In early 2024, Mark Sampson, co-founder of the boutique amp movement and the mind behind some of the most iconic designs in the industry, returned to Bad Cat. One of the projects he chose to revisit was the Black Cat.

What followed is a brilliant revision of one of our award-winning amplifiers. Mark had a way of seeing deeper into a circuit – of knowing what to change, and what not to, guided by a lifetime of experimentation, invention, and obsessive pursuit of tone.

The Black Cat 30 is built for players who want big, round cleans that live right on the edge of breakup, paired with a second channel delivering punchy, unmistakably British drive. It’s an amplifier for players who value feel above all else.