Budda Super Drive 30 212

2007 build that I purchased new around 6 months ago. Very loud for a 30-watt EL84 driven power amp and beautifully voiced although inevitably compromised by only having one tone stack across both channels. However I have to say that, to my surprise, this has not been an issue. The effect loop is very useful as explained later.

I use Melancon, Reverend and Dean guitars and the amp has to deal with single coils, P-90s and humbuckers. On balance I think that it is least happy with humbuckers but that is very subjective and probably because I don't like to change the pre-amp gain settings just because I've swopped guitars. Overall the sound is excellent and I use the guitar volume a lot to adjust the amount of drive. This has been aided enormously by placing a good quality foot volume pedal in the effects loop which allows me to adjust the overall output of the amp without changing the drive level. Works a treat!

For what I play which is mainly blues and rock this Budda nails the sounds I want better overall than any previous amp I have owned....and in forty years of playing I've owned a lot.

No problems to date although I did swop out all the valves for a set of JJ Tesla and it opened up the sound of the amp considerably.

I usually gig with a spare available but have no reason to doubt the Budda. It's a pro piece of equipment.

Contacted the company a couple of times with queries just after I bought the amp and they replied within 24hrs on both occasions.

Like most guitarists I am on a quest for the elusive tone that I hear in my head but not necessarily coming out of my amp. There may be other manufacturers who could get me closer to that sound than Budda but I've already crossed most of them off my list and the ones that are left are either not worth trying or fiendishly expensive.

I see no reason to change the Budda as the balance of tone, power, responsiveness and portability is about as good as it gets. Don't expect instant gratification but if you take the time to get to know one it certainly pays dividends

EL 84s with a chunky clean chime and a plexi gain channel. 30 rather loud watts you know the rest. No reverb. Effects loop. Really its got just what I prefer. I've found that to many varibles on an amp cause me confusion instead of just being able to make music. I'll give it 9 since someone is keeping score.

Here is the reason I am writing this review. I have been playing out since 1961. During that time I have performed with some wonderful amps. With each amp I would have to search for its sweet spot. I have found that the Budda is one massive sweet spot. I can't find a bad sound with this amp. Tone controls have a completely different effect than I am used to. Treble control goes from extra chunky to thinner and almost Fender like. But it sounds good throughout its range. I have always used pedals. Over the years I have collected mostly Fulltone and Keeley pedals. I prefer not to use any pedals with this amp. Its not that they don't sound good, its just that I find that I can't improve the tone of the amp with them. Therefore no comp/dist/delay/reverb/phase/trem/wah/etc. Next. All of my guitars sound good thru the amp. Fender, Zion, Suhr, Gibson, Tele, Strat, P-90s, everything sounds good to me. You know the deal, Fenders sound good thru Fender and Mesa Amps whereas Gibsons sound good thru Marshalls. The Budda seems to sound good thru everything I put in it. There are a few amps that rate a ten re: sound. This happens to be one of them.

I feel that I have used the amp long enough to write a review and I have had no problems so far.

??????? I've had no contact with the company.

It doesn't have the look of my Bluesbreaker or a fifty watt plexi half stack. Can't compare to a beer soaked twin or a ratty bassman. Creme colored Mesas look great on stage but the Budda? So far I think it looks OK but black with a white stripe? I dunno. I guess I'll get used to it. Sound wise its superior with little fuss on obtaining a good sound. Cuts thru the mix with a thick chunky sound. Sound men seem to like it. My bandmates have remarked that I play better with it. I guess it gives me inspiration. My recommendation? I think its a good value, not to heavy to carry, reasonably good looking and so far reliable. Can you do better? Probably not, only different.

Supremely well-thought and constructed amp that is deceptively simple. While the tone controls may not do much, they don't need to. The Modern Mid voicing switch and the pull bright rhythm switch provide excellent tone shaping options and the amp is voiced so well that the channels work together really well to deliver up a wide variety of extremely usable tones. You'd need a pedal for Death Metal but, other than that this amp will shine.

The best Fenderesque, Marshally, true boutique sounds you can imagine. This amp sounds amazing. I've got over 20 guitars and this amp allows each instruments character to come through. It makes a great instrument shine and will reveal the flaws of a lesser guitar with brutal honesty. If you're looking at one of these amps you probably have a pretty decent axe.

Built like a tank. Have never given me any trouble whatsoever.

This puppy is built so solid that you may never need to call Customer Service. I haven't, so I can't say but one gets the feeling from the product itself as well as their website that these are dedicated musicians and technicians that listen to their customers.

I've got a VHT Pitbull, a Dr. Z Prescription ES and I love them both but they don't see a lot of playing time since I got my Budda... I will always have a Budda in my amp collection. I really truly love it. It is an extension of my musical style as much as my amp.

Ok I just bought a new 2007 Budda! It has just the right amount of opts maybe could use a nice reverb other perfect for me! 2 channel EFX's loop tubes are WAY under rates 30 watts of A/B sound more like Class A

Have been looking for a LONG time just the perfect amp I have spent long hrs in music stores and web sites going throught ever amp I could get my little hands on! I was looking for the perfect amp good cleans great drive perfect tone! A amp that could cover metal to pop. Blue's to in your face Balls well needless to say it not out there! I have own Bogner VHT Mesa Marshall Fender Line 6 and back again I have bought and sold 8 different amps in the past 2 months looking for my perfect amp This is very very close to me! I have 8 different PRS's 3 Fender Tele's 2 Gretsch Dual Jets. A Very good amp for all the different tones. No need to really adjust the amp it re-acts well with all the different guitars I own!

1st off NO unwanted hiss! Perfect weight! built like a tank super quality NO Problems.

NO Need

Play this amp and play it again you will find it is well worth the price and I would buy again!

This is an update. This is my second SD30. This one however is PTP series 1. I know Scot has said the PCB amps are quieter and in theory, they might be, but mine makes no noise whatsoever.

Mine also has cab switching. I don't know how useful this would be for gigging but for the studio, its cool. I got to trying my best cab w/ tone tubby's and I must say, they absolutely smoke the Budda speakers (which are pretty good). I'm surprised they don't put TT's in their cabs when they are neighbors. I didn't think the amp could get that much better but its a solid tone improvement in my book. They are not as efficient (loud) but they definitely have more mojo.

I think this amp the PTP sounds a little better than my old one (series II). Could be placebo effect.

You'll go through tubes a little faster as it runs hot. The build is very solid. The PCB (series 2) amps look indestructable too...nice wide traces on a thick board. Those might just be the best builds I've seen (equivalent to Soldano type boards). I can't believe people have been having problems with these.

It's a 9.0 amp. Add a point for the Tone Tubby's and there you have it. 10. Definitely one of the best if not the best EL84 amp. Great tone on the gig! It's not an amp for everyone. Metal heads stay away. It's a rock amp. I use a H&K Replex for reverb and delay (my favorite pedal of all time) in the loop and that's it.

I got this amp 3 years ago and have played it live every weekend since---I play new country (Montgomery Gentry etc) as well as hard rock and even an Elton John tribute band (Yellow Brick Road) and have no problem going from picking clean ringy tones to full out Van Halen type raunch.

I recently switched all the preamp and power tubes from Sovteks to JJ's and it made a huge difference in tone and power--I can blow the walls out of anywhere we play, and I've used it live in front of 6000 people and have the recording to prove its fidelity through a large PA with a sound guy who doesn't know me or my playing--I still cut through the mix with a big old chunky rhythm and searing lead (I only have one pedal, a Cry Baby wah) and all the geetar heroes who talk to me afterwards seem to love it.

I screwed up by leaving the Sovteks in way too long, but will now switch the JJ's every six months or so. I have a set of Groovetubes (which are basically Sovteks or the like) as backups, but probably wont ever need them.

Haven't needed customer support for anything up to now (3 years.)

I've been playing 25 years at home in England through Marshalls, Fender Twins, Hiwatt and H&H and like this better than any of them. I use a Telecaster Highway 1 straight in and use the volume knob on the guitar to control clean and dirty--its really quite simple. I see all these guitar wizards with racks and racks of effects and pedals etc, but I can make this thing rattle and hum and squeal and chime without too much fuss--love it.

This is a pretty straight-forward amp. The shared EQ makes it difficult to dial in good tones on both channels consistently. No reverb which I really wish it had. The longer I have the amp the more I miss the option of reverb. Nice very effective effects loop. 30 watts is plenty loud, I've played it on stage w/50 & 100 watters & never had any trouble being heard. I like the sound of the EL84's.

Play humbuckers through it- Les Paul & 335. Play mostly rock music. This amp is not noisy at all & gets pretty good tones. The shared EQ & no reverb really do limit this amp in the long run. Otherwise it is a good sounding amp. Clean channel can be driven to provide good crunch i.e. AC/DC, the WHO, etc... Dirty channel is good but gets muddy sometimes depending on how you EQ it. This comes from trying to set up a good clean sound on one channel & then switching to dirty. If you set up both channels dirty this is less of a problem but then you really just have dirty & dirtier.

Have had absolutely no problems with it after 2 plus years. It runs hot so keep it well-ventilated & maybe run a fan behind it. Replace tubes as needed & keep it clean & you should not have any problems.

Have never had to use them.

Been playing over 20 years. Own several small old class A amps which I love. Own a Marshall 50 watt head which is okay-not near as good as the Budda. Recently bought a Mesa-Boogie combo which is now my main amp since it has separate EQ for each channel & has reverb. Much more versatile. If this Budda were lost or stolen I would definitely be disappointed since I have over a grand in it but I would not buy it again since it is limited w/EQ & no reverb. Also if I were going to buy one I would probably get the 18 watt version so I could drive the power tubes harder & really I would look at their amps that have reverb. I like the amp but after 2 years I still miss reverb & hate the shared EQ which initially I did not think would be a problem. I was wrong.

All the typical 2 channel features...more control over the difference in volume between the clean and overdrive channels would be better....

The clean channel is really smooth, I like a little grit with the clean channel (like a Matchless or AC30) and the Budda obliges. The distorted channel is too muddy and compressed for my taste. I couldn't dial in the disparity between the volumes of the two channels. Having the master volume up about 10 o'clock and the clean channel at about 12 o'clock, even with the distorted channel pegged all the way up the sound was so compressed that the muddy sound disappeared in comparison to the clean channel volume. I decided to use the amp as if it were a single channel amp (clean channel) and use various overdrive/distortion pedals for the overdrive/boost/solo work. This worked great. BTW I use a Custom Shop Fender strat with Texas Sp. PUs and a Les Paul std. with Seymour Duncan Antiquity PUs.

I had one of the very early made versions (early 2000) point to point wired. The amp wouldn't work out of the box (new from Musician's Friend)....disconnected and shipped the chassis with tubes and all to Jeff and Scot (per their instructions) and they 'fixed' the problem. I get it back and the amp footswitch doesn't work with the amp (no, it wasn't a cord failure) pop the chassis out and send it back to Budda. Get it back and the footswitch only worked to change channels and then stopped working at all (again) a little while later (no biggie as I was using it for the clean channel only anyway). A few months later the amp quit at a gig for about 15 minutes (I guess it overheated) and then the light in the on-off switch began blinking and then failed (now I couldn't look to see if the amp was on, nothing visually verified that it was on) the amp quit on me a few more times at rehearsals until I learned to switch it on and off right before I was going to play (not good for tubes or tone) and into standby often. This was beginning to be a major high maintenance amp.....so I sold it and bought a Fender Vibro-King with absolutely no problems over 2 years.

The guys are nice enough (I dealt with Scot and Jeff, I guess salesman and designer) But I think a little more thought needs to go into the design concerning reliability, they have the tones and the sound down it just isn't reliable...(guys if you promise me you have these issues solved then I will buy another SD30 and call it my main amp because I love the tones and mojo this thing can put out, that is why I put up with so much crud (see 'reliability') for so long)

The Budda SD30 is like a really beautiful woman that you love and are attracted to but she just isn't faithful and you can't trust her...

Top Boost function strikes gold? adds beautiful upper-harmonic sparkle. Wish there were seperate eqs for both channels. The mid-scoop does the trick, if that's what you're looking for.
The main feature problem is probably the best kind to have if you want an amp that SOUNDS good? I think the Budda LOOKS really ugly. I just can't get into the purple.

Sounds beautiful with teles, strats, jazzmasters and other single-coils. Needs to be relatively loud to get the good sounds. The clean channel is to die for if your looking for harmonic richness and overdrive relative to pick pressure. It cleans up nicely as mentioned numerous times above, but won't ever be completely "fender" clean.
The distortion channel is huge and lush--and refuses to ever sound harsh.
Amazingly quiet for a tube amp.
Tons of volume---can't believe how loud it can get.

Too new to tell.

As mentioned above, the people are fast to respond and very accomodating.

I'm super stoked about the way this amp sounds. I love that it's lighter than the bogners, and less expensive, and that it sounds voxier. I do think the bogners are easier on the eyes, though.

2 channels with a/b box type footswitch for switching cabs. Never use it. Effects loop good. Nice to have some reverb.

This is the closest thing to a Bogner I've heard with a price tag under 2k. Strats and single coils rule in my world and it's hard to get a good humbucker sound when the amp is set for singles, but all amps are like that. Everybody is raving about the clean tone, however I think it breaks up way to easy. It's hard to get crystal clean at stage volume, and I'm talking single coils here. The gain totally rocks. Beautiful.

Most unreliable amp I've ever owned. So much so, that I've stopped using it live and have relegated it to recording only. Is that worth $1700, not in my book. You can fry an egg on the damn thing. Why they didn't build a cooling fan into it I'll never know. It's pooped out on me twice at big shows because of overheating. Totally unacceptable. If you can't use an amp right out of the box in any reasonable situation what good is it. Totally unsatisfied in this regard.

They've always gotten back to me in a reasonable amount of time, and you get to talk to the big boys. However, in regard to my overheating problem, they're best advice was basically, blow a fan on it.

I compared this thing tit for tat with Bogners, Boogies, Soldano etc... and for the money, it was the best buy. However, it's unreliability has relegated it to my studio only. Would I buy another one? No way.

Plenty of output options including the cool cabinet switching feature. This allows you to switch from the open 2x12 configuration and then go to a closed back 2x12 for different "color." Love the tube rectifier.

Very quite, probably the ultimate rock and roll amp. Overdrive tones are very overdriven yet still retain the clarity, shimmer, and bell like tones which the Vox AC-30 is known for. The master volume doesn't choke the amp and allows great tones AT ANY VOLUME. My Guytron GT-100 is also very good at this (another recommended amp).

Built like a tank and I like the knobs with no lettering.

They stand behind the product with pride. Built in the USA.

I own this Budda Superdrive 30 2x12, a Guytron GT-100, and a Peters 3CP1 (great 10 watt class A high gain amp soon to be reintroduced). I have sold all my Marshall, Fender, Soldano amps. The Budda loves all guitars and works well with all pickup configurations. Works well and people always comment on the cool look.

Update. I have used my SD30 for 2 plus years without a problem. It does run hot and I have added a fan to my gig list to keep it cool. This might give me better tube life - but I love the amp enough that I tend to baby it.

Two years later and they have yet to take more than 24hrs to reply to my e-mails. In most cases I have a reply within 8hrs. Really unbelieveable, I cant say enough ablut Budda or the product they put out.

A wonderful amp. For an overdriven blues/rock/jazz sound this amp is un-beatable. From Hendrix, to Mike Stern, to L.Carlton (nails the "Last Night" tone)this amp delivers AT CLUB VOLUMES. I have played Two Rock and Blockhead amps since the purchase of the Budda - they are wonderful amps -but they are 1 to 2k more than the Budda, and I cant honestly say they are 'better' amps- just different. If you need a AC30 style clean sound, and an overdrive plexi sound AT CLUB volumes you really need to check out this amp. The longer I own it the fewer pedals I feel I need. Im down to a Fulltone trem., a Voodoo Octave fuzz, a Vox wha, and a Fender reverb tank - the sound of this amp is so inspired I dont take my G-force to gigs. Nuff said.

2001 Superdrive 30. Basic 2-Channel amp that is suprisingly very versatile. Wish it had reverb but my Boss will do. Cabinet switching option is pretty interesting but doubt I will ever use it. It really sounds fine as it is. Amp gets pretty hot w/the 4 EL84's but this is normal. The 30 watts of class A power is all I ever need playing clubs (Very Loud). With this amp less is definately more, I can find sounds that I like without a turning a gazillion knobs and buttons like my Mesa Mark IV. I prefer to spend my time playing not searching.

I play a Custom PRS and a Les Paul Premium Plus. Sounds incredible w/ the humbuckers but can get amazing clean sounds w/the PRS. This amp comes closer to the infamous "Brown Sound" than any amp I have ever owned. I had owned Mesa's: Dual Rect', Mark IV, Nomad; Fenders: Twin, Delux and Cyber-Junk and every amp between and this amp really does it all. Very Plexi-ish overdrive sound yet very Vox-ish cleans.

So far so good. I have been gigging non-stop w/it for about eight months and gig w/out a backup. Just an extra set of tubes.

Have only emailed them once and got a reply within 12 hours. Seems very reasonable to me.

I have been playing for about 18 years and have tried about everything out there. This is my first post to this web-site and it is only because I have never owned a piece of gear that I was so pleased with. I would definately buy another if it were lost or stolen.

Still a 10. This amp is a great gig amp. Great clean tones and Grrreatt O.D. at reasonable volumes. Ive used amps that sound as good (a 67 Plexi, some tweed amps) but volume was always an issue. The Budda sounds great at "club" volumes.

This is an update to my post of July 01 - the amp is giged every week-end and has yet to let me down. I do position a fan behind it to extend tube life - but this is due to my paranoia (and love for this amp). I changed the tubes one time but hell this thing is running hot 2-8 set per week.

Emails are promptly returned, even my nit-picky questions. Ive talked to them on the phone and they were very helpful. Customer support starts with a good product - this is a great amp.

I read Guitar Player (the journal for gear queers) and get all hyped about some NEW amp and rush out to try one - invariably Im dissapointed with the sound and freaked by the price. When did a good amp have to start costing 3K? I like Vickys for a clean tone and would like to try a Blockhead, but I would NOT part with the Budda to buy one.

Footswitchable rhythym, to lead channel set up with more than enough gain for hard or classic rock even the metal guys could love this amp.
30 watts which is plenty for practice or gigging with a little micing up. Effects loop and the ability to switch between two different cabs or the regular speakers which is REALLY cool.All tube, tube rectifier

Strat, PRS and a Les Paul with quality pick-ups are what I use. The clean channel is very fat and punchy with a very nice vox type clean sound, warm and sweet. Overdrive is AWESOME that's what sold me on the amp!!!!! The absolute best mix of a plexi Marshall and a vox, crunchy like a Marshall but sings and is smooth like a good boogie,Vox

No problems it seems to be fine, it is high quality construction. It does get a bit hot like all el84 amps, no biggie though.

The company seems helpful and on top of things but I have never really needed anything. This really is a must try amp, these babies sound great.

These amps really are what they are cracked up to be, I have owned tons of amps and I will not part with this thing. It is verstile and it just sounds great. If you like a Britsh type crunchy amp but a solo sound that just sings and is creamy you gotta check this thing out. If your are a Marhsall lover but desire a better lead tone more like a GOOD boogie this is the ticket. TONE, all of it's OWN!!

2 channel, blah, blah, blah. Reverb would be sweeeet.

Use a Les Paul Deluxe and play alternative covers in a band situation. An extremely QUIET amp. Clean channel sparkles and the gain channel just flat out rocks. I have used it with a Harry Kolbe Silent Speaker/Attenuator and can only describe it as low-level mayhem. Played a block party on Labor Day and a few people commented that the music was way punchy but they could talk to each other without raising their voices. How cool is that? Without the attenuator, this baby breathes fire. Not the high-gain distorted mush, but the sound of a modded Marshall 800 about ready to blow up. Gotta love that.

I trust this thing like crazy but would never gig without backup. (It's got tubes you know). Hasn't let me down yet, so it gets a 10, so far.

Scot is a cool dude. He's also got a sense of humor. They will stand behind their products, with no attitude.

Own a 70's Silverface Twin, a TSL 100, Carvin X100b Half Stack, Trace Elliot Vellocette 12R and the Budda is my favorite amp. I almost does what all the other amps do in one package. (Aside from the Fender thing). Tone like this usually costs twice what you'd pay for the Budda.

My amp is a 1999 (nov if the transformer was stamped the month it was made). It has 2 ch which share a common set of tone controls - I was not put of by this at first, until I realized how responsive the sd30 is to changes in vol, and tone tweeks on my guitar. It has the ability to swithch cabs, cool but Im too lazy to bring more than one cab. DO NOT USE THE FOOTSWITCH INPUT ON THE FRONT OF THE AMP IF YOU DONT HAVE 2 CABS. Its too easy to hit the cab switch and send 30 watts into a O load output. Not good.
All tube, effects loop, no verb - so it gets an 8

I play jazz Wes, Jim, Sco - NOT Kenny G. The Sd30 is a tad bright for the old school jazz sound (i.e. the "did he take the cover off the amp?" sound). Running 4 el84 a la ac30 makes for a bright amp. That said, the amp sounds great with my Ibanez as200 (1977 w/ SD. 59s) for comping behind singers, horns, and soloing. I use a tc-ele. chous (love it) and get great Pat M. sounds on the clean ch., and on the O.D. ch nail the Sco sound from the 'Rough house' cd, a fav. of mine.
I also use this amp to play blues/rock gigs, Beck, Clapton (Cream & Bluesbreakers) Hendrix, the Kings, and have no trouble nailing my own take on those tones. The amps is very flexible - minor adjustments in the drive pot yield BIG and very musical results. You can dial-in almost any (any Ive tried) O.D. tones from early Clapton to EVHs first 3 cds. Robben Ford (w/ Thin blue line), Carlton, all the great S. Dan tones are a snap.
The O.D. mid-range is sooo sweet, none of the harsh buzz I got from my VHT or Messas (all gone now). In fact its easy to get too loud 'cause the amp never gets harsh. Best of all, the amp really allows you to come closer to your own sound, i.e. the sound in your head. After 30 (damm Im old) years of playing I have an amp that allows me create my own tones with-out fighting me. I have old (like me) Fenders and Marshalls which I love but they all fall into the trap of sounding like, well, great Fenders and Marshalls. I use to mix amps and pan between them to get the sound I wanted, but what a drag, getting the sound man to mike "both amps!!" was a pain most nights.
With so many great tones out on cd its hard to create a unique sound all your own. The Sd30 lets me be musically appropiate, and myself in many, many settings. Almost forgot- its LOUD. Sounds like a Marshall 50 running good el34s.

Good and bad. Bad: my first Sd30 died in about two hours. Good: the replacement has given me no problems in over one year of use. I pull the Rect. tube when I move it as they can get real buzzy if they get knocked around, and bring spare tubes to all my gigs. I have a Rivera as a back-up but have yet to use it

When my first Sd30 died I called Budda 9 p.m. EST. My call was returned at 9 a.m. L.A. time the next morning. Scott sent me back to Atlanta Discount Music where I was handed me a new SD30 an hour latter. They were mortified that I had a problem, and were clearly willing to do anything to set things right. I was pissed the amp died in the first place, but I have never had customer service like this before. I have e-mailed them with questions and rarely wait more than a few days (if that) for a reply. As these amps become more popular I hope Budda can continue to give the customer support I have experienced - simply the best.

This continues to be the most musical amp I have ever owned. I would replace it if it were stolen with-out hesitation, or shopping around.

2001 Brand spankin new Superdrive 30. One of the last point to point hand wired versions. This amp is quite versatile for how few knobs it has. I play rock of all kinds. Similar to bands like Foo Fighters, Third Eye Blind, The Get Up Kids... the list goes on and on. For these styles it works great! I can also get some nice blues tones. It has 2 channels but they share the same EQ. Similar setup as most modern MARSHALL amps. I usually use the same EQ settings all the time so it doesnt bother me but I can understand where some others would pass this amp by for a Bogner shiva for that exact reason. This amp is 30 watts of all tube power. EL84s for the power section and 12AX7s for the preamp. Along with the channel switching on the footswitch there is a cabinet switch to switch off multiple speaker cabs.

I use a Fender Deluxe Telecaster with vintage noisless pickups. It works incredibly well with the tele. So clear on the clean and bright and well rounded but still has bite on the 2nd channel. I have also played a Les Paul with PAF pups and it sounds sweet and juicy. This amp is very warm and clear. Not noisy at all. Awesome brown sound! Plexi type vintage high gain that you cant help but to love. I can tweak it from a very clean to dirty/clean to a vox overdriven sound to vintage high gain heaven. Sounds great at low volume but thats not what tube amps are made for.

I have a feeling this amp will last me a long time. I take good care of my equipment and I'm planning on getting an anvil case for it. Scott told me that the tubes dont need to be replaced that often. He said around once every year- two years depending on how much you play.
Also I know that all the Budda amps are built by the best with care.

Incredible people, some of the nicest people I have ever met. Havent ever had the need to repair it or anything but im sure the guys at Budda would be more than happy to help with anything.

I have owned several tube powered amps such as, Marshall JMP, JCM 2000, Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier solo head, Tremoverb Head and Nomad. I compared this amp with the VOX AC-30 and found it could get the same sound but at a lower volume plus I dont need an A/B switch to make it a 2 channel amp. The only amp that I thought sounded as good as the Budda was a Bogner shiva but I found the Budda is a little warmer and that works better with the guitar I have. If it were stolen I would be pissed because if I ordered another I would have to not only wait acouple of months for it, I would have to spend some extra money getting a PTP circut board as an extra option.

Bass Mid Treble Gain and Master. Very Simple but very effective.
Best 2 channel master volume amp I have ever played through.
Footswitchable channels and cabinet switching if you own another cabinet.(very cool) 30 watts of pure tube power. It uses EL-84's for the power section and 12ax7's for the preamp section. Push/Pull Bright switch for the clean section.( I always have it on! ) I think it is perfect how it is. No need for any other features except maybe the bright switch to be footswitchable but I always have it on anyways. I think many people would appreciate reverb but I'm not a big reverb person myself. I gig and record with this puppy and damn does it perform flawlessly everytime over and over again. I have owned it for 2 years now and just found about this site and decided it was my duty to tell all about this wonderful amp. Each feature serves its purpose to the max.

I have a collection of Strats, Teles, and Les Paul's. All with various pickups including the original stock pickups. I play mostly pop/rock music and I would have to say the Les Pauls sound awesome through this amp. On the clean channel the bright switch is a must for guitars with humbuckers. It really makes the sound much more clear and beautiful. Especially when you overdrive the clean channel with the bright switch on it sounds almost identical to a Vox ac-30.
On the 2nd channel the Pauls sound great for playing chords but the teles and strats can really make it sound like a Lead machine. The overdrive can go from plexi sounding to a great modern sounding crunch. Some of my teles and strats and even les pauls with the hotter pickups can be buzzy but this amp seems to keep them at a minimal. Distortion is not at all brutal, it is a CLEAR midrangey mix between a marshall and a vox. I love it!

This amp seems solid as a rock. For the 2 years I have owned it I have only needed to replace the tubes once! Also it's very important to take care of your amps even if theyre tough and sturdy. I keep mine in tip top shape. I treat it right it treats me right, you get me?

If you haven t met the guys down at budda you should go just to say hi even if you arent looking to buy this amp. They are such nice people. I was treated like a person not a customer there was no pressure what so ever. Never had to get it serviced or anything.

Over all this amp gets more play time than my wife. Just kidding honey. (No serioulsy it does) It's one of those amps that works well with stomp boxes like delay and chorus, flange ....etc and it's one of those amps that makes you wanna play longer. Not only does it sound great no matter what settings you use, it looks so damn cool!
If it was stolen I would track that motherf*%ker down and rip him a new one. (then I'd buy a new one) The only thing I can think to to compare it with is a Vox. It's really like a Vox but with more features and sound options. (and they dont catch on fire when playing live) I love everything about it and hate nothing about it! If Budda made t-shirts I would definitely sport one :)

Year 2000 Budda Superdrive 30 2x12 combo
I play modern rock similar to the band The Get Up Kids. This amp is almost pefect. It is definitely versatile. Master volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, Gain/Bright switch for 1st channel.
2 channels (footswitchable) also it has a cabinet switcher on the footswitch which can toggle through different cabinets that you have set up. The only thing i wish it had was a vibrato but Im pretty sure you could ask them to put one on for extra $$ of course. Its got 30 watts fo all tube power. It plays just as loud as I play my 100 watt mesa. Its got el 84's and budda custom speakers that are basically vintage 30's with a different magnet on the back of the cone.

I have a Gibson Les Paul and an ES-335 both with 57's in them. It is an amp where pretty much no matter where i have the eq set it will get an awesome tone. The amp is very quiet givin the 30 watts of headroom. I give the clean tone a 10, the vintage overdrive tone a 10 and the high gain a 9. i dont drive the gain up so much so given how much I drive the 2nd channel I find it perfect.
The 1st channel is just that awesome Voxish sparkle and plexi brown sound. The second channel is a very clear rich high gain sound. My guitars sound just fat through this amp. Does it all basically except for metal.

i would say it is a very solid amp. had no problems with it so far.

The guys at budda are awesome! Very nice and cool I will definetely enjoy makin gmy next purchase with them for an extention cabinet.

No wonder bands like matchbox 20 and Third Eye blind use this amp its just such a great tone. It definetley deserves a test drive from all players. I see big things in the future of budda.