BUGERA REVIEW OF ALL 8 OF THEIR AMPS

[GREC]

My 2 cents. 

I've been playing on/off over 30yrs.

Majority of hostile Bugera haters usually have a Peavey or Jet City in their sig. It's the poor fighting the poor. Stupid.

Last years when I was strapped for cash & an amp that I used for years blew, naively bought the V55Head. I surprised me. Yeah the stock preamp tubes are crap -break up terribly on the clean channel. But its a LOUD punchy amp with PLENTY of headroom. Great with pedals.

I've really cranked the hell out of this thing for a year thru a 4X12 & played out with it many times -no problem. It was a temp amp but grown fond of it.

Seriously wish Bugera would invest a bit more in some components. For that tone & the price it would be a no brainer -$350 + $100 or so for a 'safer' amp.

The funny thing is -Anvil is now endorsing them. A band that has ( for whatever reason) continued to fail thru the years & now is being sponsered by a company with a bad reputation (and seems to not give a crap about it's reputation). Bizarre.  Maybe they will be the ultimate road test...(?)

Man is this place dead....

 

 

[The Beatles]

Nice Video...I suppose we have different evaluations of success...I personally think Bugera are a success...& I think Lewis & Anvil the band are also a success in their own right...I think these amps are as good most & better than most, in their own way, it's just a case of different horses for different courses...& each to their own all amps have their strengths & weaknesses..& In my view these amps are worth every penny..& really are great sounding amps..& before long you will see a few more down to earth real serious musicians endorsing after all there is a very famous female guitarist that endorses Bugera amps & swears by them..amongs a few others..anyway thats my lot as far as this thread goes..my last word is great amps, highly recommended..Bugera rocks! ask Lewis of Anvil!

[ijams]

 

 

The Magician is there version of the mesa mark IV and its about $775.00

Its not only a question of price,Mesa quit making it long ago.

Demand for a good sounding 3 channel combo is well recieved as it should.

If money is no option i get the  Mesa for quality build !

 

A special reissue by mesa of the mark IV seems like a moral imperitive for pride if for no other reason.

Marschall wouldnt hesitate a re-issue as well as fender.

 

 

[hcprimerib]

nevermind

[jhall]

I have had both the Bugera V-22 and V-55 head.

The V-22 is an amp I really miss not having anymore (gave it to a client to borrow while his Valve King 50 watt combo was on the fritz and he fell in love with it so I gave it to him)  The V-55 head I didn't really bond with but it never failed.

I'm not a high gain guy really but I had an opportunity to aquire a 333XL that had no power to the tubes.

I took a chance on it as I'd read about a problem with the molex connector from the power tranny

burning up (the genesis of the bugeras in flames tales).  I opened it up and it was indeed the molex connector that had burned its way through the 6.3 volt heater wire.  I cut the connector and stripped and soldered the wires directly onto the pins of the board.  Turned on the amp and it was a joyous sound of great tone and lots of it. 

  I found it near impossible to cop that Plexi crunch with it but it did more modern(y) crunch to face melting metal really well.  It also has very nice cleans (and this from a guy with a pair of 1972 Twin Reverbs, two '66 bassman heads and a DRRI).   I also found it to sound exactly like the Plexis of yore with my Box of Rock in front of the clean channel.  And believe it ir not the Metal tone with a Danelectro black metal pedal in front of it is to die for if you are into that tone. 

I perched the head on top of a Bugera 2x12 with the cones replaced with a pair of Celestion G-12T 75s

And that on top of an old Crate Palomino 2x12 combo that I removed the chasis from and converted to a closed back 2x12 with a Pair of Vintage 30s.  Now it is a Half stack so to speak but a foot or so taller than a single 4x12 cab and looks damn fine too.

All that being said I need a "metal" amp like a hole in the head but it sure is fun to play.

 

[jds22]

The only Bugera I've played was a 6260 combo and it sounded great.

I'd really like to try the Magician.

[darkshore]

Love my Bugeras! First one I got was a 1990 (Marshall Dual reverb clone). I've had that one for almost 4 years and with no problems. Sound was pretty close right out of the box, just a little too brittle for my taste. But that all changed once I retubed. Dropped some electro harmonix el-34s in and it sounds great! I've since picked up 2 333xl's and dumped the stock trash they come with, loaded one w EH el-34's and the other w JJ 6L6's and they both crush! I chose the 333 after side by siding with an Engl Invader and a Fryette SigX. Soundwise it stood up and price wise well, that's a no brainer. Talked to the guy that does my retubing and he says he thinks they're a steal because unlike a lot of stuff, the Bugeras are serviceable. That sold me.