Bugera BVP5500 vs Hartke Lh500

[zacmds]

So I'm looking for a head, and I was solidly set on the Lh500. But then I came across the Bugera BVP5500. On paper it should win. But its made by behringer and I am very wary about going behinger. If anyone has had chance to play both opinions would be nice.


Cheers
ZacMDS

[Gearhead17]

Do yourself a favor and get the Hartke LH 1000. More watts are NEVER a bad thing - that's why you have a volume knob.

Stay away from Behringer - I have had several of their products fail on me with very little abuse. Never owned them, but my past drummer did. Never again. They are cheap for a reason and I feel the reliability of the LH 1000 would be through the roof compared to the Behringer.

Never tried that particular Behringer head and it could very well sound great, but why chance it? Don't waste your money.

[seamonkey]

"On paper"

No bass gear, has believable specs on paper.

You really need to have them in hand and try them at rehearsals and gigs before you can really know.

[GrowlerBox]

On customer service alone, it's a no-brainer -- Larry is one of an elite group on that score. You can dial him direct on his cell phone if there's a problem. Try that with Behringer when there's a problem.

[JimmyM]

Between these two, it's a no brainer...Hartke.

[darius8]

Bugera is not Behringer just as Ampeg is not Crate. Bugera is owned by Music Group.

Music Group also owns Behringer, Midas, and Klark Teknik. Midas makes high quality mixing/recording consoles and Klark Teknik makes high quality signal processors. You would have to mortgage your house to purchase some of their stuff.

Ampeg, Crate, and Mackie are owned by Loud Technology but I would never say Ampeg is like Crate. That would be wrong.

Bugera hasn't even been around that long. From the demos on youtube, the BVP5500 sounds pretty rockin. Reliablity? That still remains to be seen. IMO

[fdeck]

Behringer originally used the "Bugera" brand name for the speaker drivers in their cabs, years before introducing the "Bugera" brand of amps. There's no evidence that "Bugera" has ever stood on its own as a business. Lots of companies introduce sub-brands to differentiate product lines.

Of course Midas and Klark Teknic are a different story.

[darius8]

@fdeck, thanks for clearing that up,

[BassPenguin22]

Has anyone on this forum actually ever even played a Bugera?? Still voting Hartke though.

[Arjank]

Originally Posted by BassPenguin22

Has anyone on this forum actually ever even played a Bugera?? Still voting Hartke though.

I have the BVP5500 and I'm very happy with it. I was very surprised with how good it sounds. I once had the amp with me for a gig and another bassist also had to play, he used my rig (with my homemade 4x8) and he was very surprised too, this guys normally uses Eden gear, the drummer was also very surprised he could not believe the sound (even if you don't look at the low price).
I have only tried the hartke with some hartke cab, it did not sound convincing to me, it could have been the cab though....

[darius8]

@Arjank, how long ago did you get it? No problems?

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by BassPenguin22

Has anyone on this forum actually ever even played a Bugera?? Still voting Hartke though.

I haven't. My vote would be the same regardless, though. Hartke makes his stuff with love.

[Arjank]

Originally Posted by darius8

@Arjank, how long ago did you get it? No problems?

I own it for over a year now, no problems whatsoever.

If you wanna check the interiour, see this pic

[brendanbassist]

Originally Posted by BassPenguin22

Has anyone on this forum actually ever even played a Bugera?? Still voting Hartke though.

Played, but not owned. Worked at a music store for a few years. I'd say 80% of the things people brought in for repairs were Behringer/Bugera.

Hartke all the way. Larry is the bomb.

[monkeyking]

I can't comment on the Bugera. I've had some Behringer stuff that was good for the price, never had an issue. But all that stuff was passive - powered may be another thing altogether.

I can comment on the Hartke gear. I ran my HA3500 between 100 and 150 gigs a year for more than a decade - no problem ever. Have never needed their CS, but what I've seen from the forums here, it is exceptional. I would never hesitate on Hartke.

[BillyIVbass]

The Hartke will withstand an explosion, the Bugera will more than likely cause one!

[darius8]

It doesn't make sense. How is it that if Behringer products are so inferior, as so many claim them to be, are is still in business and doing very well? The demands for it's products has shown no signs to decrease.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by darius8

It doesn't make sense. How is it that if Behringer products are so inferior, as so many claim them to be, are is still in business and doing very well? The demands for it's products has shown no signs to decrease.

Because Behringer prices their stuff lower than anyone and people buy it solely based on that.

[dukeisdog]

Originally Posted by darius8

It doesn't make sense. How is it that if Behringer products are so inferior, as so many claim them to be, are is still in business and doing very well? The demands for it's products has shown no signs to decrease.

Not every starting bass player knows about talk bass and has the knowledge of the history of the gear. You can get a nice Behringer full stack for the price of a GK neo combo, a lot of people like to go with more for less I think.

[Duke21]

Originally Posted by fdeck

Behringer originally used the "Bugera" brand name for the speaker drivers in their cabs, years before introducing the "Bugera" brand of amps. There's no evidence that "Bugera" has ever stood on its own as a business. Lots of companies introduce sub-brands to differentiate product lines.

Of course Midas and Klark Teknic are a different story.

Toyota and Lexus, same concept, Lexus is a more luxurious devision of Toyota.

Hartke is rock solid, and have great customer service.