None More Black

Bad Cat's new addition promises much, combining that classic signature sound with a unique new high-gain voicing

- Nick Guppy

Bad Cat Amplification is celebrating B25 25 years of manufacturing this year-no mean feat in the turbulent world of boutique amp production. Bad Cat was founded at the turn of the millennium to fill the gap left by the demise of Matchless and, in the early stages, there was some design help and assistance from Matchless founder, Mark Sampson. However, Sampson left soon after to explore new ventures as Bad Cat followed its own path, with innovations including the K Master volume control and popular new models including the Hot Cat and USA Player Series amplifiers.

Bad Cat relaunched last year with a new design team and a new range of products, including the critically acclaimed Black Cat, with the combo winning our Gold Award and going on to scoop the Gear Of The Year accolade. Here, we're looking at another new design that's already gained significant interest: the Jet Black.

True to its name, Bad Cat's Jet Black head has a 'none more black' design aesthetic, featuring a birch ply sleeve perfectly covered in heavy duty satin black vinyl, set off by shiny black front and rear control panels and smart black anodised aluminium control knobs. The electronics are contained within a tough aluminium chassis, which supports a pair of generously large custom-wound transformers with distinctive orange-end caps.

Inside the chassis, the circuits are built up on high-quality printed circuit boards, with one main board holding most of the components, including all the front-panel controls and preamp valve bases. Two smaller boards support the bases for the Jet Black's quartet of EL84 output valves and the rear-panel sockets. The minimal wiring is neatly twisted and routed to minimise hum, and the solder joints are all clean and bright.