Budda Superdrive 45 Series II User manual
on go master bass mid treble drive rhythm
off rest pull channel pull modern pull brite footswitch
input
Superdrive 45 Series II Manual
Thank you for purchasing your Superdrive 45. We appreciate your support and look forward to providing you
with years of trouble free service. Before we get into the features of your amplifier, we would like to note that
tube amplifiers require a little bit of care and maintenance that we would like to share with you. When you first
turn on your amplifier, remember to leave it on rest for at least 30 seconds before turning it to go. This will give
the tubes plenty of time to warm up and help extend tube life. Our chassis is built out of aluminum, which is a
conductor of heat. It may feel warm to the touch, which is normal for a tube amplifier.
Please check to make sure that the impedance switch is set to the correct ohmage for your cabinet. (8 ohms in
most cases.) Improper setting may cause excess tube and transformer wear and eventual failure. Use high quality
speaker and guitar cables to ensure maximum performance. For tube related problems, we’ve included a trouble
shooting section on page three of your manual.
Let’s have a look at the features of your amp by describing the controls on the front panel.
On / Off - Power on and off switch
Go / Rest - Standby control
Master - Controls the overall volume of your amplifier
Pull channel - Access the hi gain channel by pulling knob out, for rhythm channel leave pushed in
Bass - Controls the bass eq
Mid - Controls the mid range eq
Pull Modern - Reduces mids, while increasing bass and treble frequency for more presence
Treble - Controls the treble eq
Drive - Controls the overall distortion of hi - gain channel
Rhythm - Controls the gain and volume of rhythm channel
Pull Brite - Adds treble boost to rhythm channel
Input - Instrument input
Footswitch - 1/4”jack for channel switching between rhythm and hi- gain channels.
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Send - Preamp output signal, post eq & master volume
Return - Power amp input
Slave - 100 - ohm line level output derived from speaker signal
Slave Level - Slave output level
Speakers - Speaker Outputs
Impedance - Ohmage selector for speaker
Tube/Solid State - Tube, or solid - state rectifier selector
Front Panel Controls:
Master: The master controls the overall volume of your amplifier. The higher the setting, the louder the output and tube
saturation. Leave pushed in to access the rhythm channel of your amp and set it around 9 o’clock am. Dial in your rhythm
control until it begins to distort. This is a good reference for setting the clean tone on your amp. To access the hi-gain channel,
pull master control out and dial in the gain control for the desired amount of distortion.
Bass: Use this control to dial in your bass eq. Depending upon your pickup configuration, single coils will require more bass
and humbuckers less.
Mid - Use this control to dial in your mid range eq. Mids are the most active part of the eq circuit, cutting them will scoop
your tone, similar to creating the letter “V” on a graphic equalizer. Boosting mids will add more presence.
Pull Modern: This radically changes the eq of your amplifier. Pulling this control will slightly reduce the mids, while
raising the bass and treble frequencies. Works only on the hi- gain channel and is designed for more aggressive tones.
Treble: Use this control to dial in your treble eq. Depending upon your pickup configuration, single coils will require less treble
and humbuckers more.
Drive: This controls the overall distortion of your amplifier. We recommend setting the drive control at 9 am and
slowly dial it in until you are satisfied with your overdrive. Lower settings will offer more of a blues type of gain, while
mid settings are good for crunch and higher settings for metal. Use your master to add girth to the drive control.
(The amp will sustain the note longer when the master is turned up).
Rhythm: Use the rhythm control to adjust the gain of your clean channel. The higher the setting, the more distortion
you will add to your clean channel. We recommend starting at around 1 o’clock. Rotate the knob clockwise until your
signal begins to distort. Dial in the amount of gain according to the style of music you wish to play.
Pull Brite: This control adds presence to your clean channel. Use this to add shimmer to your clean tones and to give
your treble a boost when using guitars with humbuckers and darker sounding woods.
Input: This is where you plug in your instrument.
Footswitch: Plug your single button footswith cable here to access both the rhythm and drive channel of your amp.
If you forget your switch at the gig, you can pull the master control to access the lead channel.
Rear Panel Superdrive 45 Series II
send slave 1 2 impedance
return slave level speakers tube
effects loop
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8
4
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12ax7wa
12ax7wa
solid state
kt66
kt66
kt66
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5ar4
5ar4
Effects Loop: Superdrive amps have series loops. This is where you plug in your effects devices.
Send : Use this jack to send your signal to an effect unit input, or to another amplifiers effects return. This signal path
comes from the preamp and includes the eq section and master volume of your amplifier.
Return: Use this jack to receive the output of your effects device. This signal path includes the power amp and is post -
eq and master volume.
Slave: The slave out is a 100 ohm compensated signal that is parallel to the speaker out which includes both the preamp
and power amp output of your amp. Use this output to send your signal to a mixing board, or to a separate power amplifier
connected to multiple speaker cabinets for additional power and stage coverage.
Slave Level: This controls the level of the output from your slave out. If slaving to a rack effects unit in a multiple amp rig, use
the effects units input sensitivity LED lights as a gauge to set the slave level. Avoid clipping the input and distorting your
signal from hot level settings.
Speakers: This is where you plug in your extension speaker cabinets.
Impedance: Select the proper ohmage of your speaker load. Our combos and cabinets are wired at 8 ohms unless
otherwise stated.
Trouble Shooting Tips
Preamp and power tubes may become microphonic and lose power over time. A few of the common symptoms are a high
pitch ringing sound when you turn on your amp, and or a static sound emulating when your guitar volume is turned down.
A loss of output, or a muddy signal is a sign that it is time to change the tubes in your amp.
One simple test to determine whether your amp is experiencing preamp, or power tube problems is to plug your guitar directly
into the effects return of your amp. If the static or ringing noise continues, then the problem is related to the power tubes.
Replace with a high quality matched set. If the static noise goes away, then the problem may be a microphonic preamp tube.
Try replacing the first position tube, farthest to the left looking at the rear of your amp. Continue down the line until noise goes
away.
*For a copy of our tube layout chart diagram, visit us on-line at budda.com. Click on resources.
We suggest swapping out power tubes every six months for those who play their amp more then an hour per day, 3 to 5 times
a week. For questions on tube replacements, call us toll free at: 877-866-3439.
If you experience a problem outside of the above descriptions, please contact us for a trouble shooting consultation over the
phone. If there is a mechanical problem with your amp, we will issue you a return authorization number and provide you with
details as to where to ship your amp and how to pack it. Please keep the original boxing materials your Budda came in for this
purpose.
We offer customer support between the hours of 10 and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time and can be reached toll free at 877-866-3439.
We are excited to be a part of your tone and are dedicated to providing you with the ultimate amplifier experience.
Enjoy the tones, and from all of us at Budda, “play it like it’s on 11!”
Sincerely,
The Buddaguys
Budda Amplification
60 Tehama St 1st Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
.
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