"Let's start with the clean channel. And even after the first few sounds, it's clear: it delivers! Outstanding, very clear sounds with plenty of headroom and articulation ring out of my speaker. Pearly, snappy or sweetish if desired and with assertiveness. The rectifier tube is also fun to use as it provides a hint of "sag". It is also immediately apparent how much influence you can have with the tone control: Even a slight turn of the treble and/or bass changes the sound significantly. The three preset mid-range parameters are suitably selected. [...] Paired with the different Bright settings on the corresponding toggle switch, any guitar, whether it is equipped with humbuckers or single coils, really harmonizes with the Galaktopus. [...] In short: the clean channel is convincing across the board. From warm to high-resolution to extra crisp: everything is possible here. Tonally, it's in the top league and extraordinarily flexible. Great!
Quite a few players also like to use such a clean channel as a platform for overdrive or distortion pedals. So we instantly connected various floor pedals in front of it. This works very well, the amp offers an excellent tonal platform and even different distortion pedals always work harmoniously with the flexibly adjustable clean channel. With a good high-gain pedal, for example with the simultaneous "Punch" setting in the power amp's reactivity circuit, a powerful sound can be produced immediately. At the same time, the Galaktopus always retains its dynamic and percussive articulation. In short: a true recommendation as a pedal platform.
We continue with the drive channel. The percussive and pronounced articulation is immediately confirmed here too. [...] Low gain settings deliver beautiful breakup sounds right up to a powerful overdrive at maximum. This is not high-gain, definitely not metal, rather a beefy classic rock chunk. With the very effective three-band tone control, a wide range of tone shaping can also be achieved in the drive channel: In combination with the different Reactivity settings from bluesy, sweet and soft to tight and punchy basses. Compliments for these extensive nuances that can be elicited from the Galaktopus.
All in all, Three Bananas has achieved a visually appealing design here. If you unscrew the bottom-mounted chassis from the housing, you can take a look at the workmanship: It is flawless, tidy and absolutely top quality, the NASA-standard turret hybrid design using components of the highest quality is beyond all doubt.
With the 50-watt version of the Galaktopus all-tube head, Three Bananas Amplification presents a successful design, high build quality and exceptional tonal flexibility from two channels. Its goal of developing an independent sounding amp with a "wall of sound" appearance has been accomplished. The Clean channel reveals tonal culture at its best, while the Drive channel offers extensive sound shaping possibilities, from bluesy sweet to powerful classic rock overdrive, thanks to its very effective tone control and the excellent Reactivity circuit. Both channels love to be driven with pedals. Three Bananas' very own sound DNA can also be discovered - clearly articulated, with a percussive attack. The player is nevertheless challenged, as the amp is not very forgiving. The reward is a great sound and excellent dynamics."
The original german article has been translated to english with DeepL.