matchless dc30 vs bad cat wild cat

2 different brands and one technology, Mr. Sampson has left beautiful footprints, I switch each amp with a lehle 1at 3 sgos,

[@podline66]

The DC 30 is the best amp ever made..

[@Earlvis]

Naylor is the best amp ever made but the Matchless is up there in the ranks.

[@Passion4Tone]

Having worked closely with one of the companies involved here (Bad Cat), I can assure you all that the only difference we are hearing is a pair of EL34s verses a quad of EL84s. Mark Sampson's Bad Cat era Wild Cat design is nothing more than a C30 preamp through a pair of EL34s using the same transformer set as his Chieftan and Clubman. Bad Cat was using the exact same suppliers as Matchless for their transformers and components during this era of production. A Black Cat 30 vs DC30 or Wild Cat vs Chieftain/Clubman through identical cabs would definitely be a more sensible comparison if we were trying to discern any noticeable differences in sound quality between the two manufacturers. Since the Wild Cat was nothing more than a 40w Black Cat, Bad Cat recently made the common sense decision to rename it the Black Cat 40. It's underwent a few upgrades over the years. It now has foot-switchable 12AX7/EF86 channels, independent reverb for each channel (on R version), independent K Masters for each channel, a different value on the bass pot that makes it come on slower, and a different value cap in the phase inversion stage that makes the bass rounder and less muddy.

[@lechocolatemoose]

i'm willing to bet that the Matchless is an early DC30, perhaps '91- '93, judging by the color combo, featuring gray tolex, white piping, vertical weave silver sparkle grill cloth, and gray plexiglass handle. i have heard that Matchless sometimes used NOS tubes on some of the early ones. so, we may be hearing the difference in tube manufacturers, in addition to the power section (4 x EL84 vs 2 x EL34). some early DC30's were also sold with dual 5V4 rectifiers, for a softer, more squishy attack. the BadCat definitely would have a single 5AR4, for faster, tighter attack. i've owned a '94 DC30, and i still own an '01.

[@TheMoutin]

Thank you for your apreciations that they are good or bad, I take into account, I am not a proffessionel I have fun while making these videos, there are certainly defaufts of sound and images capture, my goal It was to have a comparisons between these two amps because it is rare to see them side by side in a shop and show that both are vallent in quality with each their defaults and quality, escuse me for my english Also aproximative, good day, serge de france

[@jdl2180]

They do sound the same

[@RobertNolan]

Matchless amps tend to run incredibly hot, pushed to the limits and manage to still hold on tight - but it isn't without the few drawbacks, such as the additional noise from the high end EQ sparkle and hot bias. The bad cat tends to focus sightly lower in the EQ resulting in less noise and possibly more mid/bass control. Drawback being that it sacrifices a large bit of the hairy treble that makes these so well known. Splitting hairs under normal circumstances, but under well pushed limitation conditions, you can easily see which is best for you. Similar to how people choose an SM58 or E835 microphone, they often sound relatively similar until pushed to its limits.

[@chadcarpenter6882]

Really appreciate that you panned left and right for the amps - I'm at work so I couldn't watch.

[@deweypug]

Matchless, living up to its name...

[@sassulusmagnus]

Tough call. Both sound great. A bit more girth with the Bad Cat, a bit more grit and sparkle with the Matchless. Win-win. Thanks for uploading this demo.

[@mintlp]

Great comparison video! Matchless is more revealing,clear and a clean sparkling tone.

[@jeromepopiel]

Very well done demo, very effective side by side comparisons. I've had two Matchless amps (two Lightnings) and two Bad Cats (Black Cat 30 and Mini Cat II) and I prefer the Matchless because of it's sparkle. Bad Cats are great too, just ever so slightly darker.

[@dankerr8205]

They both sound great. I have a Matchless but I love that BadCat also.

[@HiHello-ku1fl]

I have always liked that certain character Matchless amps have. I owned a Lightning and regretted selling it and the prices went up when I wanted to find another used one. The Badcat sounds good too and it does have a lil bit of that character I always hear from a Matchless but less so here. I think it's the el84's I like with the Matchless and they also take the doping off the speaker and I think it could contribute to more of a vintage broken in sound. To me the Badcat sounds like a more modern take on the Matchless. I like the spank of the El84 Matchless amps. Hard to put into words exactly but nothing sounds like them.

[@Hanssone]

Now! put them in stereo with a touch of chorus for a wonderful fusion of dark mellow tone(lower-mids) & in your face sparkly & crispiness(higher-mids).

[@robertenache8463]

i would play a les paul on the dc and a tele on the bad cat. nice demo! thx

[@Auen73]

thanks for posting this clip, pretty cool. they are similar but different, but all good!

[@iansnyder274]

I never bonded with the Matchless amps.. I tried hard to like them, but, to my ears, they always sounded stiff and brittle to me....but, plugging into an a vintage AC30 top boost...now that was incredible.. as i understand they are supposed to be the same basic design, so I don't know.

[@bohs1984]

I have a custom shop hand wired Wild Cat 85. Took the chassis out and discovered all Matchless guts. Greatest amp I've ever played.

[@MrAndyroo25]

Same with my wildcat 40r

[@PatDowning83]

AWESOME demo. Thanks. I think all of the "chimey-ness" coming from the Matchless would get on my nerves...

[@Crapgramp]

Would have been nice to hear them through the same cab/speakers for accurate comparison

[@bohs1984]

I have a hand wired custom shop Wild Cat that is 85 watts and has parts that read "Matchless" on them. So I am pretty sure there is a little more than shared tech here. I think when they started Bad Cat they took a lot of left over Matchless amps and rebranded them.

[@MrAndyroo25]

I just picked up a wild cat 40r head and 2x12 cab and sure enough it has matchless parts in it!

[@vminator]

I had both, sold the Bad Cat. DC30 is still my go to amp.

[@zedmandude]

Good demo - I preferred the bad cat over the matchless. It had a rounder solid sound where as the matchless had a loser jangly sound. I wish you could do a demo of the wild cat on the second channel, I've tried one out a couple of years ago, that amp roars like an animal.

[@Fishies125]

Guarding against clipping would've been nice. Great tone from both of them anyway.

[@johnadams9044]

Matchless and Bad Cat: Two super premium sweet sounding amps. I hear more complex desirable tone coming out of the Matchless.

[@carltonwimmer3923]

Both are excellent amps - Its kind of like some people like DiMarzio others Seymour Duncan.

[@6AM_YT]

This comparison is potentially flawed by a few things. First, there is a difference in mic sounds. I'm not sure if the same type of mic was used with both, but the ambient sound from the Matchless side is different than that of the Bad Cat. Also, both amps use two different types of speakers. The Matchless uses one Greenback and either a G12H30 or a modded Vintage 30 depending on if it's a Sampson or Jameson era. The Bad Cat uses one Greenback or one modded Vintage 30 or a custom made Celestion depending on the production year. So the best comparison would be to mic the Greenback of each. Not sure if that was done here.

[@scottmatheson2390]

that occurred to me as well - how much the room sound is effecting the overall A/B is hard to gauge but certainly worthy of consideration. Concerning the disparate speaker arrangement, that is less of a problem for me in that those ARE the speakers Matchless uses and likewise Bad Cat. I'm interested in what differences those decisions made once Sampson left Matchless and went on to the new company and whether or not they were the RIGHT decisions.It seems to be that this is the case,but as you mentioned,room ambience and mic placement is a concern.Really the only true test is to plug into one and hear it and "feel" the difference for yourself I suppose.

[@TheMoutin]

yes ,reissue 62 with fralin pickup

[@Millo1868]

Flawed comparison as this might be, my preferences were as expected: I like the EL 84 cleans better, I like the both early break up sounds, like the EL 34 OD sounds better, in general...emphasis on 'in general'. I would like the EL84 od for certain kinds of riffs and certain mixes of instrumentation/bands.

[@gregmullins6927]

The Matchless tone was clearer for me,if I could afford a DC 30 I would certainly buy one,I'll just have to be content with my Mesa Rectoverb 50 which is also a great amp.

[@dldsparks]

Matchless for me by a good margin. Both great amps

[@MrDajalo]

Sounds like some some comb filtering on the matchless due to proximity of corner and reflections. Each one sounds like they could be made to sound similar.. however.. best part was original chord composition at end in stereo. I hope listeners recognized it was a real arrangement with thoughtful melody and harmonic content way beyond the usual 3 chord bang we hear too often here ... here here !

[@daw162]

Something about the signal sounds the same as a speaker that's past its limit.

[@mrpingua]

I like the matchless more when totally clean but I like the Badcat more when you start to hear a little more hair.

[@kevinschletze6014]

Maybe I would be able to tell which is better if the recordings where of better quality and not (what can I only imagine as) clipping

[@philippreichel4044]

Very cool! I also like the Music from the beginning of the vid. Which Band is it?

[@danielfrazzica]

matchless dc 30 not have the same speaker inside.. which you miked?

[@npet6842]

Hey WestcountryDude , These have been around for years now , and they can be purchased for lowish dollars. I was offered a nearly new WildCat40R head for USD1100 last month . DC30 are available in the teens too . Good second hand gear is less expensive than you think :-)

[@Melonheadinbed]

I'd like to know where you get your used gear. used matchless Amps are consistently above 3 grand on eBay.

[@OutlawsandAngels]

+N Pet I would also like to know where to find a matchless dc 30 in the teens....

[@npet6842]

Guitar Forum for-sale sections , like TGP etc are the places to watch . Mine were on CL Just keep looking !

[@MuriMorello]

dude. awesome.

[@superflea72]

based on the tones presented here I would take the Bad Cat, but I've never played either amp personally.

[@gordontubbs]

The Bad Cat has a woodiness that the Matchless doesn't, it's (pun intended) a different animal. But, I'd take a DC30 over a VOX AC30 any day of the week.

[@tommayle4752]

For me the Matchless shines above the bad cat because it has way more personality to the tone, it sounds more alive and has a great vocal like tone to it that is lacking in the cat...

[@roinerov9348]

Both amps are good, but the Matchless has more sparkle and shime.

[@bisaillion]

The Matchless sounds broken, or is that how it sounds. The Bad Cat completely owns this comparison.

[@juddaustin399]

Broken? that's an odd comment. The matchless has an added dimension to its sound that the badcat simply does not. the difference is what would make any effect sound amazing. the badcat sounds flat in comparison

[@bisaillion]

i don't doubt that Matchless sounds great, but listen back to 2:15 and try and tell me that doesn't sound terrible. Something isn't right. Either the amp needs a repair, or the recording is clipping like crazy.

[@juddaustin399]

sounds like a tele bridge pickup played too bright to me.

[@danielkelleyhoward]

Brent Bisaillion wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the mic clipping since they seem to have different mic placement

[@tpap6827]

Matchless sounds like a vox or dr z. More articulate not as warm or raw. Just a matter of taste. On snall combos i prefer a brighter sound eith chine and better chord articulation. So for rhythm i will take the matchless. The lead tones it depends. For gut bucket blues solos and raunchy blues rock the bad cat. For a creamier smooth tone i like mathless, and vox type tones. The bad cat is more of a hard pick attack, dig deep type of blues solo amp and the natchhless seems to bloom better and responds well to a light touch better

[@user-xv6dm6cj1r]

良いですね！最高ですね！Excellent！

[@TheMoutin]

the complet test of dc 30 coming soon

[@ThePoet007]

The Bad Cat sounds somewhat compressed vs the Matchless. Both sound great. But the Matchless is the winner here.

[@caiotudurowen5509]

Matchless

[@WestcountryDude]

Great player and a great demo. Overall I think the Matchless pipped it for me. Had more character in the tone. Both amps are way above my pay cheque though!

[@hermitrob5481]

For what I'm hearing, set aside all the obvious comparison online issues, Bad Cat all the way!

[@Guitarman3348]

Because of the different stile's of music I play I'm going with the Bad cat I don't like twang all the time. But I do know the Matchless amps can sound great with pedals.But I like natural overdrive and the Badcat will shine in that department better.

[@TheMoutin]

miked ?

[@josephfalcone1078]

Matchless.

[@davo171]

What guitar, strat?

[@MrHaydrian]

The Matchless breaks up more. The Bad Cat sounds more robust. Its the latter for me.

[@Im-sure]

Bad cat sounds like someone stepped on a matchless, and said oops my bad and walked off with out fixing it… costing thousands.

[@TheMoutin]

this is my music, not yet edited

[@ryann4007]

The Cat has more body and grit.

[@jkuwae]

Matchless is very matche to me

[@bobbreckenkamp4641]

Bad Cat all the way!!

[@mikeaustin4138]

Are the controls set the same of all amps?

[@TheMoutin]

yes mike

[@Bricklinsv1970]

BADCAT BY FAR.

[@MuriMorello]

Bricklinsv1970 man i have a clubster 35, and the guy that GAVE ME, he has an cat also, dude the match is heavy as shit and unbvbl

[@Extranegative]

Guess thats why they are called matchless

[@plexiscarlatto]

left

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

I can't see what anyone would like about any of these amps, but they have amazing reputations so I try to keep open minded

[@vep3539]

BadCat IMO

[@qzedy]

matchless...

[@jdl2180]

Good amps but over priced in my opinion.☺

[@bobbreckenkamp4641]

Badcat all the way....

[@jorgroschmann2671]

Bad Cat sounds like it's speakers are stuffed with pillows. Crappy thing....

[@Tonetwisters]

I find the Matchless to be more musical ... but I am an old school player ... 54 years worth, so a younger player might want to hear something different than what I want. LOVE the Matchless. Bad Cat ain't bad either. As in guitars, different songs require different amps as well. Nice to have both, for sure.

[@michaellewis5]

+Tonetwisters i have to completely disagree. I thought the badcat was more musical. The matchless was brittle and thin. The badcat had more body and weight to its overall note definition. Both unbelievable amps.

[@Tonetwisters]

Beauty is in the ear of the be-listener! That's why there's more than one amp company out there. I'll still prefer the Matchless, but I'm glad you enjoy the Bad Cat ... it has its own sound and that's a good thing.

[@scottmatheson2390]

I agree I found the Matchless thin sounding whereas the Cat had a "sturdier" sound to me which I'm assuming has to do with a more pronounced midrange although I'm not sure.The odd thing is I often find a pronounced mid to be annoying - that little rabbit punch in the ear drum- but in this case the B.Cat seems to have dialed in a perfect mid frequency - at least in my opinion.

[@Tonetwisters]

Yessir. That's why there are so many amp companies ... there are so many ears! And as "they" say, "Beauty is in the ear of the beholder." And that's why they make amp switchers, too (for those who can afford both a Matchless AND a Bad Cat)!

[@scottmatheson2390]

Tonetwisters now yer talkin!

[@toadamine]

Matchless sounds super thin and half the volume of the kitty

[@13Hangfire]

*Not to be too negative here but the the playing and amp settings were one dimensional and showed that the amp and guitar could sound, jangly!*

[@joerychlik2052]

I’m not sure what anyone is hearing but they both sound cheap, thin and chimey to me

[@wingslikeairplanesTV]

Cat has miles more body.

[@Melonheadinbed]

squeaky ass strat pickups. mehhh.

[@gusl1979]

Matchless