The Bad Cat Era 30 is a Class A, EL84-powered head built to deliver the kind of touch-sensitive, harmonically rich response associated with the best British-influenced boutique amplifiers. The EF86 pentode front end on Channel 1 contributes a distinctive midrange density and dynamic sensitivity, while the three-12AX7 Channel 2 offers a more familiar gain structure. At 30 watts through a dedicated 2x12 loaded with UK-made Celestion Bad Cat custom speakers, this rig produces the open, articulate clean-to-crunch range that EL84s in a well-designed Class A circuit are known for. This head and cabinet are in excellent condition overall, and come with the original Bad Cat head cover in near mint shape, the original footswitch, a speaker cable, power cable, and paperwork.

Bad Cat Amplifier Company was founded in 2000, and their designs drew heavily on the DNA of classic Vox and British-influenced circuits. The Era 30 represents that lineage directly: the EF86 input tube on Channel 1 is a deliberate nod to the earliest AC15 topology, a circuit choice that requires careful layout and shielding to execute well and that Bad Cat has consistently gotten right. This is not a mass-market amplifier — it is a boutique, hand-built unit with transformer dates indicating 2024–2026 production. Pacific Transformer Co. supplies both the power and output transformers, the choke is from Bipolar Electronic Co. (dated 24/07), and all transformers are original. Tubes throughout are JJ — 4x EL84 power, GZ34 rectifier, 1x EF86 and 3x 12AX7 preamp. The 2x12 cabinet is loaded with UK-made Celestion custom speakers (cone code 09E-0444), both original and in near mint condition.

The cabinet has a small tear on the front left edge — visible in the photos. The chassis shows a tiny bend at one of the bolt corners; this does not affect fit or function. The black vinyl covering on the head is original and in excellent shape. The grille, baffle, and speakers are all near mint and original. The footswitch is original and functional but shows wear from use. Filter caps are original. No internal repairs have been performed. No reverb or tremolo onboard. The cabinet impedance is 16 ohms.

Mahar's Vintage Guitars is a brick-and-mortar and web-based retailer. We are happy to talk with you before you make a purchase.   Please reach out if you feel so inclined! We cross market our items here and on our own site, so items are subject to sale elsewhere at any time (however we will never cancel a sale if it happens here first). See our profile here, our Google reviews as well as our 100% positive Reverb feedback. Also, Reverb limits us to only 25 pictures of our items. There is a good chance we have more. Contact us if you’d like to see them.

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SPECIFICATIONS

• Date: 4/6/2026
• Where Is Date Noted?: chassis, output transformer
• Weight: Head - 31 lbs, Cab - ~52 lbs
• Dimensions: Head - 25.2" W x 15" H x 15" D, Cab - 22" H x 30" W x 11.75" D
• Watts: 30 watts
• Case/Cover?: head only
• Case/Cover Brand: BadCat
• Case/Cover Condition: near mint
• Covering Material: vinyl
• Covering Color: black
• Covering Original?: yes
• Cabinet Material: hardwood
• Cabinet Condition: Excellent. small tear on front left edge, see pic.
• Cabinet Repairs/Changes: none
• Cabinet Original?: yes
• Grille Style: black weave
• Grille Condition: near mint
• Grille Original?: yes
• Baffle Material: hardwood
• Baffle Condition: near mint
• Baffle Original?: yes
• Baffle Repairs/Changes: none
• Chassis Material: metal
• Chassis Condition: very good, tiny bit of bend at one of the bolt corners. does not affect fit or use.
• Chassis Original?: yes
• Chassis Repairs/Changes: none
• Knobs Original?: yes
• Handle Material: leather
• Handle Original?: yes
• Power Transformer Manufacturer: Pacific Transformer Co
• Power Transformer Manufacturer Code: PTC
• Power Transformer Date Code: 2-26
• Power Transformer Original?: yes
• Output Transformer Manufacturer: Pacific Transformer Co
• Output Transformer Manufacturer Code: PTC
• Output Transformer Date Code: 03-26
• Output Transformer Original?: yes
• Choke Transformer Manufacturer: Bipolar Electronic Co.
• Choke Transformer Manufacturer Code: BCP
• Choke Transformer Date Code: 24/07
• Choke Transformer Original?: yes
• Reverb Onboard: no
• Tremolo Or Vibrato Onboard: no
• Pedal Included?: yes
• Pedal Condition: good, beat up but in working condition.
• Pedal Original?: yes
• Rectifier Tube: GZ34
• Rectifier Tube Brand: JJ
• Power Tubes: 4 x EL84
• Power Tube Brand: JJ
• Preamp Tubes: 1 × EF86 (Channel 1), 3 × 12AX7 (Channel 2)
• Preamp Tube Brand: JJ
• Potentiometers Original?: yes
• Filter Caps: original
• Internal Repairs: none
• Power Cable: included
• Accessories Included: head cover, speaker cable
• Documentation: Checklist, polaroid and note from Mark Sampson
• Smells?: none
• Speaker 1 - 2 Brand: UK-Made Celestion Bad Cat Custom Speakers
• Speaker 1 - 2 Size: 12"
• Speaker 1 - 2 Cone Code: 09E - 0444
• Speaker 1 - 2 Cone Original?: yes
• Speaker 1 - 2 Condition: near mint
• Speaker 1 - 2 Original?: yes

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Shipping Policy
By completing your purchase you are agreeing to this shipping policy. Shipments require signature on delivery, no exceptions. Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely. If there is damage, retain all packing materials intact, photograph them immediately, and send the photos to .

Amplifiers: We take additional precautions to prevent common shipping damage. Depending on the amp, this may include removing tubes, pulling the chassis from the cabinet if heavy transformers present a drop risk, or removing heavy speakers that could crack baffles in transit. Reassembly is required on delivery — we label everything clearly. These measures add to shipping costs but reflect hard-won experience. Vintage amplifiers (20 years or older) are sold as-is — all amps are tested in our shop upon intake and again before shipping. We cover shipping damage but cannot be responsible for the failure of vintage components in instruments that are 20 to 50-plus years old.