3rd Power Dragon 45 Amp Head 3rd Power

A Collaboration, not a Signature

For over 20 years Joe Satriani has tasked Alan Rosen of Bananas At Large with finding the perfect amplifiers for his needs. Joe and Alan have tried every high-gain amp on the market, many unique boutique brands and models, and even have imported amps from all around the world to try to find that one special amp that does it all for Joe. When Sammy Hagar announced the tour that will pay tribute to the songs of Van Halen with Joe at the helm, Alan knew it was time to custom-build THE amp to fit the VH tones and cover Joe’s needs. He went right to a trusted, long-time friend and ex-Bananas At Large employee… Dylana Scott of 3rd Power. Alan and Dylana spoke at length, reinforcing Alan’s opinion that only Dylana could make what Joe needed. With that Joe, Dylana, and Bananas At Large have come together to create The DRAGON SERIES AMPLIFIERS: A series of amplifiers designed to take the electric guitar to new heights of expression.

Dragon 45 Amplifier

The DRAGON 45 is a vintage inspired, modern featured 45 watt electric guitar amplifier designed in collaboration with Joe Satriani and 3rd Power’s Dylana Scott. Its vintage inspiration comes from the legendary 1967/1968 Plexi Super Lead 100. Its modern features come from the vast combined knowledge and experience of Joe and Dylana.

The DRAGON 45 encapsulates the soul and inspiration of iconic studio recorded guitar tones throughout history. At its core, the DRAGON 45 is a hand-wired, point-to-point amplifier – built with loving attention to detail, by people skilled in the craft.

Available in either a stand-alone head version as well as a 112 combo, the DRAGON 45 employs vintage-style, paper-bobbin transformers throughout. The laydown mains transformer delivers 500V to a pair of Svetlana EL34 output tubes. A blend of four hand-selected JJ (ECC83S) and Sovtek 12AX7LPS dual triode preamp tubes are called into action performing as follows: Vintage Plexi Mode, High Gain Cascade Mode, Class-A Cathode-follower Tone Stack, Tube buffered FX Loop, and finally, the Phase Inverter. Robust electrolytic capacitors provide the internal circuitry with clean, filtered high voltage.

When you plug your guitar into a DRAGON 45 amplifier, each note leaps out with intense passion, authority, and glorious warmth. In other words, it’s PURE CREATIVE FIRE!

Perfect Feel, Perfect Volume

Craft Your Tone

The Dragon 45 features innovative tone-crafting features such as: Plexi/Cascade Preamp Modes, 400Hz Boost, Vintage/Modern Tone Stacks, Ultra Presence (4 Switchable High-Frequency Shelf settings), Low Freq. Push, Vintage/Focus Power Amp Modes. Effortlessly integrate your time-based digital effects devices with a tube buffered effects loop.

HybridMASTER™ Volume Control

The HybridMASTER™ control is located on the front panel giving you the confidence to play what you feel when you feel it at exactly the volume you need for the occasion. Not a power-scale or power soak, HybridMASTER simultaneously controls the volume, limits the DC current and regulates the DC plate voltage of the tube circuitry to deliver your desired tone at any volume setting that’s right for the room. Our patented HybridMASTER is volume management executed to perfection!

Complete List of Features

• Head or 112 Combo Versions Available
• Duet Svetlana Brown-base EL34 Power Tubes (45W Operation)
• British Voiced Plexi & Cascaded High Gain Preamp Section (switchable)
• Switchable 400Hz Boost fattens and shapes unwound treble strings
• Dual-mode 3-Band EQ (JTM/JMP – switchable)
• Tube Buffered FX Loop
• Preamp Gain Boost (foot-switchable)
• Ultra-Presence High Frequency Shelving Filter: (1.7, 3.7, 4.3 and 5.2kHz corner frequencies)
• Switchable FOCUS mode (vintage or mid-forward for more vocal-like lead tones)
• HybridMaster™ Volume Management Technology (3P Patented)
• Premium, Sealed-action Potentiometers by Tokyo Cosmos Electronics
• Back-panel Bias Test Points and Adjustment Pot
• Custom Wound USA-made Power & Output Transformers by Heyboer
• Premium Mallory and Orange Drop Coupling Capacitors throughout
• Single Button Pro Foot Switch (included)
• Hand-wired and Hand Built in Nashville, TN
• Limited Lifetime Warranty

Specifications

• Output Architecture: 2x Power Tubes (Class AB), Fixed Bias
• Power Rectification: (4x) 1000V 1N4007 Solid State Diodes
• Plate Voltage: 120V AC input yields ~495V DC plate voltage (SS Rectified)
• Power Output: ~45W (EL34)
• Output Impedance: Discrete Jacks, (1x) 16 Ohm, (2x) 8 Ohm, (2x) 4 Ohm Outputs
• Country of Manufacture: 100% Designed and hand built in USA
• Preamp Architecture: (3x ) JJ ECC83S, (1x) Sovtek 12AX7LPS
• Speaker (Combo Version): (1x) Celestion Classic Lead 80 (8 Ohms)
• Speaker Power Handling: 80 Watts
• Dimensions: 112 Combo: 25” x 20.75” x 11”, Head: 19.875″ x 9″ x 8.5″
• Weight: 112 Combo: 59 lbs, Head: 24 lbs
• Case Composition: 5/8” Birch Cabinetry, 1/2″ Birch Baffles
• Included Accessories: Single Button Foot Switch

LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY

*Current estimated lead times for pre-orders are 3-6 months.

Bananas does not warranty tubes in transit. We offer tube removal and individual bubble wrap service for $45 per customer request (for standard amps, more complex amps that take more time may be a higher fee). Customers buying any tube product and having it shipped should understand and realize that Bananas cannot be responsible for damaged tubes from transit.

Dragon Amplifier Family