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Bad Cat Announces the Mark Sampson Era 30 Amp

Bad Cat Announces the Mark Sampson Era 30 Amp

After more than two decades, Mark Sampson has rejoined Bad Cat to unveil his first amplifier with the company in over 20 years.


Sampson, renowned for his pioneering work in boutique amplifier design, was instrumental in shaping the golden age of hand-wired tube amps. His original designs set a benchmark for tone, craftsmanship, and reliability. Now, with the Era 30, Sampson has distilled over 35 years of amplifier design evolution into a product that embodies the best of his creative vision.

With four EL84 power tubes, the Era 30 delivers 30 watts of output power and offers two fully independent channels, each designed to bring out the best in your playing, no matter your style.

  • Channel One: Powered by the iconic EF86 tube, this channel delivers harmonically rich, three-dimensional tones that tube enthusiasts dream of. The stepped six-position depth control sculpts low-end frequencies with precision, while the Treble control acts as a masterful tone-shaping tool.
  • Channel Two: Featuring a 12AX7-based preamp, this channel offers a tighter, punchier tone. Its linear bass and treble controls provide intuitive shaping for everything from vintage chime to earthy, woody textures.
  • Complete Control: Both channels feature independent gain and pre-phase inverter volume controls, giving players complete authority over their sound. Want the best of both worlds? The included two-button footswitch makes it effortless to switch between channels or combine them together.

Era 30 product features include:

  • True Point to Point Hand-wired Construction made in Costa Mesa California, USA
  • Custom Bad Cat Transformer Set by Pacific Transformers
  • DC Filament Heaters in Preamp
  • 30 Watts of Power from 4 x EL84 Power Tubes
  • 1 x EF86 Preamp Tube
  • 3 x 12AX7 Preamp Tubes
  • 1 x 5AR4 Rectifier Tube
  • 2 Switchable or Mixable Channels
  • Independent Gain and Pre-Phase Inverter Volume Control per Channel
  • 6-way Deep Control and Treble Control on EF86 Channel
  • Linear Bass and Treble Control on 12AX7 Channel
  • Global Post-PI Master Volume
  • Buffered Effects Loop
  • 4, 8, 16 Ohm Switch for Speaker Outputs
  • Ultra-Durable Heather Tolex with Premium Leather Corners
  • 2 Button Footswitch and Amp Cover Included
  • 5 Year Limited Warranty

Bad Catā€™s Era 30 amp is available as a head with matching 112 ort 212 cabs. Pricing is:

Head: $3899.99 US

112: $699.99 US

212: $999.99 US

For more information visit badcatamps.com.

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