Bad Cat Era 30: A New Era with Mark Sampson
The Bad Cat Era 30 is designed by Mark Sampson
4,3 / 5,0 | 
Legendary amplifier designer Mark Sampson has returned to Bad Cat with the Era 30, a meticulously crafted amplifier that bridges the gap between vintage inspiration and modern innovation.
Era 30
The Era 30 boasts two fully independent channels, each delivering two distinct tones. Channel one, driven by an EF86 tube, offers a lush and harmonically rich tone reminiscent of classic tube amplifiers. Channel two, featuring a 12AX7-based preamp, provides a tighter and punchier response, making it ideal for a wide range of playing styles.
These amps are built by hand in Costa Mesa, California, USA, and Mark Sampson is back designing them.
Mark Sampson
Mark is back after around two decades of absence, which will undoubtedly please many Bad Cat fans, as his era of amp design is considered the ultimate in tone and build quality.
“The Era 30 is a culmination of years of experience and a dedication to crafting the ultimate guitar amplifier,” says Mark Sampson. “We’ve meticulously selected every component and employed true point-to-point hand-wiring to ensure unparalleled sound quality and responsiveness.”
The point-to-point hand-wired design uses custom transformers (made by Pacific Transformers) designed specifically for the new Era 30 to deliver exceptional headroom and dynamic response. These amps are powered by four EL84 tubes in the power amp section and a 5AR4 rectifier tube.
Key Features
The amp’s design offers independent Gain and Pre-Phase Inverter Volume control per channel. Both Gain controls act as an input volume.
A Master Volume post-phase inverter circuit then tames the amp’s overall output. Plus, a Depth control with a stepped six-position rotary switch is calibrated so that each step has a unique capacitor value to fine-tune the bass response.
The amp also has a fully bypassable buffered effects loop, which allows users to remove it from the circuit and keeps the amp tone intact.
Verdict
With Mark Sampson back in the fold for this amp’s design, this could be one of the biggest releases from Bad Cat in years. As he has a following, this will translate into much interest in this new Era 30.
On paper, it sounds excellent, and I’m hoping we get lots of reports back on this new model over the coming months.
Preorder
Preorders are open now, and the amp is available in Black, Cream, and Gray finishes direct from Bad Cat.
MSRP – USD 3899.99
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