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bugera v5 vs vht special six ultra

I’d like advice on choosing between a Bugera v5 infinium and a VHT special six ultra. Am looking for a home practice amp for electric guitar (mainly blues/rock but clean is nice, too), and harmonica. These both get great reviews on guitar and harmonica sites. Price isn’t a big factor, but the Bugera is a lot less. I need something with variable output to avoid problems with my neighbors that share a common wall.

Some Bugera V5s have a hum problem. That could be annoying if it is quite loud.

sounds like you've played those two amps, but, play a few more before you make your decision. go back to your big box store with your guitar and play thru those and more. that will give you an idea of what they can and can't do.

play music!

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulp1960 (Post 5698932)

Some Bugera V5s have a hum problem. That could be annoying if it is quite loud.

Paul's absolutely right about the early first-run (pre-2010) "blue-light" versions - those should be all sold out by now, and never buy a used pre-Infinium Bugera - but speaking from personal experience the current production seems to have licked the problem...

I have the Bugera V-5 (amber light). No hum at all. It is a great little amp. I did swap out the tubes, though.

I owned both of the above but I suggest finding the Joyo mini amps, about 160 bucks, the Zombie model might put Mesa Boogie out of business, the Blue Jay is a killer Fender sound, they drive a 1 12 cabinet nicely, I use it with a 10, use an 8 and it's the most amazing Champ you ever heard, wonderful tone, effects loupe put a great 12AX7 in it and have a ton of fun for cheap

They look interesting, but I want something with variable watts, so I can practice with good sound at a volume that’s okay with my neighbor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by seannx (Post 5698842)

If it were me I would consider that what ia an acceptable "neighbor level" for you may not be for your neighbor ( particularly since unlike something more random like TV sound, practicing on a Guitar amp is going to get significantly more repetitive, and thus more potentially annoying at the same level ) . I think that to prevent any issue that a "Neighbor friendly" amp needs a HeadPhone cut out option, which looks to be the Bugera in this case .

Thanks for all the advice. None of the local stores in my area had the Bugera or VHT in stock, so I stopped by the Sacramento GC on my way back home from Nevada City. They had a Bugera v5 infinium on the floor, and I played an SG with the setting at 1 watt. Was just the sound I wanted, and I could see that it will work just fine. It was the only one they had, so it was 10% off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by seannx (Post 5706797)

Congrats , that is nice when that "just right sound" happens. I don't own one but have played them several times at the store, and I think they are a great value in a small practice tube amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by seannx (Post 5706797)

Thanks for all the advice. None of the local stores in my area had the Bugera or VHT in stock, so I stopped by the Sacramento GC on my way back home from Nevada City. They had a Bugera V5 Infinium on the floor, and I played an SG with the setting at 1 watt. Was just the sound I wanted, and I could see that it will work just fine. It was the only one they had, so it was 10% off.

Advice from a happy owner:

As you take the time to play with it you'll find that it gives you just the "sounds" (plural intended) you wanted, especially if you're a more-than-one-guitar man; FYI the gain/tone/volume controls are highly interactive - far more so than on any other amp I've played in the last 55 years - and as you experiment with different settings, in combination with the power attenuator and different guitars (solid/hollow/semi)/pickups (humbucker/P-90/mini-bucker/Fender single-coil), you'll find yourself drawing out a surprising variety of useful tones, all at levels that won't have the neighbors gathered outside your door with torches and pitchforks. Forget modeling amps: this is the way we did it in the old days, and there's a wealth of tone-building knowledge to be obtained as you experiment - besides, there's no substitute for a team of little glass bottles singing their hearts out when it's all about tone...
Since we're on the subject of tubes, a two-tube single-ended amp is a wonderful - and relatively inexpensive - way to get acquainted with the characteristics of different manufacturers' offerings (believe it or not, nominally-identical tubes can be dramatically different in terms of tone, headroom, onset of breakup, etc.). The good thing about the Infinium circuitry is that it allows you to use any compatible power tube (in this case EL84 or equivalent) without rebiasing: plug in a low-headroom power tube with a high-gain 12AX7 for some thrash madness, match up a "tighter" preamp tube with a high-headroom 7189 for country or cleaner rock styles, swap in a 5751 preamp tube for some sweet recording-level chord-solo jazz tones - or mix-&-match to create your own unique signature tone; I've been using these for the last year with great success:

http://www.thetubestore.com/Shop-by-...remium-Package

FYI those are pre-Glasnost Soviet mil-spec tubes, BTW - the Russian equivalent of those American JAN tubes the hard-core Fender guys would sell their 'nads to get; I've been running the full package in my Bugera V22 since 2010 with nary a problem - using it on a gig tomorrow night, BTW - and if longevity/durability are paramount in your book IME you're not likely to find anything better at any kind of reasonable price...

Use it well, often, and (not too) loud... :guitar:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa (Post 5707225)

Advice from a happy owner:[LIST][*]As you take the time to play with it you'll find that it gives you just the "sounds" (plural intended) you wanted, especially if you're a more-than-one-guitar man; FYI the gain/tone/volume controls are highly interactive - far more so than on any other amp I've played in the last 55 years - and as you experiment with different settings, in combination with the power attenuator and different guitars (solid/hollow/semi)/pickups (humbucker/P-90/mini-bucker/Fender single-coil), you'll find yourself drawing out a surprising variety of useful tones, all at levels that won't have the neighbors gathered outside your door with torches and pitchforks. Forget modeling amps: this is the way we did it in the old days, and there's a wealth of tone-building knowledge to be obtained as you experiment - besides, there's no substitute for a team of little glass bottles singing their hearts out when it's all about tone...
.....
Use it well, often, and (not too) loud... :guitar:

Should have said sounds... :)
The relatively short time I played it in the store, I was impressed by the range of sound just adjusting the tone control, with the gain around 4 and volume at 7. Adding reverb was cool, too. It went from a nice, resonant clean sound to a hard blues/rock tone. I'm looking forward to this weekend when I'll have more time to experiment. I know what you mean about the modeling amps. The presets can sound kind of cool at first, but don't have that tube warmth and substance. For $200, it's a great value.

5 Watts can be seriously loud if you need to turn it up to sound good. My 1 Watt Marshall is borderline for apartment level playing because it sounds muffled until I turn it up a bit. Could be the fresh speaker.

My main solution for bedroom level playing is a preamp with speaker emulation, plugged into good computer speakers. The preamp sounds like an amp with speakers and the active speakers reproduce that at neighborly levels.

Some amps have speaker emulated outputs that let you plug into headphones, PA, etc - without using a speaker. That would work too, and you have the power of the amp for times when you can play louder.

edit:
I tried the Marshall DSL1 at the shop and it didn't sound all that loud there, with the sound spreading into the large room with lots of amps and guitars all over the place. Rooms in the apartment are a different matter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by seannx (Post 5707276)

Congratulations! As you have already found out...the V-5 gives great sound at a great price.

Bugera's are one of...if not the most...bang for the buck in a tube amp out there today.

Bugera...more Marshall and to my ears a bit darker

VHT- more Fendery... with attenuation(not sure if Bugera has it)..hand wired so more moddable if that matters

Pick what sounds best to your ears.