Bugera Amps 1960

It just shipped and arrived from AMS so I assume it was made very recently since they were out of stock and then 2 ins stock and I got one of those. I don't think there's too many around yet because all the online sites are saying estimated arrival date of October 2009 and this is only July. This is a single channel amp clone of a Marshall 1959 Plexi reissue because it has an FX Loop where the originals did not. It does, have a master volume and that was a concern being 150 watts but if you run an equalizer like I did MXR KFK 10 band EQ, you can jack up the main volume but turn down the Eq from the loop and it acts like a master volume. Works great! The build quality is just fantastic. No surface mounted junk, all hand wired real resistors, diodes, signal caps like an early 70s Marshall. Has the Lego caps like Marshall but they're beefier looking and the huge transformers have chrome plated covers which they make in-house to their own specs. That way they can control how it interacts with their own brand of tubes. Pretty cool! It's moddable so I was going to install the Lar/Mar PPIMV Master volume but no need to with the FX loop. Sucker weighs 48 pounds and is really pretty to look at with a cool embossed bulldog that says British bite. Since it's a steal at a street price of $450 compared to $2 grand for a Marshall I had a hard time finding anything that wasn't equal to or of better quality than several Marshall tube amps I've owned and modded. There are 3 things I did notice though and that is the head cab seems to be made of particle board but who cares since tone comes from the cabinet. I may be wrong though because others have said their 4x12 cabs are high end resonant birch. I did notice that the screws that hold the chassis in are very small compared to the fat ones used on Marshalls though they have 2 additional ones holding the chassis in from the sides. It also came with a cheap thinner IEC style cable vs those heavy duty ones that usually come with Marshalls. No biggie there either since I have a ton of those laying around. What's interesting there is the back metal panel is very high quality black steel with 2 large hooks for wrapping the power cable around, very nice and a lot better than the cheaper screen on Marshalls. I think you could probably swap the cab for a Marshall and it might retrofit but the Bugera looks cool and sexy and not cheap looking at all. It also has those big EL34B tubes and 3matched 12AX7s like a Plexi but the EL34Bs are larger than normal EL34s and a bit beefier with just more of everything tone wise. Bugera I've heard is coming out with their own brand of tubes but they look like Rubys. Supposedly they buy them by the truckload and spent most of last year hand picking and matching them up and reject 90% but that may be good old marketing hype. Look-wise and sound-wise it kind of reminds me of a Marshall-Hiwatt hybrid and the tolex is really rugged and has a really nice texture. I wanted to give it a 9 just because of the cheaper cable but for the money with all the other high end components would be an injustice to this home run Behringer just hit. This baby is built like a tank and I doubt I'll ever need anything else. The only thing I didn't notice too much was that Marshall roar-sag but it has a roar of it's own that is really beautiful and more hi-fi (not scooped).

I'm playing a 60s Reverse headstock Strat and a Trower Signature Strat clone. The tone on this amp is pristine, loud I mean LOUD but a breath of fresh air clean. You can fatten it up nicely with the midrange but it really seems to be a brighter voiced amp due to the hi-fi transformers similar to Soldano I've heard the past several years, it's bright, glassy, fat, sweet, rich in lower and upper mids and transparent highs. That's exactly what this amp is like in spades. With single coil pups, you can crank this baby up to 10 and hardly hear any hum at all! It's almost like there's a built in ISP Decimator but I read they ingeniously spaced the components and have some kind of sensors to get rid of the hum which is fantastic for recording. I run a Fulltone OCD into the front, with volume 11, drive 1, tone 1 and amp set to High Treble side 1, Normal channel 6-7 (patched together with patch cable since it has 4 inputs - 2 bright - 2 normal like a Plexi). Then I have the KFK 10 Band EQ though the loop and volume set on zero with gain set half way up and that's like giving the OCD another jolt which is very transparent and uncolored! I have it sounding like a cranked Plexi at a level where you can still talk in a normal voice and be heard. It's not at whisper level but low enough not to have the neighbors call the cops. I did dime it clean several times it it sustains for days and is pure Marshall Plexi like thunder. It is voiced again more on the treble side so you have to be careful how you have EQ set or you will get a screaming treble ice pick. Though this is what gives it so much character and mid-high voicing. It sounds best through a 4x12 though if you get yourself either 2 x Celelstion Vintage 30s (120 watts total) and keep the amp set at a max of 5, you should be fine, though I don't know many clubs that will let you turn this 150 watt beast to 5, so you may even get away with a 1x12 Vintage 30 if you keep the volume under 3 which is equivalent to having a Marshall 30 watt JTM45 amp dimed to my ears. I have to say though that the clean headroom and fat Plexi tone is just astounding and sounds so much better than my JTM45 without the noise. I just am waiting for some big failure or something because it just seems to good to be true to sound so good, though it's clear from looking inside that this amp was hand made and built like a tank so I have no problem whatsoever in using it as my main gigging amp without a backup.

I've only had it for about a week but I can't stop playing it! It really inspiring and has me feeling like Robin Trower on stage and in the studio due to the near zero noise levels! It's never broken down being new but time will tell.

Never dealt with them yet but I hear they'll replace the amp if it goes bad, plus AMS gave me a second full year warranty free so hard to go wrong there.

I've been playing 35+ years and forming a Hendrix-Trower Tribute band. I've owned Marshall Plexis, JSM 900s, JCM 800s, Dr Z Route 66 and many more as well as many Strats with hundreds of custom shop pickups, have had hundreds of pedals, favoring Fulltone, Eventide, Sweetsound, (RIP Bob Sweet), Hendrix wah, 69 fuzz, blue silicon Hendrix fuzz, Octavio, etc. I was hoping it would have a master volume, but the difference between this and their 1990 which is a JCM 900 clone is marked in that the tone is just so much fatter and richer you almost want to eat it! The 1990 had great Fender type cleans and great 80s crunch if you don't want to have to use a pedal put this non-complicated circuit is just pure tone and the FX loop has a true bypass is you're a real Plexi purist. I'd put this up against point-to-point Plexi any day of the week and it's definitely going to win on no-noise and most likely tone shoot out. I was undecided if I should go with the 1990 or 1960 and I went with the 1960 having never tried it and man am I ever glad I did. For the low prices, I'll probably snag a 1990 too to have in stereo like Trower does where he runs a Plexi and a JCM 800 or sometimes 2 x JCM 900s. If I could only have one, it would be this one preferring tone over master volume convenience which as mentioned can be achieved with the FX Loop and an Equalizer or volume pedal. Of course tone is subjective and nothing beats the Marshall roar like a Marshall, but if you want something with the 60s-70s vintage sound, damn close to a Marshall with a touch of modern hi-fi-"ness", good warranty, and on a budget, then this amp is for you no question. The roar may be able to be achieved with a bias adjustment to bring some of that lower-fi non-efficient sag that makes them sound so great. I may try that in fact since the bias adjustment pot is on the chassis surface without having to get inside to test or adjust (another cool feature). I didn't care for the 4x12 Cabinet they make though. I only got to try the 1990 model through it at GC because they didn't have any 1960s in stock and most won't till October so probably best to pre-order. The speakers sounded good but not as good as Celestion V30s to my ears. They were a tad more scooped but I never did try the 1960 through it to know for sure as they may react differently. I guess I lucked out and snagged 1 of only 2 AMS received and were gone the same day. Now their site says more expected 8/18/09. I'm running the 1960 through 2 cabs (1 Celestion (UK made) V30 and 2 x G12C Greenbacks (as in the Hendrix JH 100 Stack) and sounds fantastic through either one or both. I'm going to try it trough my Mode 4 (400 watt cab with G12K-100s in a couple days where I have that cab at. I'll also have a 2x12 Cab with 1 V30+1 G12K100 giving me 160 watts coverage plus a huge low end on the G12K100 and still great V30 mids. Not really sufficient for a 150 watt amp but I probably won't be diming it. Trower keeps his Plexis set at 5 with his overdrive set at 11 on volume so that's comparable to being set at 4-5. I was skeptical about the "Made in China" and mixed reviews about Behringer in general, but Marshall now has many of their amps made in India, Vietnam and Korea such as their new Haze amp which I tried and sounded kind of fake when cranked through the DSP stuff. The manager at GC said he knew it came from India because it smelled "strongly of curry powder" the minute he opened the box! The good thing is Behringer has full control over making the transformers to their own spec to match the tubes which I found cool and I read every third person on the assembly line is a quality control inspector. Overall, I'm please as punch. However, I probably still will get myself a UK Marshall 1959, a vintage ptp one and a Metro hand wired just to compare. There's a couple reviews on youtube that don't really do it justice but helpful somewhat if you can deal with hearing the Toneking guy saying "Boys & Girls" about 50 times.

THIS AMP IS WELL BUILT - BUT I HAVE ONLY HAD IT FOR 2 DAYS
POWERFUL !!!!!!

EXCELLENT - HEAD ROOM - I'VE GOT TO LEARN HOW TO USE IT

TOO EARLY TO TELL

DO NOT KNOW YET

BEEN PLAYING SINCE 1969
HAVE A NICE COLLECTION OF GUITARS AND THOUGHT I WOULD A FEW MORE AMPS - SO I GOT THE 1960 AND THE 1990 THIS WEEK

Amp born on date March 2009. It is a single channel tube amp. It has an effects loop with a bypass switch. Its a 150 watt amp, and I use it to drive my Pod X3 Live. It has an old school EQ thats very responsive. Its totally quiet when cranked up to the hilt! Impressive! The controls are totally silky smooth!

I use Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups in my Deluxe Players Strat. When cranked up you can get rock distortion ala Who, ACDC, 70s, 60s. Sweet and delicious~! Clean is pristine and bell chimey in quality! Superb!

The build quality is incredible much like when amps were built like tanks back in the day! I would gig without a backup! It has not given me any problems.

I have spoken with Bugera at the Behringer office, and they have given me all the answers to my questions. Their service is committed to their customers. And, if your amp should pop, they can and will send you a replacement! How cool is that!

I've been playing for 30 years and I've played all the amps and then some. If it were lost, I would buy a replacement! I love the feel of this amp. It kicks total ass, and it looks fabulous with the silver piping! I scoped out all the usual suspects before going with Bugera. For me, the 1960 is perfect. Bugera has a real winner here with the 1960!