Bad Cat Mod Shop Black Cat 30 30W 1x12 Guitar Combo Amp by Mark Sampson Black

The Mod Shop Black Cat 30 30W 1x12 guitar combo amp is more just a stellar piece of gear—it's the return of a legend. Mark Sampson, a pioneer of the boutique amp movement, brought his singular vision back to Bad Cat to redesign one of the company's most iconic models. This 30W Class-A combo fuses vintage EL84 sparkle with modern tone-shaping refinements, delivering an expressive, harmonically rich sound that feels alive in your hands. Handcrafted in California with custom-wound transformers, top-tier components and Sampson's meticulous circuit revisions, the Mod Shop Black Cat 30 combo amp isn't just a tribute—it's a bold evolution, designed to inspire and built to last.

Revoiced Tone Stack Delivers Signature Chime and Clarity

At the heart of the Mod Shop Black Cat 30 combo amp are four EL84 power tubes and an all-new tone stack, revoiced by Mark Sampson for boldness, openness and balance. Channel 1 delivers the signature clean tone you'd expect—sparkling highs, rich midrange and a touch-sensitive response that rewards dynamics and nuance. Notes bloom with natural compression and harmonic content, making it ideal for fingerstyle, complex voicings and pedal-driven textures. The tone controls are highly interactive, allowing players to sculpt their sound without ever losing the amp's musical core. It's a new take on a beloved classic, reimagined by its original architect.

Dynamic Overdrive That Stays Articulate

Channel 2 of the Black Cat 30 is where this amp roars—offering a gain structure that's both assertive and refined. The overdrive is tight and punchy, with focused mids and an airy top end that never collapses under saturation. Unlike many high-gain circuits, it maintains clarity even at full tilt, ensuring your phrasing, chord extensions and dynamic shifts stay intact. Whether you're playing vintage blues licks or post-rock textures, the overdrive feels wide open and deeply expressive. Independent gain and volume controls per channel make it easy to balance tones and tailor the amp to your rig or room.

Studio-Grade Reverb and Authentic Analog Tremolo

The Black Cat 30's onboard effects are anything but afterthoughts. Its lush, studio-quality reverb adds just the right amount of spatial dimension—never muddy, always musical. Dial in subtle ambience or cavernous depth without losing your core tone. The analog bias-modulated tremolo is equally impressive, offering vintage pulse and movement with a warm, organic character that pairs beautifully with the amp's overall voice. Both effects are footswitchable, giving players easy access to texture and modulation on stage or in the studio. Whether you're chasing surf shimmer or soulful pulses, the Black Cat delivers.

Flexible Connectivity and Reliable Craftsmanship for the Real-World Player

Designed for maximum flexibility, the Mod Shop Black Cat 30 combo amp includes a fully buffered effects loop to preserve clarity when using external pedals. The versatile speaker output section accommodates 4, 8 and 16-ohm cabinets—along with dual configurations for stereo or stacked rigs. A direct line out lets you plug straight into a cab sim, IR loader or recording interface with no tone loss. Paired with a custom UK-made Celestion Bad Cat 12" speaker and housed in a rugged Baltic birch cabinet, this amp is roadworthy and ready for anything—from the club circuit to the studio.

Limited-Edition Combo Amp Designed by a Legend

The Bad Cat Mod Shop Black Cat 30 combo amp isn't mass-produced—it's a limited-edition tribute to the legacy of Mark Sampson, crafted with intention in Costa Mesa, CA. Every component reflects a deep commitment to tone, feel and build quality—from the custom transformers to the intuitive controls. With its two versatile channels, expressive dynamics and pro-level features, it's a gig-ready combo amp that delivers far more than wattage. This is a player's amp through and through—designed by one of the greats, and ready to write the next chapter of your tone story. When a legend revisits his legacy, this is what happens.