14 DAY TRIAL // It was high time Behringer went all-tube. They finally did and did it in style: Bugera style. Bugera is the name of the new "thingie" courtesy by Behringer: the first all-tube guitar amp sent out on the market by the German producer and definitely a very good start. Displayed for the first time at the winter NAMM and having Shane Gibson as the guitarist to introduce it to the world, Bugera 333/XL is from its very first steps quite a promising piece of technology.
This new guitar amp pumps out a true sonic hell: 120W! For those who are not so much into guitars and all sorts of amps, an all-tube amplifier will produce a louder result than a similar-power solid-state one; seemingly 30W from a tube amp will sound way louder than the same number of Watts coming from a solid state device. This is happening because the vacuum tubes don't cut off harmonics the way solid-state circuitry does and thus they are capable of outputting a sound with harmonics 2 or even 3 octaves off the original signal; such deployment of signal gives off a much fuller sound, commonly spoken of as "fat" as indeed it is a lot denser than the solid-state amped signal.
Coming back to the Bugera 333, it comes in both the shape of a traditional guitar head or the very convenient combo, equipped with 2 12" Bugera speakers (also to be found in higher-class Behringer gear) which are likely to be capable to thump out somewhere around 120dB at full throttle. Classic 3-channel recipe for the versatility of tone, with clean, crunch and lead channels, all three of them controllable by means of a traditional Lo-Mid-Hi independent EQ. The XL varinat of the Bugera 33 also offers an overall Presence knob and a Noise Gate. All versions have reverb and come in with a very sturdy and heavy-duty footswitch with whose aid the player can actually control all channels and FX on the amp.
Even though Bugera themselves describe the combo version as a "boutique amp" it actually manages to exceptionally blend the vintage, classic looks with the awesome modern visual features like chrome knobs and front panel, the very clear and handy designed placement of all the knobs and controls. The Bugera 333 sports other classic-type features such a 3-stage power operation allowing you to quietly practice in your room when switching the power output to a LOW max. attainable volume or simply unleash the demons inside the box when letting it in the Hi-output position and shaking off the walls of the club you're playing in.
Following the long tradition of the all-tube masters such as Marshall, Peavey, Hughes and Kettner, the Bugera amps use 4 12AX7 vacuum tubes in the preamp section and a massive array of 4 6L6 "glasses" in the power amp stage; the same final stage of amping which can be converted to operate on EL34 tubes, should there be any guitarists so strict about the tubes which make their sound. Even more, as I imagine everybody has at least guessed, tubes need replacement from time to time and finding the perfect ones for your amp can sometimes be a harder job than buying light bulbs, even though in the vacuum tube world compatibilities are quite well-defined. Bugera has also promised spare parts for the tube amps they will sell, so things have become truly easy now: just buy the Bugera 12AX7, 6L6 or EL34 glass and you're guaranteed the perfect sound your amp had when you bought it!
Finally, some other features which add more to the value of this newly-born amp I'm already beginning to love: the Line Output has its own separate level so the control is even more accurate. The output for another cabinet will let you play on virtually any secondary speaker-stack as the Bugera has a dedicated switch for 4, 8 and 16 Ohm cabs - this translates to absolute freedom! One last thing: think of everything I have told you so far - now think about a price for the "toy". Now, have a sit and a glass of water as you're likely to be struck: the speculated launch price for the Bugera 333 is about $400, as far as some people were able to find out at the Bugera's NAMM stand. Even if it will be a bit higher things will still have a completely awesome price; I can hardly wait for the UE price and go buy one, even if I am still "engaged" to my faithful Hughes&Kettner 100W combo!
Since there are no press-release photos of the Bugera amps, we'll have to settle for the screenshots I managed to pull from the Bugera website. Obviously, photo credits by Bugera.
