Bugera 1990 Infinium Head Review
I picked up a Bugera 1990 120 watt head today at my local GC for $381 (had a 15% off coupon) I initially went with my friend (and fellow TGP member) Chukster on Friday to check out all the buzz with the V22 model. It sounded like a rats behind with obvious pre amp tube issues so I passed.
Actually it was the 2nd of these that I tried that sounded sub par. Just too buzzy for me but its just my opinion not a general fact. There was a 6262 2x12 combo which I think is a clone of the 5150 and it was nice but its distortion was a bit too heavy for my blues/jazz leanings. Crack cocaine cost per gram usa. Chuck was playing the 1990 and getting some really nice tones albiet more distorted than I tend to favor. It is a clone of a JCM900 dual reverb.
I did some research on Saturday and a HC review and decided to give it another ear and some serious tweaking. Here what I found that led to the purchase: 1) Has a 1/2 power switch to 60 watts even though its still loud 2) You can push the gain on the clean channel to the point where it goes from Bassman-Jtm45-JCM800 tones.
3) You can back off the gain on the Lead channel to pick up at the JCM800 to full blown overdrive ala the JCM900 and beyond. 5) Comes with 5881's and can be rebiased for EL34's 6) Has a Bias test point and Bias adjustment pot mounted inside on the chassis clearly marked. Also the tubes are marked as well. 7) Has a footpedal to switch channels and turn reverb on /off on either channel so you can have reverb on your clean/crunch channel and none when you solo.
8) Seems to be made fairly well and easy for a tech to work on if you run into problems. Is it made as nice as my Marshall Haze?-Yes maybe better but at least on par construction wise. Is it made as nice as my Whitney MV66-nope as Mike uses the best of everything.
The thing it does do is cover all of that the other 2 amps do and more for $400. I am going to give it 3 weeks or so and if I still like it then I will have a decsion to make If you can Id suggest checking one out though if you like vintage to more modern Marshall tones and dont want 3 amps to do it all. Good review John! I'm in agreement with the comments about the clean tones: The clean channel is very clear and musical sounding, no odd harmonics, the strings all sound distinct like a good piano.
I was able to dial in clear alt-country tones, even some jazz tones with buckers on the neck pickup. The lead channel has gain to spare, and I love the channel-specific reverb controls. John's right: it seems to be very solid construction-wise. It also held it's tones at lower volumes - you could easily play this at a bar gig with a 1x12 cabinet with, say, a Vin30 in it without overpowering the rest of the band. Overall very impressive, and at that price.the GC had a JCM900 in OK condition for 799.00, and the 1990 seemed to capture that vibe for a very reasonable price!
Oh yeah, the V55 - GC told me that they might get one randomly, but it looks like the V55 is mostly scheduled for online stock. I want to try the V55 head as well, and can't find one.
Alright so there are some different amps being recommended. So to help with the decision I'll show you the prices for all of the amps mentioned that are for sale in my area. Bugera 1990 (NEW) - $430 JCM900 (USED) - $800 DSL100 (USED) - $700 (not mentioned but also an amp I'm looking at) TSL100 (USED) - $550 So these are the prices I'm working with at the moment. This is primarily why I'm taking the 1990 into consideration, I have a budget of about $1000 (can push up to $1250) and I'm planning on getting an Avatar 2x12 with Vintage 30's. So if the 1990 isn't worth it, which Marshall would be best for me? I play hard rock, classic rock, and alternative rock. I play lead guitar.
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All advice is appreciated. Alright so there are some different amps being recommended. So to help with the decision I'll show you the prices for all of the amps mentioned that are for sale in my area. Bugera 1990 (NEW) - $430 JCM900 (USED) - $800 DSL100 (USED) - $700 (not mentioned but also an amp I'm looking at) TSL100 (USED) - $550 So these are the prices I'm working with at the moment. This is primarily why I'm taking the 1990 into consideration, I have a budget of about $1000 (can push up to $1250) and I'm planning on getting an Avatar 2x12 with Vintage 30's. So if the 1990 isn't worth it, which Marshall would be best for me?
I play hard rock, classic rock, and alternative rock. I play lead guitar. All advice is appreciated.
I came within a.' s hair of buying a brand new Bugera 1990 or a 1960. No guitar shops anywhere close to me stock Bugeras. So I never got to hear one in person, and I didn't want to drop the cash on an amp based on Tube vids alone.
Bugera has a lot of bad press as of yet and Marshall has established reliability and reputation. I held out and picked up a DSL 50 for a shade under 600. It's like brand new and I don't regret it one bit. I have the feeling had I bought a Bugera, that I just would've ended up selling it to buy the real deal anyway, so I figured why waste the time and money. I would love to hear a Bugera vs a Marshall in person, though. Unless you can A/B these amps in person, I would suggest just getting the Marshall.
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You know you want one anyway, otherwise you wouldn'e be visiting these forums. Go ahead, you deserve it!