Budda Stringmaster 112 Combo

An early Stringmaster (single digit serial #000X), don't know which year. 30 watts with 4 EL-84s. Low and high gain channels, footswitchable. Effects loop and 3-position boost switch (Low boost, no boost, high boost). I agree with the other reviewer below, the location of the boost switch is not the best and it is difficult to envision changing that setting in the middle of a live performance. Maybe between tunes...carefully. Mine came with Ei power tubes and Sovtek preamp tubes except for a Chinese 12AX7 in the phase inverter slot.

This is a VERY clean amp, folks. You can get extremely loud, crystal clean tones with it. The character of the clean is reminiscent but also different from Fender-type amps; it has more high-end chime which probably is attributable to the EL84 power tubes. There is also massive, tight bass. Probably the most distinctive thing about the amp is the very clear definition of low end notes. There is no mud here whatsoever. I would describe it as a Vox-type clean with Fender richness and a bass response all its own. The enclosure is rather large for a 1 x 12 configuration, which probably helps accentuate the low end. I dig it a lot for clean Strat single coil tone and slightly dirty blues, especially with P-90s. However, there is not much crunch in this amp even with the gain dimed on the high gain channel and the volume turned to 12:00 (loud enough to shake the house). Do NOT expect significant distortion from the amp itself, especially at realistic volume levels; you will need a pedal if you want that...or get a Superdrive :). I love the clean tone but the lack of crunch may be somewhat limiting to some players.

No problems so far. An occasional rattle I have not been able to pinpoint. I do not hear the hiss described by the other reviewer, that is probably an issue with his amp.

Purchased used, no opportunity to interact with Budda. Hopefully won't need to.

Been playing 19 years. I have over 25 guitars and 7 tube amps. In this category (lower wattage tube combos) I have a Reverend Hellhound, Carvin Belair, and Tophat Club Deluxe. I would say the clean tone on the Stringmaster is the best, followed by the Tophat and then the other 2 are pretty close (all 4 can do nice cleans). The amp takes pedals reasonably well up front, plus there's the effects loops. I would buy it again just for the clean tone, but then I'm obviously a tube amp addict... :) Your mileage may vary. Just don't buy one expecting that Superdrive-type distortion you hear on the radio (like SR71) - it ain't here. Also, tone is very subjective and you may not like the voicing - but I bet most people would like it. Being a discontinued model, you may be able to get a used one cheap.

This is a follow-up to my previous review. I checked further into the normal channel hiss and high gain, but got little help from the folks at Budda. They wrote it off as normal behavior, but it sounded to me like there was a definite issue with that channel. This is the only amp I have for playing out, so I asked them for a local service rep. They said I'd have to send it to there Maryland service center. This after I told them I lived in New Hampshire and wasn't about to send the amp out for a relatively minor problem. Since I couldn't get service locally, I requested a copy of the service manuals with schematics so I could have a good local technician check it out. They flat out wouldn't give or sell me those documents at any price. I was, and still am furious about that.

The amps been reliable, but what if it really breaks down? I don't want to send it off to some shop for weeks on end, and costing me considerable amount in shipping in the process. I can use a local service shop, but I would be much more comfortable with doing that if I had the service manual. I have a line on a local guy who's supposedly familiar with Budda's and has worked with them before, so I'm trying to hook up with him for help.

I don't understand why such an otherwise responsive company is being so difficult about getting service documents. I've purchased service manuals from many major manufacturers like Fender, Marshall, and Roland before. Those documents came in handy on many occasions. It's not like I'm trying to hijack some trade secret from Budda, and if I was I could disassemble the amp easy enough and figure out how it's built.

If I can find local service for this amp I'll keep it because I do like the sound, but if I can't it's got to go. I can't have my only amp be subject to lengthy downtime if it breaks. Needless to say I won't be purchasing further products from Budda.

It's a great sounding amp, and I don't regret buying it for a minute because of the fantastic deal I got on it used. That said, I would never buy a Budda amp new. For the prices they are asking I expect red carpet, "the customers always right" service. Instead they hold you hostage when you need repairs done.

I have the 30 watt, 1x12 model. It's a pretty straight forward amp. All tube, two channels, two effects loops (passive & active), bass & treble controls, one input, and a speaker selector. I currently don't use the speaker selector or active effects loop. I also don't use the normal gain channel, but I'll cover why later. The only thing I wish it had was reverb. The new replacement models have reverb. One other issue; the boost switch is right between the two high gain channel control knobs and it is placed in such a way that it's hard to hit it without accidentally disturbing the high gain controls. Although I like the triangle knobs, I plan to replace the high gain ones with standard round knobs to get around this problem.

I play a variety of rock, blues, funk and jazz influenced music. It's a very versatile amp that can handle most anything. It's also very loud. It has more than enough output for all but the biggest clubs.

I play a Les Paul and an EMG equipped strat style guitar. Both sound great through the Budda. It's got a lot of low end punch, which I like. It's also very input responsive, so I can control my sound significantly through volume knob settings and playing dynamics. I also play blues harp through this amp. I just use my standard guitar setup, switching between guitar and harmonica mic with an A/B box. Harp sounds killer through that amp.

It's got a great warm power stage overdrive, but you have to crank it up to get there. An attenuator is a good investment. Try the THD Hot Plate. :) Feedback is easy to get, very controllable and sound fantastic on the Budda.

The only sound issue I have is a somewhat noisy normal gain channel along with a very sensitive volume knob on that channel. The normal channel hums quite a bit, and it's pretty loud as soon as the volume kicks in. I suspect there may be a problem with the normal gain channel. I'm checking into that, so I'll just dock it a point for that.

Other than the normal gain issue mentioned above, which I don't know for sure if it's technical problem yet, It's been great. It's a very sturdy little amp.

I've dealt with them some and they have been great. Extra good considering I'm the second owner of this amp. Most companies will have little to do with you if you have an issue with a used unit.

I've had this amp for about a year now and I'm very happy with it. I've been playing more regularly in the past few months. I find I like this amp more the more I use it. I run a effects chain of wah, volume, analog delay, & Chandler Tube Driver into the amp and have a Alesis Mini-Verb and Echoplex Digital Pro on the passive loop. I set the Tube Driver gain pretty low for the most part. I plan on adding more effects in front of the amp (Fuzz, Univibe, Octavia, Chorus, Flanger, & Octaver), but I generally only run 1 or 2 units at once and have direct bypass on each.

As far as shopping around goes, I was looking for a more portable all tube replacement for my JC120. I loved the Roland's clean tone, reverb, and stereo chorus, but I never did get a great overdrive out of it. Plus, it was so big and heavy and now that I live on the third floor I wanted a smaller amp. The Budda's not all that light, but it's reasonably portable. When I was shopping around I was looking at a much lower price point than the Budda lists for. I just happened to get a lucky break when a buddy of mine told me he was looking to sell his Budda. I couldn't pass up the bargain. If I were to buy it new I'd definitely get one with onboard reverb, but other than that it's just what I was looking for.

I've played other Budda products, like their wah pedal, and was equally impressed. They don't make the most affordable equipment, but it sure sounds great and is built like a tank. You get what you pay for.

If you get a chance to try out a Budda, do it! You may just unexpectedly end up in the market for a new amp. I've played few others that even compare.