Used Cutthroat Audio Down Brownie

Used Cutthroat Audio Down Brownie
Serial Number: DB1090
Condition: Mint condition, 2021 model. Amp shows little to no wear. Comes with footswitch and cover.

Over the years, I’d heard a lot of really great things about the 6G3 Brown Deluxe.  I’m a big ZZ Top fan (especially the early years), and after learning that Billy Gibbons had used them in the pre-Eliminator days, my interest was piqued.  Later on, I read an interview with Joe Bonamassa, who considers the 6G3 a “desert island” amp.  Ok, so now I gotta have one.  But the vintage ones I found were spendy and almost always messed with.  So I decided why not just build one using the best bits available?

Down Brownie™ is a faithful tribute to the revered 6G3 Brown Deluxe that really does live up to its reputation as a “mini-Marshall”.  This one’s no kit, either.  The Down Brownie™ has about 275 parts, consisting of  100 discrete part numbers sourced from over a dozen different vendors.  No corners were cut; only the best components are used.  Furthermore, it comes standard with some really cool features that take it well beyond a one-trick pony, without altering the original “brown sound” or DNA these gems are known for.  Oh, and it has the most seductive bias-vary tremolo you’ve ever heard.

Down Brownie™ has two very distinctive channels; British and Brown.  Let’s start with the the Brown channel.  This is pure unadulterated 6G3 tone right here.  Although originally labeled the “Bright” channel, it’s really not what you would call bright.  It starts to get real crunchy at anything above 3-4 on the volume.  Turn it up to 7 or 8, and let’s just say the Reverend would approve…

On to the British channel.  Originally labeled “Normal”, it was sort of flat sounding to my ears.  So, after some tweaking and several consultations with Fender mod guru Rob Robinette, this channel was re-voiced to a Marshall JMP50 1987 type circuit.  The V1 cathode was split, and Marshall capacitor and resistor values were used where appropriate.  This channel is tighter with slightly less gain than the Brown channel (think AC/DC, Kossoff, here).  Pull the British channel volume knob, and you’ve just jumpered with the Brown channel for some very cool blending possibilities.

Type: Tube
Number of Channels: 2
Total Power: 20 watts
Preamp Tubes: 3 x 12AX7
Power Tubes: 2 x 6V6GT
Rectifier Tube: GZ34
Speaker: Weber Vintage Alnico 12A125-S 8 ohm, 30 watt speaker (a P12Q-inspired Alnico, but with tighter bottom-end and later breakup)
Effects: Tremolo
Controls: Volume and Tone per channel
Inputs: 2 x 1/4" per channel
Outputs: 2 x 1/4" Speaker + Ext. Speaker
Effects Loop: None
Footswitch: Tremolo
Height: 17"
Width: 20.5"
Depth: 9"
Weight: 30.0 lbs.