Bugera and NAMM 2011: CHECK THIS OUT! Copying MESA!

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Okay... doesn't have anything to do with the Axe-Fx but I'm considering an affordable tube combo just so I have the option if I need it. Well I'd love to get a Mesa Mark IV or a Mesa Recto combo but those are like 3000€ right? Well I guess not anymore now that Bugera is doing both of them. Yes.

Bugera Magician ---> Mesa Boogie Mark IV
Bugera Trirec ---> Mesa Boogie Triple Recto / Dual Recto (dunno which?)

And the combos will probably be around 500€. Here are the clips from NAMM 2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx4rNe1y3hA <--- Mark IV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsHDqSuEZck <--- Mark IV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RQVEx3Y6a8 <--- Recto

Now, I've never heard anything good about the Bugeras. I've also never heard that much bad about them so I'd love to hear if you guys have any experience with these amps. I guess there have been reliability issues in the beginning of Bugera but nowadays those issues are far gone.

OPINIONS?
 
Wow! That thing has a lot of features for the price. Mesa tones, never need to bias, midi, loop, etc... I'm in. Thanks for sharing!
 
It's Bugera

It's cheaply built (so it won't sound the same), and it has well publicized reliability issues. Plus 500 euros makes it not competitive here in the US, where Mark IVs can be had for $1100-1200. The benefit of getting the real deal is you'll be able to sell it for about the same price if you get bored with it. With a Bugera - good luck with that.
 
I know it's Bugera. I've heard the reliability issues but they claim to have fixed all of those. I mean it's not good for their business if they get customer returns so in a way I do believe them. They have a good customer service through Thomann so I don't see any risks. And none of us have had the chance to try these out unless you were at NAMM? So I don't think you can say that "it won't sound the same". It's basically a copy of these amps. Sure Mesa is a quality amplifier but 3000€? Really? And I've owned 3 "real" Mark IV's and a Roadster and a Dual Recto... the list goes on. Not all Mesas sound the same either but if it's in the same ballpark then I might buy it. I guess I'll go to a music shop here and check out some of the other Bugera amps and see how they sound. The Peavey copies can be found under a mile away from my home so that's where I'll be in an hour. :) I'll report back to you guys what I though. And if I find a real Peavey I'll A/B them.

Just listen to this Marshall/Bugera comparison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFv-VBRrtlA TBH they sound surprisingly alike to me.
 
So... just came back from the music store. I played Bugera's JCM800 which was loud as hell. I've only played a real JCM800 once in my life and I remember it wasn't my cup of tea and neither was this so I can't really say anything else but THIS THING IS TOO LOUD! :D But then I found a Peavey 6505 and the Bugera 6262 and A/B'd those and I must say that these two sounded very alike. I mean... the Bugera would've passed as the real thing if I was blind folded. Then again I'm not that familiar with Peavey either but this was my first impression.

Then ofcourse we have many new features that the originals didn't have. Like you can run a Recto with any tubes you want. Like you can have two EL34s and two 6L6s or just one EL34 and whatever. You can have a power section with four different tubes. :) And you can limit the wattage of the amp. You can have a 1W version of a Recto. Not something you'd normally have.

It's worth checking out. Not all that's from Asia sucks. F.ex. the Tokai Love Rocks seem to be better than Gibson Les Pauls at the moment.
 
If you dig it, go for it. I won't be killing anyone over it. :D Bugera isn't my cup o' tea, I'm not a fan. That doesn't mean anything except to me. I don't preach my personal opinions about it, so you are safe. I won't bust your chops. :D
 
These type of products will always raise the question of Chinese vs. American. If you (can) look beyond that and taking the price into account, they're not that bad.

I'm definitely not in the market for an amplifier, but if I needed an inexpensive 'C rig' to leave at a rehearsal space etc. I'd take a look at them. I've never played them in person, but from the clips I've heard I kinda liked the vibe the 1960 does (I'm more a pedal into amp kinda guy when it comes to amps). Of course they use cheap parts etc..., but if they sorted out reliability issues...for the price... And as far as I understood your post, it's not supposed to be your main amp anyway...
 
Nah... I'm just tired of carrying my Axe-Fx around all the time. I'm looking for an okay amp for my rehearsal space and for gigs when I don't want to play using patches it should be perfect. And something to prevent me from selling my Axe-Fx to get a real life amp. :) After all I'm not using the Axe-Fx for anything else than 3-5 different amp sims wah and delay. All of that can be done with a Mark IV combo + wah and delay pedal. I just want to know if it sounds anything like the real thing and no one is comparing them yet. :(
 
(Just a thought)

Tell that the chinese/japanese/koreans/thais/mexicans.

In other words where this protected stuff is made under cheap labor conditions.

Globalisation it is called.

Will come to an end when the oil price will be sky rocketing I believe.
 
Sure. But what's the difference when compared to Axe-Fx? Did you get a licence to model all these amps? :) And... amp cloning is been part of guitar amps since forever. Mesa's are Fender and Soldano clones f.ex. Ofcourse I know it's not exactly the same thing since they changed stuff and seems like Bugera just copied everything.

I think it's good. People don't have to pay for the brand name. Like I'm a glad Tokai Love Rock owner. I have owned a Gibson Les Paul and I preferred the Tokai. Still I sold my Gibson and now people are making assumptions like: "oh... that's not a gibson". To me it doesn't really matter. Same thing, if the Bugera ends up sounding just like the Mark IV I'll buy it if it's cheap and I don't care what people think. In the end... we all are in the same rabbit hole. We are playing modelers. NOT the real thing.
 
Clark Kent said:
Do they really use that much oil in making amps? :D
Click to expand...

The building cost of 1 Mesa Boogie is 5 barrels of oil. The transportation of 1 Mesa Boogie cost 20 barrels of oil.;) (their a bit heavey)

That is why in the next decade we will return back to local markets. :ugeek Therefore I like the idea I can buy a mesa clone in Germany.

:mrgreen


icon_e_biggrin.gif
 
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Fingers crossed for hybrid engines! ;)

Somehow I think there's a bit of sercecy towards the amount of oil just like diamonds and gold. The guys who really know how much of it they have aren't telling because the price might drop. It easy to force people to pay a lot for something like this. Like using global warming as a reason to collect funds globally although many have proven that global warming isn't actually happening. :) Wow... we can't speak politics here so shhh.
 
I heard about these over 6 months ago... good to see their finally being released...

One thing, that Tri-Rec demo player sounded hoooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiibbbbbbbbbbbllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeee...
 
Clark Kent said:
Sure. But what's the difference when compared to Axe-Fx? Did you get a licence to model all these amps? :) And... amp cloning is been part of guitar amps since forever. Mesa's are Fender and Soldano clones f.ex.
Click to expand...
Hahaha...these are the kind of discussions that can quickly lead to out of hand threads (and closed ones for that matter). Getting into discussions who's infringing what can really lead to a rabbit hole. I don't think there would be much of a boutique pedal market without any of the builders 'getting inspired' or to put it another way, clone pedals. Having said that, I don't think there's copyright on pedal circuits (for the most part anyway).

I'm not trying to defent Bugera or any other company making cheap gear in Asia for that matter, but it's not all 'under worst conditions'. I know a few people who regularly visited and even set up some of the Asian guitar market factories and my girlfriend used to work first hand with Chinese companies in the promotional items market. Before they worked with a factory over there, they did more inspections and tests any western factory would ever have to undergo. Sure though that there are still some black sheeps out there of course...

Like I said, not trying to defend anyone here and using mostlu boutique gear I'm not even funding 'that' market, but it's not all black and white...
 
VegaBaby said:
Hahaha...these are the kind of discussions that can quickly lead to out of hand threads (and closed ones for that matter). Getting into discussions who's infringing what can really lead to a rabbit hole. I don't think there would be much of a boutique pedal market without any of the builders 'getting inspired' or to put it another way, clone pedals. Having said that, I don't think there's copyright on pedal circuits (for the most part anyway).

I'm not trying to defent Bugera or any other company making cheap gear in Asia for that matter, but it's not all 'under worst conditions'. I know a few people who regularly visited and even set up some of the Asian guitar market factories and my girlfriend used to work first hand with Chinese companies in the promotional items market. Before they worked with a factory over there, they did more inspections and tests any western factory would ever have to undergo. Sure though that there are still some black sheeps out there of course...

Like I said, not trying to defend anyone here and using mostlu boutique gear I'm not even funding 'that' market, but it's not all black and white...
Click to expand...

Fear is a bad advisor :mrgreen
 
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