NAD: Badcat Hotcat

HoraceB

I did notice that a transformer in one of the Black Cats I had with patches of rust, the other one the valves were not fitted in properly.  I wrote to Bad Cat for clarification and they swiftly replied with 

 "Yes we definitely had an issue with our transformer supplier on the first batch. They made two mistakes that we weren’t able to catch until the amps were already shipped. We have since been replacing units and reaching out with repair centers and users to fix the issue" 

They did sound great but it was quite stressful to have a brand new amp constantly blowing fuses before smoking and totally blowing to get it replaced with another doing exactly the same! I thought I was going mad! I had to call my tech and checked all the electrics in the house to make sure I was not doing anything wrong.

Yet, I'd still like to try a Hot Cat! 

rsvmark

How loud is the Bad cat combo? Seriously thinking of swapping a Marshall head with a 4x10 to one of these…. So I would be downsizing an amp (literally) but it would definitely increase the quality. It would be paired with a Two rock 2x12 and 100w Custom reverb head so needs to be effing loud to (not compete) but to hold its own as the dry amp in a wet dry set up

octatonic

StuartMac290 said:

The transformers were starting to tarnish before they'd even left the shop, so they all got returned.

More than meets the eye, I guess.

thomasw88

HoraceB said:

I did notice that a transformer in one of the Black Cats I had with patches of rust, the other one the valves were not fitted in properly.  I wrote to Bad Cat for clarification and they swiftly replied with 

 "Yes we definitely had an issue with our transformer supplier on the first batch. They made two mistakes that we weren’t able to catch until the amps were already shipped. We have since been replacing units and reaching out with repair centers and users to fix the issue" 

They did sound great but it was quite stressful to have a brand new amp constantly blowing fuses before smoking and totally blowing to get it replaced with another doing exactly the same! I thought I was going mad! I had to call my tech and checked all the electrics in the house to make sure I was not doing anything wrong.

Yet, I'd still like to try a Hot Cat! 

Coda seemed to think it was just the black cats that had the problems.  I've emailed badcat but not had any response so far.

the hotcat is fantastic though. Done a few gigs with it now and it absolutely sings..  

Chester

rsvmark said:

How loud is the Bad cat combo? Seriously thinking of swapping a Marshall head with a 4x10 to one of these…. So I would be downsizing an amp (literally) but it would definitely increase the quality. It would be paired with a Two rock 2x12 and 100w Custom reverb head so needs to be effing loud to (not compete) but to hold its own as the dry amp in a wet dry set up

My Cub IVR Combo was the "loudest" amp I've experienced. More direct and punchy than my 50W Wonderland OD, and held together brilliantly. I didn't have it at the same time as a TR Coral I owned a few years ago, but the BC was up there with the best of them. Unbelievably loud for 15W

tomajoha

I have the older handwired black cat 15r with k master, it’s keeper, finally the vox-type sound I was looking for 

thomasw88

Chester said:

rsvmark said:

How loud is the Bad cat combo? Seriously thinking of swapping a Marshall head with a 4x10 to one of these…. So I would be downsizing an amp (literally) but it would definitely increase the quality. It would be paired with a Two rock 2x12 and 100w Custom reverb head so needs to be effing loud to (not compete) but to hold its own as the dry amp in a wet dry set up

My Cub IVR Combo was the "loudest" amp I've experienced. More direct and punchy than my 50W Wonderland OD, and held together brilliantly. I didn't have it at the same time as a TR Coral I owned a few years ago, but the BC was up there with the best of them. Unbelievably loud for 15W

Its loud, but not vox ac30 earsplitting loud. The master volume is fantastic, so you can really dial in a great sound at any level. Last couple of gigs I've had the master volume around 2 and the channel volumes  either side of 12.  I do mic it up for pub gigs but only for a little spread .   For original band gigs its alot lower as everything is mic'd.  I've not tried an extension cab yet but will do when i can be arsed.
 here it is!

HoraceB

I went for it and got a Hot Cat (head). At first I preferred the Black Cat's clean sound but after playing the Hot Cat for a while this is the one, for my needs it's perfect, I play in a covers band playing many different styles and the Hot Cat can cover a lot of ground (actually can knock off a couple of drive pedals!) and I think the extra wattage will be useful for gigs. I managed one gig with one of the Black Cats before it's demise and for me it did slightly struggle keeping a nice clean (which is what I liked about it) and with headroom .  I noticed that the Hot Cat has different transformers to the two Black Cats that I had to send back. The Hot Cat's are  Bad Cat branded and orange whereas the Black Cats were plain silver (and one tarnished).  

Dan_Halen

Bumpy bump.

I bought a Black Cat over the weekend after planning to buy one of another couple of amps. The others were fine… but plugged into the Bad Cat and was so impressed bought that instead.

The cleans (what I was mainly after) are rich, full and have this amazing clarity. When super clean seems like I can really hear everything from the guitar I’ve plugged in. Decent drive sounds, loop, trem, a verb that might actually be useful and seemingly a lot of wallop volume wise for something modest in size. Very happy.

I know these have had QC issues so just wondering if there’s anything I should be checking? Read the comments about a discoloured transformer (not sure where that lives - do I need the chassis out?) and something to do with the trem/foot switch not working. Anything else I should be checking to see if I have one of the earlier ones with issues? Trying to do some sort of due diligence whilst I have the opportunity to get the shop to deal with the problems!

Cheers in advance. 

thomasw88

The first batch of hot cats had some dodgy transformers. Mine went after 6 months of gigs. Been replaced under warranty and sounded magnificent since. Not sure about the black cats . If you bought new don’t sweat it , it’s probably fine, but you can fire Badcat the serial number if you’re concerned. They were super helpful and everything got fixed very quickly for me.

Dan_Halen

thomasw88 said:

The first batch of hot cats had some dodgy transformers. Mine went after 6 months of gigs. Been replaced under warranty and sounded magnificent since. Not sure about the black cats . If you bought new don’t sweat it , it’s probably fine, but you can fire Badcat the serial number if you’re concerned. They were super helpful and everything got fixed very quickly for me.

That's really helpful cheers. Will send it over to them just to make sure.