There’s a first time for everything in life.
In this particular case it’s the first time I’ve
ever come across an amp with a “sexy”
switch on it! This was just one of the unique
quirks that stood out on the Brutus Live
head and matching 2× 12 cab I had the
pleasure to check out this time around.
Guglielmo Cicognani is a renowned Italian
amp designer who teamed up with session guitarist/instructor/performer Donato
Begotti to create a signature line of amps
and cabs suitable for both stage and studio,
resulting in the Brutus series.
Sporting a look similar to THD’s line of
amp heads but in a black and orange color
scheme, the Brutus Live head is a compact
( 15″× 9″× 7″) unit that offers 28 watts of
Class A power through two 5881 power
tubes. For tube-swapping junkies it also
includes auto biasing for 6L6GC, EL34,
6CA7, KT66, 6550 and KT88. It comes
standard with an effects loop that can be
switched between series and parallel, and a
direct/slave out labeled “Jolly” for driving
a separate power amp. You’ve gotta love
those naming conventions. On the front
panel there is a single input, Bass, Middle
and Treble controls, a 3-way switch labeled
“T…Z” for Presence, separate Channel 1
and 2 controls for Gain and Volume, each
with its own switch for Clean/Crunch/Sexy
(Ch. 1) and Lead1/Lead2 (Ch. 2). Wrapping
up the funky naming conventions are a
standby switch labeled “Waiting/Playing”
and a backlit rocker power switch labeled
“Holiday/Rocking!”
The companion 2× 12 DP birch ply cab
houses two Jensen C12K2 speakers capable
of handling up to 120 watts in mono mode.
Two jacks on the back allow for mono
8-ohm and stereo 16-ohm inputs. The cab
is covered in a sleek, black leather-like
Tolex material with a black metal grill that
is affixed to the front by nine screws. A nice
bonus is the extractable microphone support system that can be used in place of a
standard mic stand for convenient placement in a live or recording situation.
In Play
The mark of a good amp is that it allows
the true characteristics of a guitar to come
through. The best examples of amps don’t
mask but enhance the things we love about
our favorite instrument, and inspire us to
play and create new music. With the Brutus it
was clear that the amp has a voice—many of
them in fact—but it also allowed every guitar
I played through it to stand up and proudly
display its unique characteristics. Plugging in
a Les Paul and setting the Brutus to Channel
1 in the “crunch” position with the gain
at 3 o’clock and the volume around noon
instantly brought out a perfect Foo Fighters
rhythm tone: tight, crunchy and focused.
Having a very active set of tone controls
allowed for easy dialing in of more body
via the midrange knob and a thick bottom
that never flubbed out the Jensen speakers.
Flicking the “T…Z” switch to all three positions focused the presence center from low
to high. In the far left position the presence
felt both dark and bright if that’s even
