02/09/2024
John Suhr launched the first Badger Series of amp heads in 2006 and he was already thinking of portability, tactile response, and single-channel simplicity.
He insisted on the Badgers being hand-built, all-tube amps, like the pair of cathode-biased EL34s and three 12AX7 preamp tubes in the Badger 30. The Series also comes in the Badger 18 and the Badger 35, Landau’s preferred model, which both use EL84s.
The Badger is a refinement to that big bark that leans it toward the sweeter end of Marshalls, as in some late-’70s JMPs with preamp control, and even JCM800 2205 and Silver Jubilee territory.
Its London Power ‘power scaling’ approach is an idea seen show up at other builders, like Laney, Hughes & Kettner, and Mesa. It allows you to reduce your amp’s effective wattage, and thus its output performance, with a variable throw.
The Badger 30’s relatively small footprint and sober weight means it won’t take over your studio or the stage, but you might still get asked to turn down several times a night by the sound person.