Budda Stringmaster Combo

Basic 2x12 combo with 3-button footswitch made in 1998. As far as versatility, this is not it's strong point. It is a ptp, handmade amplifier without many bells and whistles. Clean and high gain channel. The 3-button footswitch allows you to switch between cabinets(works really well with trying out different speakers), lead channel, and effects loop. The only feature I wish it came with would be earplugs.
I use the amp at home. I thought I would buy a nice little 30watt combo to use in place of my 100watt monster. Bad choice! Because of how the amp's power section works, I think it is actually loader than my big amp. And the amp really doesn't have a master volume, it just has a little bit of attenuation. It really doesn't sound good until you raise the decibels, like any good tube amp!

Not a high gain amp, but it cranks out copious amounts of distortion, great cleans. Makes sungle coils sound like nothing else. If you plug in a strat, and I was blindfolded I would know it was a strat. A lot of amps can't do that! My lespaul sounds like a les paul! It gets a little noisy at high volume, until you play through it, but the wiring in my house sucks, and very few really good amps can counterract this. I also think the vintage 30's were not the best choice for the amp, they honk a little too much. I'd give it a 8, but I changed the speakers and that fixed that!

I've only had it for a little while, and only bought it for home/practice. I think it should be fine for a gigging environment.

Left a few e-mails. Some were answered. Didn't need repair just help with set-up. It works, so I really can't comment on this.

Great el-84 based amp, a real bargain if you can find one. good luck. If it were lost or stolen, I think I would look for a smaller wattage amp, this is really more of a proffessional/ live environment unit. I love the tone and it's simplicity, and it has a nice chimey clean channel, with a lead channel that will really astound you. Practice, because it shows how good you really are! I would compare it to a vox with an extra gain circuit(or 2). I've owned most everything that people drool over: tweeds, blackfaces, jtm, jmp, jcm, vox's, boogies(haven't found one yet worth keeping-except cabinets), carr, matchless, bruno, two rock, soldano, vht, dr. z, cae, top hat, bad cat. And it's a lot better than most!

Same features listed below on the other posts. I'm using this amp in my church and it's quite a large building(at least around 500-600+ people). The 30 watts is perfect with some micing and/or using the slave out to the sound board. I'm pretty sure it's class A, but I could be wrong. All I know is it sounds fantastic. It has all the features I need without all the extra bells and whistles to rob tone so I can give it a 10.

I play a Les Paul Standard(stock buckers) and a 67 reissue Strat(singles). The amp sounds VERY good with the single coils and I suspect it would sound very good with a a new set of humbuckers in my Gibson. I'm not fond of those anyway. When I first got it, it had a little tube hiss/rattle at high volumes, but I replaced the rectifier tube and it cleared right up. I think it might have been the original tube from Budda. Being that it was built in 98, it needed to be replaced badly.

I play anything from blues to rock and I'm happy with it. I don't do anything REAL heavy. Anything from Hendrix/Zep to U2 to Fountains of Wayne/Jimmy Eat World styles. Chimey cleans to nice smooth overdriven tones. Nice Vox and modded Marshall Plexi comparisons are accurate.

When I first got the amp, it needed some new quality tubes as I said before. Also, one of the nuts that holds the chassis in the cabinet was loose and in order to fix it, I had to cut the screw with a dremel, remove the chassis and clamp a new threaded nut to the inside of the chassis, then reinstall the chassis. It was no big deal, and I knew it needed to be done when I received the amp. Budda sent the nuts and screws that were needed to the previous owner before I got the amp, but he didn't want to do the work I guess. It didn't affect the playability of the amp, but it had a loose screw that wouldn't tighten. Easy fix!

Also, a funny side note: A couple of days after I got it, I went to one of my local shops to get a new rectifier tube. I asked for a Sovtek. They sold me a Mesa 5U4G in a Sovtek box and the Mesa happened to be broken. By the time I got home and noticed I got a Mesa tube I didn't feel like going back to the shop. Before I noticed it was defective I installed it. I threw the standby switch and I heard a sizzle sound. The amp wouldn't work. I put the old tube back in, and still nothing. I FREAKED! Then I realized it just fried a fuse. I put a new fuse in and VOILA! Now, when I throw the standby switch from "Go" to "Rest" it sometimes makes a popping sound. I contacted Jeff at and he assured me that as long as eveything else worked ok, my amp and I should be fine. I also contacted Scott via e-mail and he confirmed that everything was cool. Apprearantly it is...

I've played the amp pretty consistently for about 2 months now, and it functions flawlessly. It still pops every now and then when switching from "go" to "rest" but I can't complain. This is the only amp that I play through, PERIOD. I carry extra tubes and FUSES and that's all.

I actually got it from the reviewer below, Kieth. Appearantly it had a problem when he got it. The Budda guys fixed it for him with no attitude, plus they even sent him some extra screws and nuts for the chassis just in case it were to happen again. I've contacted both Jeff and Scott at Budda and they are both standup dudes. If you call the company, Jeff answers the phone. If you e-mail the company, Scott will send you a reply quickly. If I had a problem with the amp, I would send it to them in a heartbeat. I love this amp and I would want ONLY the most qualified hands inside it. Who better to fix it, than the men who created it.

I was able to trade a USED Fender Evil Twin + a little cash for this Budda. I'm very glad I did! I've been playing for 10 years or so. I'm 23 now. I think I'm only recently starting to REALLY appreciate good tones. I wouldn't lose it, trust me. If this amp were stolen I don't know what I would do as they aren't made anymore. I was originally looking for a new/used Budda SuperDrive 30, but I came across this sucker and I had to have it. I guess I would just look for another Stringmaster or pick up a SuperDrive if anything were to happen to this one. I just love these amps for some reason.

This is a great amp!I am not sure the year it was made, probably 1998 according to Scott at Budda. I play everything from experimental pop to alt-country (whatever that is) and it is excellent for my purposes. It has 2 channels but the boost channel has 3 modes, you can set the effects loop for a boost, and it has no headphone jack. I personally only use the effects loop for an added boost setting... you bridge the input and output and set the volume a little higher than the signal. I couldn't ask for anything else- It can sound like so many of my favorite amps that I am just happy to have it do what it does!
I am using this amp in home and playing middle sized halls. It is a 30 watt monster (Think AC30 or blackface Fender Twin) that is as loud as most watt amps. It has 3 12AX7's, 4 EL84's and a 5U4G rectifier- definitely a tube amp. It has a cabinet switching control where you can use an auxiliary cab and switch between them- SWEET, DUDES! (hahaha... ahem...)

I primarily use it with a Rickenbacker 620 or a 1977 Telecaster Deluxe. It is amazing with the Tele, but with the Rick it really shows it's balls! It is super chimey in the treble position, but in the middle position it almost sounds like a Q Filter is in the circuit- instant ZZ Top! In the neck position, it is very warm and dark, giving me an excellent palette to work from without ever touching my effects. It has a little tube hiss when it is cranked, but that is to be expected. The overdrive is very vintagey and sweet, a cross between the AC30 voice and a Marshall. Not reall gainey, though, unless you take it up to SUPER loud.

I am not sure about reliability, but I'll say this- I bought the amp knowing it had problems, and Budda fixed it under warranty even though I got an insane deal, and they did it quickly and professionally. I will still keep a backup, but this is the main amp for me!

Customer support was unbelievable, on a par with Geoff Teese at RMC. These guys were never in a hurry to get me off the phone, gave me tons of useful information and advice, and generally made this a great experience for me. I shipped the amp in and they fixed it and I got it back- feeling informed and feeling as though they added value to the amp simply by helping me understand the personality of the amp better. I am not sure how long the warranty is, but I will take it back to them if it needs a fix again...

Sorry about the double post. I have been playing for 25 years. I am an effects nut and have WAY too much stuff to list. If someone steals this amp, they better have good insurance. I'd replace it with another Budda, though. IF anyone needs a high end, boutique amp, this is the one. Check it- I was shopping for an AC30, and this is what I got! I have seriously never heard a vintage type amp that sounded this good. It's a killer!

The Budda Stringmaster is a 30 watt 2 channel tube amp. It has 4 EL-84s, 3 12AX7s, and a 5U4 rectifier tube. The front pannel controls are layed out as such: Power, Standby, Parellel FX loop wet/dry control pot, Bass eq, Treble eq, Hi gain control (for the high gain channel only), a 3 position gain channel only boost switch, high gain volume, normal channel volume, then the guitar input and below that the footswitch input. The amp also hosts a series FX loop in addition to the parellel one. There is also a cab selector foot switch. This lets you switch speaker cabs. I have the 410 version of the amp, and the cab is equally at home with clean and lead tones. This is my 1st 410 amp and I'm really happy. The amp cabinet is made out of high grade pine and is really tone full. It is a master volume amp so the channel switching isn't the quietest. At high volumes it "pops" just a bit. However, if you play while channel switching the pop will be masked by what you're playing. I also wish the rectifier tube had a restrainer thing on it...at louder volumes it rattles a bit, but its really no big deal. When I was in a band I used the amp in rehersals and the sound was great! Lots of bass response and awesome projection from the cab. I was concerned that the low-end would not be there because its an open back cab...but there is tons of bass. Budda amps seem to be a true fusion of old tube ideas and modern switching features. The amp is really portable and has a comfy handle it isn't too heavy.

I have used a few guitars with this amp. I think Strats are really partial to the Budda clean tones. I have also used an EVH Music-Man with the amp, its humbuckers drive the amp harder for killer early rock tones. I brought the amp down to the music store where my friend Todd works and he was really digging the tone. The store was dead that day so we red-lined the amp and it sounded great. It was a bit noisey but it was full bore, so that will happen. Just try that with a Marshall! The guy who teaches guitar there pluged in his Gibson Nighthawk and played Crazy Train. I was not pleased...It was an insult to the amp. He told me he liked his Boogie Mark IV better, and for 80's cover tunes sure...it works. I didn't tell him of my dismal experience with their infamous Mk IV. That amp is almost as bad as a Rivera! For the 1700 bucks Boogie asks for that amp it delivers the least tone and the most headache! Anyway, the lil' Budda kicks all other combos out of the ring. The amp is really rich and very pleasing to listen too. Even my sister noticed the nice quailty of the sound and she doen't know one amp from another. The amp has killer feedback too. It isn't screech like on a 5150 but juciey warm gravey tone feedback. This amp loves Fulltone pedals too. They all sound awesome and really musical. For the first time in my life I feel that I have found a unique voice that is all mine!

The amp is rugged. I have only had minor tube problems with it in the 10 months I've had it. Those problems were due to shipping.

Budda really supports their products. Their amps are all handmade with the best parts available so, you probably won't need customer support. However, if you do they will be there.

I'm really happy. I'm glad people make amps like these...just imagine a planet where the only amps made were Peavy!