# Anyone got a Bruno?



## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

After seeing 100s of posts by Tag on the Gear Page. Just wondering if any Canucks actually have one?

I'd love to take an UG30 for a rip.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Jeff Flowerday said:


> After seeing 100s of posts by Tag on the Gear Page. Just wondering if any Canucks actually have one?
> 
> I'd love to take an UG30 for a rip.


Does my AC30HW count?

:confused-smiley-010 

Pete


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## Coustfan'01 (Sep 27, 2006)

Aren't they very expensive and overrated ? Someone posted gutpics at harmony central a while ago , and they did look badly put together .

Edit : Here's the link... at the bottom of the page .


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

Coustfan'01 said:


> Aren't they very expansive and overrated ? Someone posted gutpics at harmony central a while ago , and they did look badly put together .
> 
> Edit : Here's the link... at the bottom of the page .


Those pics were of a modded Bruno not a factory model.

Expensive yes, overrated is what I'm trying to find out.


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## iggs (Apr 6, 2006)

Don't know about overrated but over-hyped for sure!
People seem to forget very easily that it's all in the eye (ear?) of the beholder.
Unfortunately, that just throws all objectivity out the window ... also, if you just spent that much money on a guitar amp, you'd want the whole world to know how great it is ... :tongue: 
From the clips I've heard, they do sound like great tone machines but so do many other amps costing half as much ... not the same bragging rights though.


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

Any new members got one?


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## Baconator (Feb 25, 2006)

Jeff Flowerday said:


> Any new members got one?


Are you sure you _want_ to be kicked in the head with tone? :tongue:


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## Greg (Feb 7, 2006)

I'm with Jeff, Anyone with a Underground 30 or Cowtipper?? Greg


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

*Yeah, I've got one!*

I have a Bruno 'Leadman 100'. The best way to describe its tone is to think of the tone of a Soldano SLO with the gain from a Dual Recto, but remove the typical Mesa 'nasal' quality, and add much more note definition and clarity. With the pre set at around 10 o'clock, you've got gobs of gain, yet the note definition is unbelievable. Every nuance of your pick attack can be heard. I sold my 2 Mesas (Lonestar and .50 Caliber) after I spent some time with my Bruno. It's only 1 channel with 2 inputs. No effects loop, no reverb and quite frankly, I don't miss either. I play through it completely bone dry and I just love it's tone. Even though it's only 1 channel, it does clean up well when using the 'Lo' input. You're not gonna get 'Fender'-clean, but it's still decent. Sooner or later, I'll get off my rump and post some soundbytes online.
You may not have heard of this model because I think there were less than 5 made. I emailed the Bruno rep (Ultrasound in NYC) to ask about this, and he promptly emailed me back and said there were less than a handful made. I think the Leadman 60 (60-watt version) can still be ordered.


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

I've worked on a Bruno some time ago...can't remember the model # but I recall it was an EL84 amp. It was nice but I felt it was a little overrated considering the price...IMO


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

vds5000 said:


> I have a Bruno 'Leadman 100'. The best way to describe its tone is to think of the tone of a Soldano SLO with the gain from a Dual Recto, but remove the typical Mesa 'nasal' quality, and add much more note definition and clarity. With the pre set at around 10 o'clock, you've got gobs of gain, yet the note definition is unbelievable. Every nuance of your pick attack can be heard. I sold my 2 Mesas (Lonestar and .50 Caliber) after I spent some time with my Bruno. It's only 1 channel with 2 inputs. No effects loop, no reverb and quite frankly, I don't miss either. I play through it completely bone dry and I just love it's tone. Even though it's only 1 channel, it does clean up well when using the 'Lo' input. You're not gonna get 'Fender'-clean, but it's still decent. Sooner or later, I'll get off my rump and post some soundbytes online.
> You may not have heard of this model because I think there were less than 5 made. I emailed the Bruno rep (Ultrasound in NYC) to ask about this, and he promptly emailed me back and said there were less than a handful made. I think the Leadman 60 (60-watt version) can still be ordered.


so just by reading your tone description.. it's a SLO100 revoiced and rebadged lol. before the flaming begins, i am making a huuuge generaliziation here, and since i know nothing of Bruno Amps i dont even know if they went off the SLO100 design. but I believe mesa did.

and how exactly is a mesa nasally...? i need to ask about that one, because that's not my experience.

sounds like an interesting amp - what's the price? a SLO100 is $3500 lol


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

Budda said:


> so just by reading your tone description.. it's a SLO100 revoiced and rebadged lol. before the flaming begins, i am making a huuuge generaliziation here, and since i know nothing of Bruno Amps i dont even know if they went off the SLO100 design. but I believe mesa did.
> 
> and how exactly is a mesa nasally...? i need to ask about that one, because that's not my experience.
> 
> sounds like an interesting amp - what's the price? a SLO100 is $3500 lol


I guess thinking of it as a revoiced/rebadged SLO100 is legit. One difference though is I don't believe the SLOs are point to point, whereas the Brunos are. I believe Bruno started off using Dumble designs as a starting point - although I'm not sure if that's how this amp was designed.

Actually, a lot of folks online do complain about the infamous 'nasal' quality that Mesas have. My .50 Caliber had it and so did my Lonestar (although not as noticable). I know that Nomads, F-series and even the new 'Express' lines also have it. Even people on the Boogie Board talk about it (I'm a member on there too).

The retail on the Leadman 100 was around $3500 back when it was available.


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## Big White Tele (Feb 10, 2007)

There's a lot of difference between the Bruno 100 and the Cow Tipper,UG's. Even between the 22, 35, 45, they all sound a little different. For fender cleans, the 45 is awsome. I almost bought a 35, but decided to wait for a good used 45 instead. The 45 I feel is a little more versatile, and has the Fender clean at a higher volume. My impression of the 22 was it breaks up a little more like a Tweed Deluxe. I have played them all, but I have not owned one yet so take it lightly. There was a used 45 in one of the Ottawa music stores last month, cant remember which, tagged (pun) at 1750.00.


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

The one at the Ottawa store was also on eBay for the longest time. I have a lot of respect for Bruno amps. If I ever get rid of mine, it would only be because I want to get a Bruno S100.


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## Big White Tele (Feb 10, 2007)

*Bruno 45*

I just spoke with Lauzons in Ottawa and they still have the Bruno. Its a 45 with 2 knob reverb and effects loop. 1800.00. someone local should give it a whirl and report back. A little to far of a drive for Jeff!!


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

Yup, that's the store that posted it on eBay. I don't recall any bids on it at all, which is a shame - it's probably an excellent amp.


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## Big White Tele (Feb 10, 2007)

Have you had any experience with a CT 90? Thats one Ive never seen, but theres 2 up for sale right now.


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

Actually, I think there's one CT90 and one CT45. I just noticed that there's also a 'TweedyPie 35', but I think they're asking a bit too much for it. I haven't tried any of them. The 2 CT's are being sold by a store (Tradarama) that does get Bruno amps in on occasion. He usually has some real nice boutique pieces in stock.

BTW, if you want to hear my Leadman 100, it's the amp being used in the soundclip I have in my signature.


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## Bob Rock (Mar 11, 2006)

The Super 100, sweet sounding amp, but 6 grand, wow! 










Sound byte http://www.brunoamps.com/samples/s100b.mp3


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

Yup, that's my dream amp. I'll have one someday. I guess like the saying goes - you get what you pay for.


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

I just noticed that there are a couple of CT45's on eBay right now. One has a 'Buy It Now' price of $1499. The other has no reserve and is currently at $1200. Both are good deals.


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## sliberty (May 17, 2008)

The Bruno amps I have heard sound really good, but I saw some gut shots that were supposed to be from a Bruno amp and they really shocked me. It looked like it had been wired by a 12 year old, and a lot of the parts had been gooped. These amps must be a real bear to work on when repairs of mods are done. Personally, after seeing those photos, I would stay away. But thats just me.


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## sliberty (May 17, 2008)

I was told that this is a Bruno in factory fresh condition. I cannot verify this, but if it is, he has no business building amps.










Cable tied resistors and caps, rats next wiring, masking tape and goop everywhere - this is not my idea of quality workmanship. In fact, its not even my idea of a rank amature DIY build. if you can't do better than this, you you should buy a Crate.

I do like the off-white chicken head knobs though :smile:


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

sliberty said:


> I was told that this is a Bruno in factory fresh condition. I cannot verify this, but if it is, he has no business building amps.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


If it sounds good, who cares what it looks like inside. He's obviously not out to impress the internet pundits


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## nitehawk55 (Sep 19, 2007)

sliberty said:


> I was told that this is a Bruno in factory fresh condition. I cannot verify this, but if it is, he has no business building amps.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That same pic was posted on TGP and a gloves off hot debate was in full swing and got pretty interesting . I'm not sure if it was ever varified that this was original or had been worked/doctored on but if my amp looked like that inside I would not be impressed at all .


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## Big White Tele (Feb 10, 2007)

That is not at all typical of a Bruno amp. You can see the board is rough cut and not straight. This is most likely a prototype in the development stage. I can find you lots of pictures of very neat high quality work.


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## nitehawk55 (Sep 19, 2007)

Big White Tele said:


> That is not at all typical of a Bruno amp. You can see the board is rough cut and not straight. This is most likely a prototype in the development stage. I can find you lots of pictures of very neat high quality work.


It was probably a mock up by one of the guys on TGP to get some members pissed ( which it did ). I can't believe an amp maker with a good reputation would have build quality like that .


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

Big White Tele said:


> That is not at all typical of a Bruno amp. You can see the board is rough cut and not straight. This is most likely a prototype in the development stage. I can find you lots of pictures of very neat high quality work.


I remember seeing Bruno chassis shots where the components were laid out between two rows of terminal strips...much different that this pic.


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## Big White Tele (Feb 10, 2007)

*Heres a Cowtipper 45*


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## nitehawk55 (Sep 19, 2007)

Now that doesn't look anything like that other mess of a chassis , there is some quality work there . 

I really don't recall who posted that pic of the messed up chassis on TGP but it sure got some guys fired up ( which I always find entertaining ) It may have been an early proto that was sort of thrown together but a few others chimed in saying that they had seen sloppy work in Bruno's too which just added to the fire :banana:. In any case BWT's chassis shows that not to be the way they put them together . :smile:


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## Greg (Feb 7, 2006)

And the bottom line is how it sounds, great workmanship is nice , but tone
is the priority, Love to play a Bruno, Greg


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## nitehawk55 (Sep 19, 2007)

Greg said:


> And the bottom line is how it sounds, great workmanship is nice , but tone
> is the priority, Love to play a Bruno, Greg


Yes ,always important how it sounds but workmanship = reliability which is just as important to the giging musician :bow:


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## Big White Tele (Feb 10, 2007)

Jeff Flowerday said:


> Those pics were of a modded Bruno not a factory model.
> 
> Expensive yes, overrated is what I'm trying to find out.


I wonder if this was the same one?


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

nitehawk55 said:


> Yes ,always important how it sounds but workmanship = reliability which is just as important to the giging musician :bow:


there is nothing on that "sloppy" chassis that would raise any big concerns with me on the reliability front. It looks crappy, but the connections appear to be solid. 

Now if a component that is covered by that blue goop went south, it could be an issue


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

Scottone said:


> If it sounds good, who cares what it looks like inside. He's obviously not out to impress the internet pundits


I agree about the sound vs. looks. I love the sound of mine. I've never had an amp that could sound so different, depending on the guitar being used.

Mind you, that being said, I choose not to open up the chassis for fear of tainting my opinion


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## Greg (Feb 7, 2006)

The inside of my old super reverb is a rats nest, the tolex is all off, its totally beat, and DRIPPING with tone, and is the most dependable amp I have ever owned, its been gigged hard by me , and by the looks of it, by everyone 
before I owned it , Greg


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## mcgriff420 (Sep 30, 2008)

I was going to buy a used UG30 from a tech in the US. After a couple phone calls he pretty much talked me out of it. According to him it was just an AC30 knockoff -albeit with quality parts but the same circuit all the way. One thing I did like about Tony's stuff is the three knob reverb, but the more I started playing live I realized I don't need reverb, there's natural reverb in every room I play.

Those UG30 clips do sound freaking incredible though..


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## Greg (Feb 7, 2006)

It funny, some say the underground 30 is a tweed front end and a ac30 power section, 
but I've heard also that its really an ac30 with a presence control,

At any rate, both are killer circuits, my favorite really, Love to play one,


The fender stand alone reverb in front of the amp is a great idea also, as
that unit in front of any amp improves the sound to my ears,

Really it sounds like a killer amp, Greg


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## Canadian Charlie (Apr 30, 2008)

This kind of Bruno?












Sorry I couldn't help myself
:banana:


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

Canadian Charlie said:


> This kind of Bruno?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That is just not right :smile:


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## gregory49 (Oct 16, 2008)

from what I've heard the bruno's are all a mix a fender/vox. MarkoM has a UG30 and he's from Toronto. I know he's on TGP I don't know if he posts on this board. One things for sure Tony Bruno has a hand that you can trust. Sorry if this is old info.


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

gregory49 said:


> from what I've heard the bruno's are all a mix a fender/vox. MarkoM has a UG30 and he's from Toronto. I know he's on TGP I don't know if he posts on this board. One things for sure Tony Bruno has a hand that you can trust. Sorry if this is old info.


I don't know if I'd put them all in the 'fender/vox' category. It really depends on the model in question.


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## mcgriff420 (Sep 30, 2008)

Canadian Charlie said:


> This kind of Bruno?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yep that the AC30 knock-off I was talking about. I think it's called a Gerussi?


_"Bruno Gerussi must die again!!" -Percy Spencer_


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## Teleplucker (Feb 5, 2006)

Hmm...missed this thread. I try to stay out of this section to avoid GAS :smile:.

I've played through 2 UG30's. Both were stunning...top 5 amps I've ever played through stunning. One was in a store in Seattle, the other was owned by a good buddy in Seattle. Neither had a master volume, but when you set the volume at noon, unbelievable amounts of goodness spewed forth. It was like the perfect mix of clean and break up, controlled by your attack on the strings. It took some tweaking of the tone knobs, but, with a Tele, ahhhh. It made me start playing some early REM stuff since that is what I was reminded of.

It definitely had a Vox character, but wasn't as bright as some Vox circuits, so the claim that they are Vox style amps with some fat Fender tones added to the mix makes sense.

That said, I wouldn't buy one since I'm virtually never in a situation where I can set a UG30 at noon. Maybe with an attentuator. GP said the wiring was a bit messy, but it looks like they've improved. I've had a few BF Fenders with messy wiring too. My friend had a trannie go on him which resulted in a pretty steep bill at Bruno uses custom trannies.

Caveat: I love Vox and Vox-style amps and currently own a very fat sounding clone with an AC30 pre-amp section and an AC15 power section + a master volume into a single Vox Blue (and it will be getting some action tonight at a gig :rockon2

Jeff, you know I love your amps, but a UG30 is better, IMO (which, as you know, is different than YOUR opinion :smile.


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## NB-SK (Jul 28, 2007)

Canadian Charlie said:


> This kind of Bruno?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Neither could I...

My guitar has been reliced...


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

I've played a UG30. Not impressed at all with the price tag.


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

Well, as they say - if you wanna play, you've got to pay.


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## Newton (Sep 11, 2006)

vds5000 said:


> I have a Bruno 'Leadman 100'. The best way to describe its tone is to think of the tone of a Soldano SLO with the gain from a Dual Recto, but remove the typical Mesa 'nasal' quality, and add much more note definition and clarity. With the pre set at around 10 o'clock, you've got gobs of gain, yet the note definition is unbelievable. Every nuance of your pick attack can be heard. I sold my 2 Mesas (Lonestar and .50 Caliber) after I spent some time with my Bruno. It's only 1 channel with 2 inputs. No effects loop, no reverb and quite frankly, I don't miss either. I play through it completely bone dry and I just love it's tone. Even though it's only 1 channel, it does clean up well when using the 'Lo' input. You're not gonna get 'Fender'-clean, but it's still decent. Sooner or later, I'll get off my rump and post some soundbytes online.
> You may not have heard of this model because I think there were less than 5 made. I emailed the Bruno rep (Ultrasound in NYC) to ask about this, and he promptly emailed me back and said there were less than a handful made. I think the Leadman 60 (60-watt version) can still be ordered.


Got a Leadman 60 and really like it. The tone controls are very effective, you can dial incredible rock tones from old hard rock to metal. All the nuance of your playing can be heard, very touch sensitive amp even with lot of gain. It has a master volume and the amp still sound like a non-master amp at a decent volume, very unique much better sensitivity than the Komet I've owed. The clean delivered by rolling back the volume of the guitar is perfect for me.


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