Thoughts on the Cornford Hellcat?

jdel77

jdel77

Well-known member
This is an amp brand you don't hear much about since they folded some years back.

I've got a mate's Hellcat here, a 35w EL84 head. It's an '04, made by Martin Kidd, all point to point and tagstrip, nice build.


This amp puts out some of the juiciest clean to medium gain tones I've heard.

The clarity and separation across the strings in chords is nuts, even at its highest gain range which is maybe 10-15% more than what a JCM800 2204/03 can deliver. 

I've read that some people consider these quite harsh amps, to me it's got an AC30 cross Soldano type vibe, with some Hiwatt clarity and punch in there.

I wasn't really hunting another amp, but my mate is up for selling it. If anything I was thinking about a modded 50w Plexi, but this thing has come along.

Anyone else use Cornford?
 
14242943328_3c523b55b4_z.jpg


Dug the MK50II so much I had to grab this little guy too when I had the chance.
14786172578_7b8a54cb3c_z.jpg
 
great amp, I had one around 8 or 9 years ago. sound great. martin kidd has a new amp company, Victory. seems like rob chapman and his minion rabea massad are always talking them up. back to the hellcat. if I had extra cash and saw one come up for sale (I saw one come up CHEAP about 6 months ago, $900!!!) I would grab it!

troy grady went to an amp sales/rent type place and brought his N4, and he played a Hellcat, and he opened up the workshop, and it sounded pretty mean.
 
lester":2h9nb6wb said:
14242943328_3c523b55b4_z.jpg


Dug the MK50II so much I had to grab this little guy too when I had the chance.
14786172578_7b8a54cb3c_z.jpg
Click to expand...

These look great!
So that's a MKII on top? What's the amp on the bottom?
 
mooncobra":n0nugxsg said:
great amp, I had one around 8 or 9 years ago. sound great. martin kidd has a new amp company, Victory. seems like rob chapman and his minion rabea massad are always talking them up. back to the hellcat. if I had extra cash and saw one come up for sale (I saw one come up CHEAP about 6 months ago, $900!!!) I would grab it!

troy grady went to an amp sales/rent type place and brought his N4, and he played a Hellcat, and he opened up the workshop, and it sounded pretty mean.
Click to expand...

Yep I'm really considering this amp.

It's a chassis from a Hellcat 2x12 combo, which means I'll need to get a headshell built for it AND the controls will be at the top, not the bottom. But I don't mind that look at all.
 
I'm rocking a Roadhouse 30 Combo at the moment. It's not one of their point to point amps, but it sounds great & i'm having a lot of fun with it.
Think Anderton's bought Cornford's stock when they shut up shop so I suspect it came from there.
 
jimo":23dk8plf said:
I have an old MK50, if I had to sell any of my amps this would be the LAST one to go.
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Same here. I love my MK50 a ton.

Owned a Hellcat, as well; if I found the right deal, I'd buy another in a heartbeat.
 
I have an old MK50 also that I love. Killer amp. I dont think you can go wrong with Cornford actually.
 
I've had a Hellcat for a number of years (built during the Kidd era), fantastic amp. I've now sold off all my boutique type amps (including Engl, Diezel, Soldano, Friedman) and gone back to all Marshalls...EXCEPT my Cornford. Can't quite let that one go. Everyone who has tried it in person falls in love with it too.

Not really harsh to my ears, but yeah on the bright side and cuts like a classic hard rock amp should IMO, and overall killer tone.
 
lester":28q6s2eg said:
candletears7":28q6s2eg said:
These look great!
So that's a MKII on top? What's the amp on the bottom?
Click to expand...

'03 Hellcat
Click to expand...

Ah right - am I nuts or does the one I've got look different? Bigger, longer?
Bear in mind I've only got the chassis - I'll need a headshell.

wY0aPgT.jpg
 
Well, "little" in terms of watts I meant mainly, although this bugger does get loud.
It's actually a bit deeper and taller than a lot of heads -
27473710936_06b3c5c67b_z.jpg


You're going to do a combo with it right? Seems that's the one you have. Those were wider.

Compare -
qwkvp0qxc7dhfifcgfah.jpg


*edit - I see above you know it's from a combo.

For the head version it seems Martin made 'em tall like that just to accommodate the reverb tank.
 
Aha, now it's making sense - thanks for the comparison shot!
I'll most likely flip it so the controls are at the top and still put it in a headshell.

Similar to this kind of layout:
5Xy9cf8.jpg
 
Total flyer - Does anyone have a Cornford RK100 and is willing/able to do a Quad Cortex capture?
 
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