so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

T

the toad

New member
From what I see on youtube, they sound awesome considering they're a fraction of their brand name counterpart, have a 3 year warranty (probly much longer than I'll own it), and many clips sound even better to my ear...

Having a tough time deciding between a 333 or a 6262.. anyone have any experience or advice that would be helpful? I play bluesy hendrixy stuff up thru EVH to TOOL... Even some punk and country and EDM type stuff... I'm looking to balance versatility with awesome tone as much as is possible, Tho most important to me is an awesome crunch... Preferably splawnish (can easily get by with anything Plexi/800'ish on)... Then a great round boogie clean, at least equal importance...... Less important would be some kinda Diezely grind (but I can manage with a good mesa clean and a pedal).. possibly the same with the crunch... Tho I've yet to hear a pedal that matches a truly juiced Marshall...

I've kinda talked myself out of spending big money on amps till I at least get a better idea of what works for me than a valvetronix and a zoom pedal... lol :D

Thanks in advance!

And apologies for being such a flip flopping noob, but, the advice and friendliness on here is top notch! And I've moderated other forums before so I've seen it all... Much love :D
 
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Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

If I'm not mistaken, Bugera is a Behringer line of amps. I understand you're looking for something that will meet your financial needs while still putting out good sound, I'd like to recommend maybe something more along the lines of a used marshall combo or anything like that.

As a rule I stay away from companies who "copy" other designs and that's their schtick.
 
Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

Yes im definitely an amp snob, but I only buy gear that makes me feel good when i use it.
Just looking at a bugera makes me feel dirty - and not in a good way.
Check out a peavey 5150 if you are after a cheap modern sounding amp for high gain.

...and ignore my prejudices if you have your heart set on a Buggerer.
 
Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

If you go just by sound/reliability .. post 2013 Bugera's will do the trick in spades...and then some :D Pre 2013 they apparently had a few (mostly minor) teething/quality issues.

The 333XL I have is amazing...& does'nt really sound like most of the other stuff out there. It's been described as a hotrodded JCM 800 meets Soldano & I'd say that was a close description. Whether or not you prefer the 6262 (5150/6505) type sound is your call... (I don't lol..) but taste is subjective.



Clips:

My 333XL Infinium (rough mix/mix in progress.. 2 "dry" rhythm tracks panned L-R & a solo in the middle..no FX):




Cab (stock Bugera 4x12) mic'd at bedroom levels....single mono track..no effects ..just messing around.



..hope that helps :bigthumb:
 
Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

Totally helpful, all posts really :)

-Marshall copied Fender... I drive a copycat Asian import car that rips.. I prefer to be the underdog :)

-I'd feel dirty, playing a gibson... Lol sorry, but yeah..

-awesome advice on the 333, that's the one I was leaning to, I like a 5150 sound, and the 6262 seemed like I'd did that plus an awesome clean (much better than the peaveys), but like you, there's really nothing that beats a good juiced and goosed 800 sound... Thanks! :)
 
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Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

You could also check out the new Peavey MiniHeads. They are priced really well.

They have the ValveKing, 5150, and Classic line all mini.

I have the VkMH and its a great all around amp. Takes tube swaps really well. You can get a wide variety of tones out of this amp. Its got watt selection 1,5, and 20 watts.

Just a suggestion to check out
 
Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

astrozombie said:
If I'm not mistaken, Bugera is a Behringer line of amps. I understand you're looking for something that will meet your financial needs while still putting out good sound, I'd like to recommend maybe something more along the lines of a used marshall combo or anything like that.

As a rule I stay away from companies who "copy" other designs and that's their schtick.
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No offense, but have you tried a Bugera? I've had two and they were freakin awesome and much cheaper than an equivalent all tube Marshall.

If you haven't tried one then kinda hard to turn someone away from 'em. ;)

EDIT: Loved my V22 and 333XL! No quality control issues with either one and both sounded amazing!
 
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Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

Money is definitely a factor, I can afford a mesa, but, I'm no pro, I don't even turn a profit playing, it's hard to justify spending thousands for something when a few hundred will put me in the hunt...

Add on top of that, I'm still a noob, I hardly even know what I like playing, so far, everything new is awesome... So till I settle down and find my tone, it's really hard to justify spending big money yet...

Really leaning towards a 333combo then using some of the extra cash to upgrade to vintage 30s...
 
Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

I'm super happy with my Bugera 1960 Infinium that I retubed with JJ 6CA7s.
 
Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

treyhaislip said:
No offense, but have you tried a Bugera? I've had two and they were freakin awesome and much cheaper than an equivalent all tube Marshall.

If you haven't tried one then kinda hard to turn someone away from 'em. ;)

EDIT: Loved my V22 and 333XL! No quality control issues with either one and both sounded amazing!
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Yes, I tried the JCM 900 clone and various other models when they were in stock at my local "bad" music store.

It was part of the reason why it was the "bad" music store and we never hung out there.

The company DID have a pretty bad reputation...
 
Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

the toad said:
Money is definitely a factor, I can afford a mesa, but, I'm no pro, I don't even turn a profit playing, it's hard to justify spending thousands for something when a few hundred will put me in the hunt...

Add on top of that, I'm still a noob, I hardly even know what I like playing, so far, everything new is awesome... So till I settle down and find my tone, it's really hard to justify spending big money yet...

Really leaning towards a 333combo then using some of the extra cash to upgrade to vintage 30s...
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This is why you're "no pro"!

I just got an amp yesterday that is BLOWING MY MIND and I am writing all sorts of new things just because I can't stop playing it!

Of course, be responsible, but dream big! Will you ever give up playing guitar?

Go grab a guitar and bend a note on it. Any note. Isn't that a cool sound? Doesn't it make you want to keep playing?
 
Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

If your not looking for a gigging amp and your not fussed about tubes, have a look at the Roland cube series. They are i believe hands down the most versatile bedroom amp. Delightful cleans right through to more filth than you would ever need. And it has switchable presets for whatever genre you want.. Footswitch from clean to gain and it will really point you in the right direction of what you want to play... On a plus note they are inexpensive. Arguably the best bang for buck stepping stone to get your wheels turning and i don't think there will be many people say they aren't great for what they are. Just my $0.02 but hey worth a look

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk
 
Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

astrozombie said:
This is why you're "no pro"!

I just got an amp yesterday that is BLOWING MY MIND and I am writing all sorts of new things just because I can't stop playing it!

Of course, be responsible, but dream big! Will you ever give up playing guitar?

Go grab a guitar and bend a note on it. Any note. Isn't that a cool sound? Doesn't it make you want to keep playing?
Click to expand...

My Bugera still blows my mind going on 3 years later..countless gigs..not a moments trouble/worry ...same set of tubes ..and KILLER tone..always. Yeah, I can't stop bending notes lol. If you've played one..it's pretty obvious there's no compromise on tone.. it's completely top notch. All you're actually missing out on is the name on the faceplate.

Congrats on the new amp (whatever it is). I'm glad you're loving it and I hope it's as absolutely trouble-free & easy on it's tubes as my Bugera's been over the last three years... (not too many are) & I know there are guys on here who've had theirs far longer with the same lack of hassle & sweet tone. The only thing cheap about them these days is their price. Frankly, the OP is making a wise/great choice (like I did ;) ), while saving himself a bundle of cash in the bargain.

The "BAD" reputation they had was most likely created/stoked/exaggerated/paid for by competition. Sure they had a faulty transformer clip/connecter & a few channel-switching issues on a couple of amps...(other far more well-regarded amps have often had similar/worse issues...) but nothing that warranted all the online hate & "I loved mine for the 5 mins it worked" comments that invariably sprung up everywhere they were reviewed.
 
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Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

Zeuss said:
You could also check out the new Peavey MiniHeads. They are priced really well.

They have the ValveKing, 5150, and Classic line all mini.

I have the VkMH and its a great all around amp. Takes tube swaps really well. You can get a wide variety of tones out of this amp. Its got watt selection 1,5, and 20 watts.

Just a suggestion to check out
Click to expand...

I have one of these and so does my 14 year old son. Great amp. Good fx loop for running preamp pedals into also. I have an AMT SS-20 and Legend Series II D2 preamp I run straight into fx return on the VK II mini head. Sounds awesome because you can dial volume low on preamps, but gain high, then run master on the mini head way up to 8 or 9 and get some power tube gain. Also the reverb chip is post loop in power amp section. My pedal preamps have no reverb, so I still get reverb running into fx return. Its pretty high gain on dirt channel. This is not the old ValveKing. It is a complete redesign. It will do classic rock sounds too, but have to keep gain on about 1 1/2 to 3 maximum. Gain on 5 is screaming even. Beautiful clean channel.

USB out for recording or the even better MSDI XLR out which captures the power amp section and has built in cab sim that is pretty decent. Speaker defeat switch too.

Takes pedals real well. Has boost on clean and dirt channels by switch on front of amp or by footswitch.
 
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Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

I've heard some good things on Bugera. They have fixed some early reliability issues it seems like. Their model selection is good. I would have bought the 1960 infinium if I had a place to use a 100 watt head and crank it to get all the benefit from it.
 
Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

Wormhelmet said:
I have one of these and so does my 14 year old son. Great amp. Good fx loop for running preamp pedals into also. I have an AMT SS-20 and Legend Series II D2 preamp I run straight into fx return on the VK II mini head. Sounds awesome because you can dial volume low on preamps, but gain high, then run master on the mini head way up to 8 or 9 and get some power tube gain. Also the reverb chip is post loop in power amp section. My pedal preamps have no reverb, so I still get reverb running into fx return. Its pretty high gain on dirt channel. This is not the old ValveKing. It is a complete redesign. It will do classic rock sounds too, but have to keep gain on about 1 1/2 to 3 maximum. Gain on 5 is screaming even. Beautiful clean channel.

USB out for recording or the even better MSDI XLR out which captures the power amp section and has built in cab sim that is pretty decent. Speaker defeat switch too.

Takes pedals real well. Has boost on clean and dirt channels by switch on front of amp or by footswitch.
Click to expand...

Try swapping the tubes to open up the gain knob.

I have an amperex long plate 12AU7 in V1 an an EHX 12AT7 long plate in V2.

It really opened up the gain I can turn it to 10 with no problem. And, if I wanna play metal my TSmini gets the job done just fine still.
 
Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

I had an early V22. Worst amp and biggest disappointment I ever owned (actually had two since the first had to be returned w/in a week due to a failure). I don't know if the claim that pre 2013 and post 2013 marks a change in reliability and perhaps tone, but my experience turned me on Bugera. Once a reputation is tarnished, it's difficult to overcome.
 
Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

astrozombie said:
Yes, I tried the JCM 900 clone and various other models
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Glad you have tried one–when I read "If I'm not mistaken" it sounded like you hadn't. ;)

astrozombie said:
The company DID have a pretty bad reputation...
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IM4Tone said:
I had an early V22. Worst amp and biggest disappointment I ever owned (actually had two since the first had to be returned w/in a week due to a failure). I don't know if the claim that pre 2013 and post 2013 marks a change in reliability and perhaps tone, but my experience turned me on Bugera. Once a reputation is tarnished, it's difficult to overcome.
Click to expand...

I got the V22 first and then a 333XL, never had an issue with either one except that the 333XL was way too much amp for me ;) I gave the V22 to a friend in a band called Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun and Cregg has used it live and in his studio–no complaints from him either when we last talked and he had used it for a long time.

It was funny, I hadn't heard of any issues with Bugera until I joined this forum, just like I had never heard about how bad Gibsons are until I joined this forum. Every brand will have a following of lovers and haters–I've had terrible experience with Jeeps/Dodges (transmission and brake issues on 3 brand new vehicles, Grand Cherokee and 2 Chargers) but I know guys who swear by their Jeeps and Dodges.

I completely understand IM4Tone's statement about reputation–no matter how much I'd love to be in a Challenger or a Jeep I will not be back with Dodge or Jeep even if tomorrow Consumer Reports came out and saying they are the most reliable in every category.
 
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Re: so ive been taking a long hard look at bugera...

Zeuss said:
You could also check out the new Peavey MiniHeads. They are priced really well.

They have the ValveKing, 5150, and Classic line all mini.

I have the VkMH and its a great all around amp. Takes tube swaps really well. You can get a wide variety of tones out of this amp. Its got watt selection 1,5, and 20 watts.

Just a suggestion to check out
Click to expand...

I have one of the Peavey Mini heads for sale, if anyone is interested. The Valveking 20MH... Too much gain for my tastes...
 
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