Budda Superdrive V40 1x12 Combo

This is the Budda Class A V-40 Combo. It has a singe 12 inch proprietary Budda speaker. You get a simple 1X12 combo. On the face of the amp there is an on off switch with a stand-by switch. There is a master knob with a from left to right there is a bass knob, a mid knob which you can pull out for a thick setting. Next there is a treble knob and a drive knob. After the drive knob there is a rhythm knob with a pull feature for a bright setting. The push pull feature on the master knob switches you between a dirty and clean tone. The push pull on the mid controls activates the thick setting. The thick setting boosts the low end of the amp. The Drive and Rhythm knobs, set gain levels for the overdrive and clean channels, respectively. Pulling out the push-pull Rhythm pot activates the amp’s Brite circuit, a top-end boost that sounds close to what you could get on a Fender amp. The amp has 4 6V6 power tubes. The preamp has 3 12AX7s. There is an effects loop but there is no onboard reverb. The weight of the amp is about 50 pounds. On the face there is an input for 1 guitar and a footswitch.

UTILIZATION

Combos are not that easy to carry around. The controls on the amp are very simple as I have mentioned but when you get a combo you know should know what you are getting into. You can carry this amp with 1 hand but I wouldnt make it a habit. The Budda speakers are pretty beefy. The combos strong construction adds overall weight to the amp.

SOUNDS

The push pull feature on the master knob switches you between a dirty and clean tone so I recommend getting the foot switch if you switch back and forth a lot. The clean tones are very sparkly. Once you activate the brite setting the clean tones are super clear and have a nice bottom end to it. There is a touch of break up with the clean tone which is what I like as it gives the clean tones a more organic feel to them. The drity channel has a very vintage sour feel to it. It has a loose feel to it. Throw some reverb and phase on it and you have instant brown sound. Activating the thick circuit while on the dirty channel gives you some old Marshall type tones.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a great all around amp. The clean tones are great and the dirty tones have some cool character to them. I like the clean tones on the amp more than the dirty tones. The built quality on this amp is great and there are no faults in the fit and finish that I can find. This amp has a real boutique feel to it. If you are looking for a boutique amp you should check out one of these Budda combos if you can find one.

The only difference in this and the 20 is the double wattage up to 40 wattas. The voicing of this amp appeals to me a little bit more than the 18 and 30 series amps. Don't know what it is but only a slight different in tone but juts a little more preferable to me.

First off this amp is ugly as hell. Nothing about the amp cosmetically is appealing what so ever. From the stupid purple color to the hideous control knobs. It is as Budda set out to make a pure ugly amp and would stop at nothing to achieve that feat. A hand clap goes out to you guys on a job well done, mission accomplished. However, the amp sound amazing!!! Just hide it behind a Marshall on stage and see if anyone takes notice of how your tone sounds.

UTILIZATION

Details
Type Tube
Number of Channels 2
Power 40W Class AB
Speakers 1 x 12" Custom-designed Budda Phat
No Effects
No Reverb
EQ Bass, Mid, Treble
No Amp Modeling
Preamp Tubes 3 x 12AX7
Power Tubes 4 x 6v6
Inputs 1 x Instrument
Outputs 2 x Speaker, 1 x Slave
Footswitch I/O
Effects Loop
Weight 50.56 lbs.

SOUNDS

The tones on this amp are extremely fat sounding. They resonate very well with a humbucker style pickup guitar. Especially if you use a superstrat like Charvel or a Suhr guitar. Using a nice maple neck on top of alder body will get that fat tone to open up a lot more to get clean distorted note and string separation. Very great tone for rock and pop music.

OVERALL OPINION

At new these amps come in at around $1900 which may be a bit high for a lot of people, but the tone is extremely good. If you can get over how stupid these amps look.

I would recommend this amp to anyone needing a fat sounding distortion tone very similar to a Soldano SLO and don't want to fork out the money to buy one of those.