Got a Bad Cat Hot Cat today.......

[yogadork]

Re: Got a Bad Cat Hot Cat today.......

I love my Mercury. For what it does it can't be beat. When you play clean you hear other worldly overtones. Its really a spiritual experience [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] It took me on quite a trip and in terms of layering sounds, using it as a base clean tone can only make recordings that much more 3D and organic. Not to mention the fact that you really know where your technique is at playing through one of these suckers.Its easy to fall into the trap of high gain amps playing you rather than the other way around.I was apalled at how sloppy my chops had gotten playing clean. The Merc staightend me out [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Twisteramps]

Re: Got a Bad Cat Hot Cat today.......

Just a small clarification on Yoga's posts... and if I misread it, I apologize in advance Chris. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Just because an amp is Class A doesn't mean it can't get good high gain tones - it's just the operating state of the power section. Every amp with one output tube is class A - it means the power tube is 'on' all the time. This is why they use tubes up faster also - most amps with 2 or 4 power tubes work in 'push-pull' or class A/B, which means they split the work - one is on, the other is off, and back and forth. One other thing is that many of the EL84 amps run the hell out of them voltage wise, so they are biased pretty hot. This does help the tone sometimes, but it wipes the tubes out pretty fast. Current production EL84s are pretty cheap, however.

Most amps with more than one power tube that are 'class A' - aren't really. Some are, but many manufacturers call cathode bias Class A. Cathode bias makes for an amp that is sweeter and spongier - not as tight, and it sings more.

I have it schematic'd and layed out, and parts coming in for a high gain Class A head with swappable power tubes. I will have clips soon... on paper it has plenty of gain, and also has a built in power soak/attenuator for dialing in JUST the right amount of power tube grind. But I have a poweramp to finish up for Fritz first. This is the fourth high gain amp I've prototyped... hopefully this one will make me happy. The other ones were close, but I want something insanely cool [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Pete

[yogadork]

Re: Got a Bad Cat Hot Cat today.......

Pete, I agree with you as to what you are saying about high gain and class A. What I was meaning to say is that the sounds coming from the boutique makers right now are voiced to what they believe is a true distortion ( read AC 30 and Fender Bassman) and does not really meet the needs of a serious metalist. Again I am also talking about low wattage amps. There is no shortage of 50 and 100 watt metal amps that sound great. I have been on a search now for over a year for the ideal practice, recording tube metal amp and for the life of me can't find one.For me it has to do with the depth, thrust and complexity of the sound not the overall volume. I am looking for a tube amp that will perform more in a chamber setting than concert situation but still have the harmonics and all the metal bells and whistles. So build one and sell it to me [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] Must have reverb [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] Fritz, I still think that you will be happier with your amp in a band setting where it gets a chance to sing out and find its place in the mix.Bad Cat, Top Hat, Matchless etc. are made to be cranked out and sound pretty lame in a bedroom situation.Even the Merc at its 2 watt setting is unmercifully loud by the time you find the sweet spot. I'm thinking about putting a Celestion Blue in it and see if it will brown out at lower volumes. The Tech 21 still rules for practice high gain for me at least.

[fritzreiser]

Re: Got a Bad Cat Hot Cat today.......

Chris,

Yeah, I kinda figured that it needed to get revved up to hit the sweet spots. Unfortunately, I only get to do jam sessions about once a month, so I can't justify keeping a $1650 amp that I won't play daily. It's going to eBay. And that is the last time I buy an amp without hearing it first. [img]graemlins/idea2.gif[/img]

[fritzreiser]

Re: Got a Bad Cat Hot Cat today.......

Originally posted by yogadork:
I have been on a search now for over a year for the ideal practice, recording tube metal amp and for the life of me can't find one.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hey Chris, what amps have you tried during your search?

[jgcable]

Re: Got a Bad Cat Hot Cat today.......

Fritz, I know this is sort of bush league BUT.. I had really good success with a Crate VC508 and either the Boss MT-2 or the Korg 411FX. Cheap and great at any volume. I have also heard very nice things about that Carvin boutique low wattage combo. It sounds like Twisteramps (Pete) might be your solution to find "your" sound.

[fritzreiser]

Re: Got a Bad Cat Hot Cat today.......

I needed an extremely versatile amp for church, so......I decided to give a Hot Cat 15 another try.


Full review to follow.

[Final Sacrifice]

Re: Got a Bad Cat Hot Cat today.......

I was listening at the Bogner site, and I heard this clip. It sounds familiar, and I can't for the life of me remember where it's from. I will be tortured with it in my head, until I (or one of you) can figure it out.
http://www.bogneramplification.com/Sean101BBlue1.mp3

[fritzreiser]

Re: Got a Bad Cat Hot Cat today.......

Scorpions - "The Zoo" from Animal Magnetism.

[Final Sacrifice]

Re: Got a Bad Cat Hot Cat today.......

Thanks a lot.

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: Got a Bad Cat Hot Cat today.......

The amp looks killer!
Love the Green sparkle covering!

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: Got a Bad Cat Hot Cat today.......

talk about thread resurrection [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Fritz, that's a cool lookin amp, is that sparkle tolex? cool stuff..