New BadCat Ocelot looks interesting.

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The Bad Cat Ocelot packs pro-level tones into a portable 20-watt tube head with switchable 1W mode for quiet sessions. Two versatile channels deliver everything from shimmering cleans to searing high-gain drive, while built-in EQ and power scaling put total control at your fingertips. With integrated Two notes Torpedo™ tech and six Bad Cat DynIR™ cab sims, plus on-board MIDI, the Ocelot is ready for the studio, stage, or silent practice.


Sounds good on Ola's video.

Nice features. Wish it wasn't EL84 powered but....

$1299.00

20 Watt
 
Interesting that he mentions that the clean channel brings back the sound of the early '00s Hot Cats. I had a Hot Cat 30 during that era, and it was a wonderful sounding amp, especially clean.
 
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I’ve been curious about this one. I’ve been a huge Bad Cat fan ever since I got my first one ~20 years ago.

As long as it sounds like a Bad Cat, the tone isn’t compromised by all the features and construction, and they didn’t try to make it too “modern” sounding I think it could be great.

I have zero interest in Bad Cat high gain. Clean to mid gain class A el84 tone is where they shine
 
It's hard for me to get excited about these lunchbox EL84 heads. They're neither as punchy as my big amps nor as practical as a modeler or my IR-D.
They just seem like a double negative to me.

That's not related to this particular amp btw, but these little 84 amps in general.

But I like Bad Cat. The Hot Cat is amazing. Still, I have zero interest in this.
 
And for someone who does not own any tube amps yet? Worth the price of admission or is it "go big or go home?"
It's a bit of a "comparison is the thief of joy" thing.

For the sake of argument, let's say you have a 20W Marshall JCM800 because it exists also as 50 and 100W variants. Same preamp, different poweramp, transformers etc.

Let's also say that you can use all of these through a Fryette Power Station so volume is a non-issue and everything is set at the same loud-ish volume level, running into the same cab.

You get the 20W model. It gets loud, sounds great to you.
Then you friend brings over his 50W model, and it sounds punchier and bigger, with a wider dynamic range.
Then another friend brings over the 100W model, and that sounds just a little bit bigger than even the 50W model.

Then you start thinking "Man, if only I had bought the 100W!"

But in reality if you play mostly at home/small gigs, you might find that the 50 or 100 watter is totally impractical. It takes more space, is heavier, more expensive, gets too loud too quick, or sounds like a can of bees at lower volume whereas the 20W is quite alright and more manageable.

It's all about what you expect the amp to do and what you play. If you are an avid metal player, "go big" wins every time because you want that punch and headroom. If you play blues, you'll likely favor something that is a bit more tamed and sweeter sounding.

Ultimately it comes down to just liking how the amp sounds/feels at the volumes you use, and that the feature set is practical.
 
To give it more context, do I get anything out of a small bottle tube amp plus load box that I do not get out of a top tier modeller except for more tactile controls strictly for home use?
 
To give it more context, do I get anything out of a small bottle tube amp plus load box that I do not get out of a top tier modeller except for more tactile controls strictly for home use?
IMO no. If you are running into headphones or studio monitors, or just need to keep it down low, just use a modeler. They're great.

Real amps are fun when you run them into a guitar cab, at a nice volume.
 
To give it more context, do I get anything out of a small bottle tube amp plus load box that I do not get out of a top tier modeller except for more tactile controls strictly for home use?

Only you can answer that question.

It’s one of those things where every person can only answer for themselves. For some the answer will be yes, for others the answer will be no.
 
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