NAD x 2 - Bad Cat Cub IIR and (yet another) Fender Super Champ

Dodge

It's a bit 'oops I did it again' as it's my third Super Champ in 18 months, but I jumped on a near mint 1982 Super Champ, complete with the footswitch and the apparently legendary EV10 speaker.  It sounds glorious and it's INSANELY loud with the EV.  I've no idea how efficient they are, but it's double the volume of the stock speaker, and probably 25% louder than one with a Ragin Cajun.

My second purchase is a rather tasty Bad Cat Cub IIR from 2003 (Sampson-era).  Full of Matchless branded capacitors, superbly built and sounding epic.  I used to own a Matchless Lightning from the 90's and it always annoyed me it didn't have a cut control - this one does, plus it has reverb which I normally dislike on Vox-type circuits, but it sounds decent and is very subtle.  It's also in a much larger cabinet than my old Lightning which really adds body to the tone.

Winny_Pooh

Nice pair! That SC probably weighs as much as a deluxe reverb now  

theterracat

Jealous of that Cub II. Just got a 2003 Hot Cat myself, same era...

BigMonka

That's a cracking pair of amps. I've always loved Badcat amps, they're proper cool looking.

guitargeek62

Wonderful brace of amps there!   I'm really GASsing for a Cub at the moment too, this isn't helping  

SteppedOut

Love that champ HNAD

DrCornelius

There's a Bad Cat Cub II NR on Ebay right now for £950 which Ive nearly bought about 3 times this week

Dodge

Thanks all.

Very happy with my purchases.  The SC is a phenomenal amp anyway, but I'm smitten with the EV.  My normal speaker choice in the SC is the Emi Ragin Cajun which is a wonderful upgrade to the stock speakers (The Pyle made Fender one is ok, but the old Eminence made Fender one is awful) and the EV seems to add volume and bass.  It also responds well to a bit of attenuation too.

The Cub IIR was am impulse purchase - I've done the Matchless thing several times looking for the ultimate Vox (turns out it's a Vox - who'd have thought it?), but it's a lovely thing in it's own right.  The Matchless / Bad Cat thing is a more muscular tone than a vintage Vox, it's more dynamic and aggressive.  An old AC30 cries whereas the Cub shouts.  It won't replace my 64 Top Boost, but it won't catch fire when I'm not looking at it either.  Early Bad Cats are wonderful things.

tomajoha

I have a later black cat with k master and I love it, I think your muscular vox description is spot on. I had a 63 TB as student in the 90s, which I stupidly sold - it still haunts me! 

theterracat

DrCornelius said:

There's a Bad Cat Cub II NR on Ebay right now for £950 which Ive nearly bought about 3 times this week

Am talking to the gentleman myself about that one! Please keep staying your hand until I can give it a play, will you?  Hah.

theterracat

DrCornelius said:

There's a Bad Cat Cub II NR on Ebay right now for £950 which Ive nearly bought about 3 times this week

So I did end up going out to play that Cub II NR and... Left with it on the spot. It is very much in competition to be my favourite amp now, vaulting ahead of many other fine specimens. I have barely even played any pedals into it yet, I just sit with my Les Paul straight in on Spectrum mode, jamming and adjusting the chime here and there. . . Amazing thing.

Dodge

theterracat said:

So I did end up going out to play that Cub II NR and... Left with it on the spot. It is very much in competition to be my favourite amp now, vaulting ahead of many other fine specimens. I have barely even played any pedals into it yet, I just sit with my Les Paul straight in on Spectrum mode, jamming and adjusting the chime here and there. . . Amazing thing.

Congratulations.

Good score.

guitargeek62

I think I'm going to have to join the BC club this year, the Cub III 15R looks ideal for my tastes and needs - although the Hot Cat 15R looks interesting too... I'm going to have to go exploring and try some out methinks.

theterracat

guitargeek62 said:

I think I'm going to have to join the BC club this year, the Cub III 15R looks ideal for my tastes and needs - although the Hot Cat 15R looks interesting too... I'm going to have to go exploring and try some out methinks.

I definitely have looked at Cub IIIs and they also seem like they would be great, just have not played one yet. Good luck and tell us how you get on! It is a good club to be in... (And there is a gentleman on Reverb selling a Cub III head and cab, although I noticed it is Euro voltage spec 220-230V not the 240-250V Bad Cat recommends for the UK, so I passed on checking it out.)

stickyfiddle

Love a BadCat

I do go in and out with mine because I'm more into the Fender blackpanel vibe these days but man when you're in the right mood and the stars align there's hardly anything that sounds like it. I'll admit I'd prefer a TMB tonestack though... 

@Guitargeek62 the Cub III 15R is the one imo. I've had mine almost 10 years! 

guitargeek62

@stickyfiddle - it's the one that I keep coming back to on paper and YT at least, secondhand pricing seems reasonable for that type of amp too.

CarpeDiem

I’d also recommend the Cub III 15R - great amps.

theterracat

Question for the BC club - are there major tonal differences between the Cub III and Cub IV? I tried to research this on YT and forum sites and came up without much to show for it...