For many players, it’s difficult to resist
the enthralling clean tones of a blackface
Fender amp. There are many reasons why
those classic amps have made generations of
guitarists salivate—their rich warmth, sparkly
highs, and springy response, for starters.
Their sonic qualities have driven builders
since before the dawn of the boutique amp
age, all of them hoping to capture a sliver of
what made those amps great.
But mimicry only goes so far, and
Brunetti Amplification didn’t want their
new class A, 6V6-powered Singleman
combo to be a simple clone of a classic.
Although the 16-watt 1x12 combo (a
35-watt, 6L6-powered version is also available)
shows an obvious affinity for those
tones, it really uses them as a foundation
for its own voice, throwing in a couple of
extra features to expand its sonic palate.
The Singleman oozes class with the black-and-tan motif of its Celestion Vintage
30-stocked, semi-open back cabinet.
Brunetti says it weighs almost 40 pounds,
but it feels a bit lighter. It also features a
jack for connecting a 16 Ω cab.
Inside the stainless-steel chassis, the
Singleman uses top-shelf components—sealed
relays, Red Series MKP WIMA caps, and
low-noise film resistors—in a handwired
circuit governed by a dual 12AX7-driven,
3-band EQ section with a few tricks up its
sleeve: Although the amp might seem limited
to some players because it has just one
channel, it serves up more versatility via its
midrange-boost and brightness switches, as
well as a 3-way switch for selecting tweed, fat,
or smooth voicing modes. Tonal and application
flexibility are further bolstered by the
Singleman’s PowerLimit circuit—a patented
system for switching the tubes from push-pull
tetrode (16 watts) to triode (12 watts) and
single-ended triode (1-watt) modes. There’s
also a seriously great-sounding Accutronics
spring reverb, and a serial effects loop.
The Classics … Reborn
The Singleman’s tones—scooped cleans
with deliciously smooth breakup—conjure
thoughts of a trusty ’60s Deluxe
Reverb bellowing over an audience in a
smoky blues bar. The P-90s in a Gibson
SG Classic push the front end very nicely,
allowing the amp’s woody attack and
mids to shine through. The EQ controls
are well voiced and dynamic, too, so it
doesn’t take much tweaking to get tones
that can cover jazz, blues, country, and
rock—especially if you dedicate your
attention to the amp’s midrange control
(more on that in a bit).
Evidence of the EQ’s dynamics is evident
as you travel from one extreme to another
on each knob. A perfect example is how
immediate the attack becomes when treble
is turned past 3 o’clock—it yields a snappy
top end perfect for country fingerpicking.
Increasing the bass lays down a luscious
low end that works well with neck-position
single-coils for jazzy rhythms, and the amp
reacts with authority when you pick the
strings hard. Meanwhile, the middle control
is great for tailoring the Singleman’s
voice for a specific guitar: For example,
lower settings accommodate a Gibson Les
Paul, balancing its lows and highs, while
boosting it above 1 o’clock fattens the tone
enough for a Stratocaster’s bridge singlecoil
to handle jazzier fare.
The Singleman’s reverb is deep and lush,
rivaling that of a venerated old Deluxe or
Twin—though some players might feel
there’s too much on tap. Setting it between
9 and 10 o’clock adds a nice, three-dimensional
quality that helps carry the
tone across the room—it’s likely plenty for
most jazz, blues, and country players. When
it approaches noon, you get into splashy
surf-rock territory. If you like drowning
your sound in reverb, the amp can yield
mammoth-sounding results.
Given the inspiration for its design, one
might assume that the Singleman’s main
mission is to deliver beautiful, vintage-style
cleans, but its overdriven tones are nothing to
turn your nose up at, either. Single-coils and
humbuckers both have a fantastic vintage
bite in the highs, and the smooth midrange
setting sags in a really pleasing way when the
volume is up high enough to yield some dirt.
The 3-way voicing switch is indispensable for
honing the drive’s flavor—it delivers some of
the amp’s coolest tones. I particularly liked
the tweed setting, with volume at 1 or 2
o’clock and a pair of P-90s driving it all—it’s
one of the coolest, most refined riffs on a
cranked Deluxe sound that I’ve ever heard.
Because Singleman doesn’t have a master
volume, the only way to get overdrive is to
turn the volume up until the power amp
saturates. That’s where the PowerLimit
circuit comes in handy. But the lower you
go, the more the driven tones sag, which
affects the amp’s punchiness. So finding a
good overall volume on the amp and riding
your guitar’s volume knob is key for getting
both clean and dirty tones.
The Verdict
With the Singleman, Brunetti has fashioned
an excellent tribute to blackface
Fenders, one that shakes up the formula
with superb harmonic detail, a little extra
grit, more versatile tone-shaping features,
and practical power attenuation. Combine
that functionality with classy looks, roadworthy
build quality, and a very reasonable
price, and it’s a compelling option for studio
hounds and road warriors alike.