Bugera Amplifiers

  • Thread starter Thread starter zepplin490
  • Start date Start date
Notice he ignored my post... LOL!

I have owned 3 bugeras... Or Badnightmares as I called them... I got curious and found them CHEAP ($200 or less) on ebay. They sounded fair to partly cloudy and ended up breaking eventually due to cracked soldier joints or bad trannys... Up the price and up the quality... If you have a good piece of equipment, most people don't mind spending the money. Hence the success of Marshall, Mesa etc...
 
Notice he ignored my post... LOL!

I have owned 3 bugeras... Or Badnightmares as I called them... I got curious and found them CHEAP ($200 or less) on ebay. They sounded fair to partly cloudy and ended up breaking eventually due to cracked soldier joints or bad trannys... Up the price and up the quality... If you have a good piece of equipment, most people don't mind spending the money. Hence the success of Marshall, Mesa etc...
Click to expand...


Sorry, I didn't mean to ignore your post! I didn't see it as I was on my iPhone!
Thanks for the clarifying the warranty policies!

They are very good actually!

I'm sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with used amplifiers purchased from eBay.

We've had, and continue to experience, a fair bit of success ourselves selling amplifiers:

https://www.thomann.de/gb/amplifiers_for ... itars.html
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Combo-Guita ... .gc?ipp=25

Perception is always reality, but we are making and 'selling' some fantastic amplifiers at the moment.

Dan Gallagher
VP IA Division
The MUSIC Group
Dan.gallagher@music-group.com
 
There are better ways to make a living than making shitty amps by the thousands ... :bash:
 
chunktone":5rfuixx2 said:
VPIADIVISION":5rfuixx2 said:
Hey All,

Just spent a few minutes reading through this thread and thought I'd jump in.

I'm the brand manager (VP) for BUGERA have been with the company (on and off) since 1999 and before the brand was even introduced in the US. It's great to read the back and forth, and love the fact that everyone has an opinion. I love guitar amps, just like all of you, and talking about them is addictive :)

I'd like to clarify a couple of things, for the record, and join the fray...

BUGERA amplifiers are currently built in the same factory as some of the most reliable and prestigious brands in the world (all of the MUSIC Group brands are manufactured in the same place).

Quality is our #1 concern when manufacturing products, simply because it is too expensive to tolerate anything else (on many levels). Components such as tubes, resistors, capacitors, connectors, sockets, etc. are all sourced from the same place (all manufacturers) these days (and virtually ALL are made in China...including transformers).

The big difference in transformers (quality) is based on the amount of iron used in the manufacturing process. There are always trade offs when designing an amp to be affordable (and we try to do that...always), but as a company we build our products to last. It's too expensive to do it any other way - back end costs - repairs are costly!!!

Shipping tube amplifiers, via UPS, Fed Ex or other carriers is always a challenge, and we've done our best to make sure that our amplifiers are ALWAYS operable and sound as intended by designing the INFINIUM tube life extender and incorporating it into many of our classic design models. Basically a tube can fail completely and the amp will auto bias the remaining tubes and redirect power there to get you through a gig. On many of our amplifiers (with INFINIUM), you can swap tubes with virtually anything you can socket - similar to the old THD trick (i'm a big fan of Andy's designs :)

Some other interesting facts (I hope anyway):
- Company failure rates are far below 1%
- BUGERA amplifiers come with a 3-YEAR warranty, the longest warranty in the industry.
- We have a NEW! CARE CENTER in the US, and they have an ample supply of parts and expert technical information.

Thanks for letting me join the thread...

Dan Gallagher
VP Instrument Amplification Division
The MUSIC Group
dan.gallagher@music-group.com
Click to expand...

So, working for this company, I would have to assume you do not believe in intellectual property rights?
Click to expand...

Really? So you're all about being "true"? All cars have evolved from the Mercedes Benz, so you only drive a Benz right? All others are pretenders and rip of the IP rights of Mercedes right? :confused:

Derek
 
Viesczy":2gwy0kpn said:
chunktone":2gwy0kpn said:
VPIADIVISION":2gwy0kpn said:
Hey All,

Just spent a few minutes reading through this thread and thought I'd jump in.

I'm the brand manager (VP) for BUGERA have been with the company (on and off) since 1999 and before the brand was even introduced in the US. It's great to read the back and forth, and love the fact that everyone has an opinion. I love guitar amps, just like all of you, and talking about them is addictive :)

I'd like to clarify a couple of things, for the record, and join the fray...

BUGERA amplifiers are currently built in the same factory as some of the most reliable and prestigious brands in the world (all of the MUSIC Group brands are manufactured in the same place).

Quality is our #1 concern when manufacturing products, simply because it is too expensive to tolerate anything else (on many levels). Components such as tubes, resistors, capacitors, connectors, sockets, etc. are all sourced from the same place (all manufacturers) these days (and virtually ALL are made in China...including transformers).

The big difference in transformers (quality) is based on the amount of iron used in the manufacturing process. There are always trade offs when designing an amp to be affordable (and we try to do that...always), but as a company we build our products to last. It's too expensive to do it any other way - back end costs - repairs are costly!!!

Shipping tube amplifiers, via UPS, Fed Ex or other carriers is always a challenge, and we've done our best to make sure that our amplifiers are ALWAYS operable and sound as intended by designing the INFINIUM tube life extender and incorporating it into many of our classic design models. Basically a tube can fail completely and the amp will auto bias the remaining tubes and redirect power there to get you through a gig. On many of our amplifiers (with INFINIUM), you can swap tubes with virtually anything you can socket - similar to the old THD trick (i'm a big fan of Andy's designs :)

Some other interesting facts (I hope anyway):
- Company failure rates are far below 1%
- BUGERA amplifiers come with a 3-YEAR warranty, the longest warranty in the industry.
- We have a NEW! CARE CENTER in the US, and they have an ample supply of parts and expert technical information.

Thanks for letting me join the thread...

Dan Gallagher
VP Instrument Amplification Division
The MUSIC Group
dan.gallagher@music-group.com
Click to expand...

So, working for this company, I would have to assume you do not believe in intellectual property rights?
Click to expand...

Really? So you're all about being "true"? All cars have evolved from the Mercedes Benz, so you only drive a Benz right? All others are pretenders and rip of the IP rights of Mercedes right? :confused:

Derek
Click to expand...

There's quite a difference in a product evolving over many years, and a company that has done nothing but steal the design of others, and called it their own. First it was Behringer stealing the designs of Mackie, now they've got Bugera stealing the designs if Peavey, Mesa etc...
 
I'm going to need to unbutton my collar - it's getting stuffy in here.......
 
Who cares what they model their product line after. Is it that different than what those MTS guys salvation and jaded faith do? Or fractual stuffing all those amp models into one package. Its all the same crap no matter how you spin it.

Who cares.
 
VPIADIVISION":290jqnyl said:
- BUGERA amplifiers come with a 3-YEAR warranty, the longest warranty in the industry.
Click to expand...

Splawn and EVH 5153 come with a lifetime warranty. :confused:
 
i don't prefer bugera at all.

that being said, when i was younger/poorer and bugera was an option i probably would have bought one. as far as i can tell 'stealing' amp designs is a pastime in amp manufacturing and rca started/encouraged it when they made this book

http://archive.org/details/RcaHigh-fide ... erCircuits

beg, borrow or steal you shouldn't get mad. "imitation is the highest form of flattery"
 
bhuard75":pdw0arfh said:
Who cares what they model their product line after. Is it that different than what those MTS guys salvation and jaded faith do? Or fractual stuffing all those amp models into one package. Its all the same crap no matter how you spin it.

Who cares.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%. If it's not patented, it's fair game. If it is patented but a vastly similar product can be made without infringing on the patent, still fair game.

Everyone needs to get the knots out of their knickers.
 
charveldan":3cs0pd9q said:


Look.....Robot assembly. :confused:
Click to expand...

Don't knock it. Up until the last two decades of the 20th century, there were similar factories doing the same thing here in North America.

The production line itself is not the problem with these types of manufacturing facilities - it's the components used in the builds and the back-end quality control.
 
I think the biggest issue with Bugera is not that they are copying circuit designs. Yea that bad if they are, but some of the very popular boutiques on this forum are dead on copies circuit wise. But they don't remotely look the same so no one is wise to this.

I have seen Mesa and Soldano brought up. If you took a non musician into the store would they see a difference in the 2 amps? Of course they would, although the amps are very similar in many aspects, no one would confuse the two because cosmetically and functionally they are different. Does the SLO use tube rectifiers? you get the point.

But then look at a Tri Rec and a Mesa rectifier, do these look the same? Very similar even in the name. This is what pisses people off. Having a cheap amp look and resemble a more expensive high quality amp. This is basically taking an established branding and using it to sell your products. They get away with it because it is not 100% accurate in design, but the major aesthetics are the same as well as many features.

Look at the 5150/6505 and the 6262, hmm same thing :scared:

Look at the 333XL and the JSX/XXX. Sure the names are not the same exactly but enough of the same style and familiarity.

When companies do this, they are taking someones knowledge of a recognized brand and subconsciously getting them to go with the cheaper lesser brand buy making that brand cosmetically similar enough to make a connection. Marking gurus are well into this crap.

They do this intentionally.

A young guy idolizes the Mesa rectifier, all his favorite guitar players and bands play them. He is working hard on his weekend and after school job to save up and buy one. But wait, their is this Tri Rec amp from Bugera, wow much cheaper and basically from all the features it is a Rectifier wink wink. :doh:

No one would care that Berhinger and Bugera copied designs electronically, but they are coping trademark and designs of well established brands and varying them enough just to stay on their own side of the law. Just because it is "legal" doesn't mean it is right.

Check this out: Hmm it has no bounds......... http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/09/b ... apple-com/
 
Hi ChunkTone,

First of all we are always open to criticism and here to listen.

However wouldn’t you agree that making such strong accusations without facts is inappropriate? Why don’t you provide facts such as patents etc. so we can openly discuss? Technology that is not patented is generally free for everyone to use.

Please allow me to correct a few statements made here as many of the stories are more fiction than fact and we are happy to discuss any questions you may have.

BUGERA has been around now for over 5 years and we are very proud that it has become a leading tube amp brand.

In fact, BUGERA is now the number one selling tube amp brand in Europe, based on Thomann who is Europe’s largest retailer.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/tube_guitar_combos.html

The V22 is selling so well, that it has become the top selling guitar amp overall in Europe.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/amplifiers_for ... itars.html
(see right side of website for Top Sellers)

The conversation about quality is an interesting one. When you build products in such high quantities such as BUGERA with extremely low margins, you have to watch the quality of your components even more as the slightest problem can wipe out all your profit. This is the reason why we own our factory and don’t leave manufacturing to any third party that does not care as much as we do about quality. And that’s also why we now offer a 3-Year Warranty Program for each amp.
Our failure rate is one of the lowest in the industry and please don’t take our word for it, but talk to anyone who sells our amps such as Guitar Center etc.

As usual, tubes are the most fragile component. No matter how well you test them (and we do test them extremely well), transportation and handling can often damage them. If there are any amp defects, 95% are related to tubes and that’s why we invented the Infinium technology, which constantly monitors tubes by adjusting their bias so they run in the optimal mode, and Infinium tells you when you need to replace a tube. You don’t need to buy a matched quartet anymore and you can just plug in ANY tube that fits. You can mix and match EL34, 6L6 and create great new tone combinations and sounds.
Also, Infinium can shut down an individual tube if it’s defective without shutting down your amp which is great when you are playing on stage, so your show goes on.
I am quite pleased to say, that BUGERA has invested a lot in R&D and new technologies such as Infinium and Varipower etc. And I am proud of the tone, amps like the TRIREC are achieving.

Best regards,
Joe Sanborn
Manager, Channel Marketing
MUSIC Group
BUGERA
 
Dear Barron55,

In regards to your comments about our TRIREC looking too much like another amp, frankly I could not disagree more as both amps look very different.
 
Our TRIREC also features innovative features such as VARIPOWER, INFINIUM Tube Life Multiplier technology, 3-Mode Rectifier (tube, solid state and mixed), Reverb, Midi, etc.
 
For those unfamiliar with VARIPOWER, here is a description from our amp designer Jan Duwe:
 
Technically, the VARIPOWER function is able to reduce the effective electrical field in which electrons are accelerated from cathode to anode. When VARIPOWER is turned up to the maximum, the electrical field acts just like in any normal 100-Watt push-pull power amplifier.
 
The integrated INFINIUM Valve Life Multiplier Technology ensures the optimum bias current adjustment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8GxgtLSadw
 
The more the VARIPOWER control is turned down, the lower the effective electrical field in the output tubes, roughly comparable to a smaller power transformer being installed in the amplifier. This reduces the maximum power available to the amplifier, but not necessarily the resulting volume.
 
The volume actually decreases only when comparing signals close to the clipping limits. To give a practical example: let’s say a typical volume level for a rehearsal room does not require more than 20 Watts (especially when using a 4 x 12 cabinet). In this context, the VARIPOWER control on the TRIREC could be lowered by 50 - 70% (starting at the max position) before it will provide obvious audible differences in volume to the user.
 
It is not until the output level of the preamp stage (“Master” control) is so high, that the reduced power amp capacity can’t reproduce the signals properly through the speakers. This is where VARIPOWER does its magic:

• The signal peaks will be clipped more or less, depending on the preamp setting
• The distortion created in the tube power amp stage is superimposed over the one that originates from the preamp stage
• The sound thickens and appears to be more compressed
• Overall this produces an effect Eddie Van Halen used to call the “brown sound“

Best regards,
Joe Sanborn
Manager, Channel Marketing
MUSIC Group
BUGERA
 
VPIADIVISION":26rvgegc said:
I would say that most tube amplifier designs have been around for a very, very long time. I'd also say that virtually all of the tube amp companies that have opened during the course of the past 10-20 years have based thier products on modified versions of those designs.

And I'd say that's a fair statement.

Dan Gallagher
VP IA Division
The MUSIC Group
Dan.gallagher@music-group.com
Click to expand...

i would say that is a very fair statement. considering the number of established manufactors who began hot rodding champs, which, er, i believe was a Leo design. And considering that all the amps mentioned so far are tube driven, think of all the people who have taken the original valve technology and incorporated into their designs rather than coming up with an orignal alternative (excluding solid state) themselves- that would be, gee, i guess just about EVERYBODY making non-solid state amps. i sure wouldn't buy a tube amp unless it was put out by the folks that invented TUBES, hey that just wouldn't be fair would it?
it's fine if you want to be a snob. it's fine if you want to dictate that only point to point boutique amps are allowable-even if means that 9 out of 10 players will be forced by simple economics to go with transistor amps. but you might want to open your mind up just enough to consider that virtually all amp technology is derivative, building up and improving on previous designs, and not get so worked up in your righteousness that reason abandons her throne.
an awful lot of this noise sounds like the emperor's new clothes.
 
so if mesa or another big name, well made USA or canadian amp manufacturer decides to incorporate your varipower, infinium, etc, and so on and basically steal your design, you wont have any problem with it?

and maybe name it variedpower or ad-infinium, you wouldn't have any problem with it?

just curious.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top