Budda Twinmaster Ten

Light, cheap to re-tube, versatile, small, religious experience tone, simple controls (volume, bass, treble), you are totally in charge of the abilities of this amp, superior craftsmanship, looks killer, plenty loud to gig with.

On the down side: No reverb, FX loop is a tough match (you impact your uneffected sound-more on this), non-detachable mains cord (hardwired cord), tubes are vulnerable to being damaged by line cord, all service jacks (FX/line out/speaker etc) are under the chassis on the back and really hard to get at, no channel switching, even @18 watts its almost too loud for some rooms if you open it up like you need to.

I've played for 35 years and this is the first amp to give me the ability to get the sound I've searched for. The key feature of this amp is the ability to produce the sound you want entirely by the character and intensity of your attack in conjunction with the setting on your volume pot on your guitar (for the channel you are in, as this amp does not channel switch) In the clean channel you can go from articulate clean comping and clean solo work to inspiring crunch based upon where the amp volume is set, how you work your volume pot on the guitar and how you attack the strings. In the high gain channel you will have crunch available even at the lowest amp volume setting if you attack hard and have the volume up on your guitar. You will have violin-like woody singing tone at high amp volume settings. It's easy to get three octave harmonics at will!!! My only niggle with the amp is that I want the clarity and articulation of the clean channel and the singing voice of the lead channel available at the same amp volume setting. It's not like a volume pot setting of 1-2 on your guitar while in the hot channel equals 9-10 in the clean channel. These two channels can almost be made to be seemeless by playing through the hot channel and using low volume pot settings on the guitar with a light touch but there is a whole universe of capability you loose by not being able have a low volume pot setting on your guitar with a light touch in the clean channel. I hope you know what I am driving at? I plan to install a relay to allow me to channel switch which will greatly expand the versatility of the amp. Right now there is a compromise. You plug into either one channel or the other. This is not a negative commentary on the tone. At any and all settings this amp delivers a complex, rich tone that will give you goosebumps. It's just that as it's set up now there are distinct differences in tone, grit and complexity between the channels at the same volume setting. I play a Tele (my main guitar), a Strat and Hamer studio through it. I play anything from country covers to Aerosmith to Bloomfield style blues with this amp and it is stunning. I've tried to use the FX loop but it is not possible to dial in a suitable level on the FX unit due to the gain swings you get from volume pot manipulation on the guitar. There are no level controls for the FX loop but I don't think it would help due to the dynamics of the signal that can be produced. And when I had an effects processor patched in it just seemed to put a blanket over the voice of the amp. A pedal board before the amp input with delay, reverb (Zoom etc) and chorus etc will cover what you need. This thing has so much punch that I had to end up using a THD hotplate to allow the power amp section reach it's full potential(the secret of it's great tone) and still be able to play some of the smaller rooms. In a loud electric band in big rooms you could just turn it loose.

It's a tube amp and runs hot but it has never even hiccupped on a gig or in practice (I've used it non stop (3x week) for 3 years). It is extremely well made and it is a simple elegant design with not a whole lot to go wrong. As I stated earlier you could retube this whole amp for under $30

The designer is in Maryland and the sales office is in California. Both have been helpfull and responded quickly to phone calls or emails.

I bought this in a small boutique shop in Manayunk PA (outside Philadelphia). The owner had Rivera's, THD, and other high dollar amps. But he said you gotta hear this. When he demo'd if for me the hair on the back of neck stood up and I literally got goosebumps. This amp has such a glorious tone, character, complexity what ever you want to call it that it will make you a better player because you are the main ingredient on the sound that comes out. There is not a bad sound in this amp. My only advise would be to keep in mind the inability to switch between channels (these channels are quite different and cover different styles and needs) and the essential non use of the fx loop.

This amp is a real basic box - - volume, bass and treble only! Two channels; the first sounds inspired by a tweed fender, and the high gain channel sounds alot like Cream era Clapton.
Rated at 18 watts, the amp feeds two 10" Mojotone speakers. 2 12AX7's, 2 EL-84's, and 1 5U4 rectifier. Has a non-adjustable effects loop.

For a point of reference, I play in a Chicago type blues band with two guitars, harp, bass and drums, and we don't play super loud. My usual rig is a PRS Custom through an old BF Princeton Reverb. I like to crank the Princeton, and control distortion via the volume knob on the PRS. This has worked pretty good; the Princeton is loud enough to keep up with the drummer without getting us thrown out of the bars that we usually play in. My trusty old Princeton is getting kind of tired, so when my friend decided that he needed a new amp, I thought it was a good time to knick the Budda from him.
I should say that the reason he wanted to get rid of the Budda was that I turned him on to an old tweed Vibrolux that just kills, and he wanted to get that sound but 50% louder. He will probably never find an amp that sounds any better, and will have to look long and hard to find one as good. So far he has purchased (and rejected, in order of preference) the Budda, a 2x10 Mesa Blue Angel, a RI Vibroverb, and a Blues DeVille.
I've used the Budda at one gig and a several practices, and really enjoyed it. It has taken me a while to get used to it, and I think that I've finally found the sweet spot. It gives up a sweet, fluid tone in the high gain channel, and the normal channel sounds great for cranked SRV sounds. It's a rocker, but it doesn't have that real ragged "just about to blow up" sound that my partner likes about the Vibrolux. I think that this is mostly a function of age; I suspect that the Budda has the right stuff to sound like the Vibrolux, but it needs a few years of playing to wear in the speakers & tubes and stuff.
The great beauty of this (and other small tube amps) is that you gan get great tone without getting thrown out of your gig or being told to turn down to where you loose all the tube tone.

I broke the alignment key on the rectifier tube by pulling out the power cord the other day, and was real dissapointed by that. There is about an inch clearance between the bottom of the Russian 5U4 and the lower back panel, and this is an accident waiting to happen. Additionally, the power tubes are exposed, and are very vulnerable to the same type of accident. As I said, my point of reference are old Fenders, and the Budda has a way to go in terms of being that bulletproof. My only other complaint is that the power cord is about 6', and I think that this is too short.
I replaced the rectifier tube with a NOS RCA JAN 5U4GB, and this tube is about 1 1/2" shorter than the Russian rectifier, so I don't think the tube clearance will be a problem in the future.

My major disapointment so far is that the folks at Budda don't really seem to take user input. I've communicated with them via e-mails regarding this, and their attitude seems to be that I should be more careful. I really believe that the reason old Fender stuff is so bulletproof is that Leo considered problems like these to be an opportunity to learn a little more about how to make a better product. The Budda guys don't seem to have this insight; when I suggested a longer cord would be good, they replied that I should just get an extension cord. Duh!
While they have been responsive, they haven't really responded the way I'd like them too. I think that they have a great product, I'd just like to see them take it to the next level!

All in all, if you like the Budda tone and are willing to be a little careful, you'll be happy with the amp. Tube niggles aside, the guts of this amp are built really well. I'm going to start to gig with it on a regular basis, and I can't wait to hear it get better and better!