The Unhealthy Cat Cub has advanced by means of a number of iterations since arriving with the maker’s inaugural lineup 25 years in the past. It has gained (and misplaced) options, morphed into more-affordable PCB-based variations, even sometimes doubled in energy. The brand new Cub V returns to its totally hand-wired/point-to-point origins outfitted for 2 well-liked energy ranges – a 20-watter with EL84 output tubes and a 40-watter with EL34s.

Whereas many amps from the sooner days of the boutique period made a advantage of going mild on bells and whistles, the Cub V piles on considerate options that improve its versatility, with no main impression on the purity of the core sign chain. This begins with a selectable/footswitchable alternative of both a 12AX7 or EF86 preamp tube – representing the 2 channels within the maker’s unique large-amp flagship, the Black Cat – and sharing a single Achieve management. A four-way Depth management basically acts as a voicing change, adopted by Bass, Treble, and Minimize. A Reverb knob controls the tube-driven spring circuit, adopted by two Grasp-volume controls, additionally footswitchable. Development in and out is immaculate, workmanship inside the chassis notably reflecting a considerate replace of the PTP wiring ported over with the primary Cub, courtesy of former Matchless predominant man Mark Sampson, who’s as soon as once more working with Unhealthy Cat.

Examined with an ES-355 and a Telecaster into 1×12″ and a pair of×12″ cabs with Eminence and Celestion audio system, respectively, the Cub V EL34 evoked the chime, bloom, and plentiful harmonic sparkle of the EL84-equipped Unhealthy Cats which have been well-liked previously (and for that matter, comparable Matchless amps from which some have been derived), with the elevated girth, punch, and bark enabled by greater EL34 output tubes. There’s extra quantity, too, although not “double” the 20-watter’s decibels; reasonably, a sturdy revoicing with extra push and grunt. From crisp, shimmery cleans to a throaty roar when pushed into overdrive – all slightly extra sparkly with the 12AX7 versus thicker with the EF86 – the Cub V swings with one of the best of the “boutique” crowd, and is a blast to play.

The one extra characteristic we would prefer to see is a separate Achieve management for the EF86 channel, so a user-determined steadiness could possibly be set when switching between them on the fly. As it’s, although, it’s loads versatile and a first-class amp by any measure. – Dave Hunter

This text initially appeared in VG’s February 2025 situation. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.