Bad Cat Mark Sampson Modified Black Cat Guitar Amp Head 30 Watts
The Mod Shop Black Cat 30 is a 30W EL84-powered, hand-built amp reimagined by Mark Sampson, offering bold Class A tone with a new open, dimensional voice.
0 Reviews
Write a review
0% Interest
Payment Plan
Don’t sell your soul to a creditor to get the gear you need. At AMS, we want to lower the barriers to create. That’s why we offer in-house 0% financing, and you don’t even have to open a new line of credit! Spread out payments on your credit card to simplify financing and avoid hefty late fees or service charges. Cost shouldn’t interfere with your creativity.
Earn rewards every time you shop at AMS. You'll collect points on eligible purchases that turn into promotional savings on future gear, with points typically available several days after your order ships. All you need is a free AMS account — no credit card, financing, or payment plan required.
The more you shop, the more you earn. Create a free account and start earning from your very first eligible purchase. Rewards are applied as a discount on future eligible purchases.
Earn points on eligible purchases with AMS Rewards and turn them into savings on future orders, no credit card required. You can apply points at checkout once they’re available.
Eligible to earn $119.95 for this purchase
OR
12 Payments of $200.00
6 Payments of $208.33 +$1,149.99 down No Credit Check
Compare
Compare! Here are all the serial numbers of this model we have in stock. Compare them all and select your favorite!
Opt in for Notifications on this product for the price drops, stock changes and promotions
Bad Cat Mark Sampson Modified Black Cat Guitar Amp Head
Mark Sampson is back! The co-founder of the boutique amp movement returned to Bad Cat in early 2024 with a singular mission: revisiting the legendary Black Cat. What emerged from the workbench is a brilliant revision of an award-winning amplifier.
Guided by a lifetime of obsessive tone-chasing, Sampson knew exactly what to tweak and what to leave alone. The result is a handcrafted, limited-edition head that blends the brand's boutique roots with a massive, bold new voice.
A Tone Stack with Teeth
You don't just hear a great amp; you feel it. This modified beast breathes fire and finesse, offering a tactile playing experience that responds to every nuance of your pick attack. The revoiced circuitry opens up the soundstage, providing a dimensional depth that makes chords ring out like a choir.
30 Watts of EL84 Power: Four EL84 tubes deliver that classic Class A chime, wrapping your notes in sweet compression and heavenly harmonic bloom.
All-New Tone Stack: Revoiced by the master himself, the EQ section feels remarkably open and bold, letting your guitar's natural character shine through.
Independent Gain and Volume: Dial in the exact amount of grit you crave on each channel without sacrificing your core volume levels.
Boutique Build, Tour-Ready Tone
A world-class circuit demands world-class construction. Built in Costa Mesa, California, this amplifier is a masterclass in Mod Shop craftsmanship. Every component is painstakingly selected to ensure reliability night after night, gig after sweaty gig. It’s housed in a rugged Baltic Birch cabinet that can take a beating while looking absolutely stunning.
Custom Hand-Wound Transformers: The beating heart of the amp, delivering massive headroom, tight low-end, and unshakeable stability.
Premium Components: Assembled with the highest attention to detail, ensuring a whisper-quiet noise floor and pristine signal path.
Baltic Birch Cabinet: Renowned for its acoustic resonance and road-ready durability, giving your tone a solid, punchy foundation.
More Than Just an Amp
An amp shouldn't fight your pedalboard; it should elevate it. This head comes fully equipped to integrate seamlessly with your favorite stomps and outboard gear. The onboard effects are so luscious, you might just ditch your pedals entirely. It’s a creative toolkit for the gigging guitarist who refuses to compromise on quality.
Studio Quality Reverb: Lush, trailing reverberations that add glorious space to your sound without washing out your attack.
Bias-Modulated Tremolo: A throbbing, hypnotic pulse that adds vintage swagger and musical movement to your playing.
Buffered FX Loop: Keep your delays and modulations pristine and punchy, completely free from the dreaded tone suck.
The Peak of Boutique Perfection
The Bad Cat Mark Sampson Modified Black Cat 30 is more than an amplifier; it is a piece of boutique guitar history. It captures the essence of legendary tube tone while offering the modern reliability and massive sound that today's stages demand. Plug in, turn up, and experience the sonic summit of Mark Sampson's legacy.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Bad Cat Mark Sampson Modified Black Cat
What is the Bad Cat Mark Sampson Modified Black Cat?
Think of it as the ultimate Black Cat. It's a limited-edition amp head, re-voiced and hot-rodded in 2024 by the legend himself, Mark Sampson, for a bigger, bolder sound.
What kind of tubes does the Black Cat use?
It's powered by four EL84s, giving you 30 watts of pure Class A power. Expect glorious chime and that beautiful, natural tube compression you crave.
Does the amp have a built-in effects loop?
You bet. It has a super-transparent buffered FX loop, so your delays and reverbs will sound pristine without sucking any of your precious tone.
Are footswitches included with the amp?
Absolutely. A two-button footswitch comes standard, giving you instant control over channel switching and the amp's killer tremolo.
Where is the Bad Cat Mark Sampson Modified Black Cat built?
It’s born and bred in the USA — specifically, hand-built with love and premium parts in Bad Cat's Mod Shop in Costa Mesa, California.
Bad Cat Mark Sampson Modified Black Cat Head Features:
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. View our Privacy Policy.
Privacy Preference Center
Privacy Preference Center
Your Privacy
Your Privacy
When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.
More information
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for our website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to your requests for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging into your account, or filling in forms. You can manually set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but it will prevent parts of our site from working as expected. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
Performance Cookies
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us identify which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around our site. All the information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our site and will not be able to monitor its performance.
Functional Cookies
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Sale of Personal Data
Sale of Personal Data
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link.
If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.
Targeting Cookies
Targeting cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. These cookies may be used to build a profile of your interests to show you relevant ads on other sites. They do not store specific personal information but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device.
You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using the toggle switch in this menu. If you opt out of targeting cookies, we will not offer you personalized ads or share your personal information with any third parties. If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (e.g., Global Privacy Control), we will automatically opt you out of targeted advertising and the ads you see will not be personalized.
