I bought that Budda..

[Meathead]

Crazy thing with the Budda amps, you can set the EQ almost anywhere and it sounds good.

treble and mid cranked, bass at 10:00 (with the master at noon or higher)
everything at noon
bass at 2:00, mid at 11:00, treble at 2:00
etc....

It's hard for me to decide on a setting

 

[daver101]

I still love my SD II 45...it's a great amp!

 

[D-Rock]

Crazy thing with the Budda amps, you can set the EQ almost anywhere and it sounds good.

treble and mid cranked, bass at 10:00 (with the master at noon or higher)
everything at noon
bass at 2:00, mid at 11:00, treble at 2:00
etc....

It's hard for me to decide on a setting

Yeah no kidding man! Every setting sounds great. Right now I have the bass at 3:00, mids at 2:00, and treble at 2:00 and thedrive at 3:00. Then I boost the lead channel with an 808. Playing it through a Mesa 4x12 w/V30's and A Randall 2x12 with Vet30/Retro30 mix and the amp set to 4 ohms.
Really thick, clear and chewy sounding this way.


Looking for speaker suggestions too. I like the V30's but might be looking for something less "in yer face". I've tried some Eminence but they are a little to dark and relaxed for this amp.

 

[boost]

Crazy thing with the Budda amps, you can set the EQ almost anywhere and it sounds good.

treble and mid cranked, bass at 10:00 (with the master at noon or higher)
everything at noon
bass at 2:00, mid at 11:00, treble at 2:00
etc....

It's hard for me to decide on a setting

Yeah no kidding man! Every setting sounds great. Right now I have the bass at 3:00, mids at 2:00, and treble at 2:00 and thedrive at 3:00. Then I boost the lead channel with an 808. Playing it through a Mesa 4x12 w/V30's and A Randall 2x12 with Vet30/Retro30 mix and the amp set to 4 ohms.
Really thick, clear and chewy sounding this way.


Looking for speaker suggestions too. I like the V30's but might be looking for something less "in yer face". I've tried some Eminence but they are a little to dark and relaxed for this amp.

I have V30's in my THD 2 X12 and I wasn't digging they way they sounded. Too middy and boxy sounding. I may have to do some more experimenting. they sounded good for solos, but sounded small when playing rhythym. I have Rola Celestion 55 HZ 30 watters in my 4 X 12 and I like the way they sound. Nice and airy and brighter than the V30's. Allows much more detail to come out when rolling down on the guitar volume.

My amp had a Tung Sol in V1 and EH in the the other two slots. Sounded good, but a bit bright. Right now I swapped them all with Sovtek WA's (couldn't find a WB for V1) and I like it better. JJ 6L6's in the power, but I want to try out the Chinese ones too.

For boosts I've tried a TS-9, Boosta Grande, OCD, and EP Booster. The OCD was almost there, but not quite. The EP is what I am using now and works fine, but I want to look for something with a little more control. The EP does sound nice at a low setting on the clean channel. Back the volume on the guitar down a bit and the EP just adds a nice color to the tone.

And yes this has got to be the biggest pain in the ass MV I have ever had. Look at it the wrong way and the amp is too loud. I had a red knob twin once that may have been close in volume, but I too think the SD80 is the loudest amp I've ever played.

 

[D-Rock]

Crazy thing with the Budda amps, you can set the EQ almost anywhere and it sounds good.

treble and mid cranked, bass at 10:00 (with the master at noon or higher)
everything at noon
bass at 2:00, mid at 11:00, treble at 2:00
etc....

It's hard for me to decide on a setting

Yeah no kidding man! Every setting sounds great. Right now I have the bass at 3:00, mids at 2:00, and treble at 2:00 and thedrive at 3:00. Then I boost the lead channel with an 808. Playing it through a Mesa 4x12 w/V30's and A Randall 2x12 with Vet30/Retro30 mix and the amp set to 4 ohms.
Really thick, clear and chewy sounding this way.


Looking for speaker suggestions too. I like the V30's but might be looking for something less "in yer face". I've tried some Eminence but they are a little to dark and relaxed for this amp.

I have V30's in my THD 2 X12 and I wasn't digging they way they sounded. Too middy and boxy sounding. I may have to do some more experimenting. they sounded good for solos, but sounded small when playing rhythym. I have Rola Celestion 55 HZ 30 watters in my 4 X 12 and I like the way they sound. Nice and airy and brighter than the V30's. Allows much more detail to come out when rolling down on the guitar volume.

My amp had a Tung Sol in V1 and EH in the the other two slots. Sounded good, but a bit bright. Right now I swapped them all with Sovtek WA's (couldn't find a WB for V1) and I like it better. JJ 6L6's in the power, but I want to try out the Chinese ones too.

For boosts I've tried a TS-9, Boosta Grande, OCD, and EP Booster. The OCD was almost there, but not quite. The EP is what I am using now and works fine, but I want to look for something with a little more control. The EP does sound nice at a low setting on the clean channel. Back the volume on the guitar down a bit and the EP just adds a nice color to the tone.

And yes this has got to be the biggest pain in the ass MV I have ever had. Look at it the wrong way and the amp is too loud. I had a red knob twin once that may have been close in volume, but I too think the SD80 is the loudest amp I've ever played.

Cool, thanks dude. I'm not really getting that boxy mid sound from the 70 watt Mesa V30's, they are a little dry sounding though. Could use some more warmth/sizzle. I tried my OCD today and it was close...but my VS Route 808 sounded better. The OCD is so picky about where in the chain it sounds best, and today it was third in line after the 808 and my Poly tune. It sounds better first in line so I'll try that next.
I've heard guys installing a slow taper pot on the master volume to get a better sweep. So I may talk to my amp tech about that as well.
I also notice the Modern pull switch on the mid dial adds some volume and gain to the amp. I haven't been using that so I keep it pushed in for a warmer midrange tone since my boost pedal takes the amp into "modern gain" mode already as it is.

 

[Vrad]

Crazy thing with the Budda amps, you can set the EQ almost anywhere and it sounds good.

treble and mid cranked, bass at 10:00 (with the master at noon or higher)
everything at noon
bass at 2:00, mid at 11:00, treble at 2:00
etc....

It's hard for me to decide on a setting

Yeah no kidding man! Every setting sounds great. Right now I have the bass at 3:00, mids at 2:00, and treble at 2:00 and thedrive at 3:00. Then I boost the lead channel with an 808. Playing it through a Mesa 4x12 w/V30's and A Randall 2x12 with Vet30/Retro30 mix and the amp set to 4 ohms.
Really thick, clear and chewy sounding this way.


Looking for speaker suggestions too. I like the V30's but might be looking for something less "in yer face". I've tried some Eminence but they are a little to dark and relaxed for this amp.

I have V30's in my THD 2 X12 and I wasn't digging they way they sounded. Too middy and boxy sounding. I may have to do some more experimenting. they sounded good for solos, but sounded small when playing rhythym. I have Rola Celestion 55 HZ 30 watters in my 4 X 12 and I like the way they sound. Nice and airy and brighter than the V30's. Allows much more detail to come out when rolling down on the guitar volume.

My amp had a Tung Sol in V1 and EH in the the other two slots. Sounded good, but a bit bright. Right now I swapped them all with Sovtek WA's (couldn't find a WB for V1) and I like it better. JJ 6L6's in the power, but I want to try out the Chinese ones too.

For boosts I've tried a TS-9, Boosta Grande, OCD, and EP Booster. The OCD was almost there, but not quite. The EP is what I am using now and works fine, but I want to look for something with a little more control. The EP does sound nice at a low setting on the clean channel. Back the volume on the guitar down a bit and the EP just adds a nice color to the tone.

And yes this has got to be the biggest pain in the ass MV I have ever had. Look at it the wrong way and the amp is too loud. I had a red knob twin once that may have been close in volume, but I too think the SD80 is the loudest amp I've ever played.

Cool, thanks dude. I'm not really getting that boxy mid sound from the 70 watt Mesa V30's, they are a little dry sounding though. Could use some more warmth/sizzle. I tried my OCD today and it was close...but my VS Route 808 sounded better. The OCD is so picky about where in the chain it sounds best, and today it was third in line after the 808 and my Poly tune. It sounds better first in line so I'll try that next.
I've heard guys installing a slow taper pot on the master volume to get a better sweep. So I may talk to my amp tech about that as well.
I also notice the Modern pull switch on the mid dial adds some volume and gain to the amp. I haven't been using that so I keep it pushed in for a warmer midrange tone since my boost pedal takes the amp into "modern gain" mode already as it is.

I don't have any issues with the MV. Yes it's touchy, but I find the right spot and leave it be. Try a Boss SD-1 as well if you haven't already. It was pretty good.

 

[D-Rock]

Yeah for sure Vrad, I'm not really that worried with the Master volume. It sounds great at about 1.5, which is still loud as shit as you know. Then I bump it up when my wife and daughter are out of the house. But basically it sits at a single setting that works.
I demo'd the amp with a SD-1, and it sounded pretty nice, but I haven't tried mine at home with the amp yet. Will do though!

 

[boost]

I've found the OCD to work well with EL84's and a slightly overdriven amp. That's the only reason I still have it. The EP works with that and the Budda for me. That's a cool little pedal that doesn't take up much room. I didn't dig my TS-9 with the Budda so that is gone.

With my 4 X 12 I have the settings around this right now: MV - any higher than 9:00 is useless. Bass: 2:00, Mid: 2-3:00, Treble: 9-2:00 depending on the MV (the higher the MV, the lower the Treble) Gain: 1-2:00. I play with single coils and that's enough gain for me. Cleans up with the guiatr volume at these gain settings. At 3:00 it's a bit harder to clean up, but does sound nice.

The G12H30's are the equivalent's of my Rola Celestions. These will give you what you're looking for - a more open sound. Warmth and sizzle describes it to a tee. Dry would be a good way of describing the V30's with this amp. I wish I could throw 2 G12H30's in my THD, but they wouldn't handle the Budda. I have tried a 1936 cab with CL80's that sounded good with the Budda too. that's another option. Right now I'm attempting to mix in a GK100 with a V30 in the THD, but I need to break in the GK100 in order to make a final judgement.

I'd look further into the MV mod. I heard that changing that out altered the sound of the amp, but I'm not sure how that really could if it was the same value. A smoother taper would be nice.

 

[D-Rock]

Yeah for sure Vrad, I'm not really that worried with the Master volume. It sounds great at about 1.5, which is still loud as shit as you know. Then I bump it up when my wife and daughter are out of the house. But basically it sits at a single setting that works.
I demo'd the amp with a SD-1, and it sounded pretty nice, but I haven't tried mine at home with the amp yet. Will do though!

boost, I think the 808 is working for me as a boost because my amp has 6L6's. Most likely the TS9 mid hump was not jiving with the EL84 mids and the Budda's natural midrange from the preamp.
I'd love to try some G12H30's, maybe the 50 watt models from WGS would solve the wattage issue...?
I do think the amp performs best through two cabs though. The spread and size of the tone is much better than with just one 4x12.

 

[Vrad]

Yeah for sure Vrad, I'm not really that worried with the Master volume. It sounds great at about 1.5, which is still loud as shit as you know. Then I bump it up when my wife and daughter are out of the house. But basically it sits at a single setting that works.
I demo'd the amp with a SD-1, and it sounded pretty nice, but I haven't tried mine at home with the amp yet. Will do though!

Hmmm... I can usually play that amp at all hours and NOT disturb the family. Of course it sounds better louder but it sounds pretty good at tv volume for me. Not sure if the newer ones have a different taper or what.

So I used to have 8ohm GB's loaded in my cab. I switched to 16ohm and now things sound too crispy with the SD-1 but just right with the OD808.

 

[D-Rock]

Yeah for sure Vrad, I'm not really that worried with the Master volume. It sounds great at about 1.5, which is still loud as shit as you know. Then I bump it up when my wife and daughter are out of the house. But basically it sits at a single setting that works.
I demo'd the amp with a SD-1, and it sounded pretty nice, but I haven't tried mine at home with the amp yet. Will do though!

Hmmm... I can usually play that amp at all hours and NOT disturb the family. Of course it sounds better louder but it sounds pretty good at tv volume for me. Not sure if the newer ones have a different taper or what.

So I used to have 8ohm GB's loaded in my cab. I switched to 16ohm and now things sound too crispy with the SD-1 but just right with the OD808.

When I demo'd the amp at the store I went through the SD-1 and into a 16 ohm V30 loaded H&K 4x12. I found it a bit spikey....but attributed it to the new V30's and that signature treble freq the SD-1 has.
Come to think of it, I'll try my OD-3 as well since it's a bit thicker and warmer than the SD-1.

 

[bigangryguitar]

Thanks guys, I'm loving this thing. It really can do everything. The clean and dirt tones are just Godly. With a boost it just breathes fire. I like that there doesn't seem to be too much of any particular freq, or too little. No harsh highs or boxy mids, no muddy lows either. Everything just translates so nicely out of the speakers with this amp.

Vrad, thanks, that's a Trad. size Mesa cab. It sounds great with V30's, but I may look for another Greenback loaded cab purely to combat the loudness of the amp and the high efficiency of the V30's. Something in the 96-98db range instead of 100-101db's. We'll see, no rush on that.

bigangry, I've done a little bit of tube swapping. But nothing has sounded better than the stock setup. A JJ ECC83S in V1 and Ruby HG 12AX7ACR's in V2 & V3.
I only have Sovtek LPS's on hand, no WA or WB's, but I will look into getting some.
Like you, I think I'm going to have a hard time playing some of my other heads after being spoiled by this thing...

If i'm not mistaken the LPS are very similar to the Tung Sol RI's and wouldn't be the best for that amp. Try the standard wa or wb's. I typically loathe those preamp tubes in amps but Jeff did design the amps around them.