Brunetti Star-T-Rack Head

Brunetti amps are awesome handmade amps, the quality is really high, each product is tested (I have visited their lab) with accuracy.
This product is really versatile, and offers lot of sounds.
All tube amp (amps... it's stereo!) two channels, clean and overdrive each one with the boost options. two power amps working in A class (20w)or AB class (50w). you can use the two power amps in different class work! (one in A and the other in AB!!! the coolest of its features.
separate depth control for each channel, very useful control that changes your tone form modern to vintage sounding.
full serial fx loop that can be turned to parallel with separate knob for the two amps.
you can mount it (as I did) in a rack. Anyway the original chassis has a slot for a 19" rack unit, very useful for multifx or other.
solid footwstich for channel switch
midi controlled, it provides phantom power for midi controller. midi cable is provided, since the footswitch works with a midi cable.
No EMU out output... would be a really cool add-in
I use this amp in studio and on stage and gives me always a really good sound everywhere I have to play.

clean channel is really clear, bright channel but with the boost option you get a cool "brown" sound, really awesome vintage sounding suitable for jazz/blues tones.
overdrive starts where top gain level in clean channel ends and takes to to hard rock crunchy tone. In A class (with high volume level) this channel really rocks! modern sounding distortion and crunchy vintage are available form this channel.
overdrive with boost option is the lead version of the ovedrive channel. some more gain would be appreciated, anyway I've been using it for years and I've never needed boost pedals....

I use it since 2002. use it almost every day, live and studio. Changed tubes once. never had problems. Emu out would be appreciated for small clubs.

top class customer service from Brunetti Marco, that personally answers at ther phone or by email. He listens to customers suggestions through the forum and if possible, he can modify your amp, or other amps... if you go there with a Marshall, Mesa, Matcheless, Fender or other amp he can add midi switching, fx loop, almost anything you like. no service center out of Italy. I think I'll take my amp to Brunetti lab for adding some gain to the lead channel...

I've been playing for 15 years as semi-pro. If stolen I would replace it with another Brunetti... really solid good sounding amps. I love for the features and the variety of sounds. Not suitable for hi gain metal playing. top class amp for any other kind of music, from vintage to modern tones.
It's quit small, rack mounting amp, quite comfortable in live gigs.
cool fans are quite noisy but... but for me it's not a big problem.

Pre- and power amp head, stereo. 2x 50 watts A/B class. 2x 20 watts in A-class power. In A-class unbelieveble loud! You get 4 channels: (real!) clean, clean + boost, drive, drive + boost. Seperate tone controls for clean and drive-channels. Channels (all 4) are MIDI-switchable. There is no possibility to control the tone-controls with MIDI. Parrallel-effectsloop (stereo)with dubble mix-control. 100% mix = serial loop. Amp comes with very durable footswitch but you should prefer to switch the amp with a MIDI-footcontroller, like Behringer FCB1010, like I do. Amp is 19" and comes in a wooden hoosing so can be mounted (togehter with f.i. 19"-effects) in a flightcase, which I did. Very compact. Powertubes: 4 x 6L6 which can be substituted by f.i. EL 34 but then the Bias has to be adjusted (by a qualified tech!). The main output controls work very directly. Turning f.i. the controls one mm, power increases with ca. 25% which is sometimes a bit annoying.

I have owned a large array of tubeamps, from VOX AC-30tb, Floyd, (4 x)Marshall, Kitty Hawk, Mesa Boogie etc. They all had their advantages and shortcomings. Due to the fact that I started up a new band (prog/sympho rock), earlier this year, I wanted an amp that is realy versatile and has (allmost) all the features and advantages of my earlier amps but not the shortcomings. I knew that this could be an expensive wish. One day I went to my favorite music store and my eye fell right away on the Brunetti Star-T-Rack. This amp had the main features I wanted: all tube, MIDI-switchable, stereo and compact. When I plugged in my guitar, I was sold! The amp was connected to a Brunetti Dual Cab (2 x 12"Celestion Vintage 30 which I bought together wit the Star-T-Rack!). The clean sound (esspecially in A-class) is really very very clean and has a lot of headroom and "pushing-power". The clean + boost option is fantastic for crunch-chords and soloing with a slice of "dirt". The drive-channel gives you a very rich sound for power-chords. And then the drive + boost: this one is very good for rock-solos but lacks of high gain. I solves this by conneecting a H&K Tube factor between my guitar and the STR. The Tube Factor is remote (hard-)switchable and the Behringer FCB1010 has the possibility of programming a remote hard-switch in a patch, so you can chose to switch off the Tube Factor in clean-mode and switch it on in drive+boost mode. In the latter case, you get a very nice and warm high-gain sound in all-tube with many overtones and sustain. I love it and was very surprised by its price: EU 1.575,-!(new). A lot of money for a working-guy but not to much for such a fine amp.
I have experimented with some 19" effects. I bought the STR together with a TC G-Major. The TC works well with the STR (and the Behringer FCB1010) but I found out that the G-Major has to much sound-couloration. Because the STR has such a fine sound of its own, I wanted an effect which adds only the DESIRED EFFECT (like reverb, delay, chorus etc.) to the main sound AND NO UNDESIRED COULOR which I did't order! So I swapped the G-Major by a 12 year old Intellifex from Rocktron. This was much, much better. The Rocktron has no couloration of its own and the STR shines in all his beauty. Because the Intellifex does not some features I wanted (EQ, compression, roto-sound, volume-control by expression pedal etc.), I ended up with the Xpression from Rocktron, which has the same "no-couloring" feature like the Intellifex but much more effects. The combination Xppression-STR seems to be made for each other.

I own this amp for more than one year and had no trouble with it at all. It is a tube amp so you have to follow the rules: be carefull when shipping, let it warm up in standby-mode for a few minutes when switching on and do the same backwards when switching off. This amp is very well (hand-)build and will last for a long time when taking care.

I subscribed for the Brunetti-forum on the Brunetti-site and asked a few questions about changing tubes, connecting effects etc. Within one or two days I got a (very usable) reply from mr. Marco Brunetti himself. This is the way it should be: when you buy an expensive high-end, hand build amp, you should get an answer from the master himself. Very nice!

I play guitar for about 35 years as an amature and learned to play this thing acceptably well (I think!). Besides playing guitar, I am very found of all kinds of technical stuff. So the combination of guitar-playing and amplification suits my interests very well. I've played in all sorts of bands (mostly rock). During the years (I'm 48 years old) I developed a more melodical style of playing, which askes for a versatile amplification and effects. The STR gives that to me.
I own 15 guitars. My favorites a my 3 Blades (collectors-item R6, a R4 and a R2) The R6 sounds the best with the STR. Besides my Blades, I have Ibanez, Godin, PRS-SE, Fretlight(!), Taylor, Washburn and Yamaha. I also own a semi-pro home-studio with all the equipment one needs for a good demo so I think I know how a good sound should be.
The STR, combined with the Brunetti Dual Cab and the Rocktron Xpression is a very nice set for my needs in prog/symphonic rock because of the warm sound and versatillity. If the STR would be stolen, I would be very sad; mostly because the STR is very hard to find in the stores, here in Holland. I would defenitely try to get another.

It's a stereo head with class A and class A/B switching Stereo FX-loop. It's tubebuffered with levelcontrol. Each channel has it's own EQ. The boost function is very nice. You can add drive to the clean-channel and the same drive with extra volume to the overdrive-channel. Channels and boost is remote switchable with the included switch. Also switchable with midi. Very fast switching!
If this works (soundwise) it is great. I mean a stereo rig with these possibilities in only 3 units!

Yeah....well there is a problem here. The sound contains a lot of high content but that dies out very fast. Almost no sustain and pinched harmonics are not possible. Maybe it's the tubes...I don't know.
My present rig (Groove Tubes Trio and VHT 2/50/2 with JJ EL34L's) sounds a lot better. I also tried some other preamp tubes. No luck.

Looks very good build quality. The only I don't like are the pots.
These are soldered directly to the PCB.
The components seems to be good quality.

Well,
I emailed a few times. No response. Even became member of their forum and opened a new topic. No response.

Tested is for two days. My cabs are ENGL fitted with Eminence Governors and Evidence Siren cable.
Love the concept. Hate the sound.
Make it sound beter and I buy it!

The Brunetti Star-T-Rack is a 2x50watt stereo tube amp.I compare the Star-T-Rack with the Rivera TBR1.The Sound is realy amazing.This amp is very versatile and has many features.I sold my Koch KV50 + Koch KV50S to buy this amp.I told all my friends that there is only 1 amp in this world that has its own character and that is the Rivera TBR1.
But I have to take back my words.The Brunetti Star-T-Rack has it's own sound and character that cannot be compared to any other amp that I have owned, played and heard.And believe me I have owned a lot of amps.And this amp is also midi.Not that it is very important but it can be very handy.I bought this amp second hand but it looks like new.

I use a Strat(Tommy Special Guitar)with EMG(S/S/H).I have a G-Major in the effects loop and I use the Hughes & Kettner CC412 A 25 Greenbacks as my speakercab.To add more juice to my sound I use a compressor which was custom build by Ra-jazz.Both clean and lead sounds are perfect.The sound of this amp is your own sound.And that is why I love the Rivera TBR1 and this wonder that is named Star-T-Rack build by Mr. Brunetti.