![]() ![]() This starts to matter at higher volumes, rendering the drive channel useless and basically converting it into a single channel amp. There is a very annoying design feature, where the drive channel will never be as loud as the clean. ![]() It cleans up great with guitar volume, so I've radically reduced the drive pedal count in my setup. The clean channel is nice, but gets pretty crunchy when turned up past noon. I only use the drive channel for home playing at lower volumes. I've given up on the set of headaches that go with the preamp route, and have returned to amp-world. In the last few years, I've had a Twin, AC30, and then pre-amps into a power amp. I owned the TH30 after having the SD-18, and honestly, I would not have gone back to the Budda. But for my taste, I rarely had the gain knob above half way. I'm not a metal player at all, but I thought the TH30 had a great OD channel. I've had both Mark Series Boogies and JCM-800s, so those are my points of reference. The TH30 is more raw, and for me, more like a Marshall. Regarding the OD, I found the Budda to me smoother and more saturated, somewhat like a Boogie. It's very easy to make on-the-fly adjustments, and get the tone you are after. The beauty of the TH30 is the simplistic controls. ![]() With that situation, since you have the master set low, to get parity volume from the clean channel you must turn the clean preamp volume up pretty high. If you want a more saturated lead sound, you would start by setting the lead channel preamp knob fairly high, and the master volume low (remember, this is a loud amp). That will typically be a fairly low gain setting for the lead channel. Then, in order to get channel volume parity, you are limited to only turning the lead channel preamp knob up to reach parity output with the clean channel. If you want pristine clean, you have to run the clean channel preamp knob low, with the master knob high. The SD amps have a shared master volume, so there can be compromise. The TH30 is like having two separate amps in a single cabinet. I really consider the Budda as a single channel amp from a practical standpoint. The TH30 will still do that, plus a whole lot more. If all I needed was a loud amp for playing in a loud rock band, the Budda would be OK. I play a wide variety of music, including blues, classic rock, and country. I don't have either now, but I would buy another TH30 before I would buy another SD-18. Easier to use, flexible, and great sounding. Also, the Budda seems to eat EL-84s, and they need changed fairly often. The Budda is a great amp, but it's a loud amp geared primarily for gigging with a band. This makes the amp sound great for gigs or for home studio use. And the other feature that makes the TH30 great is the selectable output power. If you don't want that much gain, (which I usually didn't) it sounds great dialed back to only mild crunch. There is a lot of gain available with the TH30, but it's totally controllable. The clean sound is not like any other Orange amp, and in my opinion it's a strong point of the TH30. ![]() It sounds a lot like a Vox, but without reverb. The clean channel is NMV, so you get a really nice punchy clean with sparkle and chime. First, the TH30 has completely independent channels, so no compromise. The TH30 also has great sounds, but is much easier to work with. You have to compromise somewhat with a Superdrive. The Budda has great sounds, but is always LOUD, and difficult to get precise level control between the clean and dirty sounds. I really liked both amps, but found the TH30 to be more useful in most situations and more versatile. ![]()
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