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* EDIT: Up-to-date information is available in Yek's Guide to the Fractal Audio Amplifier Models *
HOT KITTY: based on Bad Cat Hot Cat 30
Note: the picture above is of the later Hot Cat 30r amp, not the original (and modeled) Hot Cat 30 amp.
Luckily we’re not limited to Marshall / Fender / Vox / Mesa etc. models. Bad Cat amplifiers became really famous when Mark Sampson of Matchless became their chief amp designer (he left later).
This is their Hot Cat 30 model. Mind you: not the current Hot Cat 30r, which has different controls.
It’s a 30 watts cathode bias head or combo with EL34 tubes, voted by Guitar Player as "the second best combo of all time”.
It's a different kind of amp, unlike all other amps, IMHO. It can do clean-to-crunch stuff als well as high gain tones.
Bad Cat (current Hot Cat 30r model):
Our Hot Kitty model is based on the amp's 2nd channel. The controls on that channel are: Gain, Edge (model: Bright), Level, Bass, Mid, Treble, Brilliance (model: Hi-Cut), and Master. Note that the tone controls on the amp are pretty radical and interactive. Turning them fully up or down can make mute the amp (not in the model).
Cliff:
Review in Vintage Guitar.
Some players say that you have crank the Master (and HiCut) to make it work, and I do agree that maxing the Master helps a lot.
Here’s the original manual.
Bad Cat uses proprietary Celestion speakers. We have a Hot Kitty stock cab: #85.
HOT KITTY: based on Bad Cat Hot Cat 30
Note: the picture above is of the later Hot Cat 30r amp, not the original (and modeled) Hot Cat 30 amp.
Luckily we’re not limited to Marshall / Fender / Vox / Mesa etc. models. Bad Cat amplifiers became really famous when Mark Sampson of Matchless became their chief amp designer (he left later).
This is their Hot Cat 30 model. Mind you: not the current Hot Cat 30r, which has different controls.
It’s a 30 watts cathode bias head or combo with EL34 tubes, voted by Guitar Player as "the second best combo of all time”.
I owned a Hot Cat 30. I played one in a shop and was so impressed that I took it home with me. But from there were disappointments. The first one became apparent when I lifted it. It was the heaviest 1x12 combo I ever came across. The second one was that it got extremely hot. The third and most serious one: I never got it to sound as good as in that store again, for reasons unknown.
It's a different kind of amp, unlike all other amps, IMHO. It can do clean-to-crunch stuff als well as high gain tones.
Bad Cat (current Hot Cat 30r model):
"We started with one of the nicest most touch responsive clean channel ever designed enabling the ability to tailor the amp to bright single coils or thick warm double coils. We've added a K Master volume that can be utilized to drive channel one into all shades from clean to soft pushed overdrive and beyond. The little secret that loyal users of the Hot Cat have known for years is that the clean channel crunches like the sounds found on vintage 70's vinyl. Channel two is a pure Class A EL34 high gain. The same sweet harmonically rich gain only now with an added mid-range knob to help you dial into a rich scooped thump. This amp covers everything from clean sparkle to harmonically rich saturation."
Our Hot Kitty model is based on the amp's 2nd channel. The controls on that channel are: Gain, Edge (model: Bright), Level, Bass, Mid, Treble, Brilliance (model: Hi-Cut), and Master. Note that the tone controls on the amp are pretty radical and interactive. Turning them fully up or down can make mute the amp (not in the model).
Cliff:
"Brilliance is their name for Hi-Cut. I set the Edge control to where I thought it sounded best. It essentially does the same thing as the Bright knob though less precise."
"The amp has a Hi Cut but it's labeled Brilliance. It's wired backwards so turning it CW gets brighter."
Review in Vintage Guitar.
I know that some people love this amp and model. But sorry, not me, it's "not my thing". To my ears, it sounds hifi-ish, lacks low mids and reminds me of cardboard. Just like the real amp. ;-) So prove me wrong, please!
Some players say that you have crank the Master (and HiCut) to make it work, and I do agree that maxing the Master helps a lot.
Here’s the original manual.
Bad Cat uses proprietary Celestion speakers. We have a Hot Kitty stock cab: #85.
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