By Brelliott BBB-30 Amp Review – Glorious Gain all round!
Introduction
Just before Christmas we reviewed the amazing Brelliott AMZ-30 amp (Review here). Well, we are back now with another one of their amps, The Brelliott BBB-30. A medium-to-high-gain amp with a plethora of options to enhance its studio performance! So, as always, we will go through the amp, talk about all the controls and options it has (and it has a lot), and then we will hear the sounds. Finally, we will discuss our thoughts.
Jonny is a super-friendly and knowledgeable man – when he gave me the opportunity to try out his amp, I was thrilled! Jonny has only loaned me this amp, so sadly, I will have to return it! So, let’s dive straight in and talk about the amazing Brelliott BBB-30 guitar amp. We’ll go through all the controls and options this amp has to offer!
Brelliott BBB-30 Amp
First off, the Brelliott BBB-30 looks amazing! A very clean and almost “basic” design! Everything is clearly labelled, and everything you would want easy access to has easy access! The wood used for the case (poplar) is lovely, with the contrasting large plexi logo on the front, popping out at you. There are cutouts on the top for styling and cooling. On top of the amp, you will find a super sturdy and comfy handle to carry it around.
In terms of controls, there is a lot to go over on this amp. Let’s start with the front panel! So on the far right, you have two inputs, one for a high impedance and one for a low. Next to that, there is a switch to toggle between Bold and Bright (unlabelled on this demo model), which affect the tone and dynamics for the “clean” setting. We then have the volume and output controls of the amp: clean Volume then Boost Gain and Volume for the overdrive. Following that are the standard three-band EQ (Bass, Mid and Treble), and the final knob is a Presence control. The last few switches include a boost switch to activate the boost options, with the footswitch jack underneath. Next is the amp’s power switch. Below all the controls are two switches, one for a deep switch and the other for a Presence (and Negative Feedback) bypass switch.
BBB-30 Amp Continued
Now, on the back is where it gets interesting! There are four extra switches! From the far left, there is a Full/Half power switch (which, according to Jonny, is more like a Full/Quarter power option). Switching this will “make the phase splitter distort before the output valves distort”. Next is a Push-Pull/Single Ended mode switch, which turns off the signal to one valve, simulating a Single-Ended output stage. Up next is a Fixed/Cathode bias switch. This switch affects the output valve temperature, and alters the dynamics of the power amp, resulting in a more springy and compressed sound. The final switch is an Ultralinear tap. These taps were designed to make the amp behave more linearly, but the way they have been used make the 20% and 43% taps great for pulling the volume down, while maintaining depth and presence.
Finally, on the far right, it has two speaker outputs with a switch to change the output impedance ohms value to whatever you might need it to be! Super useful when using live or in the studio.
The BBB-30 is built to order, with prices ranging from £2995 to £3650, depending on specifications and additional switching options and finishing! It’s highly customizable, and Brelliott will do their best to help and satisfy any build requirements you have. So, what do we think of this amp? Well, before we get into that, why don’t we take a listen to some sounds!
The Sounds
For the sounds, I aimed to cover everything I could with the Brelliott BBB-30. In the demo track, you will find clean sounds, crunch sounds, and heavy gain sounds! All of the sounds in the demo song consist only of the guitar and the amp (with the guitar being the LT Strat). No pedals or effects were used, and any delay you hear is added in post-production.
Following the demo song, we delve into the various sounds of the Brelliott BBB-30. This is demonstrated using both a single-coil and a humbucker-equipped guitar. Additionally, we experiment by introducing a few pedals to see how the amp responds. Once again, the single coil is my LT Strat (Review Here), and for humbuckers, I am using the Munson Tempest guitar (Review Here).
What are my thoughts?
The build quality is superb – all hand-built and wired. The finishing is lovely, and it feels incredibly solid; I can’t find a single flaw. Everything is put together well, making me confident in its durability for touring and gigging. Moreover, if any issues arise, the team is just a message away for assistance. The design and look of this amp are fantastic. The team has succeeded in creating an amp that looks modern yet feels familiar, sparking conversations and interest.
For those seeking Hendrix tones – the kind of pushed, spanky cleans – this is the amp for you! Straight out of the box, all I did was plug in my Strat and got glorious tones, using the volume to drive it if needed. Don’t be fooled by the low gain; use the boost section to push the amp further into overdrive and achieve high gain or even fuzz-like tones. If you need to sculpt your tone, the 3-band EQ section is very responsive, and the presence control adds a nice “air” quality to the tone.
More Thoughts!
Expanding on the simplicity, getting various tones from this amp is easy – just plug and play! While there are various switches and options, you can easily plug in your guitar and achieve amazing tones. The amp is capable of so many tones, but if you’re after medium gain, crunchy tones, then this amp is perfect. It also serves as an excellent “pedal platform,” cleaning up well and running pedals into the front with no issues. Combine this with the switches on the back, and you have the flexibility to achieve any sound you’re aiming for.
The boost option is a lovely touch. Using the two controls (Gain and volume), you can either have it as a “second channel,” pushing the amp into heavier and thicker gain, or keep the gain low but push the volume, using it as a boost for solos. All of this is accessible either by the switch on the front panel or a TRS footswitch – a perfect option!
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Are there any negatives? Nothing more than any other tube amp! The weight isn’t super heavy but is heavier than a digital amp. Also, as with any boutique amp, these aren’t cheap – starting from £2950. However, some of the bigger brands are putting out mass-produced amps for way more money than this. You won’t get the options, service, or support like you do with Brelliott.
The only other thing to note is that this is a “proper” amp, fully tube and transformers, which comes with a price (as discussed earlier) and also weight and size considerations. It isn’t a huge amp by any means, but if you expect it to be the same as a Lunchbox head, you will be surprised. As I mentioned, this is a full-fat, proper studio amp.
Overall, if I had to describe the Brelliott BBB-30, it would be “the perfect studio amp.” With all its options, switches, and controls, there are so many sounds to be had. Perfect to have on a shelf in a studio and grab at a moment’s notice. However, despite its many options, the BBB-30 is still super simple to use and can be confidently used at gigs without worrying about finding controls if adjustments are needed!
Conclusion
Thanks to Jonny for sending this to me for a review; it was a joy to play, and I think we can all agree it looks fantastic! If you want to check out Brelliott Amps, you can find all their links below! Be sure to also check out our review of their pedal (check it out here). They make fantastic amps, and I can’t wait to show you the other one I have in the studio to try!
Remember to check out our review of the TODP pedal! It’s a feature-packed overdrive pedal from the guys at Brelliott. You can read that review here! Also, check out Brelliott’s other amp, the AMZ-30, which we reviewed here.
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