This amp is an obscure GAIN MONSTER | Badcat Cougar 50 All Tube Amplifier
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- Опубликовано: 16 апр 2023
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"I'm not a weak person" lmao I'm deceased
Over the last 43 years of playing guitar I've earned to never judge a book by it's cover. The Mesa Mark IIC+ always looked like a boring old man's amp back when I was in my early 20's. The first time I actually had the opportunity plug-in and play one many years later in the late 1990's, my jaw hit to floor. I'd be willing to bet that with a few little mods, that Bad Cat amp could be turned into a real keeper.
Kyle, you know they've revamped the whole line in order to make manufacturing easier, make some of the amps more modern, and drop the price. The "NEW" gain monster is the "LYNX", with " 7 GAIN STAGES " ! Waiting patiently to hear you put it through it's paces.
I believe the dude from Saosin uses a badcat lynx. Would love to play seven years through one of these to see the differences
I think what's cool about this high gain sound; I tried to put my finger on it saying "is this a mesa or marshall style drive tone?" but it actually sounds pretty unique and it does just sound like a Bad Cat that does high gain. Pretty unique tone!
Dude, that amp actually sounds amazing. And without a boost! That's crazy.
NO BOOST NEEDED!!
For the longest time I thought that Badcat amps were some kinda Matchless-inspired amps that were meant for more clean/edge-of-breakup tones
It was mindblowing when I found out these amps can actually get heavy as fuck.
Honestly some of my favorite tones you've gotten since I started watching your channel this year.
A little late to the party, but I've had my Cougar 50 for years now. It's a very underrated metal amp. It REALLY opens up once you put a boost/overdrive in front of it, both in clarity and gain.
As to it's design, it's not actually an import version of ANY of their amps. Bad Cat actually outsourced the circuit design of the Cougar 5 and 50 to none other than James Brown, the man behind the 5150 and many other classic designs, hence the reason it sounds a little out-of-the-box compared to the rest of Bad Cat's line at the time.
I had the 5 watt and it was sick slaved to a Marshall. I hope this sounds the same as that combo
Its a Kustom underneath. The transformers are even branded if you look inside
A Guitar Center near me had one of these used last month, they were only asking $490! I played through it for few minutes and I was surprised myself, I couldn't believe it was a Bad Cat. It could definitely use a graphic EQ in the loop but I really dug it.
Awesome demo. I've had one for about 10 years and the biggest issue I've had is because it is a bit of a trick to dial it in and the lack of real channel switching, it is difficult move around tone wise. Plenty of great tones to be had for sure.
Kyle some amp tech knowledge for you , so you can get a better idea about the typical tone stack controls , the Mid control is actually a straight up dry preamp volume that your mixing with a low pass -the bass boost and high pass ,the treble boost control . They actually are not regulating but artificially enhancing lower or higher frequencies available.What is the relevance of mid control besides the effect of it adding mids ? well if you set the bass and treble controls off or zero and dime the mid , what you hear is the true voicing or tonality of the preamp . i always also check that sound , its what you got to work with , except presence and resonance which enhances the power section lows and highs. You see thats why a Marshall like an 800 has so much tone just in the mid control , its the voicing of the amp ! and is why with some amps no matter how high you set treble or presence it never gets to the highs you appreciate ! Also whats up with the 5 way mid control knob ? , typically a 5 way switch ? middle usually being the standard frequency , its altering the cut in frequency of the treble control ,the frequency that it starts boosting , lower , more mid , higher setting less mids , its modding the treble control and has nada to do with the mid control, set the treble to zero and its not doing anything to the sound.Amps like the old Oranges with frequency control knob , or on the Ampeg VL's Lee Jackson tube amp , and this bad cat have this added feature , some amps have button like mid cut instead, the 2 most usable . Frequencies ,stock or the next higher , electronics wise 470 pf capacitor or 250 pf ,for treble tone stack .Now that you know try your fav amps , compare the treble and low end just in the mid control ! AHA ! see what i mean ?
Sold mine a couple of years ago. I had a 12AT7 in the v1 position to tame the outrageous amount of gain.
Sounded like Anthrax -Madhouse Marshall tones in the beginning. Very cool mids.
I got one of these when Musician's Friend was liquefying them for $350. Love it. I always used the mid-boost setting 3 that you preferred as well. It's got a nice "fenderish" clean channel that stays clean cranked (great pedal platform). I wish I had it when I was still gigging it would have become my gigging head. Rumor has it that James Brown (5150 fame) had his hand in the design of this amp.
I've had the same head for the last 2 years and I have to tell you that it is one of the gretaest of all the high end amps that you could imagine. My cab is an old laney 4x12 with rocket 50s in it so it sounds a bit darker, more meaty and deeper which I love, but through this Mesa cab and V30s inside, it sounds dreamy to me as well. This video is the proof that we do not have to pay a fortune to get a good quality tone through a responsive all tube amp. Thanks a lot dude!
I’d love to see Kyle demo a Ceriatone Yeti or Chupacabra. They’re the best modded Marshall style amp on the market for the money.
Agreed. Wanted to buy one buy but waiting time of 1 year is a bit too much for me.
@@arsentoplak2635 Yeah their wait time is a bit much but it’s definitely worth it. The owner, Nik, is awesome to deal with. The good thing is you can occasionally find them for sale used on Reverb for good prices. A buddy of mine got a 50 watt Chupacabra off of Reverb recently for $800.
I have a video of the chupacabra up!
@@belligerentamateur Well then that takes care of that haha
Kurt Ballou from Converge was using a Bad Cat when I saw them in 2005!
This is definitely one of my favorite amps! I need one in my life right meow!
Maybe it’s sounding different in the room with you but the recording sounds killer. Also when I heard it with a different cab and mixed speakers it was crazy good. The cab was actually the matching cab to the Line DT50. So it had two Vintage 30’s and two Celestion G12H90’s loaded. The blend made so many amps I had sound amazing. I miss that cab!
Sounds good his latest videos he has improved and stayed away from the buzz I used to hear. Very nice
Actually what I thought would have been interesting would be to boost it, then push those lows back into place with the eq pedal and see what happens. Again. Very impressed. I agree I immediately thought dad rock/ blues type amp back in the day when I saw them too. Great vid Kyle. Maybe revisit this one and see what other amps are most similar to it if any?
I owned this amp for a while a year or two ago and wanted to love it but I never bonded with it. I thought it was too congested, no matter the settings. Playing alone it was fine, but with our band? It didn't cut through the mix at all. It's weird...the initial tone is cool, the amp is pretty gainy and tight but there are frequencies that are hard to get rid of to open the amp...it's like it has a hard time to breathe.
@@Durkhead A stock EVH 412, a Laboga 412(V30) and I tried the stock Orange 412 of the other guitar player of our band if I'm not mistaken...let just say I was disappointed hahaha
hell yea I have been waiting on a bad cat review
As someone who wants nothing but the gnarliest crunch, I absolutely 💯 care about my clean tone as well. That’s why I’ve stuck with Peavy over the years. My favorite of them all is the XXX.2 (rebadged JSX)
It comes stick with EL34s but throw in some 6L6s and you have a monster of a versatile amp. Unless I missed it, that’s one amp I’ve not seeing you shoot out.
I think that was the one that broke right at the start of a stream Kyle did and he couldn't play it for us. That was my favorite amp when I was a teen (the jsx).
Theres a video. Just search for it.
Hell yeah, I had a cougar 15 combo, the single channel wasn't the best for high gain sounds, but chuck a BE od in the mix and that thing ripped!
Kyle , you are a true amp nerd ... Thanks for the demo 😉sounded great , once you dialed it in .
Love the new set⚡️
Wow. Sleeper amp for sure. Wouldn’t have suspected it to sound as good as it does and it’s not super expensive at all for a used one. 50 watts of tube amp for the prices I’m seeing them selling at is not bad at all.
This thing reminds me alot of the tone of the Vox AC50 heads they released in the 90's. Which were killer for the money. It had Vox jangle on the clean channel, but full on Marshall for ch 2.
With the mids up it reminds me of the typical 5150 non boosted sound
I heard the Marshall tones on Anthrax's Spreading the Disease, especially Madhouse
This is surprisingly one of the better sounding amps I've heard you demo.
He doesn’t really do a good job of dialing them in.
Meh
Oh man did you miss the VHT demo? Kyle usually does a really good
@@1thess523 I did. Link?
@@6AM_YT you and old skater dude? I'll see if I can find that video 👍
My favorite “cheap” amp I own and my very first tube amp. After I got it I took a deep dive fact finding on it. They were only made for less than two years before being discontinued when badcat sold their brand. They were produced by the same company that makes Kustom amps and it was designed by James Brown who designed the peavey 5150 as you all well know. These little hellcats are a diamond in the rough and if you get one hold on to it cuz they are actually pretty rare even though they were so cheap. I’d love to here what James has to say about it! FYI I changed out the Chinese el34’s for some Mesa el34’s really brought it to life!
Love it!!! There was a little while where Kurt from Converge was using Bad Cat stuff I think, right?
G'day Kyle - we had one for a little bit. It cost $500 Aussie, which is about $32 USD these days. For the money, it was pretty damn good really. We found it didn't like V30's much at all, but did sound pretty good through G12H's. They bring the brightness and seem to ease the boxiness. Great video as always btw!
Is that the actual exchange? Because if so, good lord! LOL. Thanks man! I actually really liked this one and I think a pairing with the right speaker is exactly what it needs to be great!
@@belligerentamateur No, it's a gross exaggeration but it feels that way sometimes!
I’m sorry if it’s too soon to ask but it would be EPIC if Kyle collabs with Xander Raymond Charles. It would be earth shattering something to be written down like sagas, legends & mythos. Not to mention the views they both would have between the two channels. Something tantalizing for us mere mortals.
Mega Harmonix 💫 Sounds good on my speakers and I get good results from RUclips channels to delivery at my house !
Love your vids bro!!!!!
Sounded good
"No More Mr. NICE guy" and Poisons "Fallen' Angel"? Nice!
Dude. Chill. I've been trying to grab one of these for a while and now you've gone and fucked up the pricing.
j/k. I dig your channel and the way you like to hear stuff. Thanks for doin' it! I AM a bit bummed that now I'll never be able to grab one of these at an affordable price, though!
That amp sound great.
As you said this was the cheap china import that didnt last due to reliability problems. The Hot Cat and Lynx is where the party is at.
The Cougar 50 may be an older amp, even seen as obsolete and past its prime, but it actually has an eye for nailing more youthful, more modern tones.
Jay from Defeater played a Bad Cat for a minute I believe. Also, what’s the riff from 7:45? I was thinking OSC or Verse but can’t put my finger on it 🤔
My friend has a Hot Cat and that one definitely does metal.
Been curious about Bad Cat amps for awhile. Now I know which one does the chuggalicious🤘🏻
Sounds good to me- full and balanced
Damn I had the chance to get one of those a while back, kinda wish I did
I had a BadCat Cougar 50 many years ago. I think they were about $500 new back then. It had reliability issues due to bad solder joints, and moved it down the road after a couple months.
I think they were originally $799 retail when new.
@@6AM_YT Musicians Friend blew these out for $500. I bought one used for $400 a few years ago.
And you thought it was going to be a Dad jorts with BBQ New Balance shoes type of amp 😮, my son plays a Badcat 40R because he's our guitarist at church but we also play skate and pop punk music together and it works really nice for that style. Now my son's amp wouldn't cut it for "I'm not weak." hardcore but this amp you played gets pretty close 👍
Reminds me of the Peavey Ultra actually, which is another great amp
Could you Demo the Fender metalhead MH 500. It’s a great amp in my opinion
I bought one of these a few years ago. The mids are overpowering and not present in a good way like a Marshall. The best tones I get out this with a Mesa 4x12 is backing down the bass and treble a bit and putting the mids really low. Overall, it's a touchy amp and noisy.
Brutal tones! Has a Recto Badlander thing going
It sounded good once you dialed it in
Modded Marshall indeed!
LOL! Kyle, a clean channel which nobody cares about! That sounds like ME! 🤘🤘😂😂👍👍
Some of these Marshall inspired overdrive channels might sound better with the presence maxed out and using the treble for taste. I think Billy Gibbons has his treble on zero and his presence maxed out, interesting!
that guy slays!
Killer amp rite there
dont ever be afraid to dime the gain knob😉
A dumb complaint but I hate how the controls on top look. It looks like someone flipped a marshall upside down 😂 I'd rather have them on the bottom like a regular marshall. It still sounds pretty good, it's just a dumb cosmetic preference haha
To me it is very practical even if it looks odd FWIW
@@christianboddum8783 yeah I can see it being more practical or ergonomic but I'm just weird
@@russiangoose7053 There's room for weird 😁 !
Bad Cat was among the fave of Rob Chapman and Rabea Massad for years....c'mon dude BAD CAT does
NOT apply in the least to blues or anything else but HI GAIN DESTRUCTION....better late than never....GREAT VIDEO>>>>>
I like it
Badcat has an actual high gain amp called the Lynx X
Dude, I need this amp! Is it true bypass?? Does it have a sweet spot? Is it transgender friendly? Would Dylan Mulvaney approve? Covid compatible? Can it get Eddy's "Smells like teen spirit" tone? Asking for a friend
Get the new version. I hated it, but I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Coheed!!!
Have you tried the BC Lynx???
I've got one. Pretty cool amp. I've been wondering how these compare to the new Lynx amps.....and Lynx-X.
I have had the Lynx X since it came out. Absolutely love it. I got the 2x12 cab with it and don’t care for the amp through a small speaker cabinet. Ended up getting the bad cat 4x12 because the speakers kill. It shines through that and a Mesa 4x12. The cleans are my favorite out of all of my amps. I love the high gain channel, but it does leave me wondering how the new Lynx is compared to it. I’ll never get rid of the Lynx x just for the clean channel alone.
@official_ffg357 just now seeing your reply for some reason. But thanks for your reply haha
I want to buy one but I can't find one.
try to get a bad cat lynx ;)
I have this head .
I don't like hanging chassis heads for a couple of reasons;
I don't like the weight of the transformers stressing the chassis.
And I don't like all that heat radiating back up into the chassis.
Bad Cat amps rock. this review was so negatively biased.
how? i said i liked the amp?! lol! also, this amp is the least bad cat amp ever made because its the only pne where the design and manufactuere were totally outsourced
Why is it so huge tho?
this vs evh??
beans
You need a precision drive.
I have one, not a fan honestly
@@belligerentamateur Whaaaat?
I don't like to be negative...but I think I hate this amp. Blanket. Over. Speakers. Congested mids? Yes, definitely. And too stiff and clanky for sweet sounding leads. I don't think this is an amp for me... I can appreciate it for the old school thrash metal sound, though.
I'd never even heard of Bad Cat, thanks for showing it to us!
A lot of bad cat amps are built like a vox amp..
Unfortunately your still using the term "dad rock " as if its a bad thing.
First? Lol
Dude, most of the guys on the gear page are transgenders. Just sayin
Say pls tuning this guitar
Anyone know a good cab for badcat amp heads?
Aside from a lot of the gear you demo making me want to try it I have to say you really make me want to give the Mud Killer pedal a try. I have often wondered if it was a Precision Drive type of pedal (had a PD and in the end didn't care for it) or perhaps something better. You always make some tonal magic happen with it. 🤘🏻