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Just Picked up the Bugera V22


Will Chen

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Haven't had a chance to play it with any of my axes but I played it earlier this week and have been unable to get it out of my head. Went back to GC today to make sure I wasn't imagining things and played though it for about a half hour. I need another amp like I need a hole in the head!

 

Now I've got to sell either my Bandit, Trademark 60, or Vox AC4TV...

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If it wouldn't be too much trouble. I would like to hear some clips if you ever get the chance.

 

 

I'll have a full review up with clips over at my site some but it probably won't be until December. I've got too much stuff on the calendar.

 

It's a very good sounding amp especially at the low price. Loud enough to gig in Pentode mode and can power an additional cab in addition to the internal speaker (the jack has an ohm selector and the external cab runs parallel to the internal speaker). Foot switchable channels and reverb. Effects loop. Pertode/triode swtich. Very full featured amp.

 

I don't know what to compare the tones to just yet. Definitely closer to an older Marshall or Vox kind of vibe rather than the Fender yet has plenty of spank and clarity in the high end.

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HNAD!!!

 

I know exactly how you feel about having too many amps. I don't need even one single more amp, nor do I have room for it (right now I have my palomino 1x12 sitting on the floor, next to is is my VT30, and on top of my VT30 is my DA5...and that's not counting all the amps and cabinets I have in a corner of my room and in my closet) and I went out and bought a vox VT30.

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Interesting vid. By itself, the bugera sounds good. I could certainly see myself playing one. But, when side by side with the vox, the vox clearly blows it away. Just my opinion of course... and of course, there's a huge price difference. Leaving price out of the equation though, just comparing tone, there is no comparison.

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I tried the AC15 in a GC, and I'm not sure what on earth the reverb is trying to accomplish. And yeah, the AC15 is better...but it's nearly double the cost.

 

 

Yeah the Vox Reverb is a total disaster, horrible. The Bugera doesn't sound bad, but the Vox sounds much clearer. After he plays the Vox and goes back to the Bugera, the Bugera sounds like it has a blanket on it by comparison. The Vox clean was much better. As far as gain, the Bugera clearly has way more saturation available, the Vox had more cut. Thought they were both a bit fizzy.

 

Dark amps are tough to work with on stage - I have always liked brighter amps like blackface style Fenders because they set well in the mix, don't step on too much space, and you don't need a lot of volume to hear them. When I was running a Mesa, which was really dark, it was always a struggle.

 

Seems like a good deal for $350. Then again, while you can say $250 is nearly double the price, I would argue $250 really isn't that much money if you think you are getting something better.

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I think a lot of the "wet blanket" sound you hear is from that crappy Bugera speaker. Pop a new speaker in it and I would love to hear what the amp can actually do.

 

A lot of people judge the Peavey Classic series based on the Blue Marvel speaker which is a big mistake. A greenback or Green Beret makes the amp sound like night and day compared with the stock speaker.

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I wouldn't agree....at least not with my Bugera 4x12 cab. It sounds really good. And if you search around the web you'll find comments from others who agree with that. It could just as easily be the cabinet the speaker is in....though I thought it sounded good when I played the V22 at a local GC.

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I think a lot of the "wet blanket" sound you hear is from that crappy Bugera speaker. Pop a new speaker in it and I would love to hear what the amp can actually do.


A lot of people judge the Peavey Classic series based on the Blue Marvel speaker which is a big mistake. A greenback or Green Beret makes the amp sound like night and day compared with the stock speaker
.

 

Absolutely agree.

:thu:

I installed a Weber Silver Bell alnico 12 in my C30 and :eek::eek::eek:!!!

It took the amp more than just a few rungs up the ladder!

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I wouldn't agree....at least not with my Bugera 4x12 cab. It sounds really good. And if you search around the web you'll find comments from others who agree with that. It could just as easily be the cabinet the speaker is in....though I thought it sounded good when I played the V22 at a local GC.

 

 

I'm not saying it sounded bad. Like I said earlier, I actually think it sounds quite good on its own. But, when you compare it side by side with an AC15, the AC15 is clearly in a different class. At least to me.

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I thought the AC-15 sounded much better clean than the Bugera, but the Bugera blew the Vox away in the high-gain comparison. But I don't think Vox was ever for High-Gain applications, like the Burgera is obviously suited for.

 

[EDIT] That could probably be easily fixed by putting a dirt pedal in front of the Vox, tho.

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Put some time in with the V22 over the weekend. Let me say that the V22 AC15 vid posted in this thread doesn't do either of the amps justice. He didn't even try to dial either amp in, simply running the tone controls straight up. Honestly, all the video demonstrates is the amps sound different. Put up an AC15 with a Blues Junior and you'd have just as valid of a "shootout", some will like one some will like the other.

 

The V22 is definitely not an AC15 clone. While it does share some of the same tonal range, it has far more gain on tap (and the gain is much smoother, more to my personal tastes) and the midrange seems voiced a lower. You can get closer to the AC15 cranked tone and response on the dirty channel with gain set down around 1, boost switch engaged, and presence cranked. But it doesn't quite do the jagged Vox style break up. Nothing really does except for a Vox.

 

The V22 definitely has a very clear and chimey high end and he doesn't fully demonstrate the clean channel with the boost switch (it is a midrange boost which effects both channels) nor fully demonstrate the presence knob's effect. Also, I gotta say I really, really like the reverb on the V22. It's voiced extremely complementary to the amp and doesn't overwhelm your tone.

 

Where the V22 is very impressive is in the additional features included at such an affordable price point. There is an effects loop, pentode/triode switch, and an external speaker jack with ohm selection switch between 4,8, and 16. The speaker jacks are wired in parallel which allows you use use the internal speaker paired with an external cab. The quick start guide comes with a table indicating how you should set the ohms based on different speaker ohm combinations. Sweet!

 

While the amp shares a panel similarity with the Classic 30 (with the additional of a presence control and master volume on the V22), I don't really think it sounds much like it. The Classic 30 has a "sweet" and slightly compressed high end with a tight and slightly attenuated lows and prominent mids. The V22 by comparison seems to have more uncolored highs and fuller low end. The gain on the Classic 30 sounds kinda like 70's era Marshall's while the V22 is a bit thicker and more modern sounding.

 

If Bugera copied an amp design in the V22, it's not an amp I've played before. The looks certainly remind one of Matchless and Badcat cosmetics but I've never played any of either companies models as a reference.

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