NAD Budda VC20 Superdrive II with matching 2 x 12 cab

[jgcable]

Just picked one up yesterday. Budda Superdrive Series II VC20 head with matching 2 x 12 Budda closed back cab.
My camera is broke but you can google it if you want to see what it looks like.
2 channels, 20w 6V6 powered. Spent a few hours with it last night.
1st of all.. this is one loud 20 watt amp. Very balanced and warm sounding. In regards to gain, its very organic, and it has enough to just about do vintage classic rock. It has an effects loop and is very well made.
This isn't a metal amp. I would say you could get by with vintage Zep or Aerosmith but thats about the extent of it.

Budda is highly regarded for all the gear they make. I have never heard anything bad said about any of their products.
This amp takes pedals very well out in front. It takes processors in the loop very well too. Its very user friendly with hardly any useless features. Shared EQ between the 2 channels. Its 2 footswitchable channels. Clean and rhythm. It has a pull thick switch that really fattens up things. Basic EQ. Minimal controls. I can't find a single setting that doesn't sound good.
This is another one of those amps I was really interested in. Great sounding medium gain amps aren't that easy to find. They usually sound fizzy, flubby or muddy to me. This amp sounds great.
One word of advice.... this is a very unforgiving amp. If you play sloppy you will hear it. It was obviously made for players that have a precise playing style. The guy I bought it from played a telecaster and was a monster player. He made this amp sound so good I had to buy it. I took it home and realized I need to rehearse more!
Anyway, its a great amp and well worth the money.

[markD]

cool!! those are nice amps. i am greatly enjoying my 6V6 amps lately. the tone is very different! you gonna gig with it?

[jgcable]

cool!! those are nice amps. i am greatly enjoying my 6V6 amps lately. the tone is very different! you gonna gig with it?

Hey Mark, I just bought a Boss SD-1 to put out in front because I need more gain to gig with it. The Budda 2 x 12 closed back cab is one of the best 2 x 12's I have ever heard. It should be for $600.00
I am pretty sure this is my first 6V6 amp. I am really digging the tones. Lots of bottom, warm thick midrange and no shrillness at all. Tons of sustain too. I just need more gain. I am pretty sure the SD-1 will do the trick.
Yea, I have a gig on Saturday night. I really want to use this amp. If I can get it all worked out I will. If not, the 5150 will be coming out again to reek havoc on all that stand in front of it.

[jgcable]

cool!! those are nice amps. i am greatly enjoying my 6V6 amps lately. the tone is very different! you gonna gig with it?

What I have been noticing lately since my band seems to be gigging almost every week now is the typical high gain tone I get from my amps really doesn't suit many of the songs my band plays. Its great for songs like Bark at the Moon, the AIC and STP stuff, Scorpions and Van Halen but it doesn't cut it for Bad Company, BTO, Black Crowes, Ted Nugent songs. I can't run over to the amp and dial in the correct gain settings between songs. I mainly use my 5150-II half stack but I also have the Randall RM100, the Rivera and a bunch of other amps. The one thing they all have in common is a high end high gain tone. This Budda has no shrillness or high end. Its perfect for classic rock and I am thinking it will also work out great for the STP, AIC and Pearl Jam songs we do. We are also expanding our set list to some contemporary rock songs by Daughtry and Nickelback. Our singer sounds and even looks a little like Chris Daughtry. Believe it or not... not many cover bands around here play the rock songs that are on the radio. We want to add some of those songs into our set. The Budda seems like it will be perfect for that type of music. I just need to get more gain out of it for solo's. I am hoping the SD-1 will help the cause and not mess with the tone much.

[lefty]

I am pretty sure this is my first 6V6 amp. I am really digging the tones. Lots of bottom, warm thick midrange and no shrillness at all. Tons of sustain too. I just need more gain. I am pretty sure the SD-1 will do the trick.
Yea, I have a gig on Saturday night. I really want to use this amp. If I can get it all worked out I will. If not, the 5150 will be coming out again to reek havoc on all that stand in front of it.

I love 6v6 amps. When you get the master volume cranked, the tubes yield a great natural compression. They also 'protest'
in a very musical way when you drive them hard. You're going to have a blast with that amp in a band setting where you
can really let it rip...

[markD]

totally. i have an old 5 watt fender vibro champ with one 6V6 - i could never gig with it, but it does sound remarkable when cranked full blast. my egnater is also a teo 6V6 amp, and that little sucker gets LOUD for 15 watts. i could gig with it, except it has one channel and once i crank it even the 'clean' becomes an overdrive channel, haha...

i definately like the 6V6 WAY more than an EL84....

[jgcable]

I would say that out of all the different tubes I have played through in the past I can "feel" the 6V6's the most. I can actually feel the valves opening and compressing. Another cool thing is the beautiful controlled feedback and sustain with so little gain. Almost liquid. This is the
first totally dry amp (no reverb or effects) that I can remember playing through that I actually like.
After owning many EL84 amps I have to say that they are my least favorite power tubes.
I tend to lean towards 6L6 and now my new favorite... 6V6.

[chuckbat]

Nice pickup. You're right, never a bad word about any Budda products.

[jgcable]

I bought both a Japanese OD2 and a new SD1 to see which one works best for this amp out in front. The SD1 is the one. I can now play any genre of music with this rig. I just set the SD1 level and tone at 12 o'clock and the gain at 9 o'clock. Just enough gain to push the amp into metal territory and it doesn't mess with the tone of the amp at all.
You really get what you pay for with Budda amps. Expensive but worth every penny.
Lovin it.

[Hellbat]

SD-1's are the best bang for the buck OD out there IMO.

If you want to get authentic high gain tones out of it, the Wampler SLOstortion will let you kick in an SLO style tone for the solos and have the amp natural crunch for the rest of the song. It also has in independent clean boost on it as well that you can use to push the amp from clean into crunch.

[markD]

john, how is the clean when you start getting at gig volumes?

[jgcable]

john, how is the clean when you start getting at gig volumes?

Its very good considering its a 18-20 watt amp. Not as good as the Rivera of course.

This is a very loud low wattage amp. When compared to something like a Mesa Studio 22 + which is also around 22 watts, the Budda is much louder. Like any other low wattage amp the main volume increase if from 1-3 on the master volume.
From 3-7 it gets more saturated, more bottom end, more everything but not much louder. The volume increases from 7-10.
This amp is easily loud enough on 4 to gig with a loud rock band. The 2 x 12 Budda closed back cab is outstanding.

[markD]

cool. i was curious because i haven't found a good low wattage amp that will give me a clean enough platform for gigging. lately, in the studio and on sessions i have been using the fender vibro champ head with a rivera 2x10 cab and a roland GP-8/FC100MKII in front to give me an ass load of sounds. i am digging it - a lot.

so i am keeping my eyes open for a lower watt, preferrably 6V6 - loaded amp head to use...especially since my band has decided to go even less metal and a bit more southern rock-ish/blues-based....i am playing my SG almost exclusively and using a fuzz box for gain...you know, the whole '70s thing. i CAN do it with the rivera, but it doesn't feel "authentic" to me...

[jgcable]

cool. i was curious because i haven't found a good low wattage amp that will give me a clean enough platform for gigging. lately, in the studio and on sessions i have been using the fender vibro champ head with a rivera 2x10 cab and a roland GP-8/FC100MKII in front to give me an ass load of sounds. i am digging it - a lot.

so i am keeping my eyes open for a lower watt, preferrably 6V6 - loaded amp head to use...especially since my band has decided to go even less metal and a bit more southern rock-ish/blues-based....i am playing my SG almost exclusively and using a fuzz box for gain...you know, the whole '70s thing. i CAN do it with the rivera, but it doesn't feel "authentic" to me...

I hear you Mark, for that type of music you wouldn't even need an overdrive with the Budda VC20. I tried distortion pedals, tube screamers and overdrives and the SD-1 is perfect for this amp. I bet a fuzz box would be perfect too.

You should definately check out the Budda VC20 Superdrive Series II head. I can't wait to gig with it tomorrow night.

[markD]

cool. with the GP8, i have the boss turbo OD and the DS1 built in. in the first loop i have a seymour duncan tweak-fuzz - i love that pedal!! in the second loop i have a boss '63 fender reverb pedal. of course it also has the compressor, a phaser, a chorus, an EQ and a delay. it is pretty awesome - the sounds are not as pristine as newer units, but it was good enough for frank zappa...

my sam ash has a few buddas...may have to run over there tomorrow....

post after your gig...