Bootlegger Blues 30 Upgraded Amplifier

TOMMY STILLWELL: Touring guitarist with Shaun Murphy Band – Nashville, TN

Studio session player / songwriter / producer

Let me start out by stating that I have been a fan of the Bootlegger Blues 30 guitar amp for over three years now. Ever since I got my Blues 30 single 12 combo and took it out on tour it has been a workhorse in tone and stability over the rigors of travel. It is also a very aesthetically pleasing amp to look at with its unique brown tolex and white piping.

It has served me well at shows before crowds ranging from 500 to 20,000 people. Always got queries from other performers on the bill who had been out front and commented on how great the amp sounded. With the bigger shows and larger crowds, I would sometime consider what it would be like to have a Blues 30 head pushing a two twelve cabinet for a little extra punch onstage. Though the front of house mix always came through for the audience, a bit more coverage onstage would help increase my tonal capabilities.

Chuck Wilson at Bootlegger was way ahead of me. He was already in the planning stages for a Blues 30 Head you could match with any 8-ohm cabinet load. Since he was in that mode, I suggested while he was at it, why not make the FAT switch on the control panel foot switchable as well? enabling a player to get that added boost and touch of “girth” in tone by simply hitting a footswitch. I was pleased he heard me and included it on the new head models.

An added bonus, I can now take my Blues 30 head and cab. combination into the studio, run a speaker line to the cabinet isolation booth and still have the amp controls next to me in the studio for adjustments “on the fly”.

So:

• Ability to run different cab. combinations for different rooms
• Foot switchable FAT switch (switch included)
• Ability to isolate cab in the studio while maintaining controls at your side

That’s a win, win, win for me!

In closing I like doing business with professionals who listen, understand and try to help accomplish the desires of an artist to achieve a positive end result. Chuck Wilson at Bootlegger does just that. He is artist minded and I always come away from a conversation with him energized and with the feeling that it was time well spent.

Tommy Stillwell

Proud Bootlegger Player

About

This head features the same brown Tolex (Levant?) covering with white piping as the Blues 20 Special, but with a strip of white Tolex top front.

This amplifier is a simplistic straightforward amp.  Nice bright sounding spring reverb for great clean jangle, with  plenty of low end 

Tone

The clean tone reminds me of my favorite blackface amps of the sixties. It’s also capable of nice tweed style dirt, completely adjustable to your touch with the Gain and Volume knobs. Great for classic rock or traditional blues. The tone controls are all nicely voiced and enable you to achieve your desired tone.

Fat Switch Foot Pedal

The (foot switchable) Fat Switch is extremely useful, fattening it up just the right amount without going overboard. Can be used to achieve a nice jazz tone, or pushed, a full rock sound.

It’s a great platform for pedals, the Preamp Out and Power Amp In enhance this.

Controls

Control panel layout from L to R: Input Jack, Gain, Treble, Bass, Middle, Volume, Reverb, Presence, Power Amp in, Preamp out, Jewel light, Standby and Power switches.

Speaker / Tubes

The rear panel has Speaker Out @ 8 ohms only, and a footswitch jack for the Fat Switch.

Tube compliment: 2 6L6GC power tubes and 3 12AX7s

What You See Is What You Get

All in all, a solid, simple, WYSIWYG, traditional sounding guitar amp, with just enough modern enhancements to make it more useful in every situation. It has great tone that holds its own with any of the major brands out there.  

If medium powered ’50s tweed to ’60s blackface is the sound you’re looking for, look no further than the Bootlegger Blues 30! Rex Bailey

Now with fat switch foot pedal. You can switch from fat to non fat with the included pedal.

Specifications of Blues 30 Upgraded Amplifier

• Class A 30 Watt
• Tank Reverb – deep reverb when you want it
• Gain and volume control (crank the gain)
• Mid – treble – bass – presence controls
• Fat switch more low end growl Now Foot Pedal Switchable On Off
• Output Power Rating: 30W rms @5%THD.8ohm load, 220 VAC
• Noise: <60mV (Volume and Tone @0)
• 90mV (Volume and Tone @12)
• Maximum Input Signal: 1000mV rms@1khz
• Preamp Tubes: 3 x 12AX7
• Power Tubes: 2 x 6L6GCR
• Size  21 12 12
• 25 pounds
• Pedal Effect Loop
• Foot Pedal

A few reviews

Blues 30

You can get a higher Fender twang or a lower Marshall growl with the fat switch, but you still can find your own unique killer sound that cuts through a loud band. A Fender Tele sounds like a Tele, a Gibson Les Paul sounds like a Les Paul.

Timothy Wayne Plank

Blues 30

Very cool vintage style blues machine. Shipped very quick packaged with double cardboard boxes. Looking forward to sharing it with friends.

Rick L

Blues 30

My amp arrived 3 days earlier than expected(a lot snow in N.C.). I love this amp, it’s what I was looking for a single channel 30 watt amp with 6L6GC tubes,great sounding fat switch and reverb were bonuses. Beautiful, gorgeous clean tones, (from what I hear,it’s a mix of vintage Vox and Fender),and the overdriven tones are perfect. My BOSS Metal Zone sounds great thru it.For the features,tone and power, this amp is a steal.

Jan 24th, 2018 by Timothy P.

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