Budda Super Drive 30 Head

4 tubes, 1 rectifier, 2 channels, 1 EQ, footswitch, blah blah... You can read all the specs from the other reviews. I really love the ability to switch the ohms for the cab you're using. I've got a Vox 2x12 that runs at 4 ohms, then a Marshall that runs at 8. I've had other heads that only push 8 or 4 or 16, and that sucks. I use a lot of effects, so the effects loop is very useful. I do use the "modern" pull knob sometimes, I think it's a very useful sound. Overall, I think this amp has everything you need, and not a whole lot you don't. You're not wasting your money on any superfluous junk. You get what you pay for- awesome. I play a lot of clean/slightly dirty lead stuff, and then some pretty [very] heavy stuff as well. The features on this help to nail them both.

Well, I mostly play my Gibson custom SG (it's got p90's and all new electronics) into a Korg Pedal tuner, Bad Horsie wah, Keeley Compressor, an BBE Green Screamer Overdrive (which I don't need anymore), an EHX Metal Muff (which I also almost don't need), and an MXR SmartGate into the Budda. In the effects loop I run a Danelectro Tuna Melt Tremolo, TC Nova Delay, and an EHX Holy Grail. I also occasionally plug in my Standard Mexi Tele. If I cut all the effects off, it sounds GREAT. The clean channel doesn't stay totally clean for long- once you hit around 11 o'clock, it starts to break up very nicely. It's very responsive to your picking dynamics. It's not really noisy at all. And any noise that there is is from either my ridiculous amount of effects, or from the p90's.
The dirty channel is freaking sweet. Depending on what pickups you're using, it can get very very dirty, without being ridiculous. The overdrive is very articulate- chords come out clearly, but lead really sings. I've been hard pressed to find a sound from this amp I didn't like. I've been able to play stuff from U2 to Underoath, Thin Lizzy to Thrice. I love it.

Haven't had it for too long, but I've been doing a lot of gigging with it, and it's held up very well so far. I gig with it, but I have a Fender Deluxe for backup. I don't anticipate it breaking, but it's just plain stupid to tour without a backup.

I called a couple times to ask some questions about which tubes would be best for replacement and which type of footswitch I should buy (mine didn't come with one because I got it used), and they were crazy helpful. They even suggested a couple specific models I could try.

This is a 2 channel amp that lacks the flexibility / complexity of other multi channel amps like Mesa Boogies and thos e new Marshall's that require a pilot's lisense to use. Interesting setup, 2 channels, to volumes for each, one EQ section AND ONE MASTER for both. No reverb.

I am playing a Clapton Strat, 1989 PRS CE24 and a Fender Custom shop 1960 NOS Strat through the following - Boss TU2, VOX Wah, Carl Martin Hot Drive 'n Boost, FLIP (tube tremolo). I also run a Boss DD3 and Digitech Chorus through teh effects loop. The amp is run through a closed back Avitar 2X12 cabinet w/ V30's. The amp is amazing - a also own a Marshall JTM45 reissue and an Orange RV50 and this crushes each of them. I play out about once a month and can play anything from Foo Fighters to The Hollies with the above setup. The clean channel is very AC30 (clean with a hint of breakup) - the gain channel can be enormous depending on the guitar. It is also very touch sensetive. At this biggest of venues, I run the amp at a notch below half on teh gain and master - deafening. Perfect for claissic, hard and aggressive current rock.

3 months old, has about 20 hours playing time on it. No issues yet .. I love the fact that the EL84s can be replaced without taking it to a tech for biasing.

Called Budda 2 times, once for a replacement handle (mine was fraying) and once to discuss their choice of tubes (Groove Tubes)and buying spares. Brandon was very helpful and was willing to discuss anything I asked.

I would buy another tomorrow if this was stolen.

Reverb would be nice .. but not a deal breaker - I'm just using it to play live. A second master volume would be nice also, but I've learned to work with it and use both channles effectively.

If you don't sound great with this amp, you need to practice more!

Head is a couple of years old. 2 channel, Clean and crunch. 30 watt A/B all tube 4 El84's power tubes, 3 12AX7's preamp tubes and on 5U4 rectifier tube. 6 knobs very simple yet very versatile

I use a 91 Gibson Les Paul Standard and also have a couple of Ibanez SZ's. One with active EMG's (81 and 85) and the other with Seymour Duncan Distortions. Amp is extremely quiet on high gain setting..No hissing or howling like you get with a 5150 yet it hangs with a 5150 in terms of gain and tone. I should know as I have owned 2 5150's over the years. 30 watts but you would not know it.. I get a great crunchy sound pushing through a Budda 212 closed back cab. I actually like the way it sounds pushing a 212 vs. a 412 cab.

No problems with the amp.

Have called Budda a couple of times and they are always quick and helpful..

I have been playing for over 15 years and old many many amps. Have had great solid state amps and crappy tube amps and this is the best sounding amp I have played hands down. Very simple to use and when you strike a chord the overdrive simply kills, it sounds like an "explosion" which I love.

The amp was made in 2007. I bought it in February 2007. The Superdrive is plenty versatile to cover all the bases for this Jimi Hendrix-Carlos Santana-Eric Clapton-Duane Allman-Billy Gibbons inspired classic blues rocker. If you hold those styles and tones most dear, you are in for a treat. If not, you'd probably be more happy with something else. I'm not saying that's all the SD-30 can do - just what it does better than anything else I have tried. Its a 2-channel footswitchable amp that uses the same EQ controls for both channels. I haven't found this to be a drawback as you can independently set the drive for each channel. It has a pull for modern feature to scoop the mids (which I personally don't care for) and a pull for brite on the rythm channel, which I find very useful for those times when you want to sound more "Fendery". It has and effects loop, which I don't use. It has no Headphone jack which i don't need because it is possible to get killer tone at 'home practice' volumes. It's 30 watts is plenty for anything short of an arena (where you'd mike it anyway). Through a 4x12 cabinet loaded with celestion vintage 30's (my personal favorite) it will hold it's own with a Vox AC30, a Marshall TSL 60 or a Fender Twin, volume wise. It has a quartet of EL84 Groove Tubes in the pwer section, three 12 AX7s in the per-amp and a 5U4 in the rectifier.

I use it with both single coil (Strat, Tele) and humbucker (SG, Charvel) guitars. It absolutely nails the brown, hot-rodded Marshall Plexi sound better than anything I've yet heard, even a hot rodded Marshall Plexi. The drive controls on both channels have a very wide range to dial in the desired amount od gain. The rythm channel starts out very clean when the drive is set low, reminiscent of an AC30. My only complaint is it may be too dark for certain stuff. But that complaint was silenced as soon as I pulled the brite switch and it it got very 'Bassman'. Cranking the drive on the rythem channel makes it progressively and predictibly gritter - kind of like cranking the volume on an AC30 (or a Bassman, if the brite is pulled). But the lead channel is why I HAD to own one. It's lead tone is the simply the best I have ever heard. I know tone is a very personal and subjective thing but SD manages to capture for me the most desireable feature from all the other killer amps I've ever played. It's got the sustain for days, like an old MESA mark 1. It's got articulation like the best Marshalls and Hiwatts (something the Mark 1 doesn't do as well). At mid settings on the drive it's got that ultra warm but very aggresive plexi tone, like an old Hendrix type tone (if you're playing a Strat) or more Duane Allman-like (if you are playing a Les Paul). When you really crank the drive it gets even more nasty, but still the sweet singing Brian May vocal quality to it like an overdriven AC30 (with single coils) nad more like Gary Moore or EVH with humbuckers . It's got the compression and dynamics, makes the guitar really feel alive in your hands, like a Bassman (also will bring out mistakes like a Bassman, so it teaches you to be careful with your pick). It never gets muddy (also a Bassman strangth). I found it to be pretty quiet, not buzzy at all. It suits my musical style to a T. If you laike to play everything from early Cream, through Van Halens first album, this one's got you covered.

Haven't used it that much yet so I cn't say for sure, The build quality looks good.

I haven't had much correspondence with them, but the few times I did, they responded promptly. I haven't had it long enough yet to build a service history either way.

I started playing 32 years ago. If it was stolen I'd buy another one. I am in love with the tone of it. If I was to nitpick, I'd like it in a more compact package, like a Dr.Z or a THD head. A built in cooling fan would be nice, as would a cabinet that lets air circulate around the tubes better, better yet flip the tubes right side up like a Marshall. I'm told Budda heads get hot when you run them hard - so the more cooling the better. I chose this head over a Marshall DSL50 and a Vox AC30 Re-issue. I was also considering a Dr. Z Z-28 and a THD BiValve, and a MESA F-50 - all great amps, but I really don't think I gave up anything by getting the Budda instead.

2-channels, 4-el84 power tubes, 3 12ax7 pre-amp tubes, six knobs, shared eq, for both channels.
Don't let the fact that it's "only" 30 watts, fool you. This is a very loud 30 watts. I play in an indy,pop-rock band (where I do play some metal stuff) and this amp covers it all. We regulularly play 200-500 capacity clubs, and I have had no volume issues,w/ a 2/12 cab or a 4/12 cab. I have one of the point-to-point older ones,that I bought as a trade-in at the guitar store that I work at.The only thing I wish it had was reverb.That's why I gave it a "9".

I play Gibson Les Pauls, 3 standards,2 w/duncan custom-customs,1 w/stock gibsons,and a LP studio w/burstbuckers. We play evrything from Rolling Stonesy rock, to Girlie pop, and Motorhead metal.
The clean is very Vox-like and just like everyone else says, the distortion is very "brown" with lots of very cool overtones. You can hear every note ring out, underneath the distortion.I have had 4 jcm800's, and this amp has WAY BETTER distortion. It's not super brutal, but it I've covered Megadeth using it.

I've had mine for about a month, and have gigged a few times with it.
I have had no problems.I know the guy who owned for years,before me, and he never had any problems w/it. I got to give it a "10" so far.

I've e-mailed Budda several times, with questions,(no problems), and they have got write back to me every time,very quickly.

I've been playing for about 25 years. I also own a Mesa Dual Rec,and have had 5 or 6 other Mesa's, 4 or 5 Marshalls, Laney,Peavey 5150,etc.I was choosing between a Matchless Clubman 35 and this,and the Budda Superdrive30 won,hands down.
This is the sound I had been looking for. If it were lost or stolen, I would cry, then find another one.

This is an SD II 30-watt head that's a couple years old. No reverb, but good serial effects loop, cabinet switching (which I haven't needed), and two channels. Mine came (used) without a footswitch but any single-button footswitch will let you change channels. What drives this score higher is the tremendous flexibility in sound (see below) rather than the feature list. The two channels share EQ, but this is not really a problem. I generally keep the clean channel with the treble boost on to make it a little more Vox-y, and this helps the shared EQ work best for me.

The Budda is the most flexible-sounding tube amp that I own. The clean channel has a little bit of AC-30 TB flavor and can go fairly chimey as well as back off for warmer jazzy sounds. It's not tremendously 3D, but it's a really good clean sound. The drive channel is as advertised. It's pretty brown and has a nice range between crunchy and saturated. It suggests ZZ Top and early Van Halen without sounding exactly like a Marshall or any other amp. I don't use the 'modern' mid function, but the distortion is not sophisticated and classy sounding--it's great for both open and power chords as well as leads but it's not suited for complex chords. It's a rock and blues sound that is really fun to play--you can go slightly overdriven to Replacements-through-a-Marshall drive to close to the first Van Halen album.

It's a loud amp for 30 watts and it will blow out your ears if you have the speaker(s) pointed at you at higher volume settings. I use it with a HotPlate at -12 dB and it's still very loud through a Bogner 1x12 cabinet. It has sounded good with every speaker I've thrown at it so far (from a 'clean' speaker like a Weber California 12 to Celestions), and you can't say that about a lot of amps, especially boutique amps. My Two Rock, for instance, is much more finicky. (If I were to compare them I'd say the Budda is much more flexible and warm while the Two Rock Custom really gives you that Larry Carlton tone and more 3D cleans but doesn't rock like the Budda does.)

It sounds good with both my strat and tele and with various humbucker-equipped guitars. I don't generally use an overdrive pedal with it (it doesn't need it) although it sounds good with my ToneBone Classic in front of it. The effects loop is fine and can be used to tame the volume a little bit, but I'm looking forward to trying the Budda out with a Palmer and putting stereo effects after the Palmer (gtr > maybe an overdrive and compressor > Palmer > stereo reverb and delay > board).

I wouldn't buy it solely for jazz, country, or fusion, but for rock/alt/pop/blues and jazz-inflected stuff it's great.

I've had the amp for less than six months, so I'll rate this later. The amp has had a small problem with the rectifier socket that may have occurred during shipping but everything else has been solid so far. The build quality seems very good.

Budda gets very high marks here from me. Scot and Jeff at Budda have been very thorough and very kind in answering every question I've asked, even though I bought the amp used. They really stand behind their product and I know that if I have any problems they'll treat me well. I really feel good about owning an amp that the creators took such obvious care in creating--and in helping its owners get the most out of.

I haven't owned or played any amp I'd give a 10, but I'm very happy with my Budda SDII-30. And I got a great deal on ebay that makes the value proposition extremely high for this amp. If I were to nitpick, I'd like a little more definition and clarity when playing chords that are somewhat complex on the drive channel (like root-maj3-4-maj3 one octave above), the amp could have a shorter chassis so it took up less space, and I'd like a little less volume (although it does sound good at lower volumes), but overall this is very sweet amp.

In terms of flexibility, a PodXT or other flexible preamp is going to cover more bases at a gig if you have a varied set (and yes, I do play preamps a lot) but the Budda will sound a lot better if you want to go clean/dirty and don't care about having ten zillion different sounds. It's very satisfying to play. The price for a new one is not cheap (a trait that most boutique amps share since they're not made in huge factories with cheap labor), but used ones can be had for a good price. Enjoy the fact that they don't seem to be super-trendy right now and get yourself a great amp that you'll be happy playing for a long time.

The amp was manufactured in 2000.One of the best new amps I've owned, but the channel switching and cabinet switching functions have never worked(at least with the footswitch).It has a great sound, better than any new Marshall product out there, and comparable to the late 60's small box Marshalls that it is based on,but with more flexibility due to it's preamp design.It actually has a master volume that works!Appears to be built very well,(all handwired), and is an all tube design.No reverb, shared EQ,1 input,etc. Also, it is plenty loud for any club gig with an appropriate cabinet( I use a Marshall 1966 A 2X12 cab with it).All in all, a lot of amp for the money.

The sound is excellent! It semms to favor P90's, mini humbuckers, and vintage to medium gain humbuckers. Strat users may want a clean boost pedal, depending on the tone you're after.It would be a waste of time to use a modern distortion pedal with this amp in most instances( It does sound good with an original Arbiter fuzzface and strat, though).It has plenty of gain, and a good useable clean channel(voiced towards a british sound-Vox like- sort of).This thing rocks!

It was drop shipped to me from the factory, and the screws that hold the chassis in place worked loose during transit.The footswitch has never worked, but I intend to ship it to the factory and have it repaired.This company has a good reputation for customer service, and the amp has a limited lifetime warranty.This thing is hard on rectifier tubes(5U4), and when replacing them, use a Groove tube or MESA brand-it will last much longer!Overall, I,ve had no breakdowns that I would'nt attribute to the shipment of the amp.

Haven't dealt with them yet, so I can't rate this yet.

I've played for 25 years, and have owned a number of old Marshal&Fender amps, and have played through practically every amp ever made that was widely available during it's time, and this holds up to the great old Marshalls!I have NOT, however, played a series 2 S/D 30,and their price has effectively doubled since early 2002, when I bought this amp for $1280.00(the current price today from Musician's friend is $2495.99-Soldano SLO 50's cost less!). It would seem to me that going to a mostly PCB-based design, would lower the price, not raise it!That aside, I love this amp, and recommend it,but try before you buy if at all possible, and shop for the best possible price.I hope this helps.

This is all I need. Treb, Mid, Bass, Volume, and Drive. Simple and stipped down like a vintage amp. That's what I love. Simple features. I'm lucky to have one of the original PTP series I amps. Have not compared it to a PTP version.......but I like the fact that it's PTP. ....hand wired, etc. 3 12AX7s, 4 EL84s, 5U4 Rect tube. The coolest thing is the cab switching feature. You can set it up to switch between two cabs when you like via footswitch, or change when you switch channels. What a cool feature!!!!!!

WOW. It's KILLER. The fattest sounding amps I own (10 amps total.......Marshall x3, Fender x3, ets). Thick fat tones. The Rhythm channel is sort of Voxish but thicker. But it's nice and chimey. The Drive channel it what this amp is all about. Vintage style Plexi tone but on steriods. Thick fat crunchy rock tones. Can easily do the "Brown Sound." I use it for stuff like AC/DC, Aerosmith, Social Distortion type tones and it does it with ease. AMAZING tones from this thing. I'll put it head to head with an old Marshall (I've got an old JMP) or one that's "hot rodded." A great rock amp that can do a lot more.

Great so far. No probs. Built with amazing quality. Had her on the road a few times and no probs.

They are made right up the street from me, and I have talked to the man Jeff Bober who makes them........very cool. He offered to do service on any of my amps. They are great about email replys as well, which is nice compared to some other amp companies. Rock on Budda.

AMAZING. One of the finest amps I have ever heard. I own a total of 10 amps (Marshalls, Fenders, etc) and this is definatly one of the best. The thickest amp I have ever heard and the best hot rodded Plexi tone I have ever heard. I would buy it again in a heartbeat. I have played the 80 watt versions which is just as killer, as well as, the Twinmaster. Amazing stuff out of the Budda shop. I love this company!!!!!! Try one......you'll never look back!!!!!

30 watts
4 EL84's and a 5u4 rectifier tube
Treble, Mid, and Bass controls
Rhythm volume, Master Volume
Drive Control
2 Channels, rhythm and hi gain
Effects Loop
Slave Out
Pull/Modern Mid function
12AX7 High Grade Preamp Tubes
Custom Wound Transformer With 4-8-16 OHM Switch

As very simple features; that's what I like about it.
Also, I like the standby switch; it says Rest/Go.

I use several Gibson Les Pauls with different stock pickups, and a Fender Strat with 2 stock single coils and a Seymour Duncan Trembucker in the bridge. Sounds I get from this amp with no effects are great. The clean channel sounds fantastic when using a chorus pedal. Using a Les Paul, the high gain channel gets as much distortion as I will ever need for playing heavier music without a footpedal; maybe not the sound you're looking for playing Metallica or Ozzy, but definately a unique sound; then again, I've never tried using a distortion or overdrive pedal, so its definately possible that I could get those sounds if I wanted. Until recently, I had been using this amp mostly as a practice amp in my bedroom and it also sounds really good at low volumes.

I've owned this amp for over a year and have used it practically everyday as a practice amp for 2-4 hours or more and haven't had any problems so far. For the past 2 months I have been gigging in a classic rock cover band 1-2 times a week and have not had any problems.

I've never had a problem with the amp, but I emailed Budda once about a problem I was having with their budwah pedal, and they were very helpful.

I have been playing the guitar for about 9 years now. I have owned or tried several different amps including Mesa, Marshall, Fender, Line 6, Crate, and in my opinion the Budda sounds better than all of them. If this amp were lost or stolen I would buy another one, but maybe the 80 watt model. The only think I wish this amp had was reverb, but overall I recommend this amp very highly to anyone considering purchasing one.

It is one of the older point to point hand soldered versions. 2ch EL84 powered tube head. Shared EQ, seperate volumes, plus gain control. FX loop. Speaker switching. I play mostly in live band situations, this thing is very loud 30 watts.

I use a PRS, Les Paul, and a tele. All of these sound great, but different. It sounds like a VOX AC-30 and a Marshall Plexi had offspring! Very hard to get a bad tone out of it!

It has never done anything that would make me think that it would not be reliable. I would certainly trust it at a gig with no back up.

The Guys at Budda have been very helpful in answering any questions I have had.

I have been playing for over 15 years, and have had lots of gear, Mesa's, fenders, peavey's. This thing kills them all! I would definatly get another if it were stolen.

I am just ammending my earlier review. I got a quick response to my posting, and it turn out Scot at Budda had sent off an e-mail and a manual. I just hadn't received them.On account of this and my mistake, Budda gets its first 10 from me.

THIS IS THE SUPERDRIVE 30 HEAD. IT IS A PCB VERSION. IT HAS MOST OF THE FEATURES I NEED, BUT THE EQ IS THE SAME FOR BOTH CHANNELS SO IT GETS A SEVEN. ALSO, THE EFFECTS LOOP WORKS WELL WITH SOME DEVICES, WITH OTHERS THOUGH, THE VOLUME DROPS SIGNIFICANTLY. IT IS NOT MY EFFECTS PROBLEM AS THEY WORK WELL WITH MY OTHER AMPS. ALSO I WISH I COULD CONTROL THE VOLUME OF THE DRIVE CHANNEL MORE. IT IS TOTALLY AFFECTED BY WHERE YOU PUT THE CLEAN VOLUME IN RELATION TO THE MASTER. I LIKE THE DRIVE TO COME IN VERY LOUD, BUT I CAN'T DO THIS UNLESS THE CLEAN CHANNEL IS VERY LOW. AND YOU LOSE THE COMPLEXITY OF THE TONE WHEN IT IS THAT LOW. THE 30 WATTS ARE PERFECT FOR BEDROOM,PRACTICE, OR CLUB LEVELS. AND IT HAS A FEW EXTRA FEATURES I WILL NEVER USE.

I'M USING IT WITH A DESIGNER SERIES STRAT WITH VINTAGE NOISELESS PICKUPS. THE SOUND IS EXCELLENT FOR MY STYLE. THE CLEAN CHANNEL IS VERY SMOOTH AND CHIMEY.AND VERY COMPLEX AT AROUND 11 OR 12 O'CLOCK.IT DOES DRIVE A LITTLE EARLY FOR MY TASTES, AS I WOULD LIKE A LITTLE MORE HEADROOM, BUT IF YOU PICK SOFTER OF BACK OF THE GUITARS VOLUME IT IS A BEAUTIFUL THING. VERY RESPONSIVE. WATCH OUT THOUGH, YOU CAN HEAR YOUR PICK HIT THE STRINGS. SOMETIMES TOO MUCH SO, BUT IT IS MAKING ME A BETTER PLAYER. THE DRIVE CHANNEL IS INCREDIBLE, YOU CAN FEEL IT THROUGH YOUR WHOLE BODY. HELL, YOU CAN TASTE IT! IT IS VERY POWERFUL, BUT NOT BUZZY LIKE A MESA. YOU CAN'T FIND A BAD SETTING ON IT. THIS AMP IS NOT NOISY AT ALL. I'M USING IT THROUGH A BOGNER 4X12 WITH VINTAGE 30'S AND IT HAS ALOT OF BOTTOM END. THIS IS THE BEST AMP I'VE HAD, BUT LET'S BE SERIOUS, I WOULD HAVE TO HAVE MY AMP SPECIALLY BUILT FOR ME FOR IT TO BE A 10.

I'VE HAD IT FOR4 MONTHS, AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. BUT I'LL WAIT AND SEE.

THEY WERE VERY NICE AT FIRST. BUT THEY MUST HAVE GOT TIRED OF ALL MY QUESTIONS, BECAUSE THEY DON'T EVEN ANSWER MY E-MAIL ANYMORE. I ASKED FOR A NEW MANUAL BECAUSE MINE DIDN'T HAVE ONE IN IT'S BOX. AND I NEVER GOT ONE, OR A REPLY. THE LAST FEW TIMES THEY DID ANSWER ME IT TOOK A VERY LONG TIME. I DON'T HOLD IT AGAINST THEM THOUGH. THEY ARE MAKING AMPS NOT FRIENDS.

I'VE BEEN PLAYING FOR 14 YEARS. I OWN ALOT OF OTHER GEAR. A VOX AC-30. A TRAYNOR CUSTOM VALVE 40. A LES PAUL STANDARD DC, AND A RICKENBACKER 12 STRING TO NAME A FEW. I REALLY LIKE THIS AMP. IT DOES EVERYTHING I NEED FOR RIGHT NOW. I WILL ALWAYS KEEP LOOKING FOR THAT 10 BUT YOU REALLY CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THIS AMP.

This is the Budda SD30 Series II head. This one is the new PCB models which means that most of components are on a pc board. This is the most versatile amp I have every owned. There is no compromise with an ok clean and and ok overdrive, it excels at both. I play Blues to Heavy Metal and this amp does it all well. From sweet sparkle clean and slight breakup to the chunkiest palm muted chug you can imagine with a fat sweet midrange for solos. There are two channels but they share the same tone stack. This would be a problem if Budda hadnt thought it out and made the tone controls so well balanced between the two. The amp also features cabinet switching and linking. This allows for the switching between cabinets or linking a channel to a particular cabinet. I have no real use for it now but I might try it in the future. It has a series effects loop that works very well and has switches for the impedance of both the main and aux speaker cabinets on the back. It has two jacks for each. There is a slave level knob as well. This amp utilizes 4 EL84 ouput tubes, 3 12AX7 and 1 rectifier tube to produce its warm and tasty tone. I give it a nine only because the channels arent totally seperate, that would be ideal.

Think of the sound that you can get from a cranked Marshall Plexi, mix in some of Van Halens early tone then add the fatness of a Mesa Boogie and you have this amp. Very thunky bottom end with good solid non-trashy sounding highs. The gain is "clean" and while you can get it to grind and growl easily its very articulate and you can use dynamic picking to bring out the subtleties of the sound. You can nail many of the Heavy Metal sounds of the 70's and 80's as well as some of the newer stuff (Megadeth etc.). Not a scooped mid buzz but a chunky, fat chug with huge single note runs and still its not harsh. You can get a great midrange singing solo sound and when you dig in you can hear the higher order harmonics easily during pick attack, very Halen-esque. Using the '59 neck pickup on my Hamer Standard I get the most killer sound, the fat singing sound of a neck pickup with the articulate pick attack like I was using the bridge pickup, perfect! The clean channel is very sweet too. Not peaky or harsh, the treble is chiming and the sound is very even. Good sustain and while I am not a big fan of humbuckers through the clean channle it works very well with this amp. You can also get the clean channel to break up nicely too. Great blues spank all the way up to too sweet overdrive breakup and then on to a not so nice distortion, but if you get there your should be on the other channel. This amp is the best that I have heard or played. That is not to say that there isnt anything out there better, there might be but for me right now this is it.

I have only had it a few days so I cant speculate so far. If it goes down anytime soon I will update the review.

Left a call for the Budda guys and they got back to me within the hour. Very nice and I dont think that I will ever have a problem with their service.

Been playing for over 20 years. If you would have told me that you could get this kind of sound out of an amp plugging straight in 10 year ago I would have spit my beer in your face laughing. This is what I have been looking for for a while now. If it were stolen the self destruct device I put in the amp would go off and cripple the thief after if got more than 50 feet from me. That has caused problems in the past, poor service guy. No seriously I would not hesitate to buy again. I compared this amp to my Mesa Rocket 44. Both amps are EL84 based and are basically geared to the same kind of guitar player. Dont get me wrong the Mesa has its place and sounds great, just not as good as the Budda. These are great amps. Everyone should keep and eye on this company. If they stick to their original concept then they cant go wrong.

Two channels -no verb.
simple, effective controls...

Makes any guitar sound, well, like that guitar. The preamp in the SuperDrive 30 is fantastic. Not noisy at all. Great sounding well made amp. I think the guy who had problems with his amp is way off base. I love this amp. Not scopped mid metal, but much thicker

The push pull pots seem a little wimpy-other than that top notch

Responde quickly to email...always helpful

I've been playing the shit out of this amp for a month now and it seems to be fine. I own lots of other amps-some that break down alot (ie: Marshall 800, 66 Bassman) and some that don't...
If this amp keeps working and doesn't fall apart like the guy said his did then this amp is a jewel-a gem and yes, a keeper!

Not a whole lot of features, but that is usually a good thing in an amp. Means the co. took more time on the tone, than on building a bunch of garbage to pull around on. I wish it had reverb! or a clean channel!

Used w/ Peavey wolfgang, and hamer usa guitars (single coils)
Very musical amp,gets great lead tones, and VERY queit.
But, i have to give a 7, because of the fact that the break-Up (supposedly rhythm channel) is just nasty. i didnt like it at all, especially with humbuckers. no clean at all to be found. w/ single coils does a good matchless thing though.

worked for 3 days, shorted out. moneyBack thank god. These are not reliable amps at all, and you will hear that from many more to come. i've already heard it from every1 i know that has a budda. Never again fellas. nice gear, but dosent hold up. time to move on to Bogner. i really dont give 2nd chances on gear.

Seem nice...just need to work on the kinks a bit of testing amps be4 selling.

Lacking clean tone, musical overdrive. I was pissed about the whole shorting out thing though. brand new, and it just pops out every minute. Piss poor quality.

this is one of the first sd30...serial number 5....2 channel amp...shared eq....30 watt amp...4 el84 power tubes....3 12ax7 preamp tubes....rectifier tube.....this amp is loud...very loud....hard to imagine its only 30 watts...also has asignable speaker outs....you can switch between different cabs as you wish...very basic amp....which is why it gets a 8

sounds killer....i use it for blues rock.....its a very raw sounding distortion....but is controllable.....the gain cleans up nicely with the guitar volume knob.....great string deffinition....not muddy at all...the clean channel does break up at high volumes, but thats part of the magic....i can see this amp being used in all styles of music....i used a boss ge7 in the loop to experiment with tones and could easily get that death metal tone.....of coourse i hate that so i just dial in a tone kinda like jake e lees when he was in badlands

no problems yet

ive talked to the owners on the phone before...they were helpful in trying to find me one to try out

its a deffinate keeper....i love this amp for its rawness....ive owned all the great amps:plexis, egnater, bogner, vht, soldano, etc.....this is a deffinate keeper.....its a different type of amp and i dont recomend it to just anyone....but its a great amp and suits me fine...i dont think id ever sell it