Bugera V22

[Robert]

Heard about this amp? I saw some glowing remarks online about this amp. Bugera seems to be able to make really good tube amps to a low cost. Never tried one, but that's what everyone keeps saying. Here is a demo, comparing it to a Vox AC15.

 

[bigG]

As has been mentioned on thefret.net before, Bugera (pronounced Bujera, not a hard G) is Behringer's high-end line, "hand-crafted" in China (as is the Vox), but supposedly point-to-point hand-wired, etc...

I, too, have read good reviews. One of the two local shops here carries Bugera and Vox, so I've played thru both (own a Vox AC15). The Bugera is a pretty nice amp on its own, BUT, this is a shootout w the Vox AC15, so here's my 2 cents (trying to be as objective in my subjectivity as is possible ):

I used to check out the Tone King's demos alot, but he just got to be too much. His whole reason for being is overly-distorted metal. He wouldn't know a good clean sound if it bit him in the arse. To him, the BEST sound is equivalent to a speaker mounted in a metal garbage can. (But, God Bless him, he does try very hard and seems like a nice guy...) That said, there is no comparison to my ears. The Bugera sounds stale and stiff and mechanical compared to the Vox's organic, more tube-like sound - clean and distorted. I would spend the six bills on the Vox in a heartbeat (oh, I did!). Sure, $350 is a savings, but if the savings buys you a lesser sound, what's the savings worth? You can always spend less on anything, but if that savings isn't buying you what you want, and prefer, then it's stupid to talk of a price difference (within the context of what you can afford, of course).

To sum up: I think the Bugera, stand-alone on a showroom floor, sounds pretty nice. But, compared to the Vox, it is lifeless and I wouldn't buy it. Nothing else sounds like a Vox, baby, and that's the reason Vox is so popular..."the relentless pursuit of tone"! He is comparing apples and oranges here, as far as I'm concerned. Oh, yeah...don't forget the re-sale value, also.

That my story and I'm sticking to it!

G

 

[Robert]

Maybe not the best demo... but I'd sure like to try one of those amps. They all seem to get really good reviews, and the price is impressive.

 

[Tibernius]

The first run of the 333xls/6262s had a couple of reliability issues which were fixed for the second run, so these should be okay. Probably not the best amplifiers ever made but good for the price.

As has been mentioned on thefret.net before, Bugera (pronounced Bujera, not a hard G) is Behringer's high-end line, "hand-crafted" in China (as is the Vox), but supposedly point-to-point hand-wired, etc...

Now this is where it gets confusing. A couple of ones pronounce it that way, but Bugera's "Product Specialist" pronounces it with a hard G:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7QGN2WvJIM

 

[bigG]

Tibernius, that's Joe Delaney from BEHRINGER. 'Nuff said. Not the smartest knife in the drawer. His Behringer demos are hideous!

EDIT: here's a review of a Bugera half-stack from Paul Riario at GW (go half way down the page for the video review <<< ):

http://www.guitarworld.com/article/bugera_6260_head_amp_412hbk_4x12_cabinet

G

 

[Radioboy950]

Maybe not the best demo... but I'd sure like to try one of those amps. They all seem to get really good reviews, and the price is impressive.

You wonder if the company will have much success with these amphs.
The price seems great, the amph looks fantastic, but nobody wants to pull the trigger without a track record (except the TK).

Questions I would have :
Made to last or is it "disposable" ?
Home jammer or gig worthy?
Is it a rattle trap at higher volumes?

It's tough to ignore this amp, when it looks so darn sexy

 

[goonrick]

Not to appear to endorse the Bugera, but this guy is treating them like they're a 1:1 comparison and they're not. The vox has a different tone stack, one channel with top boost, much more reverb, etc. The Bugera has a three knob tone stack and who knows what else is different about its design. I don't think it's fair to say one is lifeless unless you actually go compare them in the flesh. I'm betting you can goose the top end on the Bugera and get a gritty tone similar to the Vox, just not with the knobs at 12 'o clock.

Just my $.02

 

[oldguy]

The Vox sounds fuller and fatter to me. The 'verb is a bit much in the video, but tweaking the knobs to compare the two might make a difference.
I wonder how each would sound if they were cranked on the clean side?
Sometimes that's the test of a good amph.

 

[Spudman]

As much as I love and use my Peavey Delta I am really impressed by the Bugera V22. It sounds great by itself and also with my M13. I haven't tried it with conventional pedals yet. I probably wont because the M13 is all I use anymore.

So far - I have a strong recommendation for the Bugera V22. It flat out sounds great and feels great. The master volume for both channels is a huge plus. The top end is sweet and clear and the bottom end is full and semi tight. Good but not the perfect JBL tight that I often prefer. A speak change? Maybe. I'll gig with it on Tuesday and get back to you on how it preformed.

Right now it gets a huge ham fisted two thumbs up. :AOK :AOK

 

[sumitomo]

Spud which setting are you liking best the triode or the pentode?(power setting)Sumi

 

[Spudman]

Spud which setting are you liking best the triode or the pentode?(power setting)Sumi

Probably pentode. That's the loudest ain't it? I use mine at gig volume. I haven't really tied the triode yet because I need it loud. This goes to 11 don't it?

 

[hubberjub]

Not a very good demo. Two very different amps and I don't care for the reviewer's tests. The Vox probably is a little overpriced considering it's made in China and does not have a lot of features. I think that Bugera represents a great value for $350. Some people like channel switching. My only complaint with the amp itself was that I thought the clean channel sounded muddy. The Vox has a much clearer and more chimey tone. The Bugera sounded muffled. Again, this was probably just the fault of the reviewer.

 

[Spudman]

Mine makes my C30 sound like it has cotton stuffed in the speaker. It is very clear. You might have experienced a dud. Mine is spot on. With that said I'm off to go play it some more.:dude

 

[Robert]

I am getting very interested in this amph now!

 

[sumitomo]

Spud you are also using the M-13 and alot of those effects tend to brighten things up(they can also be dialed up that way).Makes it hard for me to throw 500+ to fix up my old fenders when you hear of stories such as this.Sumi

 

[Tig]

Yep, when a demo has both amps set to 12 O'clock, that is not a good, equally comparitive starting point. Setting at noon for one amp is not like setting at noon for the other. Too simplistic.
As usual, we'll just have to find one to demo personally to get a better feel.

 

[Spudman]

Spud you are also using the M-13 and alot of those effects tend to brighten things up(they can also be dialed up that way).Makes it hard for me to throw 500+ to fix up my old fenders when you hear of stories such as this.Sumi

For 3 and a half I'm pretty impressed. This sounds great without the M13. I'm just saying that when I do use it the M13 sounds very good. The real test of course is going to be time and gigs. If it holds up over time then I'm a really happy camper.

Here are some internal shots (not mine).

 

[hubberjub]

Mine makes my C30 sound like it has cotton stuffed in the speaker. It is very clear. You might have experienced a dud. Mine is spot on. With that said I'm off to go play it some more.:dude

I wasn't speaking from first hand experience. I was just commenting on the video review that Robert posted. Though I am a gearhead and a bit of an equipment snob, I can appreciate good gear at a lower price point. This seems to be a pretty nice amp. I'm sure you could afford a more expensive amp but it says a lot that you think enough of it to make it your own.

 

[Spudman]

I'm sure you could afford a more expensive amp but it says a lot that you think enough of it to make it your own.

Thanks for thinking highly of me, but I wish that were the case. I do love a good bargain though even if I have the dough for something higher up the scale. With what I've spent upgrading the band equipment I was wondering if I could afford the Bugera. A Bad Cat would certainly be out of the question.

What got me to try one was that fact that a lot of cork sniffers on another forum have had theirs for a couple of months and they aren't selling them and they're using the V22 at gigs with great success. That says a lot. It's a good looking amph too.

I really think this is a very good amph at a really affordable price.

I do like the sound of my dirt pedals into the clean channel. I played around with the drive channel on the V22 and it sounds pretty good too and has a nice feel to it. I just like to have several options for dirt so I'll stick with the clean channel mostly and put pedals into it. If a person didn't have or want to use any distortion pedals the V22 can satisfy the need for dirt quite well and it comes with a channel switching pedal. The tone is very pleasant and can cover a lot of ground with the ability to find your own unique sound.

 

[redgibson]

Bad experience

I posted this elsewhere ont he forums here but feel the need to repeat, I had the WORST experience with this amp (and guitar center likewise) with this amp. The one they had on the floor had a problem with one of the potentiometers so i figured hey, its ok I'll order one from the factory and it will be good as new. lesson learned. Don't shop bottom end, you'll get bottom end, the amp arrived (2 months later) and was broken from the getgo making horrible noises, etc. needless to say it was a disaster, I returned it and I've decided to spend the bills to get something solid. :saw:

 

[sumitomo]

We hear ya Red,These amphs are mass produced,you can tell their soldered by machines,so your bound to get a sour apple ever so often,but hopefully you dont.But that is how they keep the cost down.So don't give up.Sumi

 

[Spudman]

Red I've heard the same thing about higher end amphs as well. Nobody bats 1000. Every now and then there are going to be some quality issues. Who knows, you might have just experienced an abuse or shipping issue and not a manufacturing problem. Anyway, I'm very happy and I hope you find something that you like.

 

[redgibson]

I hear ya..

I Hear ya, but one in the store with faults, new one shipped with faults, should I play the lottery?? :drool I have to wait until after the holidays to invest in a new amp (for Wife-sanity reasons, I think you can all understand...) and I'd like to try a carvin but i think the best way is to take it right home from the store since you are able to evaluate it and assert it's full functionality before I get another broken expensive dud in a heavy box with an angry exhausted UPS guy.. (I am on the third floor..)

 

[Tig]

:nope Must be age creepin' up on me, because I swear I posted this V22 demo before!

From FrugalGuitarist.com
(review and embedded video is here)

 

[Spudman]

I discovered another cool feature of this amph. The back rubber feet are positioned closer toward the front of the amph and this allows tipping back of the amph. It will rest on the bottom edge of the cabinet and the rubber feet. It's a near perfect angle and pretty stable. I do believe it was designed to do this.

 

[Spudman]

Well, my ears are ringing and it's still ticking. I've been pounding the preamp section of the amph with high level effects and pushing the speaker and cabinet. No rattles or buzzes so far. I was playing loud and palm muting too. Nice thumpy bass. Ouch.

I've noticed that the tone controls are pretty responsive. If I need a little more from the thin strings I just bump up the treble a half to a full number. The amp has plenty of bass (a lot actually) at least in my house. You know how things change when you go somewhere else though.

 

[Tig]

Well, I went to the local GC and took the V22 combo for a test drive. Ended up playing with it for about an hour with 3 different guitars, an Epi Les Paul, a Tele Thinline Classic HH, and a standard Strat, mostly in triode mode.

The reverb was pretty good, maybe not the best, but it had a nice sound and range. The clean channel had only gain and volume pots, but the mid boost and a choice of normal or bright inputs gave it enough range to find some sweet tones. Full gain and volume never pushed the amp into crunch.

I really like the lead channel. I was able to dial in some great crunchy and overdriven woody lead tones at bedroom levels. Not exactly Santana level sustain, but a Rabid Rodent overdrive would bring that out if needed. Depending on the guitar, the mid boost was either useful or in the way. Nice to have. I wish the bright was switch controlled instead of requiring you to plug into a different input. The presence pot was useful, but I expected a little more range.

Overall, I really enjoyed this amp. It sang most any classic rock or blues tone I wanted. I'll demo it again when I can A/B the Jet City 20 combo (must have reverb for fair comparison) and decide which will come home after that.