ok here is the update, in my quest to change my tone im now looking at bad cat amps, ive heard some reallly good things about them and lucky for me the music shop i tried the lonstar has them so ill get a side by side comparison. if the LSS didnt get muddy i wouldve bought it in a heart beat. that was my main concern after trying it. ive though about it and im not too keen on buying a AU$4000+ amp and start changing the tubes to improve the sound. anyway ill see how the bad cat reverb combo or BC cub II reverb goes go in comparison to the lonestar.
lonestar special 1x 12 live (does it cut it?)
- Thread starter bsoul
- Start date
Help Support The Boogie Board:
picnic
Well-known member
I tried a Bad Cat 2x12 when I was actually demoing my Anderson Classic. I didn't have much time on it, but wish I had. It looked like it could be a sweet amp.
well if i can get hold of one id buy a JJ matchless amp but they are hard to get over here in australia and worth a lot of money.
im yet to try a bad cat out so i cant wait. if money was no object id buy that and also have a LSS- just because it can be incredibly sweet sounding.
im yet to try a bad cat out so i cant wait. if money was no object id buy that and also have a LSS- just because it can be incredibly sweet sounding.
just another update, i tried a bad cat cub II 30r, it rocks- its the 30w version. wow what an amp. this amp has better headroom than the lone star special and better note separation. the tone of it is great all round but it does need a peddle to get it sounding heavy or dirty (its only a one channel amp). it has great smooth clean although there is something the lonestar does better - i felt the LSS has more creamy smooth sound (while playing single or dual note runs) there i think the LSS was more rewarding to play, that to me is where the LSS excels! but when it came to playing chords and alround sound the bad cat was better overall.
that so far is my no1 choice. worth checking out but it is a lot of money to pay for a single chanel amp.
that so far is my no1 choice. worth checking out but it is a lot of money to pay for a single chanel amp.
picnic
Well-known member
A few players on the fender forum rave about their DrZ's Mas Jr or Sr's. I have heard them and think you take a listen to one if you can.
Tough choices with the amps you have been demoing.
Tough choices with the amps you have been demoing.
yes very tough choices, im doing lots of research and lots of testing too so all good so far. the other amps you mentioned are hard to get in australia so i got to go for something that i can get serviced here and also get parts for. even buying a bad cat is risky here, we dont get the service you guys in the states get, if something goes wrong here and they havent got the part i have to wait till they ship it to us. - you dont know how lucky you guys are!
i did try the hot cat 30 - forgot to mention that, and the trem cat too.
the hot cat was great, loved it but it didnt give me the same feeling that i got off the cub or mesa lonestar. it was good allround but not really really great at one thing. im looking for a bit of magic. but one thing that i didnt like was that it was HEAVY , i mean really heavy! and expensive too (AU$7000).
the trem cat was unreal, the one i played had a noisy pot so it was a little off putting - but it did show great things and for my style of playing was well matched.
its sort wierd cause i wanted a 2 channel amp to begin with and now im looking at buying a fantastic single channel amp and using peddles to get some of the sounds i need.
i did try the hot cat 30 - forgot to mention that, and the trem cat too.
the hot cat was great, loved it but it didnt give me the same feeling that i got off the cub or mesa lonestar. it was good allround but not really really great at one thing. im looking for a bit of magic. but one thing that i didnt like was that it was HEAVY , i mean really heavy! and expensive too (AU$7000).
the trem cat was unreal, the one i played had a noisy pot so it was a little off putting - but it did show great things and for my style of playing was well matched.
its sort wierd cause i wanted a 2 channel amp to begin with and now im looking at buying a fantastic single channel amp and using peddles to get some of the sounds i need.
Hello Bsoul.
Thanks for the Hot Cat & Trem Cat reviews.
I would not worry too much about service. The amps you mentioned will most likely suffer only from tube related failures that should not be difficult to fix, IMHO. At worst you might have to ship the chassis back to the manufacturer.
The advantages of the LSS are 1) similar to point-to-point wired boutique amps like the Bad Cats but less expensive -- based on printed circuit boards; 2) two switchable channels. #1 is also a disadvantage. PCB amps are generally more difficult to service that pt-to-pt if something gets fried.
Is there any way to get your amp of choice while traveling outside of Australia and then bringing it back with you? It seems to me you could come out ahead if you can combine a vacation with an amp purchase.
Otherwise, have you looked into locally made amps, or amp kits available on the internet (Hoffman, WeberVST etc.)? You could probably build a Vox AC30 or Fender Tweed clone that would sound similar to a LSS or Bad Cat. Less money but more aggravation of course.
Thanks for the Hot Cat & Trem Cat reviews.
I would not worry too much about service. The amps you mentioned will most likely suffer only from tube related failures that should not be difficult to fix, IMHO. At worst you might have to ship the chassis back to the manufacturer.
The advantages of the LSS are 1) similar to point-to-point wired boutique amps like the Bad Cats but less expensive -- based on printed circuit boards; 2) two switchable channels. #1 is also a disadvantage. PCB amps are generally more difficult to service that pt-to-pt if something gets fried.
Is there any way to get your amp of choice while traveling outside of Australia and then bringing it back with you? It seems to me you could come out ahead if you can combine a vacation with an amp purchase.
Otherwise, have you looked into locally made amps, or amp kits available on the internet (Hoffman, WeberVST etc.)? You could probably build a Vox AC30 or Fender Tweed clone that would sound similar to a LSS or Bad Cat. Less money but more aggravation of course.
RR
Well-known member
ylo said:
uh, not the WeberSVT kits, they're decent kits but could use alot of upgraded components especially their transformers which I think is Far East import if I'm not mistaken.
Yes, Hoffman, Mojo, Allen ...
ylo said:
i dont wonna mess around with getting amps made, there is a local guy here that makes ulbrick amps and effects, he modded my marshall and services it as well, i could get something made from him, but i played one of his amps and well it didnt do that much for me-great amp but no magic.
i know a few people here that realy like that amp. but its not for me.
i have thought of getting my amp from the USA but i have to get it made to 240 volts power. i mean i would save about AU$500 if i take out shipping fees insurance and so on and too me its not worth the hassle.
i just wonna get in the shop play the thing and walk out, let the store worry about getting it fixed if anything sounds funny.
pls dont take these tests as reviews because its only my personal opinion and also i havent played a gig with any of these amps. when i do ill be sure to let you guys know how i go with them.
i bought a bad catIIr 15w amp.
great amp and very polished, its so hard to get a bad sound out of it and very easy to get great sounds out of it. it has a really warm tone and never gets in your face. i did try a fender 57 RI bassman and a 65 RI super reverb next to the bad cat, and they both didnt even come close to the tonal quality of this beast. dont get me wrong they sounded great in there own way and would do a certain job really well. the 57 BM was a little in your face and sometimes thats a good thing if you really want to cut through the mix. it just didnt have the warmth - the SR 65 was great and very clean- classic fender, it did do a few sounds really well but over all the BC cub was much more complete in the way it would get you clean warms and then good classic rock breakup. one thing is that the BC is not as cutting as these fender amps. they were colder and could really send a spike in your ear. pity i couldnt do a side by side camparison with a lonestar(theyre from different stores).
ive got band prac this thursday and ill let you guys know how it went.
i have only one thought that being a 15w it might struggle if the bands pumping - oh well im going to find out very soon.
in a perfect world i would love to get the 30w 2 x 10 in the cub11 but i have to wait months for it to come.
great amp and very polished, its so hard to get a bad sound out of it and very easy to get great sounds out of it. it has a really warm tone and never gets in your face. i did try a fender 57 RI bassman and a 65 RI super reverb next to the bad cat, and they both didnt even come close to the tonal quality of this beast. dont get me wrong they sounded great in there own way and would do a certain job really well. the 57 BM was a little in your face and sometimes thats a good thing if you really want to cut through the mix. it just didnt have the warmth - the SR 65 was great and very clean- classic fender, it did do a few sounds really well but over all the BC cub was much more complete in the way it would get you clean warms and then good classic rock breakup. one thing is that the BC is not as cutting as these fender amps. they were colder and could really send a spike in your ear. pity i couldnt do a side by side camparison with a lonestar(theyre from different stores).
ive got band prac this thursday and ill let you guys know how it went.
i have only one thought that being a 15w it might struggle if the bands pumping - oh well im going to find out very soon.
in a perfect world i would love to get the 30w 2 x 10 in the cub11 but i have to wait months for it to come.
I've had both and for an all around amp I like my classic because of the power and headroom. The 1x12 is good without a mic at small gigs but it is always better to mic your cab. I'm getting an extension cab, either a 1x12 or a 2x12 for larger venues. I never worry about cutting through the mix. The louder you turn it up the better it sounds
