Originally Posted by ChrisN
After jonesing for an entre' into Tube Town, querying here and elsewhere, watching, high-quality headphoned through hi-fi, 30,000 vids of the various recommended amps, looking for pricing and opinions, upsides/downsides, regrets versus heat-of-the-moments versus fads-of-the-day, keeping in mind my relative inexperience/skill level, and a host of way too many variables, I decided to start on the lowest rung of the ladder that still sounded like a tube amp, and which met my reduced-power needs.
I wanted 5 or fewer watts, preferably with an attenuator to get below 1 watt. I wanted Genuine Tube Tone on cleans-to-slightly-dirty (with good solid cleans that weren't too dirty to start), without too much concern for distortion up top (can't have it all, until you get much further up the food chain), would prefer a 12" speaker for the depth, and really wanted front panel controls. Oh, and it had to be cheap to get past the wife's sniper-eye. The universe of such amps is small.
I like the Bugera V-22, but it does have some durability issues. At low volumes there is a ringing vibratory noise that is Annoying. I've tightened every screw in sight, no change. At higher volumes, it is outstanding and highly recommended.
Steve's always recommended the Bugera V5, but I had reservations. Reliability being one, way too dark w/HBs being another, 8" speaker didn't thrill me with its sonic presence, and most of the vids I checked out didn't flatter the tone. Plus, why does every amp tester assume every viewer wants to play speed/death/thrash metal on every amp (especially in the Bugera's price range)?
Still, many folks, even smooth jazz folks, liked the V5, which counts for something, and Steve said some of the shortcomings could be managed with minor upgrades (and to buy "new"). I managed to find a comparo vid that showed the V5's tone in a better light, even with the 8" speaker. My research into tube upgrades confirmed mixed results, but that most obtained a brighter presence (less dark tone) by shifting to a Tung Sol 12AX7 and a JJ EL84 in place of the originals (which many said they liked). Speaker upgrades provided mixed results, with lots of equivocal info. To me, the cabinet size was the unavoidable elephant in that tiny room - just can't get Big Sound from it due to physics. I found at least two people who spoke well of the Bugera 12" cab and Turbosound speaker for use with the V5.
With that background in hand, today I ordered a new V5 from guitar center via a 16% coupon that saved me $32 (but buying from GC exposed me to $15 in sales tax to offset that gift), I then went to the Tube Depot and ordered the referenced upgrade tubes ($48 w/shipping), after which I stopped at Reverb and ordered the only Bugera 12" cab available (used, but "excellent") for a not unreasonable $90 (+ $25 shipping) (they're $160 new on Amazon), and finally topped things off with a factory V5 cover sold at musician's friend for $10. So, I'm at $366, all in, on this baby. If it doesn't work out, I won't have lost too much, and it may well be all I need or want, for a while. With the closed back 12" cab, I'll live with the original 8" speaker, for now, especially as some said they liked it fine - perhaps, with the Tung Sol 12AX7, I will, too.
Some may say (not so much here, as on lesser boards) that $366 could have bought me a much more awesome amp, I'm a fool, etc., but I'm satisfied I looked at this from every angle. Thanks for the help. I didn't intend to actually get an amp now, I just wanted to know some basic direction as set out in my OP. It's dangerous to dip a toe in here!
EDIT: While I appreciate the Bugera's headphone jack, the sound quality from it, even into good 'phones, is not very good. Probably because there's no easy to pull a headphone jack from a tube amp?? I don't know, but it's strictly "so you can hear yourself practice quietly" quality. Doesn't bother me, but I wanted to mention it.
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12-24-2018, 06:43 PM
