Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
- Thread starter Masta' C
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Red_Label
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Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
I've been wanting to play around with the 1960 for years and have never had one here locally to play. So this sale ALMOST sucked me in. $229 for a plexi? CHEAP! I was very close to pulling the trigger on one, but then I started reading the reviews at MF. I was already very aware of their QC issues (more like just POOR quality), but it's like a slap in the face to read those reviews and see so many of them with self-destructive amps.
Would I like a 1959 clone sitting in the man cave? You bet. But considering that I have two hand-wired P2P Ceriatones in there (JTM45 and Chupacabra), as well as a fire-breathing 100 watt Fender Supersonic Blonde Twin (I use Bogner Blue and Red pedals on the clean channel for my crunch and lead sounds)... why would I even waste the $229 on something that seems likely to go "pop!" and smoke soon after I buy it? Anyways... for those buying these deals... I don't begrudge you anything and sincerely hope that you get great-sounding, great-running amps. When I think about getting one myself, I just can't justify watering-down the great amp stable that I already have with such flimsy amps... despite the steal of a price.
I've been wanting to play around with the 1960 for years and have never had one here locally to play. So this sale ALMOST sucked me in. $229 for a plexi? CHEAP! I was very close to pulling the trigger on one, but then I started reading the reviews at MF. I was already very aware of their QC issues (more like just POOR quality), but it's like a slap in the face to read those reviews and see so many of them with self-destructive amps.
Would I like a 1959 clone sitting in the man cave? You bet. But considering that I have two hand-wired P2P Ceriatones in there (JTM45 and Chupacabra), as well as a fire-breathing 100 watt Fender Supersonic Blonde Twin (I use Bogner Blue and Red pedals on the clean channel for my crunch and lead sounds)... why would I even waste the $229 on something that seems likely to go "pop!" and smoke soon after I buy it? Anyways... for those buying these deals... I don't begrudge you anything and sincerely hope that you get great-sounding, great-running amps. When I think about getting one myself, I just can't justify watering-down the great amp stable that I already have with such flimsy amps... despite the steal of a price.
Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
I have looked and looked and looked, and haven't seen any of these "self destructive" amps. I searched all over the internet for issues about Bugera, and other than one here or there messing up (usually right after being bought, like EVERY MANUFACTURER has), I couldn't really find any QC issues. Sure, they had a few issues starting out, but all the stuff from the past 5 years seems to be solid. I keep seeing all these people saying "I've heard Bugera has all these issues", but I see VERY few people actually saying "I have personally had issues with Bugera products". It just seems like an awful lot of elitism to me.
I have looked and looked and looked, and haven't seen any of these "self destructive" amps. I searched all over the internet for issues about Bugera, and other than one here or there messing up (usually right after being bought, like EVERY MANUFACTURER has), I couldn't really find any QC issues. Sure, they had a few issues starting out, but all the stuff from the past 5 years seems to be solid. I keep seeing all these people saying "I've heard Bugera has all these issues", but I see VERY few people actually saying "I have personally had issues with Bugera products". It just seems like an awful lot of elitism to me.
Red_Label
New member
Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
ZERO elitism here! Am I proud to own a great amp that's well-regarded by many? Sure. Do I buy Chinese gear if it fits the bill for me? YOU BET! I've got an Egnater Rebel 20 head on an Egnater 1X12 cube as one of my practice rigs. There's also a Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister that's been in my possession for the past month (I owned one last year as well). I just don't want to buy something and have it go up in smoke on me shortly after plugging it in for the first time. I read through a bunch of reviews of Bugera amps on the MF site right before I posted above and saw far too many negatives for my comfort. However, I did not note the date of those reviews when I read through them. Now that I go back and skim them again... I do see that most are at least 4 years old. But my confidence has been shaken. I want my gear to work, no matter where it was made. And since I've got a room full of gear that already does, I'm going to pass on this "sweet deal" as I just don't have to take the chance.
Btw... when I want to hang-out with "the elite"... I hang at The Gear Page or Rig-Talk (though R-T doesn't have near the cork-sniffery going-on that TGP has). I hang-out at SDF because it's a regular cross-section of regular players that you'd find across many genres and walks of life. And I like that about it. There are players here who have very nice gear (more than a few have a lot more boutique gear than me). But I really don't see much snobbery or elitism here on this site. If you want to see REAL elitism... go post about buying a Bugera on TGP.
ZERO elitism here! Am I proud to own a great amp that's well-regarded by many? Sure. Do I buy Chinese gear if it fits the bill for me? YOU BET! I've got an Egnater Rebel 20 head on an Egnater 1X12 cube as one of my practice rigs. There's also a Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister that's been in my possession for the past month (I owned one last year as well). I just don't want to buy something and have it go up in smoke on me shortly after plugging it in for the first time. I read through a bunch of reviews of Bugera amps on the MF site right before I posted above and saw far too many negatives for my comfort. However, I did not note the date of those reviews when I read through them. Now that I go back and skim them again... I do see that most are at least 4 years old. But my confidence has been shaken. I want my gear to work, no matter where it was made. And since I've got a room full of gear that already does, I'm going to pass on this "sweet deal" as I just don't have to take the chance.
Btw... when I want to hang-out with "the elite"... I hang at The Gear Page or Rig-Talk (though R-T doesn't have near the cork-sniffery going-on that TGP has). I hang-out at SDF because it's a regular cross-section of regular players that you'd find across many genres and walks of life. And I like that about it. There are players here who have very nice gear (more than a few have a lot more boutique gear than me). But I really don't see much snobbery or elitism here on this site. If you want to see REAL elitism... go post about buying a Bugera on TGP.
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Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
I didn't actually mean your post was elitist, I just meant that a lot of the ones posted about the "problems" with Bugera are usually dripping in it. I'm probably just as biased as anyone else when it comes to the brand, as I love that they can put at least a very close approximation of amps that I can't afford into my hands. I really didn't mean most of that towards you in particular, but in general it seems like a lot of people have a negative view of Bugera without actually ever owning one.
uOpt
Something Cool
Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
Other than reliability, how are they? Let's for starters say how are the output transformers? High enough quality to emulate what they say they emulate?
Having all the right circuits and schematics doesn't buy you much if the output transformer eats it all up.
Other than reliability, how are they? Let's for starters say how are the output transformers? High enough quality to emulate what they say they emulate?
Having all the right circuits and schematics doesn't buy you much if the output transformer eats it all up.
Red_Label
New member
Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
Roger. And I do hear you about the elitism on so many gear forums and in so many reviews. I won't say that I don't have my snobbish cycles here and there. But I will say that I've owned most everything from all points on the "nice" scale. In fact, during this past year I've bought a $20 Joyo compressor from a pawn shop (gave it away a while back because it just didn't squish near enough for my tastes), to my Tom Anderson Drop Top Classic strat (the best and most expensive strat I've ever owned in 30+ years of gear-whoring BAR NONE). So I'll play anything, and if it works for me I'll keep playing it and not be "shamed" into getting rid of it and dumping on it. Same goes for boutique gear that's supposed to be all-the-rage. If I'm not impressed, or not feeling it... it's gone and I won't let the peer group talk me into liking or keeping something I don't like. I had a Kemper Profiler last year for a few weeks, with the option to buy. Didn't like it. Same goes for the Fractal stuff. I had an Eleven Rack that I would keep over both of those. But I've had two Vox Tonelab LEs (still have one) and honestly, for modeling types of gear I still prefer the Tonelab. I'd get shamed-out of the elitist gear forums for daring to choose a lowly Tonelab or 11R over the AxeFx or KPA. But I like what I like, and I don't like what I don't like. What I "should" like or not like just doesn't hold much water with me (much to the ire of snobbier friends) :18:
Roger. And I do hear you about the elitism on so many gear forums and in so many reviews. I won't say that I don't have my snobbish cycles here and there. But I will say that I've owned most everything from all points on the "nice" scale. In fact, during this past year I've bought a $20 Joyo compressor from a pawn shop (gave it away a while back because it just didn't squish near enough for my tastes), to my Tom Anderson Drop Top Classic strat (the best and most expensive strat I've ever owned in 30+ years of gear-whoring BAR NONE). So I'll play anything, and if it works for me I'll keep playing it and not be "shamed" into getting rid of it and dumping on it. Same goes for boutique gear that's supposed to be all-the-rage. If I'm not impressed, or not feeling it... it's gone and I won't let the peer group talk me into liking or keeping something I don't like. I had a Kemper Profiler last year for a few weeks, with the option to buy. Didn't like it. Same goes for the Fractal stuff. I had an Eleven Rack that I would keep over both of those. But I've had two Vox Tonelab LEs (still have one) and honestly, for modeling types of gear I still prefer the Tonelab. I'd get shamed-out of the elitist gear forums for daring to choose a lowly Tonelab or 11R over the AxeFx or KPA. But I like what I like, and I don't like what I don't like. What I "should" like or not like just doesn't hold much water with me (much to the ire of snobbier friends) :18:
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Red_Label
New member
Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
I've heard that the transformer is big and that it's not bad. At least that's what I read when I was pouring over the reviews. What scares me about the Bugera stuff is the very thin PCBs that they're constructed with. I can deal with a PCB on an amp. The ones on my various Bogner, Marshall, etc amps were fine. But I gotta have some confidence that it won't easily break on me require jumper wires everywhere over time. Not worth my time/effort to deal with that (even though I can do that basic repair by myself).
I've heard that the transformer is big and that it's not bad. At least that's what I read when I was pouring over the reviews. What scares me about the Bugera stuff is the very thin PCBs that they're constructed with. I can deal with a PCB on an amp. The ones on my various Bogner, Marshall, etc amps were fine. But I gotta have some confidence that it won't easily break on me require jumper wires everywhere over time. Not worth my time/effort to deal with that (even though I can do that basic repair by myself).
dominus
King Midas to Cheap Guitars
Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
1. No one ever takes the time to write a positive review, unless they have no life.
2. 2 year extended warranty for $30. Something goes wrong, you send it back to MF and they fix it or refund your money. Cheap insurance.
I had a 6260 Combo a while back, worked fine. Sold it because it was just too heavy and had no need for a combo amp with unplugged speakers. (I run everything through IRs, so I use tube amps with dummy loads and record through the effects loop.)
1. No one ever takes the time to write a positive review, unless they have no life.
2. 2 year extended warranty for $30. Something goes wrong, you send it back to MF and they fix it or refund your money. Cheap insurance.
I had a 6260 Combo a while back, worked fine. Sold it because it was just too heavy and had no need for a combo amp with unplugged speakers. (I run everything through IRs, so I use tube amps with dummy loads and record through the effects loop.)
Red_Label
New member
Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
I used to take the time to write positive reviews... and still do when I'm really excited about a new purchase.
Yeah... it's still tempting to pick one up. Looks like they're not in-stock at the moment (the 1960), but expected date wasn't far down the road.
I was actually just on the Sweetwater site looking at the other end of the spectrum a bit ago. They've got their 36-month no-interest deal for cardholders going-on and the Friedman BE was really tempting me this AM. But that's $3700! I've got a few small debts that I'm about to climb out from under, so I'd like to do that and feel that fresh, minty debt-free feeling again! One of them is for my current Sweetwater bill. Sure would hate to just extend that three more years! I actually used my forum cred to purchase a BE half stack from a member on another site two days ago... but that's for a buddy who runs my preferred local music shop. So I'm having it shipped directly there. He'll no doubt drop it off at my place at some point for me to get to know it, but considering how much he loves the Friedman Pink Taco (lunchbox) that we went in on together -- I think it's going to be a while until I can lay hands on the BE. So I was very tempted to just get one coming for myself. But the wife and I are headed to Vegas in may and I don't want another debt hanging over my head to prevent me from fully enjoying my get-away.
I used to take the time to write positive reviews... and still do when I'm really excited about a new purchase.
Yeah... it's still tempting to pick one up. Looks like they're not in-stock at the moment (the 1960), but expected date wasn't far down the road.
I was actually just on the Sweetwater site looking at the other end of the spectrum a bit ago. They've got their 36-month no-interest deal for cardholders going-on and the Friedman BE was really tempting me this AM. But that's $3700! I've got a few small debts that I'm about to climb out from under, so I'd like to do that and feel that fresh, minty debt-free feeling again! One of them is for my current Sweetwater bill. Sure would hate to just extend that three more years! I actually used my forum cred to purchase a BE half stack from a member on another site two days ago... but that's for a buddy who runs my preferred local music shop. So I'm having it shipped directly there. He'll no doubt drop it off at my place at some point for me to get to know it, but considering how much he loves the Friedman Pink Taco (lunchbox) that we went in on together -- I think it's going to be a while until I can lay hands on the BE. So I was very tempted to just get one coming for myself. But the wife and I are headed to Vegas in may and I don't want another debt hanging over my head to prevent me from fully enjoying my get-away.
Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
Also, Bugera (I'm pretty sure all the Music Group products) have a 3 year manufacturers warranty as well.
Also, Bugera (I'm pretty sure all the Music Group products) have a 3 year manufacturers warranty as well.
uOpt
Something Cool
Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
Music Group? This is Behringer crap?
Music Group? This is Behringer crap?
dominus
King Midas to Cheap Guitars
Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
You seriously didn't know that?
You seriously didn't know that?
dominus
King Midas to Cheap Guitars
Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
There could be lots of negative reviews because they sell more of them too. I think people may be inclined to write good reviews if they spent $2k+ on a head, so that may skew the reviews as well.
There could be lots of negative reviews because they sell more of them too. I think people may be inclined to write good reviews if they spent $2k+ on a head, so that may skew the reviews as well.
Rockstar216
New member
Re: Good Deal Alert! Bugera Tube Heads/Combos on Closeout @ MF
Their was a 333xl (Non infinium) model that came into GC yesterday that I was thinking about trying but it wasn't hooked up yet and their was already too much noise going on.
To Red_Lable I 'm sure the 1960 is a good amp especially the updated Infinium version but compared to Friedman BE I don't know what to say. I would love to own both but the Friedman I'd want would be the model with all the mods included along multi channel set up.
Their was a 333xl (Non infinium) model that came into GC yesterday that I was thinking about trying but it wasn't hooked up yet and their was already too much noise going on.
To Red_Lable I 'm sure the 1960 is a good amp especially the updated Infinium version but compared to Friedman BE I don't know what to say. I would love to own both but the Friedman I'd want would be the model with all the mods included along multi channel set up.