Bruno Cow 45 Vrs Cow 22 describe the differences?

[GM1]

Been using my Cow 45 for almost two years and have been extremely happy with this amp for small to medium size gigs. I run mine with a Bruno 2x12 and sometimes a Two Rock 1x12 with a Jensen Neo which by the way is a very complimentary cab/speaker set up for the Cow 45.

My only issue with the Cow is sometimes it can be too clean. The gain structure is so clean on this amp that if you are running it at about 11 O'clock or less it's really clean. This means I have to push my pedals harder to get the goods. Was wondering if the Cow 22 would give me a little more amp gain when pushed so I don't have to use the pedal's gain control past say half way. I know the Cow 22 is a 6V6 output section so it will respond different than the Cow 45, but does it have the same nice clean tones that the 45 has?

Also, does Tony make a head version of the Cow 22?

 

[Macaroni]

What about the Cow Tipper 35? It's 35W and it uses 6L6s. How does it compare to the CT45?

 

[scottl]

Paging Tag......

I have played both and it seems to me that they are not real similar. The 45 has huge wonderful cleans and the 22 has an equally great tone but so much less headroom. You may be disappointed with the clean headroom at gig volume.

Tag would know better. Except he never gigs.

 

[57special]

The CT22 has terrific cleans, but can only compare to a CT 90, which i assume is similar to a CT 45. MY CT22 didn't have a great "break -up" tone, and i 've heard mixed things from others on how well it does that. If you turn it all the way up and are playing Hums then , yeah, you'll get a bit of grunge, but it's not what i would call a strong point of the amp. A BFDR or my Heritage Victory (GREAT DR type amp) has a better "gain" sound, albeit a low gain one.
The CT22 sounded great with pedals, but the CT 90 sounded even better. I found both of them liked pedals when amp was set clean.

 

[studio8000]

i had both CT45 and CT22. the 45 for sure had great cleans that was big and full bodied. the 22 also has great cleans but never really got crunchy. as i'd turn up the volume it got punchier and juicier. good sustain.. but didnt crunch like say a deluxe reverb or super reverb would. little grit, but it's still a very clean amp.

i tried cranking a 45 once and didnt like it at all. kept the 45 clean all times. the 22 sounds better cranked up.. but doesnt ever get much gain.

 

[GM1]

Originally posted by studio8000
i had both CT45 and CT22. the 45 for sure had great cleans that was big and full bodied. the 22 also has great cleans but never really got crunchy. as i'd turn up the volume it got punchier and juicier. good sustain.. but didnt crunch like say a deluxe reverb or super reverb would. little grit, but it's still a very clean amp.

i tried cranking a 45 once and didnt like it at all. kept the 45 clean all times. the 22 sounds better cranked up.. but doesnt ever get much gain.

How was the Cow 22 with pedals?

 

[Tag]

Originally posted by GM1
Been using my Cow 45 for almost two years and have been extremely happy with this amp for small to medium size gigs. I run mine with a Bruno 2x12 and sometimes a Two Rock 1x12 with a Jensen Neo which by the way is a very complimentary cab/speaker set up for the Cow 45.

My only issue with the Cow is sometimes it can be too clean. The gain structure is so clean on this amp that if you are running it at about 11 O'clock or less it's really clean. This means I have to push my pedals harder to get the goods. Was wondering if the Cow 22 would give me a little more amp gain when pushed so I don't have to use the pedal's gain control past say half way. I know the Cow 22 is a 6V6 output section so it will respond different than the Cow 45, but does it have the same nice clean tones that the 45 has?

Also, does Tony make a head version of the Cow 22?

VERY GOOD!!

Hey Dave,
The Cow 22 sounds like it is EXACTLY what you are looking for. The ONLY issue may be what Scott pointed out. It has WAY less headroom than the 45, and is not NEARLY as loud either. I would think that in an average volume band, you are going to have the 22 at between 12-3 on the volume knob. Thats going to give you a REAL nice crunch with buckers, but you will have to roll your volume back on the guitar if you want real clean at that setting. The tone is very similar to the 45, with the exception that its not as big or punchy sounding, but is sweeter, and always has a bit of breakup on the high notes, due to the 6v6s. Thats the sweetness! The great news is it has NONE of the mid honkyness\nasalness that Deluxe reverbs, and 6V6 amps have. It took bruno to git rid of that! I have yet to try a Cow 35, but I am SURE there will be one in my future. These things just sound to darn good. By the way, it works every bit as good, or maybe even better than the 45 with pedals. Pure sweetness. Its like there is a choir of stunningly gorgeous harmonic angles riding on top of every note.

 

[GM1]

Originally posted by Tag
VERY GOOD!!

Hey Dave,
The Cow 22 sounds like it is EXACTLY what you are looking for. The ONLY issue may be what Scott pointed out. It has WAY less headroom than the 45, and is not NEARLY as loud either. I would think that in an average volume band, you are going to have the 22 at between 12-3 on the volume knob. Thats going to give you a REAL nice crunch with buckers, but you will have to roll your volume back on the guitar if you want real clean at that setting. The tone is very similar to the 45, with the exception that its not as big or punchy sounding, but is sweeter, and always has a bit of breakup on the high notes, due to the 6v6s. Thats the sweetness! The great news is it has NONE of the mid honkyness\nasalness that Deluxe reverbs, and 6V6 amps have. It took bruno to git rid of that! I have yet to try a Cow 35, but I am SURE there will be one in my future. These things just sound to darn good. By the way, it works every bit as good, or maybe even better than the 45 with pedals. Pure sweetness. Its like there is a choir of stunningly gorgeous harmonic angles riding on top of every note.

Tag

Thanks for the info, I have a Tweed Deluxe and it just breaks uo to early for my needs ( I think its around 18watts) The 22 might be the power level for me. I'm not a big 6V6 guy but knowing what I know about Brunos I'm sure Tony has fixed some of the traditional issues with Deluxe style amps. Any idea if Tony makes a head version?

Looks like your getting ahead of me collecting Brunos......nice

Greg

 

[Tag]

Originally posted by GM1
Tag

Thanks for the info, I have a Tweed Deluxe and it just breaks uo to early for my needs ( I think its around 18watts) The 22 might be the power level for me. I'm not a big 6V6 guy but knowing what I know about Brunos I'm sure Tony has fixed some of the traditional issues with Deluxe style amps. Any idea if Tony makes a head version?

Looks like your getting ahead of me collecting Brunos......nice

Greg

Hey Greg,

Im sure he makes a head. I was going to order one, then switched to a combo. By the way, sorry I called you Dave, I have no idea where that came from. Lol!

 

[Killa-B]

DAMMIT!!! I want to try a CT35!!!!! I've never even seen one.

Tag, start working on Gene to order a couple!!!

 

[Liquid Ranger]

Originally posted by Macaroni
What about the Cow Tipper 35? It's 35W and it uses 6L6s. How does it compare to the CT45?

I happen to own and gig with both a Cow 35 and a Cow 45. Many of us are already familiar with the 45..stellar BF cleans and great clean headroom...almost a bit much headroom at times. The Cow 35 on the other hand is a different beast...same stellar clean tone yet softer inherently with gobs more sag...gives up the goods quite early, takes to pedals even better than the 45 for that reason. My rule of thumb pertains to room acoustic's...small to medium size gig's..Cow 35, larger venues or festival stage's the Cow 45. Sometimes ( and most of us have encountered this numerous times ) a room sounds like ( what I like to refer to as ) rock soup..ie horrible acoustics, no definition..in such instances the Cow 45 appers to be the better candidate with faster transient/ attack and higher headroom. I would cautiously compare the 35 to a great old Vibrolux while the 45 reminds me of a cross between a Pro and a Twin. Not too many foks have actually played the 35, a gem to be sure!! B

 

[Tag]

Originally posted by Bob Stirner
I happen to own and gig with both a Cow 35 and a Cow 45. Many of us are already familiar with the 45..stellar BF cleans and great clean headroom...almost a bit much headroom at times. The Cow 35 on the other hand is a different beast...same stellar clean tone yet softer inherently with gobs more sag...gives up the goods quite early, takes to pedals even better than the 45 for that reason. My rule of thumb pertains to room acoustic's...small to medium size gig's..Cow 35, larger venues or festival stage's the Cow 45. Sometimes ( and most of us have encountered this numerous times ) a room sounds like ( what I like to refer to as ) rock soup..ie horrible acoustics, no definition..in such instances the Cow 45 appers to be the better candidate with faster transient/ attack and higher headroom. I would cautiously compare the 35 to a great old Vibrolux while the 45 reminds me of a cross between a Pro and a Twin. Not too many foks have actually played the 35, a gem to be sure!! B

My bank account is PISSED at you!

 

[GM1]

Originally posted by Bob Stirner
I happen to own and gig with both a Cow 35 and a Cow 45. Many of us are already familiar with the 45..stellar BF cleans and great clean headroom...almost a bit much headroom at times. The Cow 35 on the other hand is a different beast...same stellar clean tone yet softer inherently with gobs more sag...gives up the goods quite early, takes to pedals even better than the 45 for that reason. My rule of thumb pertains to room acoustic's...small to medium size gig's..Cow 35, larger venues or festival stage's the Cow 45. Sometimes ( and most of us have encountered this numerous times ) a room sounds like ( what I like to refer to as ) rock soup..ie horrible acoustics, no definition..in such instances the Cow 45 appers to be the better candidate with faster transient/ attack and higher headroom. I would cautiously compare the 35 to a great old Vibrolux while the 45 reminds me of a cross between a Pro and a Twin. Not too many foks have actually played the 35, a gem to be sure!! B

Bob

Do you run a 2x12 cab with your Brunos? What speakers G12H30?

 

[Tag]

Originally posted by GM1
Bob

Do you run a 2x12 cab with your Brunos? What speakers G12H30?

Off topic a bit, but I just bought a 2\12 bruno cab with G12H65s. They sound good, but I prefer the G12H30s by a long shot. Both for clean and overdriven tones. The 65s get very fuzzy when overdriven, and do not have the deep bottom or nice chime on top the H30s have. The Cab sounds HUGE though. VERY GOOD!

 

[GM1]

Originally posted by Tag
Off topic a bit, but I just bought a 2\12 bruno cab with G12H65s. They sound good, but I prefer the G12H30s by a long shot. Both for clean and overdriven tones. The 65s get very fuzzy when overdriven, and do not have the deep bottom or nice chime on top the H30s have. The Cab sounds HUGE though. VERY GOOD!

Yes I tried my 1265 cab with the Cow 45 and did not like the combination at all. To my ear the 1265s kill the rich Vox like midrange of the Cow. The G12H30s are a much better fit. To my ear so far they have been the best speaker for the Cow although I use the Jensen Neo more because I want a certain Blues/ Classic Fender tone that the Neo does really well and is different from the G12H30.

 

[GasMask]

I wonder if a CT35 could be used with one G12H30 in a 1x12 combo? Might be pushing it a bit too much.

 

[studio8000]

Originally posted by GM1
How was the Cow 22 with pedals?

the 22 took pedals really well just like the 45. i had to use pedals to get any kind of crunch for blues/ rock. i had a 2x12 combo and used a g12h30 and blue. perhaps if i just ran a single speaker, i would have gotten more speaker crunch to add to the overall tone. my buddy had a 1x12 CT22 and thought it didnt really break up much either though.

 

[Lerxst2112]

Originally posted by Tag
VERY GOOD!!

Hey Dave,
The Cow 22 sounds like it is EXACTLY what you are looking for. The ONLY issue may be what Scott pointed out. It has WAY less headroom than the 45, and is not NEARLY as loud either. I would think that in an average volume band, you are going to have the 22 at between 12-3 on the volume knob. Thats going to give you a REAL nice crunch with buckers, but you will have to roll your volume back on the guitar if you want real clean at that setting. The tone is very similar to the 45, with the exception that its not as big or punchy sounding, but is sweeter, and always has a bit of breakup on the high notes, due to the 6v6s. Thats the sweetness! The great news is it has NONE of the mid honkyness\nasalness that Deluxe reverbs, and 6V6 amps have. It took bruno to git rid of that! I have yet to try a Cow 35, but I am SURE there will be one in my future. These things just sound to darn good. By the way, it works every bit as good, or maybe even better than the 45 with pedals. Pure sweetness. Its like there is a choir of stunningly gorgeous harmonic angles riding on top of every note.

I forgot to report that I finally got my CT22 to get SOME overdrive! Not enough for anything crunchy, but some. I had to crank it up all the way (ALL the way) with my LP Std. with Burstbuckers on the bridge pickup. If you want breakup, look elsewhere! Mine's nearly impossible/unreasonable to get breakup with...

 

[Lerxst2112]

...and putting pedals in front of a Bruno is like putting mayonnaise on a $75 filet.

 

[studio8000]

Originally posted by Lerxst2112
I forgot to report that I finally got my CT22 to get SOME overdrive! Not enough for anything crunchy, but some. I had to crank it up all the way (ALL the way) with my LP Std. with Burstbuckers on the bridge pickup. If you want breakup, look elsewhere! Mine's nearly impossible/unreasonable to get breakup with...

yea really odd eh? i played it with Les Paul's and same thing... never got crunchy. it sounded good... punchy and stayed tight... but didnt really get crunchy. some grit, but nothing like a cranked fender.