Description
The first release from the new Bad Cat Mod Shop is here—and it carries the fingerprints of a legend.
In early 2024, Mark Sampson—co-founder of the boutique amp movement and the mind behind some of the most iconic designs in the industry—returned to Bad Cat. One of the projects he chose to revisit was the Black Cat. What followed is a brilliant revision of one of our award-winning amplifiers.
Mark had a way of seeing deeper into a circuit—of knowing what to change, and what not to—guided by a lifetime of experimentation, invention, and obsessive pursuit of tone. The Mod Shop Black Cat 30 is one of the final chapters in that story: a handcrafted, limited-edition amplifier that blends the roots of Bad Cat with a new, big, bold voice.
Key Features
- Mod Shop – Launched in 2025, the Bad Cat Mod Shop takes the esteemed designs of some Bad Cats most well-loved amps and puts them in the hands of some of the most regarded guitar amp builders and designers, pushing these circuits further than ever before for a new and unique reimagining.
- All-new tone stack – Revoiced by Mark Sampson, this Black Cat sounds more three-dimensional with increased headroom, boldness, and punch as well as a more open and dynamic feel.
- Premium Build Quality – The Bad Cat Black Cat Mark Sampson Modified is handcrafted in Costa Mesa, California, with premium components throughout and built with the highest attention to detail.
Two Channels, Endless Inspiration
- Clean Channel: Classic chime with harmonic bloom
The Clean channel of the Mod Shop Black Cat 30 is everything you’d expect from a premium EL84 design—chimey, dynamic, and rich with harmonic content. Notes bloom effortlessly, offering touch-sensitive response that rewards expressive playing. Whether you’re fingerpicking, laying into chords, or stacking pedals, the clean tone remains musical, full, and inspiring.
- Overdrive Channel: Punchy, open, and articulate
Switch to the Overdrive channel, you’ll find gain that’s beautifully voiced—tight in the low end, focused in the middle, and airy on top. It delivers punch without harshness, staying articulate and musical at every setting. Even fully driven, the amp retains openness and clarity that lets complex chords and subtle phrasing shine.
Studio-quality Reverb and Bias-modulated Tremolo
The onboard, studio-quality reverb adds depth and space without overwhelming your tone—lush, spacious, and perfectly dialled in. Add to that an analogue bias-modulated tremolo circuit for warm, vintage-style pulse and movement that complements the amp’s timeless voice.
Built for the Stage and Studio
With a fully buffered effects loop, your pedals maintain clarity and dynamics whether you’re running time-based effects or modulation. The complete speaker output array gives you flexible options for any cab, session, or stage. And with a built-in direct output, you can go straight into your favourite IR loader or analogue cabinet simulation without losing any feel.
Specifications
- Designed and Built in Costa Mesa, California
- Circuit re-imagined by Mark Sampson
- Custom Hand-wound Bad Cat Transformer
- Output: 30 Watt
- Power Valves: 4xEL84 Power Tubes
- Preamp Valves: 3x12AX7 Tubes
- Channels: 2 Channels
- Controls: Independent Gain and Volume per Channel, Shared Bass, Treble, Cut
- Studio Quality Reverb
- Bias-Modulated Tremolo
- Buffered FX Loop
- Speaker: Custom UK-Made Celestion Bad Cat 12” Speaker
- Individual Speaker Outputs (4, 8, 16, 2×4, 2×8 ohms)
- Line Out
- Two-Button Footswitch: Channel Select and Tremolo
- Material: Baltic Birch Cabinet
- Dimensions: 23.75” Width × 10.375” Depth × 19” Height
- Weight: 48 lbs Weight
