ and 2×12″ cabs, the Era 30 cruised straight to the sound and feel of several Sampson-designed amps from the past. The terms “chime” and “bloom” inewvitably come to mind, along with an undeniable depth, multi-dimensionality and clarity. With either guitar, the Era 30 delivers impressive headroom before things start to sizzle – with a little more girth on the EF86 channel versus added treble shimmer on 12AX7 – but its clean tones are always rich and toothsome.
Pushing it further revealed the delectable edge-of-breakup tones that made Sampson’s designs famous, perfect for everything from meaty country twang to crisp blues soloing or textured indie/garage-rock grind. Despite the multiple output-level controls, though, the Era 30 really sounds its best when pushed pretty hard, where things get loud and the EL84s begin to sing. A half-power mode (as found on several of his previous 30-watters) would be nice, to enable this at slightly lower volumes. Overdrive tones lean a little fizzy when reining in the Volume and Master controls too much, but there’s glorious stuff here otherwise, and a very welcome return from one of the founders of the boutique-amp boom. – Dave Hunter
This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited
