Budda Superdrive 18 Series II Head

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.

This is the head version of the more famous combo. You get the same great features and tone but just more portable and use for another cabinet.

UTILIZATION


Budda Superdrive 18 Features:

18-watt Class AB amp
2 EL84 tubes 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 OHM Switch
Push/Pull "modern" mid pot voicing
2 channels with footswitch
Pull bright on rhythm volume

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.

The amp has a nice grind to it that is appealing. You get a hot-rodded Marshall style tone that will go good with just about any style of music. You can dial this thing back to get a good clean and crank it up for a juicy fat distortion tone.

OVERALL OPINION

At new these amps come in at around $1300 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. However, the tone is a great saturated Marshall style tone that most people will find addictive.

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.

Basically the exact same amp as the combo version but just in a head cab version. Same basic features and tone although hooking up to a different cab with produce a slightly different tone than the combo 18.

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

Budda Superdrive Series II 18 Head Specifications:

30" x 14.5" x 14.5"
41 lbs
18 watts
2 EL84's and a 5U4 rectifier tube
Treble, mid, and bass controls
Rhythm volume, master volume
Pull bright on rhythm 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 ohm switch

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 $1250 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.

Go specs copied to the Budda website
2 x EL84
1 x 5U4 rectify
Custom-wound transform with 4/8/16 ohm switch
Rhythm Drive and Level controls
Bright feature
3 band EQ
Pull Mid knob for "Modern" mid scoop
Effects Loop
Slave output with level control in parallel with power section
Point to point hand wired power section
Exclusive Dual Class, Hot preamp Bias
3 x 12 AX7 preamp tubes
Good designe is subject to discussion, but most is not necessarily there.

UTILIZATION

Easier for a 2 channel can hardly be. The head is light and strong. The manual supplied with or downloadable easy access. The head comes with the footswitch Jack stamp accompanied by a Buddha. Well that drastic adjustments are very effective. It's simple, one branch is allowed to warm and it sounds immediately. Of course, a good speaker is required.

SOUNDS

The head is connected to a Bogner 2x12 oversized V30 most of the time (sometimes on a 4X12 1960A but this is to help out in rehearsal because even if the rendering is correct we have chandeliers a Bogner cabinet .. .). Plows used Musicman Silhouette 20th anniversary, and Charvel So cal.
This head is versatile but trouble comes mainly from the fact that there is only one EQ (I will return later) and plenty powerful for bars (18 w is far from anemic " . You can do anything with it (except of course have a big sound correct but the goal is not there!) The sound is "organic" on most settings. Channel "rhythm" lack of head room for a real but what's clear crunch! plans in rollover agreements and open agreements are terrible. By adding a boost your guitar will bleed while remaining very clear to you. Taking this channel (without boost) we arrive at the land the plexi jtm 45 pushed into a corner with a small but distinctive color. This channel highlights touch, phrasing and articulation and especially your bread ... Even pushing the sound does not compress. Kotzen fan or Govan (in the Artistocrats) you will probably find you. This channel has a bright mode from a push pull on the rhythm button. This further expands its palette.
Let the Lead channel. We find immediately that own color to the head, a little something in the midrange that gives a warm side and "spicy" (sorry this is the word that comes first). It's Marshall on steroids. Although the gain is gradual and is part of the big crunch to saturation. Pulling the button Mids we reach a new configuration equal to the amp, much more modern and resolutely Hi gain. With a good boost pedal (I use a BB preamp upstream), the mids to zero and the bass and treble that sending more than enough to make metal (note that there was not more extreme). Palm Mute are always well defined and harmonics fuse. As against the fact of digging medium is not tip-top when the Rhythm channel board (the problem of equalizing common to both channels). We must find the right compromise including concert to be always present in the mix. But why not worry too much is the hallmark of this small tête.Pour conclusion, it still sounds regardless of the setting, there is that to see the demos on the net.

OVERALL OPINION

I own this head for a little more than two used ans.Achetée. So I took some time to post a comment
A well-designed head, strong light, versatile, that ask for more. Maybe two would live there because the town equalization can show its limits in the style of music performed. Studio will be a Swiss Army knife. This head sounds divinely and adjusts easily (My previous amp was a mesa-boogie ...). In addition, the amp is "pedal friendly" so there will experiment. the head "shop" (though now owned by Budda Peavy) which has a certain character can not be to everyone under its drastic adjustments, but it allows no doubt trying to find its own identity and color please sound!
Budda has also just released a new head 3 switchable channels the "bully" from 25W to 120W with 3 truly separate channels. Of course if you have the bank account the following ...

Amplification all lamps, this amp is a true class A / B (spcial ddicace to aficionados of class A). 3 pramp lamps, a grinder 5U4, 2 EL84 18W for rock n roll. Caution is 18W trs fort. It allows to consider playing in clubs or small scnes outdoors.
An effects loop without rglage, a slave output I do not use because of Loadbox Koch, 2 HP 8 or 16 Ohms (no damage output 4 ohms).
On the front panel, switch off and on standby, a master volume, 3 band legalization, a saturated gain for the channel and volume for the clean channel. Me passing a 3 channel amp noon, the least we can say is that I change the world. there is a bright pulling on the volume of clean and feature a mid-cut on the rglage of mids.
It's simple, extremely simple, even at first too. But I'm sure that's what makes the sound so fantastic. No frills, just the basics.

UTILIZATION

The configuration is it simple? Hummmm ... with 6 buttons are made quickly around the question. I opened the manual After a few days of use, but we must get away with, with a minimum of savvy.
For the noise level against any rings. APRs have tweak for days, there is no unreglage that does not sound on this amp. It takes the great pedals. Now I've done almost all my rglages around are between 11am and 2am.

SOUNDS

This is the important point of this amp, the sound.
The clean is beautiful, even if it crunch a little too fast I got with humbuckers. Many shades of subtlety. Without the bright one is on a clean marshall, but a good marshall. Less bright than a fender, right under a mesa. Difficult to bring it closer to something I had or possd dj. It remains nanmoins a notch below the clean Carvin Legacy I owns and remains my REFERENCE sound of Contents clean. Bright was shooting for something a little brighter (the word) we are in the clean voxien without the vox of acid ct. It's like I was using it. with the volume pushed the clean background is obtained as bright if the off state CNAL a plexi / top boost INTERESTED trs but unusable with the other channel as it is strong. A clean and crunch trs trs sensible attack.
The Distortion channel is a true wonder. In the vein of Marshall modd type Soldano, a grain with very modern yet quite ar ct and open vintage amps. What surprises most is the sustain of this channel. It was a typical rock sound, but that passes in every mix and especially that adapts to rock n roll like the grunge rock as in the 70's. The gain is far enough away to trs any civilized music. Always transparent by trs against that respects the natural grain trs good guitars. The mid boost shot records we enter hard really nice. With a boost (AC Booster in my case) and an ESP I played easily the Ozzy Osbourne or Dream Theater.
If you are looking for a REFERENCE sound, think Santana Strode.
2 channels so good, transparent and dynamic trs ct dpouill but the Spartan and the rglages requires compromises in situations Live.
I use trs little effect, merely an EH Holy Grail Reverb and delay carl Martin. In a faade Wah Fulltone, Xotic an AC Booster, Maxon OD 808 and a one Bixonic Expandora. I have a whole palette of sounds and especially the possibility to correct a little legalization based on his research with the pedals, which is frankly more.
I use a PRS type guitar, I jou top with ESP, a superstrate up Carvin pickups in Suhr, a tele, an electric rsonateur. All sounds in this amp, even if the double seem to sound better than simple. That said the tl with a clean and just pushed a delay slapback is just gorgeous.
In short among all its sounds, I spend my time tweaker and record according to my mood and my guitar, even if most of the time all the knobs are almost noon.

EDIT: APRS on a test baffle in Greenbacks sound is beautiful and the pedals sound better. Even if the clean is a bit bland and dark, can be compensated with the legalization of sounds to find more crystalline, and at the pitcher, and ODs Satus, the another world. Frankly more rock, more punch, less wide band frequency drives perant but better in the mix, with really great energy.

OVERALL OPINION

The overall opinion, although the note is good, still a bit mixed. The great quality (let's not mince words), and various sounds of this amp lets me honest on the c. .. it rings true in any circumstance. Nanmoins lack of rglages requires compromises not only within the same channel (clean or clear Plexiglas top or boost) but also in terms of legalization (with a clean mids creuss is absolutely horrible) to use live.
In home studio in cons, this amp is the companion rv as it brings together all of trsors rock sounds.
If you play live, do not buy a Buddha. Buy two!!
anyway, for the first time would not consider myself an amp Sparer. I plan to take a deuxime head, or Buddha, or something else (Suhr badger, Mesa Lone Star Special). But I confess look for Buddha, can be a Superdrive 45W. Time will tell.
when I see the advice of ct that the only asset of this head is the sound ... hummm I agree, at the same time I n'achte not an amp to the weight or the number of buttons. I conois that we can be of the lack of opportunity. My old head has 3 channels, MIDI and silent possdait rglages of not knowing what to do. Besides, I did not know what to do. I was full of good sounds available at the bottom. I have an L or two, but there are excellent. My choice is made.