Bad Cat Mod Shop Cub 15 1x12" 15-Watt Tube Guitar Combo Amplifier | No Limit Guitar Co, Idaho Falls
The Bad Cat Mod Shop Cub 15 is the cornerstone of the Bad Cat amplifier lineup — the amp that started it all in 1999 when Mark Sampson designed the original Cub, drawing from the DNA of classic 15-watt British amplifiers of the 1960s while adding more muscle, more touch sensitivity, and the harmonically rich, dynamically alive character that became the defining "Bad Cat Sound." Weighing 44.5 lbs. as measured at our store, the Mod Shop Cub 15 revisits and refines the original's spirit with a more compact grab-and-go footprint, revoiced mids matched to the original 1999 Cub, a tighter bottom end, and a suite of modern features that the original couldn't offer — foot-switchable gain stage, dual foot-switchable master volumes, studio-quality reverb, buffered effects loop, and line out. Loaded with a UK-made Celestion Greenback in a Baltic birch cabinet, powered by two EL84 power tubes and three 12AX7 preamp tubes, and built in Costa Mesa, California with custom hand-wound Bad Cat transformers. Two-button footswitch included. Three-year limited warranty.
As John Thompson, current owner of Bad Cat, put it: "I have always loved the Cub. Before I was the owner of Bad Cat, I owned a Bad Cat Cub." When the company's owner has been a customer since before he owned the company, that says everything about what this amplifier means to the people who build it.
Product Overview
The original 1999 Bad Cat Cub established the tonal identity that the company has been refining and honoring ever since — a 15-watt, EL84-powered, British-influenced amplifier circuit with a specific combination of touch sensitivity, harmonic richness, and dynamic responsiveness that set it apart from everything else available at the time. The 15-watt output is not a limitation but a design choice — at 15 watts, the EL84 power tubes can be pushed into their natural saturation character at volume levels that are useful for live performance without requiring the full venue volume of a 30 or 50-watt amplifier, and the power tubes' contribution to the tone at working volumes is the key to the Cub's specific character.
The touch sensitivity is the specification that makes the Cub genuinely different from amplifiers that simply have a lot of clean headroom or a lot of distortion. A touch-sensitive amplifier responds to the player's right-hand dynamics in a way that fundamentally changes what the amplifier communicates — pick lightly and the amp whispers, providing clean or nearly clean tone with full harmonic complexity but no saturation. Dig in and the amp responds proportionally — the signal compresses and saturates naturally with the pick attack, producing the blooming, harmonic, saturated character that tube amplifier lovers specifically seek. This dynamic range between light and heavy picking — and all the gradations in between — is what makes a touch-sensitive amplifier feel alive and expressive rather than simply loud.
The Mod Shop Cub 15's foot-switchable gain stage adds natural tube overdrive without losing the signature Bad Cat string separation and clarity — the gain stage is not a different channel or a radically different circuit character but an enhancement of the same tonal DNA that defines the clean channel, adding saturation while preserving the harmonic richness and note separation that makes the Cub's clean tone so valuable in the first place. The dual foot-switchable master volumes — selectable via the included two-button footswitch — allow independent volume levels for clean and overdriven playing, covering the classic performance scenario of a quieter rhythm volume and a louder lead volume without touching the amplifier controls mid-song.
The UK-made Celestion Greenback is the speaker choice that most directly reflects the Cub's British influence and character. The Greenback is one of the most historically significant and beloved guitar speaker designs in British amplifier history — the speaker found in many of the defining British amp and speaker combinations of the 1960s and 1970s, known for its warm, slightly compressed, harmonically complex character and its musical breakup character at higher volume levels. In the Mod Shop Cub 15's compact Baltic birch cabinet, the Greenback's 12" cone provides the warmth and tonal character that perfectly complements the cabinet's smaller interior volume and the EL84 power section's specific tonal character.
The Baltic birch cabinet construction is the material choice that provides the acoustic rigidity, resonance, and dimensional stability that a quality amplifier cabinet demands — Baltic birch is the cabinet wood used in professional audio applications for its consistent, tight grain structure and its contribution to cabinet resonance and projection. The individual speaker output options — 4, 8, 16, 2x4, and 2x8 ohms — provide maximum flexibility for connecting different speaker configurations, and the buffered effects loop allows external effects pedals to be integrated into the signal chain without the impedance and loading issues that unbuffered loops can cause with certain pedal types.
Custom hand-wound Bad Cat transformers are the internal components that most directly affect the amplifier's power delivery, tonal character, and dynamic response — transformers in a tube amplifier are not generic components but critical tonal shaping elements, and Bad Cat's decision to hand-wind their own transformers rather than use off-the-shelf alternatives reflects the level of tonal investment that defines the Cub's character at every level of its construction.
Ideal For
- Players who want the authentic Bad Cat tonal character — the harmonically rich, touch-sensitive, dynamically alive "Bad Cat Sound" — in the original Cub circuit's compact, grab-and-go format
- Guitarists who want 15 watts of EL84 tube power with foot-switchable gain stage, dual master volumes, studio reverb, and buffered effects loop in a gig-ready combo
- Players who want the UK-made Celestion Greenback's warm, harmonically complex character in a Baltic birch cabinet designed for its specific complementary tonal relationship
- Recording and gigging musicians who want a compact, inspiring, touch-sensitive amplifier that reveals the differences between every guitar, pickup, and pick attack in their collection
- Guitarists in Idaho Falls looking for the cornerstone Bad Cat amplifier — built in Costa Mesa, California with hand-wound transformers and a three-year limited warranty
Key Features
Original 1999 Bad Cat Cub Circuit — Revoiced for Modern Performance
The amplifier circuit that started the Bad Cat Sound in 1999 — revoiced mids matched to the original, tighter bottom end, and the modern features players have requested, in a more compact grab-and-go footprint.
15-Watt EL84 Power Section — Touch Sensitive and Harmonically Rich
Two EL84 power tubes deliver 15 watts of touch-sensitive, harmonically complex tube power — enough for live performance, enough for natural power tube saturation at practical volumes, and completely responsive to pick attack dynamics.
Foot-Switchable Gain Stage
Natural tube overdrive accessible via footswitch — adds saturation while retaining the signature Bad Cat string separation and clarity that defines the clean channel's character.
Dual Foot-Switchable Master Volumes
Independent rhythm and lead volume levels selectable via the included two-button footswitch — the classic performance tool for independent clean and lead volume staging without mid-song amp adjustments.
UK-Made Celestion Greenback — 12"
One of the most historically significant and beloved British guitar speaker designs — warm, harmonically complex, with musical breakup character that complements the Cub's EL84 power section and Baltic birch cabinet.
Custom Hand-Wound Bad Cat Transformers
Not off-the-shelf components — custom hand-wound transformers that are critical tonal shaping elements in the Cub's power delivery, dynamic response, and overall character.
Baltic Birch Cabinet Construction
Professional audio-grade cabinet material for acoustic rigidity, resonance, and dimensional stability — the compact footprint that makes the Mod Shop Cub 15 a genuine grab-and-go amplifier.
Studio-Quality Reverb and Buffered Effects Loop
Onboard studio-quality reverb for spatial depth and a buffered effects loop for integrating external pedals without impedance and loading issues.
Built in Costa Mesa, California — 3-Year Limited Warranty
Designed and built in Bad Cat's Costa Mesa, California facility — backed by a three-year limited warranty that reflects the company's confidence in its construction quality.
What's Included
- Bad Cat Mod Shop Cub 15 1x12" 15-Watt Tube Guitar Combo Amplifier
- Two-Button Footswitch (Clean/OD and Master One/Two)
- Free standard shipping
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Model | Mod Shop Cub 15 Combo |
| Manufacturer Part # | CUBMS-COMBO-120V |
| Weight | 44.5 lbs. (as measured at our store) |
| Output Power | 15 Watts |
| Power Tubes | 2× EL84 |
| Preamp Tubes | 3× 12AX7 |
| Speaker | UK-Made 12" Celestion Greenback |
| Speaker Outputs | 4, 8, 16, 2×4, 2×8 Ohms |
| Cabinet | Baltic Birch |
| Channels | Single Channel |
| Gain Stage | Foot-Switchable |
| Master Volumes | Dual Foot-Switchable |
| Reverb | Studio Quality |
| Effects Loop | Buffered |
| Line Out | Yes |
| Footswitch | 2-Button (Included) |
| Transformers | Custom Hand-Wound Bad Cat |
| Dimensions (W×D×H) | 20.5" × 10.375" × 19" |
| Built In | Costa Mesa, California, USA |
| Warranty | 3-Year Limited |
Get Your Hands on This Amplifier Today
The Bad Cat Mod Shop Cub 15 is available now at No Limit Guitar Co in Idaho Falls. Stop in to plug in and hear the Celestion Greenback and EL84 power section in person — or reach out online to arrange your purchase. The amplifier that started the Bad Cat Sound, refined and ready for any stage or studio.
