Budda Superdrive 45 Combo Guitar Amp – Aggressive Cutting and Loud

With a pair of KT66 output tubes, The Superdrive 45 harks back to the Marshalls of the mid 1960’s, but with a feature set that’s a notch or two above vintage minimalism. The Drive and Rhythm channels share a common set of tone controls, and a single Master knob sets the overall loudness for both channels. There is a pull function on the mid control – which reshapes the midrange contour for more aggressive tones – and the Rhythm knob doubles as Bright switch when pulled. Channels are selected via footswitch or by toggling the Master in or out, and a switch on the back panel lets you choose between tubes and solid-state rectifiers.

The Superdrive 45 delivers bright, cutting clean tones until the Rhythm knob is turned up past the half way mark and the grind starts coming on. From here it just gets thicker and meaner sounding as you turn up. Perhaps due to the muscular KT66s, these tones pack a formidable edge, even with humbuckers, and the headroom is unreal – you can pound the snot out of your guitar without incurring ant mushiness or note smearing. This amp is fiercely loud too and the Master is essential for keeping the levels from becoming downright painful.

The Drive channel offers the same tough response, but with lots more distortion. With the Drive knob set to maximum you get heavy-duty sustain and saturation, and the cut, definition, and transient attack is almost scary. Even on speedy hammered runs, notes sound ultra crisp and articulate, yet the thick harmonics easily pour out as you dig into the string. I didn’t notice any dynamic or tonal differences when switching between rectifiers – the Superdrive 45 sounded just as loud and tight either way.