Budda SD 30 Question

[lpaul626]

After having used my Budda SD 30 (I) for a few gigs, it's clear the amp is considerably more "noisy" on the drive channel than my other amps at gig volumes including my Shiva and Peavey c30. From what I've read, the amp is known as a "quiet" amp.

I'm running the amp with the gain at 1:00 and Master at 9-10. Is it typical for this amp to give off this much noise at this level? When our band stops playing all you can hear is the Budda (which I control with the gtr volume, but still noticeable nonetheless).

Any thoughts would be appreciated-

Thanks!

[anibas]

Hi.I've got a series I SD30 as well,and it sound like a preamp tube issue to me.These amps shipped with Sovtek power tubes and preamp tubes,IIRC,and seem to be voiced around them.You might try replacing the V1 and/or V2 tubes with new or NOS 12AX7's and see if that helps with the noise issue.I've also found mine to be hard on rectifier tubes,and that it needs a change of power tubes every couple of years at the latest.You've got a great amp with what is most likely a minor problem,mikjwilli-good luck with the fix.

[lpaul626]

Hi.I've got a series I SD30 as well,and it sound like a preamp tube issue to me.These amps shipped with Sovtek power tubes and preamp tubes,IIRC,and seem to be voiced around them.You might try replacing the V1 and/or V2 tubes with new or NOS 12AX7's and see if that helps with the noise issue.I've also found mine to be hard on rectifier tubes,and that it needs a change of power tubes every couple of years at the latest.You've got a great amp with what is most likely a minor problem,mikjwilli-good luck with the fix.

Thanks. I just tried the preamp tubes. The previous owner had replaced the stock preamps with JJs. I tried new preamps (Electro h 12ax7s) with no noticeable difference.

Would the amp need to be rebiased with a new rectifier tube change?

I also read that the amp doesn't need to be rebiased with a power tube change. Is this accurate?

[DavidE]

I gigged with mine last night for the first time and had issues with noise, or more accurately hum, on the gain channel but also with the clean channel when using gain boxes. It didn't do that at home, so I'm guessing it was the power or something at the club BUT I was plugged into a Furman AR1215 (first time using that as well). I'll try it again tonight and see if I have the same issue.

I'll report back.

[Ricker]

There are some venues where my Budda SDs can get a bit noisy with single coils and higher gain.............but that's normal and gets worse with dimmer switches and bad power etc etc.

With Humbuckers it should be real quiet otherwise there is a problem.........either with the amp or the power that is being supplied.
At most venues I run my drive channel sometimes full and it very quiet.
Not as quiet as my Shiva but pretty quiet.

Rick

[lpaul626]

I gigged with mine last night for the first time and had issues with noise, or more accurately hum, on the gain channel but also with the clean channel when using gain boxes. It didn't do that at home, so I'm guessing it was the power or something at the club BUT I was plugged into a Furman AR1215 (first time using that as well). I'll try it again tonight and see if I have the same issue.

I'll report back.

Thanks Dave. I've actually noticed the "noise" at home and at various venues.

Looking forward to the follow up.

[lpaul626]

There are some venues where my Budda SDs can get a bit noisy with single coils and higher gain.............but that's normal and gets worse with dimmer switches and bad power etc etc.

With Humbuckers it should be real quiet otherwise there is a problem.........either with the amp or the power that is being supplied.
At most venues I run my drive channel sometimes full and it very quiet.
Not as quiet as my Shiva but pretty quiet.

Rick

Thanks. I've only used it with my LPs.

[DavidE]

Another club and still had the same issue, but our sound guys had hum in the monitors as well. I'm going to have to set it all up at home and see if I can repeat the issue. Again, I plug in to a Furman AR1215. If it's something endemic to the amp, it's not going to work for me.

[Flameout12]

FYI, some of this is normal, just depends on how bad it is...
Using anything in front of the amp that's causing this?
Anything in the loop making noise?
How about your cables....what kind are you using?
What happens when you unplug everything from the amp?

No bias on rectifier tube or power tubes. Try the JJ EL84 power tubes.

[kselbee]

Another option which hasn't been mentioned... call the guys at Budda. They're great to deal with and will help you out. Make sure you try EVERYTHING before getting rid of it... such a great amp, you don't want to lose it.

[lpaul626]

FYI, some of this is normal, just depends on how bad it is...
Using anything in front of the amp that's causing this?
Anything in the loop making noise?
How about your cables....what kind are you using?
What happens when you unplug everything from the amp?

No bias on rectifier tube or power tubes. Try the JJ EL84 power tubes.

I haven't used the loop yet. Everything's "in front". It's the same rig I use with my Shiva with no noise at all. I'm using Monster 100s.

I haven't tried the JJ power tubes though. May give those a shot.

[lpaul626]

Another option which hasn't been mentioned... call the guys at Budda. They're great to deal with and will help you out. Make sure you try EVERYTHING before getting rid of it... such a great amp, you don't want to lose it.

I was planning to do that first thing this week. Funny thing is that I used to have a JCM 600 head from the 90s that was known as a noisy head. The noise I'm getting from the Budda rivals the noise I was getting from the 600 :(.

I love the amp's tone and features. It's exactly what I was looking for in terms of a combo alternative to my Shiva for gigs. Hopefully it can be remedied.

[anibas]

It's got to be something simple,man-I've had mine for 6 1/2 years and only had to deal with tube replacements so far.Good advice from kselbee-call Budda and see if this a common problem to them,and if there's any simple fixes that they can suggest besides the preamp tube swap.Best of luck,and I hope the amp works out in the long run for you.

[kingsxman]

Jeff @ budda will straighten it out. Is this a used or new amp?
It should not be making that kind of noise. Somethings amiss.

[lpaul626]

It is a circa 2001, I believe. I bought it in May from a fellow TGP'r.

[M@tt C]

I've had no noise issues whatsoever with my SD 30- sounds like something is outta whack. Have you tried plugging directly into the amp with a cable you know is a-ok? If that fails to fix it, mos def give the folks at Budda a call. Super people to talk to. They'll get ya hooked up.

[DavidE]

I checked my rig out today. The issue was in the amp. The noise level on the gain channel didn't bother me. There really wasn't very much hiss, but I had a hum that I could not live with. Just as bad as a single coil hum but with humbuckers. I tried several guitars and a couple of cables as well. I could make the hum go away by turning the guitar different directions. Very odd and an issue I don't have with any other amp.

But, I think I figured it out.

I tried a couple of preamp tubes in V1. I had a TAD ECC83 in there. I mistakenly put in a 12AT7 first that sounded fine on the clean channel but the gain channel just rang like a feedback loop. Whoops. I then put in a Sovtek 12ax7aWB and that tamed the hum issue. It actually sounds good in this amp as well.

I'll gig the amp Friday and see how it does. I have some others to try as well including new Tungsols, some NOS USA, Sovtek 12ax7aWXT, etc.....

I'd suggest messing with the tubes first.

[lpaul626]

Another option which hasn't been mentioned... call the guys at Budda. They're great to deal with and will help you out. Make sure you try EVERYTHING before getting rid of it... such a great amp, you don't want to lose it.

Well... I contacted the guys at Budda. They got back to me immediately which was great. Unfortunately, not good news:

"...Seeing as how you describe it as a "hum", and replacing the pre-amp tubes did not alleviate the condition, my next guess would be that at some point in its life the amp had a catastrophic output tube failure that damaged one of the hum balance resistors in the filament circuit. Not something that is "user serviceable"..."

Can't be a good thing anytime "catastrophic" is used to diagnose an equipment issue. :jo

Thanks to all who replied-

[DavidE]

Well... I contacted the guys at Budda. They got back to me immediately which was great. Unfortunately, not good news:

"...Seeing as how you describe it as a "hum", and replacing the pre-amp tubes did not alleviate the condition, my next guess would be that at some point in its life the amp had a catastrophic output tube failure that damaged one of the hum balance resistors in the filament circuit. Not something that is "user serviceable"..."

Can't be a good thing anytime "catastrophic" is used to diagnose an equipment issue. :jo

Thanks to all who replied-

So, if it gets better with different preamp tubes it should be ok?

[lpaul626]

So, if it gets better with different preamp tubes it should be ok?

Apparently so. I just spoke with my amp tech located in the Providence area and he didn't seem to think it was a big deal, especially if you're still getting sound from the amp. We'll see . . .

[puls]

My luthier told me when enquiring about noise that if it changes when you move the guitar around it's because the guitar or cable is picking up electro-magnetic noise. Think about it, why would something in the amp make noise when you move the guitar around? If the problem was in the amp, it wouldn't make any difference where the guitar or cable is. Maybe try to get another amp & A/B the amps side-by-side plugged into the same outlet.

Then again, I'm not an amp tech, & this is speculation on my part. However, you should get it narrowed down to whether it's the amp or the signal going into the amp before you spend a bunch of money trying to fix it.

just my .02

jwp

[DavidE]

My luthier told me when enquiring about noise that if it changes when you move the guitar around it's because the guitar or cable is picking up electro-magnetic noise. Think about it, why would something in the amp make noise when you move the guitar around? If the problem was in the amp, it wouldn't make any difference where the guitar or cable is. Maybe try to get another amp & A/B the amps side-by-side plugged into the same outlet.

Then again, I'm not an amp tech, & this is speculation on my part. However, you should get it narrowed down to whether it's the amp or the signal going into the amp before you spend a bunch of money trying to fix it.

just my .02

jwp

I tried that today. SD30 II, Bogner Shiva and Crate V33. There's a pronounced hum in the gain channel that makes the amp ungiggable for me if the drive is beyond 9 o'clock. No issues into the Crate or Bogner with the same gear. Tried different guitars too. I tried a number of tubes in V1, then some in V2 and V3. Even tried a 5751 in V1 to bring the gain level down and it didn't make any difference. This channel has a lot of gain, but still it shouldn't hum like this.

[Ricker]

I tried that today. SD30 II, Bogner Shiva and Crate V33. There's a pronounced hum in the gain channel that makes the amp ungiggable for me if the drive is beyond 9 o'clock. No issues into the Crate or Bogner with the same gear. Tried different guitars too. I tried a number of tubes in V1, then some in V2 and V3. Even tried a 5751 in V1 to bring the gain level down and it didn't make any difference. This channel has a lot of gain, but still it shouldn't hum like this.

Lets be logical here..............Obviously there is something wrong here.
Not a chance in hell should it hum like that.
I can run my gain flat out at gig volumes with no hum or noise......
Obviously single coil will hum a bit ....more on the Budda than the shiva....but it should be giggable.

Now maybe a pedal or something in the chain is causing an earth problem somewhere and it's reacting to the Buddas circuitry.
Maybe it's just a wiring on the guitar that only shows up with the budda because all amps are wired differently.........But whatever it is..it's not normal and needs to be sorted out.

Rick

[Eric Thomas]

I tried that today. SD30 II, Bogner Shiva and Crate V33. There's a pronounced hum in the gain channel that makes the amp ungiggable for me if the drive is beyond 9 o'clock. No issues into the Crate or Bogner with the same gear. Tried different guitars too. I tried a number of tubes in V1, then some in V2 and V3. Even tried a 5751 in V1 to bring the gain level down and it didn't make any difference. This channel has a lot of gain, but still it shouldn't hum like this.

Dave, I can bring my SD30 head over some time and we can compare them. I'll call you this afternoon.

[dosmun]

Does it go away if you move away from the amp? If I'm standing right next to my Rivera or my Budda I get quite a bit of hum but move away a few feet and it is gone.

[DavidE]

Dave, I can bring my SD30 head over some time and we can compare them. I'll call you this afternoon.

Eric brought his SD30 I over and we compared it to my SD30 II. Although he never noticed it before, the same hum was in his amp as well. However, it was louder in mine. Then again, my amp was louder than his at the same settings. He also has a 5751 in V1 (a change I think I'll also make). Neither of us thought the 5751 explained the volume difference. Probably just tubes.

The hum can go away if you turn the guitar the right way and as you get further from the amp. But my Budda Shiva does not have this hum at all.

So, it appears to be something in the amp and it's just a matter of whether it bothers you or not.

Then again, when I've seen Eric Johnson live, his gain sound (fuzz boxes into vintage Marshalls) had HUGE amounts of hum and buzz; well beyond the Budda!

I'll continue to play around with tubes and see what I come up with. At least I'm convinced there's no "problem" with the amp that needs to be fixed.

[DavidE]

I just had a thought.... I need to try plugging in with a wireless to see if that makes a difference. I'll bet it does without the shared ground....

[lpaul626]

I just had a thought.... I need to try plugging in with a wireless to see if that makes a difference. I'll bet it does without the shared ground....

Hey Dave-

How'd this work for you?

[mitch236]

I would think a wireless will worsen things. I have a SD45 and gave up on the wireless unless I absolutely need it because of the noise associated with it. I use my gain at about 2 o'clock and master at about 1 o'clock and don't really notice any noise issue. There is some floor level of hiss but I use a gate to control that.

[DavidE]

Hey Dave-

How'd this work for you?


I haven't had time to try yet.

[DavidE]

I would think a wireless will worsen things. I have a SD45 and gave up on the wireless unless I absolutely need it because of the noise associated with it. I use my gain at about 2 o'clock and master at about 1 o'clock and don't really notice any noise issue. There is some floor level of hiss but I use a gate to control that.

I'm not talking about his. I'm talking about hum. Two different things. I'm surprised that you have no hum with your gain and master up that much. I'm talking about hum you hear with your guitar on 10 but when you're not playing.