Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

O

OceanMachine

New member
I am a rather impatient 22 year old in need of a gig worthy amp. But not just any amp. A metal amp, something that well handle low notes quite well. Notes as low as about G, keeping the low end tight and defined and providing ample amounts of gain without it turning to mush.

Anyhow being impatient I don't fancy much the idea of saving up to get an Engl or a Triple Rectifier. I've heard alot about Bugera and the whole guitar playing community seems split on them. I've been looking into the 333xl and I'd just like to know if anyone has any opinions on Bugera from first hand experience with them?

Or should I just save the cash and splash on something like an Engl Powerball. OR, would anybody suggest any altrnatives?

Any help or general chat on the topic would be cool.
 
Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

You can get a mint single rectifier for $700-800 on Ebay. That's all the power you're going to need. I don't know why you would need a 150 rectifier for the usual gigs because a 50w single rect is plenty. If you want to gig with an amp then it wouldn't be very prudent to buy a Chinese knock-off amp that has a 50% chance of failing on you. Bugeras are good if you want some cheap amps to give you different sounds at home as far as I'm concerned.
 
Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

Experience with 3 different Bugeras. Good(metal) tones, especially with some quality tubes. Very unreliable. 333xl fumed up in a week, cost as much to fix it as it did to buy it. 6262 broke down twice. Never figured out the fx loop problem, so I sold it. 1960 was cool, never had a problem.

Id say save up and get the Engl or whatever amp you really do want instead of settling.
 
Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

Cheap will more than likely get you junk. I second the Single Rectifier.
 
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Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

As all them guys said: save up some more and get an used Engl Fireball, Mesa Single Recto or a 5150. Besides reliability, their sound is the business. I'm always open for smart solutions so I always test this and that for the studio but all the Bugeras I've tried / heard so far were pretty undefined. AMT preamps and a power amp will give you much better sound:

http://www.amtelectronics.com/products/
 
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Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

I gotta say, everything ive read about Bugeras arent "gigworthy". I love my combo, but its making a hi pitched circuit noise, and its only been moved once in 18 months.

A 5150, is def gig worthy, and you can tailor the tubes to get bass tightness you want.(hint: ask the glassman guy). Also, its got an easy mod to make it hotter. Last time i saw one in a store, my pal scooped it up for under $600. And if it plays, its already put in what, seven years? Theyre surprisingly hardy.
 
Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

Dont, and I mean dont waste your money on a crappy amp. You are young.

There might a great deal of changing residences moving in your future and some gigging.
Both can add wear and tear on equipment.

Please invest ssome cash up front. Get something that with withstand some normal use.
This will pay off down the trail.
 
Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

I may have been lucky but my 333xl has gotten me through near 100 practice sessions without drama. That said, the few gigs my last band did were reserved for amps without bad track records. I was always scared.
 
Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

Another vote for the Peavey 5150/6505 - these are standard, go to amps for metal. They sit perfectly in a heavy mix, and they still cut through brilliantly. Ample gain, really well built, will take a beatin' and keep on tickin', and they are extremely affordable.

$1000 or less new, and you can snag one for 450-600 used.

When a new Bugera costs that much anyway, and it's just a copy anyway, why waste your money? Even if you don't gel with the peavey, if you bought it used, you can still turn around and get rid of it for the same amount of money you paid.

Bugeras are a touchy subject - they sound great, because they are just copies of the 6505, JSX, XXX, triple recto, Plexi etc. but the build quality and reliability are spotty at best. I dunno about you guys but if I'm in the market to buy new (or used) gear, I want to make sure that whatever I buy will sound great and be a reliable piece of kit as well.
 
Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

The reliability point is quite interesting.
IIRC, Bugera had major reliability problems up until around early 2009.
After that it seems the issues were more or less ironed out.
I've had my Bugera (333XL model btw) for almost a year and a half now with ZERO issues what so ever and it's a very versatile, great sounding amp that still costs me less than buying a used 5150.
The 5150 has no clean sound to speak of (it's all about that monstrous high gain sound really), but the 333XL actually has something quite usable, so if you want to play more than just blistering high gain, the 333XL is a good option.
 
Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

333xl is a clone of the JSX no?

also, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that they've got their manufacturing problems ironed out...but I'm still skeptical. I think it's made worse by the fact that Bugera is owned by Behringer who seems to be pretty faceless...they churn out tons of affordable products, some horrendously cheap, some which is worth the money, and regardless of what anyone says, they have made a big impact on the industry, but moreso because of putting the right products out into the market, not because of a reputation for bulletproof build quality.

I'm not saying import stuff is crap, because it's not. My own Jet City amp is a testament to that. But I know the faces of Jet City. I've talked to Doug (one of the company's owners and also their Product Marketing guy) on the phone and via email and he's totally professional. Mike Soldano himself designed the entire amp, and he's one of the other owners of Jet City. So there is a reputation for great sound and great build quality from Soldano, but the production is done overseas, and they know that quality standards are a concern for musicians like us, so what do they do? The owners themselves go out to their production facilities in China, and personally inspect the production. They're fully invested in the company, they relish feedback from their customers and they put out great products, regardless of place of manufacture or price level.

Bugera on the other hand are doing something very similar: legendary rock and metal sounds out of overseas-produced amps. Ok, so they supposedly have fixed their reliability problems - is there any actual proof of this? Aside from hoping you get a good one, there seems to be very little recourse if you've got a dud. And that kinda thing definitely plays a part in filtering out choices for a major purchase, at least for me.

I just think it makes more sense to get a used Peavey head rather than a new copy of the Peavey...
 
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Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

I played one for the first time, a V22 in a rental rehearsal space recently. IMO, that is a good place for them. It got the job done at practice, but it's tone was cheap and brittle, without much character, and it was built terribly and looked cheap. I've played Silvertones that I would own and gig with, but not the Bugera. This is just a shared experience, not a judgment of the entire brand. They may have some nicer models.

I'd save your cash and buy used, so you retain resale value better.
 
Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

I have no experience with the Bugera's but I can say that I am very pleased with my 6505+, my past amps were fenders, vhts, and mesas and I think my 6505+ can hang with them.....You do have to work for the cleans on it though....swap the tubes and get good speakers....
 
Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

I do not know why anyone in the US will want to look at a Hi-Gain Bugera.

(the guitar store where my cousin works sells them, so i know they are not that bad, but...)

If I lived in a country where used amps was sooo cheap, i would have had (at my age) 10-15 amps allready !
But, like some of you know, a Mesa MK5 is costing us 5K USD, so all of a sudden, Bugera starts to make sence . . . but not in a country where you can pick up a 5150 for $600.00 all day long.

So, i would tell the OP to honestly look at amps that we all know will last for decades, because they are allready out for decades and we know they are road worthy.
 
Re: Bugera Amps - What's the deal?

I'll also say go with a used 5150 and a good, solid cab...with an emphasis on solid. The 5150 isn't just a great metal amp, it's versatile too; with a simple V1 tube swap, it makes a great blues/classic rock...this means that if your tastes change some day or if you want to experiment with different genres, you don't have to change amps. As far as durability goes...your grandchildren will probably get a kick out of playing it some day.
 
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