Budda Super Drive 80 II Head

Two amazing channels, 3-12AX7's, 4-6L6/6550's, 6 knobs, effects loop, slave out, pull switches for: "bright" on the clean channel, "modern" for the lead channel, and channel switch. This amps is much lighter in weight than most due to the aluminum chassis. Incredibly versatile EQ section. I've got it loaded with Sovtek 6550WD's, which are great tubes, and the stock Sovtek 12AX7WA's and WB's.

I only use this amp out live, as it is WAY too loud for practice at home. My volume is at 9:00 for live use, which is about the same as my Marshall Jubilee head at 7-8. It is the second loudest amp I've played next to a Roccaforte 100 watter that I plugged into. Great sound, but rediculous volume.

I mainly use Les Paul's with Alnico 2's, and a few with the Suhr Aldrich pickups. They all sound incredible with this head. I've found over the years that medium-ish output pickups are best with this amp. It has a super sensitive preamp, and hot pickups tend to mush it up a bit. Strats and tele's also sound amazing, but I haven't used them too much, so I can't go further on that. I play in a hard rock band along the lines of GnR and Van Halen. I run it through a Mesa Recto standard cab and a Budda 4x12, and couldn't ask for a better sound for this type of music.

The clean channel is worth the price of this amp alone. A few people described it as 3D, and that is the best description. It just makes the guitar feel so alive with every chord, and fills the entire area around the cabs. It can go from super clean to a beautiful blooming overdrive and everthing in between, with the turn of the knob. Even at the cleanest setting, which is really clean, it still feels like the notes are almost at the point of feeding back. Hard to describe, but truly amazing. Just so much sustain.

The lead channel is by far the best for me. I can be on my highest gain setting (2:00), roll the guitar volume back, and get a better clean sound that most amp's clean channel. All this without losing volume and the tone from my guitar. I've used so many amps in my career, and this and the Bogner Ecstacy Classic are my all time favorites. The Budda just has everything: simplicity, great drive, exceptional clarity, great sustain, incredible harmonics, all with punch and balls. It's a bit darker sounding than most of the amps I've used, but it manages to cut throught the mix with zero problems. I don't use the "modern" setting much, as it cuts the mids and boosts the highs a bit much for me. It still sounds killer in that mode though, but becomes too much of a metal monster for my tastes. Bottom line, the distortion can get as brutal as anyone would ever need.

The EQ is one of the best I've used in an amp. It can go from smooth to barking to peel the paint off the walls. What more do you need? It is not too much of an issue with the shared eq, as the amp sounds goos at any setting.

This amp also takes pedals as well, if not better, than the Custom Audio head I had before. All I use is a Fulltone wah and an OCD, and they don't tweak the sound one bit.

Three years on tour, and I have never used my backup. It's been banged up, dropped a few times, bounced around in a trailer, and it still works as new. I changed the tubes once during that time, only because the original ones started to fade.

Some idiot tried to convince me that changing my tubes around to "better" NOS (stupidly expensive), and JJ's would give me even better tone. I ended up wasting money for not much of a change. The JJ's actually made the amp have too much gain pushing the front end, causing it to compress more. I didn't like that at all. I also bought some old Mullards that sounded better, but they started ticking a bit a few months in.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Amp manufacturers put in certain tubes for a reason, tone for THAT preamp design AND reliability. The stock Sovteks work perfectly in this amp, and balance the tone nicely.

The best. They are nice people, and they answer the phone or call you back quickly.

After 20 years of playing and tinkering with almost every amp model available, I've been most happy with the Budda. I had sold a Custom Audio OD-100 standard to buy this. That was a really great amp, but it didn't feel as "alive" as the Budda. They have somewhat of a similar tone, but the Budda just has less bells and whistles.

My only complaint about the amp is the balancing of the channel volumes, but I've worked my way around that, and it's not that big an issue. There is a mod that Budda can do, but I don't want to do anything that may affect the sound it's currently giving me. It's also not cheap, but I've also never played an inexpensive amp that responds to a guitar this well. You get what you pay for.

There are plenty of reviews that speak to what this amp provides. I have had this amp for about a year now and I still love it. I bought it from a friend when I heard the clean channel. This amps clean channel is very versatile.

I am using a G and L legacy with cool rails in it. I'm looking to put some other pickups in it to try something with a tad more mid range in it. I write music and perform in various live situations from country, blues, and jazz to currently putting together a live looping rig with a GCX switcher and various effects. This amp is NOT noisy at all. Even on the gain channel it is almost dead quite. I love the sound of this amp but I am one to say that an amp that sounds good usually has a specific voice and that is actually a good thing. When you buy an amp to do "everything" you're probably interested in amps with on board fx and 10 different tone stacks or just digital emulation. This amp is the "real deal". With this amp you use other instruments in your chain to change an already stellar tone. Different guitars have a profound effect on the tone that comes through this amp. I don't think it is "the greatest" amp I have ever played but it is among the greatest. I almost forgot about the clean tone. I had read reviews that talked about this clean tone being 3D sounding. Believe it. I have never heard or played a clean with this quality before. There is something like a top end tone above your normal tone that gives this clean tone great character and depth.

seems very dependable. It may be a bit hard on tubes because it is bias quite hot. Tone, Tone, Tone.

Barber is AWESOME.

Been playing for 20 years and I have had a fair amount of gear in that time and this amp will alway be a favorite. If it were stolen it would have to be replaced. I love the tone of this amp. The only thing I sometimes wish is for two master volumes and separate tone controls but the amp is simple and majestic as it sits.

80 LOUD Watts
2 footswitchable channels
bass mid (with pull 'modern) treble
pull 'bright' on clean (rhythm) channel
master volume
effects loop
slave output with variable level
speaker outs with impedance selector switch
not too heavy either which is allways a bonus

I play blues-based heavy rock on a Gibson '58 and use the head through a MESA recto 4x12. This amp has the perfect tone for me, I doubt I could ever find an amp with a sound that I would prefer. You just can't help but smile and pull 'rock faces' when experiencing a tone of this quality. It reminds me of a hot-rodded marshall, kind of like the old Lee Jackson Metaltronix amps, but more modern perhaps. I have marked out my settings on it as bass mid treble at 1 o'clock approx, both rhythm and lead gain at 10 o'clock. I use an MXR custom shop GT-OD into the front end which really makes the amp scream (in a good way)! The tone of clean channel can be very warm and bluesy, especially when used with pedals, or it can be bright and clear with the gain backed off and the dial pulled. The rhythm channel is just one of the most perfect electric guitar sounds I've ever had. It's loud, powerful and singing with just the right kind of harmonic overtones you wanna hear. The voicing of this channel is a work of art! I'm sure any overdrive or distortion pedal will compliment this amp very well and will open up many tonal possibilities for people who want a different kind of overdrive to what the amp will give you straight off. If you want a good example of the type of tone I get and use out of this beast, listen to Zakk Wylde's tone on the early ozzy albums, especially 'Just say Ozzy'. Very sweet and clear, yet thick, cutting and brutal at the same time.... nice! I also use an MXR microamp in the effects loop to give a volume boost for solos without altering the tone or the amount of gain from the amp, and this works very nicely. I wish the amp had an in-built solo boost ala mesa solo recs. Anyway, a couple of leads and a relatively in-expensive pedal gets the job done perfectly.

Seems very solid, dependable and well made. Just what everyone needs.

I e-mailed BUDDA about details of the volume balancing modification and they were very quite to reply, helpfull and friendly. Small companies are allways better for customer service I find.

I'm very happy I bought this amp, I traded in my Peavey 6505+ and my Laney GH50L because those were cardboard-sounding toys compared to this. I also have a SOLDANO Decatone which is a great amp, but I gig with the BUDDA because the tone is just right there and it's damn loud. I rate it an overall 9 because the volume control is a little.....dangerous shall we say, hard to dial in a SLIGHT volume increase in the middle of a gig as all us guitarists have a habit of doing! I wish it had a footswitchable solo boost function as well, I might see if I can find a tech willing to put one in for me.. Please feel free to contact me if you want to know anything about this amp, i've had it for a while and gig with it regularly.
ROCK ON!

Two completely different voiced channels,one set of eq's.Great series FX loop,Bright boost for clean channel,Mid boost/scoop for lead side.This is a Go TO killer,that does a few things with incredible results.Not bells and whistles,but a pro's palette to paint your tone(pretty good metaphor,huh?)

Channel one is definately Vox voiced,with HUGE headroom and touch sensitivity.I should mention that this head is louder than ANY 100 watter,including Hiwatt,on the planet!Depending on your style,you can set the eq and bright switch to attain breathtaking clean tones.I now understand what 3 D sounds like!It is almost alive in its feel and reactivity.Channel two is a Plexi that was irradiated and turned into a hulking sonic barrage!Don't get me wrong,this is not a plexi on steroids,but a one of a kind monster that has NO limit to it's expression.I am a professional guitarist,with 25 years of recording and touring under my belt,and have owned EVERY amp there is.When I first played this head,in 2 minutes I bought it despite the fact that I didn't know the price,or really have the expendable cash!!It is truly ALIVE in the lead channel,..you can FEEL this in your fretting hand!I swear that I have never felt this in any other amp.Although I use many sounds for different playing situations,my own tone grew from Clapton Wheels of Fire,and Ah Via Musicom,and without ANY pedal,I came home to where I should have been thousands of dollars and amps ago.But it doesen't stop at sweet fat mMarshall tones"The agression is mindblowing if you care to go that way,and with the Mid scoop on,it makes the overused Recto sound seem sorely dated.Am I gushing?...you bet!

I can and do know a bit of Teching,and this amp was made by musicians.NO compromise in production,and spottless assembly.Past experience tells me this amp is a ROCK,trans and tube sockets and soldering blocks are impeccable.and if something does go askew,it is easily accessible,and clean inside.

Here is an unpresidented positive"When first I purchased this baby,I realized that although it was incredibly aggressive out of the box,my own sound required it to be pulled back some!!!I called Jeff B(designer of Budda amps)directly,and explained to him that iwished the gain and eq could be matched to my Superdrive 30 without the use of outboard.He told me to call him from my tech's,which I did,and between my tech knowing my needs,and Jeff's expertice of the amp,AND tones in general,in a mere 10 minutes,the two of them had customised my baby to the place it is now:an extension of my Head,Heart,and Fingers!In contrast to this above and beyond service,I sent a BRAD NEW Bogner back to them,as it had blown twice within the first month,and for what I paid for it,my tech and myself felt that they(Bgner)should address this themselves.What a debacle that became!After 3 weels,I called to check on the stus of my amp,and was told that they were behind in prodution!!!and had not taken a look at it yet!Whereupon I stated that if it weren't for paying customers like myself,there would be no production,and they had better get their priorities straight.When it finally did come back I had alredy found my Super 80,so BYe Bye Bogner.I have also been involve in music retail,and can truthfully say that Budda is without peer in customer support.

If you like British tones as a starting point,and are adept enough to tackle a truly ALIVE amp for ANY style of music,save your nickles and dimes(it ain't cheap...but nothing of great quality is!)and Go Budda.Nuff said.

This particular amp was made in 2004. I have had it one day so I am giving first impressions here, will update if my opinion changes. I paly bles, rock, hard rock, metal and Jazz & Jazz fusion. With pedals this amp will sort EVERY scenario of that I am sure. It is not the most versatile amp on he planet - I have other units for "other" sounds, but I bought this for tone.
Should be clear this is a 2 channel amp as below. The mid / modern being switvheable by foot would be a welcome addition, but hey I can walk over and pull..
As far as power is concerned this unit is the loudest amp I have ever played. List all the usuals inc some botiques. I am buying an attenuator to save my marriage, but for larger venues I will be glad of the spread. Feautures for an amp that has a sole purpose I think very good barring the footswitcheable thang..

Thick, Rich, Warm, singing, fat tone.
Unbelieveable and the best i have ever heard. Distortion is NOT brutal, but more than enough, if you want more go there with a pedal, you would never need another amp imo.
Cleans are nice and warm, but can do quite shimmery too...
Soaring and screaming leads available in droves.
All round this is a genuine 9 -will never give a 10 as until someone makes the amp that makes me instantly soil my underwear -in a good way a 10 is not attainable. FYI it took 3 mins. Wife V Jealous.

Don't know yet will update if my day gets ruined, will carry spare bits if req'd. Have taken a look under the hood and saw the cleanest layout to date. -no bad news so far touch wood..

Again don't know yet would be unfair to rate.

I play LP & Strats. I have played for 23yrs. I have expereinced many amps, boutique and not, Solid state and valve. (my backup is the superb DG130ha by yamaha which is super eclipsed by this baby). I have been hankering for "that sound" and thought I may have found it with the Bogner Shiva. Ironically I fell accross the SD80 II post bonamassa deciding to ditch it and have to say he made a mistake in moving on. This amp is the best I have EVER experienced. N.B Experience and not "heard". nuff said.
Need you ask if I would replace`?
I wish it had a 6ft blonde roady with long legs and a passion for pleasing the lead guitarist. Other than that as good as it gets today..

If you've been reading reviews on this amp you already know what it comes with. Great features. The versatility of this amp is huge for the amount of nobs it has on it.

"I CRAVE THIS AMP"

This is the single most greatest sounding amp I have had the privilige of owning. I sold a ToneMaster and a Splawn modded Marshall 1987x to buy this amp. I am glad I sold them both to get this amp. My wife on the other hand is not as happy because I crave my special time with this amp in a big way. You could say my budda and I are becoming pretty good pals as of late.

"Clean"
The clean channel on this amp is absolutely amazing. I've heard people on Harmony use the term "3D sounding" and didn't know what that meant until now. I can play for hours on the clean channel twisting the gain nob to get absolute clean to bluesy breakup at any volume. "Extremely" pic sensitive.

"Overdrive"
Just as the clean sound has an amazing 3D sound to it the overdrive channel is the same. It has a touch of brown with a class A high end.
In fact, after playing this amp I would say that I lean heavily twards class A amplifiers. When you roll your volume down you can clean it up depending on how much gain you have dialed up on the amp.

THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST BEST KEPT SECRET ON THE MARKET. The only thing I do not like agout the amp is the purple logo. Nothing can touch the sound.

I have to give it a bit of a lower mark here because one of the bottom feet fell off and now it needs to be repaired. The inner workings of the amp work flawlessly.

Jeff is way cool. Very helpfull. Very knowledgable. Easy to get in touch with. Unlike Bogner's flimsy warranty, Budda stands behind there gear. I was thinking of getting a Bogner until I read that after buying $3500 amp they give you 90 days. Budda Rocks.....

I have been playing for 23 years and I have owned Fenders, Marshalls, Messy Boogers and others. Nothing has come close to this amp in sound. If it were stollen I would buy another in a heartbeat. The only bitch I have is the thing is so loud. Jeff told me I could take out two tubes to help with that but there isn't much difference. I like the sound the amp makes around 9:00 but that could be a bit above band practice volume. It still sounds good at lower volumes but best cranked.

I bought my SD80 right after they came out in 2002. Mine is among the first 25 made...and it beat a lot of competition to get me to write the check.

Features-wise, I love it because it gets you a somple path to your tone. Yes, adjustability has its rewards...but with a few pedals and this amp, I'm not lacking for anything. 6 knobs up front, a good effects loop, and an amp sensitive to picking-hand nuances are proof that a simple, direct approach is a feature all its own.

I use a couple of Les Pauls (one modified, one stock), a G&L Fuillerton full of Duncans, and a Kramer Pacer Imperial through this beast playing anything from Jefferson Airplane to Alice in Chains. The amp responds beautifully to the characters of the instruments, switching from a Fender-esque clean to a gain that's part Plexi and part JCM 800...all I could ask for. The cleans stay clean unless you're whacking your guitar, and the gain is likewise sensitive to how you're playing. It is as subtle or brash as its player.

I have had one problem that can't be blamed on the amp (think unexpected leak above the amp), requiring a quick and inexpensive repair. The amp sounded perfect up to that moment, and ever since. I change tubes at least annually out of paranoia, so that's never an issue...I've yet to have the amp need 'em before it got 'em.

I've contacted Budda on a few occasions, and the response has always been prompt and helpful.

I bought this amp over a Mesa Heartbreaker, a couple of VHT amps, and a Laney VH100 that I'd really been planning on buying. I've owned Marshall, Bedrock, Mesa, Soldano, and other great amps...but I don't miss them when I'm playing my Budda.

All Tube, QUIET channel switching, effects loop (a very good one!)

A few words- TRY ONE!!
You will ABSOLUTELY sell your Bogner, VHT, Diezel
It is MORE TONEFUL than any of them and is LIGHTER because of an ALUMINUM chassis!
I sold my Diezel Herbert in favor of this amp in doing a side by side comparison- REALLY!
This amp was Actually LOUDER than the Herbert and WAY MORE USABLE TONE! The Herbert is a good amp, don't get me wrong.
The Budda ECLIPSES IT EASILY THOUGH!

TOP NOTCH BUILD QUALITY! I can't imagine this EVER needing attention other than the required tube changing.

No need to go on- this IS THE AMP TO HAVE!
I am DEFINITELY getting another (REALLY!!)
They are that good.
Plus, the price is going to skyrocket here in the near future as alot of top players have JUST RECENTLY got the scoop on them!
They are well over 3,400 now (very reasonable)- just wait though- Can you say Dumble Pricing?!?!
Yes, these are going to be the next "big thing"
MARK MY WORDS!!

Brand new Superdrive II model, minimum features but surprisingly you don't need much more. I love the tone center of the amp. The bass, mid, and treble add quality, but they leave the great basic tone alone. I think this is a great design.

Also, it is 80 smoking watts ... and only weighs in at 41 lbs. That is really incredible when you think of it ... aluminum chassis keeps the weight down. I like saving my back and still shredding ears.

The clean channel is the bomb ... with humbuckers, and the bright switch on, it is warm and sparkly at the same time. Huge headroom, and the feeling of substance behind chords. If I asked for a clean channel to be designed for me, this would be it.

The gain channel is a monster... it does a plexi-ish type slight crunch up through a very hot lead tone, which is perfect for playing fast runs or tapping. Very brown, but with much more sparkle in the sound. It crunches better than a Shiva, and is still as smooth as an XTC. Wider sounding than a hot rodded EL34 amp too, which is good ... you will dig the crunch with low notes still hanging off the bottom. Great tone ... works for blues through very hard rock.

The mid knob pulls out to give you a modern thumping tone that really sounds great. Not my bag, but I can see doing a few covers where this will come in handy. But unlike the Mess-of-boogies amp, the sound is always clear and defined.

Looks neat and well built, but can't tell yet.

Jeff at Budda has Emailed me several times already ... pleasant, helpful, and answers your questions and requests like he knows you. I cannot say enough about how refrshing this is, after having many other amp builders blow me off for months or act like I am wasting their time. These guys are real good people.

Played 30+ years, I own a Parker Mojo and a Grosh Retro Classic, I play hard rock and blues, but anything goes. This amp costs a few bucks, and it is a big step to buy one. But a few of us were smart enough to take the plunge, and this beast will be my main gigging amp for years to come. I trust Stu at Fat Sounds when he recommends an amp to me. He never tries to sell me anything that will not work with my style or needs. This Budda flat out rips man!

Hardly any features. I guess that is a good thing for tone, but not for the ability to shape your individual sound. Cool mid-pull knob that allows you to get Mesa ish modern tones .. to bad I am mid 40s and have no use for those tones.

With single coils or buckers, the Budda sounds great on the gain channel ... lots of power too. But I fear this amp has to be deafening before it lives up to its huge price tag. Clean channel is slightly towards the vox side, but sounds pretty good.... not great, but useable in the sense that a Bogner XTCs clean channel is. My gripe is that you are stuck with the inheritant sound this amp makes, which is very toneful, but be careful you can live with these tones for everything you will play. I am taking points off for the clean channel for being average sounding, but the gain channel is excellent.

Looks built to last. Much better than the original Buddas I tried years ago ... these have a sturdy feel to them. Great design too.

NA

Played for well over 30 years, all styles, lots of local bands, yadda yadda. I use Parker Mojos and Grosh Retros. I have owned or played through every amp I could get my guitar picking hands on, and this amp is really toneful. However, it is not cost effective to spend even $2500 on an amp that has a very narrow range of useable sounds. And the $3495 price from Musicians Friend is sick. I can buy 2 Dr. Z amps, each specializing in its own great tone, a head-to-cab switcher, plus a cab, for less money than this one Budda costs. They doubled their price since they won the covetted Guitar Player Editor's Pick award. Remember, the Trainer 40 watt amp won that too. I don't get their huge price increase, and by their small sales I would say they goofed. Bring the price way down to the low 2k range to start and I think we have a winner. Too many great sounding amps out there ... the Superdrives pale in comparison to Bad Cat, Bogner, and Dr. Z amps that offer either great bang for the buck or all the features you need to gig like a pro.